Kelly

Silk ribbon completed piece and a WIP

I completed this kit from Helen Dafter some time ago but didn’t know what to do with it. After recently being gifted with this gorgeous box frame by a lovely elderly acquaintance I knew it was perfect (and it just happens to fit perfectly!)

Now, if I was a wealthy woman I wouldn’t hold back – silk ribbon would be my embroidery of choice. I just find it so captivating. Unfortunately, it is not the most affordable hobby so I don’t indulge very often.

See the little spider making it’s way to the web?

This is my WIP – a redwork on linen designed by my husband and me and will be made into a cushion. I may release a pattern of this one too, I’ll keep you posted on that 🙂

Hope you’re having a great day, see you soon!

My Rhubarb and Custard Crumble

by Kelly 1 Comment

We’ve been blessed with very healthy and productive rhubarb plants this year! It’s taken a while for them to settle in but it seems the weather conditions ie. no more drought are just perfect now. One of our plants was transplanted from my husband’s parents farm garden and is very old so it’s just wonderful to see it thriving.

It brings back memories of my old Nanna, whom I spent quite a bit of time with in childhood and loved dearly (and still do – at 85 years she is still going).
You were always guaranteed a country home meal at Nanna’s and plenty of rhubarb from her extensive and beautiful garden. Rhubarb with custard, rhubarb with icecream and my personal favourite – rhubarb on your morning cereal with a good dollop of thick cream.

I enlisted a little helper for harvesting. She would rather have used them as marching flags or banners but didn’t mind the fun of chopping off the big leaves into the compost either. Aren’t they huge?!

First the rhubarb stew….

800g rhubarb, chopped (if you can’t rustle up that much then 500 and over will do it)

1 apple, skinned and chopped (optional)

1/3 cup brown sugar

dash of rosewater (optional)

2 tablespoons water

Cook in heavy based saucepan over medium heat with lid on. Give it a stir, then turn the heat to low. Keep cooking and stirring every minute or so until soft.

Next the custard….

Most of the time I cheat and used custard powder. If you do this, just follow the instuctions on the packet to make a quantity with 2 tablespoons of powder.

Otherwise, you can make your own from scratch.

Don’t forget the topping….

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup plain flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

60 grams butter

Chop the butter into the mixed dry ingredients then rub with your fingers until there are no chunks of butter left and it resembles breadcrumbs. An alternative is to use your food processor.

Now assemble….

Layer the rhubarb in a casserole dish. Layer the custard on top. Sprinkle with topping.

Cook in a 180 degree celsius oven for about 25 minutes.

Serve with icecream while warm or hot.

Bon appetite!

Honeyeater in watercolour pencil and ink

by Kelly 5 Comments

You may recall the photos I finally nabbed last week. So here is my first attempt at capturing the little guy on paper.

My scanner doesn’t do a very good job of reproducing images so it looks worse here than the actual piece. I left the background plain purposely because I wanted to focus on the honeyeater.

I used my watercolour pencils then finished off with black ink on some cheap watercolour paper (because it was all I had!)

This was my first rough sketch. It’s so long since I drew or painted anything that I wanted to challenge myself by making the first sketch as uncomplicated and fast as possible. I was pleased it only took a few minutes and this sketch became the basis for the watercolour.

Next time I’ll try putting in some background, and then there is the embroidery idea, not to mention the linocut……

Too cheap craft and a princess in a pretty dress

by Kelly 2 Comments

Firstly, the little princess!

In her new summer dress – Miss Madeline pattern and fabric from a swap from ages ago that has been languishing in the cupboard.

I took one of the girls along to the annual Werribee Craft Festival for a look and was pleased to see it looking really well presented and a good variety of crafts on offer. Something that really surprised me though, was the prices many of the stallholders were selling their goods for. So cheap! Too cheap!

Having sold my own crafts I can’t begin to figure out how these people can turn a profit. Which leads me to ask again – what is the difference between art and craft? For me they both run together in beautiful harmony, lending to each other and often indistinguishable. Both require skill, talent, money, time and can be really hard work! So why is craft perceived as something without value, while art pieces are sought after and highly paid for?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, perhaps you have a totally different view?

Happy weekend to you all, it’s a beautiful day here 🙂

Gotcha!

by Kelly 1 Comment

One of my favourite birds is the New Holland Honeyeater and we have plenty of them in our backyard where they often nest.

Their most favoured past time is to torment our long suffering cat by following him around the garden and making as much noise as possible.

They’re quite daring in how close they are willing to get to the dear cat in order to shout in his ear.

I’ve been trying to get some good photos but they are always so nimble and here one minute gone the next. This morning (sulky cat under my arm) I got the shots I wanted. I’m sure kitty will forgive me!

My next aim is to be quick enough to capture him, his friends and relations all lined up on the fence in a chorus, they’re really so comical and silly.

For now I’m getting out my drawing pad and watercolour pencils and if that goes well, the trusty needle and thread in an attempt to further capture this funny little fellow.

Flower fairies and butterflies in stumpwork

by Kelly 3 Comments

I just received my final piece for my stumpwork assessment back from the framer. Having never had anything framed before it was quite a thrill! I’m glad I chose the more expensive frame as it’s so beautiful and the floral theme ties in with my piece beautifully.

I’ve used a variety of techniques in the piece including my favourite – silk ribbon embroidery.

I can’t tell you how much thought, planning, then work went into this but I absolutely love it.

And another homework assessment finished and mounted. This is a blue morpho butterfly.

The wings are all detached and the body embroidered directly onto the fabric.

So now I just need to finish and assemble my samplers and I’m ready for my assessment in a few weeks, how exciting to have come so far! I’m already planning what to learn next and I feel it must involve silk ribbons!

Chocolate and date muffins

by Kelly 3 Comments

3/4 cup pitted and chopped dates

100g butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk at room temperature

1/2 cup chopped cooking chocolate or choc chips

3/4 cup boiling water

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

1 + 3/4 cup self raising flour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (C). Line a muffin tin with patty pans (paper cases).

Pour the boiling water onto the chopped dates and add the butter in pieces so that it melts. Stir.

Add sugar then leave to cool a little.

Mix in the egg, vanilla and soda dissolved in the milk.

Sift flour into the liquid and stir until just combined. Add the chocolate last and stir through lightly.

Half fill your cases for average sized muffin or fill 3/4 for large muffins.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.

These are equally good eaten warm or cool. Enjoy!

So much to love

by Kelly 2 Comments

Some random things that are making me happy at the moment (isn’t Spring wonderful?!)

Abundant roses.

In so many beautiful shades of colour.

Some new tops for me, and about time too! I brought out the trusty Ottobre 303 pattern again. This one is a round neck.

And my first attempt at a v neck which turned out so well I’ll definitely be doing it again.

Life has been such a flurry of sewing, needlework, exercise (yay!), homeschooling, worship, love and art that I rarely seem to be able to share much of it here anymore. I’m enjoying life so much more right now than I have for some time, I’ll have to share more about that with you soon.

Until then, thanks for reading….

Craft storage and yummy bread

by Kelly 1 Comment

When I think of creating storage space I dream of beautiful wooden cabinets and ornate armoires bursting with perfectly arranged and inspiring objects. The reality is a homeschooling family (especially with a mad crafter as principal!) will accumulate a lot of stuff and need solutions whatever the family budget may be, which in our case does not allow for armoires!

My solution to our craft tool and paper build up in our dining room/kitchen, where all the schooling action happens, was more plastic drawers. While not as aesthetically pleasing as wood, the price difference is massive.

The advantage of plastic is having deep, clear drawers, it’s accessible to little ones and you won’t be upset at it being banged around a bit. This unit is also on wheels, so simple to move.

I printed out some paper labels to keep track of items in drawers, though little ones who can’t read will quickly memorise which drawer holds their precious colouring pencils!

I just finished reading The Rhythmn of Family which is Amanda Soule’s latest book and found the wheat, honey and oat bread recipe to be really delicious. The book was interesting as Amanda and her husband have an interesting outlook on life, but I think I gain a lot more inspiration from literature that is God centred rather than nature centred, after all God made nature and I worship Him but not nature itself. Just my opinion, and if you need some motivation within your home life and with your children Amanda’s books do help to remind you to get outdoors and appreciate your surroundings as well as live more naturally which is a good thing.

Happy day to you, God bless you all 🙂

Cubbyhouses and perspective

by Kelly 7 Comments

We spent a lovely afternoon with some friends the other day. My girls had such a great time playing in the beautiful wooden cubbyhouse on the hill, leading to a slide down to the huge sandpit and a big trampoline.
The girls were reluctant to leave, (there is also a playground directly across the road from the house) and as we did a sort of sadness crept over me.

Image credit

We don’t have a cubbyhouse or sandpit. Our trampoline is old and coming apart. Our backyard is a fair size by city standards, but there is no room for a swing set or other play equipment.
Yep, I was feeling like we aren’t providing for our children well enough because of our financial situation.

And then today I received a letter in the mail that was such a timely reminder that I’m sure God is prodding me! One of my sisters – in – law is a religious sister and currently lives in Kolkata, India. She writes a letter a month and we get a copy. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind my sharing these brief extracts from her letter.

“One form of poverty that I can’t bear is to see women in raggy clothes that expose their bodies. Sickness, hunger, homelessness don’t strip them of their dignity anywhere as much as nakedness does, and when I see them that glimpse remains as a very painful picture in my memory”.

“… India which is a mix of great progress and primitive poverty. What is considered normal here is a shock to outsiders”.

So I gathered a couple of camping tarps, headed out to the garden and cleared a little patch beneath some branches and between the lavender and arum lilies. One of the tarps went on the ground, the other suspended by branches.

Added a couple of girly faux flowers, patchwork blanket and pretty yarn, and that’s it! They were so delighted and I was humbled.

I looked around the garden and gave thanks for the great things we do have, because there are so, so many.