This is the deliciously refreshing smoothie I made this afternoon. I usually make a cup of tea in the afternoon when I'm finishing up my work for the day, but today I felt like some thing a bit cooler (maybe something to do with daylight saving?).
I've been making a lot of smoothies lately, I'm finding them very nourishing, so I thought I'd start sharing some photos of what I've been making and drinking.
Hope you're having a great day.
Fiona x
Sydney Showgrounds
Friday 19 September – Sunday 21 September 2014
A Great Day Out For The Entire Family.
Australia’s favourite home magazine and television show is coming to life at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park, from 19 - 21 September 2014 for Better Homes and Gardens LIVE.
Whether you are a renovator, foodie, DIY or craft lover, gardening or interiors addict, Better Homes and Gardens LIVE is the only place to go for all the latest products, advice and tips for your home. Get inspired with live demonstrations and workshops from your favourite Better Homes and Gardens experts and shop for the latest gadgets and technology from more than 350 exhibitors at our one-stop home and garden product showcase.
Better Cooking
Fast Ed will demonstrate favourite recipes as well as some exciting new creations at the Better Cooking stage.
Continue reading "win free double passes to the Better Homes and Gardens Live Sydney show" »
I've been crocheting away the cold winter rainy nights here, and have made some cute crochet bags.
Just in time for spring, they are now for sale in the Quite Contrary Handmade section at Ribbons Galore (Edited 2023: Ribbons Galore is now closed). They are perfect for carrying small items bought at the farmer's market or taking the essentials out shopping or to the beach. Theyr'e a great size for younger girls too. I'm happy to take custom requests if you'd like to choose another colour, please get in touch.
The bags are crocheted from 100% Australian cotton yarn, in delicious colours (perfect for our upcoming spring and summer). They are super soft and the open stitches give some stretch.... and they have been lots of fun to make.
Hope you're having a great creative week!
Thanks for dropping by...
Cheers
Fiona
Ribbons Galore had a little appearance in the August 2014 edition of Australian Homespun magazine. The window shopping theme in this edition was "village road show".
The featured ribbon is the 'street view' ribbon which is perfect for using on projects for little boys. It can be seen centre left... on the right page.
The magazine is now available online (from www.zinio.com) and in newsagencies, supermarkets and craft shops around Australia. Print copies should be available in Europe and North America in two to three weeks time.
Cheers
Fiona
I bought a bag of little mushrooms from a stall at Eveleigh Farmer's Markets recently. They came from Margin's Mushrooms who grow their mushrooms in an old disused abattoir in Woy Woy, north of Sydney.
I saw a little sign on the stall, labelling these tiny mushrooms "marinating mushrooms". I had to try making the. A recipe guide was included with the little bag of mushrooms, along with some fresh herbs.
They were very quick and easy to make, and made a tasty little snack!
Marinated Mushrooms recipe
(adapted from the Margin's Marinated Mushrooms recipe)
Step 1 ingredients and method:
Bring the vinegar and water to the boil in a saucepan. Place the mushrooms into the liquid and boil for 2 minutes. Remove mushrooms and keep the liquid.
Step 2 ingredients and method:
Heat a saucepan/frypan with the olive oil. Add the garlic, fresh herbs, lemon rind, salt and pepper. Cook this mixture for a few minutes to let the flavours infuse into the oil. Add the mushrooms to the pan with a small amount of the vinegar/water mixture, stir to coat the mushrooms in the oil. Remove the pan from the heat. Place the mushrooms, with the oil/garlic/herb mixture into a jar.
Enjoy
Thanks for visiting.
Cheers
Fiona x
I have been increasingly interested in raw desserts and slices lately, and have been searching for recipes. One lovely blog which I've been following is Live Love Eat Raw. On her blog, Sharlene shares her raw food recipes.
I've made a few of her recipes, and two favourites so far are the raw cherry ripe slice and the raw bounty slice.
The recipe for the raw cherry ripe slice can be found HERE. I used frozen sour cherries, which gave the cherry ripe slice a refreshing tartness. The tartness is deliciously complimented by the slight sweetness of the dates and raw cacao base and the raw cacao and coconut oil topping.
The recipe for the raw bounty bars can be found HERE. The bounty bars have a creamy texture with a yummy vanilla coconuty flavour encased between the date, coconut and almond meal base and the raw cacao and coconut oil topping.
I keep the slices in the freezer, taking them out for a few minutes prior to eating so they can soften slightly. They'd make a perfect treat for Easter next week!
Thanks for visiting...
Cheers
Fiona x
I made my first crocheted beanie this weekend!
The pattern I used is by Kathy North, and can be found HERE.
Craftsy also has an online class, Crocheting in the Round, which teaches you the basics of crocheting and creating your own beanie.
Yarn used: Bendigo Woollen Mills cotton 8 ply yarn in glacier, sky and pomegranate colours.
It was a quick and easy little project... think I'll be making some more!
Hope you've had a lovely weekend, we've enjoyed some welcome rain here in NSW.
Thanks for visiting.
Cheers
Fiona x
Here's another truffle recipe I've made recently. These are similar to the Rum and Raisin Balls, with no added sugar (except the sugar that's in the Kahlua).
Here's the recipe.
Place the dry ingredients (almond meal, hazelnut meal, chia bran, cacao powder, desicated coconut) into a food processor. Blend until ingredients look combined.
Add rice malt syrup and Kahlua, then the coconut oil. Make sure the coconut oil is soft, (in cold climates you may need to soften it prior to adding to the food processor).
Put the mixture into a bowl and mix through the chopped walnuts. Cover the bowl and put in the fridge to cool.
The mixture may separate a little. This is the reason I put it in the fridge to cool. You may find the coconut oil sets around the mixture. Just stir this through again before you start rolling.
Roll into small balls. I used a 1/2 tablespoon to measure the balls out. Roll the balls around in a bowl of grated dark chocolate or the chopped walnuts. You will find them quite sticky, the heat of your hands will melt the coconut oil a bit, but this helps the chocolate to stick to your rum balls.
Place them into the freezer until you are ready to eat them or package them up to give them away.
Hope you enjoy them... If you like the sound of these, you might also like the rum and raisin balls I made at the end of last year.
Thanks for visiting.
Cheers
Fiona x
During my January holiday, I had the time to play around with some images for an iPhone case I'd been wanting to create. I wanted to use an image that would represent Ribbons Galore. I still love using my vintage wooden bobbins for styling my ribbons, and I mixed some ribbons in one of my favourite colourways, red, pink and aqua, to create my image.
I used an Australian company called The Dairy to create my new phone case.
The "design" process was very easy. Once you are on their website, click the "CREATE" button, choose your mobile devise and you will then be taken to a page to upload your image. With a few adjustments, you're done!
My new case arrived within a week of ordering. Love the quality, it's very protective, and I love having my own image there!
The Dairy has lots of designs if you don't want to create your own, and the cases are made right here in Australia! Love that! They also offer free standard shipping worldwide.
Have fun!
Cheers
Fiona
Merry Christmas, and I hope 2014 is a happy, healthy and peaceful year for you.
Thanks for visiting my blog through 2013.
Cheers
Fiona x
