Get ready for the heatwave!!!

In the mid 1990's me and a fellow work mate discovered a bar in Soho called the Big Easy which made the most amazing iced cocktails.
This was our pre "hitting the town" place which we visited almost every Friday night and it was there that we fell in love with the Frozen Margarita!

Fresh, zingy, fruity and strong without being a knock out... it has just enough tequila to get you started for a long night of dancing!
I'm sure most people will have at least heard of frozen Margaritas, that's if they haven't ever tried one in one guise or another, but it's a classic which is a favourite in our house.
It's not only a thirst quenching frozen fruit based beverage but I'm sure it also counts as two of your five a day healthy eating fruit and veg deal! OK it's got watermelon and lime but it's got alcohol too so it's as healthy as it can be... and you know what they say "all things in moderation"!
So if you enjoy a little snifter but don't want to be legless then this is the one for you.
Please remember to drink responsibly and especially during a heatwaves you'll also need to drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated.
This is also a great party alternative for anyone who doesn't drink but likes a pretty alcohol free cocktail to sip! 

Frozen Watermelon Margarita Cocktail recipe...though you can make all sorts of varieties including strawberry which is also delicious!

What you'll need:
A hand or cup blender
Ice cream maker / or a large heavy plastic container which is freezer safe and a fork

Ingredients:
Watermelon
Lime (about 4 if you are making a large jug for plenty of friends)
Sugar syrup -add 2 table spoons of sugar to 3 tablespoons of boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved and leave to cool.
Tequila
Rock salt (I used fleur de sel as it has a softer taste but it's still nice and salty!)
Still water

Instructions:
In a large cup place your chopped and deseeded watermelon and the juice of one lime, blend until smooth. I used a large wedge about 400grams of watermelon which will be enough to make enough granita for a large jug. Though please make sure it fits the capacity of your ice cream maker.
Add the cool sugar syrup and stir well. I purposely haven't added too much sugar as the watermelon I had was already nice and sweet!

Place the watermelon juice into the ice cream maker and follow instructions -you should have a granita setting or instructions in your product manual that will tell you how to do this.
On my ice cream maker it took only 10 minutes.
If you haven't one then follow instruction as above but place your watermelon juice in a large plastic container. Place in freezer, remove every couple of hours and using a fork lift up the frozen watermelon juice to form fluffy ice crystals until it's the consistency of a granita. This will take a little work but it's worth it!!!

Once your granita is ready and you're ready to make your cocktail place 1 measure of tequila per person/serving, the remaining fresh lime juice and top up with cold still water in a large jug and mix. The water will loosen the mix so it's ready to drink but don't water it down too much as you're looking for something that will slowly melt but is nice and thick too.

Take your cocktail glasses and gently squeeze a cut lime segment around the rim of your glass.
In a small plate place enough rock salt to coat a few glasses, turn your cocktail glass upside down and twist over the salt. The lime juice will serves as a glaze and will hold the salt to the glass. Even if you are having a virgin Margarita the salt is still a must... it really does help bring out the natural sweetness of the watermelon!
Pour into your cocktail glass, decorate with a couple of frozen raspberries, a sprig of mint and some cocktail umbrellas or colourful straws.
Cheers!

Feeling fruity!

So that's it, finally spring has sprung and that means summer is on its way!
Aw man, the prospect of warmer weather, eating beautiful and bright summer fruit and the option to wear only one layer has made me giddy with excitement  though it's also made me think about accessories that I can wear to liven up my wardrobe staples.
Instead of spending a fortune on new clobber this summer I'm going to recycle, remake, create a few key pieces which I can mix and match and wear confidently with the knowledge that I'm not adding to the huge global problem (waste, unfair/ unsafe conditions and exploitation in the textile industry etc. etc. etc)....

Though this a very little gesture it can also be a step in the right direction. We definitely need to make do and buy less.
And because of that I came up with this cute little diy tutorial which I think looks just fab with my stripey top and will fit with other bits and bobs I already have in my wardrobe!
Plus as it's also made from fabric scraps that means no wastage here!

I think it looks pretty good with stripes, block colours and/or patterns too...What do you think, how will you wear yours?

So why watermelons?

A) they are very of the moment (hooray finally!!!) and B) watermelons are one of my favourite all time fruits so if you are a lover of the ruby red, super juicy, super sweet sphere of gorgeousness... then join me in wearing it with pride!

What you'll need:

*fabric
*felt (red/pink & green)
*interfacing
*ribbon
*thread & embroidery thread though you can opt to use a fabric pen (Black)
*a bright yellow bead -or a button
*pins, sewing needle and scissors
*sewing machine -though you can use fusible fabric if you don't fancy sewing it.

How to make it:

Step 1: 

Print out the pattern and cut as indicated... you'll need 2 x red felt shapes, 2 x green felt shapes and 2 x pink fabric shapes which should be backed with interfacing

Step 2: 

Embroider the watermelon seeds or use a fabric pen to draw these on...

embroidered

drawn on with a black fabric friendly pen

*This is your front and the back... The shapes will be layered over each other so you'll notice they are slightly different sizes. Though you can trim if you need to...

Step 3: 
Pin into place and sew... I've used a black thread so you can see what I'm doing but if you want a super neat look you'll need to use red and green thread as needed...
You can also use fusible fabric if you don't want to see any stitching or if you haven't a sewing machine at hand.

Step 4: 
Overlap slightly the edges of the middle of the collar. Check in the mirror to see how it sits on your neck/chest. Sew a few stitches so they (the two segments) are kept in position. Finish off with a bead.
*I've used a bright yellow bead to give it a little extra cute umpf BUT you can leave it plain or use a button instead...

Step 5:
Sew on the ribbon to the reverse of the collar on both outer edges of your collar. This is your fastening.
Note: I've dabbed a bit of fabric glue on the edge of the ribbon to stop it from fraying but you can use metal chain, chunky plastic chain or even a leather thong with a lobster claw fastener.
(Also see the post make notes on the print out pattern!)

Step 6:
Tie around your neck and wear it like a fruit loving chicka!
I would have gone for the whole Carmen d'Miranda look but I'm saving that for summer...
Hum, what about a fruity head piece for our next tutorial? Now there's a great idea!

P.S. And you don't have to stop there, you can adapt this tutorial to make many fruity based collars! So think of any fruit which can be segmented like:
Apples, pears, lemons, oranges or even a couple of mini bananas would look awesome so just go for it.
Now you're set to make fun accessories which are totally Tutti Frutti!

Share your creations with us on twitter, tag us (@craftguerrilla) and post with the hashtag #CraftLovers and we'll re-tweet your amazing handy work!