Where else would you be...

but on top of a clothes horse on a sunny winter's day

Giveaway and sale time!

In celebration of all things Winter, end of financial year, and winter school holidays coming up, I've decided to have a little giveaway.  The prize is one item from my Etsy shop, or I'll custom make for you if need be.  All you have to do is tell me in the comments section below, which item from my shop is your favourite.  You can gain 1 extra entry each for a mention on your blog, Facebook, Twitter etc.  Just come back here and put in another comment for each extra entry.  Good luck everyone, winner will be chosen by random number generator on the 1st of July.
I'm also offering 25% off all orders until the end of June with the code JUNE25

In the press again

Here's the latest from my stint in the print media, an upcycling article in GC Magazine.  The girls are pretty excited to be in a magazine!

Making almond butter

After buying some loose dry roasted almonds from the local wholefoods co-operative yesterday, I made some package free almond butter.  I've been using a bit of nut butter lately, after adopting a bit of a non strict grain free/paleo type diet.  The choc chip cookies that I mentioned earlier this week use almond butter, and the stuff is not cheap, so why not make my own?  I have a food processor, add almonds, whizz up for a few minutes, and you have delicious smelling almond butter.  I used the method from here.

The Vital Few

If you're trying to figure out how to divest from fossil fuels, here's an easy way to send a letter to your superannuation fund, to find out where they stand on fossil fuel investments.  Take a look at The Vital Few's website.

Long weekending

I made another batch of Almond butter chocolate chip cookies, the best gluten free choc chip cookie recipe I've found that the whole family loves.  Not nut free lunch box friendly though.  I use Rapadura sugar (the only sugar we keep in the house now), and add a sprinkle of cinnamon too.

Andrew and I went to the local tip shop, as he was looking for a bar stool so he can sit at his work bench in the garage.  We bought one for $5, and came away with this piece of reo mesh for $5 too.  I've been wanting some reo for a while, to use as a trellis (I need a few more sheets), the only catch was that it didn't fit in the car, so I had to walk it home, which took me about 15 minutes.

My blueberry plants arrived from Diggers, 2 Blue rose and 1 Brigitta varieties.  The Brigitta tends to fruit all at once, but the blue rose has a spread out fruiting season.  Having 2 varieties should help with pollination.

Latest op shop finds- a mincer which can be used as a tomato machine when making passata, a cute ceramic honey pot, and a Johnson Brothers bowl in the Olde English Countryside pattern.  I'm a bit drawn to transferware, and I think I'd like to collect this particular set.  Hopefully I'll find some more.

Andrew and I started our long weekend by seeing Bill McKibben's Do the Maths presentation at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne on Friday night.  Bill was an excellent speaker, with a dry sense of humour.  The main points I got from the show were:

-We don't have much time to act on climate change;

-We need to take our money away from fossil fuel companies- look at your superannuation and where it is invested, put your banks on notice (the big 4 banks in Australia all invest in fossil fuel);

-We need as much renewable energy as we can get, as soon as possible;

-Most of the remaining fossil fuels need to be left in the ground.

Haven't seen these in a while

I haven't made these smock tops in a while, I thought it would be fun to make a couple out of woollen blankets, and line them with vintage bed sheets.  I think they turned out pretty well, and this style still fits Liv- she wants to keep one!  These two are in my shop now.