OH NO / November Days

Hello all! I wrote up this post about a month ago and (thought I) uploaded it from my phone, but apparently it only saved as a draft. So, I'll share it now before I start posting Christmas-y updates!

I cannot believe it's the middle of November already. The days have grown much colder, and the snow line is creeping ever closer down the mountains. 

I have been very busy indeed. Between my day job, christmas knitting, and the usual family/friend togetherness, I hardly have the time to do much of anything! 

I'm still slowly plugging away at my own designs and though I won't reach my goal of releasing three more patterns before year's end, I do hope to get them out as soon as possible because I've got a whooooole load of ideas for a couple series of patterns. If my first paid patterns go over well, I will maybe put each series into an e-book!

Here's a peek at what I've been up to! 

There's so much more I'd like to share but don't want to give away any gifts before they're given! I hope you're all enjoying the beauty of the season and staying toasty warm. Come by again soon for more crafty updates! xo

Come back for tea again later this week and I'll fill you in on everything from Christmas baking, to (some) WIPs and FOs, and more.

Autumn Ways and Holidays

Hello lovelies!

It's hard to believe just how quickly summer slipped away. Only a week ago, one of our largest local mountains was bare of snow, and in the last couple days its peak has turned a soft white again. How excited I am for sweater weather, hockey season, cozy nights in, and all the other awesome things that come with shorter, colder days. I had to put the heat on for the first time this past weekend, and happily got out my box of warm, woolly accessories. Hooray!

First I must show off a few shots from my little vacation to Vancouver. I had a great visit with my brother and dad. It was so much fun, and I hope to go again next summer (or sooner if I can). How cute is the little felt heart? I was walking near Commercial and Broadway and it caught my eye.

Some of (my) most enjoyable outings were visiting Science World, and checking out the delicious 216 flavours at La Casa Gelato. (Some are a little weird, but they were fun to taste.) We did lots of walking, dining out, window shopping, real shopping.... I spent most of my money at Three Bags Full and at Baaad Anna's. Both yarn shops are well stocked with beautiful products, and have lovely, helpful staff. I was invited to attend their Wednesday night Stitch n Bitch, but was unable to go. Maybe next time!

Now, the highlight of my trip, and the main reason I went to Vancouver in the first place, was to stand beside one of my best friends as a bridesmaid at her wedding. It was such a beautiful, sunny day and everything went off without a hitch. I am so honoured to have been a part of her special day! We are still waiting for the professional photos, so I only have a couple of my own to share...

Heritage Hall on Main Street - historic venue where the ceremony and reception were held. 

Photo booth fun with one of my favourite ladies! <3

Now that I'm back home, I've resumed work on my keyhole/loop-through scarf order for my aunt. Four out of nine are done, but I must step up production to get them finished and mailed by early November and still have time to write up patterns for my latest designs (and block them so I can take nice photos and publish them here).

On Sunday evening I attended a "we survived inventory" tea with some coworker friends and had a great time. Our hostess Nellie put on her own version of a high tea spread, complete with adorable cupcake stands, pretty china, and an amazing assortment of teas and sweets. We had so much fun that we've all decided to try and do something similar each month. Next time we're having our own wine tasting party!

  

Next time I hope to share some more knitting (WIPS and FOs), and maybe another yummy recipe. Hope you're all staying toasty as we enter this lovely cool season! ♥

Autumn is Coming

Hello my dear figs!

This week has been a hectic one at the cottage! Lots of cleaning, visiting with family from Newfoundland, a couple crafty ventures, and this lady has had a rather full week of work. As of today, I am on holidays for two weeks and am really looking forward to some serious relaxation. My dad and I are driving to Vancouver for a holiday to visit my brother, and also for me to take part in a close friend's wedding as one of the bridesmaids!

Here's a few snaps of what I've been up to this past week!

Another of the loop-through/keyhole scarves, this time in moss stitch. I've had this Sublime Angora Merino for ages and thought it would nice made into a wee scarf. Will likely be casting off tomorrow once we hit the road.

A bit of new woolly excitement... a girlfriend (and fellow knitter/yarn addict) let me borrow her drop spindle to try out hand-spinning my own yarn. I don't know the maker or brand of it, but it's a top whorl spindle, not too heavy, and was nice to use. I feel like I got the hang of using it rather quickly, and was able to spin up a mini skein of worsted(ish) weight yarn. I could tell there was too much twist in the yarn because when I took it off the spindle it still twisted up on itself. A warm bath helped relax the fibres a bit, and I hung it to dry with a big can of beans weighing down the hanging loop. Next morning it was dry and more manageable. I then twisted it up into the wee stubby skein you see below :)

There has been a big change in our weather recently, too. AUTUMN IS COMING! That precious summer sunshine has been replaced with grey skies and cooler temperatures. Autumn is my favourite season and I'm so excited for sweater weather, cozy blankets, hot cocoa, and pumpkin (spice) everything. Just the other night I was craving something sweet to have with a cup of tea and saw a picture of these bars on Tumblr. 

Clicking the link was a bad (or very good) idea and I had to make them. I give you SOFT AND GOOEY LOADED S'MORES BARS, from the gorgeous blog Averie Cooks. If you've got a sweet tooth, be sure to click through and see all her other drool-inducing recipes. Here's my finished batch after cooling.

So that's all for now. Thanks for stopping by! I'm not sure if I'll get a change to post whilst on holiday but will definitely try! I plan on hitting up a few great knitting shops while in the Vancouver area, and will probably be too excited NOT to share photos with you all! Happy Friday! ♥

Latest WIP

After a few weeks of helping out with charity crafting (of which I regrettably have no photos) I have finally returned to my own projects and designs!

I have completed a practice run of one design and will be writing the pattern with aim to release it here and on Ravelry before Halloween. In addition I also cast on this little beauty with some extra Cascade 220 and think I may write a pattern for it too! 

Today was also super exciting, as my aunt who is visiting from Newfoundland has commissioned me to make scarves as Christmas gifts for all the other aunts on my mom's side of the family! She also bought a couple hats that I've made. I'm so excited! I don't normally take orders/requests for knitting but I know it's a big help to her and then each aunt will have the same lovely, handmade item (albeit in different colours).

Here's a snap of the first one I finished just yesterday!

I'm now winding down for the evening with a big mug of tea, and watching The Hobbit. Happy Sunday! ♥

Back Again

Hoo boy. My apologies to each of you for my long-term, unplanned hiatus. Since my last post a lot has changed at Fig Cottage and I, until quite recently, had found myself a bit too busy and distracted to put any time into this lovely little blog.

Myself and the other residents of Fig Cottage have relocated in recent weeks, and I am feeling the "itch" once again to start focusing more on my crafts. Yes, it's still summer here.... but we've passed the solstice which means that WINTER IS COMING! 

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in some charity crafting via my workplace. Each year the company selects a charity that each individual store can host fundraisers for. This year any collected funds are being donated to local cancer patients and our hospital via the Tree of Life campaign. A half-dozen of the staff at my store (myself included) donated our time and materials, and prepared a large number of hats, plush toys/amigurumi and other knitted/crocheted accessories that we sold on Saturday, July 5. Only half the items sold during the 4 hour sale, but we made $335! All of us were thrilled, and so glad that the funds are staying in the community to help those in need. We will be holding another sale in the fall when woolly things are in higher demand.

I have also been approached by a couple of co-workers to make special order items for them, so that will be an additional $40 contributed to the fund when I finish their items. I plan to sell some of my other handmades to family and friends through the rest of this year, and will be donating a portion of the proceeds to the charity. I'm very excited to be able to help others in need, while getting my name out there a bit more.

Anyhow, I've rambled on long enough. I do hope there are still some figgy followers still hanging around. I won't be posting as often as I was earlier this year but (if I can) I'd like to at least post once a week. I have been working on some other knit designs and will be releasing the patterns later this year. Thanks for all your support so far! ♥

Midweek at the Cottage

Hello lovely figs! I am slacking a bit this week and for that I apologize. Today I'm amalgamating my usual Tuesday and Wednesday posts into one delicious, pretty post. Here we go!

This week, after finishing my plush heart and babouska rose square, I decided to have a go at a different knitting pattern called Ten Stitch Zigzag by Frankie Brown. It was a bit fiddly at first, getting used to a new technique but the pattern is rather easy and well written. Primarily worked in garter stitch, the nice thing about this pattern is that it looks equally pretty in solid or variegated yarn, and there's a neat little stockinette edge that separates each zigzag strip. Here's a shot of my progress so far. I have an idea for a future design that will incorporate this technique, and will be sure to share my progress.

As a detour from the knitting, I got out my cross stitch supplies this week and have been working on this little piece. It will be a rather lumpy character from one of my favourite animated shows. Can you guess which one? :) Totally improvised, I'm not working from a pattern. I just sketched the shape right onto the fabric with light pencil lines and filled in the shape. The purple fill is almost done, and then I will outline and add the face/other features.

OK! Now on to the tasty part. Today I'm sharing what is probably the easiest cookie recipe EVAR. Super fast to make, and does not require (oven) baking. I've been making these for years and they're a nice option when you want something sweet but don't want to spend 30+ minutes in the kitchen. Darling figs, I give you.....

3 MINUTE NO BAKE COOKIES!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3 cups quick oats

Instructions

• In a medium/large saucepan, combine the butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa.
• Stirring frequently, bring mix to a boil over medium heat. Allow to bubble for a couple minutes.
• (Keep a close watch on it, once it starts bubbling you'll need to keep stirring so it doesn't burn.)
• Remove from heat and stir in oats.
• Drop by tablespoons onto wax or parchment paper.
• Let stand until firm. (You can put them in the fridge to help them set more quickly.)

 And that's it! Have a great day! ♥

Show + Tell: Off the Needles

Yesterday's Find was a beautiful crochet project (the Babouska Blanket from Sewing Daises), and I was so excited about the discovery that I cast on a square of my own. It's now finished and, though I didn't have the same yarn/colours, it came out beautifully! It's been a long while since I've crocheted anything using a chart so it took about an hour just for this one square. It is very easy, however, and I can see myself making more at some point.

Over the past few days I have also cast off a couple knitting projects. The first is the Last Minute Slouch by Madelinetosh. The pattern calls for two of her yarns, Eyre and Tosh Sock (worsted and sock) but I don't have either so I substituted Cascade 220 and Patons Kroy Socks, and used a 6mm needle. It came out great! I haven't decided whether to keep it or save it for gift giving later in the year.

The second FO is a lovely, anatomically correct Heart by Kristin Ledgett. The pattern calls for fingering weight yarn but I wanted a bigger heart so I used Cascade 220 and 4mm needles to get a finished measurement of 6x8 inches. I love it! And hope to make a really BIG one to use as a cushion on my bed.

That's all from the Cottage today. Have a great weekend! ♥

Friday Find: Babouska Rose Blanket

Hello dears! Things have been rather busy at Fig Cottage this week and I'm very happy to say THANK GLOB IT'S FRIDAY!

Earlier this week I was browsing on Tumblr and came across a lovely crochet project called the Babouska Rose Blanket, created by a very talented gal named Heidi, and posted on her blog Sewing Daisies.

I fell in love with the beautiful rose motif and her amazing use of colour in the blanket, and have decided that I want to try making some of these squares as well. There is no written pattern, but there is an image that charts the construction of the motif. Click the link above to view the image on her blog. It is so pretty! In addition to the blanket, I think these squares would also make a lovely cushion cover.

I think I may just cast on a square while I wait for my goodies in the oven to bake. Do pop by again tomorrow for Show + Tell to see the result, as well as a couple other FOs from this week. Happy Friday! ♥

Kitimat Toque Pattern

Hello my dears! Today is the day! I was hoping to have shared this pattern yesterday but my test knits weren't quite finished. This is my first (blog) published knit pattern ever, and I'm hoping it receives the same enthusiastic response as last week's Little Stars crochet pattern/tutorial.

This toque was inspired by the climate of British Columbia's north coast, a region that experiences long winters and receives a great deal of rain each year. The original colours used were white and grey, to represent the chilly weather, but I thought it would be fun (while test knitting) to swap the grey for some more cheerful colours. Don't they look lovely!

"Kitimat" toques, in size small, large, extra large.

Knit in the round and employing simple stranding colourwork, Kitimat includes instructions for FOUR sizes, to fit most heads in any family. Small will likely be too big for infants, but if you roll up the brim it may work! Otherwise, small is for toddlers. Medium should fit most children, or teens with small heads. Large will fit an average adult head. And extra large will fit well on.... well, extra large noggins (like mine)!

To view, download or print the pattern please click HERE!

EDIT: I've gotten messages from a couple people stating that they were unable to view the PDF. I have added the pattern here, please see below for written instructions.

Materials
Patons Classic Wool Worsted, 1 skein each of colours 202 Aran (A) / 224 Grey Mix (B)
4mm and 4.5mm circulars (40cm) or DPNs
Stitch marker, tapestry needle

Size
Small (Medium, Large, Extra Large)

Gauge
20 stitches = 10cm/4 inches, on 4.5mm needles

Abbreviations

K knit  \  P purl  \  st(s) stitch(es)  \  M1 make one (with L needle, lift bar between sts from the front and knit through back loop)  \  k2tog  knit two together  \  [  ]  repeat to the end of round

Special notes
The largest size requires no more than half a skein of each colour so full skeins aren’t necessary, but do take care to ensure you have enough if using scrap yarn! If using Patons Classic, you should be able to make two XL hats and have a bit of each colour left over. For the stranded body of the hat, the instructions indicate how many stitches to knit in a given colour. Example: [K1B, K3A]. This means knit one in colour B, knit 3 in colour A, and repeat to the end of the round.

Instructions
With 4mm needle and colour A, cast on 72 (80, 88, 96) stitches using the long tail method. Join to work in the round, placing stitch marker at the start of the round. Knit 9 (10, 11, 12) rounds of 1x1 ribbing. Switch to 4.5mm needle.

Increase round: Knit  9 (10, 11, 12), M1. Repeat to the end of the round. 80 (88, 96, 104) stitches on the needle.

Work 3 (4, 5, 5) rounds of stockinette stitch, then follow the steps below to complete the stranded portion of the hat.

BODY 1.  [K1B, K3A] 2.  Knit 4 rounds in A 3.  K2A [K1B, K3A] K1A 4.  Knit 3 rounds in A 5.  [K1B, K3A] 6.  Knit 2 rounds in A 7.  K2A [K1B, K3A] K1A 8.  Knit 1 round in A 9.  [K1B, K3A] 10.  Slip 1 purlwise, K1B, K1A [K3B, K1A] K1B 11.  Knit 1 round in B 12.  [K1A, K3B] 13.  Knit 2 rounds in B 14.  K2B, K1A [K3B, K1A] K1B 15.  Knit 3 rounds in B 16.  [K1A, K3B] 17.  Knit 4 rounds in B 18.  K2B, K1A [K3B, K1A] K1B

Crown Cut the yarn for colour A only, leaving a tail to weave in. You’ll now be working strictly with colour B. Small (Medium, Large, Extra Large) = begin decreases with step 4 (3, 2, 1) Knit one round then: 1.  [K11, k2tog]  (96) 2.  [K10, k2tog]  (88) 3.  [K9, k2tog]  (80) 4.  [K8, k2tog]  (72) 5.  [K7, k2tog]  (64) 6.  [K6, k2tog]  (56) 7.  [K5, k2tog]  (48) 8.  [K4, k2tog]  (40) 9.  [K3, k2tog]  (32) 10.  [K2, k2tog]  (24) 11.  [K1, k2tog]  (16)

Finishing
Cut yarn, leaving a tail, and draw it through the remaining stitches. Pull the tail gently to close up the top of your hat. Weave in all ends. If desired, block to relax the fabric and smooth out any ripples.

The pompom is optional, but it does add a nice touch! Make one in any size you wish, fluff it up, trim any stray/long bits, and use the tails from tying it together to attach to the finished hat with a simple knot. Weave in the tails and wear! ♥

I'd love to see your finished hat, please share a photo or two with me if you make one for yourself! ♥

TGIF

Woohoo, happy Friday! I'm absolutely delighted to tell you that I made my designer debut on Ravelry last night with my Little Stars pattern. In only 12 hours it had over 20 favourites and was added to a few queues! It's a small accomplishment but I am absolutely over the moon about it!

I went yarn shopping today and stocked up a little for some other design ideas. I am taking the weekend off from blogging to do some swatching and to finish writing my first knit hat pattern. I hope to have it published here on Sunday or Monday. So excited!

Have a lovely weekend!

Little Stars

Do you have an abundance, even a just a little, of scrap worsted weight yarn? You do?
Well, today I prepared a tutorial/pattern on how to make lovely little crocheted stars. I've tried out a few other patterns in the past but didn't like them, so I created this one instead! Here are a couple photos to get your creative cauldrons bubbling...

Little Stars can be crocheted in one or two colours, and they are so quick and easy to make. Just today I made nearly enough to make a little garland! If desired, you could also make smaller or larger stars by increasing/decreasing the size of the crochet hook and weight of the yarn. 

In addition to using them for a garland, they would also look great stitched onto a plush toy, or onto a child's sweater as wee elbow patches. Another nifty idea would be to felt them, but I haven't tried that yet. If you do, be sure to send me some photos!

To view, download, or print the tutorial PDF, click HERE! 

Happy crafting! ♥

Bake Day: Chewy Ginger Cookies

Mmmmmmm, soft ginger-packed cookies are my absolute favourite. Normally I save making them for christmas but the weather here has been so dreary of late that I think I may have to make them again very soon. These cookies take more work than the ordinary chocolate chip or peanut butter cookie, but the sweet spiciness of them is sure to warm and comfort you. They are a labour of love, and they are SO worth the effort.

Ingredients

• 2¼  cups all purpose flour
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• 2½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped 
• 2 tsp fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated
• ¾ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• ½ cup butter, room temp
• ½ cup vegetable shortening
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup of raw or sanding sugar

Instructions

1. Arrange racks in lower and upper thirds of oven, then preheat to 350F.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or use a silpat if you have one).
3. Chop up the crystallized ginger into fine pieces and put aside.
4. Peel the fresh ginger (I use this method), then finely grate it and put aside.
5. To a medium bowl add flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, salt, and pepper. Give these ingredients a good whisking and then put aside.
6. To a large bowl, add butter, shortening and brown sugar. Beat on medium/high speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minuets). Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix again for a moment.
7. Add the grated ginger, vanilla, egg, and molasses to the large bowl. Beat on low speed until just combined. I switch from electric mixer to wooden spoon at this point, but it's optional.
8. Add the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until just combined. 
9. Finally, add the crystallized ginger and stir through. The dough should be soft and sticky.
10. Put the raw/sanding sugar in a bowl, and prepare to get your hands a bit dirty!
11. With a regular teaspoon, scoop dough by the heaping spoonful and drop into the sugar bowl. Turn to fully coat each blob, then gently roll each one into a nice ball.
12. Place balls on cookie sheets, 2-3cm apart, fitting 12 to a sheet.
13. Put in both sheets, one on the top rack, one on the bottom rack, and bake for 12 minutes.
    
    Make sure you rotate the cookie sheets halfway through baking!!
14. Cookies are done when the edges are firm and the centres appear cracked. Transfer to wire racks and let cool. Let the sheets cool a bit before putting new cookies on them.
15. Repeat steps 11-14 until dough is used up. Feel free to have a sample or two while you bake the rest. If you run out of raw/sanding sugar, don't despair -- use plain white sugar, or leave them naked!

These cookies freeze very well, so they are a great option to make ahead of a special occasion or event. I hope you love them as much as I do! Happy baking. ♥

WIP: New Hat Sneak Peek

Hello dear figs! I've been anxiously waiting to show you this week's WIP, a new toque design that I started over the weekend, and am quite happily making good progress on it despite a short interruption from the local internet fix-it fairy today. This lovely head topper will be finished tonight, and I'll be blocking it tomorrow to open up those swooshy, curvy cables a bit. I just love cables, how about you?

I have a few name ideas for this one, all inspired by certain families/locations from the Game of Thrones series. The completed pattern will be available for this toque soon(ish), so be sure to pop back in within the next couple weeks to check it out! ♥

Peace, Rest, Quiet

Today is a slow day. A day of solitude, cozy blankets, and quiet activity. Considering it still looks like this outside....

.... I figured it a great day to make a big pot of warming, hearty soup, full of chicken and rice, lots of leftover vegetables and a good punch of garlic and ginger...

... and to enjoy some simple pleasures.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing a new knitting WIP. I hope you'll come by and sit a spell. ♥

Sunday Funday

Whew, what a week!

Over the past few days I've been quite busy and so was very happy to have a really good sleep in today. Sunday Funday began by enjoying a couple episodes of Adventure Time while still in bed... it is fast becoming one of my favourite shows!

After getting up and enjoying a large cup of tea, I proceeded to enjoy some serious cuddle time with the cottage's furry inhabitants, (clockwise from top left) Itsy Bits, Bella, Kelso, and Gizmo.

After tea and snuggles I decided to be somewhat productive and managed to get some fabric pressed and cut to make more of these hot/cold relief packs. The ones pictured below were given as Christmas gifts and everyone loved them! I've been trying to come up with a cute name for them... Cottage Comfort Packs? I don't know. Do you have any ideas? Feel free to make a suggestion in the comment section at the bottom of this post! :)

After the fabric prep, I enjoyed a nice Skype date with my lovely mom before heading out to support our local hockey team. (We won, 5-4. Tense game.)

Now it is past 7:00 pm, dinner is cleared away, and I'm settling down for the evening to continue knitting. I hope you've had an enjoyable, relaxing weekend as well! ♥

Show + Tell: Header and Knit Design

I have been knitting since 2008 but, sadly, in the past I didn't take the time to prepare patterns for any of my own designs. I'm happy to say that I am working to remedy that lack of pattern-y goodness, because I want to share my work and love of knitting with others. Starting now (let's call it a belated resolution), I have vowed to myself that I will keep good notes and draft up proper patterns as I create new knits. In time, all of my patterns will be available here on the Fig Cottage blog, and on Ravelry as well.

Now! On to the show and tell part!

First, the pretty new header/banner that graces the top of this blog. I wanted to keep it neat and simple, so there wasn't too much going on to clash with the floral wallpaper, and (I think) I accomplished that. The font was a lucky find, and the branches/pine cones seemed appropriate to represent where I live. In the future I may revise the banner but for now it's pretty great!

Second, I'm so happy to share this recent knit design. I'm still making a couple little tweaks to my notes but this lovely toque is one of my favourite FOs of recent months. I'll be publishing the pattern here next weekend. (So excited!) ♥

Friday Finds: Fandom Knit Pattern

Hello dears, happy Friday!

I'm very excited because I've been waiting to share this week's Friday Find, and the day is finally here! Now, seeing as I've somehow** wound up with a magical theme this week, this particular find is quite fitting. It's a lovely Harry Potter fandom knit and, though it's not a new pattern (online since December 2011), it is new to me. I was visiting Ravelry on Tuesday, found it, had a fantastic fangirl/geek out moment, and added it to my queue straight away. Dear figs, I give you... The Ron Weasley Blanket.

Lovingly researched and recreated by pattern author Jackie Wierzbicki, this is an amazing patchwork quilt type of knit, constructed with beautifully coloured squares of garter stitch. Jackie used screen captures from the movies Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, and Order of the Phoenix, as well as pictures taken of the blanket on display in Harry Potter: The Exhibition to construct this pattern. 

I am so thrilled that someone took the time to prepare this pattern, and I can't wait to cast on my first square. This is something that will take a long time (for me) to knit, because I want to get the colours as close as possible to what's seen in the movies. This may mean it'll take as long as a year, maybe more, but I won't be deterred. I hope you won't either! ♥

**It was totally intentional.

Tutorial: Harry Potter Light Switch Cover

It's pretty well known to everyone in my family and circle of friends that I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. I've read the books, watched the movies, and sometimes I geek out playing Pottermore or admiring HP fan art and collectibles online. Sometimes I wish that Hogwarts was real but, since it isn't, I've come up with this nifty decor idea that will help transform any muggle room or house into a place that's a wee bit more magical.

Materials

• newspaper (one or two sheets)
• light switch cover 
• paper graphics
• I used an image of a page from 'Advanced Potion Making' (seen in HP & The Half Blood Prince), which you can find a photo of online. The lumos/nox images I made on my computer. How? Find a suitable image of antique paper (Google) and resize in Paint, Photoshop or similar. The font, "Lumos", is available on the MuggleNet website for free. Add the text to your antique paper image and print!
• If you don't want a Harry Potter cover, you can use anything else you may have on hand: tissue paper, newspaper, a printed image from the web or your computer, magazines, etc.
• mod podge or tacky glue
• 1" foam brush
• x-acto knife or scissors
• pencil 

Instructions

Remove the light switch cover from whatever room you want to adorn (or purchase a new cover from your local hardware store) and put the two screws aside in a safe place.

Print out the potions book page (or other Hogwarts-ish image) and cut out. Make sure it's bigger than the light switch cover! If not, enlarge on the computer and re-print. Then cut out your lumos/nox pieces and put aside. Lay out the newspaper on your work surface to protect it from glue gone astray.

Next, lay the potions page image face down and lay the switch cover on top, also face down. Use your pencil to trace the shape of the hole where the actual switch goes, then with knife or scissors cut just inside the traced line. Keep that centre piece after it's cut out.

Now comes the fun part! Brush the front of the switch cover with glue. With the potions page image still face down, carefully line up the switch cover over it and press into place. Turn the switch cover over and smooth out any ripples or bubbles. Don't worry about covering the screw holes, you'll poke through them later.

Once most of the image is set in place, go around the edges with glue and make sure all the edges are adhered, and tuck the overhanging paper to the back of the switch cover. If desired, cut slits or notches in the inner and outer corners of the paper to make it easier to fold/tuck (see above).

Now you're ready to add the lumos and nox pieces. Mine came out a little bigger than I wanted, but they still look neat! Figure out how you want to arrange them, then glue in place. If desired, you can then cover the whole thing with more mod podge to seal it, but I chose not to. If you do, be sure to poke through the paper into the screw holes first. I did this with a small knitting needle, from front to back.

Allow the switch place to sit and dry for a while.... enjoy a cup of tea (or pumpkin juice) while you wait. Give it at least 15-20 minutes. When ready, take your magical new switch cover and put it back on over the light switch.

You know that cut out piece you put aside from the centre of the switch cover? Well, if you have one of those wide switches like mine, you can (carefully) glue it onto the switch itself. Just keep in mind that the switch itself is not easy to change like the cover. If you live at home with parents, be sure to ask them first!

If you're anything like me, you may be irritated by the way the screws seem to mess up your awesome Hogwart-y decorating. That's where the wonder of acrylic craft paint comes in; grab a fine brush, mix up some "parchment" colour and help those little eyesores to blend in. I didn't have my paints handy when I snapped this photo but will definitely be adding that final touch.

Happy crafting! ♥

P.S. I'd love to see your finished project -- email me a photo!

Bake Day: Magic Banana Bread

Hi there, come on inside and pull up a chair at the kitchen table! Today I'm going to share one of my favourite (and most frequently used) recipes, Magic Banana Bread. I say magic because out of all the banana bread recipes I've tried, this one is the favourite of all who live here at Fig Cottage. Sometimes I let a bunch of bananas go brown on purpose, just so I can make this loaf. Gleaned from a selection of other recipes (including an older one from my mom), and lightly spiced for extra goodness, this recipe is quick to whip up and usually disappears very quickly.
It's magic!

Ingredients

• 4 or 5 medium bananas, mashed (approx 2 cups)
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup butter, melted
• ¼ cup milk
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour + 2 Tbsp
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a loaf pan by lightly greasing then lining it with parchment paper. Allow some overhang of the paper, for ease of removing later. 

In a large bowl, beat egg, mashed banana and melted butter until thoroughly blended, then stir in milk. (This mixture will seem fairly runny, but do not despair.)

Mash 'em good!

Add sugar, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and the three spices to your bowl. Stir until just moistened. If using walnuts or pecans, add them now and gently stir to combine.

Empty your bowl into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. The top will be a rich golden colour.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan, peel away parchment, and let cool fully on a cooling rack.

Before...

... and after!

And that's it!

If your family is anything like mine, you'll probably find a few slices are (magically!) missing before the loaf even finishes cooling off. Enjoy! ♥