tiny happy

homemade

I've been thinking about making muesli for a while now, and finally this weekend I got around to it. We are a breakfast-cereal-eating kind of family, and it seemed like I was buying boxes of cereal more than once a week. So I think this homemade variety will be more filling and hopefully last a bit longer. Plus I know exactly what's in there, if you know what I mean.
I think it's quite fun to make muesli at home, because you can throw in all sorts of different things and really tailor it to whoever will be eating it each morning. Or, as in my case, whatever is in the cupboard.

Here is my recipe, but you can add or subtract ingredients to suit your own taste. This made two big jars full.

~ Toasted Muesli ~

Around 1 kg rolled oats
1/2 cup wheatgerm
250 gms bran flakes
handful of sliced almonds
big handful of sunflower seeds

2/3 cup rice bran oil (but you could use any kind)
1/2 cup organic honey

handful of chopped dried apricots
2 handfuls of sultanas/raisins

Place the first group of ingredients (oats, nuts, etc) into two shallow roasting trays. Mix well. Bake in the oven at about 100 degrees celsius for around half an hour, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted.

In a small saucepan, melt together over a low heat the oil and honey until liquid. Then sparingly pour this mixture over the toasted dry ingredients. Mix well.

Place the trays of muesli back into the oven on a very low heat and stir every now and then. Remove when the mixture has dried out and is nice and crunchy. (you might even want to leave them in the turned-off oven overnight.) Finally, mix through the dried fruit, and tip into storage jars.

waistlines

I found this pattern at the recycling centre a while ago: Style 2542 from 1982. I was happy because I'd been looking for a skirt just like it in the shops, but hadn't found one. And since I'm getting all excited about spring, I decided to sew the skirt on the right- 'view 3', with buttons all the way down and roomy side pockets. I used a lightweight denim fabric- light blue on one side and dark on the other, and some white shell buttons.
And this is when I would like to tell you that it looks great on me, and I can't wait to wear it with my summer sandals. But actually, I can't see that happening. Even though I measured and adjusted the pattern carefully to suit my body, it seems I underestimated my own waistline. Or rather, lack of one. So this weekend I'll be pulling out my old elastic-waisted skirt pattern. I think that's more realistic than hoping I'll get into a routine of doing sit-ups every morning.
It was fun to make, though! And who knows, my sister might like it.
Happy weekend to you.

retrolicious

When I was unpacking an old box of books the other day, I came across this ripped-up old craft book: 'The Golden Hands Book of Emrboidery- 80 super designs' published in 1972. Even though the styling and most of the projects are quite outdated (I can't see myself ever making a tapestry floor rug or matching monogrammed dressing gowns, for example), I love the actual embroidery designs themselves. Especially those blue and green floral cushions at the bottom- aren't they beautiful? And the embroidered town design- I would love to make something like that one day.

after the storm

There was a big storm here last night- torrential rain, thunder, lightening and wild winds.
I love storms.
This morning on the walk to school, we found this sprig of jasmine that had escaped from its garden hedge in all the wind. And I just had to embroider it in my child-free hour this morning. And then make it into a little coin purse for today's shop update. It's never just enough to put it in a vase, you know.

washed up

We went away for the weekend, to a beautiful coastal area a few hours away from our town. It was great to be away for a couple of days and stay in a cosy little cabin by the beach.
We spent a day walking at Farewell Spit, the strip of land at the very top of the South Island of NZ, and built a shelter from driftwood and our jackets and ate lunch looking up at the nikau palms and across at the big ocean. I think we even had the entire beach to ourselves, from what we could tell.
On the way home, we stopped to watch a lone seal sunbathing on the sand, and explore an amazing cave (Ngarua Cave) filled with stalactites and stalacmites.
The sad thing is, I forgot to take my camera. But, I did bring this one shell back as a reminder, and this great old book about identifying shells for the kids: 'A Child's Book of Sea Shells' by William M. Hutchinson (1954). I love the illustrations, and it's nice to be able to learn the names of different sea creatures. The one in my hand is a mussel shell, destined for a life in the rock garden.

weeds from the walk home

It's amazing how many things are growing here in the Antipodes, even though it's winter. On the walk home from kindergarten today, Keira and I collected an assortment of weeds and/or wildflowers, all growing along the side of the road, or from cracks in the pavement alongside the shops.

This gathering activity also coincided with my need for new stationery, and so this 'weeds' set was born. I printed letter-writing paper in green and yellow ink, and cards in white ink, on grey and brown recycled cardstock. Thank you, gocco-machine, and lovely hardy plants.

a thursday list

Things to be grateful for on Thursday.

-Being the 'parent help' at kindergarten and spending a morning playing hide and seek, and wrapping 'presents for grandads' with a group of children (mostly scraps of paper and plastic wrapped in multi layers of bubble wrap.) And having such fun with it.

- Clover in a small glass bottle on the kitchen table. And washing on the line in the afternon sun.

- A drawing from Arlo on the mantelpiece. And a new dress made for Keira.

Hope you're having a good Thursday too.

old favourites

Some old favourites: for my shop this week I made a few bags from my favourite old pattern- a stripy grey bag and one with yellow roses. I like yellow roses.

And some other favourites which are old, but new to me: this vintage melamine tray, found for 50 cents at the op-shop. I love the colour and the shape of those flowers. Also some great wooden salad servers, made from what looks like thin pieces of wood patchworked together. And a 'father' saucer, because we all know dads like to smoke pipes and cigarettes while using tools and wearing slippers. Lovely old things.

you just need potatoes

I found this great little book about potato printing at the library the other day: Potato Printing by Susanne Strose (published 1968 by the Little Craft Book Series, Sterling Publishing NYC) which is quite dated but has some sweet designs for printing with vegetables.

Lots of the ideas in the book focus on making an interesting (sometimes quite complex) design, using a very simple shape that can be cut into a potato, for example a triangle, or notched shape. Thought you might find some of the pages inspiring too.

Even though I had some some 'important' things to do I decided to dedicate yesterday afternoon to printing with Keira. We carried a big bag of potatoes home from the store especially for the purpose and made cards and wrapping paper for future birthdays. More fun than cooking, I think.

crabs and cardigans

Thank you for your kind words on my last post- I'm feeling better now. I had a quiet weekend that saw Tom and his brothers move my heavy old piano into our new house (thanks again you three), ready for a little casual playing and practice. A bit of planting in the garden. And a trip to the beach with the children- I love it there in winter. It's been raining a lot and all sorts of things get washed up onto the sand. This smiley crab shell was my favourite.
I made a new wool cardigan for Keira from an old adult's one I found at the second-hand shop. I think it's a merino/angora type of mix. Super soft and cosy and light brown in colour. I hand-sewed the binding which was given to me by Charlotte when I saw her last week. I think she bought it from the Trelise Cooper shop in Auckland- it's a kind of silky georgette fabric. And to fasten the cardigan: a line of mismatched mother-of-pearl buttons.