Welcome to the Jungle

The devil makes work for idle hands, apparently. So, y'know, cross stitch. Saving souls since the Middle Ages. There are a lot of cool designs out there via Subversive Cross Stitch and similar, but given the small people I live with, this kind of design is still out for a few years:

A great housewarming gift for childfree couples though, eh?

My version is a cross-stitched QR code - those unique 'fingerprint' designs that marketing departments stick on posters etc in the vain hope that consumers will zap them with a smartphone app and 'engage with further content' from the brand. Anyway, you can make your own for free using a QR code generator, and link it to whatever URL you fancy. If you print the resulting code out on A4 paper and draw a grid over the top, you have an automatic cross stitch pattern. 

I picked the YouTube link to Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n' Roses. 

Not very complicated really, but essential to keep count properly, as any mistake means it won't work and it will be a right arse to work out where you went wrong! 

Being very childishly pleased with myself when it worked, I went on to make one for the kitchen which takes you to this classic line from Withnail and I

It's by the wine rack of course.

Lakota x

Earrings. I made EARRINGS!

Hello! I've just got back from Edinburgh, and apparently my absence from the internet meant it stopped working - I always thought this might in fact be the case, trees falling in the forest and all that. Anyway, here's a post which was scheduled to be published while I was away, and er, didn't. 

You might remember that I put 'learn to make some proper jewellery' on my Spring resolutions list, and as is so often the way with lists, I decided to get going on the most appealing task straight away. [And by 'proper', I meant not held together with glue or made out of lego]. Over the years I must have spent a king's ransom on jewellery bits and pieces - particularly earrings - so I don't know why it's taken me so long to get around to buying the correct equipment and having a go myself. As well as admiring Charis's upcycled jewellery, and Emma's stunning creations using semi-precious stones, I've been looking at my existing earring collection and trying to figure out how they were made. Here's a few of my efforts so far:

Purple and blue glass 

Silver filigree and midnight blue sparkle beads

I made these from a bracelet I didn't really wear.

Stripes! These go so well with a monochrome outfit

Hippy love - these glass seed beads are so cute

What do you reckon? Next on the list to attempt are boho feather earrings and beaded wire hoops. My earring display is going to be full up soon - I may never buy jewellery again!*

Some 'non-proper' jewellery attempts

'£20 note' bangle project

Lego heart necklace

Button rings

Lakota x

*ok, so this won't happen.

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow...

...it's probably me, crashing about with a carrier bag full of cherry plums. I noticed that a couple of the local trees I stake out were starting to drop, so once I'd dropped the boys off at school I went foraging for windfalls. Obviously I'd prefer to pick them straight off the tree, but most of them were too high up to reach. If they've just dropped and aren't too battered they're fine to use after a good wash.

Cherry plums are the original wild fruit that most cultivated varieties of plum are descended from, and are so-called as the fruit is about the same size as a cherry. Some trees have red fruit and some yellow, and whilst you can cook them (they're often bit sour and small to eat raw) my favourite way to use them is to make plum jelly, or even better - plum vodka. I can't describe to you just how insanely good this is, so I'm going to share the recipe so you can make your own ready for Christmas. I know, I'm too good to you.

This recipe is double what I made last year, but it's worth making plenty. Obviously you can just adjust the proportions depending on the amount of fruit you have, and if you want to use gin instead, then go for it.

The fruit of my labours [sorry]

You will need:
2lbs cherry plums, washed but whole
16oz granulated sugar
6 or 7 cloves
couple of pieces of cinnamon stick
1 litre of vodka/gin (I got mine from co-op as I was there, but usually buy the cheapest nastiest corner shop gut-rot I can. There's no point in wasting Grey Goose on this, you're putting a ton of sugar in anyway). They ID'd me, despite me explaining why I was asking for 'your cheapest and largest bottle of vodka please!'. I am 34. Sigh.

Stab the plums a few times - my implement of choice is a corn on the cob holder - add all the ingredients to a large bottle (a funnel would be handy for the sugar, I don't have one so improvised with some rolled up paper), and shake vigorously (make sure the lid is on properly). You will be left with something that looks like a science experiment involving pond dredging. I'm using a big catering size squash bottle, but a large and well washed plastic milk bottle would do just as well.

Can you see the tadpoles cloves?

Keep in a cool dark place, and shake every day, the sugar will gradually dissolve. The plums will go brown and shrivel over time, this is fine. I recommend leaving the fruit in the bottle for as long as possible and shaking it when you remember once the sugar has dissolved. I keep mine near the washing machine in the utility room so shake it when I do a load of laundry! As the months go by you'll notice the colour getting deeper as more and more juice comes out of the fruit. You'll probably need to top up with a little more vodka at some point too. Sometime in December, strain the liquid through a jelly bag and bottle up. It's not really essential to sterilise the bottles I don't think - not like it is for jam making - but putting them through the dishwasher first could be a good idea. I didn't eat the left over shrivelled fruit last year, but they'd probably make a very boozy crumble!

Last year's vintage! Made entirely of yellow plums.
This year's might be a different colour as there were a lot more red ones

The finished drink is smooth and slightly spicy, perfect for Christmas. You can drink it neat as a liqueur  (it doesn't burn your throat like dodgy holiday schnapps!) or make into a long drink with lemonade. Small bottles prettied up with a nice label and a pair of retro glasses would make a really lovely gift. 

Let me know if you try it! This is going to be my Monthly Make for July over at The Felt Fairy.
Linked to Penny Pinching Party and Handmade Thursday

Lakota x


Edit: A few people have queried whether you can use other varieties of wild plum or those from the supermarket. Obviously it's cheaper if you get the fruit for free, but there's no reason why you can't use regular plums. If you do, you'll probably have to chop them to fit into your bottle - but you won't need to stab them. I would say leave the stones in too, as I think they may help with flavour. The only other thing is that you may need to adjust the sugar if your plums are very sweet? Maybe by an ounce or two, although I'm not an expert! My advice would be to make a small experimental batch (half my recipe), and make a note of proportions used so you can adjust for next year if necessary. You'll still need some to counter the vodka kick, but you don't want it tooth-rottingly sweet. If you don't like cloves - leave them out. I'm sure you could add other spices you might have and it would be just as good - maybe star anise?

Sewing Machine Vs Lakota - The grudge match

"Wind the bobbin up

Wind the bobbin up

Pull, snap, tangle, f*ck crap..."

If you spend any time singing nursery rhymes with a toddler you may be familiar with the above ditty, which I have doctored only slightly. You may also have surmised that my sewing machine and I are not the closest of friends. I would like to change this, really I would, although as I've just taken up crochet I imagine the machine will be left to lick its wounds under the dining table for a little longer. However, I did finally manage to come up with this bunting for boy2's bedroom, which I have cunningly a) hung very high up, and b) photographed from a distance, thus making me look vaguely competent. This is my submission to the Monthly Make challenge, run by Annie at The Felt Fairy. 

Ta-Dah! Ingredients include bondaweb and swearing. No toys were harmed. 

My crochet practise currently resembles a half made dishcloth - for a mouse. I would show you the photographic evidence but I've realised my crap photos are always the ones that show up on other people's blog lists, and I'm frankly too embarrassed. Still, I shall stumble on, as this is one craft I really want to master. 

Is there anything you're desperate to learn or achieve this year? If it's craft related, have you seen my giveaway over here?

Also linking to White Lily Green's Handmade Thursday

Teacup candles the EASY way!

So, I know this goes against some unwritten law of blogging (like saying the Cath Kidston shop makes my eyeballs bleed) but honestly, I think tea is Satan's own wee. Really people, it's grim. This is a shame, as I can totally appreciate the appeal of a cute teapot or a chintzy teacup, and I'd really like to have a proper excuse to fill the house with art deco teasets. Teacup candles to the rescue! It gives me a reason to buy pretty china, and they make great girly presents as well. I was always a bit put off by talk of double boilers, wick pins and crimping tools, but yay - none of these are necessary.

Also, if you make one and aren't happy with it, you can just chop up the wax and use it again, even if you've already started burning it. Here is one I hacked up again after practising in a cup that was missing its saucer.  

They don't need a saucer, but it will protect your surfaces and gives somewhere handy to put matches.

To be completely thrifty you can even melt down old candle stubs, but do try and remove any blackened bits of sooty wick, or the finished result isn't going to be that pretty. You can get starter kits on eBay which include wax, retainers, a length of wick, and a wick pin. The one I bought came with dye as well, but I prefer natural coloured wax.

You will need

• Wax - I used soya wax as it is eco friendly and burns cleanly. It also washes easily out of the teacup when you've finished burning it.
• Wick sustainer (the little metal thingy that supports the wick)
• Cotton wick
• Skewers or pencils
• Pliers. Fine nosed craft ones are probably best, but I just raided the toolbox.
• Candle fragrance or essential oil (optional)
• Saucepan
• Pyrex jug
• Glue - hot glue gun if you've got one/can be bothered, but I've used glue dots before now. Actually, I've also used blue-tac but I am supremely fond of the easy option. There are probably dire warnings somewhere regarding blue-tac and naked flames.
• Pretty teacup
  
  

What to do

First weigh your empty teacup. Then fill it with water and weigh it again. The difference is approximately the weight of wax that you'll need. Put the wax into the jug, and the jug into a few inches of  just boiled water in a pan over a low heat on the stove. Keep an eye on it, as obviously wax is flammable. Stir around with a wooden spoon as it begins to melt.

                   

Meanwhile, get a length of wick and poke one end through the hole in the sustainer. Some instructions will tell you to 'prime' the wick first by dipping the length into the melted wax. It doesn't appear to be vital, but you can if you like. Use pliers to squish it together and hold the wick in place. Use glue to attach sustainer to centre of teacup, and then skewers or similar to hold wick straight. You could tie the wick around the skewer to keep it upright, but you do waste more that way. It should look something like this:



Once the wax is molten add any fragrance as per the instructions on the bottle. I was a bit gung-ho with mine and just sloshed it in until it smelled nice, but this is probably not advice to follow. Then carefully pour into the cup - making sure the wick remains central - and leave to set overnight.



                                   

The two above are going to be presents, so in true Blue Peter style - here's one I made earlier.

The cup above cost £1.00 from Oxfam, and the total cost of the wax including postage was £9.25. However, this made 6 candles in total. Alternatively, you could go to Liberty and pay £36.00!

This project also forms part of my submission to The Felt Fairy's Monthly Make challenge for February.