Jikana Damaru

Macarons

I have been buying macarons recently and trying all the different flavours. I thought it was about time I make my own and I wanted them to be in pink and white to match my Halloween colours. I think they are the hardest sweets I have made! My first batch collapsed! So, before I made the second batch I searched the internet for tips, which I've included below.

Vanilla Macarons (makes 12)

Ingredients
240g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
180g ground almonds
4 egg whites separated the night before (important!)
80g vanilla sugar
Food colouring, if required

Cooking instructions

Mix almonds and sugar in a food processor until you have a smooth fine powder
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks
Slowly add vanilla sugar to the egg whites, all the while whisking.
Slowly add the fine powder to the egg white mix with a wooden spoon till you have a shiny mass.
Add food colouring until required colour is achieved.
Using a parchment bag with about a 1cm opening at tip, squeeze the macarons mixture onto parchment paper lined baking trays. (I used a template under the baking paper of circles 2.5cm wide, to get them evenly sized).
Tap the underside of the baking sheet to remove air bubbles.
Let them dry for 1 hour so they form a shiny hard crust.
Cook them for about 10-12 minutes in the oven at 140deg C, turning them around after 5 mins. Also, leave the oven door slightly ajar and make sure to keep an eye on them.
Carefully remove them from the oven and transfer parchment paper onto a cooling rack.
When cool, slide them off the parchment paper using a metal spatula.

White chocolate & Blackberry ganache

Ingredients
125g double cream (heavy cream)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
50g blackberries, blended
100g white chocolate

Cooking instructions

Bring cream to the boil in a small saucepan.
Remove from heat immediately and stir in chocolate until melted.
Stir in raspberries and vanilla essence until glossy.
Refrigerate for about 45 mins.
Spoon a teaspoon of ganache onto half of the macarons and place the other halves on top to form the ganache sandwich.
Let the macarons chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.

Macarons will keep for 2 days refrigerated in an airtight container.

A few tips

Always sift and double sift your ground almonds and icing sugar so there are no lumps.
Use old egg whites that have been left out at least over night, otherwise you can be left with flat macarons.
If piping the macarons leaves a peak on top, be sure to smooth the top over with a wet finger.
Use a double layer of baking parchment to prevent burning.

Have a sweet day!

A few new loves....

Not the whole T-shirt but the see that square in the middle, that beautiful piece of Liberty fabric (with the wobbly sewing), I did that. No sniggering please :) Its the first time I've come near a sewing machine since year seven textiles, so more than a decade (shhh almost 2 decades) but lots of fun. I can see how all of you crafty sewers can so get addicted. My fabulous friend has let me borrow her sewing machine and I have spent the afternoon finding things that I can sew together.

When I was a little girl my whole bedroom was Holly Hobbie. The bedspread, sheet set, curtains and wallpaper was all Holly Hobbie and I even carried around a Holly Hobbie doll that I called Blue baby. I have spent the week searching internet looking for pretty things to add to my hairclips - when I found these buttons, I just had to get them. How pretty are they..?

When I get the chance I will pop them in my Madeit shop - if I can part with them

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Poss Bloss Launch

now that the new Poss Bloss range has been launched I am able to share more photo's from the shoot. Head over to the Poss Bloss store & snap up some Christmas pressies for all those little ones you know who like to make a mess!!!

Halloween cookies winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition to win a dozen delightful cookies from The Fancy Lady.

My little skeleton helper has picked a winner! Congratulations to Elizabeth of My Crafty Mess.

Magnetic Charm

Christmas is but 9 weeks away, and Fern's first birthday is less than 2 weeks after, so I'm starting to think about ideas for gifts... today I wandered into my local Early Learning Centre, where I discovered they are having a 'spend $100 get $20 off' offer. The ELC barely ever have sales, so I grabbed and layby'd a few items for Fern, including these:

Blue Sand and Water Playtable $145 (I desperately wanted it in pink, but restrained myself - what if I have a boy next?!)

Pink Wooden Toddle Truck - $75

Whilst I was there, the following item also forced itself into my shopping basket. At $15, how could I resist? Yes, its magnetic letters - mine in lowercase but avail in assorted colour combos and also in upper case. I have cheekily written a couple of subtle messages for hubby.... ;)

Black crows

I made and decorated a tree for Easter with hand made birds, so I thought for Halloween I would do the same. Initially I used the same pattern to make a bird but it looked too sweet. As I could not find a pattern for a crow or raven I decided to make my own.

I used a black fabric with subtle black lurex running through it to give them a sparkly touch. I used pink wire and beads to make the feet and black diamantes for the eyes.

Halloween Fabric Crows

You will need:
Black fabric
Black thread
Needle
Crow pattern (below)
Pink wire
Pink beads
Silver rings
5mm Ribbon
White pencil or pen
Pins
Black diamante
Fabric Glue
Toy filling

Print and cut out the crow pattern below.
Fold your fabric into two, with the right side of the fabric facing inwards, to give the two sides of your crow.
Draw around the pattern using a white pencil or pen if using dark fabric (don't forget to mark the opening points).
Pin the two pieces of fabric together and cut around the lines leaving a 5mm border round the edge.
Hand stitch along the lines, leaving the opening unstitched.
Turn crow inside out (I use a chopstick to to fully open the beak, tail and legs).
Hand press the seams open.
Insert pink wire up through one leg hole and down the other.
Stuff with toy filling (again I use a chopstick to get the stuffing into the beak, tail and legs)
Hand stitch the opening closed, pushing the needle and thread up through the top of the neck to create hanging loop.
Sew small silver loop onto base of neck, thread ribbon through ring and tie in bow.
To create the feet, thread 6 pink beads onto the leg wire. Then for each 'toe' bend the wire back on itself and thread 3 more beads. Repeat for each toe. Tie round base of feet to finish.
Glue diamantes in place for the eyes.

I will blog about the Halloween tree as soon as I finish it!

Have a sweet day!

~ On the Move ~

Finally tomorrow is the big day - we get the keys to our new house and start moving in!!

I am so exciting, slightly overwhelmed as to the task ahead and still can't quite believe it is happening.

Will be back soon when I am sorted!