A weekend full of cake

Hello lovelies!  I know I've probably lost half my followers as Ive been gone for so long but I'm back.  I've beat myself up a lot for letting my blog slip but you know sometimes you just have to let some things go if they aren't working so I did, but only temporarily.  

So let's catch up .... I'm starting from my favourite corner of the cottage on Friday morning.   Before I left for work I plumped up my cushions, put clean throws on my sofa, cleaned out the stove and filled a basket of turf all in anticipation of spending my entire weekend here :) Needless to say it didn't turn out as planned but it was still a lovely weekend nonetheless and I'm now sitting here... At last ... In front of the fire. 

My weekend has been (cue guilty feelings) full of CAKE really!

It started with Afternoon Tea at the lovely Lough Rynn Castle.  Honestly it's under an hour away from my house and each time I go I wonder why I don't go more often!  It's such a treat, not just the food but the whole experience. 

 

The highlight being my first piece of Christmas cake ... Okay it was probably a wedding cake but I like to think it's Christmas cake ! 

As if that wasn't enough cake for one weekend I then spent this afternoon baking. It's been really grey and wet wet wet here in the West of Ireland so I've loved having my table lamps on which make the kitchen so cosy.  

I started with delicious Anzac biscuits. Honestly if you haven't tried them you must! They are so scrumpscious!  

I also made a gorgeous Dutch Apple Cake which is heavenly!  It's so light, perfect on it's own but ding dong delicious with a big blob of cream! 

You always know how good a cake is when there's only one piece left in a matter of hours of it coming out of the oven! 

As you see things haven't changed much at the cottage ... I'm still eating cake and plumping cushions :) 

What about you peeps, what have you all been up to? 

Must dash ... Time to re-plump the cushions and maybe squeeze in the last slice of cake. Comfort eating as it's the penultimate episode in the last series of Downton #devastated

Petticoats and Bloomers

It's 5.25 pm here in Ireland on Sunday 21st September and I've had to wear sunglasses and put sun screen on as it's so warm and sunshiney out there.  I kid you not.  It's positiveley balmy!!

It's all very strange as the kids are back to school and I'm making Christmassy makes for my shop and normally I'd be curling up on the sofa with the fire on and some crochet in my hand but I'm sitting here in my summer clothes and flip flops.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, it's just all a little confusing.  Nice but confusing.

The best thing is that I'm still getting to hang my clothes on the line.  Alas my washing machine is a little under the weather so today it was a hand wash.  Ironically it's my petticoats and bloomers (yes I said bloomers) that are on the line.  My mum is always telling me I was born in the wrong era as I LOVE hand washing and all that sort of stuff.   If I could go back in time it would be to Downton Abbey times.  Not sure if I'd be upstairs or downstairs though??  Which leads me on to tonight - it's the first episode in series 5 of Downton Abbey.  Are you a fan?  I can't wait.  I've been planning my whole evening all week.  God forbid if anyone calls to the house.  I'll just have the curtains pulled and the sound down low because I won't be answering the door, the phone, emails etc etc

If you are watching enjoy!

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The Great British Sewing Bee

Were you watching last night?

I was glued to my tv.  Love the new show, The Great British Sewing Bee.  Like Bake Off, the show puts  amateur enthusiasts against each other in a highly pressurised setting, the only prize being the honour of being crowned the winner and a trophy.

The judges are WI academy's May Martin and Savile Row's Patrick Grant also known in my house as the Mr Darcy of sewing.  He is simply dashing!  

I have to say I just love Claudia Winkleman in anything so the fact that she is presenting the show is an added bonus!  I love that she said when asked to do the show that she can't even sew. it makes her even better to present as she asks questions that I think lots of viewers watching would want to ask. She's also incredibly funny and I'm sure the contestants were happy to have her around to keep things from getting too serious.  I would hope.

Surprise surprise there's already a book available for the show.  You can find it here 

I'm hoping to get my mitts on it soon.  Hint hint - my birthday's in June :O) 

Keeeeeep Stitching!

If you missed tonight and you are not in the UK i.e. can't watch it online, it's repeated on Saturdays 5.05pm BBC2.  Next show is on Tuesday, 8pm on BBC2.

Memories

Remember this show - Beauty and the Beast? 

Oh God I used to LOVE it so much 

I've been watching clips over and over on You Tube since I seen it mentioned on another blog.

I was devastated when it finished.

I think it's to blame for me being such a hopeless romantic :O) 

Do you remember it?  

And what about Return to Eden?

Oh dear ...... another late night ahead for me !

Looking forward to

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Kirstie's Handmade Christmas

tonight

Channel 4

8pm

Repeated at 9pm on Ch4 + 1

I'll be watching both.

Yes I know I'm sad but I find she packs a lot in so it's great to watch it the second time round.

In this series she's going to New York.  Maybe next year she'll come to my Country Cottage?? 

I have umpteen christmas decorations that all need hand sewing so I think I'll get that done whilst watching - that way I feel less guilty watching tv a few days before my big cottage sale. 

Oh God .. I feel sick !  Why do I do this to myself?

For those of you overseas Kirstie is the UK version of Martha Stewart or to put it another way the tv version of us crafty bloggers.  She loves crafting and thrifting and has had a few tv shows and books in the past couple of years

Who is your version of Kirstie in your country? 

x

On telly

Sorry for the lack of posts but I was back on telly this week and had lots to prepare for with that and all my workshops.  I was also interviewed by a local paper, will share that with you tomorrow though.

Here's a few pics from my slot on RTE's Four Live show (it's an Irish show on live at 4pm in the afternoons).  Unfortunately due to licensing restrictions some of you outside of Ireland may not be able to view the programme but for those of you that are it can be seen online here.

Luckily I got a few pics for the rest of you :O)

These are my lovely models

Amy (modelling the owl costume I made)

 Connor (modelling the Harry Potter outfit)

and Saoirse modelling the spider outfit.

Connor really got into character, he was great fun.

This is me demonstrating how to make Harry Potter glasses out of wire!

Unfortunately Amy got a little camera shy but she was soooo cute in the owl costume. 

This is Maura, the presenter of the show, modelling the owl mask I made and demonstrated (below)

So that was yesterday.

Today I've been training a group of people how to use facebook, I've been cleaning the cottage and now I've got to get me wellies on and clean out the chicken coop.  

Never a dull moment! 

Are you dressing up for Halloween?  If so share a link - would love to see your costumes.  

She's back !

Little Miss Allsop will be back on our screens next week

Wednesday 19th October at 8pm on CH4

More details here

I'm going to miss it :O( as I'm teaching my knitting class that night. 

Moments like this I wish I had Sky Plus

Enjoy it peeps!

I found another christmas mag (House Beautiful Christmas) - this one is so much better than the last one.  Will share with you soon - busy busy with workshops the past few days.

M x

New Crafty TV Show on RTE1

I've been eagerly awaiting the airing of this show since meeting with the producers earlier this year. 

Craft Master will air on Tuesday 6th September on RTE1

Produced in association with the Crafts Council of Ireland quite aptly during our official Year of Craft this show follows the creative journey of 15 apprentices in ceramics, woodturning, glassblowing, textiles and blacksmithing.

Each week the apprentices will be mentored by a specialist in each of these areas and a group of finalists will then be chosen to compete in the Craft Master final 2011.  The winner will be awarded a stand at Showcase Ireland the biggest creative expo in the country, in January 2012.

Can't wait to see what it's like :O)

Cleaning with vinegar - it really works!

I can't tell you the amount of people that ask me if I really use baking soda and vinegar to clean since I appeared on Four Live ! 

Well finally, I can prove that yes I actually do!

Pic above (sorry not very pleasant) was my shower head the other day.

I simply unscrewed it and placed it in a saucepan with half a bottle of white vinegar and same again of water.

Left it soak overnight under the watchful eye of yellow rubber duckie (optional of course) and voila! 

The following morning lifted it out of the water/vinegar and it's sparkling clean!

I swear I didn't do a thing other than soak it overnight.

How easy is that!

New Year TV

After a pretty rubbish Christmas tv-wise I'm loving the January line up.

Generally anything with cooking, gardening, craft or interiors wins me over. 

Therefore I am L O V I N G ....

Monday night on BBC2 at 8.30 - Baking Made Easy  with Lorraine Pascale.

I loved the first show - parmesan lollies and those pastries with the blueberries were divine and sooooo easy to make !!

Friday night on BBC2 at 8.30 - Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein

I love that this is Carol's garden at her cottage and she knows it so well.  I also love how they show images of the garden in January but then show it in the summer too so you can actually get an idea of what things look like when they are established.  Why on earth didn't anyone think of this before ???

I'm really looking forward to Sophie Dahl's new show, also on BBC2, in which she tells the story of Mrs Beeton. 

The one I'm most wanting to see though is the return of Mary Portas next week to CH4.  Can't wait see her new show where she's a secret shopper.  Maybe it's my age but I think an awful lot of shop staff are incredibly rude and incompetent, especially in specialised stores where they should have a basic knowledge of the products they sell.  It should be interesting to see what Mary discovers. 

Have I missed anything?  Anyone know of any other gems about to start??  I hope Nigel Slater comes back soon - I find him so easy to watch/listen to.

More Love than Money

Sorry I'm so late in posting this, it's been pretty hectic here in my little cottage.


Last week's piece on Four Live was all about gifts that don't cost the earth or as I like to think of it gifts for people with more love than money :O)

For readers in Ireland you can view the show here but for all of you outside of Ireland I'm afraid I've just got pics below or a link to what they wrote about the piece on their site here. sorry! 

We're all tightening our belts (hmm I wish I was literally) and pulling our purse strings this year so here are a few gift ideas with more thought put into them than cash ...

Michelle's perfect evening

watching Phil & Kirstie's Perfect Christmas

  

in front of a perfect roaring fire

curled up on a perfect comfy sofa

beside the perfect Christmas tree

with a perfectly chilled glass of vino

and the most perfect little mince pie!

Perfect!

Comfy Cafe Christmas Craft Fair

Thank you, thank you, thank you

to all who braved the weather, the roads and the recession to come out and support all the lovely exhibitors at the Comfy Cafe first (hopefully of many) Christmas Craft Fair yesterday.

There was such a festive buzz about the place and lots of people wrapped up in scarves and hats coming in from the cold and I for one feel even more Christmassy (yes it's possible) for having been part of it.  

Best of all Emma (who owns the Cafe) has offered me the same place for the next two Sundays. So, if you liked what you bought from me and want more or if you didn't make it and feel you missed out

I will be in the

Comfy Cafe

(Main Street, Roscommon, Eire)

on

Sunday 12th and Sunday 19th December

12 - 5.00 pm

First sofa on the right :O)

Hope to see you then.

Here's a couple of pics from yesterday

The bestseller of the day, aside from berets, hand painted snowman cards.  Personalised for free whilst you wait :O)

Keep warm and drive safe everyone x

Finally ...

For those of you in Ireland I will be on back on your screens today.

I'll be on Four Live on RTE1 at 4pm

They're showing one of the clips from the shoot at my cottage.

Movember

I know this isn't my usual sort of post but it's for a really good cause.

These images were all taken from a video that some of the production team from Four Live put together in aid of Movember.

Movember (the month formerly known as November) is a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men's health.

You might recognise a couple of them ... from the pics I shared last week :O)

Click here to view the video which was shown on the Daily Show today and features a lot of Irish celebs.

If you wish to donate you can do so here 

You can donate to an individual, a team or to the Movember cause itself. Funds are donated directly to The Irish Cancer Society and their men's health programme Action Prostate Cancer

Have a lovely weekend x

Filming

Finally things are happening that I can tell you about.

Today I spent the day filming for RTE.  The piece is for the run up to Christmas so I won't give too much away but here are a few pics.

Thanks to Robin, Tony and Mark who spent the day filming me Christmas Crafting :O)

As I type this I'm having a (well deserved) glass of mulled wine (ok my second ..hmmm third??) and am looking forward to a VERY early night as I was up at 6.30 am picking holly !!!

I'm not sure when this is going to be aired but as soon as I know you'll  know :O) 

Have a great weekend everyone. 

I'm taking a well earned blog break until next week.