~my floral creation for mum on her anniversary~

Ninety-One Days of Summer: DAY ?

What day are we up to?

Well... it may come as a surprise to some (but not to me) that I haven't been very diligent in blogging this summer.  I kinda reverted to twitter a bit (the lazy person's blog), but will be back soon with photos and fun!! x

Ninety-One Days Of Summer: DAY TEN

GINGERBREAD MIX...

INGREDIENTS:

350g plain flour

175g light soft brown sugar

100g  butter

1 medium egg

4 tablespoons of golden syrup

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1½ teaspoon of ground ginger

NOTE: 

You will need a rolling pin and a man shaped pastry cutter (if you want gingerbread man shapes)

COOKING METHOD:

The pastry will be easier to mix if the butter has been removed from the fridge half an hour before starting mixing.

Put the flour, butter, ground ginger and bicarbonate of soda in a mixing bowl. Mix it all together with fingertips until crumbly. Add sugar, syrup and egg and mix until it forms a firm pastry mix.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

Using the rolling pin, roll out the pastry to about 5mm thick. Make sure the surface and the rolling pin are well dusted with flour. Cut out the shapes with a knife and/or pastry cutter.

Place the cut out pastry on a greased or non-stick baking tray.

Put the baking trays in the pre-heated oven. Remove after 15 minutes (check after 10 minutes).

Find a selection of anything you like to decorate the gingerbread men and house.  We used cake icing with raisins, chocolate chips and edible silver balls.  Put a blob of icing on the gingerbread men where you want a decoration to stick.


Check out this printable house template here...

Ninety-One Days Of Summer: DAY NINE

Paper Snowflakes!!!!

If you've never made them, it's strangely relaxing and easy to get caught up in...

I got the idea from Martha Stewart here.

Before ~ some spanish words and an inspiration board.

First Snowflake!

Finished product (until I get carried away again)

Now I can imagine a White Christmas (if I try really hard)

Ninety-One Days Of Summer: DAY EIGHT

Ok... I was going to this on December 31st, but I just saw "New Years Eve" at the movies and can't wait to share last years New Years with you!  This is just a teaser ~ I'll put up the real movie on Dec 31... the one where the ball drops at midnight... 12am 1st January 2011.

So last year I was at the BIGGEST and BEST New Years Party in the world.  There was me and 1.2 million others partying at 1 Times Square, NY, NY.  I arrived around 2pm, jumped the fence and got a great spot right next to the main stage on Broadway between 46th and 47th street.

For four hours I waited for the fun to begin.  At 6pm the ball was raised and every hour on the hour there was a countdown with fireworks and confetti.  Ke$ha, Backstreet Boys (and New Kids on the Block), Rick Springfield and Taio Cruz were the line up and at midnight after a few lines of auld lang syne, I sang and high kicked with 1.2 million others to Frank Sinatra's New York, New York!

It was a long wait, but it was worth it.  It was magical.  See for yourself...

Stay tuned for photos and the final countdown of 2010.  And if you see the new movie "New Years Eve" see if you can spot me!

Here's a few videos to get you in the mood...

Countdown with Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clarke

New York, New York

And some photos...

Early Afternoon ~ Waiting...

Still waiting... 

Confetti!

Ninety-One Days Of Summer: DAY SEVEN

It has been a long day and I almost forgot to do day 7's blog...  So I've just whipped this together with the help of thefreedictionary.com and my favourite wikipedia (and a little bit of bible knowledge)...

ad·vent 

n.

1. The coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important.

2. Advent

a. The liturgical period preceding Christmas, beginning in Western churches on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and in Eastern churches in mid-November, and observed by many Christians as a season of prayer, fasting, and penitence.

b. Christianity The coming of Jesus at the Incarnation.

c. Christianity The second coming of Christ.

Advent comes from the latin adventus meaning coming or arrival.  It applies to this time of year, as Christmas represents the advent (coming) of Christ in the world.  His birth was the arrival of God as man, and what is called the first coming of Jesus.

To the church, Advent is a time of hopeful yearning and anticipation for the celebration of Christ's birth.  The lead-up to the first Christmas meant that people held on to the promises given by the prophets and John the Baptist.  Promises that told them there was one that would come to save them from the injustice and oppression that sin brought to the world.  At Christ's advent (arrival) people knew that they had not hoped in vain.  Today Advent is celebrated in the lead-up to Christmas for all the hope that it represents in awaiting the first arrival of Christ.

He was sent as "Messiah", which means saviour, rescuer, liberator, champion, knight in shining armour.  Now this is what fairy tales are about.  When our "knight in shining armour" arrived, the promise of being delivered from the evils of the world was fulfilled, and we had cause to celebrate.  

Advent not only points to Christ's arrival as a baby born to a virgin in a barn in the middle of nowhere as God on earth, but also to his next arrival ~ his second coming.  Advent is a time to praise Christ for the fact that he will come back again, and walk with us in a new earth, free from pain, hurt, deterioration, loneliness, and the guilt that comes from sin.

Advent merges the Easter story with the Christmas story.

It is a time to remember what he did to make our place in the new earth possible.  A new earth where there will not be the separation from our creator that sin causes us here.  A creator who made us, knows us (better than we do), and loves us despite the fact that we didn't want his love.  

In many churches it is a time for people to fast and to prepare themselves to celebrate the anniversary of Christ's arrival as God incarnate (as a man).  Christ was a gift to us to rid the earth of injustice, yet it is not fair to ask him to do that without allowing him to be a fair judge.  

On his second advent (arrival) the judgement of God on the sin in our world will touch every person, and so advent should be a celebration for those who Christ has saved from that judgement, and for those who haven't accepted Christ as their knight in shining armour, it is a time to consider if you are ready for when the second Advent comes.

It is the fairy-tale of my life.  The one with a happy ending.  Where forever starts now.  Where I walk hand in hand with the one who loves me.

Ninety-One Days Of Summer: DAY SIX

Make your own brown paper gift tag tied up with string...

What you'll need:
~ A4 Card
~ Gift Tag Template (bottom of blog ~ email me if you can't get it from here)
~ Brown String
~ Christmassy words printed on white paper (Noel, Joy, Love, Christmas, Peace etc)
~ Paper Doilies
~ Glue
~ Scissors
~ Hole Punch
~ Computer and Printer
~ Pretty Black Pen

First, you should print the gift card template onto A4 card, and cut out each gift tag so there is no black line showing.

Mark and cut out the hole with the hole punch...

 

Cut up words and doilies and glue them on however you want.

 

Be creative with the brown string.

And you're done!

If you have more time than I have, check out these DIY gift tags by other bloggers...

DIY Holiday Gift Tags on Miniature Rhino

DIY Pretty fabric Scrap Gift Tags on Creature Comforts

Anthro Penmanship Gift Tags on Flamingo Toes

Gift Card Template...