Gluten Free Cookies

I don't need to eat gluten free food but there are some really delicious options available now. I made these White Choc Custard Biscuits from one of the new Melinda's packet mixes - they turned out really well, just like the photo on the packet!

Cut-out trees

I love the way trees are cutaway from powerlines. There's something cool about it's un-naturalness. Does that even make sense? I'm a bit tired.

>> Also, I've jumped on the Twitter train and it's full steam ahead! Follow me here if you like.

A night on the bowling green

$5 barefoot lawn bowls was a surprisingly satisfying way to spend a Friday night! I'm not very good yet, but imagine my headstart on those who begin at 70?

Tags and awards!

I've been lucky this week, and here are a few reasons why:
~ getting a proximidade award from littlechrissy (actually for the second time!)
~ winning a beautiful photo print on love me, love me not
~ tagged by the lovely lina

Four Things
a: four places that i go to over and over: vegie bar, soulfood cafe, Moroccan soup bar & soulmama
b: four people who email me regularly: an American friend living in Japan, a German friend who I must visit one day, Martha Stewart's daily organising tips (yes, nerdy), and blog comments (thank you!)
c: four favourite smells: coffee, coconut flavoured anything, fresh coriander and pine trees
d: four places i would rather be right now: i'm pretty happy where i am! ...but there's always New York City.
e: four people i tag: cheating again - anyone who wants to do this, consider yourself tagged!

>> I've also donated as much as I could to the Red Cross for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal 2009, and forwarded some recipes to Handmade Help. Every little bit counts.

Lost+Found Market

If you live in Melbourne and haven't been to the Lost+Found Market (Smith Street, Collingwood), you absolutely must go! They moved premises from down the street a little while ago and the new shop has all sorts of goodies to peruse. This is actually where I bought my purple paisley material, and this pattern for a flowing floral dress.

>> I'm going to take proper sewing lessons before embarking on the dress, since my green velvet cushions were harder than they should've been (and still not finished!). Thread den is looking good.

Purple paisley

I found this purple paisley material over the weekend and clearly had to buy it, but don't have worthy use for it yet... any suggestions?

Arghhh, me hearties!

Check out the pirate cupcake made by a friend of mine for her party last night - complete with eye patch and ridiculous moustache!

frankie ~ issue #28

The latest frankie magazine arrived on Friday and I've hardly had time to pour over it's delicate pages, so that's what I'm about to do (with a nice, hot cup of coffee). I love Sundays.

Hershey's Kisses cookies

This recipe for Hershey's Kisses cookies was given to me by an American friend who sure knows how to bake. It's different to the official Hershey's version, but worked for me! You'll see from the ingredients that these should probably be enjoyed in moderation ;)

You'll need:
~ 1 3/4 cups plain flour
~ 1 tsp baking soda
~ 1/2 tsp salt
~ 1/2 cup castor sugar
~ 1 egg, beaten
~ 1/2 cup brown sugar
~ 1/2 cup margarine
~ 1/2 cup peanut butter
~ 2 tbsp milk
~ 1 tsp vanilla
~ One packet of Hershey's kisses (or other chocolate bits)

...and here's how to make them:
1. Preheat oven to 190 celsius
2. Mix all ingredients (except chocolate) in a bowl then form into small round balls
3. Roll the balls in extra sugar, then place on a baking tray
4. Bake for 10 minutes
5. Remove from oven and push one chocolate kiss into each cookie
6. Bake for another 5 minutes
7. Eat!

>> I haven't tried making a vegan version of these, but would like to. Perhaps using Nuttelex instead of margarine, the natural (all peanut) peanut butter, soy milk, egg replacer and dairy free chocolate? Hmm... I'll try something like that next time.

The green beret

I'm still working on the perfect beret pattern (having finished one, then unsuccessfully trying to make a better one). I'm using leftover wool from the K2TOG [knit TWO Together] project, although I still have my sale stash (the good stuff) ready in the wings for when I conquer the pattern... soon!

St Kilda Festival

I braved the St Kilda Festival today to see a friend's band play in the Palais Theatre foyer, and on the way came across this little band playing on a roundabout. Cute, huh?

The Monaco Bar Debacle

I was in two minds about posting this photo. First of all, it's a Nestle product, and they're not exactly a brand I'm happy promoting. Secondly, I became vegetarian two years ago and often think I should cut the eggs and dairy to join the vegan fleet. Even just being vegetarian I've discovered how easy it is to eat seriously delicious food without having to partake in the cruel meat producing industry, while reducing my carbon footprint and staying very healthy.

Ahem.

Anyway, I bought this today more for nostalgia, and while it was a super tasty treat for a hot summer night... I probably won't ever have another one. Goodbye Monaco!

>> I was hoping one more person might comment on my Pay It Forward post so I can start crafting up the free goodies ;)

Friends, favourites & findings... explained

I've just posted two sets of links:

1. Friends, favourites & findings... by type

2. Friends, favourites & findings... by location

This is very much a work in progress, and will be added to, edited, shuffled around and no doubt renamed as time goes on. For now, I thought it was at least better than a meaningless list of names down the side of the page. Love to hear thoughts, suggestions, additions and any comments about these!

Friends, favourites & findings... by type

Art & Design
~ (Inside A Black Apple)
~ A Thousand Shipwrecks
~ Creature Comforts
~ Design For Mankind
~ Jen Stark
~ My Charlie Girl

Fashion
~ A Cat of Impossible Colour
~ Lady Melbourne
~ Mid West Vintage
~ MouseVox Vintage
~ Pretty Little Pictures
~ The Vintage Year
~ Vegan and Vintage

Food & Recipes
~ Bakerella
~ Kitchen Wench
~ Post Punk Kitchen
~ Where's the Beef?

Knitting, Sewing, Crochet & Fabrics
~ Amitie Textiles
~ Collette Patterns
~ Duckcloth
~ Lindsay T Sews
~ Mason-Dixon Knitting
~ Popknits

Mostly Craft
~ frankie magazine : “Art Fashion Music Craft Life”
~ Threadbanger : “a network for people who love to DIY, recreate, refashion and craft”
~ CraftBoom : “Marketing an Art & Craft Business Online”
~ Cut Out + Keep : “Make and share step-by-step craft tutorials!”
~ Folding Trees : “the best tutorials and paper creations online”
~ Jannypie : “I make and share crafts, tutorials, decorating ideas, digital scrapbooking, and most recently- free blog backgrounds and blog designs.”
~ Recycled Crafts : “trash to treasure”
~ Scoutie Girl : “a penchant for the passionately handmade”

Music
~ Brooklyn Vegan
~ Mess + Noise
~ Pitchfork

Organisation & Home Style
~ Apartment Therapy : "saving the world, one room at a time”
~ Design*Sponge : “a daily website dedicated to home and product design”
~ MarthaStewart.com : I love the ‘Organizing Tip of the Day’
~ Organized Home : “Clean house, cut clutter, get organized at home!”

Pretty Photography
~ Le Love
~ Loveology
~ Lumiere

What's Happening In Melbourne
~ ThreeThousand : "ThreeThousand is a weekly snapshot of Melbourne's subculture - a Melbourne guide to film, music, design, books, art, goods and links for people who realise that the best things in life are often hard to find."
~ The Age: "Business, World & Breaking News | Melbourne, Australia"
~ Melbourne Temperature : “Melbourne Real Time Temperature Observations”

Laneway Festival

At St Jerome's Laneway Festival today I saw:
~ Tame Impala
~ Beaches
~ Port O'Brien
~ No Age
~ Pikelet
~ Holly Throsby (pictured above)
~ Augie March
~ The Hold Steady

Highlights: being happily surprised by No Age, The Hold Steady whole set, the free Library Stage, and Rue Bebelons unchanged drink prices.

Lowlights: Lack of water, lack of shade, oversold tickets, and frustrating festival layout with separated stage areas.

>> Also, everyone should check out this article "How green is your footprint?" (not just generic tips, quite insightful I thought)