Some special little things

Hello darling ones. I have not posted in a long while, i am very very sorry. I recently purchased some gorgeous vintage/second hand things, and decided i would share them with you lovely ones. I also made a new softy out of some random scraps that i was about to throw out. She is scraggly and very odd, but i like her, and her name is Widget and she is a Magic Mushroom.

My new craft box for all things that are not jewelry related. It has buttons, ribbons, needles and thread, old broken broaches and necklace pieces, pretty floral hair ties and old watch faces. I will be creating much with all these things :)







Old camera's that cost $5 each.






A very cute dress that i need to unpick a little and take in. $10 at Bondi markets







A very cute evening dress with a crimped appearance. $10 Bondi markets.







Very comfortable pair of vintage shoes, real leather. Price tag said $345, but i bought them for $8. Truly a bargain.





The lovely Widget, made from various scrabs, and thrown together in less than 30 minutes.

Delicious Cauliflower Soup Recipe

Recipe time everyone. Something tasty that will warm you up in this cold cold weather. You guessed it, soup! And not only will this soup warm you up so very quickly, it tastes so good that you are bound to return for seconds. Something interesting is that this soup was named after Madame du Barry and dates from the time of the French Revolution and is still going strong :) Enjoy!

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

25mL oil

12.5mL butter

2 leeks

1 onion

500g cauliflower

1 litre chicken stock

2 bay leaves

5mL dry mustard

2 medium potatoes

10mL lemon juice

salt and pepper

250mL milk

feta cheese and paprika to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat oil and butter in a large pot and add chopped onion and sliced leeks. Allow to soften without browning.
2. Add cauliflower florets, peeled and cubed potato and the rest of the ingredients.
3. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
4. Cool slightly, remove bay leaves and puree the soup in a blender till smooth.
5. Return to the pot and reheat gently without boiling.
6. Check seasoning. Add a swirl of cream if you please. 

A day in the garden

These berries caught my eye, couldn't resist taking a photo. I used a special close up 'scene' which is especially for flowers, plants, little creatures ect.

A little garden friend.

Greenery.

Enjoying the sunset

Here are some photos from my one day old camera. I spent the evening at Mel's and as usual marvelled at the sunset (which was particularly spectacular that evening). So enjoy the photos.

A whole lot of sewing

Lately i have been absolutely obesessed with sewing. Mel bought me a great book for Christmas called Softies. Basically it is filled with patterns to make cute little softies. I have made a fair few lately, in between the craziness of the new year. I recently saw that there is a second book, so be prepared for many more softies :)

This is probably my favorite of the lot. Mincey the Monkey.

This one is cute, with it's big cuddly body and pretty eyes. Reminds me of a friend who likes owls.

Buzzy Bee, who i made for my dad (nickname Buzz).

The cutest little monster, whose name i have not come up with...suggestions are welcome.

Cosmonaut devil , who belongs to Damen. He's my second favorite.

This is supposedly a strange Alien, hence it being photographed next to my little Devon Rex, Tippany. I made this one and mom decided she liked it best, so it is now hers.

And that is the lot. What do you guys think? Let me know :)

Delicious gingerbread cookies

Hello again loves. Happy new year to you all.

I stole my grans camera on Christmas and photographed the cookies i made for her. Luckily she sent me the photo, and here it is:

My delicious gingerbread cookies, decorated by yours truly and Damen (my awsome little brother whose emo is my favorite).

Here is the recipe, which i must add was fantastic: moist and crispy and wonderfully spiced.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup golden syrup

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves (which i excluded)

Directions:

Cream the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup. Stir the egg and vanilla into the mixture until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; stir into the wet mixture. Cover and chill dough for a few hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 165 degrees C. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter, and place onto a buttered cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, cookies should be firm but moist. Enjoy!!!

Yum yum yum.....

I did promise some recipes my dears. And so here is my favorite cookie recipe of all times. I adore white chocolate, and macadamia's are so delicious when baked. Which is why white choc chip and macadamia nut cookies are my all time fave. Here is a great recipe that produces a crunchey yet moist cookie (best eaten within 10 minutes of being of the oven- oozy chocolatey goodness).

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

1 cup butter, softened1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs2

1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoons baking soda

10 ounces white chocolate (chips or bars cut in chunks)

1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped into chunks

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 F. In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. Stir together flour, and the baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture,beating until well blended. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. (Edges are golden brown and center is set.) Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely.

Soon to come is a lovely recipe, Lauren found in a cooking magazine, for gingerbread lads and lass'. I'm not such a fan of the ones that involve molasses, so this year i am making molasses free gingerbread.

I'll also post my brothers sickeningly sweet recipe for mars bar pie. He is very proud of his creation (which one bite of will clog your arteries and send you into heart failure), and hopefully someone out there has a big enough sweet tooth to enjoy it.

Tis the season

The past few weeks have brought a large amount of Christmas Spirit into Petunia's Onion Patch. The house is oozing with Chrismukkah goodness. We have our gorgeous minora up, with it's blue snowflake candles and dangly Santa canes. There are angel decorations dotted around the place and a Christmas tree with gold and silver dripping from each branch.

Ignore the crummy photography, as i am using a very old camera as a temporary replacement *mourns camera's death*.

Christmas bunnies!

Introducing the newest members of the bunny family: Twinkle and Fred. They are made from 8ply wool using 4mm needles.









Be prepared for some delicious Christmas-inspired recipes. I am certainly going to be baking this December, hopefully with Lauz and other friends at my side.

Brighten up your outfit

Ribbons are such lovely little treats. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors and materials and can be used for any number of things. I recently ventured into the wonderful world of Spotlight and rediscovered the ribbon isle. I have been inspired by the film Marie Antoinette, and decided to buy some gorgeous ribbon which I will transform into necklaces, bracelets and hair ribbons.

If you want to add a little sparkle to your outfit without spending too mcuh money or looking over the top, take a thin ribbon and attach a broach to it, or perhaps a loner necklace charm. It is elegant, pretty and cheap, so why not give it a go?





A metre of ribbon is generally enough for a choker necklace and a bracelet. Thin ribbon is best for necklaces as it keeps the neck looking long and slender.








Thicker ribbon is good for hair, though thin ribbon works equally as well. Play around with color combos and see what suits you.