christmas crafts with the lil' ones

I had the joy of babysitting today and the lil' man had such a fun time I thought I'd post our creations for you to try with your lil' ones.

You will need:

white paper plates

crayons or pencils

red pom poms

brown card

googly eyes

brown pipe cleaners

scraps of ribbon

This reindeer head was made using a paper plate which the lil' man drew on to create the illusion of fur. We then glued on googly eyes and a red pom pom for the nose. Lastly, we traced the lil' man's hands onto brown card and we used these as the reindeer's antlers. Use a ribbon if you want this reindeer as a cute hanging decoration or glue on an ice-cream stick to the bottom and use it as a mask!

This next little reindeer was made using the lil' mans hand print, and with a Christmas message, it makes a great gift for mum and dad or the grandparents!

I hope you have a fun time with your lil' one's this Christmas, and remember, it's not about all the 'stuff' you buy them, but about the quality time you spend with them this holiday season!

Michelle xx

more handmade christmas cards

I made some more Christmas cards for the Rudolph haters (yes, they exist!!), and although they're not in keeping with my theme, I still think they're pretty cute! I also made a handful to sell and to my delight, they've sold in a snap! I'm thinking I should use up the rest of my felt embellishments and sell a few more because I hear the Christmas sales are just around the corner!

Michelle xx

reindeer cookies

With only 7 days until Christmas, it's full steam ahead with the planning, shopping, cleaning, decorating and baking. But amidst the festivities, we're also in the thick of renovating and landscaping (crazy, I know!). So with a hoard of hungry helpers, I decided to whip up a quick batch of cookies to have at tea break, but I couldn't help myself... they had to be in keeping with this years theme!!

I used my own sugar cookie recipe but got the idea to decorate them from this lovely blog. I think they're pretty cute...

Happy Christmas baking to you all!

Michelle xx

simple handmade cards anyone can try!

I'm straying from the Christmas theme just for today to respond to some of your card making questions. It seems many of you have been inspired by the cards you've bought from me recently and want some tips for making some simple handmade cards of your own.

When I'm stretched for time or lacking the inspiration needed to create a more detailed card, I look to my stash of scrap booking paper for inspiration. In fact, any patterned paper, card or even magazine clippings can be cut up and used to embellish your plain card stock. For these cute lil' boy's cards I used the gloss specialty paper, 'chuckle', from Kaisercraft's 12x12 Party Animals Collection. Cut a piece of plain or patterned paper and glue it to your card stock, then cut out your favourite images and mount them on the card using adhesive foam squares/dots. And hey presto, you have a simple yet effective handmade card! It's quick and easy and best of all, it's cheaper than any card you'll buy from the shop!

So that's my #1 tip for making simple, handmade cards! Now it's your turn... and be sure to email me pics of your cards - I'd love to see them!

Michelle xx

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

I love this time of year! Aside from spending time with all of my loved ones and having a few days off work, I love scouring the shops to find bits and pieces to go with the years Christmas theme and then decorating the house with all of my new finds. Here's a sneak peak at some of this years Christmas decorations... and of course, it's in keeping with the 'Hey, Rudolph!' theme!

 

These cute little reindeer's were black board decorations but I glued a magnet on the back and am using them on my fridge to count down the days to Christmas!

  

And now for the tree, which is still a work in progress. Last years tree (in my opinion) was stunning - I had pearl glass baubles, pearl icicles and gold butterflies. But as stunning as it was, it just didn't suit this years theme (and those closest to me know that I just couldn't deal with uncoordinated Christmas decorations!). I finally found some baubles that I loved but I'm still in two minds about the rest of the decorations so I'll have to keep looking. But for now, this is my tree with a handful of wrapped gifts and another mountain high pile in the spare room waiting to be wrapped!

So there you go, a sneak peak of Christmas at my house! I can't wait until some of you visit to see the rest of it!

Michelle xx

handmade christmas cards and favors

It's been a busy few weeks and although I've done an insane amount of Christmas crafting, I've barely had a moment to even think about posting some of it! But after hand making over 65 Christmas cards and 60 favor bags (in the 'Hey, Rudolph!' theme of course!), I think I owe it to myself to show some of it off! Here's what my close family, friends and colleagues will be receiving this Christmas...

The handmade Christmas cards:

And the favor bags, each with 2 handmade Oreo pops and a cute reindeer peg:

I've had such a fun time making these and I really hope everyone likes them! 

See you all very, very soon... 

Michelle xx

a theme for christmas 2011

Christmas is fast approaching but I'm breathing a sigh of relief because I've finally settled on this years theme! Have a sneak peak and try to guess the theme...

Hey, Rudolph! Yes, Rudolph is his name and he and his entourage of reindeer will be my inspiration in 2011. 

Do you have a theme this Christmas? I'd love to hear about what you have planned! But in the meantime, be sure to check my blog throughout December for sneak peaks on how I'm celebrating Christmas in my home.


Michelle xx

handmade engagement cards

I'm extremely excited about celebrating the engagement of a great couple next weekend - so much so that I made their card, and a few others, a week early! What do you think?

 
Michelle xx

celebrating 1000 blog views!

I published my first blog post on the 1st of September 2011 but I actually created my blog account over a year ago! The inspiration was always there but sadly I lacked the confidence to put it out to the world. Nevertheless, I eventually mustered up the courage and here I am, after only two months, and Lil' Feet has attracted over 1000 views!!

The original intention was to create a space where I could create a record of everything I made for those of my family and friends who liked to be updated on my latest project or wanted the recipe for something they'd tasted at my house. I also needed a safe place to write my favourite recipes, hints and tips because I have a habit of writing these on scrap bits of paper, only to lose them to the abyss... never to be seen again!

But to my surprise, this blog has become a great deal more. It has provided me with an outlet to escape from the chaos of day to day life; it has brought me new business opportunities; it has inspired others to create or follow their own dreams; and it has given me the courage to share some of my own experiences and difficulties in the hope that it will encourage others to face and survive their own.

I am humbled by the opportunity to share this with you and hope you've enjoyed my blog so far. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for your continued encouragement, support and feedback. 

Until next time, bye for now...

Michelle xx

nutella hot chocolate and marshmallow dippers

I've been trying out some ideas to serve up to my guests during Christmas and I think I've stumbled onto a winner! It's Nutella hot chocolate and I guarantee that once you've tried it, you'll never go back to boring old hot chocolate ever again! For each serve you'll need:

 1 cup milk

2-3 tablespoons of Nutella

1 teaspoon cocoa

a tiny pinch of salt

 

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and whisk until hot. Pour into your favourite mug, add homemade whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa - or if you're feeling indulgent, use Cadbury Flake like I did!

But if you're the type of person who prefers a traditional hot chocolate with marshmallows, then why not try this? Insert a flavoured wafer stick into a marshmallow and then dip it into melted chocolate. I prefer milk chocolate, but you can use dark or white chocolate if you prefer. Again, if you're feeling indulgent, dip the chocolate coated marshmallow into Cadbury Flake. When dipped into your hot chocolate, the chocolate melts into the milk and you're left with the wafer stick to enjoy while your marshmallow melts a little.

Michelle xx

kourabiethes

Kourabiethes would have to be the staple sweet of any Greek Christmas, Easter, Birthday, Name Day... actually, any day is a good excuse to indulge in these sweet treats! But like most European families, there is always a recipe that eludes the younger generation, and this is one of them! 

Be foolish enough to ask the older women in the family for their recipe and surely you'll get the evil eye. Everyone knows these recipes, which have taken decades to perfect, are never to be shared and will surely go to the grave with these women! Or you may feel fortunate enough to come across a Greek woman who offers her recipe... but beware! The recipe will always have something missing... usually the most critical ingredient! My grandmother will lovingly demonstrate her recipes but when you turn your back, she'll be hiding behind the cupboard adding her secret ingredient to the mix!

So with many failed attempts using many *altered* family recipes, I realised desperate times call for desperate measures! It was time to throw icing sugar to the wind, ad lib and trust my baking instincts... and what do you know? They turned out to be pretty darn delicious! 

Now here's the dilemma... every time there's a function, I'm asked to make kourabiethes. I rarely get the opportunity to make something different and I'm getting bored! So I'm going to break the Greek chain and public expose my recipe! Tag, you're it! You have the recipe now, so I can make something different for the next function!

But seriously, try these for yourself. They're super indulgent, so not an everyday food, but definitely worth the effort and the calories!

500 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons caster sugar
25 grams vanilla sugar
2 cups sifted plain flour
2 cups sifted self raising flour
1.5 cups almonds (crushed in a food processer)
1 tablespoon ouzo (optional)

a whole heap of icing sugar!  

Preheat your oven to 170-180 degrees (depending on how strong your oven is!). Using an electric mixer, cream the butter then add the egg yolks, caster sugar and vanilla sugar. Now, using your hands, mix in the almonds, ouzo and 1/2 cup of each flour. Work the mix, while continuing to add the flours, 1/2 cup at a time. If you need more flour, add plain flour only. What you should end up with is a sticky dough that is too sticky to roll but not so sticky that it sticks to your hands.

Roll your kourabiethes into balls and crescent shapes and place them on lightly greased non stick baking trays.

Place the trays in the oven and bake for around 25 minutes. Now, I say 'around' because I've baked these in 3 different ovens and each time, they've baked for different times depending on the strength of the ovens. I would keep a watch on the kourabiethes from 20 minutes onwards and take them out as soon as they have changed color (but not browned!) and appear cooked. They will seem tacky, even soft, to the touch. If your kourabiethes have cracked, don't panic because the icing sugar will hide all of your baking fau pas! When cool, sift a ridiculous amount of icing sugar onto the kourabiethes. This is a crucial step... don't omit or go stingy on the icing sugar!

So the kourabiethes are ready to eat... Greek tradition dictates these delectable treats crumble with every bite and leave a conspicuous trail of icing sugar on your shirt! Enjoy!

Michelle xx

homemade dog biscuits

I absolutely adore my mum's dog Lily - with her stumpy legs, chubby body and buck teeth, who wouldn't love her! But recently she's been sick a lot... you know, the kind of sick that comes from licking the shower base or eating Christmas tinsel or the nose off her favourite toy! So when I recently read pumpkin can help with stomach irritation in dogs, I knew I had to get onto it. But I knew from past experience Lily would turn her nose down at plain old mashed pumpkin so I added some to my homemade dog biscuits instead. Here's the recipe I used:

1 cup wholemeal flour

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup mashed pumpkin

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon apple puree 

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, then mix in the wet ingredients until well combined. Knead the dough and roll out to 1/2 cm thickness. If the dough is too wet, add more flour before attempting to roll. Cut out the biscuits using a cookie cutter and place them on a non-stick baking tray. Bake in a 175 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Simple as that!

When Lily spotted me holding something she knew it had to be for her...

And she just couldn't wait to snap the treat out of my hands...

And snap them up she did - three in a row!

These are great treats, sick or not sick, so try them for your lil' friend the next time you have left over steamed pumpkin.

Michelle xx