Sunday 19 April 2015

lovely autumal happenings

 I have my first sour dough starter up and going. every day I had a spoonful or two of flour and a splash of water and it seems happy enough bubbling away. I'm making a loaf of simple no-knead bread once or twice a week now and it's something I look forward to every time.

this weekend I was treated to a night away in the lovely little town on Mildura. we stocked up on plenty of fresh produce from the roadside stalls along the way and the Farmers Markets had plenty of delicious home grown goodies too. time flew by and I'm already planning for the next trip there.
 these two pillow slips were my only op-shopped find while in Mildura. the perfect little $2 souvenir of our trip away.

I received my copy of Hundreds and Thousands mag and it's filled to the brim with cute articles and photos and all things handmade. you too can purchase a copy here.

thank you to all those who signed up for the Vintage Sheet FQ Swap 2015 and have sent a parcel off. there's still a couple of people who I haven't heard from so i'll give it 'til Monday and start swapping the FQs on Tuesday and post them back. you've all sent such beautiful designs it's going to be a struggle not keeping them all for myself.

and lastly to my little autumn give away...
Naomi of Look See is the lucky winner of a copy of Pip magazine and a handmade wall hanging.
if you could email me your details I will get your give-away gifts in the mail on Tuesday.
 
 
any sour dough starter tips? what other goodies do you make other then bread?
 
what lovely things have been filling your autumn days?

12 comments:

  1. Lots of lovely things Zara! I love your wall hanging, fabrics and the colour of your cat's eyes with the fabric is amazing.I am trialling one of Brydie's (cityhippyfarmgirl) Sourdough recipes at the moment. You mix up some flour, 1/2 teas yeast and water and leave it 12 hours. Then you add the rest of the flour etc and wait 4-6 hours and then bake. Hope you have a lovely week Zara. xxoo

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  2. I hope my parcel arrived as I did send it! Let me know if it hasn't!! Your sourdough bread sounds so good, it's something I really want to start doing! There's a beautiful sourdough bakery we go to and they sell pizzas breads doughnuts etc, so perhaps you can try one of those!! X

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  3. Lovely indeed Zara! So pleased you got to Mildura, I knew you would love it! Great news on sourdough, I have a really easy sourdough pancake recipe, I will send it to you. I have also been experimenting with sourdough bagels. Wishing you a happy week! x

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  4. Oh wow! That's wonderful! You've made my week, thank you! I'll get in touch :) P.S. Have we seen your cat before? What's it's name?

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  5. Baking sweet treats constantly in this chilly weather!

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  6. Have fun with your sourdough...I've gotten quite addicted to it. The older and stronger your 'mother' gets, the better the bread...mine is at a great stage now. Another great thing to make with sourdough starter is crumpets - 1 cup of starter, 1 tsp of salt + 1 tsp bi-carb soda...mix it altogether and cook it on a medium heat pan. So yummy, and easy!

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  7. Lovely floral pillow slips such a find.

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  8. I've always been a little nervous about making my own sour dough. I bet your loaves of bread would be delicious and the smell in your home too:) That's a lovely photo of you:) I love to explore new places too, always a fun thing to do on the weekends. I hope you are well. xx

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  9. Oh all that floral! So gorgeous! So glad you enjoyed Mildura! We must catch up next time you are here! xx

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  10. Hi Zara, if you want sour dough inspiration have a goosey gander at The Shady Baker blog...mmmm.
    How did you get your sour dough started?

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    Replies
    1. Oh thanks Monique. Jane was one of my main inspirations for getting my sour dough starter up and going.
      All I did was mix plain flour and water to a thick paint consistency in a jar and placed a piece of cloth over the top. The wild yeasts in the air land in the flour/water mix and bubbles will appear.
      Every day I add a spoon of flour and a dash of water and mix it in to 'feed' the starter.
      Unfortunately I neglected to feed my first starter and it went yucky. I have another one going now and it's going well. This time I'm using Spelt flour and instead of using water straight from the tap I leave it for a day or two so the chlorine can evaporate then use it in the starter.
      Hope this helps. x

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  11. Love those pillow cases and your gorgeous cat. We have two black cats that spend their time in patches of sunshine and on the comfiest outdoor chairs. I also have a few vintage pillow cases for our bed, but seeing that stack of fat quarters makes me want to find more! xx

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