Planning your crafts for Christmas!

Is it okay to start feeling excited about Christmas ye!t? John Lewis says so. This delicious gingerbread latte suggests so...well whether or not it seems a little early to start putting up the tree and drinking nog, if your planning on making any gifts this year, it is at least time to start planning.
The big day is only 6 weeks away, and if you work full time or have a big family (both of which I do) then this could potentially mean only a few weekends worth of Christmas crafting! So I've started my Christmas prep in the usual way- a big ass spreadsheet. Here's how I manage to get it all done. 

Christmas Crafts Plan 
You will need either Microsoft excel, or a great free alternative I use is Google Docs spreadsheets.

Step 1. Name 5 columns (from left to right):
Column 1: Name
Column 2: Gift
Column 3: Instructions
Column 4: Duration
Column 5:  Date

Step 2. In Column 1, List everyone you want to make a gift for.

Step 3.  Do some research and decide what you will be making for people and then list what you decide in Column 2. Good online sources for gift ideas are Pinterest and Martha Stewart- there’s also some great books like Handmade Gifts.

Tip: Double up- make more than 1 of things that are edible or can be made in larger quantities easily- like soaps, bath bombs, and candy- you can give them out to more than one person, especially if the people receiving the same gift do not know each other.

Step 4. Find the instructions, patterns, recipes for all the items and put a link or reference to them in column 3.

Step 5. Once it’s all filled in, you've got your basic plan, now you need to work out how and when you have time to execute it. Lets start with the How- Create a mini table underneath with 3 sections- “To Buy”, “To Bake” and “To Make”. Going through all the instructions and recipes, deconstruct all the materials and ingredients you don’t have already and put them in these columns. When its all laid out like that, I think it looks much more acheivable. The first thing you’ll need to do is buy all the materials you need (except perishables like fresh ingredients- you’ll just have to pick that up on the day you bake).

Tip: Do this as soon as you can afford it, and as quickly as possible- having everything at home in advance is soooo helpful- I get most of my stuff off ebay.

Step 6. You’re then going to use the "To Make" and "To Bake" columns to help plan and fill in Column 5 the Date to make your items. Firstly, estimate how long you think each project will take e.g. 2 hours, 1 whole evening etc. And write this in column 4.

Tip: Overestimate so you don’t stress yourself out with unnecessarily tight deadlines, make time for a cup of tea or a break if it’s an all evening project.

Step 7: Look at your diary and find free weekends you can devote to the projects (or evenings if you have the energy- I usually don’t so have only planned for weekends).  If possible, plan and write down a date (or dates if it will take several sessions) you are going to make the gift. Though some projects like crochet or cross stitch are best done in front of the telly in the evening, so just start those ASAP. Also remember that if you are making Christmas cards- you should allocate an evening soon and make them ready to send on December 1^st.

Tip: Remember to consider with edible gifts how long they are going to keep for- E.g. something like fudge will keep for a month if in airtight container, but you want your loved one to be able to keep it for at least a couple weeks before it goes stale- therefore you should try and find some time about 2 weeks before Christmas to make it. 

Step 8. You now have a completed plan for Christmas-celebrate! Woohoo! Yay! You are super organised. 

You can choose to use the filter function on your columns and sort the gifts by the date you plan to make them if you like- I find it helps. It could also be a good idea to make a note in your diary of what your making and when- so you don’t double book or forget. 
It may sound a little complicated, but once it’s all laid out, for me,  it makes things so much simpler to execute.I will not be sharing my actual Christmas plan- as my loved ones may see it and know what I’m making- but I've made a mock one for your reference gentle readers: Christmas Craft Plan Example.doc

Enjoy and Happy Crafting! 
Hayley xxx

Charlotte Royal AKA "Brain cake" recipe!

I think like many Brits, I first discovered the existence of this amazingly creepy cake on The Great British Bake Off. Originally called a Charlotte Royal, the outer layer is made from slices of swiss roll, and the inside is a mix of jelly, custard and cream called a bavarois (or Bavarian cream). But I much prefer the name Brain Cake- mmmmm delicious brains...

What with Halloween being around the corner, I thought I’d give it a try- though for this recipe I would advise just buying the Swiss rolls rather than making them from scratch as they did on Bake Off- unless you fancy adding 2 hours to your bake for something that looks and tastes the same!

I’d also recommend making this in the evening so you can leave it to set overnight. The preparation, cake and the filling should only take about an hour and a half maximum and then in the morning, the decorative glaze on top takes about 15 minutes.

HAYLEY'S EASY BRAIN CAKE RECIPE

You will need:

• 3 Jumbo strawberry or raspberry swiss roll

Filling

• 20 g gelatin powder
• 1 Pint whole milk
• 2 Tbsp vanilla essence
• 8 egg yolks- try not to include any egg white at all (if possible, it can be quite tricky!) as it will add little white blobs to your custard, and if there is a lot of egg white, it will make the custard taste eggy.
• 100 g icing sugar and 50g icing sugar (separated)
• 470 ml double cream cream (cold, straight from the fridge)
• 227g (average sized punnet) of strawberries or raspberries- puree into a juice.
• Red food dye (optional)

Gooey Glaze

• 75g caster sugar
• 125ml water
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot

1. Cut the swiss roll into half inch slices and line a large glass bowl with cling film.

2 . Leaving no gaps use the slices of swiss roll to line the inside of the bowl. Start in the center and work outwards. Feel free to squeeze them in tightly- there shouldn't be any spaces for the filling to leak through. If needed, you can break off little bits of swiss roll and stuff them in the gaps. Make sure you leave some slices to one side to cover the top later (how many depends on the size of the bowl really)

3. If using gelatine, soak the gelatine in a shallow dish with about 3 tablespoons of cold water.

4. Heat the milk over a medium heat and add the vanilla essence. Then add the gelatine to the milk and bring it gently to the boil, stirring continuously. There may be a few little brown blobs of gelatine at first, but if you stir through them and the milk boils, they should all disappear.

5. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

6. While the milk is cooling, whisk together the egg yolks and 100g icing sugar and salt until smooth.

6. Pour the yolk mixture into the cooling milk while stirring constantly.

7. Put the mix back onto a gentle heat, and stir continuously with a fork or whisk. You’ll know when its done when it becomes thick and custardy- to test, dip a spoon in and if it coats the back of the spoon when removed then it’s done. The custard CANNOT BOIL or it will overcook and make it eggy.

8. Put the custard in a bowl and refrigerate for about 10 mins. No more than 15 as we don’t want the custard to set.

9. While the custard is cooling, whisk the double cream on a low setting until it starts to thicken. Gradually add in the 50g icing sugar and then turn the whisk to high until the cream forms soft peaks.

10. With a large spoon or spatular, gently fold in the fruit puree until it combines evenly with the cream. At this stage you can also add a little red food dye to make the filling pink if you wish.

11. Get the custard from the fridge and give it a little stir to break the skin. Fold the custard into the whipped cream mixture until combined.

12. Pour the mixture into the center of the swiss roll lined bowl.

13. Use the leftover swiss roll slices to top the bowl- like a pie top- cover the whole of the bowl-this layer acts as a base for the cake and keeps all the filling in so should also have no gaps.

14. Put the bowl in the fridge overnight- at least 8 hours.

15.  To unmold, prepare a clean surface or cooling rack. Carefully turn over the bowl onto the surface, and peels gently at the edges of the cling film- the weight of the cake should hopefully make the cake fall neatly out of the bowl. Then peel off the cling film.

16. Time to make the goo for the brain! Put the caster sugar into a small pan, add the cold water and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves.

17.  Mix the arrowroot with 2 tablespoons cold water in a cup and mix until smooth, then pour into the sugar syrup. Bring to the boil again, stirring, then remove from the heat.

18. Pour the the goo on top of the brain cake, using a spoon to spread it evenly around.

19. Wipe the edges clean, and decorate how you like- I used candy corn, as is the season, but its more traditional to use whipped cream and berries.

Happy Halloween!
Hayley xx

Ladies- 5 Non-Generic Costume Ideas!

Hi Folks,

Last year, I made a list of 5 non-slutty Halloween costumes- it’s by far been my most popular post, especially recently. You can find it here if you would like to peruse.

So I thought I’d treat (or trick- see what I did there?) y’all to 5 more this year.

What I originally wanted to call this post was "5 non-generic, non-female version-non slutty costumes for Halloween 2013"- but it didn't fit. Here are some character based costumes idea's for Halloween for those who think putting on a pair of cat ears just isn't going to cut it. 

1. Wednesday Adams from The Addams Family 

Wednesday "I hate everything" Addams, if you don't know, is the cute little psychopath from The Addams Family. 6 Years old, her hobbies include painting, and trying to kill her siblings. 

You will need (lots of black):
*A black dress with sleeves
*A man's white shirt collar- to sew onto the dress. 
*Black tights/stockings
*Black flat shoes
*A black pigtail wig- or if you're crafty you can make one out of wool! Tutorial here.  
*Pale makeup
*A fake knife (optional)


2. The Grand High Witch from The Witches (1990)
Super creepy kids movie The Witches was based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name. Angelica Houston plays the fabulous, spooky yet stylish Grand High Witch- this movie still scares the bejesus out of me today- Spoiler Alert- she turns into a giant rat lady. Yep. Its terrifying. 

You will need:
*A black dress with sleeves and a V-neckline
*Black gloves
*Chunky silver rings- for over the gloves
*A black wig with bangs
*Black & Purple fabric- for the cloak- here's a tutorial on how to make a lined cloak.
*Black tights
*Black shoes
*Red Lipstick


3. A Weeping Angel from Doctor Who 
In my opinion, the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who are the scariest monsters they've ever created...Dont Blink. The costume could be a little tricky-but worth it for the nerd points. 

You will need:
*A loose grey dress
*Grey face paint (enough for your face and arms) 
*Grey wig
*Wings- you could do these in 2 ways-
1. Buy some angel wings and spray paint them grey OR
2. Make some wings from cardboard and paint them. 


4. Regan from The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist is widely known as one of the scariest movies ever, largely due, I imagine, to the the truly terrifying main character Regan- a little girl possessed by a demon.  

You will need:
*(depending on hair colour) a brown wig. 
*White "granny" night dress- in UK, try BHS or Marks and Spencers.
*Face paint for the scars/pale face.
*Green paint for the demon vomit.

5. Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice (1988)

Lydia is a moody, goth teen from Tim Burton's cult horror comedy movie Beetlejuice. Creepy, angsty Lydia often carries a camera, wears a lot of black lace- oh, and she also talks to ghosts. 

You can go pretty freestyle with this costume as she wears a variety of clothes but here are some ideas below.
You will need:

*Black hair or wig- your fringe should be parted into 3 thick strands. She also often has a messy ponytail on top of her head (if not wearing a hat)
*Wide brimmed black hat
*A sheet of black lace to use as a veil or shawl
*An SLR camera
*black dress
*black lace, fingerless gloves
*Pale makeup.

 

...So there you go, 5 creepy characters for some Halloween inspiration if you dont fancy being a Tesco Value witch or black cat this year. Please do get in touch with your costume idea's this year- especially crafty homemade projects! I'd love to hear from you. 
Happy Halloween! 
Ta Ta for now,
Hayley S

"White & Butterflies" Nappy Cake

Hi all,

I got another request for a nappy cake back in August for a lady who's expecting soon. I was told that as she didn't know the sex of the baby that it should be white or neutral colors, and she also likes butterflies (she had them as a theme at her wedding also)...So began the white butterfly nappy cake!

I am finding the more I make them, the easier they are- my only regret with this one was that I should have perhaps charged a little more money, as I charged the standard £20 price without looking into the material cost, so I actually didn't make much of a profit on this one- about £1 or £2! As the 5 butterfly clips I bought (from a cake decorating shop) cost me about £6- but it was very fun and I think its the best one I've done so far :)  I've also learned a good lesson on pricing and material research. 

Supplies Used:

• Silver 10" Cake Board- Cake Shop
• 2 meters of Organza fabric- Ebay
• 30-40 (ish) Nappies- I like to use Naty brand nappies, as they are neutral with a simple design as well as organic and eco friendly. Go for a size 2 so the new mum has a chance to enjoy the cake a little longer- A size 2 Naty pack has 34, which is just enough for a small cake like the one above- Tesco or Google them. 
• Lots of Elastic bands- one for each nappy and 3 larger ones to secure them together- Office supplies shop.
• Wooden doweling rod- Cake Shop
• Ribbon- to cover the elastic bands and to secure the organza up top- Cake shop. 
• Clip on butterflies- Cake Shop. 

My favorite tutorial is still this one. I just slightly amend the sizes and decor but the basic techniques are all there. 

My Cake Shop!

I go to a place called Twins in Romford, Essex. 

Not only is it at the bottom of my road, which is super handy, its very reasonably priced and they have EVERYTHING. It's a real Aladdin's cave of ribbons, embellishments, and all the baking supplies you could ever possibly need. The online reviews of the ladies in there being a bit rude are not completely inaccurate.. but they've always been OK to me and you can't beat them on price and variety. I also really admire the owner who runs the shop- she's a little on the serious side, but she's a busy lady! And something that should be noted is that she hires a lot of special needs or disabled people to help out in the shop too, which I think is pretty cool. I'd recommend popping in and exploring if you're local!

Ta Ta For Now..

Hayley xx

A Ladies Guide...What To Bring To A Festival

It's festival season! Woo! Packing for a festival, especially if you're a newbie, can be a bit of a nightmare. I've been to a few in the UK over the last 10 years and decided to compile a list of things you'll need to know and bring with you.

Things to remember

• Pack as light as possible- I've included a list of optional items that are good to have- but it is often a long walk from the entrance into the camp grounds- usually at least 30-45 mins, so be prepared to carry whatever you bring.  

• British weather is unpredictable, it could quite easily be boiling hot, rainy and cold all in 24 hours- so you need to pack for every outcome- layers, layers, layers. In the summer it will probably be warm in the day, but it will nearly always be cold at night.

• Most festivals do not allow supermarket trolleys to be taken in for carrying- but you can bring suitcases with wheels or granny shoppers- these can be great in terms of not having to carry all the heavy stuff, but be aware if it’s been raining recently, the tires will get stuck in the mud and/or break, and any suitcase you bring, be prepared for it to get wrecked.

• Don’t take your regular  purse with all your cards in it- only take your ticket, cash (including coins for the lockers) a debit card for back up and your ID, everything else can stay at home.

• Do buy a programme when you get there- normally about a tenner maximum and they have all the band times and stages, and they usually have a handy pocket version with a lanyard too.

What To Pack

Personal Items (essential)

• Purse, house keys, ticket.

• Phone- If you can, bring an old phone with a long battery life- not your brand new iPhone.

• A water bottle- refill it at the water points and carry it around at all times.

• A little handbag- with an over the shoulder strap (for tissues, hand santizer, etc)

Personal Items (optional)

• Portable phone charger- good idea if you plan on using your phone for pictures or meeting up with other people regularly- most festivals have charging points for your phone but there’s often a queue. I’d try to just bring an old phone.

• Camera- the plus is you get to capture all the fun you’re having, the negative is that you’re carrying around something relatively expensive all day. You could try a disposable camera if you don’t mind them being a bit "hit and miss" when you go to print them.

Camping (essential)

• Tent- A pop-up if possible, as their light and easy to assemble. Check before you leave that it has all the bits you need: lines, poles, groundsheet, and pegs. It’s also worth checking if you know how to put it up!

• Sleeping Bag- Invest in a good one if possible, A hooded one with padding is ideal because it is going to be cold, and the ground will be hard!

• Heat reflective sheet- You can get these on eBay- I’ve put this on the essential list as it can be such a lifesaver in extreme weather- most people use them for keeping the sun off their cars in the summer, but I figured a few years ago you could use them to keep the heat off the tent when the sun comes up in the morning- cos it gets damn hot in there! It’s worked a treat for regulating the heat in the tent and now it’s one of my camping essentials.

• Duct tape- (silver heavy duty) having a roll of this is all kinds of useful- rips in the tent in particular.

• Wind up torch- you will need a torch- the camp grounds at festivals very rarely have lighting except near the pathways.

• Bin bags- for campsite rubbish, and also to put muddy, used or wet clothing/wellies.

Camping (Optional)

• A pillow- nice to have for sleeping, but bulky- you can always use an item of clothing rolled up.

• Sleeping mat- can be a bit of a lifesaver to sleep on if you are camping for several nights, but its bulky and not essential if you don’t have one.

• Food- If you’re on a budget, then cooking your own food is definitely an option, though be prepared to spend a lot of time cooking, and you’ll also need to carry disposable cutlery and bowls, tin foil, and a pot for cooking. Tip: a bag of apples make great portable snacks.

• Swiss army knife- not essential, but really useful to have. This year Victorinox (makers of the Swiss Army Knife) have released a 2013 Classic Limited Edition collection of funky, girly ones that have a blade, nail file/cleaner, scissors and tweezers.

• A balloon or flag- to mark out the tent- your tent will be one of many many tents, at night it can be pretty tricky to find yours unless you mark it out somehow.

Clothes (essential)
I would advise arriving in the wellies, layers and having your coat on you.

• Wellies

• Trainers or boots

• A coat- It will be cold at night.

• Waterproof poncho- the ones that pack away into a little shoulder bag are good, you can use them as a little bag for your bits also.

• Sunglasses

• Woolly hat (night-time)

• Sun hat/cap

• Lots of socks- at least 1 pair for each day. At least 1 pair of thick socks for sleeping, and a pair of long knee high socks is also handy. Thick tights can be handy at night under your jeans too.

• Underwear-(obvs) at least enough each day your there- ladies, just bring one super comfortable bra.

• At least 1 thick comfy jumper.

• A pair of shorts

• A pair of jeans

• Tracksuit bottoms/comfy trousers

• A sun dress/comfy beach type dress - for if it gets super hot.

• A bunch of tops/t-shirts/vests

• Mini umbrella- good for if it rains or to keep the heat off if it’s too sunny- be warned though, you should only use them walking around- in the crowd at the actual gigs, you’re gonna annoy people if your blocking their view and poking peoples in the eyeballs.

Toiletries (essential)

• Anti-bacterial hand gel- you’ll be sitting on the floor a lot and using the communal toilets- always have this stuff on you.

• Tissues - Lots, loo roll runs out fast.

• Wet wipes- You’re gonna feel a bit grimy all weekend, but wet wipes help.

• Talc- A little bottle of talc is a life saver if you’re feeling grimy- use on all the “nooks and crannies” and you’ll feel dryer and fresher instantly- trust me.

• Deodorant

• Ear plugs-most camp sites are quite rowdy throughout the night, if you want to get any sleep I’d recommend ear plugs.

• Sunscreen- even if it’s not really sunny, pop a bit on everyday as you’ll be outside most of the time.

• A towel- even if you don’t brave the shower, you can even use it as a pillow.

• Toothbrush/toothpaste

• Hay fever medication- particularly if your allergic to grass- your gonna be in a field all day.

• Bug repellent- at night by the fire, there will be bugs, bugs that bite. Either cover up or put bug spray on!

• Pain killers- ibuprofen is a good all-rounder- for hangovers, headaches, back aches (from sleeping on the ground) etc.

• Plasters- Blisters, minor injuries.

• Throat/Cold medicine- Even if you’re not a smoker, people will be smoking around you. You’ll also probably be shouting/screaming a lot at the gigs! It’s pretty easy to pick up a “festival cold” as you’ll be outside in the elements all the time.

• Condoms/Contraception pill- obvious reasons

Toiletries (Optional)

• Shower gel/shampoo/conditioner- if you’re not planning on having a shower (which is completely acceptable as most of the time they showers are cold and grotty) you could wash your hair at the cold water tap in the morning- which is actually quite amazing on a hot smelly festival morning.

• Dry Shampoo- Batiste does a good one.

• Razor- Ladies, your legs are gonna get hairy after a few days- but no one cares.

What NOT To Bring

• Perfume/make up- Whats the point?

• Flip flops- Its muddy, smelly and there will be litter everywhere- don’t expose your feet to this.

• Dungarees/onesies- This is a logistical peeing issue- Just not going to work with the outdoor loos.

• Pyjamas- It’s gonna be too cold at night for pyjamas, just sleep in comfy clothes like leggings, track suit bottoms and jumpers.

• A mallet or Hammer- These are heavy! And a pain in the butt to carry- use a sturdy shoe to hammer in the tent pegs.

• A padlock for your tent- I would advise never keeping anything valuable in the tent, there are lockers for this sort of thing- also bear in mind that having a lock on your tent screams “I have something worth nicking in here”.

• Gas cylinders- DANGER DANGER! Use portable barbeques or cook on the camp fire the old fashioned way- they’re really just accidents waiting to happen.

Ch-ch-Changes!

Hello readers,

As you may have noticed, I have been less than attentive with keeping up my blog this year. It is utterly shameful. I’m a terrible, terrible person and I apologise profusely.

There is reasoning… in that I have simply not been crafting that much this year, I’ve been taking a little time off as this year has been complicated and busy.
 
As a result, I’ve been thinking it would be really fun to expand Hayley’s Craft Blog, to just Hayley’s Blog- where I can encompass and blab about all my interests- not just crafts. I write a few articles for Cut Out + Keep, and also really enjoy making lists and how to guides on various things, so those things will be included here from now on. Other things may be (but not limited to) Steampunk/Victorian literature, cheesy YA books, Cats, Cartoons, Action movies and maybe the odd meme or video. So yes, In summary, Apologies for being rubbish, more general musings to follow...

Hayley x