LoveLambie - Handmade Irish Crafts Just for You

Harry Potter Irish Connection

2009-07-16T23:16:00.007+01:00

July 15th saw the release of the widely anticipated sixth installment of the Harry Potter series - and the "Half Blood Prince" certainly does not disappoint. With a host of excellent young actors and actresses, we have watched the stars of the films grow up before our very eyes - someone whos just coming into her own in this film however is our very own Evanna Lynch. Lynch is the wide eyed fragile blonde who plays the magical " Luna Lovegood" (pictured here from the "Half Blood Prince", gotta love that girls style!)

For the full breakdown on Lovegood, check out her bio page on the Harry Potter Wiki site

Check out this interview with Evanna on Irelands national station RTE, where she gives her unique insight of the Potter saga. A big thumbs up to Lynch for a wonderful performance, watch out for this lady, she is an amazing emerging Irish talent!

Lovelambie are doing their bit for for Ravenclaw and for Luna 'Loony' Lovegood with their one of a kind Nargle wristwarmers/cuffs/mini gauntlets!

Luna is the kooky and mysterious but fiercely brave friend of Harry Potter - and the Nargles are the creatures that only she ever seems to see, causing mischief and mayhem in their wake. Legend says that Nargles live in mistletoe berries, and as you can see on this design, we have a pair of these cheeky chappies peeping out from behind some mistletoe. Bring their magic with you everywhere you go by having these little critters sitting on your wrists!

Woven from fabulous chunky wool and pure wool strands - in magical purples, blues and greys, they measure 3.5 inches long and 4.5 inches wide (double for entire length around). If you need smaller or bigger ones just let me know and ill design a custom size for you.

These cuffs are adorned with a set of handmade Nargle buttons - to our own unique design, in a dark purple colour.

As with the real thing, each set of Nargle buttons are slightly different and unique, but all to the same design.

Make your friends green with envy this summer and get yourself a pair of Nargle wristwarmers - wear them when you go and see "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince"! Does Luna Lovegood remind you of one of your friends? why not get them a pair as a fantastic unique present?

Irish Easter Traditions - Handmade Hot Cross Buns

2009-04-06T20:25:00.000+01:00

A little Piece of Easter Traditions in Ireland brought to you by lovelambie - Your one stop shop for - Handmade Funky Irish crafts, Handmade Irish knitted items, Handmade gifts for St Patricks day, Springtime and Easter, Blarney, Shamrocks, Luck of the irish, Handmade Irish cooking, Handmade Irish Cakes, Handmade Irish jewellery, Genuine Handmade Irish gifts for a modern world.

For me, one of the unmissable parts of the Irish Easter Tradition is the making of (and eating) homemade hot cross buns. For those who arent familiar with the notion, hot cross buns are soft, doughy spiced buns made with mixed fruit and topped with a dough cross. As part of a (lets be frank, Irish Catholic) Easter celebration they are eaten toasted with a little butter (or just plain) throughout the easter period, in particular on Good Friday.

The symbolism of the cross on the top of the bun, in Christian countries, is of the cross and the cruxifiction, and they are eaten on Good Friday as a rememberence of this. Some say that the idea of eating small crossed cakes dates back to pagan roots, when Saxons ate them to celebrate the moon goddess Eostre.

Make your own hot cross buns using our simple recipe below! Yum!

Irish Easter Traditions - Handmade Hot Cross Bun Recipe (Make your own!)

2009-04-06T20:07:00.003+01:00

Use our simple recipe below for making your own scrumptious handmade irish hot cross buns just in time for Easter Sunday:

You will need the following ingredients:

For the Dough:
15g/½oz fresh yeast
1 tsp sugar
55g/2oz strong white flour
1 beaten large free-range egg
215ml/7½fl oz warm water
450g/1lb strong white flour (and a bit for dusting)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground mixed spice
85g/3oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
85g/3oz sugar
1 zest of a lemon
170g/6oz mixed dried fruit

For the "hot cross" topping
2 tbsp plain flour
vegetable oil, for greasing
1 tbsp golden syrup, gently heated, for glazing

Now for the Making!
1. Mix the beaten egg with enough warm water to make up approximately 290ml/½ pint of liquid.
2. Whisk in the yeast, sugar and flour until the mixture is smooth and well combined, then cover and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.
3. Sieve the flour, salt and ground mixed spice into a large mixing bowl, then rub in the butter using your fingertips. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, then add the sugar and lemon zest to the well and pour in the ferment starter.
4. With your hands, gradually draw the flour at the edges of the bowl into the well in the centre, mixing well with the ferment starter, until the mixture comes together as a dough.
5. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly until smooth and elastic.
6. Carefully work the mixed dried fruit into the dough until well combined.
7. Grease a large, warm mixing bowl with butter. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the prepared bowl, then cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for one hour to prove.
8. Turn out the proved dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knock back the dough. Shape it into a ball again and return it to the bowl, then cover again with the tea towel and set aside for a further 30 minutes to rise.
9. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten slightly into a bun shape using the palms of your hands. Cover the buns again with the tea towel and set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes.
10. Grease a baking tray with butter and transfer the buns to the tray. Cut a cross in each bun, almost cutting all the way through the dough, so that each bun is almost cut into quarters.
11. Wrap the tray with the buns on it loosely in greaseproof paper, then place inside a large polythene bag. Tie the end of the bag tightly so that no air can get in and set aside in a warm place for a further 40 minutes to rise.
12. Preheat the oven to 240C/475F/Gas 8.
13. Meanwhile, for the topping, mix the plain flour to a smooth paste with two tablespoons of cold water.
14. When the buns have risen, remove the polythene bag and the greaseproof paper. Spoon the flour mixture into a piping bag and pipe a cross over the cuts in each bun.
15. Transfer the buns to the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until risen and pale golden-brown. As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, brush them with the hot golden syrup, then set aside to cool on a wire rack.

Voila! Gorgeous Hot cross buns ready just in time for Easter - these would make a perfect easter gift for someone special.

Vintage Irish Whimsies

2009-03-27T18:12:00.002Z

Always looking for new and interesting tit bits for our customers, keep an eye out for the lovelambie shop in the coming weeks for vintage irish finds - vintage irish whimsies that you might find interesting.

we kick off our lot with this vintage miniature pint glass - perfect for a nip of whiskey! watch out for the leprechauns though, they will swipe it for swilling their copious amounts of porter! :)

Make LoveLambie your St Patricks Day Etsy Choice

2009-03-04T20:07:00.001Z

What an honour it is to be picked for the Etsy St Patricks Day Voter!

Please lend your support to a hardworking Irish Colleen in Dublin and vote for my Handmade in Ireland Porter Fruit Cake

To vote, just visit this link

Can LoveLambie do it? YES SHE CAN - with your help :)

Handmade Irish Lambies Just for Ewe

2009-02-09T21:04:00.005Z

Feeling sheepish? Well you have come to the right place!

LoveLambie Handmade irish crafts has created a special line in Lamb inspired items. Why not keep super cosy in the warm of our sheep mittens - or how about our super cute Lamb hat fully equiped with jaunty ear flaps to keep out the cold?

Go on treat yourself - or someone you love, to a little piece of Lambie heaven. You'd be baaah-my not too :)

Handmade Celtic Jewellery - The Perfect Gift

2009-01-26T11:40:00.006Z

We have been working on a beautiful collection of handmade Irish Celtic inspired jewellery pieces - made with modern sensibilities but using celtic inspired motives and shapes.

We handmake the entire item - right down to the findings, so each piece is beautiful and unique. We use sterling silver, and while we have set designs, we will be more than happy to create a custom item. Just email us, we would love to hear from you lovelambie@gmail.com

What a fantastic present these make, for birthdays, anniversaries, any special occasions really. And what about an extra special St Patricks day or St Valentines Day gift?

Check out our full stock list at our etsy shop

Authentic Handmade Irish Cake to die for!

2009-01-26T00:51:00.000Z

What a treat we have in store for you here!

We lovingly make two mouthwatering types of authentic irish cake. You can purchase these on our etsy shop.

- Handmade in ireland Irish Porter Cake

This is a rich fruit cake made with a splash of Irish whiskey, and lashings of Irish porter (or stout, that is Guinness or Murphys). The porter and whiskey give this a fabulously rounded, malty and moreish taste, though it does not taste of alcohol as such. All our ingredients are sourced locally, and in as much as possible, organic. Eating is believing :) This cake is made to a classic age old authentic Irish recipe, here in our studio in Dublin. This cake is a hit at any time of the year, but is historically made for St Patricks Day with the remains being kept in an airtight tin until Easter (as if you would have any leftover with this gorgeous fruity delight!)This was historically sent to Irish immigrants all over the world for St Pats or Christmas from their loved ones at home - why not pick one up for a friend or loved one as a special gift? We will gift wrap in beautiful wrapping for no extra charge.

- Handmade in ireland Dublin Slice Fruitcake

This is a light fruitcake in texture, but packed to bursting with sultanas, cherries, all topped off with toasted almonds. All our ingredients are sourced locally, and in as much as possible, organic. Eating is believing :) This cake is made to a classic age old authentic Irish recipe, here in our studio in Dublin. This is best eaten with your afternoon cup of tea (or morning cuppa, or evening, or middle of the night..)Is genuinely moreish, and genuinely a personal favourite of mine.why not pick one up for a friend or loved one as a special gift? (Thats if you dont eat it all up yourself) We will gift wrap in beautiful wrapping for no extra charge.

Handmade Irish Crafts for the Modern World

2009-01-26T00:41:00.001Z

Your one stop shop for - Funky Irish crafts, Irish knitted items, gifts for St Patricks day, Irish cooking, Irish Cakes, Irish jewellery, Genuine Handmade Irish gifts for a modern world.

LoveLambie are motivated by our own twist on funky designs woven from soulful, local materials. In our studio in dublins oldest historic quarter, we make clothing, accessories, trinkets and all manner of tasty edibles.

Our heritage and Irishness is expressed through our items, but, i would hope, not in a tacky or artificial way. These items are made with love and care, by people living and loving in modern day Ireland. We would like to share it with you through our items.Check out our alternate blog at http://lovelambie.blogspot.com/

Our aim is to create once off pieces of knitted, crafted or tasty loveliness, a treat for you or for someone you love. All our pieces are made with a sense of the individual about them, they are marriages of stitch and soul, Comfort crafts.

Its our favourite time of the year - chilly, frosty mornings and dark bitter cold nights. Cheer yourself up with something tasty to wear or eat! :)All our items come from a smoke and dog/cat free home and if you see something you like but in a different colour or texture, just drop us a little email and we'll see what we have in our bag of tricks for you