Whisky Galore!

The hubby had the day off today and the kids were in school and kindy so we ventured out on a date day.  So where else would we go but Whisky Galore.  We'd not made it there yet as we didn't really want to take the children into a shop full of very expensive glass bottles!

 

Wow, what a shop! It's comforting to know that we'll still be able to get good whisky even though we're the other side of the world from most of the great whisky makers.  Mmmmmm... what a shop!

 

We also made a very interesting discovery... Last November the hubby, myself and a friend went to a Wales v New Zealand whisky tasting that was held the night before the autumn international match (Rugby, of course!). It was a fun evening, although it hadn't been advertised very well so we were the only 3 at the official tasting match.  There was a Welsh male voice choir rehearsing in the next room so they came through to taste the whiskies at 'half time' but really, it was just the 3 of us.  The Welsh team, Penderyn v The New Zealand Whisky Company.  Three different whiskies for each team going head to head in a blind tasting. Although, I'm Welsh I show no favouritism in my whisky drinking , I save that for the Rugby pitch, and marked truthfully, even though I know the taste of Penderyn.  So I wasn't too surprised that NZ won. Their signature bottle won hands down.  It was a good, strong, slightly earthy Whisky from what I remember, with a good kick to it! And this is what we found in the shop today....

 

The NZ Whisky Co has put stickers on all it's Double wood bottles saying that it won the UK whisky tasting matches in London, Cardiff & Edinburgh! Hee hee! What a giggle :) I'm on a whisky bottle (sort of)!  Such fun!



Pretty and practical

I have had a fantastically crafty week. Thanks to a lovely new crafting buddy I have been totally inspired to make new things and improve and hopefully one day I will be able to sew in straight lines!

I cant believe that I still cant do straight lines on the sewing machine.  I had no idea that it would be so difficult to do something that sounds so easy.

After the success of the first two skirts I have made 2 more.  I have found a few different patterns that I really like and I have the material ready to try those out too.  I have also found some amazing 'boy' material to make the munchkin some Christmas PJ's (thanks to the Make café again!). I have also ventured out into a few things for around the house.  Our kitchen towel was in need of a hook so I thought I'd pretty it up a bit too!

I'm very pleased with my efforts :)
I have needed a card wallet for a while, but not found one that I liked, so I've made one!  (This is the pattern I used.) I used some left over material and one of the ladybugs hair bobbles and hey presto, in true Blue Peter style, here's one I made earlier!

 

And of course my week would not be complete without a spot of baking.  This week I thought I'd try something new.  At home we'd go to St. Fagan's museum of Wlesh life and go to the old fashioned bakery and pick up a loaf of Bara Brith (Welsh bread made with tea).  It is so delicious, especially when fresh and still warm.  So as it was raining and I was reminded very much of home, I looked up the recipe online and thought I'd give it a go.  If you have never had Bara Brith, please try this recipe, it's really good.  Even the hubby, who hates tea, loves it! (If you do use this recipe, I didn't bother with the wholemeal flour, just used all Self-raising or extra baking powder and it came out perfectly!)

 

Reuse, recycle, remake!

There is something so satisfying about sewing.  One minute you have a pile of material and an hour later you have something with shape and purpose!

Yesterday I spent the morning making two of the ladybugs old dresses into skirts.  These were my favourite summer dresses (thank you H&M).  She wore them as dresses at 18 months, then tunic tops with leggings at 2 and a half and now we'll get another year, probably 2 or 3 years out of them as skirts as there is plenty of room left in the waist and I can keep adding to the hem if the length gets too short.  There is a fantastic skirt design on Pinterest so I copied the hem and waistband design from it, chopped the top off the dresses and voila! Two new skirts! And all it cost was 2 FQ from The Make Café as I already had the elastic.

And the best part is, the ladybug absolutely loves her new skirts.  When we got home from Kindy she tried them both on, tried them out for twirliness, as you do, then chose one to wear and one to put at the end of her bed to wear this morning.  She also then chose which t-shirt, knickers and socks would go best with todays skirt! :) Happy mummy! There's something so comforting and satisfying about having your work appreciated.

It has encouraged me to make more! Somewhere I have a pattern to downsize old adults sweater into a kids one and I have two waiting to be transformed. I must make something for the munchkin.  It's so much easier to make pretty girly things, but I must make something for the little man too.  Although we're coming into the warm weather now so maybe I should try shorts?! or linen trousers? But that seems a little more daunting.  I may have to work up to that one.