SweetPea Design

Words of Wisdom as we Approach Christmas

2011-11-28T18:55:00.003+11:00

"Always Be Kind, For Everyone is Fighting a Hard Battle" - Plato

(Image: http://ayshfi.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/random-act-of-kindness/)

Rich | Heels | Wittner Shoes

2011-09-23T22:51:00.001+10:00

Rich | Heels | Wittner Shoes (clipped to polyvore.com)

Day 3

2011-09-20T22:56:00.002+10:00

Today is officially day 4, but it is my third workout, I skipped day 2. I got home late tonight but made sure I did the workout anyway, even if it was almost 10.30pm. The bonus was that my little ones were tucked up in bed and so today I missed out on the added challenge of small people sitting on my stomach and bouncing whilst I gasp for air and try to do sit ups.

Even though it's only day 3, I've already noticed some benefits in being able to do more of the program properly. I was able to do some push ups, albeit girls pushups and probably no where near deep enough. I was also able to do all of the star jumps. The only part that i'm still really having trouble with is the butt kicks. I do it as a step rather than the bouncy hop and literally kick my butt, haha.

Image sourced from: http://ourtimetochange.tumblr.com/post/3958538153/this-will-be-repeating-in-my-head-as-i-run-my

Pretty Little Wedding Guest

2011-07-15T21:43:00.001+10:00

Pretty Little Wedding Guest by suddenly30 featuring clutch bags

Maxmara pianoforte flower print dress
£990 - matchesfashion.com

Fendi leather pumps
$695 - barneys.com

ALDO clutch bag
$30 - aldoshoes.com

Ileana Makri gold and diamond jewelry
£3,095 - brownsfashion.com

Jon Richard stone jewelry
£5 - debenhams.com

Valentino headbands hair accessory
$245 - valentino.com

House of Harlow 1960 bracelet

2011-07-15T21:17:00.001+10:00

House of Harlow 1960 bracelet (see more cream jewelry)

May the sun shine on your wedding

2011-07-15T19:03:00.001+10:00

May the sun shine on your wedding by suddenly30 featuring sleeveless dresses

Fendi sleeveless dress
$2,870 - barneys.com

Christian Louboutin peep toe heels
$995 - net-a-porter.com

Christian louboutin handbag
$1,195 - net-a-porter.com

Pave jewelry
$38,465 - barneys.com

18 karat gold earrings
$21,920 - barneys.com

Beaded jewelry
$338 - nordstrom.com

Chloe Chloe Eau de Parfum Spray 2.5 oz.
$110 - couture.zappos.com

CHANEL LE VERNIS NAIL COLOUR | Nordstrom.com
$25 - nordstrom.com

Winter carmel and black

2011-07-15T17:11:00.003+10:00

Winter carmel and black by suddenly30 featuring eugenia kim hats

Derek Lam crew neck top
$490 - barneys.com

Christian Louboutin patent leather pumps
£375 - net-a-porter.com

Skull handbag
$1,450 - alexandermcqueen.com

Stone jewelry
€1.600 - montaignemarket.com

Fallon cuff jewelry
$240 - barneys.com

Eugenia kim hat
$335 - net-a-porter.com

Cropped Trouser
£45 - oasis-stores.com

Feel the Love Fridays

2011-07-08T15:37:00.005+10:00

Feeling the love this Friday, with a sweet lunch for my girls and myself. Please feel free to add your own links in the comments box. If anyone knows how I can create a link up, please let me know and I will add that in.

Hope that you're all feeling the love this Friday (even during challenging times, like when your 2 and a half year old won't have a nap and instead finds ice-packs in the freezer and kindly offers to put them on your nose.....)

Have a great weekend :)

Baby and Kids Market TOMORROW

2011-03-18T20:09:00.003+11:00

I've recently had a bit of a break from blogging. With the devastation around the world, it seemed as though talking about the details of my life was a little insignificant. I have missed it though and think it might be time for me to get started again.

This is just a short post, to say that i'll have a stall at the "Baby and Kids Market" in Flemington tomorrow. I'll be selling off a lot of the clothes and toys my girls have grown out of. If your at the market, come by and say "hi". I'll be at stall number three, the third one in as you walk in.

Wish me luck, I'm hoping not to bring anything home again!

Mary xxx

Hazelnut and Banana Muffins

2011-01-19T22:35:00.005+11:00

I couldn't resist a big bag of bananas at our local supermarket yesterday, when they were marked at a mere 50c. Instantly I thought I would make some banana cakes and pop them in the freezer until needed.

I happened to come across this recipe for a hazelnut and banana cake which looked delicious and decided to give that a try as well. I decided to make cupcakes instead of cakes and mixed my banana into the cake batter, rather than layer it on top, as suggested in the original recipe.

It turned out to be absolutely delicious and something I will certainly make again. I think that it would also be nice if you added a little fruit to the mixture, something like apple, blueberry or plum would work well. (They really do taste much better than they look!)

For those who haven't heard, the lovely Steph at http://monpetitpoppet.blogspot.com has organised a softie drive, with the toys to be distributed to children in QLD who've lost their possessions due to the floods. I encourage everyone who can to get on board with this project, not only will the children get a lovely toy, it will be filled with love from the maker, extra special!

I've been sewing, library bags and christmas stockings

2010-12-22T14:51:00.001+11:00

My close group of girlfriends do KK within our group every year. We usually do a dinner with just the girls, no partner or children, so we have a proper gossip. I made these Christmas stockings for my close friend and her husband, who are having their first Christmas together as a married couple and have also just moved into their first house. At dinner, my lovely friend R also announced that she's expecting her first little bubba. I'm soooooo excited, it feels like i'm going to get a little niece or nephew, we've know each other since we started high schools and my friend is an only child, so we are particularly close.

I made these four library bags as Christmas gifts for some little children who are starting school next year. They can use them for school without fear of having them confused with anyone else or they can keep them to use when they visit their local libraries. I'm quite pleased with how they turned out, they're very durable. I prefer the look of the name along the bottom, next time, i'll ensure the letters are small enough to fit along the bottom, like Leila and Zara's.

Excuse the photos, Mr Sweetpea changed the lens on the camera and this one doesn't zoom. I don't know how to change it back to the normal one that I like. Nevermind.

The library bags are going into my store as a custom made item as well. Finally my long neglected store will see some life.

Hope you are all having a fun and not too stressful lead up to Christmas. We went for our Santa photo this morning and couldn't get out of there fast enough. I picked the one photo in which sweetpea 1 hadn't actually wriggled out of Santa's arms and Sweetpea 2 wasn't screaming, and I mean REALLY screaming. Oh well, at least i've gotten a few more things off the list in the past 24 hours.

Mary xxx

It's Beginning to Look a LOT like Christmas

2010-12-18T09:36:00.000+11:00

Our tree has been up for a little while, however last night I finished wrapping the last of the presents, although I still have a few little things to buy/make. I counted that I have 25 people to buy for, not including my two sweetpeas. Some of those people are getting more than one thing. No wonder Mr Sweetpea keeps asking me where all our money is going. I did suggest moving somewhere far away last weekend, in a huff. Preferably somewhere sunny and close to the beach. Perhaps this will make Mr Sweetpea reconsider, we surely couldn't post all of these gifts, hehe. All those gifts do look pretty under the tree though, although this was only for the purpose of the photo and they're all about to go back into the spare room/study/junk room so they remain intact, oh, and because Santa is brining them, of course.

Here are the Christmas chocolates I made. Don't they look lovely. I used silicone cupcake moulds to get that lovely shape, you can just put them on baking paper though. However, you can't use saucers, you will be forced to pry them of, chip by chip and eat them. Don't ask me how I know, I just do :)

Here is one part of a gift I am making. The other part is a book. Can you guess what this is going to be? I have another 5 of these to go, although as two are for my sweetpeas, who each have a massive haul of gifts (from Santa, to start shopping early is not a good idea if you just keep going, right up until Christmas), i'm not too phased if those two don't get finished in time for Christmas.

I hope everyone is enjoying the festive season and remembering those who are less fortunate at this time, financially or through bad news at this time.

Ending on a happier note, i'm off to make banana pancakes with grilled nectarines. Planning to mix mashed banana through the pancake batter and will top with the grilled nectarines with a little brown sugar and some vanilla yoghurt. Or not, just noticed the time, raisin toast it is, but I know what's for breakfast tomorrow, yum yum!

Hope you all have fantastic weekends lined up with plenty of good food, good friends and festive cheer!

Mary xxx

Christmas Food Gifts

2010-12-03T15:46:00.001+11:00

I am really great at planning, if I do say so myself. However, my performance on the follow through leaves a lot to be desired. Starting last year, my extended family decided that we would give an edible gift for each family and just buy gifts for the children. I'd been pushing for this (or KK's for the adults) for quite a few years now, as it seemed a bit crazy buying for each of my aunts and uncles etc. Everyone usually ended up getting little gifts which generally weren't that great. Not that they weren't appreciated, it was just that when buying for so many people, on a strict budget due to the number of gifts required, it was hard to find something truly useful or that would really be loved.

This year, i'm planning some super lovely hampers. Time will tell whether all of the elements get completed and they come together in time. Let me share the Christmassy goodness that I hope will get into each of the four hampers I need to create:

Raspberry and Lemon Cordial: image from http://yummy-books.com/2010/09/21/anne-of-green-gables-raspberry-cordial/

Almond Bread: Picture and recipe from http://www.cathyskitchen.energyaustralia.com.au/recipes/almond_bread

Peach and Vanilla Jam: picture and recipe from the lovely My Tartlette, http://www.mytartelette.com/2010/08/recipe-peach-vanilla-jam.html

Bejewelled Chocolates: picture and instructions available at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial who has oodles of fantastic ideas, http://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/12/15/bejeweled-chocolate/

I'm also thinking of making quite a few extras to give as small gifts to people like the staff at the daycare centre that my girls go to. I think they'd look great wrapped in cellophane and tied with a ribbon. They'd also look very christmassy if you used cranberries and pistaccio's as your "jewels", like in the nougat below.

Dulce De Leice: This is also from the very clever Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, http://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/02/26/dulce-de-leche-from-scratch/

Pistaccio and Cranberry Nougat: This picture and an accompanying recipe are from http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/3636/Pistachio_and_cranberry_nougat/search/true, although I will be using Donna Hay's recipe from her "Christmas" book.

Poached Pears Infused with Cinnamon, Cloves and Star Annise: Picture from http://www.achefshelp.info/article/302/poaching-and-preserving-fruit-and-desserts-chefs-tips

One of the most difficult things so far has been sourcing the packinging (ie. bottles and jars etc). I bought a whole bunch of what I believe are preserving jars at the Reject Shop for $2 each, which is not too bad. I still need a whole bunch of smaller jars and smallish brown glass bottles for another Christmas project (more info to come shortly).

I have found a lovely idea for a gift basket that you can make from card.

Picture from the ever inspiring Fig Jam and Lime Cordialhttp://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/11/13/origami/ and instructions are at: http://www.craftideas.info/html/origami_basket.html

These boxes would look lovely filled with Christmas treats and wrapped with cellophane a lovely ribbon.

Hope that I've inspired you!

Have a great weekend, Mary xxx

P.S. Stay tuned for another post coming shortly which will show all of the lovely non-edible gifts that I hope to make in time for Christmas.

1st Birthday Party

2010-11-29T16:17:00.000+11:00

We've had some more celebrations over here at Chateau Sweetpea. Sweetpea "E" turned one. I spent a lot of time planning and unfortunately not quite as much time as I would have liked, executing my plans. I was actually still icing the cake as guests started arriving....

All done and dusted now, but a valuable lesson was learned. Plan well, but start executing those plans ASAP!

number one garland made by cutting out number one shapes and pegging them on to a piece of string, using mini pegs. I cut the shapes out whilst watching a movie which made this quite a quick and effective decoration.
Some of the spread. Cupcakes, marshmallows on sticks which had been dipped in chocolate and sprinkles, number one shaped cake (bottom layer chocolate mud cake and top layer caramel mud cake), cake balls dipped in white chocolate, tuna dip and spinach, ricotta and corn cob loaf dip (did not taste at all as I expected, need to find another recipe for this one).

Better picture of the cake. I had intended to cover it with frilly icing, using a piping tip. Although as I started trying to achieve this effect I realised, (i) it would take hours to actually pipe it on; (ii) I would need quite a bit of practice to perfect this effect; (iii) I needed a TON of icing to do this; and finally (iv) there was no way it was going to happen!

The other food that we had included: sausage rolls, mini quiches, tuna dip and salmon dip served on sliced of cucumber and a giant punch. I had attempted to make marshmallows, which I was going to cut into number one shapes for the adult guests to take home. They didn't work out at all and I used the mix to try to make ricebubble marshmallow slice but unfortunately that didn't work too well either.......nevermind.

Upon reflection we had tons of sweet food left over and pretty much all of the savouries had been devoured. In future I must remember that savouries remain the favourites, despite my love of baking and making sweet foods.

At the end of the day the birthday girl and big sis had a great day. Eating sweets, playing with their cousins and friends and being throughly spoilt with kisses and cuddles from everyone.

Now, on to Christmas......

Confessional - Trashy Tuesday

2010-10-26T21:26:00.000+11:00

Ok, I have a confession. I am a reasonably smart person (I managed to get through university twice), I enjoy learning new things and talking to different people. I once managed a small law firm and these days i'm paid to impart my wisdom to children. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE trash television shows. Lately i've been reveling in the sickly sweet, tooth rotting goodness that is Trashy Tuesdays. It starts with "Packed to the Rafters", which on the scale of trashy tv, is very low. We move on to "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" a little later, 10/10 on the trash scale. Over the last few weeks, there has been a series of "Documentaries" (hahahahaha) by an English "journalist" exposing different kinds of love, from mail order brides, to polygamous families, to the world of geishas. Today I also watched the first episode of "Beauty and the Geek" online, as I missed it when it aired. It was absolutely hillarious, fairy floss in the form of a tv program. I prefer not to see the flaws in these programs, they are my time to simply turn off, not to think about how sad it is that people can be, or act, so stupidly and not try to be the best that they can be.

Ok, no more confessions for now. I'll keep the rest of my dirty little secrets to myself.....for now.

A big thank you to my 12 followers as well, I appreciate every single one of you!

Hope you've all had a truly wonderful trashy Tuesday!!!! :)

Mary xxx

A salad and a Floating Island

2010-10-25T12:02:00.000+11:00

I've found myself incredibly busy over the past few weeks and I haven't found the time to come back here and update. I'm taking a few minutes out now, my little girls are both down for a nap at the same time (yay!) - By the way, it's only midday, the time on my blog posts is always wrong.

I am always inspired by other bloggers, be it with food and recipes, fashion, crafts or simply good advice about self esteem and positivity. Not too long ago, I was reading a post about salads over at the blog "Apples under my bed" (http://applesundermybed.blogspot.com/2010/09/epic-salads.html. I like to think that I eat well, and when I truly do eat well, I simply love how much energy I have and how alert I am. Heidi who hosts the blog, talked about how to make salad tasty, satisfying and keep them healthy. After reading this post, I was inspired to create my own epic salad, which was greatly enjoyed by Mr SweetPea, SweetPea AP (2) and SweetPea EA (almost 1).

Here is a picture of my delicious epic salad

If you would like to re-create this lovely salad, you will need to combine:

mixed lettuce leaves
drained tinned tuna (I like the one in oil - which I drain, but this is probably not the healthiest option)
red pepper
baby corn
soba noodles
poached egg

From memory (which is very poor these days), I dressed this with a little soy, a little hoi sin sauce, salt and pepper.

I think that the addition of the poached egg to the top was particularly genius of me, modest aren't I!

In other cooking news, I was trying to come up with something sweet late one afternoon to serve to friends who were coming by for coffee that night. I wanted to make something a little different and special. There was no good reason, I just felt like it. I went on over to the Tartelette blog, which never fails to inspire (www.mytartlette.com). I found a recipe for strawberry and vanilla floating islands. My Tartlette makes hers, in the recipe on her blog, with a strawberry coulis. I noticed that she said that the traditional way to make these was with a creme anglaise and at that moment there was no turning back. After trying to make creme anglaise twice and ending up with scrambled eggs both times, I was almost out of eggs. So, I had to make plain old custard, which is still nice, just not as glamerous as cousin creme anglaise. At some point in making this, I also came across a recipe for balsamic toffee strawberries at Raspberri cupcakes blog (http://http://raspberricupcakes.blogspot.com/2010/09/balsamic-toffee-strawberries.html).

Forgive my food styling (aka rustic style or homestyle). This is what I ended up with. Was very yummy, although could have been much better with that glamerous cousin creme anglaise.

I hope that everyone has a lovely Monday. I'm off to do the dreaded housework. I'm forever trying to be organised and "on top of the housework". Who knows, maybe oneday it will happen...hahahaha

MIA - Enchanted Woods 2nd Birthday Party

2010-09-20T15:10:00.000+10:00

So, I have been MIA for a little while now, and here is why. An enchanted woods 2nd birthday party. Many late nights were had by me by it was well worth it to see the happiness and excitement on the birthday girl's face. Much fun was had by all. (Apologies for some of the bad lighting, that's what happens when you run around in your pj's taking photos before the party begins praying no-one arrives before you have time to get dressed!

Frog in a pond

Pinyata (I forgot to leave a hole to thread the string through, but I did finally get a chance to use the lovely dragonfly ribbon I'd had for ages)

Bubbles outside for the kiddies to play with (hard to find games that 2 year olds can understand and enjoy)

the mandatory fairy bread

more mandatory birthday food, chocolate crackles

Lolly Bags

Table Decorations

Mushroom Lollies (they were on clearance at Coles, unfortunately I don't think they will be stocking them any longer)

Hedgehog cupcakes (Tutorial at http://weelovebaking.blogspot.com/search/label/how%20to%20tutorials)

Birthday Cake (apologies for the bad lighting). Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, decorated with mini bunting and mini toadstools.

Terrarium

Sparklers (if you do this, be careful that the shredded paper doesn't catch on fire)

Toadstool Table Decorations

Cake Ball Owls (Inspired by http://www.bakerella.com/pop-star-kelly-in-michigan)

Birds Nests

Bunting

Hope you enjoyed "sharing" the party!

Have a lovely weekend.

Mary

Love the Way You Lie - Rhianna & Eminem

2010-09-08T23:57:00.000+10:00

I found this absolutely fantastic acoustic cover of "Love the Way You Lie" on youtube today.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I am.

Mary xxx

Another Giveaway "Chic Little Shop" on Etsy

2010-09-06T21:46:00.000+10:00

Ok, so I have another giveaway for us all to enter. It's over at http://beingruby.blogspot.com/2010/09/spring-blossoms-spring-giveaway.html#comment-form

You have the chance to win THREE gorgeous Parisian inspired cushion covers. There are a total of nine designs with three below for you to check out.

Giveaway at CraftyCrackPot

2010-09-05T12:53:00.000+10:00

Some things are fortuitous. In my last post I showed a fantastic hobby horse. I believe I may have mentioned how I was getting sick of being the "horsie" for my daughter and having to gallop around the house. It's fun for us both to start with, but this horsie is UNFIT and nobody likes a wheezy, wobbly and red horsie.

Now, I have just discovered a super-generous blogger who is giving away this very cute hobby horse.

If you have a little person in your life that would enjoy this guy, get over to http://craftycrackpot.blogspot.com/

Friday Finds on Madeit.com.au

2010-09-03T10:10:00.000+10:00

My finds this week seem to be baby/children's themed. This wasn't planned, it seems that there are just so many gorgeous children's products out there.

I love this little blue onsie. Perfect for any little rockstar! This onsie is printed with eco-friendly non toxic inks and the 100% cotton onsie has come from a Fair Trade organisation. Take a peek at this seller's store for lots of other gorgeous designs. You can find this onsie over at

http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=104639 by seller Small Town.

As a Mum to an almost one and an almost two year old, I know how difficult it is to stay stylish with babies. This gorgeous cover goes over most of the major brands of baby carriers and gives you a lovely stylish finish. Treat yourself or a loved one (they will be incredibly grateful, I promise). Check it out over at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=119104 from seller Missimoomoo.

It was love at first sight for me when I saw this divine hobby horse. I love toys that encourage imaginative play for children. My older daughter is right into imaginative play at the moment, only I'm the horse, encouraged to gallop around the house.....tiring work. Might be time to hand over the reins (pardon the pun) to this gorgous guy. I also love the fact that this is an eco-friendly toy - not a bit of awful plastic in sight, yay! Check this handsome guy out at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=110479 by seller Bursaria Designs.

There was something about this pair of birds that caught my eye. I'm not usually a brooch person, but this lovely piece may have just changed that. This pretty little piece makes me think of spring and love and peace, all the good things. Check it out over at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=104211 by seller That Vintage.

This lovely baby quilt/playmat ticks all the boxes for me. Educational (letters), modern, practical and pretty. When it comes to children, you can never have too many blankets. Little people have an amazing ability to create mountains of washing, often in mere minutes. This would make a lovely gift (for yourself or a friend) :). Check it out at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=94298 by seller Christopher and Me.

Remember, Christmas is sneakily approaching. The decorations may not be up in the shops yet (although it won't be long at all), but those clever folk amongst us know that the more time you give yourself, the more time you have to a) find the perfect gifts b) buy unique presents and c) you don't end up feeling the pinch all at once.

Have a lovely weekend and I hope all the lovely father's out there get well and truly spoilt on Sunday.

Mary

xxx

http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=89855 - Quilt by seller Baum Textiles Co.

Sun Dress

2010-08-27T13:57:00.000+10:00

So, I have finally found a little time to work on a project and here's the amazing part, I actually finished it, all on the one day!!!

My grandmother has recently had to go into a nursing home. It's been a really difficult time for us as a family, however, my grandmother has made the adjustment better than we could have ever imagined. We now have the difficult task of going through her house and rehoming and selling nearly a lifetime's worth of possessions. Of course, some things have gone to my grandma in the home, however, you can't cram everything from her house into one room! We're trying to keep as many of her things in the family as possible, particularly those with meaning. As such, I've inherited 3-3 dozen sewing patterns, spanning from about the 1950's to the mid 90's. I was so excited that the very next day after I got them, I got started one a lovely little dress for my eldest daughter, who is turning 2 next month.

This also gave me the incentive to finally sit down and read through the manual of my sewing machine, which I only wish I would have done earlier. This sewing machine can do so much more than I ever dreamed of. Do you know that my machine will actually sew the buttons on, that's right, it will sew the button holes AND then sew the buttons on. I have to admit though that I actually sewed these on because I had dinner guests coming and I had spent nearly all day sewing. I didn't want to risk running out of time to get the house into some order and cook dinner, whilst I figured out how to make the machine work it's magic. I will investigate this, soon.

More of these lovelies to come soon and go into my store. In the meantime, this one is reserved for my birthday girl, to wear on her birthday if it's warm enough :)

Mary xxx

7 Step Easy and Quick Dinner - Yummy Burritos

2010-08-27T13:25:00.000+10:00

Step 1: Fry an onion, add about 500g of mince, add a can of drained and rinsed kidney beans, add burrito seasoning + 1/2 cup water and allow to reduce. Add a good handful of baby spinach leaves.

Step 2: Heat your tortilla. Most of them come with instructions for heating them in the microwave. Alternatively, wrap them in foil and heat them in the oven. Easy peasy.

Step 3: Add your mince mix to the warmed tortilla.

Step 4: Add grated cheese. If you buy this in a packet it will take you about 2 seconds, maybe less.

Step 5: Add a few slices of avocado. High in fat, but the GOOD fat. So it's essentially very healthy.

Step 6: Add a little salsa and sour cream. Lite sour cream if you're keeping it healthy.

Step 7: Try and roll it up to eat and realise that you've been a bit too generous with your ingredients, but only because it's healthy..........and try your best to squish it together anyway you can so you can actually eat this little parcel of goodness.

Step 7 probably only applies to me, so you can probably just roll this up and eat it in a dignified way and not drop a single morsel of the goodness inside. Enjoy.

Mary xxx

Friday Finds on Madeit.com.au

2010-08-27T12:44:00.000+10:00

How lovely are these sweet little vintage story book cards. They could be used as a card for all sorts of occasions. Alternatively, they would look gorgeous in a nursery or child's bedroom, framed and hung on the wall. Available from seller Totally Innocent and found at www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=105296.

Isn't this Japanese inspired pendant lovely. It is so unique, which is one of my favourite things about buying handmade. I think handmade items are the real designer items. Check it out at www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=86560 from seller Mettle Design Studio.

I have a thing for scarves. I wear one almost every day. Some are traditional knitted scarves, some are pashmina scarves, some are silk scarves and some are fabric scarves. I don't have any crochet scarves like this beauty though. I just love how feminine and beautiful this one is. Available from seller A Little Must Have (I couldn't agree more) at www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=93019.

My littlest girl is about to start going to daycare and this sweet littlebackpack would be perfect for her. The alphabet fabric appeals to the mother and teacher in me. Available from seller FiddleeDee at www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=12351.

Doesn't this apron make you want to run to the kitchen and start churning out sweet little pastries. I love the sweet pink ruffle, which adds an extra touch of sweetness to this gorgeous apron. Available from seller Sew-Darn-Cute (absolutely love the name) at www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=107128.

Hope you enjoy,

Mary xxx

Spinach, Pumpkin, Fetta, Mushroom, Pine Nut Risotto

2010-08-27T11:46:00.000+10:00

I make this risotto all the time. My little ones LOVE it and I usually try and put as many vegies in as possible. It's also pretty thrifty, being vegetarian. What's not to love.

Depending on what I have available, I will include a combination of: spinach (I ALWAYS keep frozen spinach in the freezer, so easy), mushroom, roasted pumpkin, fetta and pine nuts. Yummy, yummy.

I won't go into details about how to make this, except to say that I heat some butter, add onion and garlic, then add the rice and cook the risotto. I usually add the frozen spinach when the risotto is about half way done and everything else goes in when the risotto is pretty much ready.

If you try this out, you will certainly add this to your list of regular meals.

Enjoy,

Mary xx

Friday Finds on Madeit

2010-08-20T21:38:00.000+10:00

Ok, this week my finds make me desperate to get back to work so I can do some guilt free shopping. Hope you enjoy these as much as I have. Remember, Christmas is fast approaching, why not get ahead and start shopping now.

I just love these blue swallow letterpress gift tags. In fact, I am a sucker for anything letterpress, I think it has an air of elegance to it. Divine. These lovelies are available at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=114221 from seller Ruby Victoria.

I can see this lovely fine art canvas hanging in my dining room, perhaps with the others in this collection. It's amazing how you can find beauty in the simple things if you only take time to look. This artwork, along with the others in this series are available from seller pomegranate at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=96760

It was love at first sight for me with these coasters. I love how feminine they are and I think that the contrast of colours adds an air of sophistication. Available at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=89913 from seller Studio Empress.

Isn't this artwork simply adorable. I can't imagine this looking anything but perfect in any child's bedroom. Check this out over at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=106593 from seller My Sweet Prints.

At first sight this card looks cute. However, closer inspection allows you to read what's written in small print at the bottom of the card "You're fabulous (For you, I'd walk 500 miles. Then I would walk 500 more)". I don't think there is any better word to describe this card than "fabulous". This is one that I would LOVE to receive. This card is available at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=105200 from seller Myrtle and Eunice.

If you like any of these items, get in fast, before I beat you to it........

Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Mary xxx

(Belated) Friday Madeit Finds

2010-08-18T13:49:00.000+10:00

My girls and I have been sick, sick, sick for a few weeks now. This horrible cold that won't go away has been awful and both girls have also had gastro, poor little pumpkins. We seem to be on the mend now, hopefully no more relapses.

So, I finally have a few minutes to update with my long overdue Friday Finds.

How gorgeous are these finger puppets. These would make a fantastic and educational gift. They would also be great for a teacher to use with lower primary school children during literacy lessons. I have done this with a prep/one class where the children used finger puppets to make up a story and then used the finger puppets over the overhead projector to tell the story to the class. This seller has many different and equally lovely designs. Check them out at

www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=124522

I've heard that goats milk soap is lovely to use and is great for your skin. With this gorgeous goats milk soap available I don't have any excuse not to try. Did you see the gorgeous bee on top, it's so pretty! Check it out over at madeit at

www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=121147

I felt very nostalgic when I discovered these sweet little paper dolls. I remember having something like this as a child and absolutely loved trying all the little outfits on my doll. My little girls are far too small for something this delicate (although I did briefly consider buying one for myself...). They would be great for a little one aged around five. Also, the seller says that she can custom make these and I did wonder about a little boy with varying superhero costumes. Check these out at www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=109868

As soon as I saw it I just loved this little purse. This would be perfect for a little lip gloss, some change and a couple of hair pins. Available at www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=91238

I love these sweet little flower stud earings. They are so pretty and feminine. These would bring a pop of colour to any outfit and would be perfect for spring/summer. Check them out over at www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=119397

I realised yesterday that we're almost in September and I thought now might be a good time to start stocking up on Christmas presents. Buying ahead means that you have time to source the perfect gifts for your loved ones and you don't blow your budget in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Perhaps one of the lovely finds featured in this post would make the perfect present for one of your loved ones.

Mary xxx

Keeping House - Keeping Order

2010-08-02T21:22:00.000+10:00

(Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/keraoc/3202868681/)

With two children under two, my house often resembles a war zone. Seriously, it can be really disgusting and frustrating at times. I've only recently developed a real "housekeeping" routine. When I was first married several years ago, I didn't really get a chance or make the time to develop a good routine. I started studying part time, as well as holding down a part time job. Then after some time, we became pregnant with our first daughter. Wonderful, but then I was even more time poor, a tired pregnant woman working full time and studying part time. It was only at the end of last year, just before our second daughter was born that I finished studying and became a stay at home mum.

My technique for keeping order in the house is relatively simple. I go through the house, room by room and start putting things away and counting as I do so. 1. elmo toy in toy basket, 2. glass from the coffee table in the sink, 3. tissue that dropped on the floor into the rubbish bin. I find this counting process provides a real sense of achievement, suddenly i'm at 50 and the house already looks so much better (maybe you're lucky enough that you could be done sooner, but some days I could get into the high hundreds, eeek!)

I use this same strategy with the dishes as well. We don't have a dishwasher and sometimes, before you know it, the sink is full and the dishes are overflowing onto the bench. I also often say to myself that I will just put away 10 things or wash 10 dishes etc. Setting realistic goals means that you can easily achieve them and don't feel as though you've not completed the job. Also, once you start with the counting, you really want to keep going.

Do you have any housekeeping tips that you would like to share? I would love to hear them.

(Image found at http://kerryh01.wordpress.com/category/craft-room/ )

Friday Finds

2010-07-30T20:04:00.000+10:00

Here are some more goodies that i've been eyeing off over at http://www.madeit.com.au/ this week.

These lovely pears are made by seller RedStitchDesigns and can be found at www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=111347. This lovely seller also has an inspiring blog which is welll worth a read (as well as to check out some of her other lovely creations). The blog can be found at http://www.itsallrelative-brenda.blogspot.com/

Isn't this little knit jacket just divine. I've paid more money than I care to admit for lovely woolen jackets for my little girls. This jacket priced at a very reasonable $40 and you won't see every other child wearing the same thing when you know that this is handmade, not off a production line. Available from seller knit1npurl1 and can found at www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=104303

Let out your inner princess with these irresistable sterling silver studs. I think these are simply divine. Available from seller Narelle, they can be found at www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=100389

I couldn't choose a favourite from the above two images. I think these would look fantastic in a nursery or a child's bedroom. Available from seller Evie_the_Elephant (don't you just love the name!). See store www.madeit.com.au/evie_the_elephant

Seller theencouragementaward (The encouragement award) creates these fantastic capes. I love the versatility of capes and these are particularly clever with a removable hood. They appear to have a collar when the hood is removed. Simply lovely. Available at www.madeit.com.au/theencouragementaward

Remember, many of these pieces are one off items and may not be re-created. First in best dressed. People, don't walk, RUN...

Mary xxx

30 Sucks

2010-07-29T21:55:00.000+10:00

I put together this creation for a friend's 30th birthday this weekend.

I will be adding this to my madeit store (www.madeit.com.au/sweetpeadesign) shortly. It's a cute and novel idea and obviously can be customised ie. colours and ages. I'm still trying to come up with an alternative which is a little more positive, something like 30 rocks. Hopefully I can think of something in the next day or two as I have another friend turning 30 this weekend and I would like to make one for her as well.

As well as the above edible gift, I have some other new products coming to my store very soon. There will be some gorgeous little hair clips and some sweet party goods. You can get a bit of a preview of the party goods in my post titled Part II.

Hope you enjoyed.

Mary xxx

Chicken Tagine

2010-07-29T21:43:00.000+10:00

This picture doesn't do this dish any justice at all. It is a lovely full flavoured dish and is incredibly aromatic. For a lovely hearty winter warmer, give this dish a try, you won't regret it.

Ingredients:

Aprox. 1kg chicken thigh fillets
1 onion
about 3 cloves garlic
100g of blanched almonds
150g green olives
1 lemon
about 500ml of chicken stock
2-3 potatoes chopped into chunks
enough oil to fry the onion and garlic (I use canola oil)

Method:

Chop the onion and garlic finely and then fry this in the oil.
Cut the chicken pieces in half and then add them to the onion and garlic and lightly brown.
Add the blanched almonds, the finely sliced lemon, olives, potatoes and the stock.
Allow to simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.

I like to serve this with cous cous, although you could certainly eat this alone or with a nice polenta. Perhaps you would serve this with something else, I would love to hear any other ideas.

Mary xxx

As you might have noticed, i'm not particularly precise with my recipes. Often this is because I just use what I have on hand that day. I also tend to adjust recipes to suit my tastes and I encourage you to do the same :)

Five Favourite Madeit.com.au Finds

2010-07-23T22:36:00.000+10:00

I am a huge fan of buying handmade. There is something a bit special about an item that has been made with tender loving care, as opposed to coming off a huge production line. It's wonderful to have something unique, something that can never be perfectly replicated. I have a store on the made it website www.madeit.com.au/sweetpeadesign. I would like to share with you five lovely items that can be purchased from the lovely sellers on this website...

I think that the above pieces of artwork would look amazing clustered on a wall, my wall even...
available at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=106309 from seller ledamae.

I am totally infatuated with this and several other pieces from seller lovestamp. I have dropped several hints, including a detailed email to my darling husband, indicating my desire for a piece with my girls names on it. Still (patiently) waiting. This piece is available at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=104500

I love the look of this lamp. There is also a matching cushion available. Both items are available from seller Ritzy Home Decor. Link to the lamp is http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=113497.

Isn't the necklace above just too cute. Now for the crazy part, it's just $12. Don't walk, Run People. If someone else doesn't snap this up quickly I will have to. It would be a great gift to put away for someone special for Christmas. People, it pays to be organised. You heard it here first! Available from seller Flutterby Jewellery at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=84216

I think these invitations are so so sweet. If only I had seen these about six weeks ago! The invitations can be personalised with pictures of your own sweet little one. Available from seller Tambo Creations at http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=113091

Bedtime Stories

2010-07-22T21:15:00.000+10:00

After getting the girls into bed tonight I pulled out a book that we haven't had a chance to read yet. I was rather surprised by some of the things I found. This is the book, below:

Can you guess why I was shocked by the story below? Ummm, that lady with the knife looks scary. Not sure that I want my girls looking at that picture, I might have to blutack that page to the next one, hehe.

I hadn't heard of this rhyme before. I like to have my girls say prayers when they go to bed each night (or me 'help' them to do the sign of the cross and the girls listen to me say the prayers). I think this poem kind of sends mixed messages though. Hey, say your prayers or else you will get HURT!!! I'm a little concerned that whoever wrote this poem clearly didn't have anything in mind other than making some words rhyme. If you read the whole thing it doesn't really make any sense...

Another two pages to stick together for now. Perhaps in the years to come the girls and I will laugh about how bad these are.

Mary xxx

Vanilla Chai Macaroons with Dark Chocolate Ganache

2010-07-22T16:51:00.000+10:00

Like all of my 'good ideas', this one struck late last night. After a false start in which I mixed my almond meal with caster sugar, instead of icing sugar, I was up and running. After starting to pipe my mixture, I found that the push/pull method was the way to go. I also found that I had piped my macaroons way way too big. Next time (read later tonight), I will make them much smaller. The shape of my macarons needs some work, however, I was happy with the feet. Happy that they turned out the way they're supposed to, but still annoyed by them, they just look so untidy. Everyone else seems to think these little feet are wonderful, but I honestly think they look messy. Nevermind.

I used the recipe found at http://muffinsareuglycupcakes.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/roasted-black-sesame-macarons/, however, I substituted the black sesame for vanilla chai. This blog has lots of mouthwatering desserts and sweets. You've been warned :)

My macarons were quite chewy. I think this is because my vanilla chai powder seems to be 50% sugar. I need to reduce the amount of sugar next time. Maybe I could add the vanilla chai instead of the caster sugar, to the egg whites and then increase the amount of almond meal in the dry ingredients. Alternatively I could change to a vanilla chai without sugar, this would also help to intensify the chai flavour, which was quite mild.

Part II

2010-07-14T16:14:00.001+10:00

Above are the chocolate waffle cups filled with creme patissiere and topped with a) sour cherries and b) strawberries and grated chocolate. Next time I would fan the strawberries. Also above is a place of pink lamingtons. If I was to ever make these again I would make the pink slightly darker. I found the lamingtons to be a big pain. They were time consuming and messy and I don't think that lamingtons are that great! They also have a huge fat content (seriously, next time you're ad the supermarket check out the saturated fat content). I'm not a huge heath nut (although it might be about time for that to change), but if i'm going to have something high in fat, it better be yummy.....like those chocolate cups.

I also made profiteroles dipped in white chocolate which you can just see on the back right of the above picture. Although I made a few mistakes they were suprisingly easy to make. Next time I would use the dough hook on my kitchen aid to mix the choux pastry when adding the eggs rather than a wooden spoon, I'm sure this would reduce the chance of blisters induced by use of wooden spoon, ouch. Also, I reduced the temperatures slightly as the recipe I used didn't state if the temperatures were for a fan forced over or a non fan forced oven. My profiteroles were quite soft and didn't have that crunch that you expect. They were however still very yummy. I also had a very tough time filling the shells with creme patissiere as my piping tip kept going back into the bag and the creme patissiere just spilled everywhere. I recall once having a piping tip that kind of screwed on to the top of the piping bag. I will look into this before I make these again. Details of the recipe that I used for the profiteroles can be found at this website, which features some amazing creations, http://raspberricupcakes.blogspot.com/2010/05/cupcake-croquembouche-daring-bakers-may.html

Above we have the bonboniere. I think I can safely say that I will NEVER do these again. I was wrapped with the way that they turned out but they were so incredibly time consuming! I did all of this by hand, every single thing from covering the boxes with white paper to cutting the chocolate into the neatest squares that I could. I also included a little note listing some details of the event and of the saint that is my daughter's namesake. All up I made about 70 of these little gifts, with a little help from my sister.

Finally, for the moment, I also made rosewater lemonade, which I didn't get a chance to take a picture of. I bought glass bottles from our local $2 shop and made up the mix, which was suprisingly easy. I had planned to make it a lovely pink colour, however, when I saw that it was so yellow, I realised that adding pink food colouring would make it go orange. I decided that the natural yellow colour was a much better option. The lemonade was very popular and I will be sure to repeat it for future parties.

My inspiration for these bonboniere came from the following website, which also has loads of other great ideas, as well as free downloads http://www.freeprettythingsforyou.com/

Hope you've enjoyed this post and perhaps gotten some inspiration for a new project or party.

Mary

Latest Projects

2010-07-13T15:37:00.001+10:00

I have been very busy over the last few weeks preparing for my smallest daughter's Baptism. I stuck to a pink and white theme and had a great deal of fun (and some stress) preparing decorations and food.

The above picture shows the "dessert table" and some of the decorations. The large pom poms were made using the instructions found on the marthastewart.com website. I made the banner using various pink coloured paper and found this to be quite time consuming. I'm planning to reuse this and hang it above my little one's cot, with the crosses removed from either end.

This is the cake we made. I made three mud cakes using this recipe (http://www.exclusivelyfood.com.au/2006/07/chocolate-mud-cake-recipe.html). I made them over the course of two days and had them in the freezer for a week. I stacked them on top of each other and glued them together with royal icing. We then iced the cake in buttercream and layed out the pre purchased fondant over the top. We had tried to make our own fondant and ended up throwing it in the bin at 3am a couple of nights before the Baptism because something had gone wrong. It seems that you don't actually cook the fondant and even though the recipe I used didn't say anything about cooking it, I thought that there was some kind of mistake. Note to self - always follow the recipe!!!

I bought these cupcake liners and put foil cases inside of them to stop the popcorn from making the cases greasy. I think I could make the liners, but they would be quite time consuming. They are a project to try well ahead of time. The popcorn was regular buttered popcorn, but you could do sweet caramel or a savoury popcorn like olive and chilli.

I was really pleased with the way the cupcakes turned out. I used a vanilla buttercake packet mix to make them as it seems like packet mixes taste better than when I make a butter cake from scratch. They were iced with buttercream. I also iced one batch with marshmallow icing to which I had added a small amount of rosewater. The marshmallow icing was much nicer but the buttercream gave a much better finish.

I hope you enjoy the pictures so far. Part two to come shortly.

Mary xxx

Orange Syrup Cake

2010-06-15T17:23:00.001+10:00

If there is anyone out there that reads this, i'm sorry for the lack of posts. However, I do have a few things to post about and I will try and update with a few posts over the next week.

I made an orange syrup cake on Sunday and it turned out really well. My brother in law and his wife have an orange tree growing in their backyard and have generously given us a bag of oranges, yum! I will be making the cake again this week although I wouldn't mind trying a recipe that uses almond meal instead of regular flour.

Here is the recipe - Nigella's Orange Syrup Cake, from the cookbook "How to be a Domestic Goddess".

For the cake:
125g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
2 large eggs
zest of 1 lemon
175g self raising flour
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons of milk
23x13x7cm loaf tin, buttered and lined

For the syrup:
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons (about 4 tablespoons)
100g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and butter and line your loaf tin w2ell.

Cream together the butter and sugar, and add the eggs and lemon zest, beating them in well. Add the flour and salt, folding in gently but thoroughly, and then the milk. Spoon into the prepared loaf tin and put in the oven. While the cake is cooking, get on with the syrup. Put the lemon juice and sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar disolves.

Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until golden, risen in the middle (although it will sink a little on cooling) and an inserted cake-tester comes out clean. As soon as the cake is out of the oven, puncture the top of the loaf all over with the cake-tester or suitable implement. Pour over the syrup, trying to let the middle absorb it as well as the sides, the leave it to soak up the rest. Don't try to take the cake out of the tin until it is completely cold, as it will be sodden with syrup and might crumble.

I substituted the lemon for orange, used the zest of two oranges and the juice of one orange (which was a particularly juicy one). I doubled the quantity and used a silicon ring mould. I also forgot to include the milk. Once the cake had baked, I poked a lot of holes in the top and then poured over the syrup and stuck it in the fridge to try and get it to cool down quickly so I could take it to my in laws for lunch. I also put a little mixture into three patty pans to make three cupcakes so we could try it before cutting into the cake. The cupcakes were very dry, but I had tried not to put too much syrup onto them so as not to be short of syrup for the cake.

I'm sure this cake would work well with any citrus. Also, Nigella suggests spiking the syrup with limoncello, Italian liquor. This might be a nice touch if you have some handy and if the cake is only going to be for the grown ups.

Enjoy!

Sick

2010-05-06T21:42:00.000+10:00

Ok, so of all of the projects I had planned for the weekend, not one of them got done. The weekend flew by and we had a family gathering at our home on Sunday which took the whole day. Then on Sunday night I felt that I was getting sick and on Monday morning I felt the full whack of it. I've been resting as much as possible with 2 littlies under 2 for the past few days and have gotten nothing done. The good news is that every day is the opportunity for a fresh start. So hopefully tomorrow I can get back on track!

Projects for the weekend

2010-04-30T20:06:00.000+10:00

I don't know if anyone has actually read this blog, but regardless, it's a good way for me to keep track of my craft projects. It also is nice to look back and see that I actually do get through some of the projects on my ever growing list, albeit very slowly. We have a very busy weekend planned in our household but I'm hoping to get a chance to get the sewing machine out. I really want to get a chance to try and make a crayon cozy, i'm sure you've seen this kind of thing out there on lots of blogs for a little while. I'm also going to attempt to make an indoor dog bed, kind of like a padded mat. I then intend to train my dog to stay on the mat inside, as she has been made to stay in the laundry or outside since for the past 18 months, since our first little one was born. My final project for this weekend is to decorate one of my baby singlets. I've got a cute design in mind and hope that it translates well in reality.

Hope to post some pictures on Monday of my weekend creations. If anyone is reading this, hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Cupcake Flags

2010-04-24T16:28:00.000+10:00

A couple of years ago I made some cute cupcakes for my cousin's Communion. I wanted to decorate them in some way to mark the occasion but I couldn't come up with anything at the time. Then I came up with the idea of making cupcake flags. I've been working on some more recently and they will be on my madeit store http://madeit.com.au/sweetpeadesign in the next few days. I've also got a few designs for the singlets sitting on my table, hope to get onto those at some stage on this long weekend. We're also planning to empty our spare bedroom and paint it and then move both of our girls in there. Lots of work to do!

Goodies for Sale

2010-04-18T10:57:00.000+10:00

I have finally uploaded some items onto my madeit store http://www.madeit.com.au/sweetpeadesign. I've got three French Memo Boards and one singlet. My model decided to vomit on the other singlet I had created, so looks like she gets to keep that one, no complaints though. Once I got through the first listing, the rest were easy. Now, I need to get going on some more projects and then get them listed. I've got more singlets, a couple of t-shirts and some indoor dog beds to get started on. I need to do some housework tonight and then I'll get started on some of those projects. Can't wait.

Pictures

2010-04-17T17:59:00.000+10:00

Ok, because I am technically challenged i've (i) scheduled my next post to appear later instead of publish now; and (ii) not managed to put any pictures in my next post and am going to put them in here. I apologies if the formatting is strange, i'm still getting used to using a blog.

Welcome to my bloggy...

2010-04-13T21:19:00.001+10:00

Hello there. Welcome to my blog. I've decided to create this blog to help me keep track of my creative pursuits. I love to craft and hope that you will enjoy looking at some of the projects I make. I've recently started a shop at madeit.com.au, although I am yet to list any items for sale. I do have a couple of pretty little things to list, I just need to get some good photos tomorrow and then I will list the items for sale.

I hope to share my inspirations, ideas, completed and semi-completed projects with you and hope to be ablet o have lots of give aways. When this blog gets 100 followers I will list my first competition. I already know what I'm going to give away and let me tell you it's super cute!!!