Rag Rug Hand Hooked Turtle Cushion

My daughter is seven so only really gets the minimum of homework at the moment, I'm sure this will all change soon enough. So at the moment homework projects still have the allure of novelty and are generally quite fun.

So I wasn't too phased when she announced, 'I have got to make a turtle for Monday'. So after a little thought we thought that she could make a little rag rug turtle. With great excitement she set about working on her design, and looking for old clothes for materials. The turtle consisted of some old curtains of my mums, an old threadbare tea-towel and a pair of my daughters old PE trousers, which incidentally I had managed to shrink. She set to hooking with gusto for all of about ten minutes before deciding that perhaps, she didn't want to part with her turtle and actually perhaps Mum might be better off finishing it! So there began a new project for me instead and an emergency replacement homework turtle made from felt and a big beach pebble (which again she decided she couldn't part with but after a few tears and some gentle persuading she did actually hand in to the teacher).

After finishing my daughter's simple design, I was at a bit of a loss to what to do with it, it wasn't quite wall hanging material and not really any good as a rug, so I mounted it (Just with hot melt glue) on a pre-bought cushion.

There are loads of tutorials on YouTube on rag rugging. It is a really simple craft, which gives you satisfyingly quick results. As crafts go it is also cheap, just using strips of scrap material and some hessian. The rug hooks are also quite cheap at about £12ish.

The little photo montage below shows you how the design grows from a quick sketch to the finished cushion.

 

Hand Printed Gift Wrap



Never run out of gift wrap again! Making hand-made papers is a real art form but a good cheat is to just print your own.

We always have a roll of lining wall paper for large scale kids craft projects. It's relatively cheap and means the children can really go to town creating their works of art. As it has to withstand the wallpaper paste it is also quite thick and absorbs paint well. It has a slightly fibrous texture which gives it a rustic artisan finish.

To make your own gift wrap just take the length of paper you need and let your imagination go for it! Simple sponge or even potato prints work especially well. Or select complimenting colours and use abstract patterns and designs.

Whatever designs you go for, the results are great and give gifts that real personal touch. Create matching gift tags too and your presents will have a delightful boutique feel, all for the fraction of the cost of shop bought gift wrap. I probably wouldn't have the inclination to make all my Christmas wrap like this but for one off special gifts it gives that additional creative detail.

I used water colour paints for the swirl pattern and poster paints for the potato print stars

Thai Pumkin Soup

Ok so we have carved the pumpkins but what to do with the unwanted scraped out flesh? Well although I do like pumpkin pie it is a bit of an acquired taste, so my favourite is a Thai influenced soup.

This warming soup, is a colourful addition to a Halloween party table but also a welcome treat for the grown-ups. Served with warm toasted bread, which you could Halloween-up into mini tombstones, marked up with edible ink. (edible ink pens are fab I just keep finding more and more uses for them!). This soup has got to be one of my favourite recipes and also one of the easiest. If you go easy on the chillies, it also goes down well with the kids because of the natural sweet flavour of the pumpkin. I bulked it out with butternut squash because actually you don't get that much pumpkin flesh out when carving a lantern and also because I have been nurturing the puniest butternut squash you have ever seen nearly all year in the garden. After all the care and attention I have lavished on it, I needed a fitting dish to reflect my efforts.

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 25g butter
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 2 small fresh red chillies, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass
• Kaffir Lime leaf
• 500ml chicken stock, I think it's nicer with chicken stock but obviously vegetable stock will do if cooking for veggies.
• 350ml coconut milk
• 475g peeled and diced pumpkin or squash (or both as in my case and sweet potatoes would work easily well)
• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves  

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil and butter over low heat. Cook garlic, shallots, chillies and lemon grass until fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic). Stir in chicken stock, coconut milk and pumpkin; bring to the boil. Add. the Kaffir lime leaf for a more authentic Tai taste. Cook until pumpkin softens. Some websites say cook for about 15 to 20 minutes but I think it's better if cooked slowly for 45minutes or more.
2. In a blender, blend the soup in batches to a smooth or slightly chunky consistency, whatever you prefer. We like it really smooth. Serve garnished with basil leaves or if you are feeling decadent a swirl of cream or yoghurt.