Crafting and reading - getting a balance

What I'm creating:

Back of a baby's jumper - front done, back and sleeves to go;

Udderly lovely cow from the Meet Me At Mikes book - one finished, another half cut out, more fabric purchased to make a few more (so many babies out there and no camera to take pics of the finished products);

Two quilt tops finished - can I be bothered quilting them?

Pincushion for my quilting pins - appliqued a brown bird onto some bright blue felt, perfect for stabbing and grabbing.

What I'm reading:

Wren handmade - linked from the design sponge blog, and will be crafting some DIY daily this week!

Spool sewing - can't believe I've not read their blog before, I'm so in love.

Udder handmade friends - the lady who designed the cute cow.

Recovery in mental health - a new work textbook that arrived today.

Overall I'm inspired to create and to change the world around me. I love reading what others are doing and am attempting to get the balance between wanting to create and needing to work. How I do love what I do though... hence being sucked in to the work text today.

One of my more blond moments...

This weekend I had the pleasure of being invited to a cheese party. Friends Geoff and Hannah wanted to celebrate a number of special things, so organised a party on the beach for Saturday afternoon. Guests were encouraged to bring along beach things and a plate of cheese. Being a former deli-girl, I was eager and also amazed that I have never personally hosted a cheese party. Thursday afternoon I perused the local fine food establishment, hunting for a soft rind soft goats cheese. Milawa Cheese Factory make something similar, which I've previously covered in prosciutto and baked in the oven. It was the epitome of an indulgent dinner... Anyway, given that I now live in rural Australia the options were limited when it came to goats cheese. I did find a dutch semi-hard that was piquant enough to satisfy.

So, on to my silly mistake. I opted to bake a loaf of bread to go with the cheese. It was certainly a success and I've put the recipe for the two baguettes below. Thanks Martha Stewart and Nicky from work who lent me the cookbook. The instructions called for a baking stone to be heated in the oven. As I don't have a baking stone, I used a beautiful hand-crafted wooden chopping board. Ops. I have now a black board, with a hidden grain. I must remember, wood is combustible. Repeat after me "Wood is Combustible". So an inverted baking tray made do instead. The loaves were crusty on the bottom and cooked wonderfully though.

Baguettes

Starter:
7 oz flour
¾ cup warm water – plus a little more
¼ oz dried yeast

Dough:
7 ½ oz flour, plus more for dusting
1 ½ tbs salt
1/3 cup warm water
Vegetable oil
Polenta

To make the starter: Combine ingredients in the bowl of your mixed, and combine with the paddle attachment until you have a thin batter. You may need more water that the ¾ cup. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to stand at room temperature for at least 12 hours.

To make the dough: Add the flour, salt and a little of the water to the starter. Attach the dough hook and mix of low speed for 3 minutes. Add more water, up to 1/3 cup if needed – I only used a tiny bit of water. Increase the mixer’s speed and kneed for a further 3 minutes. Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed lightly. The dough will be soft but not sticky. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour to prove until doubled in size.

Return dough to the floured surface. Press gently into an oval. Fold the top third down, the bottom third up, then fold the sides in. Turn over so the folds are underneath and return it to the oiled bowl. Prove again for a further hour once covered. Why you fold it like this, I don’t know. But Martha recommended it and it worked.

Return dough again to the floured surface. Divide dough into two pieces. Gently shape into two ovals, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle a long baking tray with polenta. Pre-heat the oven to 220⁰C, with a shelf in the bottom third of the oven in place for your baguettes to cook on.

With the long side of the oval facing you, fold the top third of one of the dough pieces down, the bottom third up. Roll into a long baguette shape. Repeat with the other dough. Cover with glad wrap and place in a warm spot to have a final prove for 30 minutes. Make four superficial slices into the tops of each baguette, and brush with vegetable oil if you want a more golden loaf. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until deliciously done.

These baguettes are chewy with a thick crust. They needs to be torn rather than cut and are perfect with cheese by the ocean.

It's show time!

The local show is on this weekend, and will be fun for those who are going. For me, it means a short working week and a bonus day on the weekend to get things done. So lovely, so exciting. Now really the house should be cleaned from top to tail, but knowing me this isn't going to happen. Instead perhaps I will

Attend a BYO cheese party
Watch So You Think You Can Dance
Sew a quilt
Knit some more of a baby jumper
Sleep lots
Finish reading In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Eat pate
Perhaps get a bit more of the sun on my bones.
Sounds stella to me.

Ever entered anything into a show? My father entered some flowers he had grown into the church fare when I was sixteen on behalf of all of us kids. We won in abundance, but each prize was only twenty cents or so. Hardly worth it. A lady at work often enters some delicious baked goods. Got me thinking, what would I enter into the show...

Off to watch an environmentally friendly home design show. Thanks ABC.

Weekend creating...

water quilt
Originally uploaded by columbialily

This weekend has been busy and inspirational. Waking up this morning I could smell the neighbour's toast, and it made me think that Sundays give you time to stop and make good breakfast, dwell over a pot of tea, read through a mountain of blogs/newspaper/new novels and get some crafting done. How I love these mornings! How I love this image that flickr came up with - the colours are so iridescent, the morning looks chilly. It reminds me of Melbourne mornings, and is a lifetime away from Darwin experiences.

I went along to a patchwork class yesterday. Both good and gumpshee things came from it. I had never participated in a class before, and was given the barest of instructions when I signed up. Consequently I arrived without an idea of what I wanted to make, without fabric and without the essential - my sewing machine. To an experienced craft-class participator, this may seem incredible! But I really didn't have a clue... So home I went to get some belongings. None the less, I ended up purchasing fabric to make what will now be a quilt. I was hoping to commence a new project, but certainly didn't expect it to be an olive, avocado and luscious pink pinwheel quilt. Pictures will follow when the fella returns the camera. I was encouraged though by the other quilters, particularly around my colour choice. There is now some question as to the boarders - to be bright pink or not... Anyway Dragonfly Fabics is the only patchwork shop in town and they have a good range of supplies. Certainly more tempting fabric than Spotlight does. The women who run the shop are experienced and more than willing to give advice. Check them out here.

So some bread is outside proving, I'm gulping down that pot of tea and just re-threaded a bobbin. I've got sewing to do, clothes to wash, a kitchen that could benefit from some elbow grease. How I love Sundays!

Blog browsing and killing time before he gets home.

So my fella is away, for simply ages it seems. He's taken the ipod and the camera, but at least I have the car and the king-sized bed. When he goes I pig out on veggie food, and don't have to share those bottles of red. But I don't sleep soundly without him next to me, and miss the board game challenges we have...

At least I've got this boy for company. Hurrah for Mr Cricket!

So, what have I been doing? Well, I did get some of those things from the list completed. I baked my little heart out, and have discovered some new irresistible cookie. They are more like biscuits actually, perfect with a cup of tea. Find the recipe here. I've taken a reader's advice, and highly recommend that their little bottoms be covered in white chocolate. Simply delicious. I've also been sewing until my back aches and my fingers hurt. An ugly quilt is almost complete. Initially I thought the combination of avocado green, burnt orange and rich brown worked. Now on mass they look like a hang-over from the 70s. What was I thinking? But so much love and energy goes into a quilt, it has to grow on me. In consolation, I'm planning my next big sewing project. Thinking blue stars with yellow middles. Taking a class on the weekend on cutting triangles in order to prepare. It will be my first patchwork class, and I'm nervous. Hopefully everyone else isn't a mamma. Will a childless 20s chick fit in? Probably not, but my sewing skills will improve hugely. Plus it is great to get to know some of the local patchwork community.

Blogs I'm interested in:

Open - Melbs deliciousness, my fave smelly store was featured today!

Vegan and Vintage offshoot - Little Love Lost

And the source of the biscuit recipe - Joy the Baker. Has to be my favourite. Love baking and happen to have the middle name of Joy. One of my goals in life is to be a better baker after all. Told my fella this, who said I would just have to practice if I want to improve. He doesn't mind at all.

Received a beautiful silk badge corsage in the mail today from my crafty and creative friend Ris. Got to love her work. Images will be up at some stage, when the camera is either repaired or returned. Have to find some pics to liven this up after all...

Reading through the Half Blood Prince, in preparation from the film coming out on Wednesday. So sappy, but so excited. Until then muggles...

Happy sewing, baking, reading...

Midweek musings

Yet again I feel annoyed that my inspiration is stiffed by working 40 hours per week. I just feel like baking, sewing, watching films, finishing off projects and starting new ones. Trawling through other's blogs reinforces this. But instead I will be putting my head down and getting my work for the day done. Although I love what I do, it is a struggle at times. Particularly when there are so many other fun things I could be doing. (Now I've done this whinging this post sounds suspiciously like one I've done before).

So tonight, here's what I would love to do:

Made sausage rolls

Bake a banana and blueberry loaf

Trim the remaining squares of an orange and brown quilt I'm slowly piercing

Starting knitting a sapphire blue baby jumper for a friend's kid

Plan a yellow fabric project

Keep hand-quilting my star quilt (only three full rows of stars to go)

Finish reading "In cold blood" by Truman Capote

Start reading "Harry Potter and the half-blood prince"

Get a good night's sleep

Let's see what happens

p.s. no images until my hubby gets back from the bush with the camera. So sad...

Sunday reading list

After a restless night's sleep, I thought perhaps the gym would be good. I go around three times per year, and it is only in our basement car park. I lasted eight minutes on the cross-trainer (I think that is what that contraption was!) before collapsing on the floor. The only solution was to come back upstairs and read my newest magazine!

Peppermint Magazine came out during the week, and was a wonderful surprise. I had subscribed months ago and not heard back from the publishers. I feared they had taken my money and run. That was me totally overreacting of course. My mind is still not made up about the mag - I'm wondering if it lacks a little something. But in saying that, it had a big article on the rise of handmade, and has a list of interested blogs who are concerned with creating, eco-ness, op-shop clothing, etc. So far I've been a fan of Vegan & Vintage and don't mind Little Green Stilettos.

Through my blog trawling, I followed a link to a link, etc and have found this fellow - Closet Cooking. His recipe for lemon and blueberry breakfast cake sounds delicious. I'm keen to read him more regularly and get on with the cooking.

Speaking of cooking, here's a recipe for the Orange and Chocolate Cake I dabbled with last week. It is a mix of a number of recipes, and a take on the traditional non-leaven orange cake of Jewish culinary traditions.

Everyday Ingredients Orange & Chocolate Cake

2 oranges
200 g melted butter or margarine
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cup self-raising flour
¼ cup cocoa powder

Beginning the night before ideally, place the two oranges into a saucepan & cover with water. Cover, bring to the boil & then simmer for 2 hours. Leave in the water until cool, ideally overnight – your house will smell delicious!

Pre-heat oven to 180⁰C. Line a round 23 cm (or so) cake tin with baking paper.

Remove the oranges from the water, quarter & place into the bowl of your food processor – skin & all. Process until no chunks remain. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, process until well combined. Pour into cake tin. Bake in oven for 45 minutes. Test to see if cooked by piercing the cake with a skewer – will be free of batter if cooked. May need a further 10 minutes. Enjoy dusted with icing sugar. Some thick cream is nice too.

Saturday business

Mt Martha boatshed, November 2008
Originally uploaded by the_bashful_owl

Today was a to-do day: clean the car parking space, go to the tip, have sushi for lunch with a friend, finished off some swaps, get enough sleep, wash the clothes, pack the dishwasher of hand wash the dirty dishes...

Some of these things go done. I went to the tip and discovered the tip shop. So exciting. I've been checking out the many before and after shots on the design sponge website, and felt so inspired to salvage something and repurpose it. Alas, not today. We currently don't have the space to work on big projects, and I just couldn't choose what to rescue. There was an appealing telescope that tempted me. As did some bronze light fittings. I found what could have been a perfect sewing chair, and a sewing/craft storage system. There were too many possibilities... The most exciting thing though was the free plant I picked up from the item disposal bins. In saying that it was free, I then went to the hardware store and spent almost $50 on a perfect pot and premium potting mix. Perhaps it was a more costly outing than I anticipated! At least the plant was free.

Today the weather is perfect in Darwin. I was perusing my photos, attempting to create space on the lappie and found this beautiful image. It would be perfect in Darwin - if only you could swim in the ocean. Oh well, Melbourne boatsheds and Darwin dreaming...

Happy weekend

Broome beachside reading... If only...

Broome beachside reading...
Originally uploaded by the_bashful_owl

Sitting at work, wishing I was in Broome reading on Cable Beach!

I took this photo of my fella when we recently went on holiday to W.A. The nightly sunsets over the ocean were my absolute favourite part of what was a challenging trip. Can't you just smell the salty water and feel the sandy grit between the pages in your book?

Things are getting me down around here at the moment. I've got some challenges with work, am really missing my fella (who is away for an extended period), can't seem to get enough sleep, and don't have the time to craft. I'm longing for a holiday and some rest for my weary brain and body. So posting this photo gives me hope - beautiful places exist, there is always time to watch the sunset, holidays are precious, I will get rest again!