Sunday, September 26, 2010

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Recent Treasure

Here are some of my favourite finds from the last few weeks....

Sooty annual from 1966...



 




  
 
A beautiful frou-frou umbrella...

 ...with a lovely carved handle

So lucky to find this little Swiss clock at an oppie in the Blue Mountains

Cute fairy drawing in recycled wood frame from a craft shop in Leura

An old music stand found at a 'magpie market' on our way to the Blue Mountains...

...which I am using as a book stand...



 
Gorgeous china flower brooch

 A handpainted lady with a bag skirt in lovely old chintz-think I will use as a rag bag

Vintage embroidery transfers



An old suitcase...

...lined with lovely paper...

Will be great as a display prop for the markets

And this delightful painted picture

Speaking of markets,I have the Olive Tree Market on again this Saturday,so must away & sew!!
















Wednesday, September 1, 2010


Happy Springtime everyone!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Chicken Pie

My version adapted from another recipe...

Chopped bacon,sliced celery & leek

Cook the above in some butter until leek is soft...

Add flour &half chicken stock,half milk to make a thickesh white sauce.Add creamed corn & corn kernels plus chunks of cooked chicken...

Put into a pie dish & cover the top with buttered & scrunched up filo pastry...

Bake until pastry is golden...

Serve & enjoy!

Again,very easy & quick.I buy a whole cooked chicken,which does us for two meals,so the quantities I use are for 1/2  leftover chicken,1 leek,1/2 can creamed corn,2 sticks celery...alter amounts for yourselves accordingly.
(Cooked chickens are so reasonable here,$10.90 for a lge. stuffed one,& really nice-I usually also simmer the carcass to make stock,so great value!)

Also been making....

More baby bibs,these for two new baby girls that two lots of friends have had recently.

Sent this sweet knitted rattle to one of them too...

...bought from Honeybee,but originally from here.They do other veges,doughnuts & cupcakes-so cute!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

A lovely mini-holiday

Early last week we spent 2 nights here....


 ....the spectacular,awe-inspiring,incredible,breathtaking Blue Mountains!





Me & the 3 sisters!

We went on a huge hike(about 3 hours,huge for us)down ,down,down approx. 900 steps(known as the Giant Steps) then through beautiful rainforest before getting a ride back to the top on the world's steepest railway-thankfully in caged carriages!




Once back up at the top,we travelled back to our starting point across the valley in the skyway cable-car,which had a glass floor so you could see below,all that way down!




Afterwards we visited this place & had tea & dainty little sandwiches,looked around some lovely shops in Leura,then went here for a quiet drink.

What a beautiful old hotel-would love to have visited(maybe stayed & attended a ball!)in it's heyday.









Katoomba(the main town of the Blue Mountains) has many Art Deco buildings,which thankfully have been preserved.








And house some great shops & cafes.

We stayed in a lovely old cottage-the walls & ceilings in the lounge,bedroom & kitchen are covered in the original pressed metal.We were grateful that it also had a double spa bath in a little shed out the back,as a bitterly cold wind was blowing most of the time we were there,& our legs were in need of a long soak after our walk(they were worse the next day & continued to be sore for almost a week!)

Aahh,chocolate & wine in the spa....