Friday, 18 January 2013

Taking a break....

You may have noticed me absent from my blog of late. l am sorry but things have got in the way namely settling into a new job which l started back in November.
l have even let my Facebook page and Etsy store slip a little but never fear l am slowly taking back some time for me and my creations.
Boy have l missed it.
It looks like l won't be just knitting and crocheting either but returning to my first passion of dressmaking, l may just use up all that fabric l have stored.
So for now it may be best to follow my FB page as this is where l shall post things first and hopefully not too far away in the distant future l shall return here also.
Cheers
Marie

Sunday, 2 December 2012

Creating my way to success

  The lovely Jill over at Creating my way to success has once again featured madwestdesigns on her blog.
Jill hosts many link parties and posts losts of tutrioals on all things craft and not.
It's a great site with many oppitunitites within  so pop on over for a look around

Thursday, 25 October 2012

What Jack Thinks

 Remeber in my last post l told you about the Dud Mothers day present l was given
Why did you by me that

 Well here's the follow up i promised.
 It's hard to tell what Jack is thinking but i think its along the lines of
"Why did l have to eat all that canned muck, this is so much nicer."

I swear he knows when l'm cooking he's food, he sits or lies on the floor near the bench and watches.


Do you feel someone watching You?


I cook sereval differnet things from the book, there are differnet chapters for differnet things,
Dog Parties, The Vegetarian Dog, Training Treats, Super Dog Foods, and a list of can have's and don't ever have.



The one l cooked today was Chicken "n" Veg and l must say it is one of his favorites or at least l think it is as he flies out the door when he knows it's in his bowl.



Looks Pretty Healthy doesn't it ?













 In the book it is made as meatballs which was great for something different BUT Jack is a little dog and didn't eat them in the 2-3 days it recommends so i cook it in a loaf tin ( remember to grease it or it doesn't come out) and......
 
    slice it when it's cooled                                                         wrap in individual serve's and freeze.

By doing this with what l cook he gets variety as l can pull out different food to defrost.
 So along with the Beef Hotpot ( cooked in the slow cooker) Mince and Liver, Tuna & Veg he also gets Sardines & Tuna 2-3 times a week as it's a great source of omgea 3 but l just like that he's coat is so soft and shiny. Plus his most favorite food of all "Chicken" this is kept from the family Roast, I shred any leftovers and place in individual serves and freeze this also.
This became his favorite when we had to smuggle antibiotics into him when he kept getting poisoned by the cat next door. Cats can be fatal to dogs when they attack as we found out not once but three times.

 You might well ask the question or be thinking It's so much easier to feed them canned stuff, well yes it is but most of it is water and goes sraight through and out the other end.
Jack is now a healthy weight and l think a much happier dog.
It costs no more to feed him in fact it's cheaper because l am using everything we buy in our weekly shop anyway.

Spoiled or not he still sleeps outside until the boys go to work in the morning at which time he comes and curls up on the bed with me.

Oh and one more thing l secretively think the boys knew what they were doing when they brought me the book but l'm not going to tell them.

Here's the link again if you want to buy your own copy Doggylicious-Cookbook for your Dog


Cheers Marie
P.S I would love to hear what your dogs favorite is.

Sunday, 21 October 2012

A crafters Choice Giveaway is open

Entry is now open for this fantastic give-away so pop on over to  Earning My Cape Blog and enter to win not only 1 but two prizes on her blog.
While there don't forget to enter give-aways hosted by about 57 other blogs.







Earning my Cape

What are you waiting for get blog hopping
Cheers
Marie

Wednesday, 17 October 2012

Why did you buy me that?



Now come on l'm sure you have all uttered those words on your birthday , Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Christmas any celerbration where someone gives you a gift.

 I have had my fair share and i think Mothers Day presents take the cake, I'm not talking about the ones that are made by your children at Kinder or School or the ones they buy at the Mothers Days stall. The kids don't know that  most of the time it is someone else's unwanted gift.
Mothers Day stalls are the perfect cupboard clean out, just be careful never to clean out what your children have given you. (Boy do they have a memory for what they buy you from School.)

This year my husband and son thought they were buying me the perfect gift, a book, i LOVE books but instead of buying me a novel or a knitting / crochet book what did they buy, a cookbook and wait for it, not a cookbook for humans but a cookbook for dogs, yes you heard right DOGS!



Image
Buy your copy here.






After i gave them the blank look and raised eyebrows their reply was " Well you spoil Jack ( our Dog) and treat him like a kid so we thought you would like it"

OKAY FAIR CALL! I DO AND HE IS.

It sat in the recipe book stand for sometime and i would have a giggle when i walked past and then it got the better of me.
"IF" i was taking note of what i was feeding the kids as far as all the additives and preservatives then  "WHY" was i feeding Jack canned food ?

I shall share a little more next time on what Jack thinks.
Cheers
Marie







Thursday, 11 October 2012

A Crafter's Dream / Christmas Giveaway.



Not another giveaway you say,
"well yes, it is but with a difference" you can either take part as a sponsor or a blog or both if you want to. So far l count 46 blogs taking part which means there are this many giveaways maybe more as some are giving away more than one prize.
There is still time to sign up just follow the links below, you might also might want to mark the dates on your calender if you wish to enter for your chance to win.










On Tutus and Tea Parties is a list of all blogs taking part so you might like to add these to your reading  list.
 Cheers Marie

Friday, 7 September 2012

Win an I-Pad


Together with Mindful Parenting magazine and a few other Sponsors l'm excited to be bringing you this chance to win an I-Pad (oh if only l could enter)


Terms and conditions

In order to have a valid entry you will need to LIKE the Facebook page of each sponsor (Total 16 points). Each LIKE will give you 1 point and you must have a minimum of 16 points in this category for your entry to be valid.
In order to do this you need to Enter Here

You can earn EXTRA points (thereby increasing your chance to win) by:

Subscribing to Mindful Parenting Magazine HERE
Sharing the giveaway on Facebook. Simply  CLICK HERE and type “Mindful Parenting Magazine and Sponsors are giving away an iPad!”
Tweeting about the Giveaway
Follow Mindful Parenting Magazine on Twitter
All points will be checked in order for the winning entry to be valid.

Giveaway starts 8th September and ends 29th September. Winner will be drawn on 30th September. Once we have verified eligibility, contacted the winner and received a response, we will announce the winner’s name on this website.


Good Luck
Cheers Marie