COOPER'S DOGGY COOKIES

I'M AN AUNTY!!!! ....Well, to a fur baby that is. My brother and sister In law finally got their puppy after a looooong wait. He is just the cutest little fluff ball, I reckon he'd fit in a teapot!

To celebrate Cooper's arrival, I baked him a special doggy treat...COOPER COOKIES thanks to Martha Stewart's Dog biscuit recipe on her website.

I did tweek the recipe a bit... I replace wheat germ with rolled oats, and instead of liquid stock I used 2 teaspoons of powdered chicken stock. I also added a Tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese and instead of the oil and to make up for the lack of liquid from the stock I used 2 free range eggs. Then I mixed some more powdered sock with another egg and brushed the biscuits so they browned nicely and were irrisistable for a little doggy.

 Here's the link to Martha's recipe: Homemade Dog Biscuits.

Harrison and I delivered the cookies to Cooper. We think they did the trick because Harrison had him won-over the minute we walked in the door and the two of them chased each other around the floor and drooled on one another until they were both exhausted.

 "This little fluffy thing is great fun mum!"

"Hmmm, those bikkies are good are they Cooper? Glad you like them. Do you mind if I just try a little piece...?" (Yes, mummy intervention was required)

Martha actually has lots of lovely pet crafts on her site, Cooper is going to be a very well-off dog on his birthdays and Christmases. 

- xoxox Pinky

Green Tomato Chutney

It's been a productive week for me but I haven't even gone anywhere near the sewing machine. With the hot weather and all the rain we received before Christmas we've had an absolute bumper crop of zucchinis and tomatoes in Grandpa's garden. Being our very first season of growing our own vegetables, there are a few bugs to iron out, literally and figuratively speaking! We got so excited about our Heirloom Tomato mix (seeds bought from Diggers.com.au) that when they first started sprouting, we didn't have the heart to pull them out. We have of course learned from our mistake and had to rip out several plants last weekend so the stronger ones had room to grow without disease threats and lack of nutrients. The good news is we saved all the green tomato fruit ( 3 + kgs worth) and I was able to make Green Tomato Chutney last night YUM YUM!!! I used a recipe from my Nanna's cookbook of  60's newspaper clippings and handwritten recipes, see below for details.

Weighing the tomatoes, yes there are a few red ring-ins!

My finished Chutney in the Oooo lala new Italian canning jars I bought from Spotlight (jar brand: Quattro Stagioni).
(In the background you can see a glimpse of the giant tub of zucchinis that I need to bake, pickle, puree and freeze over the next couple of days :s)

Green Tomato Chutney

Ingredients

• 1.5 kgs of green tomatoes 
• 3 large brown onions
• 2 cups organic sugar
• 2  & 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 Tablespoon mustard powder
• 1 Tablespoon Salt
• 1/2 cup of water

Equipment

• 6 x 250ml jars with lids
• Large Saucepan
• Ladel for filling jars
• Wide mouth funnel if you have one
• Extra large pot that will hold all your jars
• Round metal rack to fit inside extra large pot
• Rubber gloves

Instructions

Step one: Wash the tomatoes thoroughly and quater any large ones taking out the stalky bit. (I used a mix of large and cherry sized tomatoes). Put all of your tomatoes in a big saucepan. Dice your onions nice and small and throw them in the saucepan too. Add the vinegar and sugar to the saucepan and set it to boil gently on the stove top for an hour or so until the tomatoes are all mooshy and it's bubbling thickly like a witch's cauldron :)

Step two: While your tomatoes are doing their thing, prepare your jars. clean them well in hot soapy water. Sterilize them in a dishwasher (boo hoo, I don't have one) or an electric sterilizer ( Yay! I have one of these for my son's bottles) or you can boil your jars and lids in a big pot on the stove if you prefer.

Step Three: Mix your flour, curry powder, chilli powder, mustard powder and salt together in a small jug. Add the water gradually to avid lumps making a nice smooth paste. Add this mixture to the saucepan stirring it it well as you go. Leave to boil for a further 5 minutes.

Step Four: While the jars and tomato is still hot, using rubber gloves to protect your hands, fill the jars to 1 cm from the top. Use a damp paper towel to clean the rim of the jar if you spilled any (I always do...one day I will buy a wide funnel to avoid this issue). Screw the lids on firmly.Depending on how much your liquid boils down, you will get 5 or 6 250ml jars full. I got 5 and a half jars last night so the half jar went straight in the fridge to be used on meals this week.

Step 5: My Nanna never did this step, but it's best to do it to ensure that your chutney doesn't spoil. You don't want anyone sick or yourself sick from spoiled chutney, otherwise you'll be greener than the tomatoes you started with. To kill and bacteria and to vacuum-seal your jars, place a round metal cooling rack in a big pot  and fill with warm water (you don't want to go putting hot jars in cold water in case it causes breakage). Place your jars in the pot, sitting on the rack and NOT touching each other (this can also cause breakage and poor distribution of heat). Make sure the water level is 5cm ABOVE the top of your jars. Bring the water to the boil, once boiling set a timer for 15 minutes. Check the water level regularly during boiling to make sure it doesn't expose the tops of the jars, if the level is getting low, top up with boiling water from a kettle ( I prep my kettle when I first put the jars in just in case). Once 15 minutes is up, turn off the heat and let your jars cool in the water. Once cool, dry your jars off, label them (contents and date made is always a good idea...unless you like to play "the what's that green stuff I found in the back of the cupboard and how old is it guessing game" with your grandkids 40 years from now. 

For mor info on food safety, canning how-tos, recipes and equipment advice I use www.pickyourown.org. It's an American site so I have to scrounge to find Australian equivalents locally but the info is excellent.

Share your Chutney and enjoy :)

xoxox Pinky

FREE TOY PATTERN

Yes, you read it correctly! I have finally put together a free pattern for you all to enjoy as a Christmas Gift to celebrate my gorgeous baby boy's first Christmas. Introducing you to the Crunch Jellyfish pattern!

Designed specifically to stimulate little minds, this toy has been tested and approved by Mr Harrison (my 8 month old). Never sewed before? Well that doesn’t matter! This pattern is simple enough for the most beginnery of beginners and you can even sew it with a needle and thread if you wish. Of course, if you don't fancy sewing you can buy or order a custom Crunchy Jellyfish from my Etsy Shop.

The Crunchiness of this jellyfish is due to a bit of cellophane inside so when baby scrunches the toy it makes a great crackling sound to stimulate his senses. You could also change the sound of your jellyfish by inserting a squeaker or a rattle instead. You could even make a band of Jellyfish!

DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN HERE

Materials you’ll need:

- Scrap of fabric for the body (about 22cm x 16cm)*
- Scraps of fabric for the tentacles (about 13cm x 15cm for each tentacle)*
- Scrap of felt for the heart (about 3cm x 3 cm)
- Embroidery thread for the face and heart applique (black for the face and red for the heart)
- Stuffing ( I use polyester stuffing as it’s machine washable)
- Ribbon  about 1cm wide and 6cm long (for the loop on top)
- A piece of crackly plastic (I find Glad Oven Bags make an excellent crackle but you can use cellophane or clean plastic packaging from anything that sounds good)
- Thread for sewing your jellyfish together

Tools

- Sewing needle and/or sewing machine
- Sharp scissors
- Embroidery needle
- Chopstick or stuffing stick for turning and stuffing


* I use polar fleece for the jellyfish I sell, this is because it’s soft and easy to wash because it’s machine washable and dries super fast (my little man is a major drooler) That said, most fabrics would be suitable. Felt is easy to sew but hard to turn the right way out and tends to pill a lot. Wool is a nice natural alternative and so are bright coloured cottons commonly used in Patch-working. If you’re feeling thrifty try using an old sweater for an extra Ooomf of character :)

Step 1.
Print and cut out your paper pattern pieces. Pin the pieces to your chosen fabric and cut out. You will need 2 body pieces, six tentacle pieces and one heart piece cut from felt. Download Pattern PDF (you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer available Here for free)

- Body piece: cut 2
- Tentacle piece: cut 6 (3 pairs)
- Heart: cut 1 from felt (felt doesn’t fray so it’s great for applique)

Step 2. 
With right sides of the fabric together, pin and sew around the tentacles. Trim the seam allowance back by half (this helps curved seams look smoother). Turn the tentacles right side out, use the chopstick to help turn it out. You should have 3 finished tentacles. Set these aside for later.

Step 3. 
Using the embroidery guide on the body pattern piece, transfer the markings onto one of your body pieces using a fabric marker. I carefully cut along the smile and eyes on my paper pattern so I can poke the pen through and mark the fabric accurately. Otherwise you can ‘Wing it’ which can give you the best expressions and most unique toy.  Embroider your jellyfish face using your embroidery thread start with the eyes, then mouth and finish with the eyebrows.

Step 4.
Again, using the placement guide on the body pattern piece, take your felt heart piece and stitch it in position using embroidery thread on the same body piece you embroidered the face on.

Step 5. 
Using the placement guides on your paper body pattern, pin the tentacles to one of the body pieces with the tentacles facing into the body. Slowly and carefully sew the tentacles down 5 mm from the edge of the fabric (this is just tacking them down in place and also makes sure they won’t pull out during rough play. Notice I don’t stuff the tentacles? That’s because it’s easier for little fingers to grab, chew and bend. I made prototypes with stuffed tentacles and without and my son thought the one without was way more fun. But feel free to experiment.

Step 6. 
Take your piece of ribbon and fold it in half. Pin it to the top of one of the body pieces as indicated on the pattern pointing it down into the body. Stitch it in place 5mm from the edge of the fabric like you did with the tentacles.

Step 7.
ALMOST DONE!!! Now you can put your body pieces together. Pin the body pieces right sides together. Carefully stitch around the body leaving a small section open for turning as indicated on the pattern. Turn your jellyfish right side out.

Step 8. 
Time to stuff!!!  Grab your plastic scrunchy material. Roughly cut 2 rectangles about the size of your jellyfish’s body. You may find you want 3 pieces for extra crunch. Place the rectangles on top of one another and insert into your jellyfish using your chopstick to help flatten it out. You want the plastic evenly distributed. Then take your stuffing and work it in behind the plastic until it’s nicely pudgy, again your chopstick will come in handy.

Step 9. 
The last step! Now take your needle and thread and stitch up the opening of your jellyfish. TA DAAAAA! You clever thing you, congratulations on making your very own lovable Crunchy Jellyfish for your little one :)

 

You can use this pattern to make as many jellyfish for your family and friends as you like but please don’t sell toys from this pattern.  

My Official tester performing the 'chew test'.

 Now that you have your beautiful Jellyfish, show him or her off to the world on Flickr! I created a group just so you can upload your photos here.

I would love to know what you think of the pattern in the comments section below and feel free to give me suggestions or ask any questions about the pattern.

This pattern is also available on Kid Independent in the Christmas 2011 Guest Series which I originally created it for.

Merry Christmas and Love from Pinky The Toy Maker xoxo

Albury Twilight Markets

My recent adventures to the Albury Twighlight Markets where a huge success with lovely shoppers, a great atmosphere and some much needed fresh air on my part! The very best moment was when a little 4 year old boy came up to me to buy a hand puppet. He was the cutest little guy and so polite! The best bit was that he took it straight over to his little sister and started entertaining her with it... TOTALLY ADORABLE! Here's some pictures of my little stand:

I'd already sold a few toys and puppets before I remembered to take a photo. 'Barry he Bedtime Bandit' (orange puppet with crazy face :) as his new owners call him, went to a very good home and he currently entertains a little 8 month old girl who likes to giggle when  Barry tickles her with his head feathers.

 Mr Sock Sloth, Bunny and Retro Froggy chilling alongside some Huggy Wuggs.

Scrap-o-saurus Herd 

 SQUEEEEEKY POOS!!!

These little fellas were a super hit with the boys young and old :)

My patterns on display

A School of Crunchy Jellyfish (And Lucas enjoying is Pad Thai in the background :)

Marvin the Monobrow Monster

I of course couldn't have attended the markets without the help of My wonderful Mother in Law, Lucas and Bubby (My official tester who was so well behaved both nights!)

I am busting to do the markets again and think I might attend the February twilight markets next. I need a month or so to replenish my stock...after sewing up a Christmas storm for my friends and family that is!

Thank you so much to all those who came to see me at the markets and especially my Mum's Group who are brilliant supporters and to Ren, the organizer of the markets at Albury City Council

- Pinky xoxo

NEW PATTERN NOW AVAILABLE

Drum roll please....

Introducing 1st Prize Bunny!

Here is my new pattern. I have 2 finished bunnies for sale on Etsy but have decided to make Bunny into a pattern due to several requests.

I've included loads of illustrations to go with the written instructions as usual. It's good for beginners to advanced sewers.

You can buy the pattern from my Etsy Shop and stay tuned in to my blog for freebie additions to use the pattern in different ways!

New Babushka Doll Pattern

Introducing my latest pattern: Medium Babuska Doll

This little cutie is now available for download from my Esty store.

She is so much fun to make! you can use whatever patch working fabrics you like and she's perfect for using up quilting scraps or sampling those fat 1/8s you just had to buy last week ! :)

As with all my patterns, I'm always here to help so message me if you have any questions.

My Crafternoon Creation

Now that birthday season is almost over for the year, I'm finally gaining a little crafternoon time for myself on a Sunday afternoon. The product of my afternoon craft therapy is the wonderful Willie Crow, complete with Beret and Woolen Scarf! (It's winter here in Australia now so I though nice warm accessories were in order ). He is such a happy little fellow and for that reason he has pride-of-place on my shelf so he can greet guests when they come to visit. I'm busting to make some feathery friends for him soon.

- Love Pinky