Pyjamas from a Duvet Set (Re-fashion)

Well I kept on staring at the duvet set that I bought from the charity shop and it was telling me it should be pyjama bottoms. Other ideas were passing through my mind but this one was recurring so I got on and made them.  They were complete in under an hour and I am sure they will be really comfy to sit around in the evening.  I am not a fan of nightwear but it is good to wear around the house when you come home and just want to be comfortable.  I usually change out of work clothes into jeans when I get in to walk the dogs but late evening these will be ideal.

I had to put them on to get a clear daytime shot.

Obviously I won't be wearing them outside with shoes normally! I am only on the back garden here.

So that can be my 'me made May' for today, I have been having a look and the only rules I can see is that you wear something handmade by yourself every day.  I have been doing that but forgetting to photograph and post, so that is today sorted.

We have had a lovely lunch I made the curried aubergine slices from the Prashad at Home cook book I got from the library, meat eaters had chicken and a taste of the veggie food. We also had chickpea burgers that I made and froze the other day, a home made slaw of all kinds of veg whizzed through the food processor (a present from my husband on Friday) potatoes and chutney.  Desert is the berry vegan cheese cake I made last week and froze, off to eat that now!

Banana Loaf (GF Vegan), Charity Shop Fabric and Books

I'm sure there are many things I have missed out on posting about these last couple of weeks.  I keep finding myself thinking oh I forgot to take a picture of that and so on.  The reason I feel this is happening is not that there isn't anything going on, but rather I have been trying to fit too much in.  Then on the occasions that I do have time planned to post and catch up something unexpected happens like a visitor unannounced.

So for the last few weeks I have been writing down  what I intend to get done as I find for me this works, if it has to be crossed off then I will do it.  I printed off some free weekly planner sheets and wrote down things I would be disappointed if I did not do.  This has worked but time being what it is, I was overly optimistic as to how much you can fit in at the end of a working day therefore there hasn't been much time left.

So as well as trying new recipes I had wrote down guitar every day, Spanish, Dutch, dog walk (which can be 45-60 minutes) reading (fiction &non fiction) and TV usually after 9.30.  Well when you consider we don't usually finish our meal until about 6.45 that is a lot to cram in. Reading I fit in anywhere and bit before bed, any sewing is often done at the end of the week.

I have decided to give myself a break, I will still make the lists but maybe alternate the days for some things. I also have beginners Italian starting next Monday with Future Learn so I need space for that!

Anyway here is a little catch up, after the cheese cake went down well last week I made a GF vegan banana chocolate loaf from the book  Vegan and Gluten-Free Baking, that I shared a few weeks ago.  This one is fabulous again!  If you have not got this book you have to try and get a copy everything just comes out wonderful.  I have only one, dark, evening photo as it came out of the oven so here it is...

It was just so tasty and a good size, we were all taking it to school and work until Wednesday and I was coming home and having a bit more as it is so good when there is food for me to have with a cuppa.
I have taken a picture of the recipe, I only used two bananas in mine and it was enough.

Yesterday I had all sorts planned for my day then my mum turned up just before lunch and stayed all afternoon so that changed things a bit.  I was going to visit at that end of the day and we had agreed on that but she decided to change her mind. I had only just got back form the shops so she nearly had a wasted trip!  Anyway we had a walk down to the charity shop and she got a Regata fleece which she was very pleased with and I spotted this lovely single duvet set for the fabric.  If I had a guest room or girls it would definitely be going on a bed but I don't, so fabric it is.

You can't see the colours clearly in this picture but it is really nice, a sort of duck egg shade.  I had wanted something for backing for when I start a quilt so I think the stripy part will be that, the front however could be anything, a skirt, pyjama bottoms, I'm not sure I will have to ponder it a bit.  My husband said 'you are not using it for clothing though are you?  Well I don't see why not it would just be a hard repeat match up with the pattern being on a large scale.  I might also add the duvet cover with a pillow slip was £3! Such a good buy.

I picked up a couple more books from the library, one that I ordered on crochet and the other is one I just spotted on Indian cooking.

I have already planned to make the curried aubergine slices to have with lunch tomorrow form the Prashad at Home book and Ruby and Custard's Crochet has been flicked through lots already (I picked them up yesterday). Both are full of lots of inspiration and I took a few pictures from the crochet book.

I know it's not the time of year but I will be making this at some point.

Again not the time of year but this dove is so cute.

Now I don't have any little princesses but if I did I would be making these tiaras.

There are so many lovely ideas in this book it may have to go on my list of ones I love, so will buy at a later date when I see it at a good price. Have a lovely weekend.

Vegan Berry Cheese Cake

Well it looks like summer has arrived and I have made the most of it by sitting outside, and generally making sure I don't miss any because who knows? It is England it may be snowing next week.  I'm going to appear really old now but getting all the washing dry, how good is that after months of hanging things indoors.

I saw this recipe for a vegan berry cheesecake here at Pure Ella I've looked at it a couple of times and thought I'd have a go while the weather is so good (it is a cold pudding after all).
The only thing I changed was I put banana in with the strawberry mix and left out the raspberries as I wanted to save them for another day.

 Those are cranberries you can see in the base, my base mix was not very well ground up as I don't have a food processor but I am going to look out for one as I make so many things that require one now.  It didn't take away from the taste though and as a bonus it is completely healthy as everything in it is natural.

The rest of the family had real cream on it completely missing the point of it being vegan!  I had soya cream on mine.  There are six portions left in the freezer for another day, you just take it out and let it defrost in the fridge for 30 minutes. Thank you Pure Ella.

Lots of things starting to come to life in the garden which is nice so just some of the pots that will need filling. Hopefully it will be fine again next week so we can do that, here are a few plants that are currently adding a bit of colour.

I love these little flowers, the colours are so bright.

This has been coming back for years but is now quite large and faded, also as you can see the slugs keep having a go at it.

This is the same age but looking healthier.

I have had a few alterations to do today as well, there are still more to do this week for my husband, son and friend so no new makes in that area to show at the moment.

This Week

Just had a lovely long weekend despite the rubbish weather and I have resolved to always feel this gratitude whatever the weather is doing, I admit to being a bit of a summer girl and living in England this can result in disappointment.
Today I had a really good long walk in the pouring rain, and the trick is loud rock music and a good coat. Although when I got home my raincoat had let water through but never mind I just got changed.

Books this week, I have finished The Girl Who Fell from the  Sky, I started it a few weeks ago but as usual I have had a few on the go along side it, philosophy and crafts and stuff. I also read As A Man Thinketh  which came yesterday and I read this morning but it was short but amazing!  The third book I read was The Story this is a Christian book and worth reading if you are interested in this area/faith.

I really must try and read my books as I acquire them but I always tend to dip in and out of them. I've always been that way since I was a child, I always have a few on the go.

I have just added Semper app Semper to my tablet to help with learning Spanish vocab it is quite good as it gives you a little quiz every time you switch it on.

Currently listening to  'Away from The Sun, Three Doors Down', I've had this a month or so but just really getting into it now.  Also listening to lots of Snow Patrol today just enjoying them again right now.

Another thing this week is check lists, I fall in and out of doing these but I'm currently in favour of them as you sometimes feel you haven't accomplished much when really you have done an awful lot.  So as well as keeping you on track they also provide a bit of evidence just for you that no you haven't wasted your day, you achieved rather a lot and be proud!  So yes, ticking things off right now.

 Right off to watch Game of Thrones.

Sunrise Makeup Bag

I have got to the end of the month and realised that I have not done a patchwork project for this month.  I saved lots of ideas most of them really need to be incorporated into a quilt to get the full effect and I am not wanting to get into that at the moment it feels like more of an autumn project.  I am still hoping that the weather will turn warmer soon ( I live in hope!) rather than snow, so the plan is I won't be needing quilts just yet. 

One idea that I liked was that of a sunrise design so rather than put it on a cushion again I thought it could go on a makeup bag with a wrist strap.

I used a decorative stitch to give the impression of rays coming off it, I had also thought about some beading but that can always come later, lining wipe-able for any makeup spillage.

It is only a small project this time but I had such a run of furniture and dress making on my last break from work that I haven't really got around to anything bigger on this front. I will have to choose something exciting for May.

Another picture inside, with the fading light I couldn't decide which was best.

I picked up some books from the library today that I had on order, a few of them on crochet as I need to get back to a bit of that as well before I forget how to do it.

Those Russian dolls are so cute I must give those a try, I also like some of the chunky baskets from the book bottom right.

The materials used in the makeup bag above were all recycled and leftover pieces, nothing new was bought.  The zip had been unpicked and saved in the past, looking back over a lot of the things I make a lot of the same designs on fabric come up again and again.  I don't like to waste any of it, I was joking with my husband that he should tell a colleague of his who I made a vintage dress for that the scraps of cherry fabric were being used again.  I made a dress for someone in that print eighteen months ago and there are still little bits left.

If anyone has any ideas for the really tiny bits I would love to hear about them.

Vegan Chocolate Cake (Wheat Free)

I ordered a new cook book this week, I mainly get them from the library but this one looked so good that I knew I would want to keep this one, plus it was just £5 with free delivery.  It came yesterday and I had a good drool looking through it.  So I decided the first thing I would make would be the chocolate cake as I knew everyone would eat that. I already made the carrot cake from the vegan website last week but forgot to photograph and post

The organic cacao powder was expensive but well worth it, it tastes amazing in the cake and when you open the packet it smells wonderful.  I followed the instructions precisely today and the cake came out brilliant I'm sure I will be making a lot from this book.  It is quite a size too, I suppose I didn't expect it to rise without the eggs but it just shows there are ways around these things.

I didn't do the icing as I always feel it can be a bit much, too sweet and just extra expense.  Also some types of frosting mean that the cake has to be consumed straight away, this is no good if there are only a few of you or you want it to last.

This is the book, it is a joy to look at as there is a full colour photograph for every recipe.

Pecan and Pear Vegan Upside Down Cake

I made this yummy pudding last Sunday and it has taken me until now to get around to sharing it.  As of last Friday I became vegan and I have taken the 30 day pledge here.  I had a couple of gluten free

cookery books from the library and I have marked all the pages of things I want to make however I am now adapting some of them to be vegan.

I was already part the way there being vegetarian and intolerant to milk but I could eat some cheese, now I have switched the cheese to a vegan alternative and cut out the eggs.  Any advice or recipes/recommendations of products greatly appreciated.

Here is the finished desert...

I know, I should have centred the plate a bit better! It really was a last minute photo though as I was just about to cut into it.

It is so nice with soya cream on and full of healthy ingredients so no guilt eating pudding at all.

The original recipe was from 'Deliciously Wheat, Gluten and Dairy Free'  so the only things I had to change for this recipe were substituting two tbsp.'s of chia seeds mixed in water instead of egg and also I used Argave nectar (only a small amount) instead of the quantity of sugar stated as I thought it would be too sweet.  Other than that I followed the recipe just scaling it down a bit.

Here the two books I got from the library...

I have not included the recipe as it isn't mine  but the book (on the left) is well worth a look, order form the library.  I have marked a couple of recipes in the Phil Vickery book as well but I preferred the other one.

I have made a few other things this week mostly made on the spot and without time to photograph.  One thing I really enjoyed was fried Kale with garlic mushrooms, spring onions, peppers and fried tofu.  I ate that for tea with older son, then cold the next day in a salad.  Oh dear stomach upset for two days!  I have not really had much tofu in the past but I really think it was that, that upset me.  All other ingredients I eat regularly so that is a shame.
There is still more to try so I will be cooking more new things but giving the tofu a miss.

I finished a couple of books 'Brain Hacks' was a really good one and I made myself a little list as I went along and also ' The Wisdom of Groundhog Day' by Paul Hannam was really good. There are lots of ideas to bring you back to the present, stop chasing future happiness and be happy now, very true.