stills: around the garden

 

the week in stills.

this past 7 days has seen a bit of book reading and note taking followed by construction. the conversion of one of the sheds into a chicken house and the building of a chicken run/tractor. and i'm happy to say that it only cost under $50 all up. and that was for a new roll of chicken wire and a couple of bales of hay. for the rest of the materials we used what we already had. repurposing where necessary.

my hands are showing signs of all the work though: timber selection, hand sawing and chicken wire measuring & cutting.

& today we picked up the girls from a heritage poultry breeder just out of town. all the chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl and peacocks looked very happy in their old tennis court yard.

the 3 we selected are Wheaten Marans. a docile breed. tolerating heat and cold (the latter of which we're already getting a bit of here). lay dark, chocolate coloured eggs. and have cute little feathers on their feet.

they have their work set out for them: digging in the vegie garden, eating bugs, turning the soil ready for planting & fertilising as they go. i am so very happy to have chooks once again. since moving from the coast i have missed their antics so.    wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.

 

x

joining in yet again with Em at the beetle shack

a tea towel birthday cushion

 

more cushion cover sewing of late.

for the fiances birthday using a calendar tea towel of his birth year (which Kylie kindly gifted me from her stash).

this one has the zipper on the side. a bit of a change from my usual style of zipper on the back.

a little stitching around his birth date and this personalised cushion is done.

 

 

in other news there is a flutter of activity here as ideas are discussed, books are revisited, and plans are drawn up. hopefully we will add a couple of feathered additions to the family in the next week or so. i can't wait.

 

x

the most delicious carrot cake

my fiances birthday which fell on easter called for cake making and baking. a favourite of his is carrot cake (fitting really for the double celebration).
i decided upon this recipe which is free from nuts and uses steamed carrots rather than the usual grated version.

2 3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1/2 cup oil (i used olive oil)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature (you can easily make your own)
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp golden syrup
1 1/3 cups pureed cooked carrots (from about 1/2 kg raw)
3/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained


chop carrots into large pieces and steam for 15 minutes, or until very tender. puree steamed carrots in a food processor or blender until smooth. set aside to cool.

place flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and spices in a large mixing bowl. add oil, melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and golden syrup. Mix until well combined and no lumps remain. fold in pureed carrots and pineapple.
for a cake, pour batter into 2  9-inch greased pans and bake at 175 degrees C. for 40-50 minutes. let cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

for cupcakes, pour batter into cupcake pans and bake for 18-22 minutes.
allow to cool in pans for about 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack.

cream cheese icing (this makes a large amount)
450g cream cheese
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
5-6 cups icing sugar

beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
add 3 cups of the icing sugar. mix until combined.
add in the vanilla extract.
add the rest of the icing sugar and mix until smooth.
apply atop cooled cake.

cake keeps for up to a week in the fridge.

(recipe based on this one).

 

happy baking.

x

stills: easter & birthday cake

 

1. my easter gift

2. a tea box full of zippers

3. as i sit at the sewing machine the cotton spool collection is my view

4. a sweet little prize won over at Christina's lovely blog. a cocktail ring created by Berlin Roses

5. soaking up the autumn sunshine

6. the fiances birthday today. coinciding nicely with easter. their was delicious carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for afternoon tea

7. and a gift of a birth year cushion (thank you for the t towel Kylie)

 

 

Linking up with Em's weekly collection of stills.

vignette it.

 

 

little vignettes from around the house.
yesterday was inspection day so a good excuse to change around the decor (and give all those surfaces a good dust).
with all the op-shopping and collecting there are very few bare shelves, tables or cupboard tops here.
but i like it that way. i love being able to display pieces, to change them around as the desire strikes. to make new vignettes with new favourite pieces as a starting point.
for me the most aesthetically appealing vignettes feature:
- objects of differing heights
- a natural element: a vase of flowers or a sprig of herbs, foliage, a birds nest
- an uneven number of pieces
- layered objects for interest and depth
- a variety of textures
- connection: a theme: floral, kitchen, colour

think outside the box when putting your shelf/table/desk/cupboard top display together:
- jars full of feathers, seed pods or buttons
- prints, magazine images, postcards and washi tape
- trays and plates
- twine, ribbon and string
- teacups and milk jugs as vases
- favourite books (stacked to create height & a platform for another object)
- framed artwork and photos

do you have a favourite vignette in your home? did the objects just 'come' together when grouped?

stills.

the second footstool has its new tea towel upholstery.
more goodies from the 'open Friday' op-shop
today's swap meet was a good source of milk glass. these few made their way home with us
daisies in the front garden
raising more seedlings to fill in the gaps
silver beet, basil and beetroot in the vegie beds

a tea towel clad cushion & a thank you

well there's this lovely blogger.

who is so very generous.

 

you may have spied this Sydney tea towel over on her blog.

well it was gifted to me.

and made into a cushion cover.

paired with a green floral backing.

it joins the rest of the tea towel clad cushions on the lounge.

thank you Kylie.

 

 

also thank you to all those lovely comments on the dress i made. it is the generosity and kindness of the blogging community that brings a smile to my face.

 

x