baby shower cards

Although it's been a crazy week at work and my pool of inspiration is running low, I set aside a little time to knock together a few cards for all of the baby showers I have coming up. They're not as detailed as some of my previous cards, but I like them all the same. I hope you like them too!

The first two sets of cards are made using paper from the Grace Taylor Hopscotch range and satin ribbon from Spotlight.

And with wonderful news of another friend pregnant (making that 11 friends expecting lil' ones!), I better get a move on and make some more! 

So, bye for now...

Michelle xx

rocky road

Today due to very popular demand, I will be sharing my Rocky Road recipe which has been adapted from my great friend Ashleigh Parfuss' ever popular kid friendly version. The recipe is quick and easy to make, easy on the teeth and I guarantee that if you take this to your next bbq or party, there will not be a crumb left to spare! 

Ash's original recipe uses 1 packet of Natural Confectionery Company snakes (chopped into thirds) and 1 cup Rice Bubbles in place of the 2/3 cup macadamia nuts and 1/2 cup Rice Bubbles that I use. I've also tried this recipe using peanuts instead of the macadamia nuts or MnM's and Coco Pops - an absolute must for hard core chocoholics!

400g Cadbury milk chocolate

100g good quality dark chocolate

50g copha

300g Pascall marshmallows (not cooking marshmallows)

2/3 cup unsalted macadamia nuts
1/2 cup Rice Bubbles

1/3 cup coconut

Line a slice tray with baking paper and set aside. Chop the marshmallows in half (refrain from eating them!) and the macadamia nuts into quarters and mix together with the coconut and rice bubbles.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and copha until well combined. Remove the melted chocolate mix from the heat and quickly mix it through the dry ingredients. 

 

Pour the mix into the slice tray and refrigerate overnight (or a minimum of 2-3 hours if you're stretched for time). Once the Rocky Road has set, cut it into pieces using a sharp cook's knife (and Ash recommends not telling anyone if a few crumbly pieces happen to fall into the cook's mouth!).
 

I hope you all enjoy the recipe as much as we do - happy munching my chocoholic friends!

Michelle xx

 

my first sewing project - baby minky blankets

After returning from a trip to Thailand and Singapore in June of this year, my parents proudly presented me with a sewing machine for my birthday. Now I'm not sure whether the gift was prompted by my peaking interest in ma's fabric collection or the garbage bag full of mending I left with her before I flew out (and subsequently her way of telling me to do it myself!) - either way, I was ecstatic!

And with ten of my friends expecting lil' ones over the next few months, I thought it was the perfect time to learn how to sew! But aside from a few hem alterations here and there, I haven't sewn anything substantial since I was a teenager. But of course like every other project I've tackled, I jumped in without so much as a thought about a plan! I envisaged a super soft minky blanket and a matching bib and rattle toy that I could add to the store bought component of each lil' one's gift. Impatiently, I set about cutting the fabric and venturing out on my own without a pattern, technique or an iota of common sense. 

Despite almost throwing the sewing machine out of the window on a couple of occasions and getting scolded for a few random pins that may or may not have found their way into hubby's feet, I think I've achieved what I set out to do. And while making each blanket, I've also had the opportunity to have prayer for the mum-to-be and daydream about who her lil' one would resemble. It's been a very contented first project and I can't wait to finish the last of the sets. 

So here are a few of my first attempts - and for the experienced sewers out there... be kind!

my inspiration began with...

A childhood dream about what I wanted my future to look like. I dreamed of being a mother, a children's book author, a teacher, a fashion designer, a chef, a graphic designer, a builder and an architect. My dreams were big and my imagination was even bigger!
 

As children, we all journey through the early years constantly changing our minds about what we want to be when we grow up. For me, it was more about loving too many things rather than not yet knowing what I loved. It was so easy dreaming about all the things I would be when I grew up, but the difficult part about actually growing up was in the realisation I had to pigeon hole my dreams in order to cement a career for myself. Try telling a bird not to fly! But strangely enough, when it came to selecting my VCE subjects, it was clear I wanted to be a designer. A designer of what? Well, I wasn't quite sure. Just a designer. My first VCE Graphics assessment task was to create a business and business name and design it's advertising and merchandising material. And so Lil' Feet was born. My business was an infants and children's boutique specialising in all things handmade, unique and precious. It embraced my love for children, craft and design. Impressed, my ma and Graphics teacher often commented how one day, Lil' Feet would come to be. 

Over a decade later, my career has taken a turn in a very different direction, but I never lost sight of the dream of one day bringing Lil' Feet to life. Then a few weeks ago, I took up sewing again. I made a little minky blanket, bib and rattle toy for a friend who is expecting her first lil' one. Proudly showing my ma, she said "you really should open your Lil' Feet shop!". And now I can't get that thought out of my mind! 

Now I can't say I am quite ready to throw caution to the wind and chase this dream but I am willing to dip my own lil' feet in the water. I am definitely inspired to continue dreaming, and I love the fact that I can now bring together my love of writing and creating and share it with those who want to be inspired. And who knows... maybe one day Lil' Feet will become a reality!  

As you follow me on this journey of inspiration I hope I can inspire you too!

For one of our greatest blessings is to be inspired. Inspired by God... Inspired by love... Inspired by grace... Inspired to dream... Inspired to create... Inspired to always be yourself, believe in yourself and always love the life you're living.

Michelle xx

 

a lil' about me:

 I married my teenage sweetheart

I studied Architecture then shocked a lot of people when I began a degree in Social Work!

I am now a practicing Social Worker in the disability field

I yearn to be a mother but in the meantime I love spoiling all of the lil' ones in my life

I am passionate about living as much an organic life as is possible

I am a nurturer, a dreamer and a creator

I cook, bake, design, decorate, refurbish, renovate, grow, write, draw, make cards, scrapbook, sew, craft and take photos

I love children, prayer, laughter, music, food, hugs, eyes, eyelashes, butterflies, giraffes, baths, travel, the beach, candles, home, the color red, being barefoot and all things creative

I am thankful as God has blessed me with a rich life with truly amazing family and friends