crochet dish cloth

 Hello there!  Well July has just flown by. 
This past week, I've been going thru all my many balls of yarn and sorting them all out.  While doing so, I came across a few 'work in progress' projects.  One of them being this crochet dish cloth.  It only needed a few more rows and then finishing off with a border.
So I did just that!  It was a nice little distraction in my busy week ☺
This is 100% Moda Vera Roulotte cotton which I picked up from Spotlight.  Being cotton, I thought it would make great wash cloths. 

 The pattern is single crochet, I've done five stitches in the back loop and then five stitches in the front loop; continuing this pattern in each row.  This creates a slight ridge and a texture to the cloth.

 I've gone around the edge with single crochet and then a row of small scallops to complete.

It's rather pretty and will be a nice addition to my kitchen sink.  I've got more yarn left over and also more in another colour, so I think I'll make up a few more of these.

Thanks for coming by ♥

banana choc chip muffins

 Hello there, it's been rather quiet on the blog in July.  School holidays have kept us busy.  We are enjoying the last few days ☺
I'm here to share a recipe - it's been a while.  These are a favourite in this house and are quick and easy to make.  They are great for school baking!!

 Ingredients + Method

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup olive oil/macadamia oil

1 banana

1 cup spelt flour

1 cup almond meal

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup rapadura sugar

1/2 cup choc chips

Mix together well, all the wet ingredients.

Then add dry ingredients - don't over mix.  

Spoon into your muffin tin and bake for approx 15-20mins in mod oven

Enjoy

 This makes 12 muffins which are not too big ---- perfect for the lunch box snack.

 I love adding almond meal to my cakes - the texture is a little more dense but makes a more wholesome cake.  The trick with muffins is to be gentle when adding in the dry ingredients and don't over mix - that way your muffin will have a great rustic texture ☺

You could play around with this recipe and add walnuts instead of the choc chips ---- or maybe both. 
Hope you will give this one a go.
Thanks for coming by ♥

weaving

 Hello - it's officially the start of Summer school holidays - yay for that.  I love the relaxed feel of no particular routine ....................... 
I won't have too much more to share before the end of the year, but I did want to pop in and show you the latest weaving I've made!!
I ♥♥♥ it!!

 If you follow me on instagram you would have seen some progress pictures and also the hand loom that we made.  The loom was about the size of A3 - so it has made a decent size weave.  I had no set pattern in mind.  I just picked out some colours that I loved and was inspired by instagram accounts that share their weaving ..............
I even managed to source some wool roving from a local farm in Western Australia.

 Here are a few close-up's:

I'm sure this won't be my last piece of weaving art.  I hope to do some more in the New Year.  It's a great way to use up my yarn stash!!

Thanks for coming by ♥

choc brownie

Hello, hope your week is going well.  It's been a little while since I last shared a recipe.  So I have one here, my last recipe post for the year ☺
My boys love chocolate and I love to make them chocolate treats.

 This here is a chocolate brownie slice that has been adapted from a recipe I had in one of my files - I've changed up the ingredients and added in a few extra too ..............
I do this one in my Thermomix but you could easily adapt to suit ☺

 Chocolate Brownie

Ingredients:

100 - 150gr butter

1/2 cup rapadura

4 eggs

1 cup almond meal

1/4 cup raw cacao powder

100 - 150gr dark choc **

5 medjool dates

Method:

Place all ingredients in Thermomix or processor and blend together til just combined.  I don't over do it, as I like chocolate chunks in the cake; but if you wish, you could make a smooth batter.

Pour into a lined rectangle tin and bake for approx 20 mins - don't over cook as you want the cake to be moist.

 It's lovely eaten warm with cream and strawberries, but easily keeps for a few days in the fridge.
For a variation you could add: 2-3 tblsp of espresso - yummy ☺

I hope you give it a try - this cake is gluten free and refined sugar free.
* I use a 70% cocoa chocolate bar but if you like a sweeter cake, choose the chocolate of your choice ☺

Happy baking ♥

crochet bag

 Hello all ☺  I've shared a couple of photo's on Instagram (@madebychantelle)
  of this latest crochet project that I've made, but thought I'd share a few more pictures and details here.

 The pattern is from the crafty blog: My Poppet and is called a market bag.  I followed the pattern using some teal cotton for the base and kitchen twine for the main part of the bag including the handle.  I've also used a 4.5 crochet hook!

 It's turned out just lovely ....................................  I'm going to be using it as a project bag and have already filled it with yarn for my next 'work-in-progress'.

 The kitchen twine is nice to work - I found out that supermarkets do differ with the cotton kitchen twine - there are slightly different shades of off-white.  I love this particular one, as it feels quite organic and looks really natural.

This was definitely an enjoyable project to have going and it came together really quickly.  The pattern was easy to follow with very clear instruction - I'm glad to have come across it in my internet travels ☺

Thanks for coming by.
Creating with love + happiness ♥

creative.ness - the view thru my 50mm fixed lens

The other weekend, I took out my DSLR camera to capture some creative bits around my home.  Creative bits from my boys.  Oh, I love it that they create things ☺  It makes me smile.

 This tree in our front yard has been lined with wooden steps, steps that lead up to a great place to play .......................

 A little person who loves being with his brothers and making stuff!

 A perfect place for those little legs.

 A creative zone for the biggest boy!

 This piece of twine and mini pegs was placed here in my craft room by one of my twins.  He wrote a little note to say that it was a place to hang pictures.  So I used some recent Origrami prints!

A little creative keepsake from the biggest boy.

There thoughtfulness touches my heart - I'm thankful for these treasures and their creative souls.

Happy Monday ♥♥

currently creative ....

 Hello creative peoples ☺  Today I'm linking up with 'Currently Creative' by Give a Girl a Blog - I find this a fun way to share what your up to and at the same time, find other creative people and see what they are creating too!!
It seems these days, I'm filling my house with crochet - whether that be with blankets or decorative bits ........... ☺
I have quite a few lovely books with plenty of great crochet patterns to try - so recently I used this 'Granny Square' book and crocheted up some covers for glass jars. 

 I used some cotton yarn that I received in my box for October from the Spring Jellywares Yarn Club.  It was perfect for this kind of project. 

 I've used a 3.5 crochet hook as the yarn is quite thin - it gives a lace-like look which I love.

 I intend to use these for my craft room and fill them with pens and other crafty items.  So far I've crocheted up these two but I have plans to add some more soon ..........

This bright orange is some crochet cotton that I bought in Bali last year - I have a whole box full of different colours, so I'll be putting it to good use soon.
I love having some smaller projects on the go ..........................

I will share some more after a little bit more progress.

Thank you for popping by.
Creating with love + happiness.

zucchini, chia + walnut cake

 Hello - hope your week is going well ☺ We are enjoying school holidays - so there's lots of lovely, relaxed days.
It's time for a recipe share - I've been making this one quite a bit lately!

I remember growing up as a young girl and watching my mum in the kitchen, baking and cooking away.  She always made lots of yummy food!  I think that's where I've got my love of baking from ☺ 
I have a note book with hand-written recipes - a collection of favourites that I remember my mum making.  I used the recipe below as inspiration for the recipe I'm going to share - I've tweaked the ingredient list just a little ☺
  

 Ingredients + Method

 3 eggs

100 gr rapadura sugar

100 gr macadamia oil, butter or coconut oil

1 zucchini

80 gr walnuts

200 gr spelt white flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp baking powder

Grate the zucchini by hand or in thermomix - 3 seconds Sp 5.

Set aside.

Beat together eggs + sugar - 30 seconds Sp 5

Add in oil/butter til all combined.

Add in all the remaining ingredients and mix together - I do this for about 10 seconds on Sp 4.  There is no need to over-mix!

Pour into a lined loaf tin or muffin cases - here I've made muffins - it makes 10 large size ones ☺

Bake in 180 degree oven for approx 20 mins or til done.

 This cake is moist and tasty!  I love it with a dollop of butter ☺ Enjoy for a yummy morning tea with coffee or tea.

I hope you will give these a go ..................................
Enjoy the weekend and I'll be back next week with something creative.

Creating with love + happiness ♥

raw lemon + coconut tart

 Hey everyone - today I'm sharing a sweet treat from my kitchen: Raw Lemon + Coconut Tarts.  
I was inspired to create these after a morning out, for tea and cake - I had a lemon + coconut slice which was rather yummy!  So I decided to re-created it in my own kitchen for my family ☺

 You could easily make this into one large slice, but I've chosen to put them in little tart tins - this recipe made five.  Raw cakes are quite rich, so you only really need bite size pieces ☺

 Ingredients + Method

for the base:

3/4 cup of each - medjool dates, shredded coconut + nuts of your choice

process these three ingredients together - I used my Thermomix - process for as long as it takes for the mix to come together - it doesn't need to be smooth

press into little tart tins 

for the filling:

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup 100%

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup cashews (you can soak these for a creamier mix)

2 tblsp coconut cream

mix all of these ingredients together in the Thermomix til it is creamy - you may need to scrape down the side a few times and keep processing until it's quite smooth

spread out filling over the base

the tarts are ready - refridgerate for a few hours and then enjoy.  

raw treats always need to be stored in the fridge or freezer ☺

Each little tart can be cut into four pieces- perfect for that afternoon tea ☺  I hope you enjoy these.

Creating with love + happiness ♥

canvas art - she was a modern girl with a vintage soul

 Hello ☺ I've been doing a little bit more canvas art and thought I'd share this cute piece with you all.
I recently purchased a book called Vantastic by Kate Ulman from the Fox Lane blog.
A beautiful book all about their travels in a caravan!!  I was inspired by the cover to create a canvas with a retro caravan as the theme ................. and I just love how it turned out. 

 Lots and lots of layers of paper, dressing making pattern paper and paint.

 I found this cute little quote and felt it suited the canvas and also says a little bit about me ☺

So this little canvas sits proudly in my home and makes me long for another camping holiday ................................

Thanks for coming by.
Creating with love + happiness ♥

currently creative .......

 Hey there - hope your week is going well☺
Today, I'm linking up with Give a Girl a blog for 'currently creative'.
I have a few crochet projects on the go .....

The first one is this 'as we go stripey' blanket - the pattern for this one is from Not Your Average Crochet!

 I'm using the pattern that she has available on her blog - the width of my blanket being 193 stitches  - currently I'm up to row 48 - so about 1/3 of the way ☺  I'm using yarn from my stash in 8ply acrylic! 

 It's a very fun project - I love the idea of learning new stitches as I go along and it's being a blanket 'full of texture'.
I'm calling this my 'colours of the sea' blanket ☺

 Another little side project I have going is a crochet cushion cover.  It's a simple granny square pattern which I'm 'making up' as I go along.

 One side is nine granny squares joined together with a border and the other side is one big granny square.I've used Moda Vera cotton/acrylic blend in 8 ply and it's a lovely yarn to crochet with.

 To join my granny squares, I've used the 'join-as-you-go' method which creates a lovely ridge!

 Hoping to finish this one soon as my little man is patiently waiting for it - it's destined for his bedroom ☺

And this cute little crochet glass jar cover was a little project I completed at my Wednesday craft morning group that I go to in our town.  I must make more of these - they would be lovely gifts ☺

So that's what I've been keeping busy with, on the crafty side of things - there's been a little bit of art canvas in between - hope to share a few of those soon ☺

Thanks for popping in.
Creating with love + happiness ♥