Using the scraps

When I finish a project, I try and use the scraps lying around on the table to make a card or a tag.

This tag flew around the world to be part of a 'tag gate' of encouragement, for a lady called Tina who is very sick and undergoing treatment.

It is a lovely idea and this is the finished piece here below.

(photo courtesy of The Polka Dot Barn)

200th Post

To celebrate my 200th post, I have baked some Bougatsa - so why don't you pop over to share a couple with me? Can't make it in time? Then here is the recipe for you to make some yourself.

I used to have a Bougatsa most Saturday mornings when I lived in Perth - husband always chose something rich and creamy, while I preferred something custardy, cinnamony and citrusy. The problem was when I moved from Perth I couldn't remember the name "bougatsa" and I have just this week spotted a photo of some, in an old recipe book. They are just as good as I remember them.

Bougatsa

500g ricotta cheese (low fat) well drained
2tb cream cheese

2 tb plain flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Grated rind of 1 lemon

1/2 cup caster sugar

Filo pastry

butter

Preheat oven to 190C. In a bowl or blender, combine all the ingredients except the filo and butter. Melt the butter and brush melted butter onto a sheet of filo. Top with another sheet and brush with butter as well (you need 2 sheets per parcel). Fill each one with the cheese mixture and fold the pastry into a parcel. Make sure the top of the parcel has some melted butter on it and then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake the pastry parcel for 10 mins, then lower the heat to 160C and bake for another 5 minutes until the pastry is a golden colour.

Serve warm but still nice to eat cold.

Giveaway Time: Leave a comment for me, and you will be in the running to win either a crocheted hat or the necklace (below) that I had shown on the blog a couple of posts ago - your choice. The hat can be made in the colours of your choice and the 'rosette' is attached with a brooch fitting so that you can take it off and wear it on your clothing or attach to your bag/purse. The middle hat has been made for a child, so the rosette on that one has been tied on (for safety purposes).

The blog has had a bit of a makeover as well, still need to do a bit of tweaking and add some botox here and there, but she is looking a bit younger!

All good birthdays should have a ...........

....."pin the tail on the donkey"....shouldn't they?

Yes, it was my birthday on Saturday and Melissa sent me this vintage Pin the Tail on the Donkey game but inside the box was this -A button necklace made out the best vintage buttons - Melissa is the "Queen" of button jewellery. Have a look at the card she made, there is the tiniest cruet/salt spoon attached to the top corner - love it!We went to Adelaide for the weekend so the boys had party hats ready for breakfast time and they had also blown up funny shaped balloons and decorated the loungeroom. In the afternoon, we went to the Maritime Museum in Port Adelaide. We had a wonderful time wandering around and I was very impressed with it. Much better than I thought it might be!Then we went to see the movie "Hotel for Dogs" and I am pleased to report that it was 10 times better than "Bride Wars" that I had seen previously.

I was spoilt with some other presents from friends - Erica attempted her first Fraktur painting and I think she did an excellent job (she doesn't think so!). She has suggested that if I want to, I can take the painting out and use the frame for something else but that won't be happening. But there was more - she also did this wonderful cross stitched sampler. It is a Stacy Nash design and I have to say it is the best cross stitching I have seen - it is backed with a lovely old styled fabric and hanging from the twig with a wire hanger, just topped it all off. I felt very spoilt!

Leanne has a wonderful memory and she remembers things that I have mentioned years ago - even when I don't! She knows my love for magazines and she did a great job getting me one that I didn't have - "Cloth, Paper, Scissors - Studio's" - full of ideas for organising your studios to optimise the space and to be more workable. (I'll show you some things from there another day) Leanne had also made a great little pouch for keeping my punchneedle and threader in, and room for some threads too. And she must have read (& remembered!) on a previous post how much we love Ginger Bears, so there was a bag of them - yum.

Tea sent me a parcel of supplies - there were a few rolls of braid and ribbon, a tin filled with wedding themed brads and supplies, a lovely little papermache box, a Stacy Nash pattern, some vintage coasters and a book of Fraktur drawings suitable for stitcheries or painting etc

This lovely metal tealight candleholder was part of my present from Marion - isn't it precious?

These books and magazines were from husband and the cherubs - so the pile next to my bed is almost as high as the bed now! Which is OK as I don't have to stretch my arm out so far to get one!!!!

Millie from The Laurel Hedge recently celebrated her birthday too and she had the wonderful idea of reversing your actual age around and being that age, this year. What a fun idea, I thought until I realised that I would be in my 70's - so I think I will stay as I am, thank you Millie. You can enjoy being 35 though!

On Sunday afternoon, we went to see Le Grand Cirque at the Entertainment Centre. We had front row seats and this was the first 'live' show that the boys had been to other than The Tweenies, Bob the Builder etc. As they said, it was 'awesome' and 'sick'

We had a lovely weekend away and then it was back home to get ready for school, and with covering school books and labelling all their stationery etc we have really come back to reality with a thud!

Smellavision

We have so many other gadgets that we can add to our blogs and websites, surely the brainiest of brains could come up with a smellavision thingy!

Marion has been shopping with some of her Christmas money and bought this lovely wok/pan

You can almost smell it, can't you?

And then this was a lovely wire food/cake cover that she received for Christmas from a friend.

I've been found!

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas....... I have been lost in France since Christmas Day! Well not really, but my friend Leanne gave me this lovely book for Christmas. It is such an inspiring story about a family from Melbourne moving to France to live and the business that they started. There are quite a few recipes sprinkled through the book too, to make it even more appealing. The description of the fresh produce markets and the various other markets, just makes you want to fly over there straight away.

Thud! Feet are back on the firm Aussie soil again now.

Will be back tomorrow with more pics and chat.

Proceed with Caution - this is a Mega Post!

As promised here is a preview of our items for this month's "The Chocolate Crow Trader". As our 'dedicated readers' you are seeing them 1 week before the new edition is released. There are quite a few photos to look at, so you might want to take a break now and paint your toenails as you will have time for them to dry whilst looking - or make yourself a cuppa!!
We are offering a free surprise gift for every order, and if you order and mention the blog, we will do something special for you.

Peace Ornie - Measures 5cm (1.9”) not including the hanger or star
This cross stitched ornie has been made from a design by Primitive Stitchin but stitched on 30ct cloth to produce a very ‘petite’ ornie. We have used Valdani variegated threads and backed the ornie with a co-ordinating brown spotted fabric. A silver star has been attached to the bottom of the ornie - and a torn rag hanger has been used. Price $15 includes postage within Australia

Snowflakes - Measure approx 10cm (4”) in diameter (not including the hanger)
We have given some old plastic snowflake ornies a ‘makeover’! Both snowflakes have been heavily covered in vintage glass glitter. The white snowflake has ruffled crepe paper, a silver star and a paper banner across the centre stating “A Christmas Wish”.The silver one has some aged papers from a dictionary and sheet music with a glittered letter on top – in this case the letter “L”. Both snowflakes have seam binding as their hangers.
When ordering please state what letter you would like or an alternative wording for the banner on the snowflakes. .........................Price $8 AU each plus postage

Christmas Baubles

(there are 5 different baubles that I have photographed - scroll down to see the others)
These glass baubles contain a mixture of vintage mother of pearl buttons, white buttons, german glass glitter, sequins, and bits of tinsel to resemble the old fashioned snowglobes. We have inserted copies of vintage photos which have been laminated for extra ‘strength’ and each has a Christmas message.
If you would like a bauble to be personalised, we are happy to use a photo & message of your choice, please email us. This would make a lovely gift for someone. ..............Price $8 plus postage
(these baubles are hard to photograph well, seeing they are glass, they reflect everything! On The Chocolate Crow Trader we are only able to have one photo, so here you are seeing each one 'up close and personal'. They look lovely on the tree)

Tree Light Reflector Ornies
Measure approx 7 ½ cm (3”) in diameter (not including hanger)
Hopefully these ornies will make your heart smile and become heirlooms for your own family.
They have been created by using vintage photos and elements, buttons, vintage silver tinsel, large glass pebbles and attached to vintage light reflectors from USA, to achieve the aged, whimsical effect that we love.
These can be personalised by adding a photo of your choice.
Price $10 AU each plus postage




Vintage Snowman Box
Height approx 19cm (7 ½”)
Although hard to see in the photo this adorable snowman is completely covered with german glass glitter. He has been made from paper mache, painted and glittered.
The box can be opened so that you can slip in a small surprise, if you like.
Price $30 AUplus postage

Vintage Santa makedo
Something a bit different for us! Using clay we have fashioned an olde fashioned Santa and attached him to a small vintage oil can. He has been painted with glittery silver buttons and pompom on his hat.
He holds a “HoHo” banner, attached to some rusty wire.
If you would like a gloss finish, we are happy to do that for you.
A Rustic Tarts original

Price $30 AU plus postage


Molly’s Bear’s Sleigh Ride
Sleigh is about 26cm (10”) long & the bear and sleigh is 29cm (11.4”)high

This would make a gorgeous addition to your Christmas display. Our sleigh is made from calico which has been needlesculpted, stiffened, painted and antiqued to resemble a real sleigh. The bear has been fashioned so that he can be removed from the sleigh, as can his spotted Christmas hat, and be on display all year round (not just for Christmas). He has rusty bell reigns and a little seat in the sleigh so that he can see over the ‘dashboard’!!
In the rear of the sleigh is a stocking which contains candy canes and some pipberries. There is plenty of room for you to add some other items that you might have, to add to the display ie a candle, some faux presents, biscuits, chocolates etc.
A Rustic Tarts original idea - but uses a Kentucky Primitives pattern for the bear.

Price $80 AU plus postage

Angel of Peace
Height: Approx 50cm (19 ½ “)
Our beautiful angel and dove are ready to herald in Christmas 2008.
The Angel of Peace has been painted white and features glass glitter down the front of her dress and also around her neckline. She has stitched facial features with a white pipberry garland around her head and also has quilted wings made from a music printed fabric.
Symbolic of peace, she holds a white dove with greenery in it’s beak.

A Rustic Tarts original.
Price $65 AU plus postage

Christmas Nest ornament - Measures approx 10cm (4”) in length

“A German legend tells of the magic of all the world’s birds bursting
into song as if with one voice, the night the Christ child was born.
Your family may find a bird’s nest hidden within their Christmas tree.
The nest promises the gift of health, wealth and happiness to all throughout the year!”

We have knitted and felted a small bird’s nest and incorporated a small portion of a real bird’s nest inside, plus a quail’s egg and feather glued inside. A copy of the printed verse (above) is attached to explain the German legend.
An adaptation of a pattern by Marie Mayhew. ..................Price $15 AU plus postage

(Edit: Apparently some photos won't enlarge when you click on them - I don't know why! - if any of you more experienced bloggers know the easy, fixable solution to this can you let me know, please? )

A gift for a friend

Miss Muggins was very observant last weekend when she commented that I hadn't posted much and that I must be 'having a life'! Well she was right, I was having a life - I had the best weekend for awhile.

With a friend's birthday coming up this week I needed to make a gift and so I was able to create something. Inspired by the work of Rebecca Sower, I came up with the following piece.

It is called "Devotion"- I found the photo at a market when I was in Launceston a few months ago, and that is where I also bought the old measuring tape. Leanne's birthday is somewhere between the 41 and the 47 so that is the significance of the tape. I attached a clasp off a string of pearls and the piece of sea glass at the top actually has the letters "PS" on it.

This is the gift tag that I made to go with the present. A bit prettier than some of the things that I make but I enjoyed using the vintage wallpaper and the old poem.

It felt so good to do something like this again - Happy Birthday Leanne!

A Day for the Birds

I received a gift from a dear friend today -

she had made a cardinal bird

and had also chosen the most beautiful card for me

"Child with a Dove" painted by Picasso. Thankyou Leanne! In order to see birds, it is necessary

to become part of the silence.

(Roger Tory Peterson)

I love being quiet and restful, do you?

Supercalafragilistic Expiealadoscious

Just in case one of your children ask you how to spell Supercalafragilistic Expiealadoscious, today as mine did, I thought you might like to be prepared!

Husband needed some afternoon tea, yesterday for work, so I got up at 6am to make some bacon and chive scones for him to take - along with some more mini caramel almond tarts with the cinnamon cream. 3 1/2 cups self raising flour

2 tb caster sugar

60g butter

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

4 chopped bacon rashers

1 tb chopped chives

Sift flour & sugar into bowl. Melt butter and add to buttermilk, then pour into flour. Mix altogether - add more buttermilk if too dry or add more flour if too wet. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until dough comes together. Pat out to approx 4cm thick and then cut out the scones with a scone cutter. Place onto a floured baking tray and place into a cold oven. Turn temp dial on to 210/220C - the scones will be cooked when the oven gets to that temperature.

Good things come from Buderim! I love Ginger Beer and Ginger Bears that come from there but I also love the present that I received from Chrissie yesterday. (I should mention that Ginger Bears are great when you have an upset tummy or feeling queasy when travelling, we keep packets in both our cars plus one in the cupboard. Plus they are nice especially if you like ginger)

(Something 'magical' has happened while I was doing this post - I was going to say that Kate Hampson, an "olde friend" of ours also comes from Buderim and I was going to link her name to her blog but it wouldn't work ........however, I have discovered if you click on the parcel above it takes you to Kate's blog!! See I am still learning.......)

Chrissie sent me a lovely notepad and a pen in the shape of a rolling pin - it is really nice to write with too! Thank you so much Chrissie. Just finished this "doll" today for an order - "Sojourner Truth"- she is based on a real US lady from the 1700's who became a preacher and prophetess and fought for the rights of women. I think she must have been 'ahead of her times' and a real inspiration. I wonder if there has been a movie made about her - it would be the kind that Oprah would make and star in...... If you want to read more about Sojourner Truth you can here.
I had hoped to get some photos from what Marion is doing at the moment, but I have had a sick boy home from school since last Wed and haven't had the opportunity to go there with camera in hand. She has been baking for lots of orders - Mud cakes, cupcakes, lemon meringue pies, Apricot Dacquois, quiches....just to name a few. And not to mention the crafting side of things as well.

Something for a Friend

I had the privilege of recently making the cover for a Guest Book at a friend's wedding. I have never met this friend but we have been friends via an internet forum for a few years now. When Mill (Carmilla) announced that she was getting married I wanted to offer to make something for her but didn't know if my 'altered art/mixed media' techniques were up to scratch. After all marriage is pretty special and whatever I did would have to be something to add to the memories.

I was so happy when Mill emailed me to ask if I would make the cover for her book and so I was pleased to be able 'to play' and so it was my special gift to her and her handsome husband!

The cover was made from an old cutter quilt that I had bought from America - appropriately a Wedding Ring Quilt and I wanted to incorporate other elements that would signify the 'specialness' of their wedding.
A page from a small calendar was circled in red to mark the wedding day - August 16 and all the buttons stitched on were to signify the blessings that I hoped that they would be, and would receive as a married couple. A picture of the cake topper that they were having, an old fork (I just love old cutlery), some paper flowers etc were all added.

The photos of them as children were given to me by Mill so Mill's photo had a veil & flowers added to it whilst Kyle's had a photo of the actual suit that he would be wearing for the wedding (Mill had shown us a photo of him trying out his suit prior to the wedding so I 'stole it' and added it to the photo)

The back cover included a couple of photos of the church that they were getting married in, some vintage photos of children dressed up as brides and grooms, vintage lace, vintage measuring tape & beads, etc. I used lots of machine stitching to accent the pieces.....Oh and there was even a drop of my blood! Yes I pricked myself on a needle but covered it with a lace flower......lol!

I loved making and personalising this to become a special gift.
Christina