I was blown away by an email this morning that had me thinking someone had read mine – I had to share my shock and excitement with you!
Here’s a little scene-setting …
I was getting ready to go to the beach with my daughter Heidi last weekend and was trying to find a bag in the house big enough to fit several buckets, spades, water bottles, hats, food, nappies, suncream etc. (you get the picture – a HEAP of stuff). I stopped and eyed off my pile of Ikea bags… But just couldn’t do it!
I then had a quiet moment to myself thinking about how useful a ‘cool looking’ Ikea bag would be!
Back to the present.
I receive an email from a friend this morning that read….
Hi All,
A friend of mine has launched this new bag which I guess could be referred to as the fashion-acceptable Ikea bag that we all know and love. Check out the website it will tell you how many uses there are for it and its only $20 inc delivery….perfect time to launch a new online product so we can all avoid the shops at xmas.
Yes, it has been absolutely a-g-e-s since my last post… I have a myriad of reasons to explain why, but I won’t bore you with all that. Instead I’m going to launch straight into sharing my recent crafty project from the weekend.
A very dear friend of mine is having a baby in about a months time. They are having a boy; knowing that, I offered to make something to help decorate their little man’s nursery. A theme of hot air balloons had already been decided upon. This theme was prompted by the daily sighting of hot air balloons cruising over Melbourne, at dawn, that they would view from their window.
I then set about collating all the bits I (assumed) was going to need to achieve this task…
Four paper lanterns or Asian paper light shades… you can choose coloured ones if you prefer….
Paper noodle boxes (I got these and the lanterns from a $2 discount shop)…
Four different colours of bright material to cover the lanterns….
Before using the material, paint the back of it (only the amount you will be using) thinly with craft glue. This will stop it from fraying when you cut your stripes and start gluing them. It is best to do this the day before so it has time to dry.
Some Burlap to cover the paper boxes to make the baskets….
You will also need some craft glue (if you hadn’t picked up on that already!)
OK – Let’s get started….
Place the box (covered in craft glue) on a square of burlap and cut the burlap so you can stick it up the sides, and fold it into the box…
Do this on all sides until completely covered… alternatively you could always paint the boxes, or leave them white!
Work out what size you need to make your material stripes so they fit evenly around your lantern, luckily these lanterns were made with sections (see picture above) so I simply traced over one of the sections to create a template.
Cut out your material stripes from the material that has dried (you will find it becomes a little stiff from the glue), then glue them onto the lantern. I chose to leave white in between, but you could cover the entire lantern with material.
Once everything has dried, attached your baskets to the bottom of each lantern – your attaching technique may be different depending on which lanterns you chose – I used fishing line and tied mine.
Creating the mobile I used two pieces of dowel (one hanging from the other with fishing line). With a very fine drill-bit I drilled holes at each end of the dowel, then tied the balloons with fishing line (threaded through the holes).
Getting the balance right with the hole in the middle of the dowel can be tricky. If you find when it is done that they are not hanging straight, glue a small coin into one of the baskets to adjust the weight – this trick worked perfectly for me.
You could also attached the balloons to a large circular ring, or hang them from a string stretching from one side of the room to the other. As I always like to remind myself and others – there are no rules, so be creative!
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!!!
Do you ever feel like someone has read your mind?
