Halloween is just around the corner and the shops are full of orange and black things and appropriately a lot of the challenges around at the moment is focusing on Halloween. Cardmakinmamas, One Stop Craft Challenge and Everybody Art Challenge are all hosting a Halloween challenge at the moment!

This is a real digi card this week - the image, sentiment and papers are all digi and they were free - only the black, orange and white card stock, lace and ribbons are from my stash.

This gorgeous little image is this weeks freebie at Bugaboo Stamps and was brilliant to colour with promarkers and a white gel pen. The "Boo" papers came from Shery K Designs - I recoloured it orange before printing. The patterned paper at the bottom of the card came from The Background Fairy and they are all FREE!!! The sentiment was made on Acme Label Maker!

It was national chocolate week last week - so I was told.....but hey not many people need an excuse to eat chocolate!!! This was the boys weekend treat - a chocolate cake, filled with chocolate Ganache, covered with ganache and lots of maltesers, white and milk chocolate buttons and these brilliant orange flavoured chocolate buttons. To finish it all off a big band of a darker shade of milk chocolate (yes that's what it's called from in Aldi)

The cold weather has come with a vengeance - the wind is reminding us that it is Autumn after all! Winter woollies, and homemade soups are going to be featuring quite highly in our house in the coming weeks, as we try to banish the sniffles and colds!!

This weeks challenge over at The Sugar Bowl is a sketch by Gayle along with a picture of her dream kitchen for colour inspiration. I've had this little Sugar Nellie stamp for ages, (I won her for Sugar Nellies first Birthday) and she was all wrapped up in her packaging lovely and new two years plus..........until now! I've coloured her with promarkers, the Green papers have come free with an addition of Papercraft Essentials Magazine, ribbon, gems and pink cardstocks from my stash. The border has been made with a Fiskars border punch. The sentiment is a clear stamp from Studio G Designs.

I am also entering this card in The Totally Gorjuss Challenge which is Ooh La La.....as this little girl just really make you want to say that!!

One Stop Craft Challenge is anything goes......so I am entering her there too!!

Microwave Chocolate Pudding

Because I bake, our house is never short of essential baking ingredients so in moments of family desperation.........when they are swinging on the fridge door looking for something of a dessert nature and a yoghurt will not suffice......this can be prepared, and cooked in less than ten minutes and works wonders!!!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

4 oz self raising flour

4 oz caster sugar

4 oz butter or margarine

2 eggs

8 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons cocoa

up to 4 oz chocolate broken or chopped up roughly - I use what ever I have......chocolate buttons, cooking chocolate, a mix of plain, white and milk chocolate, orange buttons etc

Method

Mix all the ingredients together in an large oven proof container. The pudding will rise to about double size of the uncooked mix.

Place in the microwave and cook on high power for 4-6 minutes. The mixture should be well risen and the middle just a little wet on the top. This will cook through during the cooling period.

Allow to cool in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Remove and serve, either hot, warm or cold with either custard, cream or ice cream.