bwaaaah bwaaaah

Here's a bit of a change from all the kitties and kittens. This is not any ugly rabbit, it's a rabbid! If this sounds unfamiliar, try google-imaging it. I've used some of these images to draw the template, which you can download from this link: free rabbid softie template.

There are quite a few different pieces to this template but don't let that discourage you. It's actually really simple and easy to make. I've used straight stitch for ears, belly, eyes, mouth and simply glued the little bits like the teeth and tongue. Have fun!

my first kitty

The first softie I make without following someone else's instructions! Turned out pretty ok I think. It's not fully my creation as I once saw the photo of a similar kitty on google images but sadly I haven't been able to find it again. A little piece of ribbon for the detail, another around the neck et voila!

You can download the free softie template I made here. I used blanket stitch all around the body and whip stitch for the orange stripes on the tummy, back stick for the mouth and satin stitch for the eyes and nose.

origami kitty

I had fully forgotten about these kitties! My sisters and I made them back in 2002 or 2003 for a not-for-profit charity that aimed to find loving responsible homes to rescued cats. They were made out of paper and felt scraps we had a home. It's really quite simple to assemble them, it's just take ages to fold up each individual triangle-shaped origami that makes them up.

They were sold on their online shop to raise funds and we even had a few orders from cat owners wanting an 'origato' (that's how we called them - 'ori' for 'origami' and 'gato' for 'cat' in Portuguese) that looked like their own cats.

recycled xmas tree

This is the tree my husband and I made last Christmas. We used a gumtree branch we found in the park and sprayed it white. We made the decorations with milk cartons, by cutting two of each shape and pasting the outside together, leaving the pretty silver lining on the outside. There were trees, birds and stars and for a touch of colour I painted wooden pegs red with little white dots.

We hosted Christmas Eve dinner and to keep it with the good-for-the-planet theme, there were no disposable plates, glasses or cutlery. The little red trees were made with the same milk cartons, which had red bits on the outside. The "ho" "ho" "ho" you can see in the picture were used cardboard coasters we got from our local pub, the Bank Hotel. They had four different types of coasters, "BA", "NK", "HO" and "TEL", which complemented each other like a puzzle. I hope they didn't notice they were down a few "HO"s.

banana tart

I find that in summer bananas ripe faster than I can eat them. I could buy fewer at I time I guess, but that's not as fun as trying out different banana recipes.

This one is again a Brazilian recipe but I don't think it's a traditional dessert as I don't remember ever having it when I was living there. It's a little too sweet for my taste but my husband swears by it is perfect (isn't he a sweetie?) and he ate it all by himself. So if you have a sweet tooth as he does you might really enjoy this:

For the dough:
1 cup flour
65g unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

For the filling:
65g unsalted butter
3 medium bananas cut in half lengthways
2 egg yolks mixed with 1 tbsp caster sugar

For the topping:
2 egg whites
4 tbsp caster sugar

Pre-heat oven at 180oC (fan-forced) or 200oC (conventional).
Mix all ingredients for the dough until well combined.
Transfer to a 22cm round tart ring and press it to the bottom and sides, making sure it's thin and even.
Bake until it starts to get a bit of colour.
While baking the dough, prepare the filling and topping.
Whisk the egg whites. Add the sugar and continue whisking until you get stiff peaks.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan and cook the banana slices (both sides) until nice and golden.
Put the banana slices over the baked dough and spread the egg yolks on the top.
Cover with the meringue and bake for 5 minutes.

Best served hot but room temperature works fine too.

sampler kitty

This was definitely my favourite project from the same softie book I've been using for my previous posts. The template is fairly simple and what I most like about it is decorating the kitty's tummy. I've used stiches, ribbons and ric rac that I had in hand. I thought the tail was a bit too long but I guess it's to keep the kitty standing.

I loved this project so much that I made a whole family of felt kitties - they will make a lovely christmas gift for my friends' 3-year old!

tiny owl

This was my first time using cotton and I really struggled stitching the front and the back of the owl inside out. The side on the photo is the good side, the other one ripped open when I turned it right side out to stuff it. I hadn't realised the template was scaled down so had I followed the instructions the owl would be double the size of the one I made and I probably would have had enough seam allowance to sew it inside out!

cuddly dinosaur

So much easier when you get the scale right! I really enjoyed making this cuddly dinosaur.

kokeshi doll

Having become overly confident after my first attempt, I decided to take on a more challenging softie from the book. This little kokeshi doll was definitely harder but I had fun embroidering the little details.

brazilian carrot cake (bolo de cenoura)

This weekend I had a go at baking one of my favourite cakes, a Brazilian carrot cake. Unlike the Aussie version, the carrots are blended not grated and it is topped with a chocolate sauce rather than icing. The true Brazilian carrot cake chocolate topping is the one that "cracks" when you cut the cake up.

I used wholemeal flour instead of plain and the cake was surprisingly light and fluffy, just not as moist as you'd get with white flour but hey if it keeps me fuller for longer as they say I'm happy to stick to wholemeal.

I've cooked this recipe tons of times and it works every time:

3 small or 2 medium carrots, roughly diced
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil (I use canola)
1 pinch salt
2 cups caster sugar
3 cups self-raising flour (wholemeal or white, your pick!)

For the chocolate sauce:
8 tbsp chocolate powder
8 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp milk

Pre-heat oven at 160oC (fan-forced) or 180oC (conventional).
Lightly grease a large baking tray.
Blend everything up until smooth and bake it for 20-25min depending on the oven.
In a small pot, cook the ingredients for the chocolate sauce over medium heat.
Simmer for 3 minutes.
Pour the hot chocolate sauce over the cake while it is still warm.

Bom apetite! Enjoy!

simple softies



 I couldn't resist getting a copy of this oh-so-cute book on softie making. Their projects are just adorable and yet so simple. The idea is that they are simple enough for kids to make them. I’m quite happy with my first attempt (photo) considering my non-existing sewing skills. Turns out they are simple enough for adults too!