Homemade Vanilla Extract

Every man and his dog has had a go at making their own vanilla extract....so I figured that it was time I did too!  Besides, I hunted and hunted and hunted for the right bottles, the right vanilla and the right vodka - all at a relatively decent price.  Maybe you want that info too?

The pics are blurry, I am still having real trouble getting my not so new camera to agree with me.  Sorry; you will get over it I am sure.

I really thought that it would be a *cheap* project.  Not so much!  The ingredients were each quite expensive.  But, it is worth it - I now have a gazillion (21 really) ready made presents just sitting and waiting for unsuspecting recipients.

It is simple.  All you do is cut the bean in 2, then slit each half in half length ways so that all the little beans are exposed.  Keep one end of the pod halves attached.  Put your sliced and slit beans in bottles and cover the beans with vodka.  I used 2 pods per bottle.

I believe that it is also possible to make extract with other hard liquor - if you have a huge stash look into using it, the internet is your friend.  The beans need to be kept covered with the vodka, otherwise they will dry out.  They also say that the beans need to soak for something like 6 weeks before using the extract.  The longer they soak the better it gets.

We sloshed some vanilla into our weekend latte - it was yummy, except that we could taste the vodka (ick!).  I am waiting for some of the bottles to mature a little more, then I am going to move the beans around so that I have more beans in a bottle - to get a stronger vanilla extract.

About the stickers - there are so many free printables online for these.  I ended up downloading a ready made sticker page, then, never happy with things as they are, decided I needed to add to it.  So, my stickers have a recipe for Vanilla Biscuits on one side and instructions on the other.  If you would like a copy, drop me a note and I will e-mail you the sheet.

Now...you really want to know about my supplies, don't you?  Here we go then:

8oz/227ml sauce bottles - £17 for 39 bottles

Vanilla pods - £16.50 for 50 premium Madagascan pods

Humungous 1.5l bottles of vodka from Costco - can't remember how much they were, but they were a little bit cheaper than elsewhere.  Cheap, cheap vodka is just fine.

If you have made vanilla extract, let me know what worked for you.  I'd love to hear.

Spoonflower Fabric {What You Made}

Not so long ago I mentioned these fabric designs that I uploaded to Spoonflower, at the request of the lovely lady, Brianna.

Well, looky what Brianna has made...these lovely picnic blankets...and more!

I could do with a little lie down on one of those blankets - as long as the sun were shining nice and warm on my face...

Go and see more on Brianna's website: www.embylove.com.au

And if you have made something with Two Little Flowers goodies, I would love it if you posted photo's over here on Flickr.

New Fabrics

If you hadn't already noticed, there is a bunch of new fabric in my shops....

Printed on to 55% linen / 45% cotton fabric in 'natural' and a few printed on to 'linen', which is a very attractive off-white.

The pink petals are printed on to a gorgeously soft and smooth natural linen.

You can find them here and here.

If they were yours, what would you make with them?

Leap Year Day

I have a friend who was born on leap day - 29 February.  She says that she doesn't have a birthday and only celebrates when her date comes up.  That makes me so sad - I look foward to my birthday every year.  I say that she should celebrate on the 28th AND the 1st.

She is special - she should get to celebrate more than the rest of us!  Don't you agree?

Last year I made this for her.  This year I made her this pretty teal cross-body bag.

I posted it to her yesterday, all wrapped up in tissue paper and string and packaged in one of my pretty pink mailing bags.  If I must confess, I am just a little anxious - a) what if the postman doesn't bring it to her today? and b) what if she hates it?

Ava's little Croc's bag was my inspiration.  I think that I need to make another grown up version for me!  Maybe add a little fabric flower too.  Once I have made a few tweaks to the pattern and the way that I assembled it, I thought I might add a few to my shop or maybe create a pattern for it.  What do you think?

Kids Slipper Socks {Tutorial}

I don't know about other children, but my girls feet do not grow according to the shop stock seasons.  You have no idea what I mean?!  Ok...I saw slipper socks in the shops a few months ago - but, I figured that they both had slippers and were sorted for warm feet for a while still.  Well, Chloe has just outgrown her slippers and I figured that I would replace them with those socks with little non-slip pads on the soles [what I call slipper socks].  You think anyone is stocking them now?  No!

It is still pretty much mid-winter here.  Feet still need to be kept warm for at least another 2 months.  But, oh no, the shops already have their spring stock in.  Which means, amongst other things, no slipper socks.

Every time I see slipper socks in the shops, I think that I really should be buying a few pairs.  Kids feet grow so darn quickly, that I never do buy in advance because I just don't know what size they will need when they do need them!  Stupid excuse really, but I am sticking with it.

A few years ago in desperation I brought out my fabric paint and drew all over the soles of a pair of Ava's socks.  Then a little while later, I made some slippers and did much the same.  The little feet never slipped and both washed really, really well.  The socks in the picture above have been really well worn by my two little flowers.

Back to my desperation...

An almost 2 year old who needs warm feet - who needs to run every where - slipping and sliding on our wooden floor and banging into things and hurting herself over and over does not a make a happy toddler or Mummy.  So, I went and bought some new socks for her and cracked open my fabric paints and once again have been painting the soles.

This is how I go about turning a pair of regular cotton socks into anti-skid traction foot wear....

Gather your socks, fabric paint - I have used volume and gloss with success - pen and some card.

I like to insert a piece of card into the sock, to make it easier to apply the paint.  to do this I draw an oval that is the same length as the sock and a guestimate foot width.  

This time around my card was a little on the narrow side. It makes it easier to apply the paint if the sole is stretched a little bit.

Trace a 2nd card insert.

Then apply your paint.  I like to match my paint colour to the sock.  So these pink spots were given gloss red spots.  When doing spots, I find that it helps to squeeze a teensy bit of paint out and rub it into the sock and then give a bit more on top of it.  I imagine that the paint is then attached into the fibres and will stay put better.

After doing a pair, I gently ease the card out of the painted sock and insert it into the next pair.

When painting, think about how your recipient walks and make sure you get the toes and heel covered too.  My spotty socks really don't have enough heel and toe coverage...if she still slips in them, I will go back and add more paint.

The socks then need to be left to dry.

The volume paint that I used needed ironing once it was dry, so that it puffed right up.  So, just do what ever your chosen product tells you to do to finish up....

You noticed that the flower power socks were missing?!  Well, they have already been worn and are on their way to the washing machine.  I couldn't very well let on how dirty our floor was today, now could I?

Happy smiley faces all around!

Now, all I need to know is how the heck to keep socks on a 2 year old?!

Macadamia Chocolate Spread {Recipe}

My mother made me a recipe book for my birthday a few years ago.  The recipes are all cuttings from various magazines....almost all from the 1980's-1990's.  I guess that she had a monster pile of magazines that she wanted to ditch and decided to chop them into shreds before doing so.  I won't complain - there are some delicious recipes in there!

One of the recipes is for this chocolate spread, I don't know what magazine it has come from.  It is sooooooo goooood, so I feel the need to share.  

125g macadamia nuts, chopped finely

250g milk chocolate, finely chopped or grated

125g unsalted butter, softened

Combine the butter and chocolate to form a smooth paste.

Add the nuts and beat until smooth and evenly combined.

Store in jars in the fridge, but serve at room temperature or slightly warmed up.

I spooned dollops of mix into 2 and a half dijon mustard sized jars.  The half a jar means that we get to keep a little as the other 2 jars are [very] late Christmas gifts.

I also sterilised my jars and lids in the oven, am not entirely sure that is necessary - I figured it wouldn't do any harm to be on the safe side.

Once your jars are filled and cooled, have fun decorating them.  I just cut fabric circles and tied them onto the lids.

Spread the chocolate on to sandwiches, toast, biscuits, cakes....you get the idea.  

These little jars of healthy chocolate - hey! they have a nuts and milk in them...doesn't that makes them healthy!?  The little jars would make a lovely Easter present too.

Handprinted Fabric Swap III

Leslie, of Maze and Vale, warned me last week that signups for her third fabric swap would open on Monday....which lead to me stalking her blog.  Creepy, I know.  But I missed out on the second one by a day and I really didn't want to miss out this time around.  So when I saw that she would post again on Thursday with details about signups....I again stalked her!  

Long story short - I ammmmmm innnnnnnnnnnn - YIPPEEEEEEEE!

Now, I have to try and keep my pants on until 3rd March when I will find out who is in my swap group...

If you are even the teensy-ist bit interested in playing around with fabric printing - you should have a look at Leslies list of tutorials right here.