bread and beeswax

this weekend just past I was lucky enough to attend the 3rd annual 'flour and fire day' hosted by Jane of the shady baker, at her property. I remember reading Jane's post back in 2014 and thinking how lovely the day sounded and hoping one day to be a part of it.

the day started with hot coffee made over the open fire, freshly baked sweet treats and getting to know each other. I got to meet some lovely bloggers who I have gotten to know online, Sophie and Kate. gosh I still can't get used to meeting people for the first time though we've 'known' each other for so long through our blogs.

then it was into the bread making, with Jane sharing her sourdough making skills with us.
we all enjoyed a homemade lunch of bread straight out of the woodfired oven, lamb stew and freshly made pasta and pesto.
after lunch it was candle making time. I hosted this little activity. everyone brought along a vessel or two to fill and with the beeswax melted over the wood fire we added a cotton wick and filled our teacups, jars and tins with the delicious smelling wax.
we left with full tummies, a whole lot of inspiration and baskets filled with homegrown and homemade goodies from the swap table.

I'm already looking forward to the 2016 flour and fire day.

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?

pottery classes

In February I started pottery classes. it's something I've wanted to do for some time. i enjoyed pottery in high school art lessons and did a couple of classes outside of school too.
so when i saw that their was a local pottery group in town i signed up and i'm so glad i did.

i attend a three hour evening class once a week held at the cutest corrugated iron clad building that was once an old Scout Hall.
now these 'classes' are pretty laid back, with each person working at their own pace on whichever project they choose.
i started off with a simple slab pot. where i rolled a piece of clay to about 1cm thick and cut four rectangular sides and a base before 'gluing' the edges together with a slurry and further strengthening the joins with a clay coil.
i then moved onto making bowls using the pinch pot method.

it really is addictive and i've been busily pinning all things pottery inspiration on pinterest.
i cant wait to start back again after easter break.

have you tried pottery before? is there a pottery group in your local town?

Lately.

I've had some lovely finds at the local oppies...

 tooled leather clutch with the cutest coin purse inside ($4). This brings my collection to a grand total of 3.

 2 tier Johnson cake plate. Still in it's box ($5)

pretty florals

 

this year has seen me sign up for a Diggers Club membership. Looking at all the seeds available is like being in a lolly shop trying to pick which ones I want. Have you ordered through the Diggers Club before? Any varieties you can recommend?

I got to meet up with a lovely blog friend, Jane of A Shady Baker. I've only met with one other blogger before, Susan, so it was a real treat to meet another. it's like we already new each other, which I suppose reading each others blogs for a few years is not surprising.
we talked all things op-shopping, collections, old churches, gardening, sourdough starters, farmers markets and Kitchen Aids.
Jane gifted me this beautiful pastel Johnson ware and some homegrown, homemade treats. thank you Jane.

what have you been up to lately?

milk glass, florals and yellow

a collection of op-shop finds from the last couple of weeks. I've visited a few different op-shops of late, some in Kiama, yesterday saw a drive to Canberra so of course that meant a sticky beak around a couple of oppies there, and then today around the local ones here in town.

milk glass- 50c to $4 each
a sunny yellow chair to add to the mismatched collection that surround the laminex kitchen table. I only discovered the Australiana design while giving it a scrub when I bought it home ($5)
pretty florals ($8 for the both)
a huge Pyrex dish ($6)

have you discovered any op-shop treasures lately that just had to come home with you?

field day attire

today we made the drive to Murrumbateman to visit the annual Murrumbateman Field Days.
the sun was shining, a perfect Spring day really. there was so much to look at, and dream of one day buying for a farm of our own.
there are hundreds of exhibitors including cute Belted Galloway cattle, bags of freshly picked apples, fudge, solar panels, tractors, worm farms, alpaca scarves and blankets, chooks, timber furniture and vegie seedlings... a bit of everything really.

wearing:
chambray shirt: retail
jeans: op-shopped (Sportscraft)
timber sunglasses (made from eco-friendly bamboo): down that little lane
satchel: op-shopped
wooden beads: op-shopped
boots: Baxter Boots and Shoes (a little purchase from this Goulburn-based business)
hat: Akubra

both the boots and hat are new purchases and both are in keeping with my ethical clothing pledge. Akubra and Baxter boots are accredited through Ethical Clothing Australia.

stills: tip shop and bunting

1. bunting
2. a 'boy' pencil case for my love. with so many florals in the stash picking fabrics was hard
3. these most delicious (and simple) lime and coconut balls. 5 ingredients and a blender/food processor
4. apple and cinnamon muffins for the freezer
5. Country Style reading
6. the newly discovered tip shop. I came home with a chenille bedspread, tablecloth, zippers, an icing spatula and a vintage suitcase all for $10

weekly stills at the beetle shack.

stills: bread and soup

1. bread making again after a bit of break
2. a coffee date
3. one pumpkin became soup. some for now, some for the freezer
4. weekend walks
5. pretty foliage on our walk

stills at the beetle shack.