the winter garden

our new home brought with it a new garden. a lovely level block with a good few established fruit tress and plenty of shrubs and succulents (and the simply stunning Sturt Desert Peas sprouting under the Hills Hoist)
one of the first things on our 'to do' list was to get a few plants in the ground so they could get growing and producing.
we've popped 5 olives along the front fence and a grape vine to trellis along the front verandah for much needed summer shade and dappled sunshine in the cooler months.
vegie seeds are planted in a concrete sink topped with an old window.
we've fertilised, pruned and mulched the oranges, lemon, cumquot and fig.
next on the list is to build a chook shed.

what's happening in your garden?

a new home.

things have been a bit quiet here on the blog of late, but it's not been quiet in life's happenings.

we've just made the big (and exciting) leap and became first home owners. it's all gone pretty smoothly so far (thank goodness) without much trouble in our dealings with the bank, conveyancer and real estate agent. the whole house buying process was all new to us so there was a bit of stress with how to go about making an offer, building inspections, getting financial approval, the need for a conveyancer, taking out insurance.. the list goes on.

and today we got to pick up the keys and have a good look around.
the house is a simple 2 bedroom home with mostly original mint-coloured kitchen and bathroom and a quaint outdoor (part of the back verandah) laundry and second loo.
there's a mismatch of carpets, cream paint and a rather unsightly suspended ceiling but the bones are good and as I look around all I see is potential.
outside there's a pair of orange trees, a lemon, cumquat and fig tree... the startings of what I hope will become a very productive permaculture space. and chooks again... I can't wait.

I'm looking forward to updating as we go and have taken plenty of 'before' photos to share. x

simple cleaning

for the past little while I've been slowly cutting down on the purchasing of cleaning products. underneath the kitchen sink which was once full of bottles and cans (with their warning labels and expensive price tags) now instead sits dishwashing liquid, a jar of bicarb-soda, a bottle or two of vinegar, along with a some essential oils.
these staples see me through most cleaning now.

Tile and wooden floor cleaner
to a bucket of hot water add
a squirt of dishwashing liquid
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup bicarb soda
mop floor as usual

Foaming bath and toilet cleaner
Heat 1 cup of vinegar in a 1L microwave safe jug in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until piping hot.
Stir in 1/3 cup dishwashing liquid.
Add 2 tablespoons bicarb soda and stir quickly (be sure to be close by the bath/toilet as the mixture foams up and may overflow the jug).
Pour to coat the surface of the bath/toilet bowl. Leave for a minimum of 1 hour. A little scrub may be required then rinse with clean water.

Fabric freshener
Choose a large container/jar you wish to use to hold the fabric freshener.
To a jug add the required amount of vinegar to fill the container. to this add 1-2 tablespoons bi-carb soda. You will need to do this slowly as it will foam up.
Once the bi-carb is dissolved add a couple of drops of the essential oil of your choice (i like eucalyptus, lemon myrtle or peppermint) then decant into your chosen container or jar.
Add a good half cup to the fabric softener dispenser in your washing machine and wash as usual.

do you have any simple, green cleaning recipes, tips or tricks?

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?

for 2015

Here's a little list of my goals for 2015. I'm joining in with Sophie over at Her Library Adventures.
I hope to check back throughout the year and be able to tick at least some of these goals off the list. let me know if you share your thirty goals too.

1. sew, sew and sew some more. I want to sew more clothes for myself and also get my little shop open and stocked again
2. gardening. this will be a bit of a challenge but I at least want to have a few herbs going and also get a compost pile/worm farm happening for all the kitchen scraps
3. get cutting and pasting in my inspiration scrapbook
4. continue with the ethical clothing pledge of 2014, I shopped my wardrobe, found some beautiful pieces while op-shopping and made a few purchases from ethical businesses
5. not buy bread, instead making our own. I'd like to get my own sour dough starter happening too
6. take pottery classes, I'm pretty sure there's a group in town
7. make more cleaning and beauty products including washing liquid, facial exfoliator, shampoo and conditioner
8. say 'no' to disposable coffee cups. I invested in a 'keep cup' each so now just the challenge of remembering to bring them with us while out and about
9. learn the art of macramé
10. get to know and understand the functions of my camera better
11. Try weaving. I op-shopped a little loom a while back so now just have to find some yarn to weave
12. Try screen printing
13. Make a strap for my camera
14. upcycle some of the silver cutlery collection.. I'm thinking jewellery
15. upcycle some broken plates.. yes the move did unfortunately result in a few Johnson casualties
16. use the cookbook collection and try new recipes
17. make a timber Christmas tree for December 2015
18. make soap
19. make a terrarium
20. buy groceries from locally owned small businesses rather then the big chains
21. keep the house tidier by doing a little cleaning everyday
22. blog at least once a week, maybe twice
23. send more happy mail
24. discover the perfect museli bar recipe
25. drink more water everyday
26. make more handmade gifts
27. cull more stuff.. kitchenware and craft room
28. buy based on quality rather than price
29. print and frame some of my photos
30. organise a wedding

new house.

after a stressful few weeks and a long drive we are settling in well to our new house in the central west of NSW.
all the 'necessity' boxes have been unpacked. over a dozen boxes filled with crockery and kitchen ware remain taped up. I'm not sure when i'll unpack them yet.
my love has started his new job. a new career that has been a goal for many years.
I've visited some of the op-shops already and they are a treasure trove of vintage goodies... Ladybird books, floral sheets, glass Christmas baubles and retro dresses all came home with me.
I've tested out the new kitchen with a batch of cocoa nib cookies, carrot cake, roast and baked spuds.
the sewing machine is set up and I've attended to a few jobs... two sets of curtains and a fitted sheet from vintage florals. the thing with vintage linens is fitted sheets are a rare thing. I hope to make a few dresses in the coming weeks. the stinking hot days call for lose-fitting smock dresses.
we are missing our chooks. we gave them to a new home before we left. the long drive and the huge change of climate would have been too much for them to cope with.
Mitten is settling in well. sadly we farewelled our black and white cat Tillie before we moved.

after a forced internet break i'm looking forward to catching up with all your happenings. I've also joined instagram, you can find me at zarannehandmade

hope you're having a lovely weekend. x

a big move

 

our home is currently packed up in boxes, so many boxes.
in the next couple of weeks my love and I will be moving. to a new house. in a new town. a town which takes 12 hours of driving to reach.
we're both excited and a bit anxious.
this will be our biggest move yet.
I'm looking forward to unpacking those boxes and decorating our new home. to settling in to a new community. to lots of new photos and the chance to share them with you.

 

and so the adventure begins...

things i'm liking now

a few of my favourite things.

dreams that turn into plans, that turn into reality... have you seen the amazing idea that Rohan and Kate have. It's called the nursery project. it will be a place where you can get in there and experience growing your own vegies, picking, preserving, foraging, hunting, cooking and eating. and you can contribute towards making this dream a reality. every little bit helps.

garden growth... there are so many baby apples on the tree. self seeded poppies and nasturtiums are blooming too.

a bouquet of rosemary.. the plants needed a good trim so in came the stems and into a milk glass vase they went.

op-shopping... I've scored some beautiful pieces of clothing lately- a denim dress, lace cropped jacket, polo shirts, a handmade skirt as well as milk glass, a length of linen fabric for sewing and floral sheets.

x

home life

 my latest reads. mezz and tazz's Hundreds and Thousands mag is onto it's third edition. you can purchase a copy here. I've also found this op-shopped copy all about bee keeping very interesting.

a new op-shopped Johnson plate ($1). another design to add to the collection. 

pretty Pyrex ($4) in a buttery shade.

floral sheets ($2) 

 little Mitten

banana and hazelnut cake. a couple of pieces for now and the rest packaged up in greaseproof paper and washi tape and popped in the freezer to see us through the week.

I tried this recipe for salted banana caramel mousse which was just delicious. it's refined sugar free, gluten free, dairy free and vegan.

 

a parcel filled with handmade goodies arrived in the mail this week from the lovely Tracy.

 

 

what loveliness has been filling your days of late?

around here.

life has been humming along here.
Sunday saw 7 years of togetherness with my love. i was spoilt rotten with a brand new overlocker.. something had been on my wish list for some time. and a beautiful bunch of florals.
catching the sunshine has been high on our list of priorities.
I've been enjoying reading some of my favourite magazines.
these sturdy old bread tins were courtesy of the tip-shop at $3 each.

hope you're all having a week full of lovely things. x

stills: roadside oranges

1. $3 op-shopped art
2. weekend watching. a lovely little story about living small and the tiny house movement
3. hallway décor
4. my two go-to bags
5. this weeks reading material
6. roadside fruit stall oranges