Luz Patterns.com is here!

I finally moved my blog!, now it is even easier to find me! please just go to http://luzpatterns.com/

Thanks!

Luz

Back from the French Alps, what a beautiful place!

So we are back!, we were in the french Alps for 2 weeks, and they were amazing! (Everyone doing a Bolt!, well almost everyone)

We took the ski chair lift and got to walk down to the resort, it was amazing!

I felt like we have a few different holidays, we did so much in two weeks, we walked the mountains, I cannot still believe how good the kids were! our first walk was 8k!!

 

We saw so many creatures

 





Alba took this picture of me, probably my favourite for the whole trip! (it is also a preview to my new slouchy hat)
 

She doesn't take pictures seriously any longer tho...(again same hat for kids)

 

The views were breathtaking!


 

We also got the funicolare and ended up in the glacier, to say it was cold it's an understatement!

We had fun in the snow

So many beautiful places, I didn't know which pictures to upload!

The colours! the flowers!

We also visit the local town, Bourg-Saint-Maurice

And visit the local sweet shop

I think it was one of the highlight for some of the small members of the family!, well it is holidays after all, and mummy and daddy really enjoy all that beautiful cheese and wine! :)

If you want to make a present for a child, make a doll!

Sometimes there isn't just enough time for anything!, I would love to have more time for crochet and sewing, reading and look at all those pictures on Pinterest! (last one I feel a bit guilty about because it really it's just me not working!). But when I finally finish some of my projects I love to see how how much they are loved.

My girls here have been playing with their dolls all summer! Alba thought she will much rather have my crocheted little mermaid, and Eva loved the swimmer, 'mummy how is my dolly going to the beach without a towel and a bag?' well... you can't denied her logic! silly mummy!. 

They have been really patient as well, I need to finished the dolls and take some pictures before they know they can play with them, so they keep on asking: 'Can I play with my doll now mummy?' Bless them!. If you never have made a doll for your little ones, I can honestly say there is no feeling like seeing them loving, playing and caring for what you made for them. My kids are use to me making things all the time but toys and dolls are special. If you like any of these dolls you can instantly download them from my craftsy shop here

Healthy food for my kids and a chocolate treat!

I have a friend who calls me food 'fascist' she is probably right!, I love cooking and I have three very hungry mini 'me' running around me all the time! (This is not a metaphor, they do that!). So the way I go about feeding my kids is quite simple, if you eat this very nutritious and beautiful food that I took the time and pleasure to cook for you, then you may eat a naughty chocolate muffin! 

Last saturday I made a tuna fish and courgettes frittata (well, there was a lot more veggies on it!)

We are five and we love to eat so it was quite a big one!

So this is what I found in my fridge:

• There were about 5 medium size leeks, they went in
• 4 small courgettes, yup that will do
• A couple of spring onions
• I always cook with garlic and extra virgin olive oil (What? I am Spanish!)
• Oh, oh... there were just a few mushrooms left at the back, they looked scared so I thought of putting them out of their misery!
• I wanted some protein so from the cupboard I got a couple of tuna flakes tins.
• And what?, 1 egg per person and 1 for the pan? 6 in total
• Some milk

So, chopped all the veggies and garlic, fry the garlic and the onions (I love the smell!). I use non stick pan (less oil) that I can also put in under the grill as well. In goes all the veggies and when they look nicely cooked I drain the tuna tins and in it goes as well, once they looked almost done, I beat the eggs and add the milk and pour all over the pan, cook the frittata and heat the grill, when it looks like the eggs are set, I transfer the pan to the grill, and that is it!

I have another trick up of my sleeve, I don't really give my kids that many snacks, well sure you can have a glass of water or milk, sure you can have a hand full of raisins and maybe a few nuts, but that is it! (see why my friend is right?). My point is if they are hungry they will eat the food properly!, if they are not then we are going to have a very stressful lunch!

So anyway, after they all ate a good slice each, we had the double chocolate muffins (recipe here) but this time I thought of making them prettier, I have this lovely rose mold that I used, look what a lovely bunch of chocolaty flowers I made!. (This lovely mold I got for a few pounds on Lidl! I love Lidl!)


(well, we all made!, Hector 'helped' to stir the ingredients and then he had a good go at 'helping' with the cleaning up!)

The girls birthday cakes, mmm... chocolate...

Well I know it has been a long time, (actually a very long time, their birthday was in March!) but we just recently were invited to another set of twins birthday party (there seem to be an awful lot of twins around here! there must be something in the water!). Anyhow I was asked if I will give the recipe for my the cakes I made for my girls!, it is kind of very sweet to be asked for a recipe, I am not the best baker, I prefer cooking food but with kids in the house there seem to be an awful more baking going on!.

On the birthday I posted some pictures on facebook here are the original pictures. This cake is Eva's, it is a dark and white chocolate cake with with blueberries

And Alba's was a chocolate and strawberries cake

I used a super sweet heart shape silicone mold from Ikea, which I LOVE because I am not that good at greasing the cake tin, and it gets all stuck in and it is a mess, and why oh why did I think I could bake the girls cakes?... 

Anyway the cakes were basically the same mixture of ingredients, (see below) I made a chocolate ganache for both and then I melted white chocolate and make some heart shapes and basically kind of doodles really, same with a a bit of milk chocolate for the strawberries one. With the fruit was really easy, some blueberries got an icing sugar bath some didn't the strawberries all got cut in quarters!

I hope you enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS:

125g (4 1/2 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature

175g (6 oz) golden caster sugar

4 large eggs

250g (9 oz) self raising sifted flour

50g (1 3/4 oz) cocoa powder

50g (1 3/4 oz) dark chocolate, (I kind of split half and half with white chocolate for the blueberries one)

50g (1 3/4 oz) blueberries, (For the strawberries cake I put some raisins in, Alba loves them!)

150ml (5fl oz) milk

some icing sugar for the blueberries

some extra melted chocolate for the decorations, about 20g of each.

MAKING THESE LOVELIES:

PREHEAT the oven at 180C (350F/Gas4)

BEAT the butter and sugar until starts crying (or becomes pale in colour whatever happens first) 

BEAT the eggs and add them little by little with some flour, till you finished the flour

FOLD the cocoa
CHOP the chocolate, in it goes along with the fruit
ADD the milk and...
POUR the mixture in the mold
BAKE for 30 minutes or until it goes Oih! when you try to squeeze the top
LET cool down for a few minutes and out of the mold it goes!

Three new patterns, buy two get one free!

Hello there, just wanted to let you know about my new three patterns!

One lovely set of baby clogs

And two of my favourites summer wraps!

I am having a bit of silver period as you can see!, I think they both are very elegant and a bit like black, they go with anything!

And now you can buy any two of my single patterns and get one for free! that includes these three!

Summer sewing, retro swimmer doll

With the summer almost around the corner now, I really wanted to make a beauty who is ready to go for a swim! and with my love for retro / vintage look I put her in a forties style bikini.

Her arms are articulated and all her clothes (apart from her little bow), come out!

Her pattern will be in all my shops next week! please leave any comments or questions at the end of this post! thanks!