My blog is the perfect representation of my life… a yearning for variety, and the avoidance (at all costs) of a regimented schedule.
The result: one day I will be looting paddocks for discarded, rusty, wire fencing then stuffing wonton wrapper with chunks of dark chocolate (and documenting it all here along the way).
Surprisingly, if you met me in my professional work environment, I am quite the opposite…. focused, running from meeting to meeting, hitting deadlines – very regimented! It’s taken me a while, but I’ve finally realised I am the opposite at home in an attempt to keep some kind of sanity balance in my life.
I’ve always wondered what people think of my blog, why they read it, and do I make readers dizzy jumping from fondants to chair painting?
That’s why it was such a thrill to have been nominated not once, but twice by two very talented, fellow bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award… and a relief that at least two people out there enjoy my versatility, here’s what The Common Tarte wrote to accompany their nomination:
Hey Bernice:Awesome blogger, food, crafts, creations left right and center. Sassy with class and wit, and some really fantastic ideas that I can’t wait to start trying.
Thanks L.J Simms from The Common Tarte… I obviously don’t make you dizzy with my blog topics.
The second nomination came from Mama Miyuki Easy Pansty (how I love that blog name, it makes me smile every time)
I do have some obligations as a recipient of this nomination (not quite as demanding as Miss Australia’s – but it’s all relative!), so here goes…
THE AWARD RULES AND REGULATIONS!!
You must state and link your Nominator(s). [done √ ]
You must tell everyone 7 things about yourself.
You must nominate 15 Blogs and let them know
7 things about me…
This must be an omen, 7 just happens to be my lucky number (I loved the 7-times table when I was younger).
I met my wonderful husband on an online dating site (before it was widely accepted to do so, thus making us so cutting-edge!)
I don’t eat meat off the bone (lamb shanks, chops, chicken wings, drumsticks) or chicken thighs, only chicken breast… I know – that’s really weird isn’t it?
When I was fifteen I co-authored a book with my father called ‘Your future success – a students guide to effective study’ it led to interviews on national live TV, and a multitude of radio stations.
If only I still looked that young a sprightly!
I absolutely adore my dog Jack, and sometimes think we have met in a previous life… making him almost human.
I played State level waterpolo in my teens.
I absolutely LOVE bacon, but it must be crispy… none of that uncooked fat around the edges… Oh, and chorizo too.
Now for my nominations…
1. Today’s Nest
I love this blog about ‘Modern life, home, food, art and design’… especially the new videos they have been doing… LOVED the cheeky Truffle making video. And the guide to Spring cleaning was great.
2. Colour me happy A very recent discovery. Loved The 31 Days of March feature… taking photos of numbers for each day of March… The imagery in the blog is beautifully captured, and displayed under different topics.
3. Twirling Betty
My dear childhood friend, and the inspiration behind starting Hey Bernice! Twirling Betty will make you smile with her stories and observations (used to described her latest crafty exploit, cooking experiment, or family) – something that makes you smile is very addictive! (That’s why I love my husband so much)
4. Tinkerlab Ever since I can remember I have been making and creating things… I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I have discovered this site as a child…. Heaven comes to mind. So many ideas for kids activities, so little time. I love the marble run made with paper rolls.
5. Seventy Tree
There is something magical about the way Seventy Tree captures the everyday with her camera. We are blessed (through her blog) to see life through her eyes… there is beauty in everything around us, we juts need to be reminded.
6. Poppytalk A Canadian design blog that inspires me with every post. I love that there might be a recipe one day, a DYI project the next, a collection of photos around a theme the next.
7. Bright Bazaar I stumbled across this blog via Pinterest. Being the visual person that I am I was lured in by all the bright colours in the images pinned – I’m trying to bring more colour into my life now I live by the coast, and this blog inspires me to do so.
I am going to give you the remaining eight blogs in a part II of this post… I really want to think about this properly. This post has already taken me over a month to complete – I know… I’m getting very slack these days!! My chief helper and I have been struck-down with gastro this week… so I figured better a half-done post than none at all!
I have to share with you my latest acquisition. When shopping in Geelong (which is the closest big town to my seaside location) I spied a large skip (dumpster) on the side of the road. If you have read any of my previous posts you will know that I am no stranger to retrieving things from skips – this day was no exception!
Naturally there needs to be something worth rummaging for in the skip, I don’t just fossick without intent. Although it would be foolish to rule out intent-less fossicking completely – one day.
This skip had the remains of a shop fit-out in it (another victim of the retail slump), and sitting on top of all the wood, plasterboard and other debris were all the letters from the shop sign – BINGO!
So I parked the pram (where my chief helper was fast asleep – pictured in helping mode above) and proceeded to climb the side of the skip. To put things into perspective, the top of the skip was higher than me.
Yes, I did attract some attention from sidewalk diners not far from the scene. I allowed my internal voice to convince me that they were simply jealous that I saw the letters before they did, and continued on my way.
I scored a large ‘O’, and smaller ‘f’, ‘h’ and ‘a’.
I donated the ‘O’ and ‘f’ to Oliver and Flynn two of my chief helper’s buddies, kept the ‘h’ for my chief helper Heidi (which I will decorate down the track and share with you), and used the ‘a’ as a book-end…
I was a little upset later that day. It really concerns me that there was probably so much more in that skip that many people would have found useful, yet it was going straight to the tip… it’s got my mind ticking over.
Months ago I re-covered 2 canvases with burlap (I didn’t like the creation from a previous crafty exploit).
I had two ideas for these two new burlap canvases, but couldn’t decide.
Many would describe me as having a ‘thing’ for butterflies and birds. Previous ramblings featuring birds and butterflies are testament to that.
Before making a decision between these two beautiful creatures, I wanted to see what they looked like on the canvases, so created them both in a kinda draft format (so excuse all the pins holding everything onto the canvas).
There has been a gap of three months between the first option and the second.
Rather than get my nickers-in-a-knot making the final decision, I thought I’d let my blog readers decide for me.
**MILD PANIC SETS IN ***
What if I am overestimating how many of you there are, or even worse, how much you care about my burlap canvas?
I have chosen to soldier on with the idea, despite this major concern… I know you won’t disappoint (wink, wink… nudge, nudge!)
Ta-da…. Presenting the two options for you to choose from…
1. Butterflies - I completed the first option at Christmas and took photos of it.
I used a butterfly-punch to cut butterflies from old atlas pages, then pinned them onto the canvases. I did add a few metal butterflies (which I hand cut), for a little interest.
2. Birds – I completed these last week. I chose some very colourful quilting fabric. Then painted the back of the fabric with craft glue (to stiffen it, and to allow me to cut the fabric without it fraying – once it was dry). I got my bird inspiration from some stencils pinned on my Crafty Ideas board on Pinterest.
You can leave a comment below with your preferred option, vote in the top right corner of this page, or simply click on the VOTE button below and whisked away to my facebook page to place your official vote…
Surprise me, and cast a vote… but more importantly help me decide what ends up on my wall!
If you spend a little time on Pinterest (especially in the the DIY and crafty areas) you would most certainly have stumbled across the use of old plates or pie tins and candle sticks to make a cupcake stand.
Let’s face it, we all have old plates and candle sticks ‘floating’ around the house, that we NEVER use! And if you are lucky enough not to, take yourself down to your local thrift shop and you can probably pick some up for under $5 (or knock on your neighbours door and ask them to donate some of their ‘floaters’ to you!)
Ingenious was my first impression. You’ve probably noticed I get over-the-top-excited about an upcycling project… So much so that I wanted to give it a go myself.
The two things I love about upcycling…
1. That I can take something that most people would throw away and turn it into something I will use in my home, and love.
2. Keeping what you chose to upcycling out of landfill
3. [Actually there are three things....] stopping myself from buying something new when I really don’t need to.
You can view more of my recent upcycling inspirations on my Upcycling Board on Pinterest:
I gathered my ‘floaters’ from around the house, and filled any gaps with a couple of items from the thrift store. I worked out that the lighter the material each piece is made from the better. I glued my bits together, so weight was important. I chose to use two plates. You can have more than that, it looks great as they gradually get smaller as you go higher.
Using craft glue (or any other strong glue) I glued the wooden candle stick to the bottom plate (which was actually a tray, made of tin and very light)…
As a side note… I quite liked the saying on the tray “Friends are flowers in the garden of life”
I glued a narrow vase to the smaller glass plate….
Once both were dry (and secure – it pays to test the strength of your gluing. Sometimes you need to do it again, I did!). I then glued the wooden candle stick to the bottom of the glass plate…
As you can see there are no rules when making these… do as many tiers as you like, use what ever you can find, and you don’t even need to paint them. For my purpose there was so much going on with her cupcakes, I needed something neutral to hold them.
Go one, make an upcycler of yourself… create something to hold all the chocolate eggs this Easter, or the hot cross buns, then you can re-use it all year round.
Cheats chocolate fondant was my first attempt to master desserts in 2012 (I proudly announced my New Years resolution a few moths ago)…
I would hardly label this attempt as mastering. As the recipe title suggests [cheats], if you get it wrong it will still come out right!
Brilliant. I needed something that would boost my confidence, easing me into this accuracy challenge. To put the pressure of this challenge into perspective, here’s a saying my mum would recite to me when I was younger (and she still does occasionally now)….
“scratch-patch, rub-a-dub, near enough, good enough Bernice”
I can be an obsessive perfectionist with some things, and others (like cooking) accuracy and measuring is simply not my thing! If successful, this dessert challenge will teach me to be more accurate and precise when cooking. There is no better way to test that skill than cooking really intricate desserts.
The timing of this dessert challenge is probably not ideal… about a week after announcing I was going to master a long list of desserts using cream, butter and chocolate and all things sweet and full of fat, I accidentally discover I have around thirty gallstones, and have to have my gallbladder removed! For those not aware, the gallbladder is used to inject bile into the stomach to help digest fats… when you have gallstones (crystals in your gallbladder) you are meant to avoid fatty meals that might call on the gallbladder to have to ‘do its thing’. I’d been having small gall-stone attacks for several weeks, but didn’t know what it was. I have since been told that they are as painful as childbirth – I would have to agree after I had a four-hour attack on Friday (my worst yet), and I am still worn-out from it two days later! I am booked in to have it removed in two weeks, so please forgive me if I am a little quiet leading up to and after the operation.
Back to desserts, I cooked these fondants last weekend for a lunch we were hosting, and learned later that night that they should be placed on the ‘foods to avoid’ list when you have gallstones… but isn’t that what makes them SO tasty, all the butter, chocolate and ice-cream?
Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F).
Place the flour, sugar, almond meal, eggwhites, butter and melted chocolate in a bowl and mix well to combine.
Spoon half the mixture into 4 x ½-cup capacity (125ml) lightly greased dariole moulds.
Divide the extra chocolate squares between the moulds and top with the remaining mixture.
Bake for 20–25 minutes or until cooked but soft in the middle.
Stand in tins for 5–7 minutes before turning out.
I served the fondant with icecream I had whipped-up. Using good quality vanilla icecream, I let it melt slightly, then added ground cinnamon and ground cardamon (to taste), stirred the icecream thoroughly, then placed it back in the freezer to re-freeze.
The garnish in the photo was also from the Donna Hay – Chocolate & Cinnamon wontons….
Chocolate and Cinnamon Wontons
16 wonton wrappers
2 tbsp butter, melted
16 small squares dark chocolate
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp fine sugar
Preheat oven to 180C.
Brush the edges of the wonton wrappers with a little butter
Place a chocolate square on one corner of each wrapper (in this photo I used half a Lindt ball, but a piece of dark chocolate worked better on a previous occasion).
Fold over the wrappers (on the diagonal) to enclose the chocolate, then press the edges to seal.
Place on a baking tray (preferably lined with non-stick baking paper to create less mess).
Brush wontons with butter and sprinkle with combined cinnamon and sugar.
Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown & crispy.
I will try not to let me newly discovered medical condition stand in the way of my quest to master desserts… after all, I don’t need to taste the results of my baking, do I? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate test of my desire to achieve baking accuracy? We’ll see…
I’m off to select my next dessert – perhaps I should try a real [minus the 'cheats'] chocolate fondant!!!
We made it…. our (not so little) Heidi is now one! The photo below was taken before all her buddies arrived for her party last weekend. Whilst I love this photo, I prefer the ‘behind the scenes’ shots that show you her true personality…
Wow this is fun sitting on an adults chair…
I can perform all sorts of maneuvers on here…
I’m loving this Mum…
OK, I’ve had enough now, can I hop down please?….
You SO should have listened when I first indicated I had HAD E-N-O-U-G-H!
Enough about the birthday girl, let me take you on a tour of the party food and decorations – Fun, fun, fun…
The Decorations
Whilst not the official theme, butterflies featured a lot in the decorations. As a centerpiece on the table I had a glass pot full of dead branches I had collected from the beach. I covered them in butterflies I had punched from wrapping paper and a miniature bunting to match the cake bunting (you can read more about that down below).
To make the butterflies…
Using a butterfly puncher, you simply slide the paper in and press down like a hole-puncher…too easy!
I then sewed two butterflies together (so there was a pattern on both sides), leaving a string to hang them…
After making all the butterflies I was left with the butterfly-punched-paper… what can I do with that? (mind ticking over…)
I decided to stick them to the paper boxes I was serving the salads in…
Then I served a series of finger food from the BBQ (being so busy cooking and serving I didn’t manage to take photos of all the BBQ food – I’m very annoyed, and terribly sorry about that)…
- Thai pork balls with ginger chilli sauce
These are my Thai chicken burger recipe, except I used pork mince, then rolled into balls and coated in sesame seeds. I half baked them in the oven at 180C, then finished them on the BBQ to give them the colour, and BBQ flavour.
- Moroccan chicken ribs with cucumber & yoghurt sauce
No special recipes here, the ribs were sprinkled in Masterfoods Moroccan seasoning, then cooked on the BBQ – yep, that easy!
- Chipollatas with tomato chutney
These chipolattas are something special, we need to order them from a deli in Geelong, who buy them from the famous butcher Jonathan’s – in Collingwood, Melbourne
I served two salads with the BBQ food, a potato salad (I make-up this recipe, so will follow with a post about this down the track – I need to record the measurements of everything first!), and an Asian Coleslaw (you can use Changs recipe or my recipe for Asian coleslaw) without any meat added. I actually did a hybrid of both recipes on the day (that’s Bernice, always changing the recipe!)
A party is not complete without honey joys… I used this recipe for those…
I also thought I better be responsible, and serve something healthy for the kids to snack on…
Now for the cupcakes…
I had seen a red velvet cupcake recipe attempted on master chef last year, and filed it away as something I would like to try to make one-day. That day arrived, and I whipped them up for Heidi’s party. I used this recipe. I’m not a big cupcake baker (muffins – yes, but very few cupcakes have been turned-out in Bernice’s kitchen). It was a very smart idea of mine to do a trial-run. This is what I discovered in the trial…
- Don’t over-fill the patties, 2/3 full only or they will overflow like volcanoes
- Yes they are ‘red’ velvet cupcakes, but I opted to put only 1 teaspoon of food colouring (of the 1-2 recommended), and they came out looking like chocolate cupcakes (the cocoa obviously won the battle of colour supremacy on that occasion)
So when I did the official baking I put less in the patties, reduced the cocoa slightly, and added more red food colouring…
They are iced with cream cheese icing, my favourite icing of all time (is it sad that I actually have a priority ranking for icings?). I used Pinterest (visit my parties pinterest board) for an injection of inspiration when it came to decorating the cupcakes – resulting in the ribbon, the coloured patties and the little heart on the top. PS. Have a good look at the cupcake stand, I made that too – I will post about that down the track too!
And the cake…
In addition to the cupcakes I made a gluten and dairy free cake (to cater for dietary requirements), this ended up being her birthday cake. I used my trusty flourless chocolate and orange cake recipe, and stacked two cakes on top of each other. I iced the cake with butter icing (using dairy free butter), and then I topped it with Persian Fairy Floss.
The gorgeous cake bunting was made by my very dear friend, and fellow crafter Twirling Betty, it finished the cake off perfectly – making it fit for a princess…
Stay tuned for my future posts about the potato salad recipe (it has a very surprising main ingredient – It will surprise you!) and how I made the cupcake stand from upcycling things from the op shop!
Don’t you hate it when you pat someone else’s dog and the minute you run your hand down their coat you can feel weeks of grime stuck to their coat (and now your hand – Yuck)? You then surreptitiously bring your hand close to your nose hoping it doesn’t smell as bad as it felt. When you realise it does, your single focus becomes how quickly you can excuse yourself to find the bathroom to wash your hands. I am determined not to let anyone experience that with Jack (have I just set myself an impossible task???).
Our ‘little man’ Jack, of the four-legged kind, is a key focus of our life (with no kids of our own yet!). Not having to bathe kids every night we have time to treat Jack to a bath once a week. Those who have a dog of their own are probably wondering how I could describe a dog washing experience as a treat (for Jack or me) .
The trick is in the dog washing apparatus and products used:
A hairdresser-like extension for the tap in the bath with a shower head end to aid in wetting and washing off the soap.
Use good quality dog wash for my enjoyment the benefit of others who will pat your dog.
When we first got Jack we were told that because he was Staffy X we needed to be cautious of his potentially sensitive skin, so we bought Fuzzyard.com.au(a quiet chuckle is expected) which is an organic pet care range. I was surprised to learn that apparentlydogs also require shampoo and conditioner, and that Fuzzyard releases seasonal collections of products for animals – Mercedes fashion week look-out.
The sensitive skin range was oatmeal & mandarin (trés exotic), and cost more than I spend on my own shampoo and conditioner, but what would you expect from a dog wash sold in the exclusive Harrods Department store in London (although 100% Australian owned). The large pump bottle was great, and lasted ages.
More recently my sister has purchased a replacement dog wash for Jack. She made a special trip to our place before Christmas to present this to Jack (not me!) – gift wrapped especially. She raised the bar a little and purchased Aesop Dog Wash. Apparently it was time for a change.
For those not familiar with Aesop (developed in Melbourne, Australia) Aesop is a range of superlative products for skin, hair and body, remaining committed to including the highest-quality plant-based ingredients. The exquisite scents for which Aesop is renowned are an incidental treat.
Quite the treat for humans, let alone our fury friends! So I was (on behalf of Jack) very jealous grateful for this Christmas gift.
Aesop Animal is described as: A mild body and fur wash containing botanical extracts to cleanse even the most delicate animal skins and furs. Animal is formulated with the same research, development and care that we apply to our human product range. Enriched with Lemon Rind, Tea Tree and Spearmint Leaf extracts www.aesop.net.au
We have already used it twice on Jack, and it smells wonderful. Several family members over Christmas have commented on how shiny, and soft his coat is (hmmmm….it must be the spearmint leaf extract). I have been informed by my sister that it can double as a human hand wash, so watch-out Jack you might end up with home brand Dog wash!
Jack loves bath time so much that when we get home from a walk (and he is wet and muddy from wading in the creek) he will walk through the house, down to the bathroom, and jump straight in the bath ready and waiting for the new range of shampoo (or is it the all over rub down after wards?). Who knows what creative organic combination we will try on him next: ‘comquat, rose hip and orange blossom’ or ‘clove, lychee and honeysuckle aged in oak barrels for 5 years’ either way (hopefully) no one will be running to wash their hands after patting Jack.
Aged sixteen I was encouraged to take my first job at a shop called Scullery Made in Malvern, Victoria (www.scullerymade.com.au). Scullery Made sells top shelf cooking utensils imported from Europe, and stocks close to 4000 different items. Try and imagine what it was like at sixteen when a customer would come into the store asking for a mandolin, targine, paring knife, orange carver, mouli, muslin and the list goes on – who would have thought that there were close to 4000 different ‘things’ you can use for cooking, many with very unique or french names never heard before.
Keeping that in mind it may come as no surprise that I was told it wasn’t going to work out at Scullery Made – after my first day!
Almost every item a customer asked for I didn’t know, and when I got too embarrassed to ask the owner (again) to translate to me what the customer wanted (and show me where it was located in the huge and very complicated storeroom), I would venture out to the storeroom on my own to scan the shelves (of 4000 items!) for a name that looked similar to what they had asked for (speedy customer service wasn’t top of mind at that point in time!).
The moral of that story is: There are a lot of Kitchen utensils (more than 4000…) and they have some very strange names, and purposes (and my husband is very concerned about this).
He is concerned because about 2 years ago I started collecting red antique kitchen utensils to hang on our kitchen wall. It started off very casually at first, however I did hear the words ‘becoming an obsession’ muttered by my husband yesterday in an antique store when I was purchasing my 17th item (If only he knew there are around 3950 more out there according to Scullery Made!).
My criteria is very simple … Utensils only eg. something with a wooden handle, that is small enough to hang on my kitchen wall, and red (usually just the handle is coloured). I chose red because I have a fondness for a splash of red in my decor at home, and if I only collected one colour it made the hunt more challenging. Until my recent travels in the last week my kitchen wall looked like this: With a knife, mouli, piping/decorating utensil, fish scaler, butter whip, cooking slide, beater, slicer, baller and cutter (clearly not their technical names, or Scullery Made approved terminology).
Holidays + traveling = visiting antique stores (and I LOVE it!).
Being Christmas we have been in the East and West of Victoria, and all the antique shops in all the towns we have passed through. My husband could give you a detailed description of how much fun he has had while I search these stores for red cooking utensils – thank god for the cricket test match broadcast on the radio, it makes staying in the car and waiting for me enjoyable bearable for him! (The key to buying more time is to find something in the town your companions might be interested in doing, looking at or listening to whilst you look – I find wineries, Dan Murphy’s or sending them to get a coffee very useful).
I can go months without finding anything, then suddenly every shop has something red, and something I don’t already have – this holiday break has been especially fruitful. I am yet to hang these new items on the wall, and find a name and purpose for some of them – if only Scullery Made produced a Kitchen Utensil Dictionary with images.
I am a little stuck on the item that looks like a cement trowel – any suggestions?
What I have failed to mention (which might also help to explain why this if an obsession interest of mine) is that I studied Hotel Management as my undergraduate degree, and as part of that course I took 2 cooking classes for 2 years – Culinary Techniques (Fine dining style cooking techniques), and Commercial Food Production (Cooking for 50 plus people), so my knowledge of cooking utensils and love for cooking has matured beyond that of my one day at Scullery Made back in the 1980′s.
My blog header is one of my recent creations. I have been experimenting with wallpaper, combining different patterns together on old canvases – otherwise known as Collaging. For those of you who had collaging on your list of new years resolutions – this should give you a kick-start!
According to the Tate Museum Collage is a term used to describe both the technique and the resulting work of art in which pieces of paper, photographs, fabric and other ephemera [that's one for the dictionary!!] are arranged and stuck down to a supporting surface. The term collage derives from the French words papiers collés or découpage, used to describe techniques of pasting paper cut-outs onto various surfaces. It was first used as an artists’ technique in the twentieth century. www.tate.org.au
In this instance I have chosen to use vintage wallpaper. I like to use items that exist already, or were produced for another purpose, and now sit idle waiting for Bernice to do something with them.
So now you want to know… ‘Where did Bernice locate a selection of vintage wallpaper sitting idle?’
At Flashback- Vintage Fabrics and wallpapersin Northcote, Victoria (naturally!!).
Flashback stock Vintage wallpaper and Fabrics from 1920 – 1980
It was a friends recommendation that led me to Flashback, for a completely different purpose (which I will write about in a future post). When confronted with the array of amazing patterns, colours… and memories (they had the hiddeous unforgettable green and blue floral foil wallpaper from my parents 1970′s bathroom) I was inspired to combine such independently ’boisterous’ patterns and colours together within one canvas.
There was a risk it could look like vomit – lots of colours (and textures) mixed together to create a multi-coloured mess (minus the smell!) … however, (in my opinion) I really like the resulting effect.
The picture above was my largest canvas which I named “Delores‘ Tea party“. I also completed an assortment of smaller canvases:
I like to call this one ‘Penthouse Suite – Caesars Palace‘
I named this after my late great Aunt ‘Aunty Ivy’s Bathroom’, which was in a part of the house, as menaces children, we were not allowed to enter. She would come and go to that part of the house through what seemed like a secret door that was always closed. This was how I imagined her bathroom
This one reminds me of my late Nanny ‘Nelly’s Kitchen’ where she made the world’s best shortbread (if you are lucky I might share that recipe one day), and her amazing white fruit cake (which Aunty Ivy, her sister, would claim every year was “Definately the best you’ve ever made Nell” . Ivy would apparently also make this claim about every bottle of port she opened!):
This one screams ‘Summer Beach House’ particularly the house where we spent our summers at in the late 70′s in Barwon Heads
This one reminds me of ‘Pimm’s and Lemonade’ and the decor where it might traditionally be consumed:
Some of the tricks if wanting to experiment yourself:
The greater the contrast in colour and wallpaper era, the better (if you want to make an impact)
Play around with the pattern, widths and combination of wallpapers you want to use before you cut it into pieces.
To ensure that you cut the pieces ‘perpendicular’ best to use a ‘square‘ to get the edges angled correctly (it will save frustration later!)
I used standard craft glue to stick the wallpaper to the canvas, painting the glue on the back of the wallpaper evenly before sticking.
Make sure you slowly slide a ruler across the wallpaper (after sticking) to remove any air pockets, also ensuring it sticks evenly.
I used old canvases, however you could stick on to wood or any other flat surface.
If the pieces of wallpaper you cut overhang the edge of the canvas you can trim it with a Stanley knife (utility knife) once the glue has dried – the wallpaper can get soft and tear when the glue is wet.
Sometimes the best combination is something you would never do – be daring when choosing the wallpaper, and combining it on the canvas!
My sister has just given me a new selection of patterns to experiment with in the new year – so stay tuned for some new combinations.
With New Years Eve fast approaching, many of us will be madly buying our fresh seafood to enjoy with sparkling, whilst mulling over our New Year resolutions.
One of my family’s traditions at this time of year is my Mum’s famous prawn pate. Everyone goes into a feeding frenzy when she serves this up – it would be considered a crime in our household for Christmas and New Year to pass by without a fix. This recipe could also be handy to use-up any left over prawns after your celebrations:
Prawn Pate Serves 4 ( I recommend doubling the recipe, you wouldn’t want to risk running short!)
250g (1/2 lb) cooked prawns (prawn meat once peeled)
45g (1 1/2 oz) butter
1/2 small packet of cream cheese (about 60g or 2 oz)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
a few drops of tobasco sauce
good pinch of nutmeg
1 small garlic clove
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Shell and devein the prawns. Mash the butter and cream cheese well until soft. Chop the prawns very finely. Add the seasonings, tasting as you go. If the consistency is a little thick (not spreadable), add some more lemon juice or mayonnaise to taste.
Pack into a small mould or dish.
Serve with buttered toast or toasted french bread (thinly sliced and dried in the oven with a spray of oil).
Best made 6 hours before serving.
If the prawns are fresh it will keep refrigerated for a couple of days – it can also be frozen!
Recently I have become obsessed with doorstops. Maybe because I have had to rely on them a bit lately.
With the weather verging on 40° this past week, then the ‘cool change’ sweeping over us so quickly (dropping the temperature by 10° in the same number of minutes), Melbournians are very used to opening up the house to get the cross-breeze. The cool change is usually accompanied by a strong wind, which requires the use of doorstops to overcome the slamming of doors (resulting in pictures falling off the wall). It must be noted, I am describing the summer activities of those without air conditioning, those who would give up a kidney are ever so thankful for a cool change, combined with a strong wind to push it into the far reaches of their homes!)
I have found myself (as I did with my red cooking utensils) collecting heavy antique items to use as doorstops. Lucky for my husband there is a limit to how many of these I can collect (unless we sell our house and buy one with more doors!). However, if he does complain about this too much – many of them would make very effective weapons.
I’m not saying that the good old rubber doorstop doesn’t do the trick – they are great (but you have to agree they are ugly!).
It started with the Flat iron (also called sad iron or smoothing iron) - easily found in almost all antique shops. Depending on where you shop, and their condition, you will pick one up for between $15 – $30. If you are interested in the history of these irons you can read more here:
I then added the Cobbler’s Tool (a logical progression…!!!) and bought an antique cast iron cobbler’s Leather Working Tool or Anvil called a Shoe Last by some.
This is very heavy (the first requirement of a Doorstop!), however keep the Band Aids handy with this one as it tends to protrude from the door further than most, and could catch a little toe on the way through – WARNING: keep away from thoroughfares.
The most recent addition is my purchase last week – a pair of antique wooden shoe forms. They are not particularly heavy, but are perfect for internal doors, especially those that have a fondness for closing themselves, and need a permanent door stop against them.
Obviously anything with weight is a contender for a doorstop (just watch the size, some doors have the space for something bigger), my brother has an old copper divers tank that would look great as a doorstop as well.
There is a recent trend where shops are selling printed material (pyramid shaped) sand-bags with a handle – that look lovely. However for the same investment you can buy a piece of history to keep your doors where you want them.
It’s up to you what you use – just enter an antique store and open your mind to the possibilities!
All around us are beautiful things – sometimes it takes a camera lense to isolate them – allowing you to truly admire the colours, form and sheer beauty of the natural world around us.
Often because we see the same things everyday we take them for granted. I started experimenting with landscape photography from a young age - especially when on holidays.
With the ease of digital imagery, these photos can easily be downloaded to make great wallpaper for your computer/laptop, or if you are feeling more adventurous you can collect some of your favourites and have them printed canvas to hang on your wall. Some of my favourite things to photograph:
Waves breaking
Patterns in sand
Animal footprints in sand
Reflections on water
Rainbows
The sun (setting, peaking out from behind clouds, rising)
Plants (especially tropical plants – the colours and shapes are amazing)
Finding the right light, and trying to get a photo of a landscape without people in it is testing – it is worth the wait though!
I must make mention of the fact that I am contradicting the golden rule of taking photos that I distinctly remember mum teaching me when I was given my first camera as a teenager – ” Make sure you always take photos with people in them – it makes them more interesting to look at later on” (sorry Mum!). I think she quickly put that rule in place when I returned home from school camp with an entire roll of film wasted capturing the resident camp dog (no – that’s not a nickname for anyone on camp!) and the horses in various positions and poses – not one photo of any of my school friends and the great adventures we got up to!
Below are some of my favourites from traveling around Australia: A road trip from Noosa to Cape Tribulation (QLD), A road Trip from Perth to Broome (WA), Port Campbell (VIC) and North East Tasmania.
Looking at these photos makes you realise how diverse and photogenic the Australian landscape can be - and how amazingly beautiful everything is that surrounds us.
Make sure you try out some landscape photos next time you head out-of-town – you might surprise yourself. Then when you get back set them up as wallpaper on your computer, so when you are hard at work you will be reminded of the beautiful places you have been. Or as a I mentioned above, take your favourites to a photo lab and get them printed on to canvas – then will have an original artwork for your wall, of which you were the artist!
Cheers,
Bernice
PS. I have a habit of changing the wallpaper on the computer without telling my husband. My latest update (at the bottom of this post) was not landscape focussed, but was sure to provide a laugh – especially as our dog Jack’s tongue looks very like …. well, something else!
- Timing is everything with photography!!!! (I guess you could say this was one of my ‘bloopers’ when taking a photo of Jack in the bath for my previous post!)
Since launching Hey Bernice! in December I have had a steady flow of donations from family (Thank you!). The picture here is a sample of the beautiful asian inspired paper my sister gave me at Christmas time. They are small squares of gorgeous patterns (my generous god mother Norma kindly gave my sister and me kimonos made from similar patterns when we were young). I have plans to get crafty with them tomorrow, and will be sure to write a post about the outcome (I’m still mixing and matching options in my head for this exploit).
In addition to the small patterned paper, she also gave me some wonderfully BOLD rolls of paper – check these out, they’re great.
Mum also turned up at my place yesterday with a roll of beautiful wallpaper she had kept since renovating our first family home in Hawthorn in the 1970′s (clearly that is where I get the hoarding gene from, that’s a 40 year wait and 4 house moves to find another use for that roll – round of applause for Mum please!). It is just magical – the pearly background, butterflies, birds, and multiple shades of green foliage. The possibilities await…..
I am also thrilled that I have already achieved the purpose of my blog, I have inspired people to be crafty or to identify things around the house that could be used for craftiness. A friend told me the other day they were waiting on an auction outcome for some vintage wallpaper on ebay, to do some collaging themsleves – that made my day!
Another relative informed me they were fishing out some of their digital landscape images to play around with, and someone else asked what they could do with all the ticket stubs from every event they had ever been to! Bernice is starting to bring out the craftiness that lies within everyone – so don’t be shy, it’s there in us all.
Don’t you just love a good muffin (especially warm, straight from the oven)?
Have you noticed that the definition of a muffin has changed somewhat? Firstly, most of the muffins you can buy in a café are HUGE! A meal for 2 people. Secondly they are no longer healthy. They’re cake mixture in disguise within a muffin paper – not to mention the white chocolate chunks added, or the cream cheese icing!
I have just finished baking some banana bran muffins that fit the definition of healthy. I ate these muffins as a snack when I was a 14-year-old trying to lose weight (eating these as a snack helped me lose 20kg over 5 months!). More recently I take these to work for a snack. The recipe is one of Mum’s (yes, there is a pattern developing here – my mum is a wonderful cook, and I will be sharing many more of my favourite ‘Mum’ recipes within this blog).
I cooked the muffins because I had several bananas that were a little over-ripe for eating, but perfect for cooking. So, here’s the recipe, it’s super easy…
Banana Bran Muffins
makes 12 large muffins
1 1/2 cups plain flour (you can use wholemeal flour if you want them to have a lower GI, or substitute 1/2 cup self raising flour for them to rise a little more)
1 tspn cinnamon
1 tspn Bicarbonate Soda
1/3 cup raw sugar
1 1/3 cups of unprocessed bran (bran flakes, not the processed cereal in a box) can also use oat bran
125g dates chopped (16 dates). A great way to chop dates is using scissors!
2 – 4 mashed bananas (depending on how big the bananas are, and how bananery you want them to be!)
1 grated apple (peeled first)
1/2 cup of oil
1 1/2 cups of buttermilk (in the milk section of the supermarket, or make your own with 1 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of natural yoghurt)
1 egg
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (sieve the flour). Add all the other ingredients (except the bananas and grated apple) and mix well. Leave mixture overnight in the fridge to soften the bran flakes (makes a lighter muffin).
The next day, add the mashed banana and grated apple and mix well. Grease a muffin tin, or use paper liners in the muffin tin (this saves having to clean the tin afterwards!).
Cook for 20 minute (or until golden brown) in a 180° oven.
Note: Mum adds walnuts, and I have added sunflower seeds or pepitas to mine, adding some extra goodness to them. Be creative and add your own nuts and seeds!
These muffins freeze really well, and can then be placed in the microwave and heated prior to eating. They are best served warm.
With so many friends having babies lately I have really struggled to find quality (and aesthetically appealing) nursery decor for presents. I don’t know about you, but I can’t buy a present I don’t like myself, and because of this little idiosyncrasy I was left with no option than to start making nursery decorations to give as presents. (there will be several future posts about the options I have come up with)
A recent present I made for a great friend (for her new little boy) was a version of these collage animals.
I cannot take the credit for ‘creating’ the collage animal designs that I have used – I found these in a shop in Port Douglas 6 months earlier. Whilst on holiday I was ferreting in one of those incense burning, crystal shops and saw a bowl of these tiny hand-made cards with different collage animals on the front.
To the surprise of the shop assistant, I purchased about 30 of these cards (they were as cheap as chips!). I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but knew I had tosquirrel them away for future use have them! Try to picture the conversation I later had with my husband attempting to explain why I had toadd to the hord of things sitting untouched at home buy 30 cards for a reason I have not yet established … needless to say, he is getting used to this behaviour (he has recently witnessed a spate of creative endeavours that have utilised many items from my crafty archive – however not at the same rate that I am accumulating).
So, back to nursery decorations. I proceeded to cut the back off the cards and then went about arranging them on small canvases (as pictured), and also did one within a picture frame (a bit more formal).
When I ran out of animals, I used the coloured card from the back of the cards to cut up and create more of my own animals.
I love the colours, and the simplistic animal structure.
Here’s what you need:
Some coloured card (not too thin or it will bubble when you glue the pieces onto each other, and firmer card is easier to manage.
Craft glue
Ideas about what animals you want to create, or simply copy the ones I have used
A canvas or picture frame to arrange them on/in.
Some imagination!
There is no right or wrong, it is simply cutting pieces of paper and sticking them on top of each other to make it look vaguely like an animal. If your kids are older than newborn, this could be an enjoyable activity for them to do themselves!
We went for years without a ladder in our house when we were renting. For some reason when we bought our own house we got the sudden urge to start collecting our own hardware items. We had talked about buying a ladder for sometime, and knew it wouldn’t be long before we owned our own (a real sign of growing up!).
Lucky for us my father-in-law answered our prayers when he called to say he knew someone throwing out a ladder he could salvage for us. It was old, but he said it would do the trick.
Can you imagine my delight when this old, wooden, mint-condition, ladder turned up at our door. I certainly wasn’t getting excited about changing light bulbs, or dusting cornices….. I was salivating because I could use this gorgeous old ladder as a bookshelf (naturally!) – not even close to the plans my husband had for it.
Unfortunately for him, there was no warning about this slight change of plans (and no negotiating on my part!).
He wasn’t to know I had been secretly browsing antique stores for an old, wooden ladder to use as a bookshelf – the inspiration was also from Billy Innes’ home (the interior designer that had inspired me with the palm fronds) and I had held on to the idea for a good 5 years.
Knowing this wasn’t a matter for discussion exactly what he had in mind for our new ladder, I waited until my husband was out one Saturday morning – I brought the ladder in from the shed, dusted off the cobwebs and ‘trialled’ the ladder as a bookshelf in various locations around the home – surprisingly it didn’t work in all locations I experimented with. As you can see the wall where I placed it was dead space, and it worked beautifully. You can have the ladder open if you have the floor space to do so. I have leaned it up against the wall. You will need to lean it on a slant to make sure the steps are horizontal enough to allow you to place things on the stairs. Also keep in mind the space between the steps, as that will dictate the height of the items you can place on the ladder stairs. Most antique stores stock old wooden ladders, many will be covered in paint spatters, or not very sturdy, so pull them out and inspect them properly before purchasing.
I must complete the story by telling you that when my extremely tolerant husband came home later that day the only comment he made was “it’s not staying there – it’s a ladder NOT a bookshelf”. FYI – the ladder did stay there, and has never been used as ladder (yet!) in the 2 years it has been a bookshelf. To this day we have not bought another ladder, as far as my husband is concerned - we have one!
I (silently, in my Hey Bernice world) won the ladder battle when the very father-in-law who had salvaged the ladder for us (to use as a ladder!) commented on how good it looked as a bookshelf during a visit to our house.
Throughout our home there are many other examples where I have salvaged, recycled or restored old furniture rather than buying new (each with much less controversy attached to them than the ladder).
Re-using furniture adds so much more character to your home, and provides a story/history to tell about each piece (or provenance as great friend of mine suggested to me the other day).
The cupboard/draw piece I have in our bathroom was an item I spotted in the Salvation Army opportunity shop in Geelong.
I paid $20 for it (and the 4 coats of paint that covered it – Blue, green, cream and white). I then set about stripping off the paint by hand (not the most enjoyable job in the world, and quite physical – but very rewarding when you’re done!). I found it really hard to remove the paint within the cavity (which had a door, but I chose to remove and clean up the area where the hinges were attached), so I decided to paint the internal cavity white, rather than remove the paint (after stripping off 4 coats of paint, I thanked myself for this monumental brainwave!).
The beauty of stripping the paint yourself is that you can achieve the ‘roughly stripped‘ look, by leaving some paint on it, and then sanding it back a little more when you are done stripping. If you are lazy don’t like the idea of manually stripping paint you can pay a paint stripper to ‘dip’ your item in stripping liquid and do it for you, which will give you a really clean and neat wooden finish (at a price).
NOTE: A tip mum gave me when choosing an item covered in paint, pull out the draw and look at the joins, and if they are dovetailed it is well made (A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joint technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart, the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front). I did exactly that with this piece and saw the dovetail joints, and it proved to be lovely wood and was well built.
Another great recycled item that every house MUST have is a little wooden stool.
Not only are they great to rest your coffee or drink on when you are relaxing on the couch, to stand on when you need that extra foot or a foot-rest, but they make great stools for the little ones to reach to toilet and bathroom sink (or the chocolate ice-cream in the freezer!).
I have become a little obsessed with these – I currently have 2… but check back next week and I guarantee they will have multiplied! You won’t find them in all antique stores, but those that have them will have several to choose from. Don’t be shy about buying one painted, and then sanding the paint off a little more yourself or having someone else strip it for you. I have bought one of mine from Stepback Antiques, and the other from The Junk Company
So, the message in this post is – before you go out to buy a furniture item new, see if you can find something in an antique shop or opportunity shop first, you never know what you will find (probably something you didn’t need when you walked in there, but must have on your way out!). Speaking from experience, the satisfaction of bringing something back to life by stripping or restoring it is well worth the sense of pride you will feel every time you pass it in your home.
Several years ago I went on a road-trip up the coast of Western Australia – It resembled Thelma & Louise + Bernice!
Three single girls in their early 30′s driving from Perth to Broome (about 2400km) in a mammoth camper van; the biggest you can hire without needing your head read a truck licence! Map of Trip
I look back now and often mutter in my head “What were we thinking?”, and then reply to myself “I’m so glad we had that crazy idea, and the guts to do it (because I wouldn’t dream of doing something like that now!)”
We drove through some of the most isolated country I had ever visited - Wolf Creek territory. If I had watched that terrifying thriller Wolf Creek before embarking on this road-trip, I would have reconsidered, opting for a stress-free beach holiday in Queensland instead! (Which would have resembled: ‘Another gin and tonic’, as opposed to ’100 litres of Diesel please’).
We had the option of hiring a satellite phone with the van – but deemed it an unnecessary safety device accessory. I distinctly recall regretting this decision when it dawned on me how vulnerable 3 girls are in a big van, 100′s of km from anywhere with no communication options.
This trip was probably the most idiotic adventurous of my lifetime, and one of the most spectacular and mind-blowing explorations of Australia I have undertaken. I don’t think (between the 3 of us) we knew how to change a tyre; and had zero mobile phone reception most of the 2400km – with often 200kms between sighting anything living (human, fauna or flora - we would have been happy to sight even one of these options at some stages of our travels!).
Often the only civilisation encountered were roadhouses, 100′s of km’s from anything, sitting isolated on the side of the road; conveniently at points along your trip when you NEEDED to fill-up with petrol (’cause you have driven so long through a dessert) – as we pulled into these I would always ask myself – ‘who in their right mind chooses to live here?????‘
There was one roadhouse that was particularly memorable. Instead of the standard Chiko roll, dimmy or southern fried chicken pieces, the fridges were filled with delicious French pastries. Not Sara Lee style, but fancy bakery quality to the tune of escargo, mille fois and croissant . When I asked the manager where he got these from (’cause he wasn’t exactly in a location capable of receiving daily deliveries!), he replied “I make them myself”. Let me set the scene here… this guy looked like your stereotypical member of a biker gang – beard, leather jacket, large stomach, tattoos… hardly your resident Gabriel gate! I then drilled a little deeper and discovered that in a previous life he was a pastry chef in Sydney. He had decided it was time for a change … so moved 1000′s of km west and took up management of a roadhouse, serving up petrol, diesel and French pastries. He had a full pastry kitchen out the back of the roadhouse to provide for his patrons. I was stunned and impressed at the same time!
YES… this post is about Shell Art. I am simply setting the scene by explaining where I found the shells for my pictures. I’m nearly there…
Our trip followed the Western Australian coastline heading North. As you can imagine we saw some spectacular, untouched beaches. I have always enjoyed walking along the beach at low tide and collecting the surprise deposits from the ocean. I wasn’t aware of the dramatic extremes in tides experienced in Western Australia – which makes for amazing shell collecting with such a huge expanse of beach left covered with shells – daily. Thelma, Louise + Bernice stayed a day and night at Eighty Mile Beach (halfway between Port Headland and Broome) and a good proportion of the daylight hours were spent collecting the unique shells deposited on the beach(you’ll be happy to know we didn’t inspect the entire eighty miles – although I was tempted!).
I have since discovered that the round shells are from Sand Dollars, which are invertebrates (echinoderms), relatives to sea stars, characterized by a spiny circular shell. Alive, the sand dollar has purple and brown shaded spines.
The five point star is the field identification mark for the back of the shell.
As the name suggests, sand dollars live in on the top layer of sand (or just below it) in an area up to one-half mile beyond the lowest of low tide marks. Since they are marine animals, they die if left exposed to sun and air for a period of time. www.greennature.com
I have no idea what the other shell is called – but if you use your imagination, they look like really (really, really) long fingernails that someone has kept after they broke off.
You may not want to admit it, but I bet every one of you has a secret stash of shells at home crying out for a purpose. Collecting shells is a funny pastime, because you rarely do anything with them (unless you were one of the many who made shell mirrors in the 1980′s – and we all know that fad came and went very quickly). Being the hoarder that I am, I have to keep all my shells – after all, I have spent hours hand-picking each one out from the crowd, why would I throw them away? However, the dilemma remains – what can I do with my shells?
Finally, four years after collecting these shells in Western Australia, an artist in Noosa provided me with some inspiration. They used different shells stuck within a frame in varying patterns. They then wrote with fine black pen next to and around the shells. They used much larger white, boxed frames (and charged a small fortune for them). Armed with this new inspiration, I set about doing something similar with my shells.
I used Ikea frames, which are 23cm x 23cm, box frames. Unfortunately you can’t use normal frames because the glass sits against the image/artwork within the frame – you need space between the glass and the back of the frame for the shells. I then went to a quality paper shop and purchased some good quality thick white/cream paper to stick the shells onto. Rather than cut the paper to size, I tore the paper with a ruler, to get a rough edge, and ensured that the paper was slightly smaller than the inner border of the frame (so you can see the rough edge).
I then stuck the shells in an even pattern to the paper with craft glue (the white version, not clear). To make sure that the paper doesn’t buckle as it dries, I rested a heavy book on top of the shells to keep the paper flat.
Once the glue has dried you can take your fine black pen (not a biro or Bic pen – preferably a fine nib pen from a newsagent or art supply shop) and start to add writing/descriptions next to the shells or around the outside of the frame – wherever you like – again, there are no rules!
Make sure you test the pen on the paper before you start writing, as sometimes certain ink will bleed on high quality paper – you don’t want that to happen to your finished masterpiece.
Then glue your paper with the shells and writing to the backing cardboard that comes within the frame (the piece that has a square cut out of it to frame a photo/image). You then have your very own shell-art!
Now you can hold your head high and be proud that you have been a part of the shell-art revival. I have my shell-art proudly on display above our toilet. I figured it would give the males something to occupy their minds when using the bathroom!
Chocolate ripple cake is making a come-back – has anyone else noticed this?
It featured as the birthday cake at a recent BBQ I attended (and everyone spent a good 30 minutes reminiscing about the past, and when they last enjoyed a piece). It was also one of the featured recipes on a TV commercial over Christmas. In our household (for as long as I can remember) it has been one of the main desserts on Christmas day (in addition to the Christmas pud).
Dad (of all people) has driven the chocolate ripple comeback within our family. I’m convinced his motivation is purely personal – he just craves the indulgent combination of alcohol, cream, chocolate biscuits, chocolate and more cream LOVES it. I have never heard anyone complaining about its addition to the Christmas menu, and judging by how little remains at the end of the day, I don’t think they ever will.
Those not familiar with a chocolate ripple cake I have provided this link to the Arnott’s website (who make the chocolate ripple biscuits used) where you can find the recipe, and this photo. Warning, you will not find this recipe in the Weight Watchers cookbook (well, probably in the desserts to avoid section!)
Dad has added his own twist to his chocolate ripple – he makes a dome, rather than the traditional ‘log’. It looks a little more like this version from www.cakesforcorporates.com.au, except dad adds rather spectacular shards of white and dark chocolate (like large pieces of broken glass) sticking out of the dome (he presses the shards into the dome so they stand up), then drizzles it with melted chocolate (just incase it was chocolatey enough!). To make a dome you take a large bowl, and cover the inside with Glad Wrap. Then spread whipped cream generously across the glad wrap to cover the inside of the bowl. Then layer the chocolate ripple biscuits in the bowl, adding layers of cream between each layer of biscuit (to make sure the biscuits end up soft). After refrigerating you can then turn out the bowl on to a plate, and peel off the Glad Wrap to have a smooth cream finish to decorated as you please.
With Dad’s Chocolate ripple a regular Christmas feature, mum decided to take it to the next level in the middle of last year (did I mention there is a little bit of kitchen rivalry in at my parents house!!). She served up another version of the log-cake… made with Butternut snaps. And, it was amazing. So have dedicated this post to the recipe:
Butternut Snap and Apricot Log
1 pkt chopped dried apricots 1/2 cup sugar
1 pkt Butternut Snap biscuits
1 tbs brandy
300mls cream, whipped
toasted flaked almonds to garnish
Extra cream and sugar
Soak apricots in 1 cup of warm water for 2 hours. Add sugar and gently simmer for 30 minutes until a jam like consistency. An alternative to making an apricot jam you can buy a good quality apricot jam instead. Take a biscuit and spread with some apricot jam and cream, then repeat – sticking each biscuit to the previous one then standing them on their side to form a log. Cover and chill overnight (this is to allow the biscuits to soak up the moisture from the cream and apricot jam to become soft). Whip extra cream and brandy with sugar. Cover the top and sides of the log. Chop the toasted almonds and scatter over the top of the log. Chill at least 2 hours until ready to cut. To get the best impact when serving cut the log on an angle so you can see the biscuit layers.
The book mum got this from called it ‘Dried Apricot Refrigerated Log Cake‘ and it came from a recipe book called ‘A Fare to Remember – a Must have treasury of menus from women who know’ . This recipe book was compiled by the Whoorel Auxiliary, a group of 28 women – friends from the country towns of Colac, Birregurra, Barwon Downs, Whoorel and Deans Marsh in Victoria’s Western District. The cookbook, now in its second edition, was so popular that one of the auxiliary members had her first edition stolen from her bag whilst shopping in Toorak! For the past 30 years the auxiliary (and cook book) has raised valuable funds to support Vision Australia’s work in both Geelong and Warrnambool. (The cookbook costs $20, not including postage, and all funds support Vision Australia. To order call 1300 559 987). I have a copy of this cookbook (thanks mum!), it is definitely worth buying, there are some wonderful recipes in there, and you will be supporting a good cause.
Decorating the walls in your home is a very personal thing – it’s like choosing an additional housemate, because you have to live with your decision every day. I found myself being so particular about size, colour and mood of my wall decor that I end up making them myself. The decision to do so is simple, but then I still need my creative inspiration to come from somewhere … and worse still, I need to actually like the result. If you re wanting to start creating your own wall decorations be careful not to find your inspiration from something that is or wasultra fashionable, or it will look dated before you have even finished (unless that is the look are after!). I try to do something that reflects my style, and is different to anything else I have seen – an eclectic mix of many things.
Deciding that I wanted a pattern in red – I then had to work out what it was going to be? I then noticed the pattern on the cushions on my couch, and decided to use that as my inspiration. This picture below is a portion of the cushion-cover I used for the large canvas (I named it the Red Dragon). I used a different part of the cushion pattern to do the 3 small canvases above. I drew the pattern on to my canvas by hand because I needed to increase the size by about 5 times (but don’t despair, that is not the only option, and you don’t have to be creative to do this!). The other option is to pull out your baking paper from the kitchen eg. Glad Bake (something that would really frustrate mum. When I was still living at home she would often go to use the baking paper only to find there was none left because I had been tracing things again!). You can buy real tracing paper, but baking paper works just fine, it is a little thinner, so don’t push too had with your pencil.
Prepare your canvas:
You can find a decent canvas from any art and craft shop, or even those everything is over $2 shops (you know the ones with names like Bev’s Bargains, Trevor’s Discount Emporium etc.). I usually choose the canvas with the thicker edges (more depth) because they look better on the wall (in my opinion!). The next step is to prepare the canvas with the colour you want as the background (behind the pattern). Make sure you choose a background colour that won’t clash with your wall colour, curtains, couch or cat (some people are very fussy!!). The background colour is just as important as the main pattern colour. Once you have chosen the colour you can paint the canvas all over . For speed, and to avoid brush marks you can user a paint roller. I also paint the sides, top and bottom – but that is up to you. Depending on the colour chosen you may need to do 2 coats – you don’t want the white of the canvas creeping through from behind the paint. Allow the first coat to dry before doing another coat.
I use acrylic paints for my canvases for several reasons:
Acrylic is water soluble (so easy to wash off your hands and clothes)
It dries more quickly, so speeds up the entire creative process
It is cheaper that oil paints
It can also be bought at the $2 shops (or art and craft shops if you want better quality)
To trace your pattern:
Place the baking/tracing paper over the top of the pattern you want to use. You might find it easier to attach the baking/tracing paper to the pattern you are tracing – pin it to the cushion cover, Blue-tack it to a piece of paper (sometimes the tracing paper can move and distort what you are trying to trace).
Trace over the pattern so it’s replicated on the tracing paper (there is not need to colour in blocks of colour, juts trace the outside of the shapes and spaces).
Once you have traced the pattern, turn the tracing/baking paper over and generously cover all the lines drawn on the paper with lead pencil. The best way to do this is by placing the pencil on an angle and getting greater surface area from the lead (this lead will then cause a mark on the canvas when you trace over the original line on the other side with the pencil later).
Once you have generously covered the underside of all the lines on the tracing paper, it is time to trace.
Getting the pattern onto the canvas:
Take the tracing paper and place it on to the canvas exactly where you want tot he pattern to end up. Make sure you have the original lines you traced facing you.
It is a good idea to Blue-tack the baking/tracing paper to the canvas to keep it in one place while tracing.
With your pencil trace over the original lines of the pattern.
By pressing on the lines you should be pressing some of the lead from the underside of the paper to the canvas – leaving a copy of the pattern on the canvas.
Before you trace the entire pattern stop to check that the pattern is leaving a mark on the canvas – if not, you may need to press harder (this can cause the pencil to break through the paper, so be careful), or use a darker (blacker) lead eg. 4B and above pencil to cover the underside of the lines …
A little info on lead pencils: they are graded on the European system using a continuum from “H” (for hardness) to “B” (for blackness), as well as “F” (for fine point). The standard writing pencil is graded HB. A pencil’s grade is described by a sequence or successive Hs or Bs such as 2B and 3B for successively softer (darker) leads, and 2H and 3H for successively harder ones. www.wikipedia.com
As of 2009, a set of pencils ranging from a very hard, light-marking pencil to a very soft, black-marking pencil usually ranges from hardest to softest as follows.
9H 8H 7H 6H 5H 4H 3H 2H H F HB B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 9B
Hardest (lightest) → Medium → Softest (darkest)
Completing the Pattern: Once you have finished tracing the pattern onto the canvas you should be able to see the lines clearly. Now you need to choose your pattern colour(s) to fill in the lines.A handy Tip: One thing that can be really tricky (depending on the type of pattern you have chosen) is working out which bits you are meant to fill with the pattern paint colour and which bits should be left as background. Your eyes can play tricks on you and sometimes (you may mistake background for pattern and colour it). I found that having a good look at the pattern, and placing little coloured dots throughout it, indicating that it is pattern not background can really help.
Depending on your background colour you may wish to do 2 coats of paint for your pattern, to make the colour stronger, and so the background colour doesn’t show through the paint. You could also choose to use oil paints for the pattern (over an acrylic background). Oils will have more texture and stronger, richer colour. They also have a gloss finish to them that acrylic paints don’t have.
Rather than trace a pattern you can always make up your own – it saves all the hassle of tracing, and will make you feel great to have your own creation on the wall.
Good luck, and email me with any questions along the way (for those that decide to give this a try).
I ordered Asian coleslaw (with prawns) in a Vietnamese restaurant recently. The response I got from my fellow diners was “I never would have thought of having coleslaw as an entire meal”. This surprised me because my amazing live in chef husband whips up an Asian coleslaw for dinner several times a month, especially in summer – and it is fantastic!
The salad has a very fresh flavour (it is not mayonnaise based like the traditional coleslaw) with beautiful herbal aromas, it is ridiculously healthy and a great way to sneak some vegies into those that usually push them to the slide! (boyfriends, husbands and kids!).
But wait – there’s more… it is super easy to make, and doesn’t require any culinary ability. What is brilliant about this recipe… if you don’t like prawns, make it with chicken thighs, if you hate chicken thighs (like me!), make it with chicken or pork mince – it is completely flexible.
Enough sales pitch chit chat, here’s the recipe… I must credit the cook book Green Mangoes and Lemongrass by Wendy Hutton for the bulk of this recipe. I have a habit of changing recipes, so it is not identical to hers.
VIETNAMESE COLESLAW
MEAT/SEAFOOD (your choice of any of these)
Cooked prawn meat deveined (slice the prawns lengthways in half)
500g pork or chicken mince (pan-fried until browned)
500g chicken thigh (or breast) meat cooked in water and shredded
THE SALAD:
2 teaspoons salt
1 large red onion (halved length-ways then cut very finely)
400g of white cabbage finely sliced (into pieces that will fit into your mouth!)
3 large carrots grated
1/4 cup of coriander leaves chopped
1/4 cup of Asian mint chopped (or regular mint)
Freshly ground black pepper
THE DRESSING:
4 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 large red chili, minced/finely chopped
PREPARATION: Lay out the sliced onion on a plate or chopping board and sprinkle with the salt. Rub with your fingers and set aside for 30 minutes. To prepare the dressing mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then set aside for the flavours to blend.
Before serving place the cabbage, carrot and herbs in a large bowl. Rinse the salt off the onion then squeeze dry and add to the bowl. Add the meat or seafood of choice, ground pepper and the dressing – mixing all ingredients well.
If serving as an entrée or main, place portions of the salad in bowls or on plates, garnish with mint, coriander or deep fried Spring onions/shalots.
Other options:
Serve as a salad/side – Perfect at a barbeque as a salad option, or to serve with a meal on a plate. If you are doing this do not add any meat or seafood to the salad. To add some extra interest, place some Changs Crispy noodles into the salad to add some crunch (you can buy them in the Asian/noodle section of the supermarket).
Add some seeds – If you want to add some extra flavour, toasted sunflower seeds and sesame seeds are great tossed through the salad. You can toast these easily in a fry-pan without oil (watch them closely and stir them because they will brown quickly!)
Serve in lettuce cups -Making a great entrée or side salad by serving the coleslaw in iceberg lettuce cups.
If you can’t be bothered making it to see if you like it, my suggestion would be to try it first in a Vietnamese restaurant to see if you like the flavours. As my sister and I would say as kids (and still occasionally now!) - Yum Yum, pigs bum!
Have you ever stopped to notice that almost everything we put on our walls is either square or rectangular?
I love these wall discs, simply because they’re something different – circles … and also because you can change the material if you get sick of it (which is perfect for me – I update my decor with the changing seasons).
These are ideal for all ages – I gave a set to my two nieces for Christmas, one is 6 months old and the other is a teenager.
Depending on the material chosen you can change the feeling and mood of the discs. The red, black and green are very bold patterns and striking colours, and look perfect with the white background.
The others I made were a little softer, using floral patterned material with subtle tones – very fitting for a nursery or a young girl’s room.
The key item for making these pieces is the wooden embroidery ring. As the name suggests they’re made to assist with embroidery – not for decorating your walls (we all know there are no embroidery police – so we will continue to use these for an alternative purpose!). A wooden embroidery ring consists of solid inner ring and split outer ring with tension screw). I used rings with a 30cm diameter (to save those that were going to google ‘diameter’ for a little reminder … the diameter is the distance across the middle of the circle, from one side to the other). You can buy these rings at an art and craft shop (see the links to some of these stores down the right of the page).
Before you walk out of the store make sure the rings you buy have the 2 circular parts to it. Also make sure that all your rings are the same size (many shoppers return the rings to the wrong spot, and mix up the sizes). There may be a sticker on the outside making the check easier, otherwise you can hold them all together and test with your eye (you could almost use this exercise as a drunk driving test …you will know what I mean when you to do it!).
Here’s how you can make your own: Wall Discs
You will need 3 wooden embroidery rings (or as many as you have decided to make)
Material (thicker material holds better in the ring)
Scissors
Needle and Thread
Once you have decided on your ring size you can choose your material – the fun part!
It helps to have an idea about who you are making them for, or where the rings will be displayed eg. baby’s nursery, spare room, lounge room, beach house. Knowing this when choosing your material will make it a lot easier. When making the softer pink ones I knew they were for females, and that they would like these tones. When choosing the material for the red, black and green ones I had my spare room in mind, which is white (walls and bed sheets) with wooden furniture and bed frame. I needed bold material to give the room some life and personality. You could even choose material printed with a child’s favourite cartoon character eg. Dora, Thomas the tank engine. And don’t stop there, buttons, tassels and all sorts of colourful items can be sewn/glued on the material (but wait until the material is secured tightly in the ring to do all this) – I will say it again, there are no rules, just let yourself be creative!
To know how much material you will need check the diameter of your rings, you will need at least this length, plus another 5 – 10cm each side (so add 10- 20cm on the diameter length). Even though the material is quoted as a price per meter you can buy less than a meter at a time. You don’t need to change the material for each ring – they can all be the same, it’s up to you. Another option (for some unique and cheaper material) is to visit opportunity shops, you can cut up some old dresses, curtains, sheets – whatever material patterns catch your eye.
When you get home, lay your material out on the table (pattern face down).
If you have a particular direction you want to pattern run, make sure the ’top’ of the pattern is closest to you.
Slide the outside ring under the material (the ring with the tension screw).
The screw will sit at the top of the ring, so also make sure the screw is closest to you.
Ensure the ring is evenly positioned with enough material surrounding the perimeter.
Take the remaining ring and push it into the ring sitting under the material. As you do this the material will tighten within the ring.
Place your hand under the material and tighten the screw as much as you can.
Once the screw is tight and the material is secure pull on the material slightly from all sides of the circle to tighten the material even more (be careful not the distort the pattern by pulling too hard).
Take your scissors and trim the material around the edge of the ring, leaving about 3cm of material.
To secure the material within the ring, and to make sure it won’t be seen, take a needle and thread and roughly sew the remaining material tightly around the back of the circle. The tighter you pull the thread, the less likely the material will cause the disc to sit away from the wall when you hang it.
You can hang the disc to the wall from the tension screw at the top (a nail will slot into the gap), or thread some ribbon through the gap where the screw is positioned and hang it from that.
As I mentioned before, you can change the material at any time when you are ready something different. You can also hang the discs vertically for a different look, or mix up the ring sizes. You could even get a little adventurous and choose smaller discs, and make a mobile with them (glueing 2 back-to-back so you don’t see the back with no pattern).
If you have a go at making some discs, please email me a photo so I can share your creativeness, and new ideas with other Hey Bernice! fans. Happy discing.
It is safe to say that almost everyone suffers from storage issues – we never have enough space for our things (whether they are worthy of hording storing or not!).
Already I’ve shared my love for using recycled items in my home in a recent post; I did however overlook the variety of recycled storage solutions I have collected over the years. I found these items in the most unlikely places, and thought it time I shared them with you:
2 wooden boxes, stumbled across whilst buying wine.
A metal trunk, found whilst buying a peacock feather (not a common purchase of mine!)
2 chest of drawers, uncovered during a fossick in Mum and Dad’s garage.
Starting with my favourite find – these gorgeous French wine boxes were stacked up outside a bottleshop. They were selling them for $10 each – I had to have two! Whilst they are not perfectly constructed, sanded and painted… they have character, a story and serve their purpose perfectly – to store our DVD collection!
If you want to get your hands on some yourself make a visit to a bottle shop that is likely to sell French wine… and if you ask really nicely, you might even get them for zip!
My next find was this old metal trunk. I had looked for something to store our firewood for some time, and stumbled across this in an antique/junk shop. I was lured into this shop by a vase of peacock feathers spotted by my niece. Whilst she was choosing her feather, I spied this metal trunk (it’s perfect for storing firewood because it locks the spiders in!).
The next two (more traditional) storage items required a little bit of work to get to their current presentation state … they were covered in dust at the back of Mum and Dad’s garage. One required work stripping the paint off (another exhausting 4-layer stripping job), whilst the other required painting (it was a very average stained pine finish). After completing the work I ended up with two great chest of drawers, with very different looks.
I did hunt around to change the handles on the drawers I stripped, I found these black metal handles in a shop in Swan Street, Richmond.
As you can see I have ‘found’ myself multiple storage solutions without entering a furniture store, and had some exhausting days stripping and painting fun along the way.
I made this salad dressing on the weekend to serve on the garden salad with lunch. Our guests loved it and asked for the recipe … so here it is.
I must credit the ‘finding’ of this recipe to my parents (I’m not sure which one it was, so will give them both the credit). Mum always seems to have this in the fridge ready for anything that needs ‘dressing’. It is actually part of recipe (Warm salad of seared scallops, crispy potato cake and basil lime vinaigrette), they loved the dressing so much, they just make the dressing on its own now.
It will keep in the fridge for about a week to ten days, and is best removed from the fridge for a little while before serving.
I served it with Cos lettuce, cooked asparagus slices, roasted (cut in half) baby Roma tomatoes, and sliced cucumber – so delicious!
Basil Lime Vinaigrette Combine all the ingredients below in a blender:
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic (peeled)
1/4 cup of basil leaves
3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice (I use lime squeeze)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped green spring onion
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
I’ve mentioned in an earlier blog a quirky habit of mine… collecting antique (or they could be better described as ‘vintage’), red cooking utensils.
I’ve talked up the great finds I made over the Christmas break, and think it necessary to share with you the finished collection.
How do you know when you have finished collecting something? Quite simply, when you run out of wall space in the kitchen! I’m rather happy with the variety I got my hands on. There are some very unique pieces in the collection (and some I am still not sure of their exact purpose).
Also, I have since discovered that equipment and utensils from the kitchen has an official term. It’s referred to as Kitchenalia. So here is my finished Kitchenalia wall…
What excuse am I going to use to enter an antique shop now?
During our recent holiday we went exploring (a day trip planned by my sister).
She was recommended a hidden gem called Cafe Espace. It is off the coast of Gippsland in Eastern Victoria, describes as ‘waterfront dining situated on Raymond Island with stunning views overlooking Mcmillan Strait to the Paynesville township’. So, five of us set off in the car, taking the ferry across (in the car) about 100m to arrive on Raymond Island. Map of Location
The word island has a habit of conjuring up a mental image of blue skies and sunshine, white sand, palm trees, crystal clear water lapping at the shoreline – there was none of that.
But Raymomd island was unique in its own way.
What we were there for was the recommended dining experience. The service was brilliant (father and daughter team). The outdoor dining deck overlooking the water and boats was really lovely – and the food was terrific, and very generous servings.
What I also loved were the little features around the garden, and cafe that gave it character.
The old bike caught my eye as we were walking towards the cafe entrance, casually parked outside in the rack. The contrast of the vibrant fake flowers against the rusted frame, and weathered cane baskets is really appealing (and very French).
The other feature was the gorgeous Turkish inspired water feature that did a great job at brightening up the courtyard.
I really enjoyed the little effort that went into providing something of interest in every area of the cafe. On the entrance deck was this casual chair, accompanied by two metal painted frog/stools.
On the way back to the carpark our attention was caught by this teak window-look mirror – I had never seen one of these before.
Whilst there was nothing elaborate or ‘over the top’ about the decore at Cafe Espace, it made you feel relaxed, like you were in someone’s home – which was the perfect match to the service and food.
Cafe Espace was a great find, and a place we never would have ‘stumbled’ across – the 100m ferry ride stood between us and a random find. Whilst Raymond Island wouldn’t be on the top of my Honeymoon destination list, we were only there to eat and drink – and for that it was perfect!
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon eating, drinking and laughing with great company.
Over the last 10 years I have collected artwork from trips to Nicaragua, France and London. Accompanied by images from holidays in Tasmania, Guatemala, Fiji, Broome, a road trip to New South Wales and our Wedding day. Naturally, Jack (our staffy X heeler dog) features in one way or another. I change it frequently, which makes it a focal point for visitors.
I love the small artworks I have collected (and carted in my backpack for months!). Let me share some of the stories with you…
This tiny canvas was hand painted by villagers in Nicaragua, Central America in 2002. I picked these up at a local craft market in San Nicolás a municipality in the Estelí department of Nicaragua. If only I was back there now, I would have filled an extra suitcase with all the beautiful hand made wares. The budget and space deprived backpacker in me made the right decision to limit purchases at that time!
My sentimental favourite is this Gérard Laplau post card tile (Villeroy and Boch). My Great Aunt (she is no longer with us) gave this to mum , and on the eve of my wedding day mum left it on my pillow with a beautiful letter (yes, there were tears!). She has also written our names and wedding date on the back of the tile. Wedding Procession is printed on the back in German (Hochzeitszug)and French (Le Cortege Nuptial ). I have actually found several items by Laplau for sale on ebay and other online sites if anyone is interested. The artist Gérard Laplau is a French folk artist. His most famous work is the naif series from Villeroy & Boch. He died on July the 14th 2009 in Saint-Céré, France.
Next on my list is my most recent addition. I picked this up at a Turkish Magicin Stratford in country Victoria. They specialise in handmade turkish persian rugs, ceramics, tiles, exotic gifts and Glass homewares. They also sell online.
Scattered amongst the tiles and canvases are also photos of experiences I want to be reminded of daily – glorious tropical holidays, hilarious road trips, breathtaking natural landscape, and my husbands victorious fishing adventure!
There are 3 other artworks amongst the frames. One is a print of a hand purchased from a market in London. Another, the black and white etching is the most mysterious of the collection.
It is called Barbizon. I stumbled across this in a picture framing shop. Someone had dropped it in for framing and never returned to pick it up (very mysterious indeed!). Months (maybe even years had passed) so the framer decided to sell it. I bought it for $10 more than 10 years ago. When I noticed it was a pencil signed original (signed by Marcel Jacque) I did some research on the artist to discover the following:
Marcel Jacque (1906 – 1981) is a French artist. Marcel Jacque is a well listed french artist from the Barbizon school of painters and artists. Barbizon is the real birth place of Plein Aire Impressionism. These gifted artist took the art of french impressionism and added their own use of light in the natural setting. Marcel Jacque studied under Rosseau for several years, his work is very rare and his hand signed works even more so.
I guess you could call that a lucky find if it is in fact an original – I should really take it to be valued one of these days.
The final item I bought in the south of France whilst camping/backpacking with my sister almost a decade ago. It is a hand painted gift card from an artist in Southern France. I have several of his cards, however only this one has made it to my wall.
Whilst I have been collecting my memories for many years – it is never too late to start. And keep changing them, it keeps your wall interesting… even for you!
A quick hint – Ikea is great for frames. Brown, black, white, metal/silver finish – whatever tickles your fancy.
I’ll be sure to let you know if I have made thousands on my Marcel Jacques etching, when I get around to arranging a valuation!
Running out of inspiration in the kitchen? Can’t be bothered dreaming up a mouth-watering meal?
This Thai Chicken burger recipe will be your saviour… the flavours are so fresh and addictive.
Thai chicken burger Ingredients
500g Chicken mince
1/2 cup chopped coriander (or 1 bunch of coriander)
1/2 cup chopped mint (or 1 bunch of coriander)
3 kaffir lime leaves (finely chopped)… this is the ingredient that makes these burgers (asian groceries or most fruit and vege markets will have them – fresh is better)
2 tablespoons of lime juice (can use lime squeeze if you can’t get fresh limes)
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce (if you like a little extra heat you can also add 1 chilli finely chopped)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup uncooked rice
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl . Form into patties (or balls if you want to cook and serve as finger food).
TIP: to keep your patties/balls the same size use a 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 cup measure or tablespoon (depending on the size you are after).
Once they are moulded into your preferred shape, place them in the fridge to set a little.
An added touch (but not necessary if you are short for time) is the roasted rice coating. Take some uncooked rice (not aborio) and place enough in the bottom of a frypan (no oil), and toast until golden brown, stirring frequently. Once brown place the rice in a mortar and pestle and grind down to a size that can be used to crumb or coat the patties/balls you have made (small enough so that it is crunchy, but not going to break anyones teeth!). This will create a beautiful crispy crust around the chicken mince, and add a beautiful flavour (I must credit my husband for this addition to the recipe!)
I usually serve with:
Toasted turkish bread (to use like a burger bun)
Slice cucumber
Sliced tomato
Spinach, rocket or Cos lettuce leaves
Sliced Spring onions
Mayonnaise
Sweet Chilli sauce
My absolute favourite condiment with these is Nandos’ Perinaise (you can buy in some supermarkets in the mayonnaise section)
This is a great meal for kids, and even for a casual lunch of dinner – place everything on the table and let people make their own – it’s a winner.
WARNING: I have been encouraged by my husband to tell you all that Bernice’s recipes are not an exact science. I make everything up, and never measure my quantities. So, when it comes to sharing my recipes I have to guess how much of everything I put in. So feel free to do the same, experimenting in the kitchen is great fun!
What beats a day with friends that you have known for more than 30 years?
I had the pleasure of sending my husband off for a 3-day outdoor music festival (camping, no showers, portable toilets… with heavy rain and thunderstorms all weekend … “see you later darling, and enjoy your weekend of rain, mud, rancid smells and drunken idiots“). Unfortunately for him, my facebook update that read “husband gone to music festival, check, the weekend is mine” was read to him from an iPhone not 5 minutes after he left our home.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my husband dearly… but time alone with the dog to potter (I am the queen of pottering), a night with my great friend from interstate and her gorgeous baby boy, then a day entertaining old (as in long-term, not grey and wrinkly) friends is my idea of bliss.
I was not in the slightest bit tempted to join my husband, instead cooked up a feast for my wonderful friends – the ‘P’ feast…which consisted of Punch, Pizza, Pastrami and Parcels…
Punch On the day I was inspired to make a very last minute simple punch for my guests (which they all LOVED). All you need for this is:
- 1 bottle of dry ginger soft drink 1.25lts, although I prefer to use ginger beer (it has more of a zing to it)
- 1 bottle of apple and blackcurrant juice
- 1 large can of canned fruit salad
- 1 punnet of strawberries (cut in quarters)
Pastrami and cream cheese canapes
Such a simple canape to prepare. You will need:
Pastrami (preferably buy a whole piece of pastrami, uncut, you can then cut thicker)
Garlic bagel crisps (small round pieces of bagel toasted – you will find them in the biscuit section of the supermarket)
Cream cheese
Small spinach leaves
Fresh Thyme
Make these just before your guests arrive or the cream cheese will make the bagel crisps go a little soft. Lay the bagel crisps out on the serving plate. Spread each one generously with cream cheese. Place a neat and clean small spinach leaf on top of the cream cheese. Overlay 2 pieces of pastrami on the spinach leaf. Place a small sprig of fresh thyme on to of the pastrami as garnish (the thyme serves a greater purpose than just garnish, it adds an amazing flavour to the canape)
Pizza – caramelised onion, potato and feta 2 thin pizza bases (found in the bread section of the supermarket)
2 medium brown onions (finely sliced)
3 potatoes finely sliced (uncooked)
2 garlic gloves (finely sliced)
100g feta
1 large sprig of rosemary finely chopped
Butter and olive oil
Salt and pepper
Heat oven to 180C. Brown the onions in a frypan with some butter and olive oil (add salt and pepper to taste). Once soft and well browned, spread the onions evenly over the 2 pizza bases. Cover the 2 pizza bases with the thinly sliced potato. Sprinkle the finely sliced garlic, feta and chopped rosemary over the 2 pizzas. Drizzle the 2 pizzas with olive oil.
Place in oven and cook for 15 -20 minutes. If not brown, continue cooking until ingredients start to brown. To serve chop the pizza into small pieces to serve as a canape.
Parcels – Chicken and Asparagus
1 leek finely sliced
1 garlic clove crushed
500g chicken breast fillets (thinly sliced)
1 bunch asparagus finely sliced
200g ricotta cheese (use low fat option if you prefer)
1/2 cup of grated cheese (use low fat option if you prefer)
Spray oil or melted butter
1 box filo pastry (don’t buy from freezer, instead buy fresh from fridge)
Sesame seeds for garnish (not essential)
Pre heat over to 200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Brown the leek with some butter in a fry-pan, when soft add the garlic and continue cooking. Add the chicken pieces, cook until lightly brown. Add the asparagus and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Transfer the chicken mixture to a bowl. Drain any excess liquid from the bowl (liquid will make the filo pastry go soggy and break open, so ensure the mixture is as dry as possible). Add the ricotta and cheese and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
To make the parcels use 3 sheets of filo per parcel. Use spray oil or melted butter between each sheet, make sure you cover each sheet with oil or melted butter before placing another on top. Place a line of chicken mixture about 5cm from the end of the pastry sheet (running along the short end of the pastry leaving some pastry at the top and bottom of the line of chicken mixture). Ensure the amount you use for each parcel will allow you to make the number of parcels you require, and that they are not too big for one person. Fold the 5cm of pastry on the short end, over the chicken mixture, and continue to roll the parcel over 2 more times. Fold the 2 opposite ends of pastry in over the chicken mixture, then continue to roll the parcel to the end of the pastry. Coat the last part of the filo pastry with oil or butter to help it stick to the parcel. Place the parcel on the lined baking tray, paint the top with butter or oil, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
One of my friends is a super cook, and baked an amazing lemon slice – so I was off the hook for dessert. We didn’t really have much room for dessert, but continued to stuff our faces anyway!
I must say these parcels have created a slight obsession with filo pastry – I think I am in love with it…
A house in our street is up for sale by auction next weekend, and as a nosey supportive neighbour I naturally tip-toed next door to have a look inside (twice!).
Why twice? Because there was so much to take in - the interior design particulars, and smart renovation techniques needed more than one visit to absorb. I was particularly interested because the house was exactly the same layout as our house (originally).
Some of the key features to look out for:
Use of natural light via internal courtyards
Beautiful bathroom (I can picture myself in that bath, oils burning, music playing…)
Creative interior design features
Neutral colour scheme complimented by the chosen decor.
I really don’t need to say anymore… take a look for yourself below. Or, if you live in Melbourne and want to have a sneak peek in person, you can find the details here. Or for a video tour of this home click here.
Master Bedroom (Front left hand side of house), with walk in wardrobe to the right.
Second Bedroom (Front right hand side of house)
Third bedroom/Study
Lounge Room
Lounge Room looking through to kitchen/internal courtyard
Bathroom (with shower and toilet, as well as another separate toilet)
Kitchen
Kitchen & Dining
Second Living/sitting area (and European laundry)
Back garden
As you can see for yourself it is a top quality renovation. The interior decoration is meticulous (not everyone’s style), but a lot of thought has gone into it. There are many details to observe, hence my second inspection!
Chirnside Street is keenly interested to see who number 55 will attract as its new owners this weekend.
Bernice
PS. A warm welcome to Treen & Nic, and Michelle & Andrew who both bought a hop, skip and jump away from us in the last week. We are setting up quite the little community over here in the West.
I only stumbled across The Junk Company recently, and have now placed it on my (long) list of places I must visit frequently to check for any new items. Visit their website here.
I can’t explain the feeling I get as I approach an antique shop, or any kind of junk/vintage style shop. It is excitement, anticipation (the feeling you would get the night before Christmas as a child)… I feel like I am on the verge of a major discovery – quite sad really!
I never get this feeling when I go clothes or shoes shopping (that girly gene must have bypassed me!).
It’s the mystery of the unknown, never knowing what is sitting inside the store, and usually there is only one of them in there, so naturally you feel a thrill and satisfaction to have that one in your hands.
I agreed to spend some time in JB Hifi as an fair exchange for his time in a junk shop convinced my husband to visit the Junk Company with me on the weekend (a very rare feat!). I was so surprised by my success in getting him to accompanying me, I forgot my camera – so please excuse the iPhone photos.
I simply wanted to share with you the display of goodies in there that get me so excited….
You will find a hotchpotch of different items, lots of kitchenalia are on display here, along with other random household items – like that plastic swan!
Need a globe? Or lamp? Plenty to choose from here….
Or perhaps a suitcase?
A wooden wheel? Satchel? Model boat? Yellow, Orange or blue plastic lamp shade… or garden gnome?
I could have taken so many photos of all the hidden corners and multiple aisles, stacked to the ceiling – spending hours in here would be easy.
I hope (for your sake) you don’t develop an addiction like mine, it is very hard to explain to anyone, and even harder to get your partner to join in the excitement (enthusiastically) with you!
My husband and I were driving home after a lazy Sunday breakfast when he was hit with ‘Stop, reverse the car!’.
I had spotted 2 potential outdoor chairs (which we needed to complete our new deck). These chairs were sitting on the footpath (hard rubbish for anyone interested), about 30m down a side street we were driving past at 60km an hour…. I have a finely tuned sense of judgement when it comes to assessing junk placed on the footpath. I can usually determined at any speed if it is worth stopping and going back… and these were worth going back for!
They were not in very good condition, weather damaged, stain/varnish wearing off, screws falling out – but the potential was there, I could see it (lucky for me, so could my husband… because I was about to ask him to open the boot of his car so we could squeeze them in the back to take home).
Because of their size we had to make two trips (cleverly hiding the second one out of sight incase it was taken by someone whilst we were gone – you can imagine my devastation if that was to happen – they’d be tears!).
I was thrilled, I had two chairs with lots of potential, with no monetary outlay required (yet!). I just had a little work to do to make them look beautiful.
So, I started sanding with the electric hand sander. This was fairly straight forward until I hit the turned pieces of wood supporting the arms, and the front legs – they were a little more challenging.
As you can see they came up really well sanded.
I then gave them both a good scrub down with a wood cleaner – this removes any wood mould and grey colour on the arms (from the weather).
I had to inject a little bit of liquid nails into some of the joints – to stop the wobbles. Now they were ready to be ‘dressed’.
Choosing a colour to finish the chairs was challenging. Did I want to paint them white, the same colour as the house (eggshell), or allow the natural colour of the wood and grain show through.
I decided to stain them with an external deck stain called charcoal, which will allow the natural wood to be seen underneath – it will also go really well with the black and white fat striped cushions I have already picked out for the chairs.
I did 2 coats of the stain, to give the chairs more than just a rumor of the charcoal colour (don’t you just love that word ‘rumor’ – my husband used it the other day when describing how to best make garlic pizza ‘it requires more than just a rumor of garlic’ is how he best described it).
I can’t describe the satisfaction I get from transforming something… if you don’t mind putting in a little elbow grease, it is truly rewarding to restore something yourself …
Anyone want to join me for a G & T whilst lounging on the deck in my new chairs?
Sorry for such a long delay… here are the recipes to accompany the previous photos. You may not believe it, but these recipes are from the latest Weight Watchers cook book – so not nearly as naughty as they look!
Double chocolate chip muffins
1 2/3 cups (250g) self raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 cup (25g) cocoa powder
3/4 cup (165g) castor sugar
1/2 cup (95g) dark chock bits
1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
1 egg
2 x 200g of vanilla yoghurt
Preheat oven to 200C. Line a muffin tray with paper cases.
Sift the flour, soda and cocoa into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and choc bits and make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl whisk in the oil, egg and yoghurt until combined. Stir into the dry ingredients until juts combined – do not over mix.
Spoon mixture into paper cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Stand muffins in the tray for 5 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool.
At their best when eaten warm. These will freeze if placed in an airtight container.
Mini carrot cakes 2 1/2 cups (375g) self raising floor sifted
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (110g) soft brown sugar
3 medium carrots (360g) peeled and coarsely grated
2 eggs
1/3 cup (80ml) skim milk
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 x 225g can of unsweetened pineapple pieces (drained)
125g low fat cream cheese (80% less fat)
1 tbs icing sugar
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
3/4 cup of shaved coconut (shredded is also suitable)
Preheat over to 180C. Line a muffin tray with paper cases. Sift the flour, soda and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and carrot. Whisk the eggs, milk and oil in a medium bowl until combined. Stir the egg mixture and drained pineapple into the dry ingredients until combined. Spoon mixture into paper cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Stand cupcakes in the tray for 5 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool. Meanwhile, make the icing by combining the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Toast the coconut in a frypan (without oil or butter) until lightly brown. Spread icing over each cupcake (when cool), and roll the top of the cupcakes in the toasted shaved coconut (it should stick to the icing without much effort).
These will freeze if placed in an airtight container.
“Located in the historic Normanby Chambers building in the heart of CBD Melbourne, Vue de monde pays homage to classical fine dining, encompassing this philosophy through food, service and ambience. Vue de monde is testament to the belief that restaurant food can be a wondrous, unforgettable experience. The philosophy at Vue de monde is to provide a dining experience that cannot be created at home. This is achieved through dedication to the dining experience as a whole; from the sourcing of rare ingredients and an uncompromising approach to classical technique, to a commitment to the very best in restaurant service including crockery, cutlery and glassware.” www.vuedemonde.com.au
Our first anniversary was certainly an evening of creative inspiration, and taste bud stimulation.
Vue de Monde surpassed our expectations, walking away with so much to talk about (both being foodies), we spent most of the night watching the talented team of chefs prepare and garnish each meal – truely an artform! Our table was second row back from the kitchen, allowing an evening of entertainment observing the meticulously involved process to complete each dish – We were in heaven!
My husband loves his wine, and having worked in the industry for several years was feeling excitement and anticipation around what the sommelier was going to pair with each course (possibly more so than the fact we were celebrating our first year together). Even the wine pairing was innovative… serving a cream sherry with the truffle risotto, and what an amazing marriage of flavours it was (especially with grated truffle imported from the South of France).
One of the highlights was the Ocean Trout smoked at the table. They placed a glass dome over the plate, and attached a cord to an opening in the dome and pumped smoke into the dome that smoked the fish just before serving. At the table they removed the dome – the smell of the smoke was spectacular, and the flavour through the trout a million times better.
The other stand-out was the Western Australian marron served on a hot river stone from Hobart, Tasmania – very innovative presentation, and again brilliant flavour combinations.
I can’t remember how many times I said WOW! I was in awe of the creativeness in presentation, flavours, textures and wine pairing.
The service was also a stand-out. Even when we were leaving and thought that our Vue de Monde experience was finally coming to an end… we were given a paper bag full of breakfast treats (a mini loaf of brioche, 2 green eggs, tea and 2 chocolate chip cookies, with recipe options!) to keep the Vue de Monde experience alive after we woke up the next morning.
I have compiled our menu below, with photos (of course), so you too can experience a little of Vue de Monde (and so I can return to this post and relive our evening when I like!).
Vue de Monde
Anniversary Dinner – Thursday 25th March
(Note to my husband … our real anniversary date is March 28th)
AMUSE BOUCHE
Kangaroo charcuterie
&
Kingfish with Osetra caviar
&
Smoked eel with apple gel
~
JARDIN DE LÉGUMES
Heide vegetable garden
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TRUITE FUMÉE
Ocean trout with horseradish and baby beetroot,
smoked at the table
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RISOTTO AUX TRUFFES
Classically inspired truffle risotto
~
ÉCREVISSE RÔTIE
Roasted marron with bisque glaze
served on hot river stone
~
TROU PÉRIGOURDIN
Palate cleanser
~
WAGYU BOEUF DE BLACKMORE
Blackmore wagyu beef with dried berries & earl grey parsnip
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SAGO AU CASSIS ET FRUITS DE BOIS
Deconstructed cassis
sago pudding with fruits and bubblegum icecream
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SOUFFLÉ AU CHOCOLAT
Chocolate soufflé with chocolate mousse
and crème anglaise
~
NOTRE SÉLECTION DE CAFÉS, THÉS, INFUSIONS ET PETITS-FOURS
A selection of coffee, teas, infusions and petits-fours
Vue de Monde Chocolate Soufflé - www.vuedemonde.com.au
The recipe is below (care of Vue de Monde), or link to the recipe on their website:
From www.vuedemonde.com.au : It is very easy to notice a disaster of a failed soufflé, but sometimes appearances can be deceptive, too. I find that far too many people replace the skill of making a light soufflé with adding far too much sugar. I find modern soufflés, in bistros all around the world, far too sweet. Should be very light, always served with a sauce or icecream Should be served by waiter at the table – they will make an incision with a fish knife into the soufflé and pour the sauce in, or drop the quenelle of icecream in, which starts to melt and become saucy. Utterly delicious, and worth traveling to Paris just for a soufflé my favourite flavours are chocolate or pistachio, but soufflés reflect the seasons, so in late summer you will see lots of berry flavours, followed by stone fruits, or in winter, prune and Armagnac is a classic. (Excerpted from Shannon Bennett’s Guide to Paris) Chocolate Soufflé Serves 1
120g egg whites
100g sugar
1 1/2 tbspn chocolate crème patissiere
50g grated chocolate
10g butter, softenedChocolate Sauce
750g dark chocolate
1500ml cream
Butter the copper pan and add the grated chocolate to coat the inside of the pan
Beat the egg white till half stiff
Stiffen with the sugar
Smooth out the patissiere in a bowl and add a tablespoon worth of meringue
Fold it in gently
Once homogenous, fold in the rest of the egg white
Place into the copper pan and place into the oven at 180 C for 6 to 8 mins
Dust with cocoa powder and serve with chocolate sauceChocolate Sauce Serves 10 – also good on icecream!
There have been several requests come my way for a good banana bread recipe. Whilst I have tried a few recipes, I wouldn’t have called them ‘good’, and certainly wouldn’t recommend them. So I responded to the requests with ‘leave it with me‘, which left me with the potentially difficult and time-consuming task of finding a good recipe. This can prove tricky unless I start every conversation with ‘Hey, do you have a good banana bread recipe?‘.
Lucky for me a recent visit to mum’s proved very fruitful (excuse the pun!). I arrived and offered ” a cuppa tea, and a slice of the banana bread. I made it weeks ago, but it freezes really well” - Bingo! So I did the taste test, and was suitably impressed – whilst also imagining what a slice fresh from the oven would be like.
So here it is… I don’t have the source for this recipe, knowing mum (or clipper mum as we affectionately call her – due to the constant stream of articles she ‘clips’ from the newspaper and posts to family regularly) it will be from a newspaper or magazine.
Banana Bread
1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
125g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs (lightly beaten
3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
1/4 cup of milk, soured with a squeeze of lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 170C.
Grease a loaf tin and line the base with baking paper, leaving some paper overhanging the two long edges of the tin.
Place the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, bananas and milk in the bowl of a large food processor. Mix until the mixture comes together and is smooth.
Spoon it into the prepared tin and bake for about an hour, or until the bread is firm to the touch and golden brown.
A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Use the bits of overhanging baking paper to help remove the cake from the tin.
The bread can be sliced an eaten as is (especially when still warm from the oven, or toasted and serve with butter, or for something a little more elaborate, sweeten some smooth ricotta cheese with honey (mixing it together well), and spread it on the toasted bread (Yum!).
This bread can be frozen, ensure that it is wrapped securely before freezing.
You are forgiven if you think I have an obsession with bananas (being my second banana related recipe), but when the request came in to recommend a good recipe the challenge to find one was simply too tempting.
This is a before and after on a much larger scale than my footpath chairs – it is our back garden!
When we moved into our home the previous owners had done their best to ‘neaten’ up the rear garden to present for sale. As a friend kindly pointed out, we were so lucky to have our very own brick extremely oddly sized helipad!
Deciding what to do…
We knew we wanted a deck, so that was locked-in. We had no choice but to remove the square grass, even though I had successfully resurrected it, because Jack (our 4 legged companion) had turned it into a lunar landscape (whilst safely stowing several bones). We also demolished 2 of the 3 brick planter boxes to make way for the deck.
We decided to replace the grass and stones with paving, which called for a concrete slab. It wasn’t necessary to pave on a slab, but if the next owners wanted to drive their car across the paving to the garage, it would overcome a lot of movement and cracking of the pavers down the track. So in rolled the bob-cat, and cement truck, and for about a week we followed the Greek tradition with the majority of our back yard concreted!
I was very particular about the paving pattern. I wanted it on the diagonal from the house, with a half tile border – to create a little interest, and give the space a courtyard feel.
Once the paving was complete it was time to focus on the deck. I wanted the deck to feel like an extension of the house, so we chose wide Merbau wood (the same width as the interior floorboards), and ran the wood in the same direction as the interior floorboards. The deck is at the same height as inside, and we built a step the entire length of the deck, to improve traffic flow down to the paving, and overcome any falls off the deck to the paving (especially after consumption of my husbands home brew!).
My builder husband (who wants it made very clear that he built the deck with the help of his dad) decided to use screws for the deck, which is more time consuming (you have to drill the hole, countersink it, and then drill the screw in – for every hole you have 3 steps!). The benefits are that the boards are less likely to lift, the heads of the nails don’t pop up, and it looks a lot neater.
Once the deck and paving were complete we needed to seal both. The paving with a water based sealer (rolled on), and a water based decking stain (we chose the merbau colour).
Now for the greenery:
Along the fence - we planted 3 Ornamental Pear trees (Cleveland Select). These will eventually join together and grow about 10m tall and 5m wide providing plenty of privacy from the neighbours.
Underneath the Pears - we planted 4 Hebe ,Wiri Image. They are a hardy evergreen shrub which will grow to 1m. They prefer full sun to part shade, flowering in summer with masses of violet flower heads. They have flourished against the fence facing South.
In the terracotta planter boxes – (along the fence) we planted Polygala x dalmaisiana which will grow to 1.5m. They prefer full sun, part shade. A compact form of Polygala bearing a profusion of attractive dark lavender-purple pea like flowers for most of the year. They are perfect for hedges.
In the planter box – (on the deck) we planted a Forest Pansy tree which has beautiful deep maroon leaves, and in spring the bare branches are covered in light pink blossom.
Climbing the fence – we planted two white climbing thornless roses
In the wine barrels – we were kindly given as a wedding present a lemon and lime tree with all the herbs you could need underneath each.
Terracotta pots – I alternate between Petunias over summer, and Pansies over winter.
The large table on the deck was my brain-child, but my husbands handiwork (what a team!). We had 2 pallets left over from the delivery of the pavers which provided the inspiration for the table.
I suggested to my husband that if we (or ‘he’ as he kindly reminds me – because I won’t be doing the work) were to screw two pallets on top of each other, then cover them in the left over merbau, and attach 4 wheels to the bottom with brakes we would have a table. It has been one of the most useful items in our new garden! Since making our table I have seen a similar reuse of Palletson another blog, resulting in a beautiful day bed.
The two chairs are my footpath finds that I resurrected (read more about that project). Which have seen many warm nights drinking wine and barbecuing dinner.
Again it is a great achievement to entertain in a garden you have transformed yourself. The hours of shoveling, screwing, drilling and planting have paid off.
It is with great regret we have decided to sell our wonderful home and move about 50 Minutes out of Melbourne. We are searching for more space, for us and for Jack the dog (and potentially a 4 legged friend for him)! It will officially go on the market next week, so I thought I would give you all a sneak peek (I just got emailed the photos taken yesterday – what else was I going to do with them?). So here’s your extremely privileged preview….
Our beloved home….
59 Chirnside Street, Kingsville
(the following is the real estate marketing spiel)
Period Spaces Setting New Standards
As stunning inside as it is stylish outside! This beautifully presented Edwardian reveals a designer’s eye for style and big, bright spaces. A shining interior including three large double bedrooms. Central lounge with open fire-place continues the generous theme and precedes contemporary kitchen overlooking full-width living/dining opening to a north-easterly landscaped garden with deck, further enhanced by garage and right-of-way. Stylish white colour scheme throughout defines modern bathroom, and a convenient central laundry and roof storage loft completes an impressive set of inner-city spaces close to transport, restaurants and schools.
59 Chirnside Street, Kingsville
The front garden consist of lawn on both sides, surrounded by English box hedge. Both side fence-lines are bordered with Iceberg (white) standard roses. The feature tree on the left is a weeping cherry (with pale pink blossom) which has miniature blue Agapanthus around the base. Underneath the left window are three lavender bushes (that fill the main bedroom with a lovely scent when the window is open).
Master Bedroom An enormous room (I could do a cart-wheel in there!), with a working fireplace, and wardrobes to the right). On the wall are my Vintage wallpaper collages. The lamp is a recent transformation where I covered the shade in vintage wallpaper – the subject of a future post.
Second Bedroom
Another spacious room, with wardrobes along one wall. On the wall are my fabric wall discs.
Lounge room A good sized lounge room with plenty of Northerly sunshine. The 2 picture frames above the couch were a Bernice creation. I stumbled across the French vintage oval shaped paper ‘things’ (I think they were glued onto things in a previous life) in a vintage store in Fitzroy, Melbourne. I bought 7 of them, and then arranged them in frames around the house. The metal wood trunk/chest is featured in my recycled storage items post.
Although there is central ducted heating we would have a fire almost every evening in winter (Jack is quite fond of warming himself by the open fire)
The framed vintage poster above the fireplace was a present my husband and I gave to each other, it is an original Leon Dupin. We chose this one because of my husbands passion for wine.
Kitchen I will miss my oven the most, preheats in 7 minutes, which is perfect for someone who glosses over the first instruction in recipes (1. preheat over to 180C). The previous owner was a chef – so it is a commercial grade oven – perfect for Bernice! The collection of red antique cooking utensils on the wall are a feature from a previous post.
Kitchen – looking towards front door
Bathroom A very roomy bathroom, with a luxurious claw foot bath. The storage unit to the right is featured in my recycled furniture post.
Living room We love this extra living space, and use this area for all our entertaining, opening out to the deck makes for a free flowing space which is perfect for BBQ’s and casual entertaining.
Living & Dining The open living and dining is perfect for modern living, as you can see the deck extends the living space outside (with floorboards and deck boards aligned to accentuate the natural flow outside). I have many people ask where I got all the wooden furniture. The coffee and dining table (and chairs) as well as the side board are all solid teak, which we purchased from Bayside Furniture in Geelong – it weighs a ton, but very easy maintenance… warm soapy water and a scrubbing brush (hot food/drinks can all be placed directly on the surface!)
Rear Garden- Decking and paving Not much to say about this area, as it is all covered in my recent garden transformation post….. except we LOVE IT, and spend almost every night sitting in my reconditioned chairs solving the problems of the world.
Rear Garden – Decking We love the large Ornamental Pear tree featured in the far left corner, it finishes the deck perfectly with its deep green foliage.
We haven’t set an auction date yet, but the start of a period when we cannot do anything in the house for fear of making a mess open for inspections will be from Saturday 24th April, 2010.
We will now occupy our weekends looking for houses in our new area – quite exciting really.
Bernice
PS. 25th May 2010 – We sold our house before auction, and bought a block of land within a golf course walking distance to the beach! Now for the excitement of building our new home!
Not only do I have a reputation as a hoarder, but after my chair transformation post many now picture me on weekends scouring the streets for furniture people have discarded.
And you are forgiven for harbouring those thoughts as I introduce yet another item I found on the footpath about a month ago…. a gorgeous wooden desk.
This item actually found me. Our neighbours (across the road neighbours, not next door) had placed it on the footpath for anyone who was game – did they know Bernice lived across the road from them? I awkwardly to its new home on my own, down the hall to the back garden. As you can see in the before photo (above) the previous owners had made an attempt at stripping one drawer, and sanding back some of the paint, but must have proved too labour intensive. So it was left on the footpath for another over-enthusiastic restorer to take on.
It was not an unusual sight for my husband to come home to find me in my ‘Hey Bernice’ clothes (usually a T-shirt my sister has discarded with an obscure band name on the front which makes him laugh when he sees me with electric sander in hand, tiny shorts and ‘XXX’ written across my chest) madly sanding, paint stripping, painting, planting… and usually trying to do two projects at once. This particular day I was half way through restoring my outdoor chairs when the desk called my name from across the street. Naturally I was temporarily distracted by the (needing to immediately determine how hard it would be to strip the paint off).
I thought I might be able to sand the paint off, but proving quite stubborn, I opted for paint stripper. I had to do two coats of stripper (three in some of the stubborn areas). I didn’t want a clean wood finish, I was happy with remnants of white paint, as long as it wasn’t too messy looking. I then gave it a whisk over withe the electric sander (my new best friend!).
Choosing new nobs for the drawers was tricky – I wanted to use the beautiful French ceramic nobs I had spied in a shop nearby (having failed to convince my husband to allow me to replace our wardrobe handles with them – he can never claim he doesn’t have a say in our house decorating!). I tried one of the white ceramic nobs… which didn’t look quite right. So, I went back to the shop, and noticed they had a similar crystal version (not as ‘obvious’ as the white) – they were perfect!
I don’t know about you, but it is really hard to find a good lampshade these days. It was time I took things into my own hands and created what I was looking for.
I had received a hand-me-down lampshade from my grandmother (via mum). It had a rather grand marble base that could also second as a lethal weapon, which had a chip out of the bottom corner (which begs the question… once upon a time, ‘did Gran test this out as a weapon’). I could handle the chip in the base (whilst intrigued as to how it got there!)… I simply turned the base so the chip faces the back wall – problem solved. What I particularly liked about it was the oval shaped lampshade. What I didn’t like about it was the cream lampshade looked washed-out with the white marble base.
After first asking permission from mum to recover it, I then embarked on finding some vintage wallpaper to transform it. I didn’t have to look very far because I had a lot of wallpaper left over from my vintage wallpaper collages.
I also had a collection of papers my sister had given me that could also be contenders.
Whilst they were wonderfully bold, and would have looked great, they didn’t matched my current home decor (The gold with black flowers would have been my first pick).
So I opted for wallpaper remnants from a transformation I have not yet written about. I stuck the wallpaper to the shade with craft glue (time will tell if this will hold), and the result can be seen below (lamp on and off).
Now next challenge is to try and lure the story out of Gran to explain the mystery of the chipped marble base (Colonel Mustard in the library with the marble lamp base springs to mind!)
I have a thing for butterflies at the moment – maybe it has something to do with the current metamorphosis my life is undertaking right now. We have sold our home in the city (Melbourne), and bought a block of land within a golf course, about 800m from the beach in Torquay (all in the one week). Hence the reason I have been a little quite lately.
My husband and I joke that we have brought our retirement plans forward about 30 years – and I can’t think of a reason why we shouldn’t. After all, life is to be lived – isn’t it?
Yes, I did say land (no house – yet!). You will all be blessed with living the exciting experience of designing, building, decorating and landscaping our new home – the next year will be Hey Bernice! on steroids.
OK. Back to butterflies.
My most recent wall decorations were inspired by my many butterfly sightings (in life, my sister’s creation, magazines, on Made It, and various international artists).
I used Asian patterned paper to cut out Butterflies. My sister had actually made me a canvas in this way before, and was the donator of the Asian paper.
I then pinned them on canvases I had prepared in a unique way (to create a little more interest!). Before I go into the detail of how I made mine, let me share with you the creative works that have inspired me (from local Made It artists to international exhibitors):
This Little Fish Creations butterfly mobile is simply stunning, and perfect for the babies nursery. You can buy these on Made it.
If you want to invite butterflies in your home then Vinyl Design wall stickers are the perfect way to do this without damaging your wall. These too are also available on Made It.
Almond Tree Frames sell these beautiful paper butterfly frames in various patterns and colours. Another Made It Artist.
Paul Villinski is a New York based artist whose “pieces explore themes of transformation and recovery through the metamorphosis of crushed beer cans from the streets of New York into flocks of realistically crafted butterflies.” Below are two examples of his brilliant work using vinyl records and aluminum cans.
Finally Justine Smith “has exhibited in galleries and museums internationally, and has work in the collections of the British Council, the UK Government Art Collection, financial institutions, international corporations and numerous private collections. She lives and works in London.”
You must now understand why I had to try my hand at butterflies? They are simply stunning as a feature in the home.
So, what did I do? I used 2 canvases 30cm x 30cm (12″ x 12″).
To add a little more to the background I searched for some material with a textured pattern to glue to the canvas. In this instance I chose a thin synthetic satin material that had a velvet raised pattern on it. After gluing the material to the canvas (just to the front, not the sides) I then primed the material with Gesso (used to prepare materials for painting) when the glue had dried . It required several coats because the material was absorbing the paint, and the colour of the material was showing through. Several coats also ensured that you could not tell that the raised pattern was velvet.
To emphasize the pattern on the material I used a fine gold pen to trace around the edges of the velvet raised pattern.
To attach the butterflies it is better to pin them instead of gluing or taping. I used short dress making pins, whilst they are exposed at the back of the canvas, they are very short, and if the canvas is hanging on the wall no-one should get injured!
So how did I cut out all the butterflies?
Some specialised tools will give you a clean and delicate finish when cutting the butterflies.
I bought this interchangeable knife kit from a craft shop, along with the plastic butterfly stencil. Alternatively you can search for butterflies on Google images, and print out something you like to use as a template.
There are so many way you can use butterflies in artwork, another alternative is setting them in a box frame like ALmond Tree Frames have done. Or attach them directly to the wall with wire, like Paul Villinski above.
However you bring them into your home – they create a very special feel … something magical and mysterious.
This post is dedicated to my long-time school friend Chris (AKA Twirling Betty www.twirlingbetty.com.au). She has been twirling away on her blog for many more months than I have… and was in fact the reason I started Hey Bernice! five months ago. Over coffee one day (whilst discussing her new blog) she said to me ‘you should start a blog‘ which was all that was required to get me started.
I had a few mental hurdles to overcome before I took the plunge into the blogsphere….
I didn’t know what to write about (I have never been short of a word, so not sure why I thought I would be short of something to write!)
If I started a blog, what was I going to call it (not a good enough reason not to do it)
I didn’t think I was a writer (I soon worked out that if I talked in my head, then typed it down I could overcome that hurdle)
Not only was I not a writer, how could I be sure anyone would want to read what I wrote (I also realised it didn’t matter, as long as I was still enjoying it)
There was another significant problem…I didn’t have the time. I was working full time and completing the final subject of my Masters in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
One month after completing my Masters I had published my first post on Hey Bernice!
Just this week Twirling Betty has nominated me for the Circle of Friends Award. Twirling Betty is not only blissfully entertaining (via blog posts and in person), her blog posts transport you with her talented writing. But her talents don’t stop there – she makes things. Gorgeous things. Hair clips, brooches, children’s sun visors (see below for the latest season colours) and heaps of other unique accessories. You really should check them out, and Twirling Betty will happily sell to what you realise you have fallen in love with.
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Photo: www.twirlingbetty.com.au
I wasn’t aware of the cirlce of friends award, so it was a lovely surprise to receive it. To participate you have to list 5 things you love and then link to 5 others you would like to nominate for the award. So here goes:
1. A open fire
I am sitting in front of one now. Last January when we had a rare below 20C day – I had a fire that night- It was such a treat not to have to wait another 5 months to enjoy that smell, crackle, warmth and glow…..
Photo: www.stylewithin.co.uk
2. Bacon
Quite simply the best thing ever. The crispier the better. I can’t eat it if it is not crispy enough (I guess that makes me a really fussy bacon eater!). I can’t get enough (only when crispy!).
3. The beach
You can imagine how happy I am that we are going to be living less than 1km from one (once we have built our new home). Below is a picture of our beach that I will endeavour to walk along every day – rain, hail or shine.
4. Dogs
I adore their attitude, it’s infectious, and their love endless. I can’t live without a dog in my life . The (canine) love of my life Jack is below.
5. Gardens and flowers (especially in full bloom!)
I love gardens, flowers, fresh spring leaves, blossoming trees, huge vases full of flowers. Our wedding was in a beautiful garden shaded by a peppercorn tree. This time of year, as the trees lose their leaves and the plants go into hibernation is my least favourite. My love for gardens is definitely hereditary, mum and her mother and great aunt have the gardening talent, and my sister has just commenced a garden design course. My Great Aunt Ivy would strategically place half a dozen beach umbrellas in the garden on hot days to protect her plants from the harsh sun – periodically changing the angle on each umbrella as the sun changed it’s position in the sky. She was also known for trimming the blades of grass on the lawn with nail scissors!
My favourite flowers are white tulips.
Now for passing on the award to those who have inspired me in one way or another:
1. Design Sponge – I love this New York based website dedicated to home and product design, and was so excited when they featured my chairs recently – thank you!
2. Tim (my amazing husband) – he too has a blog which focusses on his love for progressive music timlangler.wordpress.com as a result we often find ourselves negotiating over computer time. I love the way Tim throws himself into everything. He has a boundless knowledge about so many things – It drives me to really immerse myself into Hey Bernice, and push beyond the surface and see what lurks behind. He is quite a talented online DJ, with several interenet radio show ‘slots’ resulting in numerous online followers … worldwide. If you want to have a listen to the music he mixes you can download his sets from the blog.
3. Cloth Fabric- I first read an article about Julie paterson in Vogue Living May/June last year featuring her latest collection ‘Found and made again’ created from over printing on old coffee bags. She is a Sydney based designer, with a store in Surrey Hills. She produces fabric, products, wallpaper, rugs from natural fibres eg. hemp, linen and organic cotton. Her designs and philosophy sparked something that steered me along the road to starting Hey Bernice!
4. Dad (Chris Lang) – I think he was the first real estate agent in Australia to have a website (back in the mid nineties). He currently has several blogs and websites, and knows more about the internet than I do (at 63!). He is on Twitter, has an iPhone, uses Skype, and knows HTML. He is the reason I work in the digital industry, and keeps me up to date with all the latest trends. You can check out his blog here. Or his Investor Lab here. I remember one day when I was visiting he said “you should get onto WordPress, I use it… it’s great” I had no idea what he was talking about – it now happens to be the mechanism by which I publish Hey Bernice! online.
5. Saffron Craig -What beautiful Material she prints. Never before have I felt so much excitement than when I browse through all the gorgeous materials within her online store. Such an eye for beauty, resulting in unique designs and colours. I have so many things lined up for Bernice to make with these threads.
That’s more than enough insight into the inner workings of Bernice. I should get back to enjoying my open fire, and finishing off my wooden hippo for the next post!
I am up to my ears in boxes, packing paper and lots of Hey Bernice! creations that I don’t want to move (twice in a year). So I am hoping to send them to a new home – maybe yours?.
So here is how it works… first in best dressed. If you like it – email me (bernice@heybernice.com). The first person to email indicating which item they want to adopt will secure it for themselves … I am happy to post items to you (costs of doing so will be added to the sale price).
Item 1a + 1b: [SOLD]
1a) Three (3) small red dragons canvases – Sale Price $50 for three (35cm x 35cm)
1b) Antique wooden double bed frame (very dear to my heart!) - Sales Price $500 (includes 2 metal rails and 2 solid wood bed ends). I can take more photos if you like this and want to see more.
Hey Bernice - Acrylic on canvas (Small red Dragons)
Item 2: [SOLD]
2 Butterfly Canvases – Sale Price $60 for two (30cm x 30cm)
Please help me find a new home for my beloved creations. We will be moving in 2 weeks, so if you’re interested in any items above please let me know ASAP, then I can avoid packing and moving them.
Back in the house-hunting days (which seems like an eternity away, although only eight weeks ago!) we stumbled across a garage sale. In truth, my finely tuned senses probably chose the house to view because it was next to a garage sale. At a glance my husband was hesitant ‘there’s nothing worth looking at in there’, which was like a red rag to a bull… the determination led me to my find.
There it was, my wooden (3 piece puzzle) hippo. Displayed on the table along side old kitchen utensils, items from the garage, and some homemade rum balls.
It was calling my name. I knew straight away I could show it a new life, be the catalyst for its rebirth. I could see this project immediately.
Walking out, my husband asked me what I bought, he really shouldn’t have been surprised when I showed him a wooden hippo in my hand.
This project has taken me a lot longer than expected, which can be blamed on the multitude of boxes I have had to pack between each stage of this rebirth (it has also dawned on me that I have spent 2.5 years bringing a lot of unnecessary ’things‘ into our home). We are moving home in 4 days, and the fear of my half-transformed hippo getting packed into a box, and not given any love for another week or so, spurred me on the complete it before the removalists arrive.
So here is the finished result from life next to homemade rum balls coated in cocnut to the Ritz Carlton - my Gilded Hippo:
My First step was to paint the hippo white all over. I didn’t like the white, so changed it to gold. I then used some of the very ornately patterned paper my sister had given me (golds matching perfectly – which is always a bonus!) to trace around each piece of the puzzle to cover the flat side. It was one of those challenging ‘spatial’ tests to make sure you were tracing the right side of the piece, on the right side of the patterned paper – this task did prod a rather dormant corner of my brain. Also tricky was making sure all the puzzle pieces were traced already connected (as closely as the pieces would sit when together) to make sure the patterned lined up – that was also fun when it came to cutting the pieces out, no room for error.
I then stuck the paper on to the flat side of the hippo with craft glue:
It looked a little unfinished. So I came up with the bright idea (for presentation and durability) to cover it with resin. It gives the slick, smooth finish you see on a surfboard. I proceeded to coat each puzzle piece with Craft Smart Liquid Gloss. It comes in two parts, resin and hardener. You simply mix equal parts of both liquids together, stir well, and then pour it over the paper (making sure you push it around to cover every piece). It then sets as hard and as smooth as glass in 24 hours. You can use this to create a smooth finish over the top of most materials (wood, fabric, paper, cardboard, metal)
So there you have it – my rags to riches Hippo transformation (before and after):
I will probably be a little quiet for the next week whilst I move our home… back soon with new inspiration from a coastal location bursting with quirkiness.
We have arrived in our new (temporary) home. Our refuge during the exciting time we are about to embark upon … building our new home.
It’s always a refreshing experience moving somewhere new – so many things to discover. You don’t live your life as a habit or routine, because there isn’t one established in this new town – I love that feeling.
We have made Geelong our temporary home whilst overseeing the building process in Torquay (15 minutes away).
A little about our new home:
Geelong is Victoria’s second largest city and offers a diverse range of food, wine, cultural and recreation attractions and colonial history.
A waterfront city, it is also the major gateway to the Bellarine Peninsula and Great Ocean Road. www.aboutaustralia.com
www.smh.com
www.planetware.com
We have received the first cut of our plans – that’s when it hit us – we are building a house from scratch! So many (exciting) decisions to be made.
To follow the house build from beginning to end visit www.lot271.com
My Husband (Tim) has a signature dish … chilli con carne, and it is amazing. As it should be after 3 years of merging recipes and perfecting the combination of spices and sauces. It is an ideal dish for cold winter nights (or lunchtime!). I love it because of the generous inclusion of vegetables – while Tim is eating what seems to him like a carnivores delight, he is actually getting a good balanced meal!
He has asked I explain that whilst there is a recipe to follow, it is really a bit of this and a bit of that … and then add a little bit more of any of the ingredients to taste.
One of the key ingredients is dark chocolate, it provides that bonus flavour complexity. I particularly like the addition of this because there is about 3/4 of the block remaining to be consumed with the left over red wine after cooking!
This recipes makes a large pot of chilli, which is great because it freezes beautifully, and is ready for those times when you just can’t be bothered cooking.
Tim’s Chilli Con Carne
2 onions
3 chillis (minimum) jalapeno, green, red, yellow, birdseye (by combining different chillis it adds to the complexity of flavour)
5 cloves of garlic
1kg beef mince
2 litres beef stock
1 cinnamon quill
1.5 cups of red wine
2 capsicums (diced)
4 cans of diced tomatoes
3 cans of kidney beans
75g of good quality dark chocolate (eg. Lindt)
A squirt of HP sauce
A couple of splashes of Tobasco sauce
A couple of splashes of Worcestershire sauce
Sour cream or natural yoghurt for garnish
White rice (optional to serve with the chilli)
Saute the onion, garlic and chilli in a large pot until the onion is translucent.
Add the beef mince and stir until golden brown and the mince has broken down into small pieces.
Reduce the heat and add the beef stock.
Add the cans of tomatoes, diced capsicum, cinnamon quill and sauces
Stir in the red wine
Simmer and stir every 15 minutes (so it doesn’t burn on the bottom) until the liquid has reduced and thickened to a rich gravy consistency
Add the cans of kidney beans and cook for another 10 minutes
Add the dark chocolate (then place it next to the bottle of red wine to have later!)
Cook for another 10 minutes
Serve in a bowl on its own with a spoon of sour cream (or natural yoghurt) on top and a sprinkle of finely sliced spring onions or chives. Alternatively you can serve it with boiled white rice underneath.
Place the left over chilli in portion controlled containers and freeze – it will last for months.
My husband and I have just bought land within a housing estate in Torquay. I never thought I would live in a housing estate. There being several reasons behind that thought:
- Most estates were not situated anywhere near the coast (taking me further from my dream of living near a beach);
- I couldn’t buy a vacant block of land then wait several years until our neighbours had built before knowing the look and feel of my new area (and then discover I don’t like what it has become!);
- trusting that your neighbours have decent taste, and don’t design and build an architectural monstrosity!
I am surprisingly excited about our land purchase and impending house build. So, why the change of heart?
- The Sands (where we have purchased) whilst an estate, is really a golf resort… so attracts a different type of house/land buyer – you wouldn’t buy on a golf course if you didn’t like golf… would you?
- the architectural restrictions for building at the Sands are VERY detailed, and strictly governed to overcome that ‘neighboured surprise’ when all houses are built.
- We are buying one of the last blocks of land, so were able to see what the neighbourhood looks like, and have fallen in love with it.
What we loved about the Sands was having access to the Peppers Resort pool and gym … peak time at the pool is one person in each lane (I love it!)
Our block is overlooking the 6th green and 7th tee, giving us a feeling of space out the back of the block, with no houses behind us.
More importantly was the architecture – we loved the modern coastal theme of all the houses (thanks to the strict architectural regulations). Here’s a selection of our favourites:
Stay tuned for all the updates as we move through the building process… so far it has been slow and tedious, hopefully things will move a little faster in the coming months.
Bernice
PS. Apologies for the months (rather than days) between posts, I am 4 months pregnant with my first, and have been struggling with the morning sickness and tiredness. My spare time has been spent sleeping (not writing blogs!).
Mum turned seventy 2 weeks ago. The entire family was looking forward to pulling together close friends and family for a celebration…. Instead mum arranges for her and dad to go overseas for her birthday – foiling any arrangements we may have liked to have made on her behalf.
Mum avoids any fuss wherever possible, so I understand her motivation – but we were not going to let her board that plane without recognising the significant milestone.
When our aunt announced she was visiting from Canberra, mum decided to call all her brothers (and their wives) together, along with our immediate family for a dinner.
My sister and I decided we would volunteer to arrange dessert – and turned it into a 70th birthday cake and a mini birthday celebration. The joke of the evening was that without knowing it mum ended up organising her own surprise 70th birthday celebration.
We ordered one of the famous Truffleduck flourless chocolate cakes. My husband and I were married at Truffleduck last year, and had their famous cake on the top of our cupcake stand – it was a truely amazing, melt in the mouth experience.
When ordering I was told that they don’t decorate cakes anymore (I found out when picking up the cake that they don’t really make one-off cakes anymore, but did it for us as a special favour!)… so I was left with a beautiful cake, and no decorations.
Over to Bernice ….
Mum is a wonderful gardener (as was her mother Nellie, and her Aunt Ivy), and has an admirable talent for growing orchids. My sister and I decided to decorate the cake with stricking, coloured orchids.
Having such a unique shape, and with the deep pink/burgundy contrasting the green/yellow, the orchids were the perfect finish for the dark chocolate ganache icing.
After placing the cake on a large white circular platter, I surrounded the base of the cake with individual flowers that I had broken off the main stem, making sure the flowers were all placed the same way.
I saved two of the stems that were covered with unopened buds to use as a feature garnish on the top of the cake. And placed aside four of the best flowers for this purpose as well.
Not only was the sneaky birthday celebration a surprise for mum, but the striking cake, covered in orchids looked amazing (if I do say so myself!).
Whilst this is an easy (and cost effective way) to decorate a cake, it certainly doesn’t limit the impact you can make for a special occasion. Orchids can stay in good shape for many hours out of water – so you can use them to decorate a cake hours before you plan to eat it.
Let me start by clarifying that I am not obsessed with butterflies… but they are such wonderful subjects for 3D artwork. I made this recently for a friends little girl Maddison who was born several months ago.
Let me take you through the easy steps to beautiful butterfly artwork… you will need:
1 box frame (where the glass doesn’t sit against the artwork inside, leaving room for the butterfly wings to sit open, away from the paper.
1 (or more if you make a mistake) piece of firm white paper, or any other colour you prefer
1 pencil for drawing the butterflies
1 ruler to make sure even placement of the butterflies
1 butterfly stencil (purchased, or made yourself)
1 cutting board, plastic is preferable (an old magazine can also be used)
1 cutting/Stanley knife to cut out the butterflies
1 piece of patterned paper to sit behind the white paper
1 roll of masking/sticky tape
1. Tracing the butterflies
Take your white paper. Not photocopy paper, preferably something a little thicker (I used a piece of paper from my art sketch book). Card board is too thick, as it will be harder to cut with the knife.
The size of your paper will depend on the size of box frame you have chosen. You want the paper larger than the display area within the frame.
Take your butterfly stencil and trace the butterflies onto the space that will be displayed within the frame (remember there is usually a cardboard insert that sits within the frame, so your butterflies need to sit within that area). You can place the butterflies wherever you like – just make sure there is enough space between each one to allow the paper to hold its shape once you cut around the butterflies (aim for at least 1cm between each butterfly).
2. Cutting the butterflies Take your cutting/Stanley knife and commence cutting around the outline of the butterflies. Make sure you don’t cut around each butterfly completely, you need to keep each one attached in several places. I found leaving the ‘body’ of the butterfly attached was the most effective, whilst cutting around the wings.
I also found it easier to press the knife into the paper to make a cut, rather than dragging the knife along the paper. Dragging can often tear/gather the paper, and make the cut a little messy.
3. Making the butterflies come alive
Once you have cut around all the butterflies, push out each of the wings from behind (the back is the side with the pencil makes on it from tracing your stencil!).
4. Placing in the Box frame
Take apart the box frame from the back. Most frames will come with a cardboard inner frame, that will border your artwork. You will need to attach your butterfly creation to the back of this cardboard with tape to make sure that it sits in the correct position (take a look from the front when everything is in place). Once everything is attached securely, place back in the frame (check that the positioning is the right way up in the frame for hanging/standing up), then secure the back piece of the frame.
Butterflies are not he only animals you can use for this type of artwork, but based on their shape (with wings) it makes them perfect. You could also use birds, dragons with wings, bats etc.
I hope you enjoy doing this as much as I did. Good luck with your first attempt.
Deciding on a Christmas decoration theme can be quite stressful…. the colour combinations, themes, shapes and patterns are endless. It is hard to know where to start.
Do you stay traditional? Introduce some different colours? Change your decorations to be a little more modern, hand made or something that represents your personality a little more?
We are hosting Christmas this year – 13 adults and 2 toddlers… so I have started thinking about the table setting, menu and decorations.
Seeing as we will be having a coastal Christmas in our new home, I was thinking we might theme the decorations accordingly… turquoise, silver, white?
If you are mulling over how to decorate your home or the tree this year, I have collected a selection of my favourite options below (I am also building a Christmas pin board on Pinterest.com) to help get the creative juices flowing – or perhaps some egg nog could have a similar effect – up to you!.
Picture from LBCpaper @ www.etsy.com
Picture from www.kikkik.com.au
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Modern colours - Purple, touquise, pink and silver etc
Pictures from www.mozi.com.au
Picture from www.kikkik.com.au
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Modern style - introducing new shapes, styles and mediums
Mozi
Picture from www.kikkik.com.au
Picture from LBCpaper @ www.etsy.comFor more Christmas inspiration you can check out my Christmas pin board on PinterestWhatever you decide, try to enjoy the process. After all, decorating your tree and choosing your theme should be fun!I will follow-up soon with some Great Christmas recipe ideas.
Good luck.
It is only fitting, in Australia, we have an alternative to traditional plum pudding … ice cream plum pudding.
I first tried this at my mother-in-laws house for Christmas a few years ago. I am not a big fan of traditional plum pudding (unless I smother it in custard and brandy butter – which is guaranteed to smother my body with the equivalent in fat stores!). But this version is absolutely amazing, and so much more appropriate for a southern hemisphere (hot) Christmas.
I managed to get the recipe from my mother-in-law yesterday, just in time to make one for this Christmas… so I will share it with you all:
Ice cream Plum Pudding 3/4 cup sultanas
1/2 cup chopped raisins
1/2 cup chopped currents
1/3 cup finely chopped peel
1/3 cup chopped glace cherries
1/4 cup brandy (or use orange juice instead)
1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds
1 tsp mixed spice
2 litres vanilla icecream (soften by leaving out for a while before using )
200g cooking chocolate (or choclate ice magic)
Combine all the fruits, sprinkle with the brandy (or orange juice), leave for 2-3 hours.
Add almonds and spice, quickly fold through the slightly softened ice cream.
Pour into individual ’pudding’ moulds, or one large ‘pudding mould’ or basin lined with cling/glad wrap (for easier de-moulding later).
Cover and freeze.
To demould, dip mould quickly in and out of hot water, turn on serving dish and remove plastic.
Ice magic is ideal for topping the pudding because it won’t melt the ice cream as much as melted chocolate. Squeeze the ice magic over the top of the pudding so it drips down the edges of the pudding. Alternatively, melt chocolate in a basin set over simmering water. Do not over stir the chocolate or it will ‘seize’ (harden) and cannot be used. Cool before pouring over the pudding.
You can also add some cherries, strawberries or other fruit as garnish.
To accompany the plum pudding below are links to some of my favourite recipes to include in your Christmas feast this year…
I can’t drink alcohol this Christmas and New Years Eve (being Pregnant)… in fact, I can’t drink much at all. My list of approved beverages has diminished somewhat, to water and soda water, since being diagnosed with gestational Diabetes – temporary diabetes whilst pregnant! So for all those that can drink punch … this is for you!
To provide a ‘special’ beverage this festive season for those who don’t drink or are pregnant, I have dug out the punch recipe from Truffleduck (where we were married). I didn’t try the punch on our wedding day, however one of our ‘foody’ guests requested the recipe afterwards – so it must have been good.
Truffleduck Punch
2 litres orange juice
2 litres pineapple juice
2 litres apricot nectar
A half bottle of lime cordial and half a bottle of lemon cordial
1/3 of a can of passionfruit pulp
2 bottles dry ginger 1.25 litres
2 bottles soda water 1.25 litres
Lots of ice
Naturally any punch can be ’spiced’ up a little with the addition of vodka, or any other fruit flavoured alcohol.
Happy fruit punching this festive season.
I also like to add some fresh fruit to my punch – try some grapes (frozen ones are great), watermelon (balls look good), and sliced strawberries. The easy way to add fruit is to place a can of fruit salad in there!
I know… it’s been a while between blogs. However I am full of legitimate excuses….
- Christmas came and went;
- I am 8 months pregnant, really tired all the time and have chosen sleep over writing (sorry!);
- I only finished working last week; so now I am a lady of leisure for 1 month before baby arrives – Yay!;
- We have been finalising all the details for our new house we commence building next week (looking at, sometimes arguing over, and then finally agreeing on tiles, carpet, bench tops, door handles, basins, floorboards, house colours……endless decisions!)
- I have started a new blog about the above mentioned (and extremely exciting) house build in Torquay.
Lot 271 is our block of land, and the blog will document our house build on this block from start to finish. Allowing potential home builders (and any other interested parties, friends and family) to experience it with us, from beginning to end.
Live it with us, learn from our mistakes, or realise that it really isn’t that bad (fingers crossed) – if you go in with the right attitude (let’s hope we experience the latter!!).
We have no idea what the next year will be like – I guess you will find out as we do.
Keep visiting the blog to see things progress (there will be lots of photos), and heaps of advice as we learn a thing or two. If you are keen to following the building updates then sign-up to Lot 271 to get emails sent to you when I post.
Hopefully I can get you as excited as we are to watch this block of land transform into our dream home…
Now the admin side of setting up the new blog is complete, you should hear a little more from me (unless of course I am giving birth to my first child – which could happen any day now!).
I recently introduced my mother-in-law to eBay…. she loved it! We went searching for a bassinet (with a little bit of character) for the baby. I really liked the older style cane bassinets, and eBay delivered (it also happened to be located about 30 minutes from my Mother-in-law’s house). We placed our highest bid a $50 – and won the auction! We were both over the moon.
They were only selling the bassinet, on a stand with wheels – no mattress or sheets etc. So we then had to hunt down a mattress that would fit, and some sheets. My husband also gave it a freshen-up with a can of white spray paint (I wasn’t allowed to use the spray paint being pregnant. It was a miracle I was able to keep my nose out of that part of the transformation!).
My mother in law sourced the mattress and protector, and one set of sheets. I decided to spend my ‘waiting’ time before the baby arrived making the other sheets (fitted and flat) for my newly acquired bassinet, and cot. Why make them when I can by them? I hadn’t seen any sheets I had liked, they were all too busy or too expensive for what you are buying!
You can imagine my excitement when mum asked me if I wanted any of the beautiful, white, top quality, 100% cotton, single bed sheets she had in her cupboard. They were my grandmothers, and had been sitting in mum’s cupboard since she moved into a nursing home several years ago. They were a really thick cotton sheet (great for soaking up baby vomit, wee and poo!), and in excellent condition. Of course I said yes to her offer, and returned home with a bag full of material to transform into sheets.
To Make a Flat sheet
The sheets I was given were flat, single sheets. Each were finished properly (folded and sewn) on one of the short ends, and finished as part of the weave on the long edges. To minimise the amount of sewing I needed to do I made the most of this and used these finished edges where I could on 2 sides of my flat sheets. I used the folded and sewn end as my fold-over part of the sheet that would be at the baby’s head.
Use one of your bassinet or cot sheets to determine the size you need to cut your material, leaving about 3cm to properly finish the edges on the 2 sides that you are cutting.
Once you have cut your sheet size, take some pins and pin the edges ready to sew. Make sure you fold over the edge about 1cm, then fold it over again – that way you don’t expose the raw edge of the material, and it won’t fray when you wash it – it also looks neater. Sew down both sides to finish your sheet.
Note: Make sure that you fold both sheet edges over onto the ‘wrong’ side of the sheet – so you have a good side and bad side.
Now for the decorative part. I have used two different materials to decorate my sheets – ribbon and material. The green, silk ribbon was from a roll mum found in her cupboard, it probably belonged to one of our grandparents. The red and white, cotton, striped, seersucker I bought.
I ironed on some interfacing to the back of both materials to give them a little more structure, and help them hold their shape after washing. Cut the interfacing just slightly smaller than the material so it doesn’t hang over the edge.
Pin the material/ribbon just below the folded and sewn edge that runs along the top end of the sheet, on the good side of the sheet (where the baby’s head will be), allowing some sheet to be seen, and sew into place using cotton of a similar colour to the material (I used green for the ribbon, and white for the red and white striped material).
Note: When using material to decorate the sheet, use the iron to fold under the edge of the material about 1cm, so it is finished properly when you sew it onto the sheet. You will also need to do this for the ribbon at both ends (where you have cut it).
To make the Fitted sheet
Take the fitted sheet you have bought and use it to gauge how much material you will need (by measuring it). If you haven’t bought one, then you will need to measure your mattress (Bassinet or Cot). Measure the basic dimensions down both sides, then the depth. You will need to mark onto the material the basic dimensions, then add on the depth of the mattress on each side… plus another 5cm to hem around it.
If you want the sheet to fit better you can cut a triangle out of the material at each corner, then sew the cut edges together at each corner before you hem the material. The sheet will then fit more snugly around each corner of the mattress.
However, if you want to keep it simple, you don’t need to take in the corners for a better fit. Simply round off the edges (with scissors), and hem around the material. To hem it, fold over the material once (about 2cm) then again. You want to allow enough room in the hem to thread a piece of elastic.
Note: Make sure you leave a gap when you are hemming the sheet, as you will need to be able to feed your elastic around the edge of the sheet, within the tube you have created.
To thread the elastic around the sheet you will need a safety pin. Attach the safety pin to the end of the elastic (tip: fold the elastic over so it is doubled up when you attach the pin, otherwise it will fray as you are threading, and the pin will separate from the elastic – speaking from experience!). Slowly feed the safety pin around the edge of the sheet (through the tube you created when hemming the sheet), allowing the elastic to feed through with it.
Note: Make sure you hold onto the end of the elastic, ensuring it doesn’t disappear into the tube while you are feeding it through.
Once you have fed the elastic all the way through, work out how much elastic you need to use by stretching the sheet out and seeing what works best (Holding the elastic tightly while you do this!). Once determined, cut the elastic, and sew it together, or tie a knot to secure it. You can then sew over the opening where you thread the elastic through, to finish it off neatly
There you have it – Up-cycled bassinet and cot sheets. Doing your bit for the environment, and saving yourself some money at the same time.
When I say ‘new camera’ I got it for my birthday 6 months ago… but with so much going on in our lives (pregnancy, building a house, moving home and work) I haven’t really had the time to play with it.
Since I finished work I have been exploring (albeit slowly) all the features it has to offer. I am one of those people who likes to discover through playing, rather than turning to the instruction manual from day one – time consuming and frustrating, I know – but I do go back to the manual to fill the gaps, or when I hit a road block!
The fun part of designing your own home is collating all your ideas. Checkout Lot 271 to see what inspired our house design, and the features we wanted included in the floorplan.
I was at mum’s the other day, and on the book shelf were these little, coloured birds placed in an ornamental tree – on closer inspection I realised that these little birds were made from seed pods! Bernice then took over, and began demanding answers – who made those birds? Where did the seed pods come from? How did you know how to make them? What tree/vine are the seed pods from?
…I was really impressed!
I don’t mean to sound surprised by mum’s artistic talents… but she always says she doesn’t know where mine come from (and insists it is from her mother!), and continues to say that she isn’t creative at all – I don’t agree with her, mum shows her creativity in different ways to me, but I don’t bother to argue the point.
I did get the answers to most of my questions:
- Mum showed my niece how to make them when she was visiting once day;
- She knew how to make these little birds from her Aunt Evelyn who lived in Ceres (just outside Geelong), she would make them and sit them on sticks. Mum thinks she might have even added feathers to the tail; Mum was quick to point out that Aunt Evelyn didn’t use coloured pieces of scrap paper scrunched in a ball, instead she would use stuffing and shiny red satin/silk to fill the pod.
- The pods were collected from the driveway of a house up the road (where they had fallen from the tree above);
- The only question mum had no answer for was what the name of the tree the pods came from.
Google helped me with that – all I knew was that it was a native Australian tree…
The Kurrajong tree (Brachychiton populneus) produces the amazing seed pods that were used in making these birds.
Image from: http://www.anbg.gov.au
The birds are meant to be Red Breasted Robins, similar to the one in the picture.
Naturally I asked mum to escort me to the tree up the road, where I collected all the seed pods that had fallen into their driveway (all the time telling myself that I was doing the owner of the house a favour by collecting these for them – it would save them having the sweep them up!!). I kept them in a plastic bag, and sprayed inside the bag very generously with insect spray to kill and creepy crawlys that may have made their home in the seed pods – tying a knot in the bag to keep the spray inside for a few days.
After fumigation I took a metal skewer (a knitting needle or pen/pencil will do) and ran it around the inside of the pod to break away all the seed pod casing. They clean up really well…
The next step was to create the robin’s red breast. I purchased some stuffing and shiny, red satin material (how much you need depends on how many robins you plan to make). Each robin requires a square of material and enough stuffing to allow the breast to bulge out of the pod.
Place the stuffing on the red material (with the shiniest side of the material facing away from the stuffing), and fold in the corners to meet in the middle, securing with a few stitches to form a rough ball.
Before the birds (pods) can be stuffed with the red balls (breasts) they need to have holes drilled into their backs to thread the fishing line to hang them (if you are making a mobile or hanging them). Take a very small drill-bit and make 2 holes close together around the middle of each pod. Then thread the fishing line through the two holes and tie a knot (leaving a long piece of line coming from the outside of the pod to tie it to the stick/dowel to make the mobile.
Take one of the pods, and fill it with craft glue, then insert the red ball (stitched side first) into the pod. Tuck in all the material to try and get a smooth finish to the material that is poking out of the pod. If your ‘breast’ doesn’t seem puffy enough, take it out and place some more stuffing into your ball.
Using a liquid paper pen (white-out), or a white pen, mark two eyes onto the outside of the seed pod (refer to picture for location).
I have decided to make a mobile with my little red breasted birds, however you could use them as Christmas decorations (using different coloured material), make legs for them and have them standing (I’ll leave the leg making technique to your imagination!).. there are no limits to what you could use these for.
To make a mobile, you will need sticks/dowel and some fishing line. I am kicking myself that I can’t find the most perfect birch tree branches I had saved over a year ago to make a mobile – they are safely stored somewhere in the boxes we haven’t bothered to unpack between moves. Instead I will be using sticks I cut from a tree in the garden (otherwise dowel from a craft shop or hardware store is fine). You will need the drill again to make holes in the two ends, and middle of the sticks/dowel, to thread the fishing wire through.
Getting the mobile to balance can be a challenge. Even if the middle hole in the stick is exactly in the middle, the weight of the stick varies at each end, throwing out the balance of the stick (even when the birds are attached to each end). I had to do some creative re-balancing by tying a bird close to the middle of some sticks to set the balance of the stick to sit horizontally (rather than vertically!!).
How you make your mobile is up to you, there are multiple ways you can tie the sticks, and how many you use – just play around and see what works for you… it also depends on how many birds you have to hang. I love these little birds, especially the way the seed pod creates the little tails and beaks for the birds.
The only virtually impossible challenge I have set for you is trying to find a Kurrajong tree to provide you with pods to make your own birds!
Follow the house design from initial sketch plans through to working drawings. If you’re a visual person…. there are sample of elevation, 3D perspectives, Floorplans and site layouts to explore. If you prefer to read, there is a step by step process with the changes we made fully explained at each stage…
I was introduced to a new blog this morning, and must share it with you, Scrapbook …
How did I stumble across this?
I was emailing our landscape designer (Derek from www.facetdesign.com.au) about my new blog www.lot271.com, to tell him that I was about to write about the design he did for our new home, and he emailed back to tell me that he loved the idea of the blog, and that his wife had also started one ….
He and his wife, Melissah, live in Anglesea, Australia (not far from our new home in Torquay!). She is an interior designer. She has a background in fashion and loves everything to do with interior design, art, colour and fashion.
Scrapbook is a collection of ideas, people and images that inspire her. She believes that style and design go hand in hand. Her blog is influenced by design from all corners of the globe whether it’s fashion, graphics, interiors or food.
I went and had a look, and fell in love with it!
Her scrapbook of online images definitely inspired and excited me….and, I think you’ll enjoy them too…
I love old books and magazines – it’s our history documented. They should not be kept in the back of the attic, or discarded – we should be reminded of our past, and how things used to be.
I have a collection of old magazines and books from various places… I don’t go specifically looking for them, but while in an antique store, junk market, old book shop or at a garage sale I will buy something that catches my eye. I then look through them and pull out pages that I feel I could use for something. I use the term ‘something’ very broadly, I never really know what I am going to do with most things I collect… I will sit on the items for some time and then inspiration strikes, and I will dig out the pages. It’s this ‘collect and use later’ trait that frustrates my husband somewhat, because everything collected (awaiting the inspiration bit) has to be stored somewhere! He is slowly getting used to this. You will notice in our new house we have an abundance of storage!
This is one of those inspiration moments….
I needed something to place on the nursery wall to cover a wide expanse, but didn’t require me to put a lot of nails/screws, or large holes in the wall (living in a rental property whilst we build has restricted my nursery decorating plans quite dramatically!). Unfortunately the nursery is painted a rather vibrant light blue – which limits what I can place on the wall (without it becoming too busy). The light blue is obviously not my colour of choice for a little girl’s room, but I have accepted that, moved on, and am working with it (just!).
I was scanning the latest House & Garden magazine, and spied something on the wall of one of the houses that prompted this spurt of inspiration for my old books.
So I can up with this idea…
Taking the old pages I had collected from a children’s book over 2 years ago, I decided to hang them on string by miniature pegs. To create a little interest I used the animal stencils I purchased several months ago (for an entirely different purpose – I am yet to complete that one!) to trace an animal on each page. You can get stencils from most art supply shops, my stencils are from Kaiser Craft (I bought mine from the Kaiser warehouse shop in Geelong) however they also supply to many other stores.
I had decided my nursery colour theme was going to be ruby red, so the animals had to be red!
I drew an animal onto each page in pencil. I then painted each animal using a good quality acrylic paint, and fine paint brush.
I used a white string to hang the pages across three small nails I placed in the wall (one was already there, so I only had to add two more small holes in the wall).
The finished product covered the horizontal length of the nursery wall perfectly, with very little impact on the rental property wall.
(The photos against= the white wall are taken more recently since we have moved into our new home – they look so much better against a lighter coloured wall!)
This idea can be done by anyone – even if you don’t think you have any artistic flare. Once you’ve found your book(s), you use the stencil to draw the animals, and string and pegs to hang up – voila!
I have used these old pages in a different way on previous occasions. Rather than hanging by pegs from string, I have stuck the pages to pieces of wood (cut specifically to the size of the page). I have then hung the pages individually like pictures on the wall.
We inherited a hideous orange coloured wooden chest of drawers when my grandmother moved into a nursing home. It didn’t go with our decor at all, but was sturdy, and the drawers were large, and we needed the extra storage space. I couldn’t let it last a week in my house looking like that, so I painted it white immediately (using a gloss acrylic paint).
It has been a wonderful additional storage unit for a good 3 years year now.
Its usefulness is now being extended … it has been turned into a clothes drawers for the baby’s nursery. Being all white was a little boring, so I decided to jazz it up a little by adding some wallpaper on the front of the top drawers. The wallpaper I used was a donation from Mum about a year ago (I wrote about it in a previous post), I had not found the right use for it until now. This wallpaper was used in a room renovation in my first childhood home – about 40 years (and 4 house moves) ago! It was only fitting to see it re-used for the arrival of the next generation in our family.
It’s really quite simple to cover the drawers with wallpaper – her’s what I did:
Take the drawers you want to cover and remove the knobs (you may need a screw driver to loosen the screw from the inside of the drawer.
Measure the dimensions of the area you are covering (the area I covered was the flat surface that started just inside the edge of each drawer). Each drawer could have slightly different measurements, so check this.
Mark the dimensions of the area you want to cover onto the back of the wallpaper (make sure you are aware of which part of the wallpaper pattern you will be cutting out (some parts are more interesting than others), and that it is facing the right way. Also think about if you want the pattern to flow through continuously to each drawer – if so, you will need to position the measurements next to each other so does this)
Cut out the pieces of wall paper neatly. Place then on the drawer to check that they are the right size (before sticking).
Decide which piece of wallpaper is to go on which drawer (you will also need to check which drawer is placed in which position in the chest of drawers – I discovered there was a certain location for each drawer – so if you want your wallpaper pattern to be continuous it is important to know this now!)
Use craft glue to cover the back of each piece of wallpaper evenly (if the glue is not covering all the wallpaper you will increase the chance of bubbles or wrinkles as it dries). You can use a paint brush to aid in spreading the glue.
Stick the wallpaper onto the front of each drawer, running a ruler over each one to smooth out any wrinkles or bubbles. Allow to dry.
When dry you can use a knitting needle/pen etc to poke a hole through the wallpaper to allow the knob screw to go back into place.
Screw the knobs back on (be careful that when screwing the knob on tightly that it doesn’t tear the wallpaper.
You don’t have to use wallpaper, you could even use material – I just happened to have some, and wallpaper tends to be wide enough for these uses. Be imaginative and use anything you like – you could even collage the front with old book pages, magazines – be adventurous!
This post is dedicated to ginger nuts. When I say that I mean people who love ginger!
I never thought I would be able to stomach ginger again after consuming packets of crystallised ginger during the first 3 months of pregnancy (to settle the morning sickness). Six months down the track I saw this recipe for ginger nut biscuits, and had an overwhelming urge to make them (along with so many other exotic recipes – the maternal nesting has really kicked it!).
This recipe was in the Woman’s Day magazine, however I changed it slightly to make them a little more gingery (after tasting the raw mixture I didn’t think they deserved to be called ginger nuts – so got a little heavy handed with the ground ginger!). I shared these with 3 people on the weekend, and all of them wanted the recipe – so I guess you could say they were a hit.
NOTE: You might want to serve these to people accompanied with a warning that they may provoke a visit to the dentist… they are very hard… and may be best consumed after dipping into a hot drink… but they are oh so yummy!
Gingernut Biscuits (recipe from Woman’s Day magazine)
200g butter (chopped)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup golden syrup
3 cups plain flour
3 tablespoons ground ginger (this is where I made the change, it was originally 1 tablespoon!)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper.
In a small saucepan, combine butter, sugar and golden syrup. Stir over a low
heat until melted and combined. Transfer to a large bowl.
Using an electric mixture, beat mixture until light and fluffy. Allow to cool slightly.
Sift flour, spices and soda together. Fold into butter mixture until well combined.
Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls. Arrange on trays, allowing a little space between each. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
I found a tablespoon of mixture for each biscuit to be a little much, so reduced it slightly. Also, when marking them with the fork, try to flatten them a little, they go REALLY hard, the thicker they are the greater likelihood of you breaking a tooth on them!
My other favourite is ginger cake… I’ve never been much of a cake person, but the one cake mum would cook that I loved was Lady Harewood’s Gingerbread (to be precise Darrrrling) it is so moist, the texture extremely fine, with a rich ginger flavour. The recipe is so old the oven temperature is quoted as being ’350F or Gas no.2′. Looking into the background of this cake, it is a classic ginger cake from Yorkshire, England, and it is often referred to as ‘parkin’. It is distinguished from other ginger cakes because of the use of black treacle or molasses and oatmeal (although many recipes don’t include the oatmeal eg. this one!).
Lady Harewood Gingerbread (cake)
250 g butter
250g soft brown sugar
250g black treacle (Mum and I use Golden Syrup instead, it makes a more golden coloured cake/bread)
375g plain flour
2 beaten eggs
1¼ cups warm milk
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons arrowroot
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
Place butter, sugar, treacle in large saucepan and heat slowly to melt everything together
Sift together dry ingredients and stir into melted mix, cool
Add eggs and warm milk (to blood heat), stir well
Pour into a lined cake tin (a square tin measuring around 24cm x 24cm is a good size to use)
Bake at 155C for 1-1½ hours (I checked mine after 1 hour, and found it was almost ready)
Test it with a skewer into the middle (if it comes our clean it is ready)
Note: The mixture will be very runny when you pour it into the tin, that’s normal, and is the reason it has such a fine texture and is so moist.
This cake will last for several weeks if stored in air-tight container (or you can also freeze it), although I can guarantee it won’t last that long- ’cause it’s that good! Try it with a light spread of butter…
I hope these recipe satisfy all the ginger nuts out there!
After several false starts… and almost 60 hours of contractions/labour we welcomed little Heidi Jenifer into the world in early March 2011.
She weighed 3.4kg (7.5 pounds), and was 54cm long. Although we started off with a natural birth, due to her heart rate dropping with each contraction, we ended up having a cesarean section, and luckily we did as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck 3 times, and all around her body!
Heidi means noble one & kind, and is of German origin. It was a name I always loved as a child, inspired by the classic tale of a young orphan girl in the Swiss Alps – Heidi:
She is a great feeder and sleeper (at this stage!), and is settling into home beautifully.
So here’s our little Heidi:
Enjoying a warm blanket wrap…
Proud Dad with his daughter…
Catching some Zzzzzzz ….
Great Gran nursing Heidi …
Final weigh-in before leaving hospital …
Heading home … (kept warm by the beautiful rug Gaynor made for her) …
Chillin’ out at home …
And here’s a ‘movie’ of her first week…
Thanks for all the well wishes, and gifts – this has been a very special time for us, and we are only too happy to share it with you all.
If you would like to see all the items I have been making to decorate Heidi’s nursery, you can view the posts below:
Heidi’s nursery (whilst temporary) is quickly filling with amazing hand made items, and gifts – making it feel more like home for her.
Knowing that we will be moving in a few months (when our new home is built), I didn’t spend a lot of time decorating her nursery…
a) because I will be packing it all up soon, and,
b) because we will be leaving the bright blue walls behind, and welcoming an entirely new wall colour in our new home (giving me more freedom with colours!).
In addition to the few items I did make, many other crafty people have contributed in their own unique way to making her nursery feel homely (many have also crept out of the woodwork. The quilting fraternity is still alive and well – it seems to be the hidden talent of many!). And those that aren’t crafty (or just can’t find the time – fair enough!) have also provided simply adorable gifts for our little Heidi. This post is a pictorial display of the eclectic hand made items, and gorgeous designs that together make her temporary nursery a warm and welcoming home…
Quilts & Blankets
My first attempt at making something for Heidi was to try my hand at a (very basic, especially compared to what Heidi has been given…) quilt. I had never made one before, and with my new sewing machine (thanks Santa!) I needed to remind myself how to sew again, having been almost 15 years – so a quilt was my guinea pig:
Since making this I have been put to shame by two of Mum’s friends who made Heidi the most beautiful quilts (and I hear there are more on the way from family members on my husband’s side). I am barely an amateur next to these exhibits, and how could I be expected to compete with members of the Australian quilting Association! I have great respect for quilters, it takes so much patience with the detail they include – amazing!
This ‘little dress’ quilt was made by Judy Cave… (All that diagonal stitching is done by hand… hours of work!)
This butterfly quilt was made by Naomi O’Shea. The butterflies are crafted from various liberty prints …
I had no idea Gaynor, a work colleague, who I have sat next to for 2 years could crochet. She made this brilliant (and ever so warm for winter) green and white woolen rug…
Wall Decor I did make several items to decorate Heidi’s (future) walls, however currently they all sit on the chest of drawers to avoid making more holes in the rental property wall …
The paper butterflies frame is a regular item for me, however, I had never made one for myself!
The stenciled book pages were a great way to cover the wall without needing big hooks or nails to hold them up, and very easy to move to the new house …
The babushka Russian doll print is made from a Kaiser Craft paper sheet placed in a picture frame – easy peasey, Japanesey! …
The ruby slippers were a purchase from Made It (an online hand made craft site), I had spied this gorgeous print by Flowerpress before I knew I was having a girl. I simply placed it in a frame, and wrest it on the chest of draws (to be placed on the wall when we move)…
This print titled ‘Safe Passage’ was a gift from the very talented Twirling Betty, but was not one of her items, instead she had this sent from June at Noon in the United States – it is just beautiful, and is now framed and sitting in Heidi’s nursery…
The string of ten red and white chickens were a gift from Mum’s neighbour… made in India and sold through the Oxfam shop, the patterns and colours are so bright and cheery…
Toys
Heidi has received such an array of toys, from golliwogs to meerkats – soon I’ll be able to open a toy zoo exhibiting a hippo, rabbit, bumble bee, elephant, bear, duck, dogs, centipede, birds and mice! Below is a small selection…
Hand made bird by Twirling Betty (not one of Betty’s standard items available on Made It, but just as colourful and creative)…
So white, and cuddly – the Easter Bunny…
An elephant that reminds me a little of Baba …
An adorable limited edition doll…
An environmentally friendly duck, made from bamboo….
On behalf of Heidi, thanks to everyone that’s sent gifts – the toys, clothes, books, CD’s, puppets, wraps, rugs … such a thoughtful bunch. Having a baby opens your eyes to how generous people can be, and how they love the arrival of a new life… we have received presents from people we have never met “thrilled to welcome Heidi into the world” having a baby is a time that is filled with a lot of Love… it puts a smile on my face.
My husband downloaded some amazing music to listen to during the birth, and one of the songs that really caught my attention was called Ocean Sky by Minusblue. When listening to it I got the creative urge to make a video about our impending baby – set to that song.
Whilst in hospital, and on our arrival at home I took a series of video footage with our digital camera. I then sat down the other night and taught myself how to use iMovie on our apple – I was in heaven. I had SO MUCH FUN doing this.
I needed to call on my husband for some guidance when I got stumped with the program (as I have said before I am not one to read instruction manuals, or watch tutorials… I prefer to learn through ‘playing’ with things), and he also suggested that I time the transition of images/video with the music (so look out for that little feature!).
Anyway – not much more to say – just watch it. There is room for improvement, but not bad for my first attempt.
This recipe is one of mum’s… and an old favourite of mine.
I loved the way that mum would mix it up a bit, when we were little, and change the fruit she would add to the cake. Whilst the recipe suggests apples, sultanas and spices, she would add plums and sometimes apricots. I have made two versions, and also experimented with making mini cakes in muffin tins – which seemed to work! I made these to feed the influx of visitors I had in the first week after getting home from hospital with Heidi.
German plum (or apple) cake
4 oz butter (115g)
3 oz sugar (85g)
1 cup plain or Self raising flour (plain flour makes more of a biscuit/shortbread texture, rather than a cake – I used Self Raising flour)
1 egg
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Note:It helps to cool the butter and sugar a little before adding the other ingredients, otherwise it tends to separate a little.
Add flour, stir well, beat in egg.
Grease a 7 inch cake tin. using your fingers spread a little ore than half of the cake mixture over the bottom of the tin.
Alternatively: You can use a muffin tin and make mini cakes in the same way as the large cake.
Now for the filling:
As I mentioned above you can use any kind of fruit as filling, the original recipe suggests apples…
3 cooking apples (Granny Smiths)
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons sultanas
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
juice of 1 lemon
Peel, core and slice apples. Place apples in layers over the cake mixture. Mix sultanas, sugar and spices and sprinkle over apple slices. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Spread the rest of the cake mixture on the top of the apples in spoonfuls. Bake in a moderate over for 45 minutes (check at 20, and 30 minutes – remove if golden brown).
Alternatively: Instead of apples, I used tinned plums in my mini German cakes. I simply placed half a plum (removing the pip) in each muffin tin. The same could be done with tinned apricots, or black cherries. Make sure you drain the juice from the fruit to avoid soggy cakes! I juts added the fruit (no spices, sugar or sultanas), but you could still add the spices if you wish.
The mini cakes were great for morning tea last week, sitting outside in the Autumn sunshine!
Apparently the colour selection (choosing everything to deck-out your house eg. door handles, carpet, tiles, taps, cabinetry, lighting, interior colours, external colours, ovens, dishwashers, rangehoods etc.) can break up marriages (so we were told!). It is much more than just choosing the colours for your home, it’s all the finer details required to fit-out the shell of your home. It’s choosing the items that give your home character, ‘feel’ or the ‘look’ you want it to have.
Click here to read the full post about the colour selection, and see what we chose for our home …
This recipe is from a mouth-watering curry cook book called the Curry Bible by Mridula Baljekar. It was given to me by a great friend, who knows how much I love to cook. Anyone that loves curries and cooking – this book is a must!
I made it the other night – with the weather turning colder, and the sound of the wind in the trees outside… I had the urge to cook a comforting, mild, but fragrant curry. I wish I could provide you with a sample of the fragrances that filled the house while I was cooking – from onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom pods, ground coriander to rosewater… it was SO GOOD!
Anyway, I am taking a lazing approach (I have a good excuse: with a 7 week old baby and a husband fresh out of hospital and surgery for acute appendicitis!!), and have taken a photo of the recipe for you… but I would highly recommend you add the Curry Bible to your cookbooks, everyone needs a good curry cookbook.
TIP: To view a larger version of the recipe, or to print, click on the image to enlarge…
I have been busy this week making another video (keeping myself busy whilst my husband was in hospital with acute appendicitis). This video is all in the name of sustainablity.
I have entered a competition run by our power company, Origin Energy, to win $250,000 to convert 20 houses in our (soon to be) street to sustainable energy solutions. The Competition is called Sustainability Drive. The $250K is awarded by a panel of judges.
We have another chance to win the peoples choice award ($10,000 to use to convert our houses to sustainable energy solutions)…but we need your vote!
Simply click on THIS LINK, and vote for our Entry (St Georges Way, Torquay) … and of course feel free to view our entry, and watch the video…. it will make all my effort worth while!!
I was waiting at the local child and maternal health centre for Heidi’s check-up and noticed great poster on the wall; it was comparing the cost, sugar and fat content of kids lunch/snack options:
Piece of fruit vs. roll-up
Yoghurt vs. flavoured milk dessert
A packet of chips vs. popcorn
Homemade muffin/muesli bar vs packaged muesli bar
Cheese and biscuits vs. package biscuits and cheese dip
The point they were trying to get across was how much healthier homemade or non packaged options can be (often half the sugar content!), and in some cases a quarter of the price!
So it got me thinking about replacing the ‘bought’ muesli bars we eat in our household with homemade ones – ensuring we get our daily fix of seeds, fibre and fruit. So here is the recipe I sourced, and changed slightly… they are fantastic!
NOTE: the changes I made to the recipe were based on my understanding of Low GI cooking (from my gestational diabetes experience), I have replaced some sugar with dried fruit, the cereal with a lower GI options, and white flour with wholemeal flour – no one will ever notice the difference!! Oh, and I I also added some more seeds, because they are so good for us…
Homemade (baked) muesli bars
3/4 cup of Special K (because it is low GI) you can use Wheaties, corn flakes etc
1 cup rolled oats (try not to use the quick oats as they are more processed, and not as low GI)
1/3 cup sultanas
1/3 cup of chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup dried apple chopped
1/3 cup pepitas
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons castor sugar
1/4 cup wholemeal flour (because it is low GI) or you can use white plain flour
75g butter (melted)
1/4 cup milk
1 egg (beaten)
Grease a shallow tin or tray about 20cm square. (I have also used a mini muffin tin to make ‘bites’ as an alternative!)
Line the base with baking paper.
Place the all the dry ingredients in a bowl and combine.
Add the butter, milk and egg and stir.
Spread evenly into pan, pressing down the mixture with the back of a spoon.
Cook in a moderate oven (180C) for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow to stand int he pan for 5 minutes before cutting.
Cool on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container (for up to 5 days).
Speaking of containers….I noticed in a magazine yesterday that Tupperware have launched new containers called T-bar keepers for storing homemade (muesli) bars – ingenious! (welcome to the world of motherhood – it hasn’t taken me long to be drooling over the latest Tupperware products – somebody rescue me… please!!!!)
They also have aT-bar set that includes a bar mould (not for baking, just setting bars). The set also comes with a recipe book with 12 bar recipes to try (that don’t require cooking).
These bars are great for kids, but I am making them for my husband and I to have as a snack during the day, that is low GI, so keeps us full in between meals.
I love a pumpkin soup, especially one that has been spiced-up with a curry paste, or a great spice combination. This soup has been enhanced with one of the Screaming Seeds spice combos called Kashmiri Krush:
Ingredients:
Coriander Seeds,Cumin Seeds, Black Mustard Seeds, Garlic, Tumeric, Fennel Seeds, Chilli, Cardamon Seeds, Cassia, Sea Salt
For Screaming Seeds stockists in Australia CLICK HERE, alternatively you can buy online.
Here’s the recipe…
Spiced up pumpkin soup
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 leek (or onion)
3 cloves of garlic
4 teaspoons of screaming seeds Kashmiri Krush
3 sweet potatoes (in large cubes)
1 butternut pumpkin (in large cubes)
1 large potato (in large cubes)
Chicken stock (up to 2 litres)
Parsley or coriander to garnish
Saute leek (or onion) and garlic in olive oil in a large pot until soft.
Add the Kashmiri Krush and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the cubed vegetables and cook for 10 minutes (allowing to sweat).
Add the chicken stock (enough to cover the vegetables by 1-2cm)
Bring to the boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
Allow to cool, then blend the soup until smooth.
Serve with a dollop of cream and some chopped parsley or coriander.
It would be an understatement to say I indulged in some chocolate over Easter.
After all, I had some catching up to do! The last festive season (Christmas) I had gestational diabetes, so was deprived of anything naughty (from white bread and soft drinks … to biscuits, cake and of course chocolate).
This Easter I found myself indulging in midnight chocolate feasts after Heidi’s night feeds (her sleeping through the night trick was thrown from the previous week that saw my husband rushed to hospital to have his appendix removed, luckily she’s back to sleeping through again – yay!).
My chocolate of choice is the Lindt Bunny (milk or dark - I will eat anything I’m not fussy!). I would start by “just taking the ears off” the bunny before going to bed (don’t you just LOVE how the ears are solid? And the sound it makes when your teeth break through the thick chocolate?). Only to find the bunny calling my name after the 2am baby feed (so I would eat down past the head). To then convince myself after an early morning feed that I “better just tidy up the edges” on that bunny. That is really my own personal code for – finish it off!
You know you have had a real feeding frenzy (taking it to a level you never should let yourself get to) when you find crumbs of melted chocolate inside your PJ’s the next morning!
Now, getting to the point of this post… one of the side effects of these chocolate snack-a-roos was a midnight sugar rush that rendered me wide awake, with a brain going a million miles an hour. At a loss of what to do with this midnight energy burst… I wrote a poem! It was inspired by the interaction I was having with Heidi during my her feed that night So here it is…
The Perfect Gift
We all have one, However some choose not to use it. It’s contagious, But Scientists aren’t looking for a cure. It can be recycled over and over again, But will never wear out. Happiness and love are its companions. Representing a moment in time, That cannot be misinterpreted. It cannot be bought or sold, For it doesn’t cost a thing. When your face lights up with one,
It has the power to change a life.
It was a gift everyone received at birth, To share with others.… your smile.
The joy I felt that night when Heidi was smiling at me is something that is very hard to explain. A smile is the first real interaction and exchange of emotion you have with your child – the one time you actually know for sure how they are feeling. It is such a special moment. It makes you realise how much can be communicated with a simple smile. Thanks to the Lindt Bunny, it created the urge to capture all that in a chocolate induced poem!
One of the many gorgeous gifts I received at my baby shower was a gift voucher to take baby massage (a little birdy may have also sent some whispers around that we would love to do it!).
We had to wait until Heidi was 8 weeks old, so booked the session for last Saturday.
I have been a big believer in mediation before birth (for my benefit, and subsequently the babies), music in the months before and post birth… and baby massage (the power of touch). So I was really excited for us to do this class.
It was lovely being one-on-one, and in our own home. The lady who took the class (Maureen) is also a massage therapist and mid wife, so well trained in babies and massage.
Heidi loved every minute of it, and was so relaxed with all the techniques (some may say a little too relaxed… weeing twice during the session – without a nappy on!).
I would highly recommend it to anyone with a newborn.. I have already used the techniques this morning when Heidi was a bit grizzly before feeding – it worked a treat!
It took a visit from mum for me to realise there was a fig tree in our back garden. I’m not completely ignorant to plants, but our rental has a rather large garden (it was hidden behind the gum trees), and I have been pregnant the entire time we had lived in the house, so hadn’t been getting out to do any gardening.
Fig season is around March/April (Autumn/Fall), however for some reason our figs ripened a little later than that this year. I quickly worked out that I wasn’t the only one waiting for the figs to ripen – I was competing with the birds! The minute a fig ripens it’s a race to see who can get to it first.
I don’t eat figs fresh or dried, but love a little quince paste with blue cheese (accompanied with a late harvest sticky if the combination was to be completely perfect). Mum on the other hand was eating them as she was picking them from our tree.
I popped out to the tree earlier this week to find the last of the figs were ripe and ready for picking, and those that had fallen were not going to waste – Jack (our dog) was munching on them (which explains why he hasn’t been particularly hungry lately – what a gourmet treat for a dog!). Using the last of my figs I decided to make a recipe I had found in the Silver Spoon (Italian cookbook) for Mum. You may be lucky enough to still be able to get figs from the supermarket or greengrocer, even though my tree seems to have dried-up.
Serves 6
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
100g / 3 1/2 oz castor sugar
rind of 1 orange, thinly pared and cut into strips (removing the white pith)
12 rig figs
Put the spices, sugar and orange rind in a saucepan, add 500ml water/ 18 fl oz water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the figs and simmer for 5 minutes. Do not allow the syrup to boil. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool. Drain the figs and reserve the syrup, and put them in a dish. Bring the syrup back to the boil and cook over a medium heat until reduced by half, then pour it over the figs. Leave to cool completely.
It doesn’t mention how to serve the figs, mum and I thought warmed with vanilla ice-cream, or mum even suggested with duck!
All I can say is that the syrup tasted beautiful, and mum said the figs were great too!
I started mothers group a few weeks ago. Each week we are asked to bring a plate of food each – which results in around 10 plates of food. If we had all been starved for days on a deserted island I think this would be a suitable quantity of food for the occasion – instead we are all post pregnancy mums trying to shed a few extra kilos. An abundance of food is the last thing we need!
One clever member of the group suggested that a couple of people each week bring a plate (reducing the amount of food, whilst also taking the pressure of all of us to produce something each week). So I volunteered to go ‘on duty’ this week. We also agreed to have a savoury and a sweet option. In typical baby brain mode I couldn’t remember what I had agreed to bring, so ended up having to make both a sweet and savoury option – that will teach me to pay more attention next time!!
To keep it yummy and healthy I decided to take my hummus dip with carrots and rice crackers. It got rave reviews and the recipe was requested, so here it goes…
I have been making this hummus for years from my all-time favourite go-to cookbook Campion & Curtis in the Kitchen – it is not a glamorous cookbook full of photos, they describe it as ‘Essential recipes for the modern Australian home’. I refer to this book more than any other (and I have a lot of cookbooks to choose from).
Note: I have altered the recipe for convenience and use canned chickpeas.
Hummus Dip
1 can of chick peas (drained),
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
90ml tahini (you will find this int he health food section of the supermarket)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
sweet paprika
Place chickpeas in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add garlic, tahini, spices, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Blend until all ingredients are smooth and well combined. If it is thick add some water. You can adjust the seasoning by adding extra spices, lemon juice or salt and pepper. Place in a bowl, drizzle some oil oil over the top and sprinkle with sweet paprika.
This dip is a great snack with carrots or celery. I also love it with rice crackers or Lebanese bread. I used this dip when I was on a 4 months detox a few years back, it really satisfies when you are starving but want to keep things healthy.
Wouldn’t you love to wake up to these on your rostered-day-off?
I served these up for my husband last week when he was home on a week day. I tried to keep them as healthy as possible – using fruit as the filling, wholemeal flour in the crepes, and natural yoghurt instead of cream/ice-cream as a topping… here’s the recipe:
Spiced apple crepes
Serves 4
The crepes
3 eggs
120g Wholemeal flour (or white if you would prefer)
pinch of salt
375ml milk
butter for cooking them
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Whisk the milk with the eggs and pour onto the flour, keep whisking until the mixture is smooth. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. If required, pour the batter through a sieve to remove any lumps. Whisk the batter before you start cooking. Melt some butter in a non-stick pan (or you can use spray oil) on a medium heat. Pour off any excess butter before you place the mixture into the pan. use a ladle to pour some mixture into the pan, tilting the pan around to cover the enter base. When golden brown on the underside, flip the crepe over with a spatula. Allow to brown on the other side. Place on a plate and cover with a tea-towel until you are ready to use.
The filling
6 apples (granny smith are best for cooking)
1 tspn ground ginger (if you don’t like ginger you can leave this out)
1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 tspn ground cinnamon)
4 cloves
4 cardamom pods
butter for cooking
Peel the apples and slice into chunky segments. Place all the ingredient into a fry pan with butter and cook until apples are soft and golden.
I also cooked up an alternate filling using pears and frozen blueberries, with honey added to taste…. They well really delicious too.
The topping
1 cup of natural yoghurt (greek style)
honey to taste
Mix in enough honey to flavour the yoghurt, make sure you don’t make it too sweet!
To Assemble
Place the crepes in a low oven (100C) to warm.
Place a crepe on the serving plate, spoon some apple filling onto one 1/4 of the crepe, fold the crepe in half over the mixture, then in to quarter, over the mixture, repeat this again – allowing 2 filled crepes per plate. Drizzle the honeyed yoghurt over the top of the crepes, then serve with a dusting of icing sugar.
Tip: you can add some cinnamon and ginger (by taste) to the icing sugar to give it a little kick!
I don’t need to be reminded why we have chosen to make a sea change… I have never once had any regrets about moving out of the city, or building our new home. However this morning I welcomed the very powerful reminder I was given about the benefits of a coastal lifestyle.
Being such a (rare) beautiful day I thought I would experience first hand the amazing Jan Juc to Bells beach coastal walk everyone in mothers group (and mum) has been raving about. So I packed the dog and Heidi in the car, and drove from Geelong (our temporary home) to Jan Juc (next door to our future home, when our house is finished). Words won’t do it justice, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking…
I am still invigorated from walking this morning… the ocean, air, hills, birds and wild flowers. Heidi loved it too, but didn’t like the mosquito that decided to bite her on the cheek!
I can’t wait until we’ve moved in and living closer to this gorgeous part of the world!
For those of you that are keen to do this walk, the maps are below (care of www.nearmap.com)…
I’ve been busy with the sewing machine the last few weeks. Babies are popping out all over the place, so have been making towels for other peoples babies, and managed to squeeze in some things for Heidi too. Here’s what I’ve been up to…
Making a towel for little a little Angus….
Using this beautiful material from Two Monkeys Fabric Shop (it reminded me of Spring) I made two towels for Heidi…
And a material bunting for the door of Heidi’s nursery …
I defy anyone to pass up a hot apple crumble with custard and ice cream on a cold wintery day (and we’ve had a few of those lately in Melbourne – winds straight from Antarctica!!!). This is my favourite apple crumble recipe, which I cook in Summer, Autumn, Spring… and Winter (it’s that good!!!). I did alter this recipe when I had gestational diabetes to be low GI (so I didn’t have to miss out for several months), so I will give you both versions.
My dear friend Coco introduced me to this. She offered to make the dessert for a dinner party at my place about 4 years ago. She arrived with this apple crumble from the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Union of Victoria Cookbook (that’s quite the mouthful!!). It went down so well, there wasn’t a crumb (or should I say crumble) left over. She had also given me the cookbook, so I was able to continue feeding myself with apple crumble forever more…
Apple Crumble
6 apples (granny Smith are the best for cooking)
1/2 cup sugar (I only used 1 tablespoon of sugar here for a low GI version)
1/4 cup water
Note - I have also used rhubarb and apple, raspberry and apple, & blueberry and apple as the fruit.
Topping
1/2 cup of brown, raw or white sugar (I would use 1/2 cup of stevia for a low GI version, or reduce the sugar to 1/4 of a cup)
1/2 cup plain flour (I would use wholemeal flour for a low GI version)
1/2 cup coconut or muesli (I use rolled oats or half coconut, half oats)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Peel, core and slice apples. In a saucepan, cook with the water and sugar until soft. Place in a greased pie dish (or individual ramekins), combine the topping ingredients and cover the fruit mixture . Bake at 180C for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy on the top.
Best served with ice-cream, custard and cream…. Yummmmmm! Undoubtedly the best way to warm yourself tummy this winter (or Summer, Autumn and Spring!).
In follow-up to my previous post Sewing Things… I have added a few more items to my list of things I have made. I can safely say I am getting back into the swing of sewing again after 20 years away from a machine.
I made this dress from a fabulous book my sister-in-law gave me for Christmas called Making Baby Clothes by Rob Merrett, there will be plenty more exhibits from this book to come… (Note: this dress has a touch of Bernice to it – I change patterns like I do recipes!!)
With our impending move to the beach I though it only fitting that Heidi have her own personalised beach towels…
I spiced up a white jumpsuit for Heidi…
And made some nappy coveralls for the Little Miss… (this pattern is also from the book mentioned above, except I added extra strips of material to jazz them up a bit)
Yes, I have been busy… I had a deadline, ’cause I had to pack up the sewing machine this weekend – we needed our dining table back to entertain guests (I can’t wait to have more space for Bernice to play in the new house!).
My dear friend of more than 25 years, and fellow crafty person Twirling Betty was recently contacted by Master Chef magazine to feature her cake buntings. I am not surprised, because they are simply stunning! Now is the perfect time to share with you the talents of Twirling Betty before she becomes famous and backed-up with orders for her cake buntings.
Twirling Betty is the mastermind behind these unique and ever-so-fun cake banners and buntings that will spruce up a cake for any occasion. If you want to know more, Betty talks about her cake buntings and preparing the photos for Master Chef magazine in more detail in her Twirling Betty blog. I know you are going to love what you see, so if you wish to own one of your own, or have Betty customise one for you, visit her shop on Etsy or Made It (within Australia) to arrange all that.
Here are some of my favourites from Betty’s range:
To add that finishing touch to your cake for a lunch, dinner, BBQ, afternoon tea, baby shower or kitchen tea…
Perfect for christenings, graduations, bar mitzvah’s, engagements or weddings…
To personalise a cake for that special occasion (and person!) …
To mark the occasion (and can be used over and over!) …
Not only does she do cake buntings, but bunting cards are one of her specialties too….
One of her signature items is the stylish fabric sun visor for adults and the little ones…
Twirling Betty is also the reason that I started this blog (which helps me to escape the monotony of nappy changing and feeding), she encouraged me to do so 18 months ago – and for that I thank her, and if you like reading this blog, so should you!
My husband and I often cook up san choy bow – it’s a really simple recipe and a healthy meal. We try and make it even healthier by adding a few extra vegetables to the recipe. This is a great meal for those kids that don’t like vegies ’cause it all gets mixed in with the meat, and disguised with sauces (as long as you’re mega secretive, and don’t let them spy all the vegies on the chopping board before you cook it!) Here’s our version below…
San Choy Bow (with lots of vegetables!)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3cm piece ginger (about 1 tablespoon) finely grated
1 small red chili, removing the the seeds and finely chopped
500 grams chicken or pork mince (we make our own lean mince using pork leg steaks or chicken breast/thigh in the food processor!!)
1 x 230g tin water chestnuts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 table spoons of Kecap Manis
2 teaspoons cornflour
3 shallots (spring onions), finely sliced
1/2 can baby corn, finely chopped
2 carrots finely chopped
6 mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (to toast – place in a saucepan without any oil or butter stirring constantly)
8 iceberg lettuce leaves, washed and trimmed
Heat sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and add the garlic, ginger and chili and stir fry until fragrant.
Add the mince and stir until cooked. Add the all the vegetables, followed by the oyster, kecap manis and soy sauces.
Dissolve the cornflour in one quarter of a cup of water and add to the pan. Stir for another couple of minutes until the cornflour has cooked out and the vegetables are cooked.
Take the pan off the heat and stir through the shallots. Serve a generous spoonful on a lettuce leaf, sprinkled with sesame seeds.
I few weeks ago I was asked by one of the mums at mothers group about cooking with almond meal, and the type of cooking you can do with it. It reminded me of the wonderful biscuit recipe I was given when I was doing a detox that consisted only of almond meal, water, salt, paprika and herbs – they were so healthy and really yummy (thank goodness because I had to stop eating fruit, dairy, carbohydrates, red meat, and everything processed – I was basically living on vegies, chicken and some nuts … I looked and felt amazing afterwards though!!!!). I will try and find the recipe for those biscuits, but in the meantime I found a wonderful recipe for flourless orange and chocolate cake – definitely not detox approved!!
Flourless chocolate and orange cake
2 small thin-skinned oranges, approx. 375g total weight (or 1 large)
6 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
200 g almond meal
250 g caster sugar
50 g cocoa
orange peel, for decoration (I used 2 rose buds)
Put the whole orange/oranges in a pan with some cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 2 hours or until soft (Note: make sure you check them frequently and add more water to stop them boiling dry)
Drain, and when cool, cut the oranges in half and remove any big pips.
Blend everything – pith, peel and all – in a food processor as smooth as you can get it.
Preheat the oven to 180°C Butter and line a 20cm tin.
Add the eggs, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, almond meal, sugar and cocoa to the orange puree in the food processor. Blend until you have a smooth-ish cake mixture.
Pour into the cake tin and bake for an hour (test with a skewer – it should come out clean). Check after 45 minutes because you may have to cover with foil to prevent the cake burning before it is cooked through, or it may need a little less than an hour depending on your oven.
Leave the cake to get cool in the tin, on a cooling rack. When the cake is cold take it out of the tin.
Simple garnish – Decorate with strips of orange peel or coarsely grated orange zest
Elaborate garnish – melt 100g of 70% cocoa dark chocolate with 30 g butter and a teaspoon of olive oil, add the rind of an orange. Poor over the top of the cake when cool, allowing to drip down the sides. Place the petals of a rose in the centre of the cake, with one rose bud sitting int he middle.
More recently I used this cake as my daughters 1st Birthday cake. I cooked two, and stacked them on top of each other and covered them in butter icing… it was a hit!
Whilst this cake is perfect for the gluten and dairy-free among us… it is also guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser for those without dietary requirements.
Our little Heidi is four months old today… the time has just flown by (maybe because I have spent every spare minute watching our house get built and writing blogs!!!). I was scanning through some of the photos I have taken in those months, and have to admit I didn’t think the photos from the first few weeks were our baby – I didn’t recognise her. I won’t write about what every parent realises when looking back at photos of their newborn… because one day little Heidi will be reading this – she will have the chance to discover this for herself when she grows up and has her own kids.
Looking through the photos I appreciate how anal I can be about organising stuff. Whilst it was great to have all the photos filed under each week of her life, to see the changes occurring… I do however think there will come a time when I will have to stop doing that, because:
a. beyond her second year I am going to lose count of which week we are in, and b. filing like that is bordering on a little scary!!!
Anyhow… here are the results of my diligent filing, in chronological order… Heidi’s first 4 months (don’t panic – it’s only as long as the song… and it is not every photos ever taken!!). I must give credit to my sister who introduced me to the song I used (Secret Heart by Feist). I fell in love with the song the first time I heard it, she included it in the wedding music mix she created for our big day two years ago and is simply perfect for this movie.
Kikki K Ingrid gel pens (I used the silver one for the flight path of the dragon fly)…
The completed thank-you card …
and envelope…
Whilst at the shop, I saw these train die cut cards, and couldn’t resist…
Using material at home I sewed a piece onto the inside of the card to fill the space… I tried it with gingham and stripe – I think the gingham looks better…
I had a few comments from friends about how I managed to find the time to make thank-you cards with a new baby – I didn’t… I was very tricky, and made them before Heidi was born!
About a year ago I was at a baby expo in Melbourne. [sigh], yes, I was one of those people who actually attended those things. Anyone that has also been will agree that you will never go again (even with a free ticket) – never again… the prams… everywhere!! Whilst there I entered a competition at one of the many professional baby photographer stalls (I saw it as a chance to get out of the pathway of all the prams and catch my breath for a while). The prize was a personal photo shoot with your family, the focus being your new arrival. Sounded great, who wouldn’t want some beautiful memories captured by a professional photographer – Free!
Much to my excitement I get a call at work a month later congratulating me on my win. Fantastic!! The lady on the phone then wanted book in a time for the photos to be taken – then and there! I was only 5 months pregnant! I really wasn’t ready to book in a time for photos to be taken four months before I was due – so much needed to happen between now and then, she was being way too pushy.
Then the fine print was revealed…. I had won the cost of the shoot (mid week mind-you … the unpopular times!), I then needed to spend a minimum of $200 on their cheapest print in order to claim the prize. I was having a lot of trouble getting the message across I didn’t want to lock-in a time now, she was clearly working on commission for bookings made. At this point I was looking for any excuse to get off the phone and not claim the prize; I told her that we had just upgraded our camera (which was true), and I was going to try my hand at taking some of those special baby shots myself (really? was I going to do that??). There we had it – my (unrealistic) commitment to myself to take some beautiful baby shots just like the professionals – Easy! It worked, she ended the sales pitch, and wished me well.
I’ve now had nearly five months learning (on the job) about taking photos of babies. It is a challenging task. It’s easier photographing a dog – at least they will look at you when you say their name! We don’t have a professional camera, it’s a Canon EOS 550D – good enough to get some high quality shots. I am still learning all the features, and most of the time I fluke the settings on the camera to get that great photo. I do adjust my photos afterwards – mostly the brightness and exposure, occasionally the saturation and white level. I have never taken a photo that hasn’t looked better slightly adjusted.
Of every twenty to thirty photos taken, I (usually) get one good one…. I’ve needed some time, and a little patience too! (two things many new mothers are not in abundance of). Having an ongoing collection of really lovely (set-up) shots of Heidi at different stages is great, but the spontaneous, personality filled, special moment shots are often the best ones (not perfectly focused, and dark – but they make you smile or sigh anyway)…
A few little tips I’ve use as a guide when attempting to imitate the professionals (I’m sure if you asked a professional photographer you would get some amazing advice – this is simply what has worked for me!):
The time of day is important (not for light, but to get the best mood from your little one)- mornings without a doubt have been the most successful time, and straight after a feed.
Natural light is always the best. Try and position them near a window, where there is lots of light shining in (but not directly on them or they will be squinting the whole time).
Angle – try different angles. The ‘front on’, ‘baby in the centre of the picture’ look can get a bit boring. Side on, close up, from above, behind… anything really.
Background – look it see what you are capturing in the background – this can make or break a good photo. Placing them on a large plain rug, that covers the entire background (up the back too) is always good. You can do this on the sofa, placing the rug over the entire sofa (cushions and back).
Black and white always looks great. Let’s face it …. our little ones always have marks, blotches, scratches, milk spots on their faces… shooting in black and white doesn’t seem to pick this up as much.
Outfit – I try for something bright or soft and dreamy for colour photos, white always looks great for black and white photos (especially with a white background)
Anyway, enough from me… here are some of my favourites:
I also made sure I got some shots with me and my husband in them too – mum and dad can too easily be forgotten (these are the hardest, because when you like the shot of yourself, Heidi will have her eyes closed – luck plays a big part here)…
This plain white wall with some texture in it works brilliantly for a backdrop…
Self timer and tripod helped with this one … (the biggest challenge of all – trying to get Heidi to look at the camera when there is no-one standing behind it calling out, or waving their hand)
I don’t think I have quiteachieved the quality and style of the professional photo shoot, but I have achieved my goal of getting some special shots of Heidi. More importantly I have photos from every stage of her development, rather than just that one moment in time with the professional. I think one photo shoot and the cost of prints would probably cost the same as the camera, which will give us years of memories.
When you’re little you dream about being famous for something…. dancing, ballet, horse riding. I never thought I would be famous (well amongst my friends – does that count?) for making sausage rolls.
I don’t know when it all started, but over about 15 years I have developed a little bit of notoriety for my sausage rolls. To be honest I don’t think they are very different to anyone elses – but who am I to argue with the masses.
There is one claim to fame I will happily take – that a friend’s five year old loves them (and my banana bran muffins), and he doesn’t eat much other than Kabana! So that was a big triumph! The great thing about this recipe is you can pack it with carrot (or zuchini… or anything that can be grated), wrap it in pastry, top it with tomato sauce… and the kids will never know!
So here’s the recipe… (with a few variations):
Bernice’s Sausage Rolls
1 packet of puff pastry (usually 6 sheets)
500g pork and veal mince (the supermarket should sell it mixed, or you can mince your own in the food processor for a leaner mince – I do!)
500g sausage mince (you can use the supermarket sausages and squeeze the mince out, or look for mince without the sausage skin, which saves all the hassle)
NOTE: I will often just use 1kg of the pork and veal mince as it is a lot healthier – especially if you mince it yourself!)
3 medium carrots grated
1 medium onion grated (squeeze the juice off) or finely diced
1 teaspoon thyme (dried or fresh)
1 egg
Salt and pepper
Milk to glaze
Spread the pastry sheets out on the bench (leaving the plastic sheet on the underside). Take a knife and run it down the centre of each pastry sheet. Mix all the ingredients (except the pastry, of course!!) together in a bowl. I find it is best to use your hands to mix it – yes it’s a messy job, but will mix together better this way. With a spoon, place a line of meat mixture down the length of one half of the pastry sheet, closer to one edge. Take the edge that the mince is closest to and roll it over to meet the other side. Run a pastry brush (or your finger!) with milk on it down the length of the pastry where the two sides meet to help it stick together.
Place the sausage roll on the bench, with the join underneath. With a sharp knife cut the length of sausage roll you wish to have. Then prick with a fork. Place on a greased (or lined) baking tray, brush with milk, and cook until golden brown (20-30 minutes depending on your oven).
Best served freshly cooked, however they do freeze really well.
As you well know I have been known to stumble across a lot of (what many would refer to as ‘junk’) items for my up-cycling projects from the footpath.
I stooped to a new low for this one. They were found in the skip at our block, where the builders toss all their house building remnants (that sounds a lot better then rubbish – doesn’t it!). Actually, if the truth be known, I personally didn’t rummage around in the skip to find these – my mother-in-law did! What hope has our little Heidi got with the foraging genes on both sides of the family!!!
We were showing the progress of the house to my husband’s parents one weekend, when I hear a muffled voice from a head diving into the skip “Hey Bernice, look at these… you could make them into little stools for Heidi”. I didn’t need time to consider this – I was sold. They were in the boot of the car as my (very understanding and often perplexed) husband lets out another sigh!
I have been sticking to a ‘touch of red’ theme for Heidi’s nursery, so I knew the base of the stools were going to have to be painted red. I then went on the hunt for some ‘fun’ but not too girly material to cover the seat/top.
I found this really cute forest and owl fabric at Spotlight… which tied in the red beautifully. I got the paint shop to match up the red in the fabric (it turned out to be Geranium Red) with a high gloss, water based sample paint pot.
I cleaned up the spindles with the sander (mainly around the edges of the wood – the outside bits). The piece down the middle is actually made of heavy duty cardboard tubes! I carefully chose which end I wanted sitting on the floor. Knowing we have floorboards in our new house I didn’t want the metal fasteners scratching the floor. One end seemed to have flatter fasteners than the other (although I planned to cover the base with felt anyway, I didn’t want any metal protruding).
I gave both spindles two coats of the Geranium Red paint (leaving them to dry overnight between each coat)
To ensure a comfy seat for Heidi and her buddies I bought some stuffing. I chose one that comes in sheets, so I could cut it to the right sized circle, and layer it several times to give a bit more cushioning.
I placed the stools on the fabric and traced around the top, allowing about 7cm extra material to fasten the fabric underneath the stool top with a staple gun.
With all my pieces measured and cut, it was time to put it all together.
Placing the stuffing onto the stool, then the material on top of that, I carefully turned it all upside down to start stapling the material in place. When securing the material start with four staples evening spaced around the circle to get the tension right and material spaced evenly to avoid gathers. Fold the material under as you staple for a neater finish, and to avoid the material fraying down the track.
Once all the stapling is complete you will need to staple and/or glue your felt to the bottom (I chose a felt to match the red paint). This is not absolutely necessary, but will stop any scratches on wooden floors when the little monsters drag the stools across the room!
Voila – two tiny stools for my little strudel!
The challenge now is to find yourself a wooden and cardboard spindle to have your way with – good luck!
A few months ago I was trying to explain to my sister how good these burgers are, at the time I didn’t get the kind of focus and acknowledgement I was after. Months down the track she finally got to try them at Mum and Dad’s (Saturday night just gone) and kindly told me on Sunday how amazing they were. When I told her that the recipe was going to be my next post she promptly responded “That recipe is too good to share, that’s the kind of thing you want to keep a secret!”. I think that says it all – Don’t you?
I might just add… I especially love them because I’m not a massive meat eater, and the beautiful flavours added to the beef pattie disguise that really meaty flavour of the burger perfectly for me! As the recipe describes it “This modern take on the classic burger flavours the meat with garlic, ginger and sesame oil and serves it with soy-braised onions and chilli spiked mayonnaise”
Mum put me onto these, she clippered the recipe from the newspaper one weekend a few months ago. I’ve been told by a friend who also found the recipe and loves it that it came from The Age newspaper, Epicure section.
Korean beef burgers
Serves 4
600g minced beef (it says not too lean, but I like it lean and mince my own beef for that reason)
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 egg beaten
3 tbsp chopped spring onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2cm knob of ginger, finely grated
1 tsp sugar
sea salt and pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, halved and finely sliced
2 tbsp mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar or wine vinegar
3 tbsp whole-egg mayonnaise
1 tsp chilli sauce (or sweet chilli sauce if you prefer)
4 burger buns (I use wholemeal buns to be a little healthier)
2 tsp sesame seeds
8 soft lettuce leaves
1/2 cucumber sliced
2 carrots cut into ribbons (use a sharp peeler)
2 small tomatoes sliced
Mix the beef (using your hands) with 2 tbsp soy sauce, sesame oil, egg, spring onions, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt and pepper. Form into patties of a suitable size for your buns and refrigerate for an hour.
Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a frying pan and cook onions over medium heat for 10 minutes, tossing well until softened. Add remaining soy, mirin and vinegar and cook for 5-10 minutes more until golden brown, Set aside.
Whisk mayonnaise with the chili sauce.
Brush burgers with remaining vegetable oil and grill or pan fry over medium heat for 4 minutes on each side, until golden browned (beware of burning).
Split burger buns and lightly grill, or toast the insides.
Layer base buns with lettuce leaves, cucumber, carrot, tomato and beef burgers. Finish off with onions, and sesame seeds. Place the mayonnaise on the bun top.
I know you’ve all been waiting, wondering… hoping, that I make another movie for this 6 month milestone. Well, here it is!
If I was to speak the truth for a moment, most of you probably aren’t that interested at all. I do however know that a lot of friends and relatives that don’t live nearby that love them – so this is for you (actually it’s for Heidi too when she grows up, and me – I can’t help it, I love making them!!!) …
Every day I am reminded of the disposable lifestyle we live – constantly chucking out packaging (glass, plastic and metal). So many of the things we put in the rubbish bin could be used for other purposes in our house – so I started collecting them.
For some reason it seems a lot worse with a baby… formula tins that seem to multiply, washing detergent packaging, empty wine bottles (they seem to mysteriously appear after all the washing and feeding is done for the day!!).
Empty wine bottle(s)… yes, there have been several occasions where a glass of wine was the reward after Heidi was in bed asleep!
Turned into vases or decorative ornaments…
I stuck different coloured ribbon around the top of each bottle.
Cling wrap packaging/box…
Now a mini muffin gift box…
I covered the box with beautiful wrapping paper from Mozi, and lined it with tissue paper (and filled it with my banana bran muffins)
Baby Formula Tin…
Now a [insert purpose here] holder (in this case cooking utensils)…
I covered the tin with burlap. I used two layers stuck together with iron-on webbing (so you can’t see through to the tin). I then sewed the burlap around the tin with red embroidery thread (holding it around the tin as I sewed to ensure it was firm enough to stay on). If you use the finished edge of the burlap, you don’t have to hem the burlap at the bottom of the tin.
Any tins can also be easily covered with contact…
Washing detergent bucket…
Now a toy box…
I covered the bucket and lid with patterned contact.
There is one more Pinterest inspiration I wanted to make (and still will), this one…
Using toilet paper rolls to make a christmas wreath. Details about how to make the wreath can be found on See you There! I think I have allowed myself just enough time to save up the rolls to have it completed by Christmas… naturally, you will be seeing the end result in a month or so!
It’s detox time for me at the moment. I’m on my third week, 3kg down and starting to feel great. I’ve said I will continue doing it until we move into our new house (another 5-6 weeks!).
I did a massive detox about 5 years ago, guided by a wonderful naturopath at Glow. For four months I cut out caffeine, dairy, wheat, red meat, fruit (except grapefruit), potatoes, corn, mushrooms, anything processed… you get the idea (it was really restrictive!!!). Along with all that I was systematically cleansing each internal organ of my body… bowel, stomach, kidney, liver using herbal tablets and powders.
You’re wondering why would I put myself through such deprivation? Apart from needing to lose some weight and get healthier, I was suffering from headaches (almost daily), my hands were peeling, I had really bad hay-fever that had come on when I turned 30, and I felt really sluggish.
After the detox I felt amazing. Not only had I lost over 10kg, my eyes were clear and white, skin glowing, headaches had gone, along with my peeling hands… and I never got hay-fever again! It was well worth the effort.
When I stopped breastfeeding I decided it was time to do it again. Rather than going to a naturopath I pulled out all the written material from my last detox, got some tablets/powders from the health food store and started the Hey Bernice self guided detox! The first week brought on a cold, which often happens. Now I am over that I am starting to feel great.
When I did the first detox Glow provided a great recipe book of ‘approved’ foods for detox. One of the best recipes in there was the almond crackers. Not only are they healthy for you, they’re also ideal for anyone that is gluten free or dairy free. I couldn’t believe that almond meal and water (with some herbs and spices) could make a biscuit!
Here’s this wonderful recipe…
Almond Crakers
Makes about 24 crackers
100g almond meal
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon paprika or chili powder
freshly ground black pepper
4-6 teaspoons of water (start with 4, then add more if you need it)
Pre heat oven to 180C.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl together, then add 4 teaspoons of the water to form a dough. Add more water if necessary, but be careful not to make it too wet.
Cut 2 pieces of baking paper (the size of a baking tray). Lay one sheet on the bench, and place the dough (shaped into a rectangle) onto the baking paper. Place the other sheet over the top of the dough. Take a rolling pin (or glass jar on it’s side) and roll the dough out as thin as you can between the 2 sheets of paper.
Try and keep the edges as even as you can.
Remove the top piece of paper, and score the mixture into square biscuit sized shapes with a sharp knife (or any other shape you might prefer).
Slide the paper and dough onto the baking tray, and cook for 7-9 minutes (until golden brown). Check after 5-7 minutes as the crackers around the edge will brown first, you can remove them from the tray (eat them!!) and continue to cook the remaining crackers.
Let cool, then enjoy!
They are great with Hummus dip (also detox friendly). You can also get creative with the herbs and spices you add. I even added some grated lemon rind one time.
I stumbled across this rattan screen about 4 years ago. It was 7.30am, I was driving to work… my attention was drawn to a skip sitting outside a house in our street. Sticking out the top of the skip was a small portion of this rattan screen/room divider – It looked promising! So much so, if stopping to check it out meant I was late to work, it was a risk I was willing to take.
With years of experience under my belt, I would call myself a seasoned collector of junk from the footpath or skips. Even with that label clearly tattooed to my forehead it doesn’t make me feel any more comfortable about fossicking through other people’s junk. This morning was particularly awkward with a spectator sitting on the front porch of the house next door… monitoring my swift stop, reverse, park, inspect, grab and squeeze!
The ‘squeeze’ part of this mission was noteworthy. It probably deserved an audience… somehow I managed to ‘squeeze’ this three panel screen/room divider into my Holden Barina (tiny hatchback)! Where there is a will there is a way. On this occasion I would have broken the record for ‘Screen Squeezing into small cars’ if one actually existed (time was ticking, and I had to get to work). I toyed with the idea of driving 200m down the road and dropping the screen back at home - NO TIME! MUST GET TO WORK - so it traveled with me slid between the two front seats all the way to work, doing what it was designed to do – divide spaces in half!
For several reasons I found the hardest part of this mission luring my husband outside that night to help me retrieve it from the car:
a) I knew he was going to shake his head when he saw how I had positioned it in the car, then taken it to work and back;
b) If not approached correctly he would refuse to help me bring anymore junk into our home;
c) He wouldn’t be able to see the vision I had to transform it, which would make b) a more valid point in his mind!
Obviously the screen made it inside.
To transform it I strategically picked a weekend hubby was away playing golf – there was no room for doubters with this project.
1. The first thing I did was cut off all the woven rattan with a box cutting/Stanley knife. This took a while, and ruined my hands and chipped all my nails. It was very dusty between the rattan – Not a fun job. I was left with three wooden frames joined together with hinges.
2. I then went to the hardware store and purchased some chipboard/MDF to cover one side of each panel. If you take your measurements they will usually cut it to size for you (sometimes they charge a few dollars, often it is free).
3. Using a staple gun (or nails if you don’t have a gun) I attached the chipboard to each panel.
4. I then needed some inspiration to work out what to cover the panels with. I wanted a pattern, probably wallpaper (or material), and something unique. A friend from work told me about an amazing shop North of Melbourne, in Northcote, call Flashback Fabric and Wallpaper. They stock brilliant vintage wallpaper and fabric (as the name suggests!). When I visited I was confronted with the metallic, large floral wallpaper mum and dad had in their bathroom 30 years ago - that was a real ‘flashback’ for me!
I chose a gold and white pattern, detailed, but subtle colours…
Being a vintage wallpaper I needed some wallpaper glue to adhere it to the panels. I cut it down almost to size (leaving about 1 inch around the edges to hold onto, then using the box cutting knife trimed the excess around the edges after the glue had dried). It came up a treat!
I chose to leave the wood frame exposed on the back and sides, I was after a rustic look. Another option would have been to cover the back panels and/or paint them for a neater finish.
Next time you see an old screen, don’t write-it-off…. with a little imagination, and a bit of work you can have yourself a gorgeous and extremely unique room divider.
Our little Heidi is 8 months old today. I thought, by now, I would grow tired of making movies about each milestone (I’ve surprised myself!). This one is set to one of the songs my sister put on our wedding music playlist, and one of my personal favourites… Steal My Kisses by Ben Harper:
Apologies for being a little quiet lately, we move in two weeks (so I’ve been packing), I’ve gone back to work two days a week (I have less time for this fun stuff) and Heidi is on the move now so more of my time is spent moving her away from the dog, heater, rubbish bin….
Actually, on the first day of Christmas my true love said to me…. “Now we’ve moved house can you finish off some of these crafty projects you have started (and never finished)!”
Amongst the box unpacking (we moved into our new house last week… you can visit my blog about building the house at www.lot271.com) I found some time to make my toilet-paper-roll-Christmas-wreath as I promised I would in my Christmas decoration post. I couldn’t have made it any earlier because I needed the extra time to collect enough toilet rolls! I think that is a good enough excuse, don’t you?
I can’t take the credit for the idea, it was a Pinterest discovery (care of the wonderful tutorial on the site See You There Designs)…
It seems there are a few crafty people out there making some creative stuff with toilet paper rolls. Check out this AMAZINGLY enormous wall art from Tibble Fork…
So here’s my Christmas creation. I’ve gone with a beachy Christmas theme this year. You will see over the coming weeks that I have chosen predominantly light blue, white and silver… with the addition of sand, shells, star fish and drift wood.
I used Kikki K Christmas gift tags to compliment the natural cardboard tones of the toilet paper, along with a star fish and some raffia and ribbon. Fingers crossed we don’t have a wet lead up to Christmas or I might end up with a rather soggy wreath (will keep you posted!!).
It was time to change my Christmas decorations, so I started a Pinterest Christmas board for inspiration. I then waited until we moved into our new house to get a feel for the place before I bought anything.
I think I have all I need for the new look this year, although it’s not on a tree, or decorating a table… Yet!
I am getting ahead of myself, but I thought I would give you a sneak peek anyway… I am really happy with the combo, and love the fresh and cheery colours.
I have resurrected some decorations I bought 10 years ago in Nicaragua (Central America)…
I acquired some new items in my favourite coastal homeware shops in Barwon Heads Frith and Rigby’s …
I am using some decorations I bought from Mozi and Country Road (I changed the ribbon colour!) several years ago…
And HAD to buy these from trusty Spotlight, they were talking to me from the shelf. I tried to walk away but they wouldn’t let me!
I will intermingle all these above with some gorgeous light blue balls from Myer…
Stay tuned for the results of combining everything, and adding a Christmas tree!
We recently hosted 17 adults and 9 babies for a Christmas lunch, the perfect way to road-test a new house (especially the kitchen!). The secret to it running smoothly… good preparation (and a kitchen with plenty of bench space and a big oven!).
My husband and I usually host a Christmas BBQ & drinks every year for all our friends. Having recently moved 1.5 hours drive away from our friends, we decided we would keep it local and invite my amazing mothers group, their partners and babies over for a Christmas lunch.
It was also a dress-rehersal for us – we are hosting Christmas Day lunch this year. We needed to get into the festive spirit, so we ventured to the nursery the day before and bought a potted Christmas tree, and decorated that:
I then focussed my attention to the table, I wanted to creat a beach Christmas theme. I collected weathered branches from the Torquay foreshore, bought Star fish, filled hurricane lamps with sand and candles, and finally found a use for the shells I had collect over the years (this post is for all those people who have asked me over the years “What are you going to do with all the shells you’ve collected?”) …
Drinks Non-alcoholic punch (with a bottle of vodka sitting next to it, for those that wanted to spice things up a bit).
We did have dessert wine and cheese to serve as well, but no one had the room for it (but it did come in handy later that evening when there were still a few of us still ‘chatting’).
Here are the recipes… Where there isn’t a link to the recipe above (because it has already been a feature in a previous post) you will find the recipe below:
Baked Eggplant chips 2 eggplants (aubergines) medium – large Tandaco Southern Fried Chicken seasoning (or any other fish or chicken seasoning/coating)
Salt
Spray oil
- Slice eggplants into 1.5 cm slices lengthwise.
- Sprinkle with Salt and let stand for 10-20 mins (or until you can see little drops of liquid sitting on the flesh)
- Rinse off salt and cut into desired lengths (If you cut them too thin they will dry out too much in the oven, try to keep them about 1.5cm think)
- Generously spray a baking tray with oil
- Whilst wet, toss the eggplant chips in the seasoning mix (the skin doesn’t usually coat very well, so don’t worry too much about that)
- Arrange on the tray evenly spaced
- Spray the top of the eggplant pieces with oil
- Cook for 15-20 mins at 180C, turn each piece and continue cooking for another 15+ minutes.
- If they have not browned, turn the oven to 200C and cook until they look ready to eat. If you’re not sure if they are ready… just try one!
- Serve with an aoili. Alternatively light sour cream (for a healthier option) seasoned with cumin and garlic.
Slow cooked, smoked pork coated in 4-3-2-1 BBQ rub BBQ Rub
Combine the following…
4 tablespoons of sweet paprika
3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic granules/powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
3 kg pork scotch roast (with the rind on)
hickory chips (for smoking)
Make sure you’ve soaked your Hickory chips in water for an hour before using them. Cut the rind off the meat. generously coat a 3kg of pork completely in the rub. Place the Hickory chips in a disposable cooking tray, or another small container that won’t melt of burn. Light the chips so that they start smoking, then place the bowl in the BBQ. Cook on the BBQ set up as an oven – it will require some moving around of BBQ plates etc (best to check your instruction book to know what to do) with the meat resting directly on a BBQ rack with a drip try beneath it to catch the meat juices. Slow cook with the lid closed, for 3.5 hours at 110C. take the meat off the BBQ and let it rest for 10- 15 minutes before carving.
Make sure you’ve soaked your Hickory chips in water for an hour before using them.
generously coat the top of the beef with the seeded mustard.
Place the Hickory chips in a disposable cooking tray, or another small container that won’t melt of burn. Light the chips so that they start smoking, then place the bowl in the BBQ.
Cook on the BBQ (set up as an oven – it will require some moving around of BBQ plates etc (best to check your instruction book to know what to do) with the meat resting directly on a BBQ rack with a drip try beneath it to catch the meat juices. Slow cook for 3.5 hours at 110C. take the meat off the BBQ and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving
Hollandaise sauce
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper.
Mix all the ingredients at high-speed in a blender.
Melt but do not brown 1/2 cup of butter, and blend into the above ingredients at high-speed. Serve immediately or stand container in warm water until required (placing cling wrap so it rests on the liquid to stop a film forming on the surface). You can freeze this sauce and reconstitute it over warm water.
Spinach salad with roasted baby tomatoes, houlumi, crispy prosciutto and a basil and lime vinaigrette
Baby spinach leaves
Shaved prosciutto slices
Houlumi
Baby/cherry tomatoes
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Cracked pepper
Ground garlic
Olive oil
(all the quantities will depend on how many people you are catering for)
Pre heat over to 180C.
Cut all the stems off each of the spinach leaves (you don’t have to do this, but it makes it easier for your guests to eat!), wash and place in the serving bowl.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut each of the tomatoes in half and place on the tray with the cut part facing up. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil over each of the tomatoes. Also sprinkle with ground garlic, sea salt and cracked pepper.
Lay the prosciutto slices out individually on baking paper on a tray. Place in the oven and dry out until very crispy. remove from the oven, when cool break up into small bite size pieces.
At the same time bake the tomatoes in the oven until they are starting to brown, and shrivel slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool on the tray.
Cut the houlumi in half width-wise to make the square thinner. Pan fry with some olive oil until golden brown on both sides. Whilst still warm cut into small cubes. Ideally it is best to serve the salad while the houlumi is still warm, but I let it cool and served it later.
Sprinkle the tomatoes, prosciutto and houlumi over the top of the spinach leaves, pour the dressing over the top, and toss the salad before serving.
Asparagus with Balsamic reduction Asparagus
pine nuts
Balsamic vinegar
(quantities will depend on the number of guests)
Snap the base off the end of each asparagus spear (I recently learned this trick from mum – I love tat she’s still teaching me things! By snapping and not cutting you don’t get any tough bits, that should all break off).
Pour the balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan, bring to the boil, then let simmer to reduce it down and make it thicker. You want it to be thick enough to stick to the asparagus when you pour it over.
Using a non-stick frypan on medium heat (no oil), tip the pine nuts in and continue to stir until golden brown. Remove from the pan the minute they are done, otherwise they will continue to brown in the hot pan.
Bring water to the boil, and cook the asparagus so there is still some crunch when you bite it – best to keep testing (could be anywhere from 5 mins depending on how thick the spears are).
Arrange the asparagus on a serving plate, pour the balsamic reduction over the top, then sprinkle with pine nuts. You can serve this hot or cold.
Smashed Potatoes Potatoes (generally one potato per person)
Olive oil
Seas salt
Fresh Rosemary
- Wash the potatoes and boil until cooked through.
- Allow them to cool slightly to make handling a little easier (you don’t want to burn your fingers!)
- Heat your oven to 180C
- Place the potatoes on a large baking tray coated generously with olive oil.
- With a knife cut a cross into each potato (each line of the cross stretching from one side to the other of the potato), cutting almost all the way through to the tray.
- Take your potato masher, press down hard on each potato, with the aim to squash and open it up.
- If the potato ends up really flat, mess it up a bit so that there is some potato flesh and skin exposed to go crispy when you bake them again.
- Drizzle each potato with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and chopped rosemary.
- Place in the oven and bake until golden brown and with crispy bits. If they are not browning turn the oven up to 200C (but keep an eye on them!)
- Remove from the oven and serve (Yummo!)
Pavlova
6 egg whites
440 g (15 oz) caster sugar,
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cornflour
1.5 tsp white vinegar
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a tray with baking paper.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add caster sugar, one third at a time, allowing each third to be well incorporated so you end up with a thick, glossy meringue. Fold through the vanilla, cornflour, white vinegar.
Spoon into a greased and lined 23cm springform cake tin or spread in a high circle on a sheet of baking paper on a tray. Place int e oven, lower the temp to 120C and bake for 45 minutes. Turn the oven off, leaving the pavlova to cool inside the oven overnight preferably.
Place cool pavlova on a serving tray and cover with whipped cream and you decorating of choice (fresh fruit, silver balls etc).
So there you have it… a really simple Christmas menu, allowing you to prepare a lot of things beforehand, and not having to do any last minute cooking while your guests are there – the perfect scenario!
Finally our new home is finished, we’ve been in three weeks now. If you’re interesetd in taking a look you can view the video walk-through on the Blog www.lot271.com.
I have taken heaps of photos before we moved all our stuff in which you can view here.
There will be some professional photos taken of the furnished house in the new year, so stay tuned for those
It’s official, salvaging furniture from the side of the road and restoring or transforming it is a hereditary trait.
Many months ago I mentioned to Mum that I wanted to replace the bench seats along the side of our dining table with six chairs.
I wanted the change-over to coincide with our move into our new house, but hadn’t seen anything I would be happy to spend money on. Being the thinker that she is, mum suggested that I re-use the chairs she was storing in the garage (my sister was holding on to them for a future use – yet to be determined!). So off we went to the garage to inspect them… they were perfect.
I was later informed by my 86-year-old grandmother that she and my grandfather had found these chairs on the side of the road, took them home and painted them green. They then finished them with special paint (that was apparently all the rage in the 1980′s) that gave them an antique look. This is when I realised that my love for transforming curb-side furniture has been passed down two generations!
Without a second-thought I loaded the chairs into the car, took them home and started to think about what I would do with them:
- Strip the paint off them myself (which I tried to do with one chair and gave-up when there were more than four coats of paint on them!)
- Pay someone to strip them for me (I was hesitant to do this because I didn’t think the quality of the wood would be worth the effort or cost)
- Paint over the multiple coats of paint they had already received.
I decided to paint over them, but what colour? I pondered on this for some time.
I really wanted to go a bright colour (was thinking duck-egg blue), but I knew I would get sick of it after a while… so I decided to paint them the same colour we had chosen as our wall paint. Solver “talc’ in an enamel gloss.
If you have ever painted anything with circular shape: a pole, tube, prong, round table/chair leg you will sympathise with me when I say it was a long, tedious and difficult job. To get the paint to cover the surface evenly was extremely challenging – it took me ages (and three coats on all six chairs). Each chair now has about seven coats of paint from all the transformations they have endured over the years!
Just as well they look wonderful around the table in our new home, or the effort would not have been worth it….
On the wall in this image you will see another project I am working on, burlap covered canvases with butterflies cut from atlas pages and metal – I’m not sure about it, so leaving it there to decide if I change it to birds instead (more about this in a future post).
We’ve found since changing from benches along each side of the table that we use the table more. It is less effort to pull out a chair to sit at the table. The benches were not ideal when entertaining – you couldn’t turn your chair slightly to face the person next to you when talking. All round a successful project, albeit the painting was extremely time-consuming.
I stumbled across Heidi’s Christmas present by accident last year. I was returning to one of my favourite places to waste a Sunday afternoon… The Mill Markets with the intention of buying an old wooden Pinocchio I had spied on my last visit (It was to become another addition to Heidi’s nursery wall). I didn’t buy it the first time because I wasn’t completely certain I liked it. So there I was staring at the Pinocchio, again… still not sure.
I am usually a very quick decision maker, and seldom regret decisions I have made. So, whenever I’m not sure about something I should know by now to walk away. I did end up walking away, and thank goodness for that, or I wouldn’t have stumbled across this gorgeous old rocking horse, at a bargain price of $30!
Many of you are probably thinking how gorgeous the paint-work is, and that it’s bright and fun for a little girl – which I did too. But I wasn’t sold, it needed a little TLC (Tender loving care – who knows what other meaning that could have these days in a teenager’s text message!). Secondly, my husband barracks for West Coast Eagles Aussie rules footy team (Blue and yellow), and I couldn’t have him thinking it was a West Coast rocking horse!
My plan was to sand it back, and repaint it for Heidi’s Christmas present. I also wanted to add a mane and tail.
With Heidi’s nursery having a touch of red, I wanted red to feature in the new colour scheme. I did a lot of searching online and Pinterest for inspiration, and pinned some options onto my Kids pinboard. I decided on a white horse, black saddle/seat and red rocking apparatus (what do you call that part??). As much as I hate painting with enamel paint (it ends up all over me, then I have to wash down with mineral turpentine… and I can’t be bothered with the effort to wash the brushes either… Short answer – I’m Lazy!!!) I did use enamel for this project – it is a much better, shiny finish, and will ensure it survives the beating it is going to get over the years. I gave the horse two coats of paint after a thorough sand-back, and wipe down with a damp cloth.
We now have a beautifully fresh and inviting rocking horse sitting in Heidi’s nursery…
For the mane I chose Black – I bought a string of black tassels from the material shop. The mane is two lengths of tassels so it hangs down both sides…
I attached the mane with a staple gun. If you look closely below you can see the staples holding on the mane, that I then coloured black with a permanent marker.
I added a little detail to the heart at the front of the rocking horse….
I then opted for a curtain tassel for the tail. Here you can see the curtain tassel tail I attached to the underside of the seat/saddle with the staple gun…
After all that effort, I would love to say Heidi was overjoyed to see her new animal friend…Hmmmmm – I’m sure she will grow to like it!
Calling your help, I’m looking for a name for Heidi’s new horse… please send through your fun, quirky and imaginative name suggestions?
I guess you could call this Part II of Upcycling: Transforming garbage. I have ‘a thing’ about throwing things away that can be used for something else – it drives my husband crazy.
All around our house you’ll find items I have saved from the trash that are being stored until I get around to doing something with them.
Below are examples of the baby formula tin becoming a cooking utensil holder, and the bulk washing detergent bucket turned into toy box….
Here’s another option you can add to that list, the egg carton muffin box.
This one is a piece of cake (or should I say muffin – haha). Anyone (even those that shout from the rooftop that they haven’t a creative bone in their body) can achieve this one.
All you need is:
- An egg carton (one that doesn’t have packaging/printing all over the sides, or where you can peel off the packaging/sticker)
- Some colourful paper (I used wrapping paper)
- Craft glue
- Scissors
- A ruler
1. Where you can, peel off the sticker/packaging… otherwise you might have to stick the coloured paper over the sides as well.
2. Measure the size of the top of the egg carton and cut a piece of paper to stick on the top.
3. Use the craft glue to evenly cover the top of the egg carton and place the paper on top.
4. Press down firmly to ensure that all parts of the paper will stick to the carton
5. Leave to dry
Once covered you can place mini cupcakes or muffins in the egg carton. You will need a small muffin tin so they they will fit. In this egg-sample (the puns are getting a little annoying now aren’t they?). I made my delicious banana, date and bran muffins
So there you have it, one of the simplest transformations you will ever encounter – go on, give it a try.
While we’re on the topic of transforming garbage, I thought I would share with you a great idea I stumbled across. The entrepreneur behind this new product probably had the same addiction to reusing garbage that I have!
They are stickers that can be placed on different pieces of garbage to turn them into toys for kids! The company is called Box Play for Kids, here are some brilliant examples from their website:
The Juice carton truck…
The egg carton zoo…
The shoe box fridge…
That’s more than enough garbage-talk from me…. see you next time.
Do we really need another social media photo sharing site… It’s hard to keep up these days isn’t it? I’ve been having a lot of fun with Instagram (and Tumblr, wordpress, facebook, Pinterest, twitter, google+….). How do they all differ, and what’s the point of them all, I here you ask?
Well, this might help… I was sent a great image yesterday that explains beautifully how all these social media sites fit together, and can (believe it or not) compliment each other:
I’m not going to go into the details of what you can do with Instagram, or what it is… all I will say is it’s a smart, easy and convenient way to document your life with photos (if that’s what you like doing!!). My favourite feature is the ability to choose different ‘looks’ or ‘filters’ for your images.
Here’s a sample of the photos I’ve been sharing via Instagram… (if you want to find me search for heybernice)
Our home-grown sunflower, I found the seeds when I was unpacking after moving, we planted them along the back fence (only one grew!)
A reminder of one of the reasons I wanted to leave Melbourne, the daily train ride to work (I only have to do it once a week now!)…
I love using it as a photo blog of Heidi’s life…
The good and the bad…
And to take photos of the best dog in the whole wide world…
Things that smell and taste great…
An evening walk on the golf course…
My favourite space in our house…
I’ve also recently set myself up on Tumblr… (it’s like a miniature blog – snapshots of everything) so look out for Hey Bernice there as well…
It’s recently come to my attention that I’m quite confident when it comes to savoury cooking, but I have lost my way with the sweet stuff.
Back in my Hotel Management days (when I spent a third of my studies in the kitchen, mastering the finer culinary techniques) I was capable of turning out most recipes placed in front of me…. it’s fair to say I am a little out of touch now.
One of my new year resolutions was to get my confidence back when cooking sweets… especially some of the more difficult ones (They are defined as difficult for me when they require precision… it’s not one of my strong points in the kitchen). Things like pavlova, creme caramel, fondant, souffle, pastries. I want to become the dessert queen! There you go, I’ve said it now – so look out!
The first on my list to master was the pavlova. I am very embarrassed to admit until 18 December , 2011 (yes, 2 months ago!) I had never cooked a pavlova! My mother is famous for them, and I have been cooking and entertaining for around 20 years… and never pumped one out of my kitchen. My first one was a little flat.
The second time I got adventurous. I added rose water and red food colouring, and made individual, light pink pavlovas with cream and rose water strawberries on top – that was a month ago for Australia day… and they were a hit!
So when I offered to make a dessert plate for a 1st birthday party of one of little Heidi’s buddies I modified the rose water pavlova, and made mini rose water meringues. I’m getting better ever time, but I’m sure it takes years of practice to get them as good as mum does – it gives me something to aspire to.
Below is the first of many video tutorials I will be doing to accompany some of my post – please let me know what you think, and do tell me if they are a waste of my time (and yours!!)…
Rose Water Meringues
6 egg whites
440 g (15 oz) caster sugar,
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cornflour
1.5 tsp white vinegar
2 tbsp of rose water
red food colouring (several drops)
250ml whipping cream (full fat)
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a tray with baking paper.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add caster sugar, one third at a time, allowing each third to be well incorporated so you end up with a thick, glossy meringue. Fold through the vanilla, cornflour, white vinegar and a couple of drops of red food colouring (keep adding drops until you get a pale pink colour).
Spoon onto baking tray, or use a pipping bag. The size of your meringue is entirely up to you. I made small bite size meringues because they were finger food for a first birthday party.
In the video tutorial I was using a very nifty ‘apparatus’ from Tupperware calledBake 2 basics Squeeze it . I was christening it in the video, hopefully I will get a bit better with more use!
Place in the oven, lower the temp to 120C and bake for 10 minutes, check them at this point and then check every 5 minutes until they are hard on the outside, and very slightly brown. Turn the oven off, leaving the meringues to cool inside the oven, overnight preferably.
Place cool meringues on a serving tray with a bowl of whipped cream, or join two together with whipped cream just before serving.
I also managed to sneak a heart shaped individual pavlova onto one of the trays as a valentine surprise. It is easier if you draw the heart onto the baking paper first to give yourself a guide to follow.
Which is best topped with cream, and strawberries cut into four (sprinkled with castor sugar and drizzled with rose water and let sit for an hour or so)… then placed on top!
Happy baking, and look out for all the other sweet things I will be attempting to master over the coming months.
There is a story behind most of the items of furniture in our home – I like it that way (partly, because I love telling stories!!).
These four stools have recently become one of my transformation stories.
Where do I get the motivation (and time) to do all this? OK, I’ll be honest, these stools have been ‘on the go’ for close to a year now… my TAT (why should we leave abbreviating things to the gen-Yers!!)… turn around time is something that is not consistent from project to project. If I am going to be completely honest… I haven’t finished them all yet. They are a real pain in the backside to sand, it’s not fun… and when it’s not fun, my motivation takes a tumble.
The fun part was selecting the material for the stools… that was my favourite bit (pity that was done months ago!). To help with the decision I started a fabric board on Pinterest. I was toying around with bringing a splash of colour into the house, vs. something stylish but neutral. I went for stylish by neutral, and a colour that would compliment the kitchen bench they will be sitting under. I ended up choosing a beautiful hand screen printed working cloth from the Cloth fabric online store. It is called Spotcheck, and I used the chalk on raw…
If you want to try your hand at transforming some stools, here’s what you’ll need, and what I did:
- Some stools that will allow you to remove the padded seat easily (and replace it) so you can change the material – that’s what really transforms them (or a lick of paint).
- A staple gun and staples (or upholsterer pins could also do the job, as long as they are not too long – they will prick your bum!)
- An electric hand sander or mouse (it can be done by hand but will take longer)
- Sand paper (medium grain)
- Quilting batting (or some foam/sponge that can be cut to size)
- Durable material to cover the seats and enough to staple it underneath each seat as well.
1. Kindly asked my husband to look after Heidi for a morning while I visited op shops looking for stools.
2. Found four wooden stools for $15 each (I did take a photo and text it to above-mentioned hubby to check that he liked them)
3. Strategically positioned the four stools in the car (a minor miracle that they fit!), then headed home with a big smile on my face
4.Took the padded seat off the stools (they were attached with several screws)
5. Cut the dusty, old material off the wooden disc (I took the lazy approach and decided not to remove the old staples)
6. Bought some quilting batting to use as padding on the wooden seat, cut several layers the size of the disc and stapled to the top.
7. Sanded the old varnish off the wood. This was the not-so-fun part. Sanding (or painting) circular wood is very time consuming, and tedious (hence why I have only managed to complete two of the four chairs!). Because the varnish was old it did turn quickly into dust and come off easily… the electric sander can do most of the work, except in the tight spots where I switched to hand sanding (the really, really un-fun bit!).
7 a) alternatively I could have painted them, which was my original idea. I opted to sand back instead because it was likely that the paint would chip on the rim around the bottom where people would be resting their feet… I didn’t warm to the idea of having to re-touch the paint all the time!
8. Take your material and cut each piece leaving about 10-15cm extra around the edge for stapling underneath. 9. Once the material is cut, lay the good side down on a table/floor then place the padded side of the circular seat on top (padded side down). Take your staple gun or upholsterer pins and place four evenly spaced around the circle (dividing it into quarters). When you fold the material over before pinning/stapling, fold the cut edge under for a neater finish, and make sure you pull the material tight for a better finish overall. You’ll see below that you get a better finish if you angle the material after pulling it tight (you avoid wrinkles forming around the edge of the circle).
10. By pulling the material tight before each staple/pin it will ensure you have a smooth finish when you turn it over…
11. Attach/screw/glue the seats back onto the stool (once they are sanded or painted, and dry!), and you will have yourself a set of new stools.
These are the two I have almost finished (I’m a fuss-pot and need to get into the joins with the sandpaper)
If you look closely at the back two chairs I haven’t finished sanding them yet…I’ve been using them for three months and no one seems to have noticed – or they are too polite to say so!
What I love about these is that when I get sick of the material, I will take it off and recover the seats with something fresh.
Happy hunting for stools, and choosing material. And hope that you find stools made with flat wood, and no curves, it might mean you finish sanding yours!
Cheers,
When I first did a post on Heidi’s nursery (very close to a year ago, when she was born) I kept mentioning it was her temporary nursery because we were renting at the time (and the walls were a very vibrant blue which I hated). Until we had moved into the house we were building I never felt that her room was as I wanted it to be… so here it is her ‘real’ nursery, finally!
Before we go any further, I must share with you a You Tube clip from a TV show called Portlandia. I haven’t seen this show (or even heard of it, until last night), however it was brought to my attention by a friend who was over for dinner. This particular clip is called ‘Put a bird on it’ … Whilst watching it all I could think about was Heidi’s nursery – enough said (for now)…
For the record there are also butterflies (tutorial here) featured in her nursery… I’m not completely bird obsessed…
Let’s start the tour of her new avery nursery. On her door… I made this bunting from a mobile I had that was made of gorgeous Indian fabric, ribbon, white felt and embroidery thread. I had a red bird left over from the vinyl decal you will see further into this post, so I perched it on the mini peg…
Here are the old book pages bunting (tutorial here), looking so much better on a white wall. And featured on the bookshelf is the first item I bought for her nursery, a print called ‘Ruby Slippers’ from the flowerpress store on Made it. There is also another red vinyl bird, and a blue material bird perched on the stick (and a sneaky duck on one of the book pages)…
And a red chicken…
A new item since moving is the rocking horse I transformed (see more here) for Heidi’s Christmas present, now a main feature in her room (no birds featured here!)…
A few of her buddies having a party in her cot (there’s a duck in there!)…
You’ve probably noticed that there is a touch of red theme throughout (a better angle of the blue bird)…
supported on the bookshelf by the red HEIDI letters from Typo, the red bunny bookend (a gift) and the red wooden buzzy-bee. Mum and Dad gave that to me, they were first released in the 1940′s, they are from New Zealand, and I had one when I was little.
We’ve also incorporated a little Heidi memorabilia… a framed movie poster for the Heidi Movie purchased online…
A very old Heidi Golden Book, a donation from one of the gorgeous girls in mothers group who received this as part of a bundle of old books she purchased from ebay…
And a further touch of red with my upcycled stools made from electrical-wire spindles (tutorial here), owls also featured in the material…
More birds… I stumbled across the most amazing vinyl stickers (red, of course!) online at My Munchkin Home…
Which then led to the acquisition of these bed sheets (for her single bed/day bed, or my bed when Heidi’s not well) covered in brilliantly coloured birds…
Which worked beautifully with the seed pod bird mobile hanging from the roof…
And the red (again) string of chickens from oxfam…. more birds!
It is probably more appropriate to call her nursery the avery… it is a little out-of-control, isn’t it? I promise, no more birds… it’s no wonder she is starting to mouth ‘birdie’ already… they surround her every night!
My blog is the perfect representation of my life… a yearning for variety, and the avoidance (at all costs) of a regimented schedule.
Since launching Hey Bernice! 
1/2 cup sugar
Another option (for some unique and cheaper material) is to visit opportunity shops, you can cut up some old dresses, curtains, sheets – whatever material patterns catch your eye. 
Not only do I have a reputation as a hoarder, but after my chair transformation post many now picture me on weekends scouring the streets for furniture people have discarded.
Once everything is attached securely, place back in the frame (check that the positioning is the right way up in the frame for hanging/standing up), then secure the back piece of the frame.
Picture from LBCpaper @ 
Pictures from 
Picture from 
Picture from LBCpaper @ 
