repurposing

my Dad is a retired builder who did his apprenticeship at a local cabinetmakers.  i am lucky that he is creative loves to work with his hands, otherwise my old and tired TV unit (which has served me well for many years)

would never have had the chance to be reborn as a pair of gorgeous display units...

and a set of drawers that has been in my family since my dad was a child would still be languishing in my shed - and it would still be painted pink with patches of green showing through!!  Instead, my handy Dad has spent time stripping and restoring this set of family drawers to their former glory

 they now sit in pride of place under my new TV

just look at the gorgeous wood that was hiding under all that paint!!

little fish...

the little fish quilt was finished and has found its way to a new home...

i am particularly in love with the texture from the serpentine stitch that i used to quilt it...

my first time using a faux-piping in the binding.  another little detail that i love!!

along with a couple of cuddly companions made from the scraps for the new baby to play with...

gluten-free quick biscuits ... a recipe

and i return to my much neglected blog! work has kept me busy this year, and what little free time i have is often spent catching up on household tasks and recharging my batteries

this is one of my favorite biscuit recipes.  it holds a lot of fond memories for me as the first time i baked them it was at an orientation day before i started secondary school, i also met one of my best friends that day.

i have since developed a gluten-intolerance so swapped regular flour for a gluten-free blend, i also reduced the sugar content slightly and added gluten-free oats for texture

1 cup coconut
1 cup self-raising flour (either gluten-free blend or regular flour is fine)
3/4 cup sugar
130g melted butter (or margarine)
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup gluten-free oats
 optional:  for a bit of variety i have used cranberries, sultanas, dates, choc-chips instead of oats

* mix dry ingredients together
* add melted butter and beaten egg to the dry ingredients
* use a cookie scoop (or tablespoon) and place the biscuit mix onto a lined tray... remember to allow room for spreading
* bake at 180degC for 15-20 minutes or until biscuits are slightly browned.  check and rotate trays after 10 minutes
* remove the trays from the oven and allow the biscuits to cool on the tray.  once cooled they should be crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle... my idea of a perfect biscuit!
* makes 24

quirky monster softie

a little boy i know has just turned 1, which gave me an excuse to spend some time at my sewing machine creating this little guy

what a lovely way to spend a wet and cold afternoon.  i used this tutorial to guide me

kissing fish

a friend has commissioned me to make a quilt for her soon-to-be bub.  she has chosen some gorgeous fabric that makes me smile every time i see it and a sweet little pattern called "kissing fish" from Lee at Freshly Pieced (although i have slightly altered how i am constructing the blocks to make them less fiddly to sew)

my progress so far; all of the blocks are done...

 next step is to get them up on my design wall and play!!

embroidery hoop art

a new wall display for my sewing room, made from some old embroidery hoops, some scrap fabrics and buttons...

i LOVE it!!

a sunny day in my winter garden

well, my sewing room is renovated and starting to look gorgeous but for the moment my interests have been diverted by a large pile of books and my garden!

it is a lovely sunny day here (despite being only 14degC !) so i thought i take advantage of the weather and spend some time updating things...

a cute stack of pots, planted with dutch irises and violas (i got the idea from here)

and a new garden arch to grow some sweet peas on - i am looking forward to having a scented arch to walk under in a couple of months time...

my dad built me a planter box to replace the tatty pots on my verandah - i planted it with an ornamental grape vine, dutch irises, species gladioli, white crocus and silver dichondra

the other pot on my verandah got a freshen up too

there are a couple of other areas in the garden that need a freshen up too, so i am hoping my motivation sticks around for a bit longer!!