Handmade Card Swap Part 3

Well, we have now received all 10 of our handmade card swaps and they are all lovely.  It is soooo nice to have a mantelpiece full of homemade cards.  In fact, this year we haven't even put up any non-homemade cards cos they spoil the effect ;-).  It was good to read about other families and their Christmas traditions, including those in the States, Australia, Canada, South Africa and some Scots living in France.  We will also steal some ideas for next year's cards of course![gallery columns="4"]

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake

Lots of people have asked me for this recipe so here it is:



Ingredients

390g gluten free plain flour

440g brown sugar

6 tbsp cocoa powder

2tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

500ml sweetened soya milk

185ml sunflower oil

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Grease 23cm round deep cake tin, line base.  Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas Mk 4

2. Mix together all the dry ingredients.  When well mixed, mix in the wet ingredients and beat until there are no lumps

3.  Cook for about 40 mins until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

4.  When it's cool, make whatever fancy icing you want for the top or cheat, like I do, and use dairy free chocolate spread!

ENJOY!

Let me know if you make it and you like it, and feel free to share any fancy icing recipes that you make to go on the top :-)

Ancient Egypt Project

The last month or two, we have been "doing" Ancient Egypt.  We have:

• made a potato mummy - we cut a vaguely human shape out of a slice of potato, covered it with a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and salt and left for two weeks in a sealed container.  The potato shrinks and blackens and goes a bit yucky.  You can then wrap it in bandages and voila you have your mummy.  If you were really brave you might try this with a chicken :-).  My recommendation would be to use a pretty big potato cos it is surprising how much it shrinks!
  
  [caption id="attachment_126" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Potato Mummy - Before"][/caption]
  
  [caption id="attachment_127" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Potato Mummy - After"][/caption]
  
  
  

• made reed boats from bendy straws

• made and played a game of Senet, making a board from rigid cardboard and counters out of air drying clay

• learned how the Egyptians prepared bodies for mummifcation by playing this game on the BBC History site


• played lots of games of Tutan Loot 'Em (a fabulous board game made by Orchard Toys)


• made Pharoah's crowns

• coloured in lots of Egyptian pictures


• painted a life sized (well, Waif sized!) Ancient Egyptian man

• 

Handmade Card Swap Part 2

Here's some more cards the boys have made.  We should have enough for the handmade card swap and some of the family too.

We cut out candle shapes from different coloured paper then made the flames using some gummed paper I discovered lurking in our box of papers.  I think they came out really well - a bit funkier than your average Christmas card :-)

 

Book Sharing Monday - I Dreamt I Was a Dinosaur

This is a gorgeous book.  Not only does it tell a very readable tale of a boy who dreamt he was a dinosaur, written in a rhythmically repetitive way (perfect for a bedtime story) but the illustrations are totally beautiful.  They are all embroidered with felt, sequins, buttons etc so are an absolute joy to look at, especially for stitchy mums and dads and their offspring!  We *heart* Barefoot Books.

Handmade Card Swap

This year, we have decided to join in with the Handmade Card Swap over at Kids Craft Weekly.  The idea is that the boys make 10 Christmas cards which we send off to 10 other kids and we should get 10 cards in return.  Today has been windy and wintry, so it seemed as good a time as any to get started.  My fabric scrap bag is overflowing, so donated some to make some collage Christmas trees.  They started out quite tasteful and minimalist... but then out came the glitter :-)

Upcycling a School Uniform

I am thrilled to report that Gman has made his first project on the sewing machine!  He made a beanbag using a scrap of fabric rescued from an old school polo shirt.  As you can see he is very proud and rightly so :-)  Will have him making Morsbags before you know it!

[caption id="attachment_89" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Gman shows off his beanbag!"][/caption]