Saturday, August 14, 2010

A bit of this and a bit of that!

Gosh, it’s been a week since I last posted and I’ve got a whole mish-mash of “stuff” to share with you!


First off let’s take a look at my creative space…


In my creative space


I’m making another birdie pincushion… this one is going to be sent to the very lovely Mary Jibson at Fresh Hope as a sample… because I am donating the pattern to this wonderful charity :-) The instructions are part-written and once the pattern is tested, the pieced birdie will fly up to Queensland and join new friends among the Fresh Hope Patterns range.


Fresh Hope is in the process of updating its website, so if you are interested in any of their patterns you can still view them but they’re unavailable to purchase at this moment in time. However, if you email Mary here, she will take a note of your enquiry and notify you as soon as the patterns become available again! She’s a sweetie isn’t she? You can read all about Fresh Hope on Among the Gum Trees, HERE.


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Next up, I’d like to say a big fat juicy THANK YOU to the lovely Rebecca Jane and another gorgeous lady who I do not yet know the name of (you know who you are, sweetheart!!) for giving me links to some fabulous tutorials on creating hexagons.


Melanie at Texas Freckles has some great tutorials, and her blog is absolutely gorgeous! Visit here to learn how to piece hexagons – although you won’t want to stop there - there are also many other fantastic tutes! My other recommendation was to visit Lori at Bee in my Bonnet – another inspirational place to hang out! and I’ve been chatting-up the lovely Dawn Hay to find out how she makes hers, too!! Here are my very first hexies, made for Dawn on her birthday…


First hexies


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Okay – I have a little smirk on my face as I share this next story with you! In my last post I showed some delicious cinnamon scrolls I had made, and shared how I planned to attempt a gluten-free version. Well – I went for a substitution of wheat flour for this:


GF flour


Gluten free flour, and a teaspoon of Xanthan Gum to help give the bread a stickiness that is most definitely lacking when no gluten is otherwise present.


My DD and I made one batch with gluten free ingredients, and then I made another batch with wheat flour. The wheaten scrolls are on the left of the pic:


Scrolls


Notice how different they look? The gluten-free versions were so much smaller and didn’t rise very well. They didn’t taste too great either! I gave my daughter a bowl with a freshly iced scroll and came back some 10 minutes later to her sitting with an empty bowl… I was astounded that she liked it, but when I asked “Wow, you ate it all?!!” she replied, “No, I thought you had eaten it?”


Together, we peered down under the couch where – as predicted - our pup was chomping away on the scroll. And when I say chomping, I MEAN chomping!!! So if you ever have the urge to make a rubber ball – I can provide you with the perfect recipe!!! :-P


So – having a child with Coeliac disease I have learned to always have a fail-safe on stand-by whenever we attempt to bake something new. Gotta love this!


GF home bake


Because with 5 minutes preparation time and 10 minutes in the oven, you end up with these…




GF cookies


Soft and squidgy in the middle and tasting as good as they look! :-) But shhhh! Don’t tell anyone my secret ok? When people ask, “did you make them yourself?” there’s every truth in saying YES, isn’t there?!!! Ha ha!


Speak to you soon!! I’ve made plenty of progress on my cot quilt and have some more sneak peeks to share soon, too! Oh, and Karen sweetie, I haven’t forgotten to share some pics of the Wearable Art exhibition – I was going to add them to this post but it would be a marathon read! LOL


Catch you round like a fruit loop!


Vikki x :-)

10 comments:

BubzRugz said...

Love the pretty little hexies especailly with the extra detail - what a great idea...... Hugz

Kerryanne @ Shabby Art Boutique said...

Ok... that will be a pass on the gluten free scrolls but the wheat ones look yummy. Just as well Miss Roseie has her 'secret' recipe cookies on hand [giggle].
Hope you have a creative week Vik,
Hugs ~ Kerryanne

Unknown said...

Hi Vikki! I love your profile picture. You have the most beautiful smile and from your comments I can tell you have a beautiful caring soul to go with it. Thanks so much for stopping by and entering my giveaway. You're compliments mean so much because you are obviously very talent with all your creations. I'm going to be your new follower because I just love your blog and all your creations.

Thank you for sharing the information about picnic. I had never heard of it and it was really sweet of you to share. I'll be checking it out soon.

Have a lovely Sunday. Hugs...Tracy :)

Micki said...

I love your hexies...lovely! I also love the bird pincushion...I never saw one like that!
Micki

A Spoonful Of Sugar said...

Your hexie project looks gorgeous!! Love all the embroidered elements:)

Glad they are starting to cater better for those with the gluten intolerance.

John'aLee said...

It's been so fun checking out your blog. I see we have a lot in common. Oh to be your next door neighbor!!
When I saw the cinna buns...it reminded me of years ago when I had my own cinnamon roll shop!
I love your profile picture. You look so happy...and like everyone would like to be your best friend!!

Unknown said...

Hello there cheeky ! I like the look of the "homebaked bickies " I must keep a look out for them .

Annie said...

Hi I have had better success with "White Wings" gluten free flour, the self-raising flour gives awsome results, you could not tell the difference with my raspberry muffins. It is available in the health food isle at Woolies.

KaHolly said...

Oh, Vikki, you are too funny! I'm busily catching up on reading my favorite blogs after a long road trip, and this has put a big smile on my travel weary face. The only gluten-free product I've ever had were locally baked g-f waffles that would have knocked your socks off! Find a recipe for them to put a smile on your daughter's face! ~karen

Michelle said...

I have a child with coeliacs too maybe we could have a chat or two and share some recipes, I have a really easy one for peanut biscuits, and the shortbread is a must!

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