Homemade Goodies

Looking back at my weekend, there was a lot of time spent in my little kitchen. My gorgeous new measuring cups inspired me to whip up some baking (not that I needed an excuse - I love it!). First up was a Nainoma Slice that I made for the very first time. It was just gorgeous, all chocolatey and custard-y and it didn't last in my house for very long at all - always a nice feeling knowing your baking makes people happy isn't it. So with that tin empty, I made some Afghan biscuits which are my husband's faves. Not so great for my healthy eating but hey, sometimes you just need a chocolate fix!

Next up I made a batch of old fashioned Body Butter. I found this in an old newspaper article about things our nana's used to do/make. It's such a lovely lotion - and really nice knowing that it has no hidden nasties in it. Nothing but natural all the way. I use it for almost everything. It's wonderful to apply to 'smile lines' at bedtime, it's brilliant for getting your tootsies looking tip top ready for summer, it's even a great lip balm. It's also working wonders on the nasty burns I got on my arm on New Year's Day. They are healing very well and I'm sure it has something to do with this lovely body butter being massaged onto my arm regularly. Yay.

I usually make two big pots of it with the following recipe but this time I made lots of smaller ones so I can share the love with family and friends. There is a wonderful factory/shop in Newtown, Wellington called Arthur Holmes and they produce the most amazing pots/jars/bottles at the most amazingly cheap prices. I love visiting them and getting inspiration for other projects. Not really the sort of place to visit with children - all those shelves of glass products eeek!

If you want to have a go at making some, it's so unbelievably simple and very cheap. The recipe is:

1 cup almond oil

1/2 cup grated beeswax

In a saucepan, gently melt the beeswax into the oil. Once melted, remove from the heat. You can add a few drops of essential oil at this stage if you like. Then stir slowly with a fork until it cools and starts to set. Pour into prepared, sterilised pots/jars. Easy peasy!

Time to hang up my apron and get out my hook instead. I have had two unsuccessful attempts at an African Flower due to little people wanting to help! I need a bit of quiet time to have another go. My latest attempt is not perfect but to be honest I think it looks lovely. I will post pics of it's progress next time. I really like the potholders Alice from Crochet with Raymond makes so that was what I was aiming for. But I loved the look of it so much I couldn't stop at potholder size and have continued on to make a fabulous round cushion cover.