A quarterly journal covering recipes, craft, printmaking and fabric designs .. sharing musings from my everyday life in the treetops of Clareville on Sydney’s northern beaches
A simple recipe for a cake (or slice) base to fill with your favourite fresh fruit. I have used plums but apples work a treat. And summer finally arrived - threes nothing better than returning home forma morning swim to an outdoor shower. I’ve put together a few renovation tips if you’d like to create your own. My seed cracker recipe is on rotation in our house and a little story about the circle of life and more
Read MoreThe ELA pattern can be used as a ruffled collar, a linen “necklace”, a belt or a wrap around head scarf.
It’s a great companion for any linen shirt or dress and a great way to use up linen scraps.
When my daughter, Sophie, was 16 she won a scholarship to Atlantic College on the coast of Wales in the UK. When she was notified that she had won the scholarship we were excited and overwhelmed in equal measure. It was amazing opportunity and one not to be missed but it was a huge journey for me as a single mum, to let her go across the other side of the world at that age .. to follow her passion and dreams.I decided to create a sisterhood quilt that would honor the women that had gone before her and the woman that inspired her and that surrounded her now, as well as the inspiring peacemakers at home or abroad and the heroines she loved in books and films.
Read MoreThis industrial style lamp base in constructed using copper piping and fittings from a plumbing supply company. It is inspired by the mathematical woodcuts of Escher and it challenged me in so many ways. You need a little patience so it's great for a raining day. Construction plan and cutting details included.
Read MoreWire coat hangers are one of those things, like odd socks, that multiply in your wardrobe surreptitiously over time. This is a great use for at least one of them!It's a 30 minutes exercise and delivers an instant Christmas wreath... simple and easy for kids to make too.You can tie the greenery or flowers to the wire or just twist it round and around, depending on how soft and bendy the flowers stalks are. It's also a wonderful way to used fresh picked herbs which are soft enough twist around and add a lovely fragrance to the room.And at the end of the post you'll find a Found Feather Wreath which is also just as quick and easy if you already have a feather collection.
Read MoreA vintage linen runner, simply stitched, which I recently purchased from Faded Emporium inspired this design for an "easy-as" DIY version.Just stitch together linen tea towels and voila! For instance, for a French country look you might like striped red and white linen or for a more Australian look just the raw linen perhaps with a faint little stripe.(as they are already hemmed you don't even need to own a sewing machine!)
Read MoreA walnut grower selling from a stall in a Canberra market last Saturday shared with me the "best ever" tip for opening walnuts in the shell. No more nut crackers needed when you follow these simple steps.And to celebrate the joy of walnuts we have a recipe for Fresh Apple and Walnut Clusters ... too chunky and full of apple, walnuts and raisins to be called a muffin !
Read MoreLast year I had the joy of a experiencing a real slow living creative retreat in the hinterland of Byron Bay organised by an incredible team from Australia and abroad. This Local Milk Retreat was a mindfully created and curated 3 days photographic, styling, cooking and collaborative experience which provided the opportunity and luxury of slowing down and reconnecting with your creative passions.It was such a treat to take time out to inhale the minutia of moments, the dappled light on a window, the texture of plate and linen, the color of fresh picked produce, the alchemy of a well crafted meal ... in order to "speed up" your craftsmanship.A highlight for me was learning branch weaving with Rebekah Seale from The Camellia Fiber Company in Tennessee. Follow the instructions and create your own.
Read MoreIt's a big thing to move house, especially when you've been in the one place for a while. There are phases you go through as you move through the packing and moving process and there are levels you move through too, depending on how organized and energized you (or your friends) are.It's always a mystery to me that that there's always a bottom draw with crappy little things in it that you can't throw away and that don't really belong anywhere. And in that draw there always seems to be a single earring or two. That's because earrings are one of the most fiddly bits of jewellery to display. So here's my "easy-as" DIY solution to this problem, a Boho Earring Hanger.
Read MoreAlmond meal is easy to make and a great alternative to soy or dairy milk. Once you've made your jug of sweet almond milk there's a delicious and healthy recipe, "No Pastry ... Pear and Almond Meal Tart", to use up the almond meal left over from the process. You can also use the left over almond meal to thicken soups and casseroles.
Read MoreI hate to see things go to waste so a leftover hessian bag and hessian webbing inspired me to make a much needed cushion for my new Moroccan day bed that could double as a floor cushion if more people came around.
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