Little tree

I have been obsessed with the Cocoon Couture tree for about a year now. Of course, my taste never matches my wallet so the $399 tree (I'm not kidding) has remained in the shop for a long time. As usual, I'll give anything a go so after much research I decided to make my own.

First stop to Bunnings to buy a sheet of plywood 1m x 1.5m in dimensions. This cost about $27. Then to Spotlight to buy some scrapbooking paper which was $9.95. Back to Bunnings for the clear lacquer spray at $6 then a quick trip to a dubious but optimistic (probably already had the ambulance ready to go) family member to borrow a jigsaw. All set!

So while my husband thought I'd bitten of more than I could chew, I set to work in the garage. Using a jigsaw is definitely harder than I thought, and noisier and messier, but 20 minutes later the cutting was done.

Then all I had to do was spray lacquer on the tree, cut out random leaf shapes, glue on some paper, cut around the edge and screw them to the tree. I then glued on some wooden knobs so my little girl can hang her hats on her tree. Done! And since I saved about $355, does that mean I can go shopping now?

Happy Birthday Guinea!

One of my old childhood friends, Peta, recently turned 30. We have known each other since about 10 years of age when we lived a few houses apart. We played together after school and on weekends, made up songs on her Mum's piano, did astounding acrobatics on her trampoline (with no safety net!), excluded her younger brother and sister from our grown up games, rode our bikes everywhere and enjoyed a carefree childhood together.

Peta and her family also had a healthy (read = frequently multiplying) number of guinea pigs. Guinea pigs make the cutest little sound as they scurry about eating and multiplying.

Now, Peta had quite the infectious giggle and I often compared her giggle to a guinea pig sound - the evidence was right there in front of us! From that day she was unceremoniously referred to (by me only) as "guinea".

Guinea turned 30 a couple of weeks ago and had a big pool party. I was so sorry to be unable to attend the party but instead offered to make her a cake.

So here it is.

And I couldn't resist!

How does your garden grow?

The garden has been such a work in progress. We basically dug it all up and started from scratch again. My advice is this - never, EVER, plant palm trees. We removed about 15 palm trees from our yard and the result was a root system like I've never seen before. A bobcat was called in, a dump truck took away 8 cubic metres of tree roots and then delivered 8 cubic metres of fresh soil to start again.

So you can imagine my delight when finally - FINALLY - the garden has started to show signs of being happy again. My favourite flower is the gardenia, both for the appearance and the smell. Heavenly.

Before digging up the garden we managed to preserve a HUGE cycad. We kept it not only because it looks great in the garden but because, to replace, it would cost around $300! The poor cycad was extracted by a excavator and pushed to the side of the yard where it sat above the earth, clinging to life, with an old sheet wrapped around the root system for about 8 months. When our new garden bed was ready the cycad was dragged into place by a rope and a ute and planted.
A month ago I was despairing whether the bloody thing would ever be happy and grow; it was looking a little sick.

So when I saw THIS -

Happy days.

And as I surveyed the yard for more rubbish to take to the dump, my eyes fell upon the old bucket filled with dirt and weeds. It definitely had to go.

Until I saw this.

Oh, alright, it can stay for a bit longer.

Spotty dotty

I bought a piece of this fabric at the Craft Show for $8. It measured 100cm x 30cm and was the perfect size to make a skirt for Mia.

It's called "Snorkel" by Cosmo Cricket for Andover fabrics. Love it.

Dolly, dolly, which one shall I make?

I recently visited the Craft Show at the Convention Centre. Whilst it was more geared for quilters I found one little gem of fabric from my favourite stallholder, Peppermint Stitches. I'm grateful their actual shop is about 30 minutes from home so I don't get there very often - it's too easy OD on fabric.

This is called Rag Doll Panel by Patty Young. It was about $13 for the three dolls so it would make a very economical present for a little girl's birthday. The dolls are about 40cm tall so they're a reasonable size to work with.

I thought it would be quick and easy to make. I was right about the easy but not the quick. It was just fiddly and placing the stuffing into the limbs so that they weren't too stiff but not too floppy (hmmmm, that sounds rude!) was quite challenging.

But the one doll I made turned out nicely and a gorgeous little girl I know is getting her for her second birthday. I also made a removable skirt and necklace. The ballet shoes are sewn on.

I hope she likes it.

One for the boy

Poor Tom doesn't get many hand made things for him - sewing for boys is a bit more limited (and , let's be honest, not nearly as much fun) so he tends to miss out in the craft side of things.

But!

Yesterday I found this great fabric I KNEW he would love. A bargain at only $9 a metre too. He is obsessed with all things transport, especially anything that tows something else. So I made him a pillow case that will result in dreams of cars and caravans, and more cars and more caravans.....

Home made museli

Thanks to the lovely Emma I decided (read= was hounded till I made it) to make some toasted museli. This is the stuff that deli's will charge an absolute fortune for. Throw in the word "organic" and you've got museli worth more than the price of gold.

However.....

It's so simple and doesn't take much time to do it. It also only has a tiny bit of sugar and fat but heaps of taste! Just get yourself a large plastic pourer from the supermarket and it's stored in the pantry ready for breakfast.

Toasted Museli

1kg rolled oats

200g bag slivered almonds

1 cup dessicated coconut

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 tbls vegetable oil

Dried fruit to add at the end can be anything you like. I included chopped apricots and dates.

Combine all dry ingredients well then add the liquid. Stir until combined and coated really well.

Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius. Take a couple of flat baking trays and line with baking paper. Pour a 1cm thick layer of mixture on the baking paper and put in oven for about 20-25 mins. Take the tray out after about 15 mins and toss mixture so it cooks evenly. Return to oven till it's a light golden brown.

Wait until it's completely cooled before adding dry fruit and storing in an airtight container. Yum!

Raspberry and white chocolate muffins

Oh, I'm such a sucker for a yummy muffin and this one definitely fits the bill.

Raspberry and white chocolate muffins

Makes 10

100g white chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 1/4 cups self raising flour

1 1/4 cups frozen raspberries

1 egg, lightly whisked

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

220ml buttermilk

*Optional - add 1/2 cup chopped macadamias

Preheat oven to 180 celcius.

Combine the white chocolate, sugar, flour and macadamias in a large bowl. Add the raspberries. Make a well in the centre. Whisk the egg, oil and buttermilk in a separate bowl and pour into the first mixture. Gently stir until just combined. Spoon evenly among the muffin cases or tin. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden and cooked through.

Serve them warm with a sprinkle of icing sugar. So yummy!

Delicious lime pickle!

Recently, my Mum set sail for a month long cruise and I was tasked with the responsibility of keeping her plants alive - a rather risky task given I struggle to keep my own alive. One day I happened to notice many limes on her tree and decided to take them off and give them a better life. Faced with over a dozen limes I set forth to find a recipe to do them justice. Here is the result.

Tangy, tart, sweet, sour and overall, very very moreish. Great on a ham sandwich but particularly nice with a strong vintage cheddar and a cracker.

Lime Pickle

Makes about 5 cups

8 limes, cut into eighths

2 tbls sea salt

400g seedless raisins

2tbs grated fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves, crushed

300ml white wine vinegar

500g (2 1/2 cups) firmly packed brown sugar

Place the cut limes in a bowl or jar and sprinkle with salt, covering well. Cover and leave to stand at room temperature for 48 hours, stirring occasionally. Keep any lime juice that forms during this process.

Take the limes and place into the bowl of a food processor. You may need to do this in batches. Add the raisins and blend.

Place the lime and raisin mixture into a large saucepan and stir in the reserved lime liquid with the ginger, garlic, vinegar and brown sugar. Bring it all to the boil, reduce head and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 2-3 hours, or until the mixture is a med-dark brown and thickened.

Pour into preserving jars while still hot and seal. The heat of the mixture will draw the lid down.

Will keep unopened in a cool cupboard for 6 months. Once opened it needs to be kept in the fridge.

Roast duck with cherry sauce

Confession: This is the first time I've ever cooked duck. I've certainly eaten plenty of it in restaurants - it's usually what I order because I never cook it. But......I came across this recipe and decided to give the old quack quack a go.

The sauce is an absolute cracker and wouldn't be out of place on the Christmas table.

Really delicious!

Roast duck with cherry sauce

Serves 2

2 duck breasts, skin on

Sea salt

Olive oil to grease pan

Side dish of cous cous

3/4 cup dry cous cous

1/4 bunch of flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup pistachios

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons butter

Sauce

1 whole orange zested and juiced

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup port

1/4 cup water

Approx 20 fresh cherries, pips removed (slice around the pip if you don't have a pip remover as they don't need to be whole)

Place all sauce ingredients in a saucepan on high heat. Bring to the boil for 1 minute then simmer for 15 minutes on a low heat, until cherries are soft. Set aside for 30 minutes and allow sauce to thicken.

Served with Cous cous and pistachios, parsley and lemon

Take 3/4 cup of dry cous cous in a bowl and add 3/4 cup boiling water. Cover for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop 1/4 bunch of flat leaf parsley and 1/4 cup unsalted pistachios. Take the remaining half a lemon and squeeze juice into the cous cous. Add 2 tablespoons butter and stir all ingredients together. Cover and set aside until duck is ready.

The duck

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

Taking a sharp knife score the duck fat on the breast 1cm apart. Take some sea salt and lightly

rub into the fat. Place duck skin side down in a HOT pan for 4-5 minutes until well browned. Turn over and cook for 1 minute then place on a rack or tray into the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. The skin should be crispy, the duck meat cooked medium.

Now reheat sauce on a low heat until warm. Reheat cous cous in the microwave if necessary.

Put cous cous on a plate and place the duck breast on top, either sliced or whole. Pour sauce over the duck and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Massaman curry - slow cooked

While I love nearly all curries, Massaman curry holds a particularly special place in my heart (or should that be stomach?). Some years back I did a cooking class at Spirit House on the Sunshine Coast. If you ever get the chance to do one I'd highly recommend it.

So yesterday, being Sunday whereby I had help with the kids, I spent a couple of hours in the kitchen making a curry from scratch. That is, nothing came from a jar and my mortar and pestle made an appearance after too much time in the cupboard. The result was a beautifully fragrant and delicious curry, tasting absolutely NOTHING like what you buy in a jar!

Massaman Curry

Serves 4-6

1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes (hot)
2 cardamom pods *
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 stalks lemon grass - bottom white half only, finely chopped
1 tablespoon peeled, chopped ginger
1/4 cup chopped garlic (that's nearly a whole bulb)
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

1.2kg diced beef (large pieces)
4 large potatos, cut into 1 inch square pieces
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 brown onion, cut in half and layers peeled apart.
1 litre coconut milk

Using a non stick pan take the cardamom, cumin, coriander, cloves and pepper and lightly toast over a high heat for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Set aside. Place the rest of the ingredients in a mortar and pestle or blender and pound/process till a paste consistency. Add in the seeds and pound/process until combined.

Pour a little olive oil in a non stick pan and brown meat lightly all over. Set aside.

Add more oil and put all the paste in the pan, stirring for about 3-5 minutes until lightly brown. Add all the coconut milk together with the fish sauce and brown sugar and bring to the boil. Boil for 1 minute then turn heat off.

I used a large slow cooker for this curry but you could use an oven proof dish too (covered, in the oven for about 4hrs on a low heat = 140C). Put the meat, potatos, onion and peanuts in the slow cooker. Pour the liquid over and leave it simmer for 6hrs or until meat is falling apart. All ingredients in the cooker should be just covered with the liquid. If not quite covered, add a little fish stock until covered.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice and a sprinkling of crushed peanuts on top.

*Cardamom pods should be cracked open and seeds removed before toasting. Pods are discarded.

Carrie Bradshaw has nothing to worry about.

Things that make me happy - necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair things, etc. Things that make me unhappy - mess, clutter and dust.

The solution? A trip to Bunnings.
A length of pine timber, $2.50. A can of black spray paint, $6.00. A packet of 3 long hooks (x6 packets), $1.80.

A spray of paint, some holes drilled, screws in, ribbon tied on, 3 x 3M hooks on the wall and........

WA-LA!!! Organised stuff and a happy girl - me.

A new wall hanging for my girl

I've used this fabric a few times already but I love it so much it seems to keep popping up on my desk. Here I've simply covered a cheap canvas frame with fabric and secured it using a staple gun. Two ribbons were then added to peg pictures on and it's done.

Best of all it only took about 10 minutes to create and my girl now has somewhere to display her artwork.

(Hopefully) a quiet spot to read

Last week I saw a super special at Super A-Mart. A nest of three coffee tables for the bargain price of $49.95. Sure, I had to assemble them myself but I got to use a drill so that was pretty exciting!

Anyway, one table is in our bedroom as something to throw clothes on, one is our new coffee table in the computer room and one is now in the kids playroom to be used as a book nook or a seat to watch TV on.

This one is the largest measuring 120cm long and 50cm high. So I decided to make a large cushion for the table-now-a-seat. It's a great purple and white striped fabric (that was sitting in a drawer) with large white buttons. It's tied on with sturdy velcro and purple ribbons. So far the kids are using it - let's see how long that lasts.....

Spicy bacon and tomato soup

Wow! It's been a long time since my last post. I've discovered Steig Larsson books and am hooked! So instead of sewing or trying new recipes I've been reading. Anyway, here's a new recipe for you.

Spicy bacon and tomato soup

1 leek, finely sliced
1 carrot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced or finely diced
1 long red chilli, finely diced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 large ham hock
1 1/2 cups soup pasta
750ml passata (tomato puree)
4 cups beef or chicken stock

Choose a large heavy based pot with a lid.
Add a dash of olive oil and fry the leek, carrot, chilli, garlic and ginger until lightly brown. Add the dry pasta, passata and stock until simmering. Add the ham hock and slow cook on a very low heat for 2-3 hours, or until the ham hock is falling apart.
When ready to serve, break up the ham hock as much as possible and stir through the pieces of meat.
Serve with crusty bread.

A little French inspired whimsy

I've had this fabric for about 6 months now - it's one of those fabrics I fell in love with but had no idea what I was going to do with it. Well, now I have.

I adore the carousel, french street lights and shop fronts together with the lace filigree on the bottom and it ties in surprisingly well with denim. This one is for Mia and is a size two, designed to sit just above/on the knee. Add a simple white T and this is one cute outfit.

Girly in blue?

Whilst I've had many friends and family ask when I'm going to start selling clothes online or at markets I seem to be content (for the moment) just making one off pieces for special people in my life. Of course, Mia and Tom are at the top of the list but I've had quite a few orders lately and they've taken a backseat.

I was recently asked to make a couple of winter dresses for my beautiful god daughter in Melbourne and here is one of them.

I've said many times before that girls CAN wear colours other than pink (and still look like girls) and I love making that happen as often as possible. I think this dress is a perfect example.

Taking on projects I shouldn't.......

Recently, Tom's kindy heard I can sew and asked me to make some new fabric pigeon holes for the kids. They offered to pay me (yay) and let me choose fabric and the design. So off I went only to find out it was NOT as easy as I thought. It wasn't technically difficult, just very very fiddly and there was a lot of measuring to make sure all pockets were evenly spaced, both width and lengthwise and making sure it was strong enough to deal with destructive kids. Anyway.......after a bit of procrastination (read=me cursing WHY I had agreed to take on this project) I got stuck in to it. It took about 6-7hrs from start to finish as it measures 1.5m x 1.2m and if I ever have to do another one I'll be factoring this time in to my quote!

Still, it's a lesson. I now realise that it's clothes I like making the most as I love seeing little people wearing my creations. Although I suppose there's some satisfaction to be had from seeing the wall hanging each time I go to kindy and knowing I made it.

More creativity with t-shirts

After a long break from the blog I'm back! Don't ever get sick for two weeks straight - it's too hard to catch up. I've now got projects literally lined up in my sewing room as friends approach me with ideas of things for me to make. So there will be more pics coming soon. Here's the latest shirt made for a friend's 3yo (love the balloons and so did she!) and a simple shirt for Mia.

The labels have arrived!

It was a very exciting day when my clothing labels finally arrived! I'd spent a lot of time thinking about the design, colour, size etc only to find that most manufacturers want you to order a minimum of 5000 at a time! Then I thought of Ebay and found a seemingly reputable manufacturer in Hong Kong who only required a minimum of 200 labels. Sold!

Here is the end result.

Soon to be seen on my clothing, soft toys and assorted creations.

Cherry and coconut loaf

My dear friend visited today and I desperately wanted to make something new and different for morning tea. It isn't the healthiest option (by far) but it's so delicious!





Cherry and coconut loaf

1 egg
220ml milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
50g butter, melted
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup desiccated or shredded coconut
1/2 cups self raising flour
200g red glace cherries, halved


Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease a 12cm x 22cm loaf tin with butter and a dusting of flour.


Combine egg, milk, vanilla and melted butter in a jug. Stir well and set aside.

Combine sugar, coconut and flour in a bowl and stir. Make a well in the middle and pour in wet mixture. When well combined add the chopped cherries and stir again.
Spoon into prepared pan and make sure the top is smooth and level.

Cook in the oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when tested.
Leave for 20 minutes then turn out on to a wire rack to cool.


Enjoy!

Sweetest top ever!

I am SO in love with this fabric, especially because it's not all pink but still looks very girly.

It is from Alexander Henry's apples and pears range and has a designer price to match! But it's worth it when you see what gorgeous things can be made with it.

This is top that can be worn with or without straps and the flower brooch is also detachable. It is a very simple style (and took very little time to make) but when put together it is just so pretty. This one isn't going anywhere and Mia will be showing it off very soon! Thankfully we have many more hot days yet to come in Brisbane.....

Beware the pirates!

I made a pair of shorts for Tom in this fabric a few months ago but decided it would be perfect for his 3 1/2 year old friend, Lucas, in Melbourne (Eamon's brother - see previous post).

However, this time I made the shorts with an elasticised back and a drawstring front. I really love the addition of the rope tie - think it all fits nicely together.

Hope you like them, Lucas!

Groovy guitars

I stumbled across this fabric on Ebay quite by chance. As soon as I saw it I thought it would make a great pair of shorts for a boy. This discovery coincided with a friend in Melbourne asking for something "a bit different" for her 15 month old son, Eamon. So these shorts are off to Eamon and I'll be making a matching t-shirt with some cut out guitars appliqued on it also.

Fabric is Michael Miller's "groovy guitars".

Dress ups

I was recently asked to make some clothes for Tom's kindy. And better still, they were going to pay me (not a huge sum but you have to start somewhere!).

So I've made two wizard capes, two fairy skirts and two aprons so far. I'm now working on a doctor and nurse outfit. They have all taken next to no time to make but I think (read=hope) the kids will like them.

How do you like your pineapple?

I like mine like this!

We recently had an exquisite evening at Gianni restaurant in Brisbane. It was a special event that teamed Javier Codina from Gianni with Philip Johnson from E'cco Bistro to plan an extravagant menu for the PwC function for non-Executive Directors. Anyway.......

We loved the dessert Philip created SO much! As a special treat each guest took home a signed copy of his fabulous book, "Decadence - desserts by Philip Johnson".

A couple of weeks later it was Steve's birthday so I decided to try and recreate the dessert for him. Now, given I don't have an industrial ice cream machine (I'm not kidding, it actually says that in the recipe!) I have adapted the recipe slightly. Don't be fooled though, it still took all day to make, doing bits here and there, but the result was well worth it.

Coconut sorbet with pineapple and lime salsa and a sesame wafer

Serves 4

For the coconut wedge - make day before or 8 hrs before needed

60g (1/4 cup) caster sugar

250ml coconut milk

juice of two limes

1.5 gelatine leaves (or 3g gelatine powder)

grated zest of one lime

Put all ingredients apart from the gelatine into a sauce pan and bring to the boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Take off the boil. Soften the gelatine in a separate bowl (with a small amount of water) and when soft add to the mixture. Stir thoroughly until combined with no lumps.

Pour into a shallow baking dish or small square mould. The height of mixture should be about 2cm so use a smaller mould if necessary to get the required height. Put in fridge for approx 8 hrs or overnight.

Pineapple and lime salsa

1 pineapple, peeled, core removed and finely diced (no bigger than 2cm)

Juice of 1 lime

grated zest of 1/2 lime

1 kaffir lime leaf, very finely sliced

1 teaspoon very finely diced red chilli

1 few mint leaves, finely sliced

Combine all ingredients, stir well and set aside in the fridge

Sesame wafers

80g caster sugar

zest 1 orange

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

40g (1/4) plain flour

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

40g (1/4 cup) sesame seeds

40g unsalted butter, melted

In a bowl combine the sugar, orange juice and orange zest and stir well until sugar starts to dissolve. In another bowl combine rest of the ingredients starting with sifted flour and ginger then add the melted butter and orange mixture. Stir well. Now place in fridge for 1 hr until it goes hard.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celcius. Place a layer of baking paper on a tray. Take approx 1 teaspoon of mixture and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball on the tray so it forms a circle. Make 1-2 wafers per person (in case some don't turn out!).

Bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool. If baking paper sticks simply brush a little water on the underside and it will peel off.

Assemble the dessert by spooning pineapple salsa onto a place, topped by the coconut wedge, then a sesame wafer and finally a scoop of coconut sorbet or ice cream (good delis will stock this).

Top with some fresh shaved coconut.

Such an effort but it will be the most delicious dessert you taste this year! And yes, I mean 2010.