24 February 2010

Friday Sketchers Challenges

Hello every one this is my 10th Friday Sketchers Challenges card and I hope you like it!

This is what the card layout looks like

And this is my card.
My mom wanted a card for her friend’s birthday.
So I helped my mom make one on Sunday afternoon (They came for supper on Sunday night)

We put dotted lace on the sides of the big light pink square, and a flower at the feet of the magnolia girl.

I put some glitter on the magnolia girl’s ribbon in her hair, some on the flowers in her basket and at the seam of her dress.

I had to make this card very fast, but still enjoyed it and my mom’s friend loved it!
It is more blessed to give than to receive!

Have a great week.
Crafty Greetings

23 February 2010

Happy Birthday Mother!

On Monday the 22nd it was my mother’s 41st birthday.

We gave her a flower vase and a beautiful cake stand for her birthday.
I also gave my mother, her birthday card.
We had family on Sunday morning for tea and friends on Sunday night for supper.
We baked an Angel Food cake  and decorated it with Butter Cream Filling and  Chocolate Ganache.

This was the tea time cake

And the pudding after supper

On Monday morning we took my mother to the Meerendal Wine Estate for cake and coffee.
Here are a few pictures:

Eating cake

Me eating cake

Josua eating cake

Danika runing with the boys on the lawn in front of the restaurant.

Andrew, he has a funny way of runing

David, he runs fast and light, like a deer.

Daniel on a table pulling funny faces

Little Michael fast a sleep and “Powered by Breast milk”

I think my mother looks GREAT for her age, I’m proud of her!
Happy Birthday mother!
Thank you for being such a lovely mother.

Have a wonderful day every one, I’ll be back soon with more….
Crafty Greetings

18 February 2010

Friday Sketchers Challenges

Hello every one, I hope you are all well.

Here is the Friday Sketchers Challenges lay out.
And my card:

On Monday the 22nd of February, it is my mom’s birthday, and I used the Friday Sketchers Challenges lay out for a birthday card for her.

I glittered the ribbons on the little Magnolia girl’s dress and flowers in her hand.
I shadowed the girl’s cheeks with Decorating Chalks.
I always start making my Friday Sketchers card on a Monday night, and my little sister Danika loves using her Scrapbook bag and just make cards too, for any one!
Normally she makes the cards for her best friend, but this time she made a birthday card for my mom.

We gave her a Scrapbook kit for Christmas and she still uses it.
The stamp is one of my stamps that I gave to her to colour.
I like the way she makes cards, and I think its excellent for her age!

When my 9 year old brother, Josua, heard that we are making cards for my mom’s birthday, he wanted to make one too.

Josua borrowed some of Danika’s things and made a Beautiful card.
They did not take part in the Friday Sketchers Challenges but I just wanted to show you.

My mom does not know what the cards looks like.
So don’t say anything…….!
Crafty Greetings

15 February 2010

Baking a banana bread

This week we had plenty of over ripe bananas, so my mom suggested we bake a banana bread on Thursday.
We did not got this recipe out of the baking book but out of an old Afrikaans book my mom used when she studied nutrition.


Here is our recipe:
250g soft butter
3 cups of sugar
(We used half Xylitol and half honey. When Daniel eats palm sugar he can’t sleep at night)
6 eggs
10 ml vanilla essence
2 cups banana (pulped)
2 small lemons or 1 big lemon
4 cups flour (if using spelt flour 5 1/3 cups)
3 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
½ t salt
50 ml milk

Pulp the bananas.
We used about 7 bananas but it was to much.

Add the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the banana pulp.


Whisk together the butter and sugar. Mix till light in colour and fluffy. (We used half honey half Xylitol)

Meanwhile sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Crack the eggs one by one in a little bowl, and add one egg at a time into the sugar and butter mix.

Make sure the egg has vanished completely before adding the next one.

Add the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Add the baking soda to the 2 cups of banana pulp and add it to the sugar-butter mixture.


Alternately add flour and milk to the sugar-butter-egg mixture until finished.

Empty the dough in a bread pan, and bake for about 1 hour on 180 degrees C, 350 degrees F.


While you are waiting for the bread to bake, let your youngest sibling (or second youngest, if the youngest can’t eat yet) lick out the mixing bowl.
Daniel 18 months

Do NOT leave you mom with a dirty kitchen! Clean up your mess (And wash the dishes) before the bread comes out.

Cut in slices and serve with butter.
The bread was very nice, the little ones could not stop asking for more.
Crafty Greetings

11 February 2010

Friday Sketchers Challenges

Hello everyone! Here is another Friday sketchers challenges card I made.
This card is an “Especially for you” card. I can use this whenever I need a card to thank someone or want to send a special message.

I shadowed the doilies with Decorating Chalks and put golden glitter on the patterns.

Here I put flower gems on the side, to give it a feminine look.

I glittered the little magnolia girl’s hair ribbon with silver glitter and a put some golden glitter on her dress to give her a sparkle.

I love the Friday Sketchers Challenges, because it makes the card so much easier when you know what it must look like in the end.
Have a happy weekend.
Crafty Greetings

07 February 2010

Decorating my Basic French Sponge Cake

After I’ve baked my Basic French Sponge Cake, I could choose to cover it or layer it with various frostings, fillings and glazes.
A glaze is usually a thin coating applied hot to the outside of a cake, while a frosting is thicker and richer and is spread in between the layers and sometimes also on the outside.
Most of us are in the habit of using only one filling for our cakes, but a cake can be made more dramatic by using two or more.


For the Basic French Sponge Cake (Genoise), bakers usually brush each layer generously with flavoured simple syrup, making the cake very moist, even wet, because genoise is often somewhat dry.

I’ve decided to try my hand at buttercream fillings. I’ve cut the two layers genoise into 4 layers and put a Professional-style Buttercream and Italian Meringue Buttercream between the layers.

Buttercream Fillings

Making professional-style buttercream and Italian meringue buttercream are almost identical. The professional-style buttercream is based on egg yolks and the Italian meringue buttercream based on egg white, whisked with hot sugar syrup, cooked to the softball stage, continually beating the mixture, until cool and then beat in the cold butter.

Tip!
A stand mixer works best to beat the egg yolk and egg whites, because it require a lot of beating to get them to quadruple in volume and to stabilize them before adding the syrup. A handheld mixer will also work, but you’ll need to at least double the beating time.


Since a hot sugar syrup is added to the egg yolk or egg whites, the eggs should be slightly warmed, so the syrup don’t cool to quickly, when the beaten eggs are added and cause it to harden into little pellets.

Cooking Sugar Syrup to the Soft Ball Stage

When sugar (we used Xylitol but want to try with Palm sugar –Juggeri, too) and water are boiled together, the sugar becomes more concentrated. Stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar.

Bring the syrup to a simmer and brush down the sides, using a brush dipped in cold water, to prevent crystals from forming. As the bubbles in the simmer syrup get larger, start testing for the soft ball stage. Use a spoon to put a small amount of the hot syrup into some ice water, then pinch the syrup between your thumb and forefinger.

You will notice the syrup going through stages, when put in ice water:
First stage: the sugar will dissolve in the water – so continue boiling.
Second stage: it will form a thread between your two fingers, continue boiling and test again.
Third stage: it become thick enough to roll into a soft ball with the consistency of chewed gum.


Fourth stage: the sugar hardens completely when you stick it in the water, you’ve cooked the syrup too much – it has reached hard crack stage. In that case, add a few tablespoons of water to the hot syrup and start testing again.

Professional-Style Buttercream

1 cup Xylitol (We used Xylitol, because we did not have enough Palm Sugar.)
4 egg yolks, slightly warmed
280g cold butter cut in cubs
2 tablespoons Flavouring (I’ve used chocolate liqueur)


Put the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.


While the syrup is cooking, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the yolks on high speed for about 5 minutes or until they have quadruple in volume and are very pale.

While the egg yolks are beating, check the syrup for the soft ball stage. If the syrup is ready before the egg yolks, add 1 tablespoon of water to the syrup and keep simmering.

When the syrup and yolks are ready, turn the mixer to high speed and pour the syrup into the yolks between the whisk and the sides of the bowl. It is important to keep the syrup from touching the whisk or the bowl because it will harden into little globules, which will break off into the buttercream. (Don’t worry, a few are unavoidable!)

Continue beating the egg yolk-sugar mixture until it is just slightly warmer than room temperature.

Turn down the mixer speed to medium and add the butter cubes, a small handful at a time. Wait until each batch is absorbed before adding more. Beat for about 5 minutes or until smooth and fluffy.

I’ve beaten in chocolate liqueur flavouring.

Put the buttercream aside and make the Italian Meringue Buttercream.

Italian Meringe Buttercream

200 ml xylitol
¼ cup water or more as needed
4 egg whites slightly warmed
Pinch of cream of tartar, unless using a copper bowl
280g butter, cubed or sliced
2 tablespoons Flavouring, if your want to (I’ve used coffee liqueur)

Put 150 ml of the xylitol and the water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar (if using) with a stand mixer on medium speed or a handheld mixer on high speed for 1 minute. Switch to high speed and beat with a stand mixer for about 4 minutes or with a handheld mixer for about 10 minutes, or until the egg whites reach stiff peaks.
Add the remaining 50 ml xylitol and beat for 1 minute more.
Beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar (if using) with a stand mixer on medium speed or a handheld mixer on high speed for 1 minute. Switch to high speed and beat with a stand mixer for about 4 minutes or with a handheld mixer for about 10 minutes, or until the egg whites reach stiff peaks.

Add the remaining 50 ml xylitol and beat for 1 minute more.
Test the sugar syrup for the soft ball stage. It the syrup is ready before the egg whites are stiff, again add a tablespoon of water, then start testing again. If the egg whites are stiff before the syrup is ready, turn the mixer to low speed – don’t stop beating.
With the mixer on high speed, pour the syrup in a steady stream between the whisk and the bowl. Beat the egg whites for about 7 minutes or until very stiff.

Simply add the butter, a handful at a time, to the meringue and beat on medium to high speed until the butter disappears. Wait until each batch of butter is worked in before adding more.

I’ve flavoured the Italian meringue buttercream with coffee liqueur.
Cut the cake into 4 layers


I first put on the professional-Style Buttercream then the Italian Meringue Buttercream.


Then I put on another layer of Professional-Style Buttercream and for the toping a layer of Italian Meringue Buttercream

For the finishing touches I grated lint chocolate over the top.

Bon apatite!
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