Tart Up An Old Tin

I am always short of storage containers to try and help me keep my work (play) area clean and tidy (at least I try). A couple of Christmas' ago I covered these tin cans in white contact paper and used them on the dinner table with coloured pencils and pens for guests to use on the paper placemats, that is why they look a little bit "old", I diverse, back to the tins.  They needed a makeover and as I said I always need more storage.  The tins were already cleaned, dried and covered in white contact.   I had the ribbon and was looking for a project. 

Materials needed for project are:

Tins

White contact

Craft glue

Ribbon/ hessian/ material

Scissors
As a photo is worth a thousand words I’m hoping the pictures tell the story.

Best Ever, Easy Anzac Biscuit Recipe

Here we are almost a week after Anzac Day and we are still enjoying fresh Anzac (Australian New Zealand Army Corps - visit http://www.anzacday.org.au/miscellaneous/bikkies.html to get the history behind Anzac Biscuits.)  Biscuits.  Yum!  I usually make a double batch, roll the dough into balls and freeze, then I bake 6-12 at a time when needed or should I say wanted.  I just let the frozen balls of dough defrost slightly on the baking trays (usually while the oven is heating up), then flatten them slightly before baking as usual.

Anzac Biscuits

Time:  20 minutes

Oven Temperature:  slow 150^o to 160^oC

Yield:  approx 24

Ingredients

125g butter

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

2 tablespoons boiling water

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup plain wholegrain flour

1 cup raw sugar

Method

Melt butter and golden syrup in a large saucepan over a low heat.  Add the bicarb soda mixed with the boiling water.  Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and pour melted mixture into centre.  Mix to a moist, but firm consistency.  Drop teaspoonfuls of mixture on to cold greased baking trays.  Bake in a slow oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown.  Cool a few minutes on baking trays before removing to a wire cooling tray.

Vintage Curtain Simple Block Quilt

This is the first quilt I made about 5 years ago and is the one that started me on my obsession with patchwork quilting.  I try to use vintage, or at the very least recycled material. I made this one without a pattern or ever reading about 'how to' make a quilt so it was a trial and error project. I used scissors instead of a roller blade to cut the fabric.  I have since discovered the roller blade, thank goodness; it makes life sooooooooo much easier and way more accurate.  Needless to say I had to do a lot of unpicking and re-sewing. Still I'm very pleased with it. I also made the cushions and the pictures.

 

The quilt and cushions are made from old curtains I have bought over the last couple of decades. The burgundy colour material in the quilt is actually the material I saved when we had our old Club Lounge Suite reupholstered (I have used most of the material making cushions which I show you another day). The border and the backing of the quilt is a remnant of new material I bought from a curtain shop ($3.50 for the lot), I just reversed it on the back, so it looks slightly different to the border.

The pictures are just leaves with the veins exposed (I think it just the leaf matter has decomposed and left the stronger vein behind) that I found in the garden and the frames were .50c each from an Op shop.



 

The Mist

Woke this morning to a lovely mist covering Guanaba Valley, couldn't see Mount Tamborine.  It was all gone within the hour.

Say Hello to My Little Friend

I have spent the week sewing, making this floppy rag doll for the CPL (Cerebral Palsy League). It will be used by the kids to hug. Ahhhhhh. I volunteer at the CPL for a few hours every Tuesday doing anything I can to help behind the scenes trying to free up time for the therapists so they can concentrate of the kids.  I also do some sewing and crafting whenever I can on projects at home. Therapeutic items, dolls, equipment and clothing is sooooooo very expensive and as is more often than not the families are not in a financial position to pay the hundreds of dollars they cost.

I was so caught up in getting her finished I forgot to take photos as I went...... next time.

Ethan's First Easter.

I can't believe it, the four day Easter Weekend (hope you had a good one) gone!

We caught up with family, it was Ethan, our Grand Nephews, first Easter, even cousins from Denmark were able to make it. Those who couldn't be with us were missed.  Just because we weren't able to all be together didn't mean we weren't thinking of each other.

Ethan our beautiful Grand Nephew

What is Easter without Prawns, and lots of them.

What can I say.

Nickyyyyyyyyyyy!

Bluey watches on, not much of a water dog, unusual for Blues.

Too cold for the locals, these Danes liked it though.  Tourists.

Some Tuesdays Are Better Than Others....

Today started as any usual Tuesday does, Pilates at 9.00 to 10.00, followed by a take away coffee which I sip on while going through 2 Op , short for "Opertunity" and also known as Thrift Shops.  Nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual bits and pieces.  Then off to do some volunteer work, only a few hours a week for the Cerebral Pulsy League.  After which I head off to my favouite Op Shop and WOW, jackpot, I could hardly contain myself (get a life I hear you say).  I found this beautiful Art Deco heavy, thick glass bowl and a fabulous very heavy copper Bundt (I should check the spelling.... ah, later) Cake Tin both for exactly $5.00 (1.50 for the glass bowl and $3.50 for the copper cake tin).  I was sooooooo excited about showing these off I haven't even washed them yet.  I'll post clean pictures tomorrow.

Lindsey Buckingham (Live) - Never Going Back Again "to the 70's"

Flash back to the 70's, to when I first met my husband.  Memories.  Oh that guitar.

My Vintage Tea Towel Collection

There is something, calming, about watching your wash flap around in the breeze as it drys on the good ol Hills Hoist.  Things just smell better when dried in the fresh air.

I have "a thing" for tea towels, I can only use a tea towel once (that's one washing up and drying) and then I have to put it in the wash.  I know, call me compulsive.  I'm not a germaphobe, I just don't like reusing tea towels.  So knowing that about me it's no surprise that I would start collecting vintage tea towels, most are souvenirs from places visited by their previous owners.  This is only a small portion of said collection.  I love the colours and graphics.  I'm seriously thinking of making them into aprons or even bags.  I'll have to think some more about that one.