Jikana Damaru: 08/16/11

CHALKCLOTH - Licence to Draw on Your Own Kids!

If your kids are like mine and are like bees to a honeypot where crayons, textas, paint, pencils and CHALK are concerned... you might like my new bm3 clothing concept! My darling daughter Fern takes any opportunity to draw all over walls, furniture, appliances, herself... generally when Im in the shower and have mistakenly left a drawing stick of some description lying about...

... but now you can seek your own revenge for those hours spent scrubbing pen off the lounge by drawing all over your children with chalk!!

I didn't find the shopping all that amazing when I was over in NZ... but I did manage to squeeze this amazing chalkcloth into my suitcase! I couldnt resist! Chalkcloth is an amazing product that works just like a chalkboard -- you just draw on it with chalk and then wipe it off with a cloth!

I've designed a girl's and boy's onesie to start with so you can pronounce the birth of your baby; it's age (what an easy alternative for the "monthly sticker" idea!); a favourite poem, a quote, a drawing...... really, the possibilities are only limited by your own imagination! The shape can be adapted to anything you like: a letter,a number; a silhouette...

I can also adapt this idea to a boy or girl singlet or tee -- if you are interested and I havn't listed it yet, just ask me!

Each outfit comes with "giftwrapped" piece of chalk (so you can get started straight away), and I'll giftwrap the whole outfit for you if you ask me nicely!

Here it is -- there's nothing like this out there; I've checked! Get your original chalkcloth outfit from Bubby Makes Three -- and if you order this week, I'll even give you a 10% discount: enter CHALKPROMO1 until midnight Sunday 22 August in my store to redeem!

Here 'tis -- would love to know what you think:

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joy!

Dad is finally home from a long hospital stint having conquered another of life's "little setbacks". No stranger to ill health, he leads by example in the quietest of ways.

Back in Sydney and into the third trimester - eeek - feeling time fly and my centre of gravity shift. Still disorganised...yet to fork out the cash for a new car seat, or collect the beautiful Miyo hammock my generous friend is lending us. Dan is continually awesome and says he can't wait to hold our second baby soon. And here sits Lily - joy personified as she slides down a hill and beams at the sky.

Gluten-free lemon cake

Last week I showed you Molly's birthday cake which was a coloured lemon cake shaped into a house. I made four of the cakes, colouring each one differently to make the house. I kept the bits of cake I trimmed off and made cake pops with them (coming later this week!)

As promised here is the recipe:

Gluten free lemon flavoured cake (makes one square cake)

Ingredients
3 large eggs (200g eggs)
200g gluten-free self raising flour
200g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp lemon flavouring
Food colouring

What you will need
Square cake tin
Non-stick baking paper
Cooling rack

Cooking instructions

Heat oven to 190C (fan 170C) or gas mark 5.
Butter square tin and line with non-stick baking paper.
In a food mixer, beat all of the ingredients, except the food colouring, until you have a smooth soft batter.
Gradually add food colouring and whisk until you get the desired colour (please note that colour intensifies with cooking).
Pour batter into cake tin and smooth the surface using a spatula.
Bake in oven for about 25-30 mins until top is golden and cake springs back when gently pressed.
Turn cake out onto cooling rack and leave to completely cool.

Butter cream frosting (500g)

Ingredients

100g butter, softened
80g sifted icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence

Cooking instructions

Whisk butter and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.
Gradually whisk in icing sugar.

Assembling the cake

What you will need
1 pink coloured 7in square lemon cake
1 red coloured 7in square lemon cake
1 green coloured 7in square lemon cake
1 turquoise coloured 7in square lemon cake
500g butter cream frosting
Apricot jam
2 packets of Pink Panther gluten free vanilla wafers
Roll on icing (fondant icing)
Pale blue M&M's
Fondant leaves and flowers

Place one cake on a cutting board and trim off top of cake using a cake wire cutter.
Turn upside down and trim off bottom of cake so that you remove any browned off parts.
Repeat with other three cakes.
Spread a thin layer of butter cream on top of red cake and place pink cake on top.
Spread a thin layer of butter cream on top of pink cake and place blue cake on top.
Spread a thin layer of butter cream on top of blue cake and place green cake on top.
Using a bread knife, trim off sides of cake so all browned off cake is removed.
Carefully cut green cake layer at a 45 degree angle so you have a triangle of green cake from either side. Turn the triangles of green cake upside down and place on top of cake so you have the roof.
Using a spatula cover cake in a thin layer of apricot jam.
Knead roll-on icing into a ball.
Dust icing sugar onto a hard clean surface and roll out two thirds of the roll-on icing to 3mm thick.
Lift up icing using rolling pin.
Placing centre of icing at tip of roof, smooth icing down roof and sides of house. Trim off any excess icing at bottom and from the front.
Repeat steps 11 and 12 with half the remainder of roll on icing and place on front of house. Smooth down and remove any excess icing from all sides.
Repeat step 14 for back of house.
Lightly push brick mat into icing to get brick effect.
Push pink decorative balls into joins of icing down sides of house.
Cut wafers in half and separate.
Spread apricot jam on the under side of wafer and stick to iced roof. Repeat until roof is covered. Use wafers for door and windows.
Pipe buttercream along top of roof and push M&M's into icing.
Secure leaves and flowers to house with small dollop of buttercream icing.

Enjoy!

Have a sweet day!