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When you finally get there……..

A few months ago, I actually cannot remember when! I started a gorgeous crochet sunflower blanket designed by Amy Solovay. I had searched the internet to find a sunflower blanket pattern for my daughter. Amy’s pattern was perfect. It was simplistic yet detailed. The 3D effect gave the square an additional element of intrigue. I had many questions of “how did you make the square like that”.

Though many patterns came close, they lacked the design style that Amy’s pattern had. They had too many steps or to complicated to achieve the flower look. The beauty about Amy’s pattern is that you could crochet as many or as little squares that you wanted. You could make a blanket, a pillow, a handbag or even place mats or coasters. The pattern is centered on making one square so that you can adapt it to what ever you want. I will be making some place mats and coasters as well to go along with this housewarming gift for my daughter.

And now finally I am at the stage or joining the squares and watching the blanket take shape! I can’t wait to finish this blanket, its going to be so beautiful. A field of sunflowers set in a beautiful crisp white cotton. I used Four seasons Brighton for this blanket as I found it was the perfect combination of softness and sturdy enough to hold the stitches.

I will put the link to Amy’s pattern below as I have been asked many times for the pattern. Thank you for following along on this journey with me. Catch up with you all next time.

Vicky

3D Sunflower Blanket Pattern Designed by: Amy Solovay
work in progress .............

Pattern designed by: Amy Solovay available at: http://knittingandcrochet.net

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Work in progress Wednesday 12 July 2023

Hope you all are doing well. This will be a short post but I wanted to put up some work in progress. I am up to square 165 in the #365daysofgrannysquareschallenge and also making slow progress in the 3d granny square blanket.

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Quietly crocheting behind the scenes…..take a look at my progress so far

Time can sometimes be a friend and sometimes a foe. The last few months have been hectic and time has gotten away from me. It’s been a long time since I have been able to get back to my blog. Though having this time away has allowed me to complete more granny squares and keep working on the sunflower blanket.

Crochet sunflower squares in progress

The 3D Sunflower Crochet Granny Square blanket by Amy Solovay has been fun to make. I researched a lot of patterns and this one was my favorite. The squares are easy to make and the 3d effect looks outstanding in a blanket. I am half way through in crocheting the squares and will hopefully be ready to join them soon.

I have also been working on the #365daysofgrannysquareschallenge by Yarnuptopia. I started the challenge on January 1. I originally commenced the challenge back in 2016 and got to March. I had to let it go as other things came up. I was so happy to pick it up again and so far have made 90 squares. This challenge is amazing. I have learnt so many new stitches and techniques and have learnt to put colours together I normally wouldn’t have thought to. Below are some of the squares I have made so far.

June
May
April
March
February
January

I will be sewing these squares into blankets once I finish the challenge.

Thank you for reading this post. I hope it’s inspired you to crochet.

Catch up with you all soon

Vicky

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It’s been a while…..work in progress Wednesday…take a look at my latest projects

It’s been a while since I have been able to write in my blog it’s been a busy year so far and I just haven’t had a chance. This year I decided to finish a challenge I started way back in 2016. It’s the 365 days of granny squares challenge by Yarnuptopia. https://yarnutopia.com/365-days-of-granny-squares/

It’s a fantastic challenge if you are learning how to crochet want to brush up on your crochet skills. Each day a new square is made using patterns from designers around the world. Each pattern is unique in it’s combination of stitches but they also have common themes such as floral patterns or texture squares. The challenge is divided into months with a new square for every day of that month.

I recommenced the challenge starting on the April square as I had finished all of January to March. Most of the patterns are available on Raverly.com or by following the link above.

If I get time each week I will add more information about each square. Here is a gallery of the squares I have made so far this year.

As you can see each square has its own individual flair. Nadia has put together the colour combinations and each square I think suits it’s chosen color quite well.

I hope you can join in with me on this challenge and I look forward to updating you all soon on the latest squares I am making.

Enjoy your day everyone

Vicky

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Work in progress Wednesday…….. continuing projects from last week…take a look

I am still working on the stash buster granny square blanket and the Tunisian crochet block sample blanket.

Granny squares are a great way to use up left over yarn or odd colours. You can put whatever combination you like. YouTube and Tiktok or Pinterest have a vast array of ideas and patterns to choose from.

I have gone with a combination of granny squares and more solid squares. A mix of small and large squares. This gives the project an interesting look and vibrance. Also the mini squares work perfectly for small amounts of yarn you have left.

The Tunisian crochet blanket is coming along well. I have finished block 5 and commenced block 6.

Block 5 and Block 6

Block 5 is a diagonal texture stitch made up of a knit stitch and Purl stitch in alternating blocks to give a texture affect. Block 6 shows you how to add a second colour and introduces the slip stitch into the body of the crochet item instead of just casting off at the end.

I found this block difficult to start with as I couldn’t find how to do the slip stitch. I was lucky to find a tutorial on YouTube which helped and I was able to continue with the pattern.

So far this is my favourite block. The pattern is from a book called Tunisian crochet from absolute beginners to advanced, written by Dijana Warrender. It’s available on Amazon

Well that’s it for this week. Thank you for reading my posts as always. For those who celebrate I wish you all a merry Christmas and to everyone a happy new year.

Vicky

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Work in Progress Wednesday……Take a look at my latest projects this week.

Recently I made the decision to stop taking custom orders and business to business orders and turn my crochet business back to what it originally was, a fun hobby. Since I have done that I have been able to finish old projects and work on some new ones.

I am onto block 5 of the Tunisian crochet blanket I am making. There are 16 blocks in total so I will be working on this for a while. The pattern is from the book Tunisian Crochet from absolute beginners to advanced written by Dijana Warrender. The book is available on Amazon. Its a wonderful book which takes you through all the main stitches used in Tunisian Crochet as well as fun projects to make and also, a sample blanket to brush up on your skills. I have yet to attempt any of the projects in the book apart from the blanket, but my plan is to be able to make each one.

Block 5

Above is block 5. It is a mixture of Tunisian Purl stitch and Tunisian Knit stitch. with the purl stitch you bring the yarn in front of the project and the knit stitch you insert the hook in the space between the stitches. This gives the project a beautiful textured affect.

The second project I am working on is a simple granny square blanket using yarn I have in my yarn stash. It’s a bit more colourful than my usual choices of yarn but I am loving how the colours work together and they definitely brighten up the room. The yarn is an 8ply acrylic and I am using a 4.5mm crochet hook and making mini granny squares and joining them together in a formation of 4 x 4 squares to make a larger square. This is a great project if you have bits of yarn you want to use up or just want to crochet without having to think to much about the stitches. Its simply a series of treble crochet stitches (UK terms). I love how versatile granny squares can be and the colour combinations are endless.

I am slowly getting through these projects. There are many more for me to finish but I will leave them for another time. Thank you as always for reading my posts and happy crocheting to you all.

Vicky

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It’s Monday…….Time to make some tough decisions… See what’s happening with Vickys Handcrafted Designs

Hi everyone hope you are all well. Its been a rollercoaster of a year some great things happened and some not so great things happened. Some happy and some very sad and devastating. Its been a year of great changes, triumphs and tragedies. Its also been a year where some tough decisions had to be made.

Part of my reason to start my crochet page was to develop a business along the way. I did do that and had many years of enjoyment running my own business, but as time went on and the pandemic hit, it became more difficult to keep going. I persevered in the hope that things will improve. They didn’t, I became more disillusioned, more unhappy, couple that with other things happening at the time and crocheting seemed more like a chore rather than something I looked forward to. Something had to be done and now!

I decided to let go of the business component, forget about marketing and selling and just enjoy the art of crochet and all the other crafts I like to do. Its been four months since I made that decision and already I can see the benefits. I am no longer tied to a clock, having to produce product by a certain time. I am free to create or not depending on what my schedule is. It has also allowed to me explore other crafts that I like such as drawing and painting and also weaving. Being your own boss is great but sometimes the business ends up being the boss, that is something I definitely wasn’t happy with.

There are also so many work in progress projects I had commenced and never got the chance to finish.

  1. coasters –
  2. handbag
  3. table runner

I had started projects 2 and 3 quite a while ago and the coaster this week using a loom weaving technique. I am planning on adding some crochet motifs to it. I am hoping to finish as many as I can and showcase them each week. I will also try and include the pattern or if I made the pattern up include that.

All in all its been a great decision and something I am glad I made! What has been your epiphany this year? What changes have you made that has helped in your daily life?

Thank you as always for reading my posts. Until next time happy crafting

Vicky

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Work in progress Wednesday…..Working on Block 4 of the crochet blanket I am making.

Block 4 – Tunisian Crochet Blanket

I am very excited to start Block 4 of the sample blanket from a book called Tunisian Crochet from Absolute beginners to Advanced written by Dijana Warrender. The book is available on Amazon. It is a really good book if you are just starting out learning about Tunisian crochet. It details the stitches in this craft and how to make them and also has a pattern for a beautiful sample blanket which details the stitches in the book.

I am up to Block 4 of the blanket. It is a neutral colour comprising of two different stitches. One being the Tunisian Pearl stitch (TPS) where you leave the yarn at the front of your work and insert your hook behind the front post. Bring a loop through and then yarn over and pull loop through again which remains on your hook. Then you will do the Tunisian Knit Stitch (TKS) with this stitch you place the hook in the space between 2 stitches and yarn over and pull through a loop which remains on your hook. This stitch combination brings a beautiful texture to the pattern. It especially looks good when using one colour only.

With the completion of Block 4, I can then sew the first four squares of the blanket together. Stay tuned next week for more updates. This blanket has been fun to make and I have learnt so many different stitches so far.

Thank you as always for reading my posts. Take care and catch up with you all next week!

Vicky

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Work in Progress Wednesday…..more progress on the Tunisian crochet baby blanket I am making.

Tunisian crochet

When I first started to learn Tunisian crochet I really was horrible at it and thought there is no way that I am going to get the hang of this. I am glad I stuck it out and kept going until I really did get it.

There are so many more forms of crochet I would love to learn still, so far out of what I have learnt this is my favourite.

I have been working on a blanket inspired by a design from crochet designer Dijana Warrender from the book Tunisian Crochet from absolute beginner to advanced.

It’s in 100% cotton using a 4.5mm Tunisian crochet hook. I love the simplicity of this blanket and at the same time the intricate basket weave pattern.

I can’t wait to finish this and continue on this wonderful crochet journey. What is your favourite type of crochet.

Thank you as always for reading my posts. Catch up with you all soon.

Vicky

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Work In Progress Wednesday – My latest projects – Tunisian Crochet blankets

Recently I wanted to learn a new form of crochet – Tunisian crochet – Its been on my to do list for a long time and finally I am able to have a chance to learn this exciting new craft. Its basically a combination of knitting, crocheting and weaving using a long crochet hook to catch the stitches and creating a number of different types of stitches. Its amazing how many different stitches you can make using this method.

Quite simply you start by making a chain as you would in normal crochet, then you turn the chain to the back and you will notice a ridge between each chain. Insert your hook into the ridge and yarn over and pull through. Instead of completing the stitch you leave it on your hook. Repeat this for as many chains you have made. This is equivalent to your foundation row in normal crochet. Then you complete what is called the “return pass” you yarn over and pull through one loop, yarn over again and pull through two loops on your hook, continuing yarning over and pulling through two loops until you get to the end. And basically that’s it. Simple and quick to start!

I bought a book on Amazon called Tunisian Crochet from absolute beginner to advanced written by Dijana Warrender. Its an amazing book and as suggested in the title, it is quite suitable for a beginner. It details what equipment you need to start as well as how to complete each type of stitch and as I have stated above it teaches you how to start each block. It has a number of gorgeous projects to complete using the stitch library, including a sample blanket with each square dedicated to the stitches you have learnt as well as a mobile phone case, fingerless gloves, bath mat and so much more. You will definitely be able to use your new skills in these projects. I have started on the sample square blanket and I am also making another baby blanket using the pattern for the bath matt. Below are blocks 1-3 of the sample blanket.

Block 1

Block One

Block one teaches you how to combine colours and and also some of the basic stitches. It looks complicated but once you master the art of changing colours you will enjoy making this square. The colour combinations are endless. I chose to use white, caramel and beige to compliment my living area.

Block 2

Block 2

Block 2 is a gorgeous basket weave pattern using two alternative texture stitches. When using one colour texture stitches are great to add detail and interest to the square.

Block 3

Block 3

Block 3 continues the theme of changing colours with each row using a simple stitch and what is called a reverse stitch. With the simple stitch you pass the hook through the front of the post in each chain and the reverse stitch you grab the back of the post in each chain. Similar to front post/back post in normal crochet. This creates a “3D” effect. This works well with contrasting light and dark colours.

Baby Blanket

Basket weave pattern baby blanket

This is actually a pattern for a bath matt, a customer of mine loved the pattern so much she asked if I could make a baby blanket using the same pattern. This blanket is in 100% cotton using a gold thread. It will be available for sale in the Asiki store in Erskineville Sydney, later this year.

And there you have it for now. A little look at what I have been making so far. I really like learning this form of crochet and can’t wait to learn more. What’s your favourite type of crochet? Thank you as always for reading my posts. Have a wonderfull day!

Vicky

  • Please note with the links I do not make any money from them, I have included them in case you are interested in reading further on the products or suppliers I have noted.
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Vanilla Swirl Cake

I know recently I promised you a chicken pie recipe, I am still working on that….But this well it couldn’t wait, after all its cake and cake with two types of chocolate in it!

Yesterday my youngest finished high school and I had promised him a grand dinner to celebrate finishing his 12 plus years at that dreaded place as he calls it. I thought I was doing well getting things organised when my daughter said “mum what about the cake!” (Insert face palm here) How could I forget a cake! I couldn’t believe it. I had an hour left until dinner and there was no way I could run out and get one! So I thought well I will just try and whip one up. With no time to look through recipe books, I came up with this recipe, a one bowl recipe that is quick to put together and only takes 30 minutes bake. So without further ado, here it is!

Vanilla Swirl Cake

Recipe by: Vickys Handrafted Designs

Ingredients

450g Self Raising flour

175g Caster Sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 Olive oil

375 ml milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon lemon essence

50 g milk chocolate

50g dark chocolate

Prep time: 10 minutes Baking time: 25-30 minutes

(See end of post of nutritional information)

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Spray a 20 cm round cake tin with oil and line bottom with baking paper.
  2. In a large glass bowl, sift flour then add caster sugar. Mix with wooden spoon so that the sugar is evenly distributed amoungst the flour
  3. Add eggs, oil, milk, vanilla and lemon essenses and mix with wooden spoon until ingredients are incorporated and mix is free of lumps, use hand mixer if you prefer.
  4. Pour mixture into cake tin and set aside
  5. In a heatproof bowl, break the milk and dark chocolate into peices, microwave on high heat in 10 second intervals until chocolate starts to melt. Once it starts to melt, take out of microwave and mix to combine chocolate into a smooth mixture.
  6. Drizzle into cake mixture and with a toothpick or skewer run it through the mixture in a figure eight formation to distribute chocolate through cake.
  7. Place in heated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Check cake after 20 minutes as some ovens cook faster than others.
  8. Serve with berries and your favourite ice cream or fudge topping.

Nutritional Information (per serving size)

8 Servings

Each serve equals : 70.8g

Net Carbs: 70.8g

Protein: 9.2g

Fat: 14.2 g

Calories: 453

Dietary Fibre: 2.2g

And there you have it, a one bowl, easy to put together cake, you can whip it up and serve it to your guests in 40 minutes! Hope you enjoyed this recipe. Let me know if you tried it. It’s a new recipe so I am curious as to how it goes for you guys.

Thank you for reading this post as always and I will try and get this chicken pie recipe to you as soon as I can.

Vicky

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Tools of the Trade….. Take a look at what I use to block my crochet squares

With any type of trade or craft, the tools you use make all the difference in your finished work. With crochet getting that perfect finish is not always easy, but lucky for us there are many gadgets on the market that can help.

I found this amazing blocking square on Amazon. It is cheap and effective and you can move the pegs to suit your size square. Best of all you can layer squares one on top of the other to save space. The pegs hold the squares tight into place and once you remove them they keep their shape. I leave mine on the block for a few days so that they keep their shape. To give them an extra boost. Spritz each square with water so that they dry into shape as well.

There are many more blocking tools on the market. Including large foam blocking squares and pins for blankets and larger items. I have found Amazon to be a treasure trove of many tools and gadgets for crocheting and other crafts. I definitely will be looking there in the future for more items I need.

What is your favourite place to shop for your tools and gadgets? Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post. I will keep you updated on more items I have found on amazon.

Vicky

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Looking for a quick and easy Friday Night recipe?….. Read further for details

Friday night is usually the end of the working week for most people, the night you just want to go home and crash on the couch with your favourite show to binge watch. Cooking is the last thing on your mind! Before you reach for the Uber eats app, take a look at what you have in your fridge or pantry instead, with a few key ingredients you can whip up a healthy meal and still be sitting in front of your tv or computer ready to begin your binge watching marathon in no time!

This recipe is quick and easy and cooks in 15 minutes!

Grilled Chicken fillet and steamed vegetables

Grilled Chicken with mixed vegetables

Servings: 2

Cook time: 15 minutes

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

500g chicken breast

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning

1 tablespoon plant based butter or margarine

2 pouches of steam ready vegetables (any type of vegies you like)

Method

  1. Pre heat grill and set on a medium heat.
  2. In a microwave proof dish melt butter/margarine
  3. Wash and slice chicken breast into fillets
  4. Place in glass bowl and add , melted butter, herbs and seasoning. Mix through to coat chicken
  5. Place on grill tray and grill until golden brown and cooked through (appox. 15 minutes for thin style fillets) If you cut them thicker leave for longer, appox. 20 minutes) When grilling turn fillets over to other side halfway through cooking time.
  6. In the meantime place one pouch at a time of the steam vegetables into the microwave and cook for specified time.
  7. Once chicken and vegetables are cooked place on a plate and serve. Can be served with a salad or your favourite bread.

If you like you pan fry the chicken instead for quicker cooking. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this recipe.

Nutritional information

Net carbs: .01g

Total carbs: .4g

Dietary fibre: .3g

Protein: 51g

Fat: 10.5g

Calories: 302

Vicky

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Work in Progress Wednesday…..Take a look at my latest crochet project this week

Well its the bane of any crocheter’s existence, multiple projects on the go. No matter how many you have you will always start one or two more. I have lost count to be honest but below are a few.

SOME OF MY LATEST PROJECTS

http://https//:www.instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

Included in the photo above are: Top left – granny squares to make a throw pillow, top right, the Aster rug Pattern by Stitchedupcraft, bottom left a bobble stitch dish cloth and bottom right sample Tunisian crochet squares. And that is just a sample, there are more hidden away! I have made it my mission to take six months off from customer orders and just concentrate on finishing off these projects. Hopefully I stick to this!

I have also been busy shopping on Amazon. It is an amazing treasure trove of items for basically anything you need. I purchased this set of crochet hooks and crochet accessories. I needed new hooks as the ones I was using were too long for my hands and they didn’t have the handles like these. I have found these hooks to be amazing, they are the right size for my small hands and have a thumb imprint where you can rest your thumb will crocheting. I have found this has increased my speed and my hands don’t hurt as much.

Well that is it for today. Thank you for reading. I have also bought some new crochet books too. I will talk about those more in upcoming posts.

Vicky

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Learning Tunisian Crochet….take a look at my latest crochet journey.

I love to learnt different types of crochet. My latest journey is learning the Art of Tunisian Crochet.

I love the simplicity of it and at the same time the variety of stitches and projects you can create.

Take a journey with me and learn about Tunisian crochet.

I am learning from a book called Tunisian Crochet from beginner to advanced written by Dijana Warrender.

It’s a well written guide of the different types of Tunisian crochet stitches and projects. I will feature each one as I go through them.

This book is available from http://www.Amazon.com.au

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Learning Tunisian Crochet….take a look at my latest crochet journey.

I love to learnt different types of crochet. My latest journey is learning the Art of Tunisian Crochet.

I love the simplicity of it and at the same time the variety of stitches and projects you can create.

Take a journey with me and learn about Tunisian crochet.

I am learning from a book called Tunisian Crochet from beginner to advanced written by Dijana Warrender.

It’s a well written guide of the different types of Tunisian crochet stitches and projects. I will feature each one as I go through them.

This book is available from http://www.Amazon.com.au

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Cheese Omelette with Vegetables

Cheese Omelette with Vegetables

15 min prep
10 min cooking
1 serving total
441g weight
20 Grams/serving

– 8 ingredients –

2 large 122g Egg whole omelet
1/4 cup 30g Shereded mozza-cheddar cheese kirkland signature
1 tsp, ground 2g Oregano dried
1 tsp 5g Avocado oil plant-based butter by Pure Blends
1 small (5-1/2″ long) 50g Carrots raw
1/2 cup, sliced 46g Red bell pepper
1 pepper 148g Green bell pepper
1 slice 39g Lower carb 5 seeds bread by Helga’s

– steps –

1) Wash and slice 1 medium carrot, half red bell pepper, half green bell pepper. Place in serving plate and set aside.

2) crack 1 egg into a small glass bowl, add oregano and mozzarella cheese, beat mixture until well combined.

3) place a teaspoon of butter or oil in. Heavy base frying pan. Heat up until melted. In the meantime time place your bread in the toaster to begin roasting. Pour egg mixture into frying pan, swirl mixture so it covers whole base of pan. Cook until top starts to cook, flip over and cook other side. When both sides are brown. Place into plate with vegetables and serve with toasted bread.

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Throw Back thursday – Taking a look at some crochet blankets I have made through the years.

As the dreaded cold months approach we all reach for our trusty blankets to keep us warm and safe during this time. Nothing says cosy more than a handmade blanket. My favourite to crochet are the granny square blankets. There is a infinite number of stitches, colours and combinations you can make. The best thing about granny squares is that you can make them a few at a time and sew them together whenever you want to.

In the last few years I have learnt new techniques and stitches. Next to granny squares I love the chevron stitch, where each row is a series of v’s this too can be made in any combination of stitches and colours. Be in plain or texture stitches, the design ideas are endless. Which brings me to my other favourite to crochet, blankets with texture stitches. I love how the texture stitches lend to the coziness and snugness of the blanket. They give it depth and character and are great for when you just want one colour in the blanket.

Below are some expample of recent blankets I have made through the years. You can see the full range in my Instragram account Vickys Handcrafted Designs.

I am currently working on a version of the “Peoples” blanket which is featured above, with bunny rabbits for the border and texture stitches for the body. Take a look at the photos below.

I love how the different stitches all work together to make one blanket. I will be finishing this soon and will put photos up.

Thank you for reading my posts. I hope you enjoyed this venture into my world of blankets.

#crochet #crochetblankets #grannysquare #grannysquareblanket

Vicky

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Is Pizza Tuesday a thing?

Cooking dinner during the week can be a challenge. How do you feed your family a healthy meal in the short amount of time you have available to cook during the week?

I find the ready to cook range from Woolworths a godsend. They have a really great tasting cauliflower pizza base ready to be baked, all you need to do is add your favourite toppings! The cauliflower base is low gi/low carb which is a great start if you are watching your sugar levels or weight. It has a great taste which will even be a winner with the younger children and best of all you can buy a few and freeze them so you have them ready at any time. Below is a quick recipe which I like to use when making pizza’s using the cauliflower base.

Vegetarian Supreme Pizza

Ingredients – Pizza Sauce

1 x 750ml bottle Italian passata

1 x 400g diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

If you wish add 1/2 diced onion and 1 glove of garlic if wanted

Method

  1. Place oil in the bottom of a heavy based pan, add oregano and if you wish onion and garlic. Lightly fry for a few seconds to allow oil to coat oregano or onion or garlic.
  2. Add passatta and diced tomato. Stir and allow to boil
  3. Once boiled reduce to simmer and simmer for half hour. If sauce thickens up too much add some water to thin out. Once cooked thoroughly (oil should come up to the surface) set aside

Pizza topping ingredients

1/2 cup fresh chopped tomatoes

1/2 large capsicum diced

1/4 cup sliced black olives

2 sliced plant based cheese or 1/2 cup grated plant based cheese

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Method

  1. Place thawed pizza base in oven 180 degrees Celsius and bake for 5-10 mintues.
  2. Remove from oven and top with pizza sauce, cheese, tomatoes, capsicum, olives and oregano
  3. Return to oven and bake at 180 degrees Celsius until cheese is melted and toppings are cooked.
  4. Serve with garlic gluten free bread.

Hope this recipe takes some of the stress out of preparing a weekly meal. I will put up a few more recipes soon to help you navigate weekday meals.

Thank you for reading my posts.

Vicky

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Brrr, it’s getting cold outside!….Warm fluffy blankets are what I am thinking about!

Can’t believe it’s nearly winter. For those who know me, it’s not my favourite season that’s for sure! The only thing I like about winter is the food and fashion and decor. It gives me a reason to take out my warm fluffy blankets, eat delicious soups and casseroles and adorn myself in scarves and fluffy sweaters.

I have been working on a gorgeous baby blanket using the front and back stitches in alternative rows. This gives the blanket a beautiful soft texture as well as making the blanket more flexible. This blanket once done will be 1 metre by approximately 1 metre or 40 inches by 40 inches for those that aren’t familiar with the metric system. This is perfect for a crib or toddler bed. Its extra wide on the side of the blanket so you can drape it over and tuck it in.

Can’t wait to show you the finished blanket. That will be in a few weeks. I am using 4 seasons Marvel 8ply for the main body of the blanket. I recently ordered some more from my local Spotlight store. I love how soft and flexible this yarn is! You can use it not only for blankets but also hats, scarves and many more items. It comes in many colours too! Spotlight has an awesome online store too!

Here are a few progress photos along the way. This blanket is also inspired from a pattern from the talented designer Catherine Crochets. You can find her patterns on Instagram.

This blanket also represents my first venture in design. I am thinking of writing up the pattern but I will see once I finish the whole blanket.

Thank you as always for reading my posts. I hope you have a wonderful week.

Vicky

ps. any links that I put are my own opinions and I am not affiliated nor do I receive any income from these links.

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It’s been a while……why I haven’t posted in my blog lately.

I actually can’t remember when I wrote my last post! It’s been one heck of a year so far. So many sad and distressing things are happening around the world it dashes your hope in humanity, add to the the bustle of everyday life and things get ahead of you.

I have a ton of recipes I want to share with you. Perfect for the start of the school holidays. I have started a new crochet project. Something exciting. I have a sneak preview below. I will document it as I go along.

I want to thank you all for reading and liking my posts. It’s been a tremendous inspiration for me, especially on my most difficult days. Hopefully it won’t be too long between posts from now on!

New baby blanket project

I have designed a blanket for a customer inspired by the Peoples blanket designed by Catherine Crochets. It’s something I haven’t done before but am excited to learn how to do. Can’t wait to show you the finished blanket.

Thank you so much again everyone. Have a wonderful day!

Vicky

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Throw Back Thursday……..Back to where it all began

Next month will be 10 years since I started my crochet business! Where has the time gone? One minute I was thinking what can I do to earn an income from home and here I am 10 years later doing just that! A lot has changed in that time, but my love of crochet certainly has not!

My love of crochet first began years before when my mum tried to teach me how to crochet. As a teenager I did not grasp the concept and quickly gave it away. When I was looking for a business to do from home, I remembered my mum trying to teach me and I thought well maybe I should give it another go. Our local news agency has an “Art of Crochet” series so I thought why not! Here is my chance.

I was slow to start but as I bought each issue, I was learning more and more and growing more confidant in my abilities. I wasn’t able to to finish the first series blanket as I couldn’t get all of the issues. When series 2 came out I was super excited as this time I thought well I can do it, I can get all of the issues and finish the blanket this time. Well that wasn’t the case, but lucky for me my sister had the series and lent me the missing issues and I was finally able to finish the blanket! So here it is the finished blanket. Not sure if I have shown you guys before as its been awhile since I have been able to blog.

This blanket now proudly sits in my lounge room as a constant reminder of what I can achieve and how far I have come in the last 10 years! I have so many new projects to talk to you guys about this year. Despite the dreariness of Covid, I am determined to make this year my best year yet!

Thank you to all who have joined me on this journey and have supported me throughout this time. I really appreciate each and everyone of you.

Take care and thank you as always for reading my blog. I am hoping to hop on tomorrow and show you my lasted work.

Vicky

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Sunday Brunch Sorted! A quick & healthy recipe to make for Sunday brunch

Ok so we all know Sunday’s should be for relaxing, reading, sleeping in but at some point you are going to have to eat! I love this delicious open burger recipe I make for my family. It’s quick and easy to make and full of nutrients. Perfect for those who are eating Keto style foods or gluten free and lactose free.

Mushroom open burger

Serves 4 cooking & planning time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

500 g beef mince

Salt to taste

2 large or 4 medium sweet potatoes

4 teaspoons Chives

4 tablespoons Lactose free cream cheese

4 very large mushrooms (for burger base)

4 slices lactose free cheese

1 tablespoon plant based or lactose free butter or margarine

Method

1) place mince in a large glass bowl and add salt, mix salt in and split mince into 4 equal size piece and form into balls. Place in fridge until needed.

2) Fill a medium size pan halfway with water, add salt to taste and peel and cut sweet potatoes into chunks, place in pan and set to boil. Once boiled, remove and drain and set aside until ready to use.

3) While sweet potatoes are boiling, heat up a grill or grill pan. If using grill pan add butter/margerine, once melted add one ball of mince at a time and squash down with a metal spatula to form burger. Set on medium and cook 2-3 minutes then flip and cook other side for the same amount. if pan is big enough add mushrooms and fry a couple minutes each side or do one a separate pan.

4) when you flip burgers over add a tablespoon of cream cheese on top, sprinkle chives and add cheese on each burger.

5) Mash sweet potatoes and once mushrooms are cooked place in a plate and add burger sprinkle at chives if you like.

Serve with French fries or healthy salad.

This burger is not only delicious and healthy but very filling. All the flavours blend beautifully and is perfect for not only brunch but lunch, dinner and breakfast!

Thank you as always for read my post! Hope you enjoyed this recipe.

Vicky

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Work in progress Wednesday…….The Art of Crochet Blanket

https://www.instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

Well I did it! I finished all the squares in the Art of Crochet blanket and have sewn them together. I am still deciding on a border so I am hoping to get that sorted by the weekend.

Thank you for joining me on this wonderful journey of this gorgeous blanket. I still have a few more squares to show you so I will be keeping this series going for a while longer.

After this I am hoping to recommence the 365 days of granny squares challenge i started back in oh 2016 I think! So I hope you can join me in that one soon!

Thank you so much for reading my blog posts and talk to you all soon! I have some exciting recipes to share with you at the end of the week.

Vicky

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Monday motivation – but first coffee!

Well here we are the beginning of the working week for most and for some the start of the new working year.

Usually it’s when we make a whole bunch of promises to ourselves to be more productive, to eat better and to exercise more. All goes good the first week and then slowly, slowly we fall back into the same pattern.

How do you keep the momentum going when it all seems all to much? First of all you need an end goal, a finish line in the distance. You need to visualise what you want the end result to be, without this you won’t be able to work out the path to get there.

Once you do this, work out how you are going to achieve your goal and keep motivated. What works for you. One thing that works for me is to do weekly checks to see if I am on track. Don’t worry if you have fallen off the path it will happen, get right back to it otherwise you will let it go.

One obstacle I often face is the worry of not getting enough support or feeling like I am in this alone. This is enough for me to let everything go. What I am learnt is that I can be my own support. My own cheerleader. You don’t need anyones encouragement or approval to keep going. You just have to have faith in yourself. Prove it to yourself you can do this!

Make sure to reward yourself when you reach your goal or goals along the way. Be kind to yourself and allowing yourself to celebrate a victory no matter how big or small it is will give you the encouragement to keep going.

Make Monday your best day. The start of something good and exciting. And if all else fails there is always coffee. Coffee solves everything.

Thank you for reading as always. Have a wonderful week ahead.

Vicky

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Want a quick, healthy & delicious brunch/lunch recipe keep reading!

Fresh sushi platter

This year I am making a big effort to lose 10 kg that I have been hanging onto for the last 17 years! It’s been an on/off dilemma that I feel no matter what I do I can never win.

I started last year with a calorie counter app which helped me keep control of what I have been eating and then of course the holidays kicked in and out went my diet! So here I am again new year and hopefully new me!

Here is a recipe I put together that’s fresh and easy to make and very delicious and filling!

Salmon Sushi Platter

Ingredients

100g salmon

1 small avocado

3 mini cucumbers or 1 medium one

1 tablespoon chopped chives

2 tablespoons fat free mayonnaise

1/2 cup cooked basmati rice

1 tablespoons white vinegar

Salt to taste

Method

1) Wash and cut cucumbers into strips

2) Peel and slice avocado into thin strips

3) In a small bowl place rice and pour vinegar on top, mix thoroughly.

4) in a large plate place rice in the middle of the plate and place the vegetables and salmon around the rice. Place mayonnaise on the plate.

5) Sprinkle chopped chives on top and salt to taste and serve.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe.

Vicky

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Throw back Thursday….. Looking back at some of the Art of Crochet squares I have made!

I have finally finished all the Art of Crochet squares and am now frantically sewing them together.

The Art of Crochet Throw https://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

This blanket is a departure from my usual muted earthy tones. To be honest bright colours scare me! This blanket though changed all of that! I love all of these colours and how they all interact and mingle together.

This is series 2 of the art of crochet series! I hope they do a series 3!

Vicky

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2022 hear I am! It’s been a challenging few years for everyone – How to stay Positive

Well here we are the start of a new year and many a new resolution. Already the year has started with disparaging news as Covid runs rapid.

This year is a significant year for me. I will be 50. I have spent the last 49 years in a somewhat negative and only slightly positive mindset. Turning 50 has made me realise that life waits for no one and that we are the master of our own destiny. So I will be adopting a glass half full attitude from now on.

Unfortunately in life we will encounter many sad and devastating situations. Things that will definitely break us. It’s important to keep going and remain strong. By doing this you will find that you will achieve so much more and conquer many of life’s tribulations.

These holidays I have been busy working on my Art of Crochet throw. Crocheting helps me keep focused and given me confidence to handle any situation. I have now finished all the squares and am joining them together. Can’t wait to show you all the finished throw.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYPcjNcheUU/?utm_medium=copy_link

Thank you as always for reading my posts. It means the world to me. I wish you all a wonderful year ahead and sending out hugs and prayers to all those who are going through hard times.

2022 I am keeping positive.

Vicky

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Starting my New Years Resolution Early! Healthy Eating! What’s Yours?

Ok well we are at the tail end of the year. The time of year we are going to make a bunch of promises to ourselves which we will most likely never keep!

Mine again is too loose weight and be healthy! And this year I have extra motivation. My 50th birthday! So wish me luck. I will definitely need it. Here is a quick recipe for a delicious and nutritious breakfast to get you started.

Berry and date yoghurt bowl

Ingredients

1/2 cup raspberries

1/2 cup blueberries

3-4 dates

1 teaspoon mixed chai seeds

4-5 tablespoons natural Greek yoghurt (I used lactose free yoghurt)

2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

Method

1) Wash berries and place in bowl add yoghurt, sprinkle chai seeds and dates on top. Drizzle with maple syrup and you are good to go!

That’s it. Simple Fresh and Tasty!

I have stocked my fridge full of berries, yoghurt, avocado and salmon! As I come up with more recipes I will put them up for you!

Thank you to everyone who has read my blog and subscribed. I really appreciate your support. If you haven’t subscribed already please do to get all the updates on my latest posts.

Wishing you all a happy and safe New Year!

Vicky

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Meet Henry the Alpaca

I have been learning the Japanese art of Amigurumi. It’s crocheting objects with yarn. It’s a beautiful and interesting art with so many variations man’s ideas on things to make.

Checkout my pin below on my latest project. A cute Alpaca. Amigurumi is not an easy art to learn it takes a lot of practice and patience but I think I am making progress!

pin.it/2JBec7d

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Throw back Thursday……back to the beginning

I can’t believe in March next year it will be 10 years since I started crocheting. It seems like yesterday!

My mum attempted to teach me when I was a teenager but for me it was way beyond my comprehension. Fast forward 20 years later and I was looking for something I can do from hone to earn an income. I remembered my mum trying to teach me crochet and I thought why not give it another go!

I found the Art of Crochet series at a local news agency and I thought why not! I will give it another go! And to my surprise I actually was learning and making granny squares! Fast forward to today and hundreds of granny squares later I am so glad I gave this beautiful craft another go.

In this world full of hustle and bustle. Rushing around and never having time to even think. Crochet helps me relax and settles my mind. I forget whatever is happening and lose myself in the world of colour and yarn. I have learnt so much and made some amazing friends along the way! Looking forward to what the next 10 years will bring! Thank you for joining me on this journey and I look forward to many more years!

https://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

Thank you for reading my post and I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead!

Vicky

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Work in Progress Wednesday…take a look at the latest squares I have crocheted for the Art of Crochet Throw!

The Art of Crochet series is one of my favourite subscription series. That’s how I learnt to crochet. Each week a new pattern would arrive for me to make. Along with the pattern I also received the corresponding colours needed to make the square.

The series I am making at the moment is series 2. it’s very different to series 1 which featured plum, mustard, teal and ruby coloured squares. Series 2 is far more adventurous in colour and variety of squares.

Below are some progress photos of the current squares I have made in this project.

The Art of Crochet Squares

Thank you as always for read my posts. Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Vicky

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It’s Tuesday so I guess that means Tacos

Who doesn’t have tacos on a Tuesday, well us sometimes, but the last few Tuesdays we have definitely made up for it!

I have been watching a show on Netflix completely dedicated to tacos its called Taco Chronicles. Its an amazing journey into the world of tacos. I had no idea on the variety of flavours involved with this little guys! From authentic Mexican food to American style Mexican food, your eyes will feast on a vast array of flavours and colours and definitely will be enticing you into making everyday taco Tuesday!

A while back I found a recipe on the internet for slow cooked pulled beef tacos. Up until then I had always used minced beef, slow cooking slabs of meat and shredding them for tacos and sandwiches is totally on another level. I am new to slow cooking and definitely a novice, though I am learning how to blend flavours and adjust cooking times to get the just right tenderness. Now that I am learning I don’t think I will go back to just quickly frying up some mince and there you go!

I have been buying brisket meat for a while now and slow cooking it. I don’t know all that much about meat and I mainly prefer chicken, brisket is definitely a meat that is better slow cooked and depending on how long you cook it , it can be made into a corned beef style meat, either flaked or cut into slices or cook for longer and you get the delicious pulled beef everyone seems to be craving these days! Its also inexpensive and the slabs of meat can be cut into smaller portions and frozen until you need to cook them. Perfect for the whole family.

Well enough of me raving on. Below is a recipe I have adapted to suit our tastes. Its perfect for tacos, burritos, hero sandwiches, salads, anywhere you would normally use pulled beef.

Ingredients

1kg Wagyu beef brisket

2 tablespoons BBQ meat rub

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons brown sugar

salt to taste

2 cups water

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon smoked BBQ sauce

1 punnet grape or cherry tomatoes

1 large green capsicum )bell pepper cut into large chunks

Method

  1. Place brisket on clean surface and gently pat with paper towel or clean cloth to dry any liquid from the packaging.
  2. In a bowl combine BBQ meat rub, smoked paprika, cumin, brown sugar and salt, take handfuls of the mixture and rub onto the top of the brisket slab. Set aside in the fridge for approx 20 minutes to half hour. ( mixture should look absorbed into the meat)
  3. In the meantime in a large slow cooker combine water, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, BBQ sauce and ketchup. Mix together until combined. Add chopped tomatoes and capsicum and mix again.
  4. Gently place beef into slow cooker and add more water if necessary to ensure the liquid covers the whole brisket. Set on low and cook for 8 hours.
  5. Once cooked gently remove from slow cooker and either slice of pull beef, use immediately or place in bags to store in refrigerator or freezer for later use.

And basically that’s it! Its a simple recipe that you can put together the night before and slow cook ready for the next day or on a weekend too. I haven’t used any garlic or onion as these ingredients don’t do well for us health wise, but if you like them you can add them in if you want.

Well as always thank you for reading my post. Sorry its been a while since I have put up any recipes, its been a hectic few months. Hopefully once things slow down I can add more. Have a wonderful day everyone!

Vicky

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The Countdown is on!!!! And so are the Sales!!!

Can you believe its already November! The second last month of the year! Christmas is only 8 weeks away! 8! How did that happen? I swear it was only January the other day!

We always say time goes so fast but the truth of the matter is time is always the same, its our lives that chop and change that we don’t notice how it goes. Especially since the last two years have been a blur, chaotic and often traumatising. We are yearning for a slower pace, and a more relaxing lifestyle and less commotion!

One thing that gives me peace is my crochet work. At night I will put on my favourite Netflix show and “watch it” between stitches. At the moment I am watching the Dynasty remake. Have you seen it? If you haven’t you really should, its amazing and full of drama of course, so many twists and turns. It also stars two of our Australian actors – Alan Dale from Neighbours who plays Joseph Anders and Madison Brown who plays Kirby Anders. How exciting is that! Two of our best Aussie imports acting along side Grant Show, yes that’s the one and only Melrose Place Grant Show and Vanessa Williams. I am nearly finished watching season 4 and am already hoping they are doing a season 5. No wonder I don’t notice time going by!

https://vickyshandcrafteddesigns.blog/checkout/shop/

Art and craft has not only given me peace and but also a sense of achievement. I love it when I finish a project and often I will photograph it in its stages to see the progress. My work takes me on many adventures and through the years I have met so many interesting people and been involved in many amazing events. Recently one of my Newborn baby gift packs was selected for a charity event at a local school. I am beyond proud that money raised from raffle tickets will go to benefit the kids at the school and someone gets to enjoy a handmade product, something that is unique. Its something that truly means the world to me.

SHOP HANDMADE
https://vickyshandcrafteddesigns.blog/checkout/shop/

So if you are not sure what to buy for Christmas or you or someone in your family has a new baby, take a look in my online shop https://www.vickyshandcrafteddesigns.blog for gift ideas. I have limited packs available and starting today they will all be going on sale! I love buying handmade, I hope you do too!

Thank you again for reading my post and I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead. Take it easy and doing something you enjoy doing.

Vicky

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What a week it has been!!!!

Do you ever get the feeling you should have stayed in bed! Well parts of this week have certainly felt like that! Sometimes you feel like you are working for nothing putting in endless hours and not getting any results. You just want to give up. Its at that moment I do precisely the opposite. I keep going. Its on those days that I have had the absolute worst day, or encountered the absolute worst people that even though the universe says give it up, I am sending you this situation and these people to tell you stop right there! that I pull my socks up even higher and plough through.

I have come to far to stop, I have invested too much to let it all go. Ten years! Yes that right well almost 9 years and 7 months to be precise, 10 years in March next year, to just give into the universe and its annoying whispers. Look I could fall flat on my face but I am going down fighting!

Vickys Handcrafted Designs was born out of the desire to do something for my family, to contribute to our income and to teach my kids about the value of hard work and the magic of handmade products. Handmade items have been in our family for generations. I have said this before and I will say it again. There is nothing more precious than holding something your grandmother or great grandmother or someone has made with their own two hands. They have spent hours, mostly likely at night, to create something beautiful for someone to treasure.

So here I am at the end of an exhausting week saying I am going to keep going, moving right along. I have way to much in my head that I want to create to just let it all go. So if you have a chance take a look in my online shop and see all the hours of hard work packaged beautifully for you. Not only my work but also that of other creators and artisans that I wanted to share with you.

Thank you as always for reading my posts. I really appreciate it and the time you take. Thank you for all the likes and comments. Its means the world to me.

Take care and until next time I wish you all a fabulous weekend.

Vicky

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I have been a little quiet….But working hard behind the scenes

When I first started this blog I was able to post everyday, then it became every other day and then maybe once or twice a week. The thing is I really do love writing in my blog and connecting with other bloggers on WordPress, each one has their own individual take and a wealth of knowledge to learn and read about.

The latest products in my gift box range.

Life though sometimes has other ideas and even though the topics to blog about whirl around in my head, the time to put them on paper so to speak is limited.

I have been slowly developing my gift pack range and also looking to expand into other areas of handmade products. Last night I finished a beautiful hexagon shaped handbag made of bamboo and cotton thread, I can’t wait to show you all tomorrow when I put the post up on Instagram. I have always loved handbags and when I first started crocheting that is one of the first things I made and also the very first thing I ever sold on Etsy.

There is so much more coming up in my range, I will do my best to detail it as I make progress. I will be starting my Christmas range in the next week so I hope to debut some items by the end of next week. So all in all I have hit the ground running and this blogging thing is getting further behind me!!! Not to mention the hundreds of food pictures I have with recipes waiting to be written! Aghhhh! I will get there eventually. Isn’t it the tortoise that won the race after all!

As always, thank you for ready my posts and if you have gotten this far, say Hi in the comments. If you wish to keep updated with any latest developments on my products or posts you can subscribe to my blog. Thank you to those of you who follow me so far. 193! I am blessed, I hope to bring you more interesting content.

In the meantime I wish you all a wonderful and until next time……Ciao!

Vicky

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Pretty in Pink – Newborn Gift Box

I am excited to announce I have a new gift box available soon in my online shop.

Pretty in Pink is a selection of handcrafted items made by myself and local designers and artisans. A baby being born is a very special occasion and what better way to celebrate than with a gift that’s beautifully crafted by talented artists.

Pretty in Pink Gift box

Take a look at my Instagram page for details http://www.instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

Thank you for reading my posts. I will update you all soon when I list them gift box.

Vicky

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The benefits of buying handmade/handcrafted products

In this day and age is it really worth buying something handmade, I mean with so many factories pumping out so many products at ridiculously low prices, why would you spend the money to buy something someone made?

Handmade gift box

Well I will tell you why, because unlike its factory made cousin, a handmade product is carefully crafted, the materials lovingly selected and crafted into a work of pure art. Its artisan has spent hours working on the product, making sure it just perfect for you to buy. You see with each handmade product you buy, you are not only buying a product you are also receiving a beautiful gift of someone’s time and devotion. Of the late nights and early mornings, the weekends spent making your product.

A handmade product has something a factory made product could never have, a personality, part of the artisans personality is lovingly crafted into each product. Tailored just right so that not only you but generations to come can enjoy the beauty of the artisans creations.

Newborn gift box

I have a number of handmade items that were handed down to me from my mother, in turn they were my grandmother’s (her mother). Beautiful pillow cases lovingly embroidered with my grandmothers initials, a baby blanket crocheted by my mum, play suits and clothing beautifully made by my mother in law. Each piece is carefully washed and stored and ready to be handed down to my daughter when she has her children. Though she has never met my grandmother she will always have part of her legacy in the beautiful embroidered pillow cases.

So I decided to carry on this handmade tradition, making heirloom pieces that can be handed down from mother to daughter, father to son. A history of craftsmanship, passion and love beautifully integrated into a handmade product.

So next time you huff at what you think is a ridiculously priced handmade item as opposed to its factory made counter part. Think of the time, the love, the passion, the artistry, the commitment, the dedication of the person who took the time to make this for you to buy. They have no guarantee their products will sell but something inside them compels them to keep making these beautiful keepsakes for someone to treasure.

I have joined forces with other amazing designers, writers and artists to bring you a carefully curated gift box of beautiful handmade products for you or a loved one to treasure.

My New born Nursey and Reading Decor pack is available now. Only this one of this particular type in stock, so whoever buys this will have something unique and special. I try to make every box that little bit different so that you have something as individual as you to take home or give as a beautiful gift.

Newborn gift box.

Thank you so much for reading my posts. I hope it has conjured up feelings of nostalgia and memories of times gone by. Thank you for supporting my blog and online shop. For a creative like me its something I very much appreciate.

Vicky

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My new best friend…..

Move over George Foreman grill I have found a new best friend! The Russell Hobbs Multifunction benchtop oven!

Russell Hobbs Oven

This oven is amazing! It bakes, it grills, it air fry’s and toasts bread!

It has an easy to clean pull out tray they catches all the crumbs comes with 3 trays plus the crumb tray.

It’s not a bulky unit so would fit most benchtops. To clean just wipe with a clean damp cloth and wash removal trays in warm soapy water. Make sure to dry thoroughly before putting back in the oven. I bought mine from Big W.

Overall I give it a 10/10 for efficiency, reliability and time saving. Best of all the oven heats up quickly so no waiting time!

Thank you for reading my blog post! Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Vicky

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Remembering a true Lady…. Princess Diana

Queen of hearts

Growing up I was in awe of Princess Diana. Her beauty and elegance was matched by none. She was kind, she was compassionate and she had a great sense of humour and dress style. I think every little girl wanted to be a princess just like Diana.

Sadly her life was cut short in a horrible car accident. Today on the 24th anniversary of her death she is still remembered and loved as always.

She inspires me always and I hope to be a great a mum as she was. I hope I will be as kind and compassionate as she was. And of course stylish!

We miss you every day Princess Diana Queen of Hearts.

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Pattern testing……take a look on what’s on my hook!

Bijou Blanket
Designed by Kylie from @StitchedUpCraft
Yarn: Marvel 8 plyColour: MintFrom: SpotlightHook: 4.5mm
#bijoublanket #patterntester #patterntesting #hexagon #crochetblanket #mintgreen #mint #instacrochet #spotlightstores #marvelyarn #stitchedupcraft #vickyshandcrafteddesigns

Bijou Blanket https://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

This pattern is a joy to crochet! It’s a brilliant combination of texture and plain stitches to form a diamond shape when the hexagons are joined!

Kylie as always allows for the crocheter to be creative in their colour choices. I choose a beautiful mint green Marvel 8ply from Spotlighthttps://spotlight.com.au

They have an amazing online store with everything a crafter could possibly need!

I have also been testing candles for Em and Me candle shop. They are an up and coming mother daughter duo who have developed a unique range of candle fragrances. I am currently testing a lemongrass and ginger candle and it is divine! The fragrance is clean and fresh and reminds me of a beautiful spring day!

Their candles will be available on their website soon. You can also contact them via Facebook and Instagram.

https://instagram.com/emandmecandleshop?utm_medium=copy_link

Make sure to subscribe to their newsletter to for all their latest updates!

And speaking of subscribing! Subscribe below to my blog to receive all the latest updates on my blog posts too!

Well hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you so much for reading my post.

Vicky

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Newborn baby gift set. Available on sale now.

Are you or someone you know having a baby this year or have recently had one? Finding that perfect gift can be difficult.

I have gift packs available or sale that can help solve that dilemma.

All handmade and lovingly packed and wrapped with a beautiful ribbon. This gift will be given with pride.

Buy from my My Etsy Shop Etsy shop or buy directly from Facebook market place. Link below ⬇️

www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/561235018351609/

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Tech Tuesday – Struggling to lose weight? Here’s what helped me…….

My net diary

Up until I was in my mid 30’s I was pretty lucky regarding maintaining my goal weight. Add in three children and menopause at an early age and well my body went haywire and the weight just stacked on.

I tried countless diets over the years, Earth Diet, Keto diet, this diet that diet. I would lose some weight and then stack it back on plus more!

That is until I found My Net Diary. Its available in the Apple App store or Google Play. Its been a lifesaver and has held me accountable for over 3 years. Yes its a calorie counting app but unlike other apps you can set the pace you need to go at in order to lose the weight you want. You can set up a target date and target weight and My Net Diary will give you suggestions on meal plans, exercise and keep track of what you eat and how much protein, carbs etc are in each meal.

Keeping track of these features has helped me refine my eating habits and because I have to answer to My Net Diary every meal time I can see first hand if I have over done food wise for that meal.

You can keep track not only of your calories but also your insulin, blood pressure and various other medical issues you may have. This works well for those on insulin resistance diets as it helps you keep track of the amount of sugar you eat.

You can keep track of your body measurement, BMI and weight. It has links to meal plans and recipes in convenient categories to make it easy for you to meal plan.

You can add your friends to the app for support and help each other through the weight loss process as well as have access to a coach to help you through it. It also has a free and paid version so you can try before you buy!

Over everything I have tried this has helped me the most. I have 3 years worth of records and I can see the times I am most susceptible to putting on weight such as the holidays by looking at past charts.

Give the App a try and let me know how you go. I absolutley love it!

Thank you so much for reading and also check out my recipe page for healthy recipes that have helped me keep my weight down too.

Take a look at the App features below.

Vicky

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Monday motivation

I have released a new gift pack! I am so excited as I am enjoying working on these packs. All are handmade items made by me. Here is a preview of the next pack.

Crochet blanket gift pack

This pack will be available in my Etsy shop soon!

Made from acrylic soft baby yarn, the blanket measures 60 cm. Fits perfectly for a pram or bassinet or crib.

Made in a modern granny square design. The pack is $80 plus postage.

Can’t wait to show you more of the range of new crochet products!

Vicky

http://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

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Finally Finished!

It’s finally finished my #spinyourgrannysquareblanket

Check out the photos below!


http://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

Spin Your Granny Square Blanket Crochet AlongPattern designed by: Kylie from @stitchedupcraft
Yarn: knitting room 8 ply acrylic Colours: Fuscia, Vanilla and Dusty pinkHook size: 4.5mm
#spinyourgrannysquareblanket #spinyourgrannysquare #crochetblanket #grannysquareblanket #grannysquare #grannysquares #grannysquareday2021 #instacrochet #crochet #crochetlove #stitchedupcraft #vickyshandcrafteddesigns

http://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

This blanket will be part of a gift set. Stay tuned for details.

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Work in Progress – Wednesday

Are you looking for affordable handmade gift? …. I have some great ideas for you!

http://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

I truly love handmade goods. I still have many handmade items given to me by my mother and mother in law. I have saved them to pass them on to my daughter.

I wanted to pass on the beautiful tradition of gifting handmade goods onto everyone.

My favourite handmade items are crocheted. I will be debuting my new range of blankets, toys and spa accessories.

I have listed some items in my Etsy shop already.

https://etsy.me/3iUQ3DC

Later in the week I will have another set for listing.

Visit my Instagram page for more details on the items available. https://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

Here are some photos of completed and my work in progress designs

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Technical Tuesday – WordPress Advantages

Every Tuesday I like to provide my readers updates of the latest technology or apps I use to help me in my personal and business life.

One obvious one is the one I use to write my posts, WordPress! I was introduced to WordPress by a friend and absolutely loved it from the beginning. I started with the free version and as my blog gained traction I upgraded to the paid version and haven’t looked back!

I have tried a few different platforms over the years and website builders, but I keep coming back to Worpress.

I love WordPress for its simplicity and flexibility. The dashboard page is conveniently set out in a menu format so you can easily access the part of WordPress you would like. You can add commerce sites, blogs, advertising, format mailing lists and have your followers subscribe to your blog so they don’t miss out on updates. Photographs and videos are easily uploaded and you can add hashtags and captions to help your content be found on the internet.

Some of the add on and plugs in available are :

Canva – for all your graphic design needs.

Social media connection to all your social media sites

SMS marketing campaigns

Bookkeeping programs such as Quickbooks

CRM and sales tracking programs

E-commerce websites to sell your physical products

Advertising and marketing tools

You can also import content from other sites such as Blogger, Wix and Squarespace. The list and variety available through WordPress is amazing and impressive. You can customise your site using premade templates or start from scratch to add your personal touch. You can add projects to keep track of what you are working on and update your subscribers on your progress.

Overall WordPress is great for the beginner to the experienced blogger. You can also connect with other bloggers through the Reader section and comment on their blogs. Readers can like and comment on your content too. WordPress has a really good statistics sections which keeps track of who visits your site, from where and when. Its a great tool for formulating marketing content.

I definitely will be keeping with WordPress for a long time to come and I still have many features to explore.

What are your favourite blogging sites. Let me know below.

Thank you as always for reading my blog posts.

Vicky

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Work in progress Wednesday 11 August 2021

Is it just me or is this year flying by!

With Covid raging around the world it’s an anxious and stressful time for everyone. I hope you are able to keep safe wherever you are.

The one thing that keeps me sane during lockdown times is crochet. I get so lost in selecting yarns and patterns and counting stitches my mind doesn’t get a chance to wander and think of all the sadness in the world right now.

At the moment I am working on some blankets and baby accessories. I will have some items ready soon for a gift pack. I just got the boxes in today. I will show the preview on Friday.

Baby booties available soon in my Etsy shop

Above are a cute pair of baby booties. I still have to finish them but I love the colour and simplicity of the design.

Continuous granny square

August 15 is granny square day. I love to crochet continuous granny square blankets. They remind me of days of old. A beautiful traditional design that will last for decades to come. I am nearly finished the blanket. I am not sure of the name of this Caron cake but I love the blue and mint and white combination!

Stacks of blankets

These are some blankets I crocheted. Some from patterns and some my own ideas. They are in various stages from completed to just needing a boarder to needing just a few squares to complete.

I love the variety of colours and the warmth they radiate!

What are some of your favourite go to projects to unwind! Comment below!

Thank you so much for reading my blog. Take care and stay safe.

Vicky.

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Lockdown entertainment – Fun Games to Play….

Well here we are another week in lockdown. At this stage who knows when we can get back to normal. The added stress that lockdown causes can surely make life more difficult.

Sometimes I like to just zone out. Completely forget and unwind. My favourite games to play are card games. They keep your mind busy and can entertain you for hours!

On top of my list are Solitaire and Mahjong. Oldies but goodies. They are easy to play and now with online gaming Apps there is a vast array of variations of the games to keep you entertained.

One of the games I am loving at the moment is Mahjong by – The Solitaire Mahjong and Soduko company. Its an easy layout with different formations of the tiles for you to play. The App keeps scores and times so you can always look to beat your personal best. Its basic in colours and design but easy to use and the variety is fantastic. It does come with ads but if you get the premium version it will be ad free.

The second game app I am loving at the moment is Solitaire by – Microsoft Solitaire Collection. This App has all the classic card games including Klondike, Spider Solitaire, FreeCell (my personal favourite), Pyramid and TriPeaks.

It has different levels you can play from Easy to Difficult along with a random level which will deal cards at all different levels. There are daily challenges and bonus points as well. You can receive awards, change the theme and keep track of your statistics. It also has links to other Microsoft games such as Sudoko, Mahjong and Wordament.

They are easy to download from the Apple App store or Google Play. You can also sign in and link all your devices to the one game so you never miss out on your favourite game. Overall its great entertainment and definitely something you can get lost in for hours. A great distraction at a time like this.

Thank you as always for reading my blog. I hope you are all keeping safe.

Vicky

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Monday motivation…..

How many of you like to do craft projects? And how many of you have a tonne of projects on the go!

My craft centre

Me! Me! I guess it’s a crafter’s curse. No sooner do you start one project that your eyes and mind start to wander to the next and then the next!

So this weekend I made it my mission to put all my craft projects in one place! That way I can see them, they can see me, well not really but you know what I mean! They are there staring at me saying finish what you started!

So that’s the plan, the reality well we will have to wait and see!

In the meantime how cute is this dresser cupboard from http://www.kmart.com.au I often shop there as their range is fantastic and great prices that don’t blow your budget out! I also bought the baskets, faux books and large bowl from there too!

Now I have a heap of storage and I saved money too! The faux books are fantastic! They look amazing and you can hide all sorts of things inside! Ironically mine contain craft magazines and books.

The dresser is easy to put together and light as well so if you like moving your furniture around like I do, it won’t break your back!

The baskets and faux books are easy to look after! Just give them a wipe with a damp cloth or antibacterial wipe.

Overall I love the Kmart range of storage products and have bought many items for my home.

I might do a tour of my kitchen! It’s full of Kmart style items!

Well thank you for reading my post! Hopefully when I write next I will actually have a project finished!

Vicky

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Mid week blues….A quick and easy dinner recipe to combat those mid week blues

Lamb with potatoes and sour cream

Well you know how it is. It’s Wednesday, that day of the week where you are further away from Monday but still not close enough to Friday! Mid week meals can sometimes be difficult to plan as you know you will have to keep the momentum going for the rest of the week.

Well with a few simple ingredients you can whip up a delicious meal in no time. And bonus is you can make it completely lactose and gluten free!

Lamb with Roast Vegetables & Sour Cream

Prep time: 15-20 minutes (plus marinating lamb overnight, the night before.)

Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

8 lamb chops

1 tablespoon lactose free butter

Marinade Ingredients

1/4 olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried parsely

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for roast vegetables

1 kilo potatoes

1/2 butternut pumpkin

2 large zucchinis

1 tablespoon vegetable stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary

Garnishing Ingredients

1 tub lactose free sour cream

1 tablespoon dried chives

Roti bread to serve

Instructions

  1. In a large glass bowl add ingredients for the marinade and whisk to combine. Add lamb chops and leave to marinate overnight if possible. If not half and hour will do.
  2. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, in a glass bowl place oil, vegetable stock, and rosemary, mix together. Place whole potatoes in bowl and coat with mixture. Place potatoes in an greased oven proof dish and place in oven to bake. (leave 1 hour to bake)
  3. Place chopped pumpkin and zucchini in glass bowl that potatoes where in and mix to combine, when potatoes have baked for at least 1/2 hour then place zucchini and pumpkin in the oven to bake.
  4. Place butter in heavy based fry pan and let melt, add lamb chops and fry each side until cooked, roughly 6-8 minutes each side
  5. Once cooked set aside in a clean dish and cover.
  6. Once vegetables have cooked in the oven you can assemble your plate by placing 1-2 lamb chops in plate, top lamb chops with some sour cream and chives. Place a roast potato topped with sour cream and chives as well as the zucchini and pumpkin on the plate. Serve with Roti bread.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe. It’s quick, simple and easy and full of nutrients. Hopefully it makes your mid week meal more enjoyable.

Thank you for reading my latest post.

Vicky

Please note this is an original recipe by me. Please do not copy. If you wish to share my recipe please quote my blog page www.vickyshandcrafteddesigns.blog

Thank you!

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Throwback Thursday…….

Gluten & Dairy Free Lasagna Recipe!

Looking back at one of my favourite recipes to create! Lasgna! It’s always been a favourite of mine and what I love about it most is you can create whatever sauce or filling you want! There are even dessert versions of it!

This recipe is gluten free and dairy free. Since having to watch both I did miss out for a while! San Remo pasta have brought out a wonderful range of gluten free pasta so you don’t have to miss out. Along with Bio plant based cheese it’s great to be able to eat my favourite food again!

Check out my recipe below!

Prep Time : 1/2 hour

Sauce cooking time: 3-4 hours

Lasagna Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 4

Sauce Ingredients

2 bottles tomato passata 700g each bottle- I used the Mutti brand from Woolworths

800g can diced tomatoes – I used Woolworths brand Italian diced tomatoes

1/4 Olive oil – I used Woolworths Brand Olive oil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil (again with both dried herbs I used the Woolworths Home brand

Salt and pepper to taste

Please note you can add 1/2 diced onion and 1 teaspoon crushed garlic if you like. For me I can’t have those so I didn’t put them in.

Instructions

  1. In a large heavy based pan, pour in olive oil, then passata, and diced tomatoes, add herbs, and salt and pepper. (If you are adding onion and garlic, fry these in the oil first for a minute and then add other ingredients) Fill one of the passata bottles 3/4 way with water and add to sauce. Stir all ingredients together.
  2. Set heat on high and bring sauce to a boil. Once boiled, simmer on low heat for 3-4 hours. The longer you leave to simmer on low heat the better the sauce you will get. If you see the sauce thicken too much add a little bit of water and stir. Sauce should be a thick liquid consitency such as a pumpkin soup consistency.
  3. Once cooked take off heat and set aside and get the rest of your lasagna ingredients ready.

Lasagna Filling Ingredients

500g beef mince (I prefer to use the grass fed mince from Woolworths, it has less fat content)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 cup of the prepared sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated mozzarella

400g mozzarella extra

200 g grated parmesan extra

again if you wish to use onion put in approx 1/4 finely diced onion and 1 teaspon garlic and fry with mince.

Instructions

  1. Place olive oil in heavy based saucepan, turn on heat to medium, if adding onion and garlic, add in first and fry for 1 minute, add mince and fry until browned.
  2. Add in herbs, salt and pepper, stir through
  3. Add 1 cup of prepared sauce, stir through then add 1/4 cup each of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese, stir through and set heat to a low simmer, simmer for approx 15-20 minutes, Continue stirring occasionally, If mixture seems to dry out add a bit more sauce.
  4. Once cooked, turn off heat and set aside for when you are ready to assemble lasagna.

Please see below for steps. I have added in this one fried eggplant but you can add other vegetables if you wish.

Assembling Lasanga

  1. Have lasgana sheets ready
  2. Cover the bottom of a glass or ceramic dish with sauce
  3. Layer pasta sheets to cover bottom of dish
  4. Top with spoonfuls of mince meat, add extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese, ladle tomato sauce on top to cover meat and cheese, add the next layer of pasta and continue until you reach the top of the dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and cover with alfoil.
  5. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30-40 minutes. (check at the 30 minute mark if pasta is not yet cooked leave for a bit more.
  6. Always make sure on the final layer that you cover the lasagna sheets completely with enough sauce so that the pasta doesn’t dry out when cooking.
  7. Enjoy with some Italian bread and a nice bottle of wine!
Have lagsana sheets ready
Place a couple of laddles full of prepared pasta sauce on bottom of glass or ceramic baking dish
  • Place sheets of pasta to fit across dish
  • Add spoonfuls of mince to, sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, ladle more sauce on top to cover the mince.
  • You can also add vegetables to the layers if you like
  • Continue layering until you reach the top
  • Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
  • Cover and bake at 180 degree Celsius for approx 30-40 minutes

Thank you as always for reading my blog post. To make this receipe economical I used mainly Woolworths home brand ingredients.

You can also make this dish in disposable aluminium trays and freeze after cooking to reheat when needed.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe

Vicky

Please note this post is not sponsored or affiliated with anyone. The recipe is one I put together using ingredients I enjoy using.

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Workin progress Wednesday…..

First of all let me say thank you to you all for the overwhelmingly support I have had on here the last few days! It’s truly brightened my days!

We just got told this morning we are in for an lockdown! Four weeks this time! So I am trying to pass the time to finish up some of my crochet projects.

This first one is a Spin Your Granny Square blanket crochet along. Kylie from Stitchedupcraft does one every year.

This year I decided on a pink theme. Reminds me of delicious strawberries and cream and strawberry ice cream sundae!

I am nearly finished which is exciting! This is the progress so far.

Spin your Granny Square blanket

What do you guys think so far? Can’t wait until I finish it!

I received some orders today for this gorgeous Amigurumi bunny.

Amigurumi bunny

I will be sending these out later in the week.

All in all it’s going to be a pretty busy week.

I hope you are all well where ever you are.

Thank you for reading my blog post

Vicky

http://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

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Looking for a new Scheduler or Planner? …..

I have found the perfect one for you!

Life just gets busier doesn’t it! And with many of us forced to work from home or to home school our children, keeping track of all the things we need to do can be overwhelming.

I found this gorgeous planner on Kiki. K website. I absolutely love their range of stationery and office supplies, There are many different types of diaries and planners to choose from and you can colour co-ordinate too.

I found this Plan – Kiki. K planner to be most suitable for me, not only does it look cute! It is spiral bound which I love. This makes it easier for the book to lay flat and for you to be able to write on. Its pages consist of a:

  1. Monthly calendar – At the beginning of every weekly sequence, there is a monthly one page calendar so you can customise it with the necessary details, such as bills due, appointments, zoom calls, etc. Being all on one page you can see at a glance what you are doing when so hopefully times won’t clash and looking up reminders is easy and quick.

2. A week to week section – After the monthly page there is a week to week section. Where you can write in more detail what is happening that week. The pages don’t have horizontal lines so you can customise it however you want. Perfect for the ones that like to decorate their diaries, bullet journal style. There is also a notes section to pop in anything important or a reminder.

3. At the back of the planner there are pages with ruled lines and also grid pages, these are great for writing longer notes or drawing up ideas.

The planner comes in A4 and A5 styles and with the ring binding you can clip a pen to it so that you have one available at all times.

Check out the Kiki. K website for more of their beautiful stationery products. I know I will! Well happy planning. Thank you for reading!

Vicky.

See below pictures of the different sections of the planner.

PLANNER SECTIONS

Please note this post is not sponsored or affiliated with anyone. These are my personal experiences with products which I want to share with you.

KIki K planner
Set your goals!

Month at a glance page

Week by week section with notes

Lines pages for adding longer notes

Grid pages for drawing

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Thrifty Thursday….. tips on how to save money around your home

This week I want to talk about some of the left over snacks your kids decide they don’t want anymore. You know the ones, the new type of chips or muesli bars! My kids love chips & wanted the Kettle or Red Rock style chips. I had found an equivalent at Aldi’s which was way cheaper and tasted just as good. So this went well for a few weeks until well, they don’t like chips anymore and I was left with packets of the ones they didn’t eat. I thought about throwing them out but that would have been a waste!

Instead I put them in a food processor turned them into crumbs, which I then blended with some spices and flour and made chicken schnitzels. I had two flavours left over, Sea Salt and Sweet Chilli, I made separate crumb mixtures as some of my family members below cant eat spicy stuff. Scroll down below for the method used and recipe for Crunchy Chicken Schniztels.

Aldi’s Chips
Place in food processor
Pulse until chips are fine crumbs
Place in deep bowl or dish and add flour and spices
Dip chicken slices into egg mixture
Coat in Flour and chip crumb mixture
Fry until crispy golden brown and enjoy!

Crunchy Chicken Schnitzel Recipe

Ingredients

Left over stale chips (approximatley 1 medium pack or 2-3 smaller packs

2 cups plain flour

3/4 finely grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

4 eggs lightly beaten

Canola or vegetable oil

500 g chicken breast cut into thing slices lengthwise

Method

  1. Place chips in food processer and pulse until fine crumbs form.
  2. Place chip crumbs in deep bowl or dish along with flour, herbs, cheese and salt and pepper. Hand mix until all combined
  3. Break 4 eggs into a separate deep bowl or dish and beat until combined.
  4. In a shallow plate pour enough flour to cover surface of plate and season with salt and pepper
  5. Wash and slice chicken into thin slices, place on clean plate and season with salt and pepper, layer chicken slices one on top of the other seasoning as you go.
  6. Once you have done that, grab a slice and place it in the plate with the flour only. Coat on both sides, dip both sides of the chicken into the egg and then place in the dish with the chip and flour crumb mixture and coat both sides. Place crumbed chicken in a separate clean plate.
  7. Once you have coated all the chicken pour oil into a heavy based frying pan to cover at least 2/3 up the side of the pan, enough to submerge the crumbed chicken
  8. Gently lower 4-5 piece of crumbed chicken at a time and fry on each side until golden brown. Remove pieces of chicken once cooked and place on a clean plate lined with paper towel to drain. Repeat the process until all the chicken has been cooked.
  9. Once cooked cover with foil and serve with mash potatoes or your favourite salad. Or load them up with gravy and cheese!
  10. Left overs can be used in sandwiches the next day.

All ingredients for this meal have been purchased from Aldi https://www.aldi.com.au/ and Woolworths Supermarkets. https://woolworths.com.au

Please note this is not a sponsored post nor am I being paid for my opinion. These are just tips I use to help me save money and I want to pass them on the help others too.

Comment below on your favourite money saving tips for around the home.

Thank you for reading my post.

Vicky

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It’s Wednesday so it’s work in progress time!

Well it’s that wonderful day of the week again when the working week is kind of half over but you still are two days away from Friday! Hence the name I guess “hump day”

Well to is the day I usually keep you up to date on my crochet work “WIP’s” crochet lingo for work in progress.

This week I want to feature a cute crochet beanie and fingerless glove set I am work on. The beanie is in 100% wool in Charcoal and the gloves are in acrylic yarn in Teal. This set will be available for made to order in my Etsy shop soon. http://www.etsy.com/your/shops/VickysHandcraftedDes

100% wool beanie
Work in progress- fingerless gloves

I am hoping to have this set finished by Friday and I will post final photos. I have more work in progress projects such as the Stitchedupcraft #spinyourgrannysquarecal I am commencing to join the granny squares. I am excited to finish this one. Below are some of the squares.

Spin Your Granny Square blanket
Squares ready to be joined

There are a few more but I won’t bore you with them this week! Thank you as always for reading my posts. It means so much to me!

Vicky

http:/Instagram.com/Vickys_Handcrafted_Designshttp://instagram.com/Vickys_Handcrafted_Designs

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Snap! It’s Tech Tuesday!

Ever taken a bunch of photos and thought they looked great while you were taking them only to look back and realise they are too bright or dark or not centred. Maybe there is something in the background you wish you hadn’t captured!

I found a great App called Snapseed.

Snapseed App

It’s a one stop shop to help you fix your photos. You can adjust things like the light balance, shadows, brilliance, enhance or blur parts of the photo. As well as crop or adjust the perspective of the photo. And that’s just to name a few! There are also filters and automatic settings you can use to adjust your photo!

Before Snapseed adjustments
After Snapseed adjustment.

In the above photos I was able to add more light into the photo and bring attention to the hat in the centre.

Before Snapseed adjustments

You can add text and do so many things. You can save a copy of the photo so the original is saved without alterations should you need to go back to the original.

After Snapseed adjustments

All the different options are presented in a dashboard sequence so that you don’t have to access a tonne of menus to get to your option.

It has both free and paid versions. Obviously with the paid version you have more options, but in my opinion it’s worth the money.

Well thank you again for reading my blog post. Hope this app is useful to you! You can download it either from your Apple or Google play store.

Vicky

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Monday Motivation

It’s a really stressful time for everyone. COVID doesn’t look like it’s going away soon. Hope everyone stays safe. Please stay home. If it’s not necessary don’t go out anywhere.

Here is a quote which I hope will give strength.

Stay safe, stay strong

Vicky

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It’s Sunday……So that means it’s pancakes!

Take a look at a quick at an easy recipe for fluffy pancakes to suit everyone in the family.

Fluffy pancakes- perfect Sunday breakfast!
Chocolate chip pancakes

My husband and daughter like their pancakes plain. Myself and the boys love our chocolate chip. So I came up with a method where I do one mix and then separate and add the other ingredients. Saves me time and we all get what we want!

Easy Pancake Recipe

Serves 4

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time : approximately 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 medium size eggs

1 3/4 c milk (I used almond milk)

2 c self raising flour ( you can swap for glutenfree)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Optional ingredients for Chocolate chip pancakes

1 cup milk chocolate chips (can use Noshu sugar free ones if you want)

2 teaspoons caster sugar (add more if you like sweeter pancakes

1/4 pure maple syrup

Instructions

1) beat 2 eggs in large glass bowl until creamy. Add vanilla and mix through

2) Gradually add flour and milk, alternating between each and thoroughly mixing each addition until all the milk and flour is incorporated.

3) grab a second glass bowl and pour half of the mixture into it. Add the optional ingredients and mix through

4) heat up a heavy based frying pan or a pancake maker. I used the http://www.kambrook.com.au Kambrook pancake maker. It’s easy to use. Just lightly spray between each addition of batter and it makes perfect fluffy pancakes every time.

Kambrook Pancake maker
Kambrook pancake maker

5) when frying the pancakes start with the plain batter first and then once you finish fry the chocolate chip ones next.

6) Serve with maple syrup, or jam or butter and fruit or basically any toppings you like!

I hope this recipe was enjoyable and easy to follow. Feel free to comment if I have left anything out.

Thank you for ready and enjoy your Sunday!

Vicky!

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END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR – WHY WE HATE IT AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR OURSELVES

Well here we are again. The end of another financial year and the start of the new one. I can hear you all crying into your coffee right now! Its a stressful time, a time where we rush to get everything ready and a time we realise we should have taken more care during the year.

I developed a very easy system to help me file and keep track of all our business correspondence. I want to share it with you.

Arch Lever Folders

I purchased some Arch lever folders from www.officeworks.com.au and labelled them with the information I needed. For me I needed a folder to separate our admin costs with our supplier costs. Also because we deal with a tonne of emails daily I needed a folder to file the ones we had finished with but still needed to keep in case I had to refer back to something.

Inside each folder I put a set of alphabetical tabs so that when I pay a supplier or admin cost I file it under that tab. For instance my telephone bill would go under T. etc. On the spine of the folder I also added the financial year. Here we go from July to June. Weird yeah I know but you get used to it.

At the end of the financial year I simply lift out the pages along with the tabs and secure with foldable clips. See photo below.

Archiving

I use a scrap piece of paper to add information at the front so I know which files these are, for instance “Administration Expenses Paid July to June 2021” I then place the stack in an archive box which I also purchased from www.officeworks.com.au . I place the paper standing up by the spine with the clip side facing up. This makes it easier for me to grab should I need to look back on them.

Archiving station

As you can see from the photo above I also used some spare cardboard boxes we had laying around. I purchased the shelf from Officeworks as well so that I can add boxes easily as I need them. These boxes are fantastic as you can grab them, lift the lid off and look through what you need. They fit A4 size quite easily. I also purchased a half shelf (see photo below) so that I can use it as a work bench. From memory I think the shelves were $65 for the larger shelf and $40 for the smaller one. You will need to assemble them yourself or for an extra fee Officeworks can do that for you.

Archiving Station

And there you have it, in a couple of easy steps you have archived your files for the year. Should you need to refer back to anything its all labelled and neatly put in the boxes. Next what I do is I put in fresh tabs into the arch lever folders so that I can begin filing for the next year.

Its an easy and simple system which doesn’t cost too much and you can tailor it to suit your needs. www.officeworks.com.au have a fabulous range of products to help you with all your end of financial year needs.

Thank you again for reading my posts. Next week I will show you a simple system I use to file my cash register receipts.

Take care

Vicky

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Monday Motivation!

Do what you Can!

In today’s world there is so much going on. We feel pressured to be everywhere and be everything to everyone. I am guilty of this, feeling like I always have to be on top of things and do everything everyone wants otherwise I am not worthy of them.

The truth is, as humans, that is basically impossible. You cannot do everything, you will not ever please everyone. In this I have learnt to do what I can, with what I have. If someone is not pleased, well that someone needs to look at themselves because I did that best that I could with the resources I had.

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Getting older has helped me develop this strategy. It’s true as you get older you basically wont give a….. Well you know how that saying goes.

Life shapes and moulds you, sometimes into ways you don’t want to be. You have to believe in yourself and be confident that you did the best you could. Its only when we are truly happy with ourselves that we can be truly free of the emotional chains others put on us.

I hope you all have a fabulous week and that it brings you all good things. Thank you again for reading my posts.

Vicky

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Wednesday work in progress

Otherwise known as hump day!

Spin Your Granny Square blanket

Well here we are in the middle of the week again. The hard part is over and Friday is just around the corner.

It’s been a hectic week but I have been lucky enough to be able to work on my #spinyourgrannysquareblankethttp://www.instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs Take a look at my Instagram post for details.

It’s a really great pattern and has so much variety. Follow the links on my page to join.

Well must dash I am cooking burgers as I write this. I have a cool hack too for those nights you don’t want to cook.

Vicky

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Another lockdown……Another work from home day!

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Slack App – https://slack.com/intl/en-au/

Again we are in another lockdown, stressful but necessary. Many of us are able to take our jobs home and work from our home offices or dining tables.

Lucky for us there is an abundance of technology to make our lives so much easier to communicate with customers, suppliers and fellow employees.

One of my favourite apps to use is Slack. Its easy to install on your computer and makes messaging with your co-workers effortless.

You can set up projects within the app and communicate within that particular project adding only the people involved so that your communications don’t get muddled up, which can often happen when writing emails back and forth.

You can have several separate conversations regarding different matters or include everyone in the one conversation if need be. You can share updates and other information to make project management and other work related matters run more smoothly.

Its definitely a favourite of mine and saves me so much time sifting through emails to find the right one to respond to. Check out the app in the Apple or Google play store. It downloads easily to your mobile or mobile tablet too. That way you can keep the communication going where ever you are. You can also create an account and link your devices. All in all its one awesome App.

Thank you again for reading my posts. I will highlight another of my favourite apps next Tuesday

Vicky

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You Spin me round and round!

#tbt #throwback #throwbackthursday

Spin your Granny Square Blanket

Not only is that one of my favourite songs! It’s also one of my favourite crochet patterns! The Spin Your Granny Square pattern from Stitchedupcraft.

Kylie from Stitchedupcraft has the most amazing selection of patterns. The instructions are easy to follow and what I love most about her patterns is that you can add your own creative spin!

The Spin Your Granny Square Blanket allows you to do just that! With a few simple instructions and following Kylie’s layout templates, there are hundreds of different combinations to choose from.

Spin Your Granny Square blanket

My favourite thing to do is follow the #spinyourgrannnysquareblanket hashtag and see all the different creative combinations people have thought of!

Last week Kylie started a #crochetalong with a new series of the #spinyourgranysquareblanket I was excited to start a new one and this time have decided to go with pinks and white. I will bring you the progress as I crochet along!

Thank you so much for reading my post. I wish you all a wonderful day!

Vicky

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Finally its Friday!

This week has just dragged on…..or is it just me? It’s been a week of wins and loses, surprises and well not so surprises. I haven’t had a mixed bag of a week like this in a long time. One thing its taught me though is not to give in so quickly to my emotions. Sometimes without realising it we are giving people confusing signals. Life changes so fast they have no idea if we are happy, sad, mad, glad. So note to myself, must have poker face on at all times and quietly implode internally!

On the winning side of things, https://www.crochetmagazine.com/ featured my www.instagram.com photograph of the Aster Chunky Crochet Rug I am working on. I was so excited to be scrolling down my Insta feed and see my photo on their timeline! This has never actually happened to me before! Well that I can remember anyway! It restored my faith in my achievements and told me yes I can do it and why not should I be able too! Always have faith as you never know when your next big break will be!

http://www.instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

Aster Chunky Rug – Pattern Designed by: Stitchedupcraft

This also counts for the surprise side of things! As for the negative side of things well who wants to dwell on that! Not me! Instead lets talk about the cute Alpaca amigurumi set I am crocheting at the moment!

Pattern by : Lucy Collins

Aren’t they adorable! I am hoping to finish this up by the weekend, well at least one of them anyway! Details of the yarn I used and where the pattern is from can be found in my Instagram post. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQPG09wr0ei/ . The pattern is designed by Lucy Collins and featured in the book Quick and Easy Crochet. This book is available from http://www.woolworths.com.au

There are a few other projects I am working on at the moment and I will tell about those as I make progress. I do sell a lot of the work I do and I also take custom orders. So if there is anything that catches your eye, send me a message on http://www.instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs and I can get back to you about the details.

Thank you once again for taking the time to read my blog post. Have a wonderful weekend.

Vicky

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Need somewhere handy to store your notes?

Read about a great App I use to keep all my notes organised! Best of all its free!

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You know the struggle, you have to remember something or someone gives you information and you are running around looking for pen and paper to write it on!

Thats me most of the time! And most of the time I throw my arms up in fustration as despite me having a million pens and scraps of paper, I can never find one in that moment.

I discovered the notes app that comes with Iphone and it is brilliant! Not only can you type notes and lists on there. You can copy links, pictures and so much more! I save hashtags and copy and paste to my instagram whenever I need to and also my favourite recipes!

The great thing about it too is you can link it to your ICloud and also a gmail account so you can access the same notes from different devices. You can also create folders to house different notes you need access for all the time, such as contacts, recipes, instructions and so much more.

Overall its one of the best Apps I have used so far and believe me I have tried all sorts of note taking Apps, this by far exceeds my expectations!

So next time you a scrolling through your phone take a look and see if you have this App, it truly is a game changer!

Thank you for reading and I wish you all a wonderful week.

Next week I will talk about an easy to do list App I came across! Stay tuned.

Vicky

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Its been an exciting week so far! And its only Wednesday – Let me tell you all about it!

Sometimes when you let go……..you gain. This week has certainly taught me that lesson! I let go of my fears, my anxiety and constant worrying and just learnt to enjoy and savour every moment. And what an exciting week it has been!

The beautiful Veronica Neal from https://www.facebook.com/GiftingEmporium/ has sent me this stunning photo of her gorgeous hamper selection available for the month of June. Veronica runs a local gift hamper business and has a selection of quality hampers to suit all tastes and budgets. Every month she curates a selection of local products to include in her hampers. I am proud to announce that this month my handmade crochet facewashers and scrubbies are included in the hamper. Made from 100% cotton/bamboo. They are soft and long lasting, machine washable and make an excellent addition to any selfcare routine.

I custom make these washers and scrubbies, so if there is a particular colour you are after please message me on my instagram page http://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs for colours and pricing. And don’t forget to pop on over to Veronica’s Facebook page for details on how you can order your hamper!

Thank you so much Veronica! Its always a pleasure and an honour to work with you and your business.

The Art of Crochet

For those of you who have been following my blog for a while now, you may have seen my Art of Crochet squares. I truly love this series as it teaches you step by step on how to crochet different stitches. I have learnt so much, so far and every week there is a new square in the series, which you then sew together to form a blanket! Check out your local newswagent or magazine distributor to see if they have the series for you to buy. Take a look at my instagram page http://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs for more progress details.

Star Blanket – graph-o-gram – by All Shades of Crochet

I am excited to announce I am pattern testing for the lovely Jean from All Shades of Crochet. Jean is an up and coming designer with some pretty amazing designs. She is incredibley talented and a very beautiful person. Its been great meeting her and catching up with her over Zoom. I will put up progress photos as I crochet. I really love the design and can’t wait to share Jean’s amazing design skills with you all.

Well that brings me to the end of my #wip #workinprogress, work in progress Wednesday. Thank you once again for taking the time to read my blog. I hope its been enteraining for you.

Catch up with you all tomorrow.

Vicky

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Do you want to save time on posting on Social Media? I can show you how!

Time is something that gets away from all of us! But if you look carefully you can find time saving ideas, such as the Hootsuite app available in your Apple or Google play store. It takes all the hardwork out of keeping up on social media and gives you much needed down time.

The free version allows you to connect to 3 of your social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to name a few. You can upload content and photos to the app and use the scheduler to decide what you will post where and when! All for your smart phone!

So next time you are relaxing with your favourite beverage, pick up your smartphone and start scheduling your social media for the week, month and so on. Set and forget!

Next Tuesday I will talk about another app I use to help me be more productive and saves me time when posting social media content.

Until then, thank you for reading and catch up with you next time.

Vicky

Please note: I don’t get paid any commission or funds to recommend this app. This is purely my opinion based on my personal experience

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Monday Blues – How to be inspired

Copyright: Vickys Handcrafted Designs 2021

Its that dreaded day of the week again. You know the one where the alarm clock seems to sound the loudest. The morning seems colder and your back even more sore.

Its difficult to get started again after you have spent what should hopefully have been a fun and relaxing weekend. I have know come to make peace with Mondays and look at them as a new beginning. A day to start fresh and to come up with new ideas and new concepts.

The day no longer fills me with dread instead, I look forward to it. I hit the ground running and set up the theme for the coming week. Make Monday your friend. You will be happy you did.

Here is a little quote I designed to help you through this Monday.

Copyright: Vickys Handcrafted Designs 2021

I hope this has inspired you and that you are worthy each and every single day! Have a fabulous Monday and hope the rest of the week is just as fabulous!!!

If you wish to purchase a print of this quote please follow the link below and you can direct message me for orders.

http://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

Vicky

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The Art of Crochet

A wonderful series to teach you the relaxing and rewarding art of crochet.

I was always interested in crocheting but thought I would never learn. My poor mum tried to teach me to no avail.

One day I was walking past the news agency and noticed this series so I thought why not , I will give it another go. I am so happy I did as I was able to teach myself to crochet and I haven’t looked back since.

I have learnt many different stitches and techniques, even making gifts for friends and family with my new found skills.

Here is a selection of the first 10 squares of series.

Square 1 – Double crochet square
DC thru front loop square
DC thru back loop square
Half treble square
Half treble stripes square
Square 6 – Treble crochet
Square 7 – Tr and dc mix stitches square
Square 8 – Single – colour granny square
Easy Granny Square
Square 10 – Two-colour Granny Square

And there you have it the first 10 squares of The Art of Crochet throw.

Each issue has the instructions to one square of the throw along with other wonderful crochet items you can make.

Colours used in these squares include:

– Lime green

– Bright pink

– Mauve

– Sunshine yellow

– Turquoise

– Purple

– Navy

– Periwinkle

– Orange

– Teal

Stitches covered in the first 10 squares

– Slip stitch

– Chain stitch

– Double crochet

– Half treble crochet

– Treble crochet

– Front Stitch Loop

– Back Stitch Loop

– Popcorn stitch

– Cluster Stitch

I really enjoyed making these squares. I will put up the next 10 squares in the series once I finish them.

Vicky

Vicky’s Handcrafted Designs

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