The Boy knows what I like!

Mr Honi came home yesterday with a random "just 'cause" pressie - a replica radio of a 1950's Bush Radio. It went straight to the craft room and was tuned into 2CH for some old time music (seriously, I'm a closet 2CH listener!! It's on the alarm every morning. And you just can't beat Bob Rodgers on a Saturday night! God, when did I get old??)

I definitely scored the bestest hubby ever!!

Pays to Concentrate..

This last week has been completely draining- mentally and emotionally which has meant a bit of a blog hiatus and a bit of a crafting break too. Work has been all consuming, then my car gave up the ghost and the little thing I had removed from my face turned out to be a squamous cell carcinoma so I had to go back in to the clinic to have it all cut out leaving me with 3 stitches on the side of my head.

As you can imagine I was well in need of some therapeutic crafting so I decided to lock myself in the craft room and make a shirt I've been planning for months. I've had the material sittting there waiting for me to transform it for a year I reckon!

I was so gosh darned proud of my effort. It’s Simplicity pattern 2807 – one of their Project Runway ones. I’ve made a few of my own alterations which look great considering it’s the first shirt I’ve ever made! It still needs a good press and some buttons.


Everything was going smoothly until I tried it on and realised that I have sewn the sleeves on INSIDE OUT!!!!


So, tonight will be spent doing some therapeutic unpicking….

Last one.....swears.....

This is the LAST pack of glitter I'm buying. I swear. (except if I find the iridescent one in Australia!)

This came from a lovely eBay Seller who has a LOT of lovely Martha things!! Check it out

Ps - Apologies for my tardiness in posting. Also, I try to email each an every one of you back when you comment, but I've been very behind on that too I'm sorry.

xxx

Macaroon Magic

After many months of lusting and fantasising over Macaroons (the brightly coloured chewy ones - not the icky coconut ones) I decided to attempt them myself. I have heard that they are difficult and fiddly and temperamental, which has put me off making them earlier.
However a good friend (and amazing photographer) gave me a really good recipe which he claimed, turned out perfect Macaroons.

And he was right. Oh god they are scrumptious!!

In following with the recipe, I will detail for you a few things I've learned.

Aging Egg whites:I didn't age mine and I think they worked out fine. I will try aging them next time to see if they turn out differently. I did make sure they were at room temperature though.

Size: I rolled my eyes when the recipe said "draw circles on your baking tray to make the right size" "pppffftt I can totally size them without lines" I thought. Wrong! Hence not many tops matched their bottoms.

Filling: Ganache needs to be made to the right measurements or your end up with a slippery goo that holds nothing together

Clean -up: Holey Moley they're messing to make. I ended up with sticky gooeyness everywhere when my piping bag had a blow out. Ensure you PLAN when cooking these and have enough space to make them.

Oven temp: Mine was too hot and they cracked a little bit. Don't just turn our oven up if you don't see 'feet' appearing!

All in all they were quiet simple to make and not that fiddley either. If you've been put off before by recipes that seem over complicated, give this one a go and tell me what you think!

Now this is just too far

I'm all for wildlife - I'm an animal lover through and through. I've posted before about how much I LOVE all the animals that surround us...but when this little fella decided to slither into our house last night I felt it was pushing the boundary just a little!

Yes, that's a RED BELLY BLACK SNAKE in OUR HOUSE!!!! He was only a little guy (around 20-30cm or so) but I've heard some neighbours have seen his Mama and said she's HUGE. Fingers crossed she doesn't try to find him.

I'll remind you that we're 15 mins from the city, not some hick town in sticksville!

This is me...

....begging each and every one of you to get your skin checked out.

I'm not yet 30 and I had to have 2 sunspots burnt off my face the other day and I had a nastier one CUT OUT of my head! Yes I have fair skin, but I've always been good with wearing sunscreen and staying out of the harsh sun. I shudder to think of what I might look like had I not been lathered in 15+ as a kid

Don't let lumps, bumps, marks, spots or anything go - get yourself to a doctor and have it checked out.

It’s beginning of the end for clutter!

Vinnies scored big-time this weekend with about 30 pairs of shoes, 20 or so handbags and wallets, 10 pairs of jeans and 3 boxes of other clothes and towels. I have started my “de-clutter = de-stress” project and it feels sooo good!


Now, my shoes all fit on my shoe rack! (click to enlarge image -I ADORE this vintage floral carpet that lines the cupboard. My grandparents brought it with them from their old home)


My bedside table is now visible, and not strewn with tarnishing $2 jewellery, bobby pins, magazines and newspapers! My African Violet also has a chance to survive now!

I was watching the Foxtel show “Hoarders” and I had a sickly reminder of myself (ok, well not nearly to the same extent) I keep EVERYTHING and it’s bumming me out big time! I didn’t realise just how much the clutter was stressing me out. I want a nice, clean house, where everything has a place- not just shoved somewhere random. It made cleaning a hassle and putting things away a nightmare.

If you’re short for time, you can stop reading now, as the following is just a bit of a rant…..
I’m also trying to buy less useless junk -do I REALLY need an avocado cutter when I own a knife? And why do I need a swiffer, a dustbuster, and a pusher thingy when I own a vacuum cleaner?? I find myself sucked into buying items that will reduce time, make my life easier when in reality all they do is clutter up my home after only being used once. I hate the fact that we live in such a “disposable” and “single purposed item” world – disposable wipes for your bathroom- MULTIPLE cleaning solutions that do the same thing 1 bottle of cleaner for shower, 1 for the sink cleaner another bottle for tiles. I’ve started to use a mixture of Lemon Oil, vinegar and bi-carb soda and it cleans BETTER than said cleaners. I think that’s why I hoard things though – because I hate to waste anything. But if I BUY less, then there’s less to waste. I know, I sound like a hypocrite when I’ve just posted the other day about buying copious amounts of glitter – but I make those things last and don’t waste them. Case in point: I still have my Derwent pencils in used, but perfect condition, from when I bought them from my hard earned pocket money at 13 years old.

This is thw pile for Vinnies and some recycling too..
If you’re still with me, thankyou for reading my rant. I feel a lot better now! Moral of my story
More quality + Less Crap= No clutter and LESS STRESS!! YAY!!!