autumn inspired

I love this time of year! The fresh mornings, the still warm days and the cool evenings......it always inspires me, that change in the light. I thought I would share a few recent purchases that reminded me of Autumn and the cooler months ahead.

The purse -  I just love the tone of it. It's so rustic and pretty. Just like Autumn.

The beads and the game - Don't you just love olive green! Quoits make a fun display but you can also pull them off the shelf and use them. With the recent rain we've been playing them inside with the kids and doing silly things like hopping on 1 foot when we have a turn.....funny! The beads, well, they are a great length and I like that they are little chunky.....and they aren't rediculusly heavy which is a bonus!

The book - Laura Ashley Bedrooms, 1988 by Susan Irvine. Who doesn't love their bedroom in the cooler months! I love the cover on this book. So pretty. and inside, I love the chapter about, The Rustic Bedroom. Aren't those soft blue tones beautiful? I had to have this book when I saw this picture. It just reminded me of those cool mornings when we pull the covers up a little higher and delay the start of the day....just by a little bit....

the saying - I'm not normally one for sayings and things of this nature but I thought this was adorable and so beautifully made.......I couldn't believe someone had parted with it. It's now living in our kitchen, next to the stove, watching me as I bring in the harvest from the veggie patch and waiting then to see what I'm going to do with 9 capsicums and 1 tomato!

collector

Over the years I've collected various things - vintage tablecloths, enamelware, anything with birds..... about 3 years ago I began collecting Matryoshka dolls or nesting dolls.

My Mother in law bought me (or should I say my daughter!) a set when she travelled through Russia a few years back,(the beautiful red set) and ever since I've thought, "I need more of these beautiful objects!!"

As you can see, some are old, some are new, some are not complete sets and others are. I love how they are all different and have their own little personalities. My favourite set?  The little set of 3 that are all chippy. I think they are exquisite.

What do you love collecting?

pretty birds + new old things

I thought I would share a few new old things I purchased recently. A pretty birdcage is something I've had my eye out for a while. I saw a few with old glass vases filled with hydrangeas in a magazine once and thought they looked so incredibly pretty. This one is in our lounge room where I have a collection of items with bird motifs - an old bamboo tea box, a warhol-esque print and an art work by Paul Miller of a lady with a blackbird on her head. The old bird post card was my next find, then the beautiful Mason jar - such a gorgeous colour! and finally - the delicate little birds bought from here. Aren't they stunning? I am so happy with them!! They come in a set of 6. So 2 have gone to live in the bird cage, another one is sitting on an old wooden sieve above the tv, one is sitting on the lip of an old bottle right next to the Peace Lily and the other two are hanging out in my little girls room. I love it when people look twice at them......wondering to themselves.....are they real?

School Lunch box idea no. 1 - Green and Gold Muffins

4th official day into School and I'm allready trying to think of new and exciting things to throw into the lunch box! Oh dear.... I had a quick scour through some recipe books and found an interesting idea from a small Tupperware magazine circa 2004. I've tweaked it a bit and I'm really happy with the end result (or should I say, the big school kid thinks they are yum too!) Also, I had to share the pic of "the big school kid" with a very funny zucchini! We had friends over on the weekend and they brought this from their vegie patch. The kids thought it was hilarious. Mr Zucchini was the life of the party!

ingredients

"Most of these things should be found in your kitchen or vegie patch ;)"

2 cobs of corn
1 small zucchini
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons mozzarella cheese
1 cup self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons light olive oil
1 egg
2 tablespoons greek style yoghurt

how to make your green and gold muffins

Pre-heat oven to 190C fan forced. grease a muffin tray very! well or use cases.

Cut corn kernals off corn and place in a microwave safe container. Place the lid loosely. Pop in the microwave for 1 minute 30seconds. Set aside.

Grate the zucchini. Set aside

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.

In a seperate bowl combine the oil, egg and yoghurt. Add this to the flour mix along with the vegies, parsley and cheese. The mix will be quite wet. Give it a thourouh stir. Spoon into your muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Let stand for a few minutes before turning onto a wire rack. enjoy!

haloumi bites

 I was looking to create something savoury but I was sick of using bread as a carrier for vegetarian food. I LOVE haloumi and I love mushrooms and the last time I had gremolata, well, it was a while ago......think 2004, honeymoon, fresh seafood at Sandy Bay Tasmania......FAB!!! So I thought I would throw the 3 together and see what happened.............These even have the seal of approval from our vegetarian friend Yay!

haloumi bites

1 pack of haloumi
150g mushrooms, peeled and sliced thinly
2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
3 teaspoons lemon zest (roughly 1 small lemon)
1 small clove of garlic finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste


how to make your haloumi bites

You can prep the gremolata up to an hour before serving. Just keep it at room temperature. Throw the last 4 ingredients together (the salt and pepper being to taste - don't add too much though) Slice the haloumi into 3 large pieces and then slice these pieces into 4 pieces so you have 12 pieces that are the same size. Pop some extra virgin olive oil in a pan and place over a medium high heat. Meanwhile, grab a saucepan, pop in some extra virgin olive oil over a high heat. When hot, throw in the mushrooms and a touch of salt. Stir until cooked through. When the frypan is hot enough add the haloumi and after about 40seconds turn them over. (you can see in the pic I overdid them a little bit so keep an eye on them, they don't take any time at all!) When slightly browned on both sides, pull them out and place on your tray. Top with the drained mushrooms and then sprinkle your gremolata mixtures over each bite. Serve and enjoy!

I heart.......Stamp Garlands

I came into a large pack of used stamps with the majority of them from the 1980s a wee while ago. I tried my hand at making them into garlands with my old sewing machine. These 2 here in our little girls room were the very first ones I made. They were in the shop but I just loved the bright mix of colours, I couldn’t let them go! I had asked my Mother in law, who is quite nifty with a needle and thread, if she could make me some bunting for the area where the stamp garlands are now. She did, I put them up but some little person who shall remain nameless (!) kept pulling them down. She went into a bed some months ago now and when we pulled the cot away from the wall it had left these – grooves. I needed something pretty to hide them. The fabric bunting wasn’t working so I tried the stamp garlands instead. They hide the grooves and Miss nearly 3 hasn’t even touched them – hurrah!

 I think they are so sweet. Over the festive season I had them all through the house and everyone who came to visit loved them. I gave many away as gifts too. Something a little bit different I guess, plus they don’t take up too much space. I have listed the last few I have left in the shop but I will keep these 2 in my daughters room for us; a little reminder of the fun I had making them. Take a peek. You never know, you might just have a spot for one!

Enamel Loves Kids

Hello 2012! I hope you had a wonderful break over Christmas and New Year. We have been enjoying days by the beach, fossicking in faraway corners and lots and lots of icecream......YAY!

Having friends over during the holidays has got me thinking about entertaining when there are lots of kids in a small space. For me, I can't go past my enamelware collection.  Over the years I have collected quite a few pieces. I have sold some in the shop but here are some of the pieces I have kept for myself. The lidded dishes are great for Summertime - they can hold dips, chips, crackers or even sliced ham and they stay fly free! The tray is great for cut fruit, watermelon looks so beautiful on this one and the open bowls are good for candy and lollipops. Kids can throw these  around,which may give them another ding or two, but I think this just adds to their vintage appeal. When we have families over I am always determined to keep it pretty and I think these pieces are simply that...have fun...maria x