Reversible bags & rice bags DIY

When our children were small, I often sewed clothes and nice little things to them. Now Christmas is serving as a great occasion to find my sewing machine and get a bit creative!

I have been sewing to the small relatives - as the toddlers do not read my blog, I dare to show a few pictures here before Christmas :)

This bag of rice is 12 years old - it keeps appearing from the most odd places - I found it from the hood of our younger son a month ago!  When our oldest son learned to walk, I sewed him little rice bags with handles - that was the most used gift that Christmas! The rice bags went wherever he went - it was an easy thing to carry - it didn't tip his balance at all :)

So as this old rice back was found, I got inspired to sew a few ordinary rice bags with handles, to the little relatives that are about to learn to walk.

These rice bags contain a white cotton cloth bag which is approximately half filled with rice. After I put the white cotton rice back in to the coloured back, I set a ribbon to serve as a handle, and sewed the bag together from the top.

To the school girl I sewed a reversible bag - she can turn the bag either to pink- flowery bag or to the dog-patterned bag. I used a pocket from my old jeans to serve as a little pocket.

The other sweet niece is going to receive a pink - green reversible bag. I sewed a fish ribbon to brighten up the side of the bag. I'm going to put some the colored pencils and paper inside her bag.

The 3 -y. old little man gets a reversible bag as well. This back has a wide shoulder straps, so that he can carry all the little cars!

I'm almost ready with the knitted presents as well. Using double yarn and large needles, you can easily knit a scarf or two to Christmas.

This fluffy scarf is almost ready. It is knitted with 8 mm circular needles, using two different colored mohair yarn.

The fabrics for the reversible bags and rice bags was something I all ready had - I needed to purchase only the spotted ribbons. Sewing is fun, I should maybe arrange a monthly sewing afternoon and invite a couple of friends over ... I could actually sew a large tote to my library book ...

Linking to 

I've been very lucky ...

 

 ... and have won 2 giveaways: From FOOD52 The lovely cookbook Small Plates and Sweet Treats by Aran Goyoaga from Cannelle et Vanille, and a wonderful linen pillow case made by my friend Johanna, the author of Ajatuksia Kaukana - blog!

I found the FOOD52-website as I was searching for a muffins recipe. On the FOOD52-blog I saw a giveaway, where 5 lucky ones cound win Aran's new cookbook. I have been following Aran's beautiful food blog about a year now,  so I knew that her Small Plates and Sweet Treats was published lately. Small Plates and Sweet Treats includes a bunch of lovely gluten-free recipes with really beautiful photographs.

It was easy to participate - I was asked to write a favorite gluten-free recipe, that would feed a crowd ... mine answer is below:

Time went by, and I had almost forgotten all about the giveaway, as I received this e-mail ...
I was so surprised, and happy, as I read it!

Some weeks later I received the Small Plates and Sweet Treats ... the most beautiful cookbook I've ever seen! I look forward of trying the recipes - the first will be one of Aran'd delicious tarte tatins!

My friend Johanna has an eye for interior design. She is  very good to sew and repurpose old furniture to something new and beautiful. She has sewn this lovely linen pillow case to a giveaway in her blog. Can you imagine, I was lucky to win this beautiful pillow case! I am really for this  happy beautiful pillow! Thank you Johanna!

With happy & lucky regards

Nina

ps. Being this lucky I'd say that

it is my turn to hold a giveaway

after the Christmas :-)

November {a month in photos}

November ...
- rain, frost and snow ... and a little bit of sunshine every now and then :)
- visiting the Matisse exhibition at the National Gallery
- thinking about Christmas - starting to craft & knit gifts
- a bit flu in the family - serving pots of tea - luckily we got well soon!
- time to find the mittens & the ice scraper
- listening Christmas Carols :)

Linking to

 



Hope

He who breathes into our hearts the heavenly hope, 

will not deceive us or fail us 

when we press forward to its realization. 

Anonymous


Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5

White Chocolate - Cranberry Cookies

I fell for these white chocolate-cranberry cookies when tasting them for the very first time! A colleague of mine had been baking at home and served them in a late afternoon meeting this week.
The piquancy of cranberries and the sweetness of the white chocolate makes a lovely combo! 
As you might guess, everyone was asking her for the recipe - which she so kindly gave us already the next day, so we could bake during the weekend.

These cookies are very easy to make - it took about 15 minutes to make the dough and form the cookies - and another 15 minutes to bake them .
We enjoyed these Cranberry - white chocolate delights with tea and cold milk . . .  Next time I need to bake a double portion - there's only o few cookies left in the jar!

Cranberry and white chocolate cookies (about 12-14 pieces)

Ingredients:

180 g (6,3 oz)  butter or margarine
160 g sugar  (5,6 oz)  - or 80 g sugar + 80 g of a white cane, I used just plain white sugar
1 egg
0.5 teaspoons. vanilla extract (or half a vanilla bean -> cut through the bean, scrape the vanilla paste, mix the paste with about 2 tablespoons of sugar, and add to the dough)
190 g (6,7 oz) of wheat flour
0.5 teaspoons. baking powder
0.5 teaspoons. cinnamon
100 g (3,5 oz) of dried cranberries
60 g (2 oz)  white chocolate, chopped

Instructions:

- Preheat the oven to 170 C. degrees C / 340 F. degrees. Cover 2 baking trays with baking paper.
- Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer. Add the egg.
- Mix the flour, cinnamon and baking powder together in a separate bowl and add the mix, little by little,  into the sugar - butter mixture. Add cranberries and white chocolate.
- Roll the dough into walnut-sized dumplings. Leave about 8 cm between the dough dumplings.
- Bake the cookies until golden brown (about 15 - 20 min. in a regular oven -  about 10-12 minutes in a a convection oven, with a bit lower temperature).
- Let the cookies to cool for about 10 minutes, thereafter set them on a rack.

... Wishing you cheerful moments while baking! 

These cookies are suitable to bake with small children as well, 

since the dough is easy to form to small dumplings -  

the form doesn't matter, since they melt a bit in the oven.

PS: If you make a double portion, you can use the other portion as a hostess gift.

I'm linking to these lovely Blog Hops:

Little Homemade Gifts under the Christmas Tree

Greetings from "Santa's Workshop" ~ These fabrics and quilts were hiding in the closet, longing to be used. I keep the pockets of old jeans & leaves of a favorite blouse, if the material is alright, in order to repurpose them one day. Well, that day is today...

I'm gonna sew a few little things ~ to the young and a bit older members of the family. When our boys were toddlers, their favorite Christmas presents one year were the little homemade rise bags with handles! The boys walked around carrying their bags ... Little things can sometimes bring a whole lot of joy.

Let's see what these quilts will turn to in the end of the day ... I look forward to a creative afternoon ~ Well, the sowing machine is calling!

Let it snow

It's been snowing a little every day. The light snow has been piling up to the leaves that haven't fallen off yet. The snow lightens the landscape ...

I captured this sunset on Wednesday afternoon after work.

Driving carefully in the traffic.

This sweet mouse with the Christmas lights decorated the sign by my door at work. We have "secret Christmas elfs" at the school in my area - you are given one person, whom you delight in some way once a week 3 weeks before Christmas - the last day before holidays we get to know, who'se ones secret Christmas elf.

... And this is my gift to my secret Christmas friend (something from the Christmas market :).

Wishing you many good moments this coming weekend!

I'm linking to Five Fact Friday hosted by Reflection of You
, to Rebecca Coopers Simple Things Sunday and to Freedom Fridays.