Laura Strutt's Blog, page 15

Pinterest: What They Did With…Mulled Drinks

It’s looking like yesterday’s Chocolate Mulled Wine recipe was a super hit – y’all love festive drinks, am I right?!

So, I thought that you might like to see some more delicious recipes for hot and spiced wintertime (boozy and non-boozy!) beverages to try out over the holidays! So, here is some Delicious Inspirations for Mulled Drinks From Pinterest…and a couple form the Made Peachy Archives too!

1 Hot Mulled Cranberry Juice ⇒ Kitchen Simplicity

2  Mulled Beer ⇒ Magdas Cauldron

3 Spicy Mulled Cider ⇒  Made Peachy Archive

4 Dominican Spiced Cider ⇒ Food52

5 Mulled Pear and Cranberry Punch ⇒ BBC Good Food

6 Cherry Brandy Hot Toddy ⇒ Made Peachy Archive

Do you have a favourite mulled bevy recipe? Be sure to share! I’ve love to add more to my festive Pinterest boards!

 

The post Pinterest: What They Did With…Mulled Drinks appeared first on Made Peachy.

Chocolate Mulled Wine Recipe

If I had to name two of my favourite things right now it would be mulled wine and chocolates – I mean these are the perfect indulgences for the season. So, when these two things come together it is a match made in heaven!

Chocolate Mulled Wine is the most decadent hot chocolate you will ever have and the most indulgent mulled wine at the same time. This recipe uses a really fruity chocolate from the Dominican Republic, where the cocoa has a natural red fruit undertone to it that works really well the richness of the red wine, port and spices. Serve this at a your Christmas get-togethers this  year and watch it all vanish in seconds – people love it!

Grab your ingredients

750 ml red wine

2 cinnamon sticks

6 cloves

2 star anise

1 large sprig fresh rosemary

2 bay leaves

4 cardamom pods

1⁄2 vanilla pod

1 orange, sliced

200 g soft light brown

250 g fruity dark chocolate (I use Saint-Domingue from Cacao Barry)

2 tablespoons ruby port, optional

Serves 4–6 

Pour the red wine into a saucepan or pot set over a low heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, rosemary and bay leaves.

Lightly bruise the cardamom pods and add them, along with the half a vanilla pod, to the pan with the orange slices. Add the sugar and slowly heat the wine, taking care not to let it boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the spices to fully infuse with the wine.

Add the chopped chocolate to the pan and reheat to just below boiling point, stirring constantly to smoothly melt the chocolate. Add the port (if using), mix again and strain into heatproof glasses to serve.

How delicious is that? All we need now is a christmas movie marathon and we are set for the rest of the festive season!

♥ – ♥ – ♥

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This indulgent treat is just one of the many scrumptious recipes from Chocolate At Home by Will Torrent, £19.99, published by Ryland, Peters & Small!

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Style Sunday – Festive Reindeer Sweater

Yes! It’s Christmas sweater season. I haven’t had much time for working on my own knits this year – and that’s something I’m really sad about. It’s like there is yarn everywhere, and I’m working on new knit or crochet designs all the time but I can’t actually keep them all for myself. So, Ive been dreaming in Christmas sweaters and this reindeer design, £35, ASOS is exactly what I’d be knitting for myself this year (you know, if I wasn’t on a perpetual yarn based deadline that is!) Fancy making one for yourself? Check out this Reindeer Festive Sweater Moodboard for more inspiration!

The Pattern

Reindeer Sweater from Novelty Knits by Sarah Kim

This fun festive design used simple colour work to create a cute reindeer motif. For chest sizes 32-44in.

Have you knitted a festive sweater this year? What design did you pick?

 

The post Style Sunday – Festive Reindeer Sweater appeared first on Made Peachy.

Getting Inky

Happy Saturday Y’all!

Christmas is right around the corner and this weekend is dedicated to getting festive in the very best way. All the gifts are (thankfully & finally) bought so now is the time to sit back, relax and get wrapping. Today you’ll mostly find me sitting down surrounded by lashings of baker’s twine, brown paper and sticky tape – no doubt watching Christmas movies and eating clementines. Because, well JOLLY!

Before we get busy with our Neighbour-mas celebrations – aka mulled wine and lebkuchen – I’ll be spending some time writing out all out christmas cards and gift tags. I get that this might sound like a huge chore for so many folks – but for me, its the perfect opportunity to out the pens and inks and make pretty with hand lettering.

Now, my hand lettering is far from perfect, and part of me feels like I should hold off using it for real life things until it is, well, you know, perfect. But, hey, calligraphy can take an age to master and I might find that I never get to that stage where I feel like my lettering is truly perfect. So, I’ve decided, faults and all, now is the time to just go for it! After all, these gift tags and cards are destined for friends and family, and I’m sure that they will have a forgiving eye when it comes to wonky ascenders and wobbly descenders – right?! And, you never know, working on something that is ‘proper’ might be just what my brain needs to really pull out all the stops and elevate me from ‘practice’ mode!

This week I shared a few thoughts on modern calligraphy in an ink themed guest post for monthly crafters challenge blog – Le Challenge – be sure to go check it out!

Are you learning lettering or even a calligraphy master? What are your tips for breaking out of practice mode and getting those pro-style results?

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Fab Fabrics Friday – Utopia by Francis Newcombe

Oh! WOW! I love when new fabrics arrive at Peachy HQ and I thought I would share with you some of these amazing prints! As the Christmas break is right around the corner, these delicious fabrics from the latest collections from Art Gallery Fabrics would be a great addition to your festive wish list!

Utopia by Francis Newcombe

Fantasy meets the city in a clamour of jewel brights and statement graphics. With birds and woodland animals popping out from a canvas of city sky lines and bloom prints this collection is both urban and mystical in just the right measures!

The rich colours are certainly not for the faint hearted and would make stunning quilts or statements accessories – even fabulous show-stopping dresses! If want more inspiration for this collection be sure to check out the fantastic set of makes in the Utopia LookBook!

These fabulous print cottons retail at around £12.50 per metre – check out your local stockist!

The hot cerise swallow print of Orni Incandescence and the mustard tones of Specks of Carambola have me bewitched and dying to get the sewing machine out!

Tell me, which of these prints form the collection has has stolen your heart?

The post Fab Fabrics Friday – Utopia by Francis Newcombe appeared first on Made Peachy.

The Secret is Out – Arm & Finger Knitting New Book!

Y’all remember all those times I was talking about a Top Secret yarn related project I was working on? Well, today is the day that I can finally share with you exactly what this Secret Project is!

Folks, I wrote a book!

I wrote an arm & finger knitting book! 

I don’t know about y’all, but I’m always game to try my hand at something new, to take on a new creative challenge, so when the lovely folks at CICO Books asked if I knew anything about arm and finger knitting and whether I might be able to come up with a collection of designs I just couldn’t pass it up! What fun!

Arm knitting is rad! It’s a bit bonkers to think that you don’t actually need knitting needles to create knitted fabric. I had such a great time working on the designs for this book – learning how yarn behaves when knitting with your arms and fingers, how to create different stitches and textures and reapplying all my yarn based understanding to a completely new and exciting medium.

What a blast! Because you have all patiently put up with me chattering away about this Secret Project and manically working towards deadlines, I thought that it would be kinda cool to share with you some of my favourite makes from the book… so, here is some yarn-based eye candy for you!

There are 35 different projects for you to try for yourself – with things for your home, things to wear and accessories – there are also lots of tips and tricks for mastering arm and finger knitting, and (hopefully!) giving you the inspiration to give it a whirl and create your own designs sans needles!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arm & Finger Knitting – 35 no-needle knits for the home and to wear, £12.99 published by CICO Books will be available from the end of December and is available for pre-order now and needless to say, I’m completely stocked and truly overexcited about the whole entire thing!

Now, here’s where things get a little bit more exciting for you!

I have FIVE copies of my book  c/o CICO Books to give away to five lucky Made Peachy Readers!

So, how do you enter?

Easy! So that y’all get a fair whack at it, there are a number of ways you can enter this giveaway – and the best part is each one will  be counted as 1 entry… so, do all three and you will be entered three times my friend!

1 Please leave a comment below sharing why you fancy trying your hand at arm knitting

2 Share this post on Twitter, tagging @madepeachy and using the hashtag #ArmKnittingMadePeachy

3 Give the MadePeachy Facebook page a like, share the giveaway post and leave a comment on why you’d love to win!

Want a bonus entry? Then head over to the MadePeachy Instagram , follow and give the Sewline post a like & comment!

The giveaway is open to everyone – if you have a postal address, no matter where in the world, you can enter! Yay for international prizes! The winners will be pick at random and announced on the 2 January 2015  - Good Luck!

 

 

The post The Secret is Out – Arm & Finger Knitting New Book! appeared first on Made Peachy.

Pinterest: What They Did With…Gift Wrapping

I’m deeply in love with this Chalkboard Gift Wrapping Kit, £6.10 Sticky Tiger!

Gift wrapping is one of my very fave festive activities  – for me it is right up there with mulled wine and christmas movies! Are you thinking of being a little more creative with your gift wrapping this year? Then you’re going to love this! Here are some of my fave Gift Wrapping Ideas From Pinterest to inspire you!

1 Washi Tape Candles ⇒ Nooha

2  Roller Printed Gift Wrap ⇒ Handmade Charlotte

3 Sheet Music Gift Wrap ⇒ Bronze Budget Bride

4 Hand Printed Furoshiki ⇒ Unruly Things

5 Gold Feather Toppers ⇒ Lia Griffith

6 Fingerprint Light Strand ⇒ A Splash of Something

Have a little more time to dedicate to your gift wrapping this year? Then check out this DIY Stitched photo gift wrap

- your friends and folks will be super impressed when you present them with these this year!

Do you love Pinterest too? Be sure to swing in and all the things I’m pinning right now!

The post Pinterest: What They Did With…Gift Wrapping appeared first on Made Peachy.

Lamb Makloubeh Recipe

Looking for a tasty and warming dinnertime recipe? This fabulous and flavoursome Lamb Maloubeh is just what you need!

Wholegrain rice has a delicious nutty flavor. This fragrant Arabic dish is lower in fat but packs a flavour punch with its assortment of brown rice, spices, lamb and vegetables. Once it’s prepped, leave it in the oven to cook while you put your feet up!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 aubergine, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

400g diced lean lamb shoulder

2 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cumin

400g frozen chunky mixed vegetables (e.g. cauliflower, carrot etc.)

600ml lamb or vegetable stock

350g brown rice

Optional garnish:

2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp chopped parsley

4 tbsp low fat yogurt

Serves: 4

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180oC, gas mark 4.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan, add the onion, aubergine and garlic and cook gently for 10-15 minutes or until softened but not browned. Drain and transfer to a large, deep 3 litre oven proof dish.

Add the remaining oil and the lamb to the frying pan with the spices and cook on a moderate heat, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes until the meat is browned all over. Place on top of the onion mixture.

Add the frozen vegetables to the dish, then pour over the stock.

Finish with the rice and cover the surface with a sheet of baking parchment and then a tightly fitting lid.

Bake for 1½ hours, or until the rice is cooked and the stock is absorbed.

Once cooked leave to stand for 15 minutes before serving with a dollop of natural yogurt and the optional garnish if using. Serve with a fresh green salad.

Why not try…

Replace the lamb with chicken or minced beef and use fresh left over vegetables instead of frozen ones.

♥ – ♥ – ♥

Find more delicious and healthful recipe over at Wholegrain Goodness!

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DIY Stitched Photo Christmas Gift Wrap

For some folks wrapping the Christmas gifts is something of a chore. But not for me, Christmas gift wrapping is my jam – I can’t get enough of it! All the presents laid out, a glass of mulled wine and watching The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favourite festive traditions. As you may or may not know I’m the kind of girl that like to have a theme for our Christmas gift wrap and gift tags. This might be as simple as striking colour combos, or mixing and matching different creative techniques to make sure that our gifts look the business under the tree. So, when I spotted this fantastic idea for this DIY Stitched Photo Christmas Gift Wrap, I just had to share it with y’all!

Admittedly, this isn’t the speediest gift-wrap in the world, but it is one that your friends will appreciate. It won’t end up in the recycling, that’s for sure!

Grab your supplies…

Templates

Tracing paperPencil

Black-and-white photocopies of winter animals

Light box (optional)

Masking tape

Embroidery needle and floss (thread)

Craft glue

1 Trace out the snowflake template and transfer it to the front of an animal photocopy. Turn the photocopy over and go over the pencil lines so that you have a stitching guide on both sides. Use a light box if you have one, or tape the photocopy to a window.

2 Stitch over the pattern using backstitch and straight stitch. Pull the thread through gently to avoid tearing the paper. It is quite tricky to get a perfect stitch, but perfect stitching is not what this project is about!

3 Stitch the bowtie and scarf in the same way. There is not a template for the scarf, as pictures will vary. Draw one in pencil—you can always practice on tracing paper until you are happy with the design. You could also stitch pompom hats and gloves—whatever you like.

4 Wrap presents in simple plain gift-wrap, then fold the photocopies around the presents, cutting down to size if necessary. Secure with a small amount of glue. Add some pretty ribbon to finish.

 

Tah Dah! Glorious gift wrappings that will be sure to wow under the tree this year!

Looking for more ideas for creative gift wrappings this season?

Check out this DIY Printed Christmas Gift Wrap

And why not try out these FREE Downloadable Printed Gift Tags too?!

♥ – ♥ – ♥

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This project is just one of the many amazing makes from A Year in Crafts by Clare Youngs, photography by Joanna Henderson, £14.99, published by CICO Books!

The post DIY Stitched Photo Christmas Gift Wrap appeared first on Made Peachy.

Quick Catch Up: Hello December

I wanted to start the festive month surrounded by a zillion baubles and eleventy million twinkling Christmas lights. Instead, Im starting out this month with a killer cold. There is nothing quite as unfestive as a stuffy nose, pounding head and feeling cranky.

The last month has been a super busy one, and I’m starting to think all this dashing about and meeting deadlines is partly responsible for feeling this poorly. The last few days, I have been trying to take it easy, hence my absence…I guessed y’all might want to be saved from my pity party. Truth be told, I’m not feeling back to match fitness just yet, but the festive feelings is setting in…a day sat watching Christmas movies back-to-back and working on outstanding crochet projects will do that to a girl!

I have finally come to the end of my 2014 Diary Dates and, oh my what a year it has been! I feel like I have been dashing up and down the country and have met some super rad folks along the way. My schedule for 2015 is pretty booked up already – I’ll be sharing all the upcoming dates, events and workshops in the coming weeks – watch this space!

There has been a fair bit happening over here on Made Peachy too, whilst I’ve been trekking about the country and wrangling deadlines! So, here’s a quick round-up of some of my fave happenings here at Peachy HQ this month!

Crafts: Fabric Acorn Garland

Style: DIY Succulent Table Wreath

Skills: Learning The Art of Modern Calligraphy

Eats: Banoffe Oat Dessert

My other loves on the internet right now are…

My Browser Besties:

Etsy

DotComGiftShop

Folksy

Not On The High Street

 

My Blog Crushes:

Skunk Boy

The Dainty Squid

The Blog Of Worldly Delights

A Beautiful Mess

One things that comes out of spending time travelling (and feeling sick!) is having more time to read books! So, here are a few new (mostly horror!) titles to add to my Reading Challenge in My Months Reads:

42: Midnight Harvest - Elias Anderson

A great introduction to a new (to me) author. This book was a mix of supernatural and horror  – quite graphic in some places, so maybe not for everyone! I hadn’t expected the supernatural element, perhaps this is why i didn’t really feel like I got into the book.

43: The Woods – Harlan Coben

This is everything that you could want in a thriller – the storyline teamed with punchy dialogue and short chapters make it a real page turner. I was shocked at how the story kept twisting and turning, making it hard to put down.

44: Murder on the Mind- L L Bartlett

Enjoyable mystery, the paranormal element makes this book intriguing and does help to gloss over some of the awkward elements of the plot. Interesting read and, again, another new author for me.

45: Silence - Natasha Preston

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. A number of people in my reading challenge group have read this and seemed to really enjoy it. The story line was slightly predictable, and the ending was not what I was expecting (but this is a series, which explains it). Perhaps I’m not the target audience for this book.

46: Craft a Creative Business – Fiona Pullen

This is one of my all time top books for the year – a fabulous resource for anyone working in a creative job or thinking about starting or developing a creative business. Be sure toread my full review!

47: Starter for Ten – David Nicholls

A funny and awkward tale of a young mans first year at university and living away from home. Set against the backdrop of the show University Challenge this book is peppered with sample questions and answers which really add to the enjoyment of the book! Great fun read!

48: Tin God - Stacy Green

Fantastic read! I adore the scene and character of southern fiction and this was a great example. The book is a real page turner, with a main character that you find yourself backing from the get go. This book seems to be part of a series, will be checking the other out too!

I never thought it would happen, but it is looking like I might just make it to mu goal of 52 books this year! WOW!

If you’re looking for ideas for books to add to your Must Read List be sure to check out my January Reads, February Reads, March Reads, April Reads, May Reads, June Reads, July Reads, August Reads , September Reads and October Reads! If you’re on GoodReads sure to swing over and say Hi!

I feel like I’m here in body but not yet in spirit – just as soon as I shake off this sickness I’ll be getting into the swing of this festive season! What do you love most about December?

The post Quick Catch Up: Hello December appeared first on Made Peachy.