Mothers and Daughters

As I've mentioned before, Grandma Monkeys and I have a great relationship and I love my now not so little Cheeky Monkeys dearly.  And it was these relationships that inspired the mother-daughter necklace sets which have been so popular in Two Cheeky Monkeys.

And now, due to popular demand, the mother and daughter quotes seen in the necklace sets are now available as keychains!  You will have the choice of ordering individual mother or daughter keychains, or a set including both a mother and a daughter keychain, perfect for gifting to your special mum or daughter.  Would you purchase an individual keyring or a matching set for you and your mum/daughter?

Same, but not

One of the things that I love about handmade items is that no two creations are exactly identical when created by hand.  The differences may only be small, but it's beautiful to know that each handmade item I own is unique in its own little way and not something hundreds or thousands of others will own.

And the same can be said for each of Two Cheeky Monkeys' book and music-inspired creations.  While each music bracelet purchased may have treble and bass clefs and musical notes, each one is uniquely individual because the musical notes chosen aren't identical and the clefs come from different parts of the the musical score, reflecting different key signatures and so on.

So in this vein of thought, let me ask you, what is your favourite thing about handmade items?

More Avengers!

About a month ago I announced that there was to be a new superhero range of buntings added to Domum Vindemia, and showcased an Avengers bunting.  Well, today I am excited to show off three new additions to the range!

I've decided to create buntings with both scallop shaped and pointed shield/pennant shaped flags, though the majority of the superhero range will feature the pennant-shaped flags.  The new additions focus on the stories of the incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor.

The original Avengers bunting has, excitingly, gone to a new forever home.  So I'm now on the hunt for more battered old copies of the story to recreate that bunting as well as hoping to find some superheroine/superwoman stories too.  Which of the new buntings do you love best?

Father's Day Gift Guide

Things have been pretty hectic here at Two Cheeky Monkeys HQ, so I was a little shocked to realise that Father's Day (for us Aussies) is fast approaching!  I love giving Mr Monkeys appropriately geeky gifts, but today I'm sharing a roundup of gift ideas to suit a range of dads, not just the geeky ones.

1. This patchwork R2D2 quilt is perfect for the Star Wars fan.

2. Bake up a batch of Papa Smurf cookies for dad.

3. Something for the old school dad who still prefers to put pen to paper.

4. Help dad to bling up with a pair of cuff links in his favourite colour.

5. Librarian dads can rock a library-themed tie at work!

6. A leather phone case will help dad protect his phone in style.

Calling all bookworms

I realised the other day that I have been creating book-inspired bookmarks for Domum Vindemia for over four years now, and I am so thankful for how well they've been received by everybody!  Today I'm unveiling a new line of bookmarks, perfect for those who don't have a favourite author or literary quote or for gifting to bookworms if you don't know their favourite author.

The first bookmark is for all those who have found themselves still reading a gripping book at 2AM after thinking to themself, "Just one more chapter..."!  The second bookmark is for the bibliophile who despairs of ever having enough time to read all of the books on their "must read" list.  Which one of these bookworms are you?  And which bookmark do you love best?

In my creative space: Swarovski crystals

I recently had the pleasure of designing and creating a lusciously sparkly pair of earrings for my sister's birthday and I can finally show them off to the world!  This simple, but eye-catching pair of earrings was created to match my sister's Pandora bracelet and features ruby-coloured Swarovski crystal chatons.  At 8mm in size, these earstuds are no shrinking violets, but can still comfortably be worn without fear of catching on anything or pulling earlobes until they're sore.

Although I make a lot of vintage and antiqued brass Swarovski earstuds for Two Cheeky Monkeys, this is the first time I've made something similar in silver.  So my question for all of you is: Who would like me to add silver-plated versions of the Swarovski earstud range to the store?  And what colours would you like to see in-store?

Marshmallow rice bubble slice

My Cheeky Monkeys are huge fans of Rice Bubbles for some strange reason, probably because we don't usually purchase it (yes, we're those terrible parents who insist on high fibre cereals).  So when it came to making a fun treat for youngest Monkey to share with her classmates on her birthday, making a rice bubble-inspired treat was the obvious choice.

These sweet treats are ridiculously easy to make; the Monkeys made them on their own with me only intervening when the plastic wrap covering the bowl in the microwave had a minor burst (thankfully no melted marshmallow escaped the bowl!!!) and when they didn't press down the mix evenly enough.  Today I am sharing our super simple recipe with you - have fun creating sweet treats with your little ones!

Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups Rice Bubbles
- 200g marshmallows (purists might like to only use white marshmallows, but I say use whatever you've got)
- 100g butter, chopped
- hundreds and thousands (we used Monster 5s sprinkles)

Method
1. Grease a 23x27 cm slice or lamington pan.  Line with baking paper, making sure the paper extends a few centimetres past each edge.  Don't worry if your pan is a little smaller, you'll just have a thicker slice to eat!


2. Place the Rice Bubbles into a large bowl and set aside.  Place the marshmallows and butter into a medium-sized microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high (100%) in 30 second bursts, stirring after each round until mixture is smooth.  This should take 1-2 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave.

3. Add the marshmallow mixture to the Rice Bubbles and stir well.  Press the mixture firmly into the prepared pan, making sure to spread the mixture as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle the Rice Bubble slice with the hundreds and thousands (or whichever sprinkles you're using).  Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

4. Cut the set slice into bite-sized squares or bars and serve on a fun dessert pedestal or place in patty pans to delight little ones!

Notes:
- It is not necessary to use the Kellogg's brand of Rice Bubbles for this recipe; using an alternative brand (such as Nestle's Rice Pops) should not affect the taste or consistency of the slice
-  I highly recommend using a good brand of marshallows (e.g. Pascall brand) as this does affect the taste of the rice bubble slice
- You can decorate your rice bubble slice with anything fun: think drizzled chocolate, silver cachous or any other sprinkles you can find in the cake decorating aisle at your supermarket