Currently Crushing on STYLE FINDS - AUSSIE STYLE #1

I love finding new places to window shop, or screen-shop since I do a lot of it online these days. I often stumble across websites that I wonder if other people know about them. So I thought I might compile a list of sites that I have recently found and share them on. Today;s list features Australian businesses. I thoroughly believe in shopping local as much as possible. I do shop overseas, especially handmade items.  But when and wherever possible I love to support small Australian businesses.  Unless stated, I haven't purchased from these stores, I just like browsing their sites and hoping one day I will get back and purchase something.

MisterZimi - an Australian business that sells gorgeous clothes for women. Has a bit of a boho vibe with bright colours and patterns. Not for big ladies, as in 16+. Sizes range from 6-14, although they do sell shoes. Prices range from $95 to $180. My current crush is on the Santorini Tina Dress.

Bohemian Traders - as the name suggests, a modern bohemian fashion line, that is reasonably price in terms of the upper middle end of the fashion budget. Though they do have great sales, but be quick!! I personally have not yet purchased from here, I have been a bit slow on the up take with their sales, but I plan to in the future. They offer international postage and I am personally in love with the current Vintage Embroidered Shell Top, as shown below but in all the colours!!

 Bohemian traders also offer accessories and gift certificates.

Little Tienda - again another bohemian style fashion brand but from a Mexican perspective. Sizes range from 8-16 (please refer to their size guide).  They stock clothes, shoes, and handbags. I'm crushing on the Señora Las Flores dress.

Blue Bungalow - love the look of this Aussie shop. I came across in on Instagram. Variety of garments, footwear, and accessories and with affordable prices. Many under $100. Sizes range from 10 to 16, which is a bonus for the likes of me!! There is a lot to see on this site. Other than clothes, they also stock a range of accessories, lipsticks, and candles. International postage is available. I am crushing on the Ink Border Blue Dress and the Pearl Ankle Strap Sandal.

Ankoa - another bohemian style clothing line, but the patterns are slightly unique and different to the others I have listed. Another Aussie business that offers International postage that offers clothing, bags, and jewellery. Currently crushing on...

Viola Pintuck Blouse Pink and Blue Floral

Mathilde Dress Red Poppy

Boom Shankar - I am a little reluctant to share this site because i love it so much!! I was shopping the other day and lady in front of me was wearing a gorgeous and comfortable looking summer dress. I enquired where you scored it from. She told me and said that 6 other people that day asked her the same thing. She told me that it is the best website and always uses. Thanks random lady, I am totally converted!!! Sizes range from 8-16 and some items are cotton stretch for comfort and sales are amazing. Currently crushing on heaps of things, but I am narrowing it down to...

Daisy Dress - filigree blue

Daisy Dress - afri blue

Pipe Dress - suess yellow

Maxi Skirt Geo

I will be listing many more fashion sites for all members of the family, craft, homewares, make up and more. Hope you find something new, interesting, and your reliable place to shop. If you have your own business, anywhere in the world that ships worldwide, get in touch i would love to hear from you and discover your treasures. 

Planning for Christmas - Kid's Wish List

With Halloween over, I know have some time to plan for Christmas. Being a Christian, this a very important social holiday to enjoy and celebrate. I plan to decorate my house, particularly outside as big as I did for Halloween. But all the decorating aside, the other part that a lot of parents stress about is the presenting 'organising'. What should Santa be bringing this year? Here is a letter I found on Pinterest. This is a good way to start your planning and it also teaches a child there is a purpose behind the gift. Everyone does it differently, but the last 5 years or so, I have been trying to limit the amount of presents on Christmas morning. Both my husband and I are from large families, and we do draws and Grandparents also purchase for our kids. So they aren't short of receiving presents. I also like my kids to remember charity and service at Christmas time too, and not so much what they WANT.

So here is the letter, which I have borrowed from here and you should be able to get a better downloadable copy.

Teachers Christmas Present Idea - Say it with a chocolate bar or two or three or..... !

Each year as Christmas draws near, amongst the other people I have to consider presents for, I  know that I need to think about what to get my kids' teachers. Being a teacher, I think of the gifts over the years that I have received and the ones I do like most were the book vouchers, or the items that I never thought I would get! Its always a surprise when a student or parent comes into school to give you a present. Its a warm feeling and it makes you feel good about what you have done for that student. You know you have left a good impression on both parent and child.
I have loved all my kids' teachers this year. They have all done a sterling job in teaching them and putting up with their little imperfections....little as in child little!! I would love to give them each a car, or a washing machine or something that I know would be super helpful in their lives. But since I am not Ellen D or Oprah, I will turn to the next best thing...my craft! I love to make things that will leave an impression, well, I at least hope to anyway.

This year, I was racking my creative brain, trying to think of something that would be outstanding. As time kept getting away from me and I quickly realised last week I had to come up with something good, I was reminded of an experience when I was studying for my HSC. A good friend came to visit with her mother and she gave me a card that had a creative message using lollies and chocolate bars. It was so cool, and it made my day. The experience has stayed with me all these years, but I so wish I had kept the card, so I could tell you what it said. I do remember Extra chewy being in the list, as well as a Twirl chocolate bar. Anyway, this was my inspiration for what I ended up doing. I thought about all the types of chocolate bars available to me (in Australia) and I wrote a little message to go with it. Here is a photo I remembered to take at last minute.

I then rolled the cardboard up and tied it with some green and white bakers twine. I have to admit, I was a little excited to have them go off this morning. I was happy with my efforts and I thought if this was coming my way, it would make me smile. I was ecstatic to find out that all the teachers loved their chocolate messages and were actually taking them to the staff room to show other teachers, woo hoo!! I did the same message for all of them, as their were 4 altogether (1 child had a job share situation). This is the message I came up with, with the types of chocolate bars in capitols:

Just wanted to take some TIMEOUT to say that I think you are a STAR and definitely not a FLAKE-y teacher. It has been a BOUNTY- full year and at times it was no PICNIC, but now the SUMMER (ROLL) is here you can DREAM and be BUBBLY which will give you a BOOST for next year. I know sometimes it seemed as though I was dreaming of MARS or maybe even living on the MILKWAY, but I was actually listening and am grateful for the BOUNTY of skills you taught me and that my knowledge is now (CHERRY) RIPE and ready for the year that awaits me. I think it might even be safe to say that maybe you have helped me become a bit of a SMARTIE(S). Thankyou also for putting up with the 'occasional' SNICKERS that I would make.

You are a MARVELLOUS CREATIONs.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a safe New Year.

Feel free to use this if you want to do something like this for a neighbour or family member for Christmas or any other occasion. I wrote out each card because I couldn't access the computer last night, but I would say that pasting out typed sentences would be the better way to go. I would also recommend a Sharpie, permanent marker, or white label stickers to cover up the parts of the chocolate names you don't need. For example, for STARBAR, all I needed was STAR, so I crossed this out the best I could with may thin Sharpie liner, but you can still see it from a distance. Its really not a big deal, but I would have preferred to be able to do that. Good luck with your version and leave a comment if you have any questions.

Christmas Cooking....Sweet and Salty Rocky Road Crunch

One thing I so love about Christmas is the opportunity to cook for others not just on Christmas day, but also to whip together little treats and give them as gifts. Each year I search for and make something new. I haven't quite found something that really has taken my liking so much that I can't stand it, but I did begin my whipping up of delights on Sunday. We were heading off to have a picnic up on the central coast with friends and I made some rocky road Christmas trees. Rocky Road is one of those things that could be likened to how different a curry is depending on which parts of India you are from. Rocky Road means different things to different people so there are many different recipes floating around the internet. Traditionally, I am told, Rocky Road was made with nuts, coconut, glazed cherries, and marshmallows. Personally I am not a fan of glazed cherries and I don't like how coconut stays in your teeth/molars for hours after you have consumed the chocolately goodness. So I don't add  that either. In replacement of the cherries I add raspberry lollies. I don't really replace the coconut per say. I tend to add whatever takes my fancy at the time. However, what my recipe always maintains is good quality Cadbury chocolate, nuts, and marshmallows. Those who consume my Rocky Road tell me its to die for, which I think is one of the best compliments a cook could ask for!

Today, I made something kinda like Rocky Road, but very different in more ways than one. It didn't have anything resembling a cherry or raspberry lolly. It does maintain the chocolate part and the marshmallow, but I decided to add a little crunch using Heath English Toffee Bits.

First of all, I do have to apologise to all my Aussie readers. To my knowledge, I don't believe you can purchase Heath English Toffee Bits here in Australia. I was lucky to have a family member bring some back from the USA for me. What you could substitute it for could be homemade toffee processed into small bits. You could also use the caramel chip/bits that Nestle make, or you could chop up some caramel fudge or Jersey caramels, but you won't get a crunch effect, but it would still taste really good! I also added broken up pretzels to the mix and this is what I got.

This is a mixture of sweet and salty, smooth and crunchy. It makes for a different take on the traditional Rocky Road, that's for sure. I'm confident my recipients will be delight.

Handmade Christmas Bauble Wreath - Very easy

So I did mention that I would make some decorations and I know sometimes I write with good intentions, particularly when its craft related,  but don't always follow up. This time is different. I am actually following up which is an achievement in its own right!!

As you all know, I love Pinterest, and this is where a lot of my inspiration has developed from. I have a Christmas Ideas board which you are all welcome to take a peek at and follow if you wish to.  There are heaps of fun things to cook and make and just drool over! There are some amazingly talented people in our world and I am so grateful that they are happy to share their talents with us.

So my first project was making a wreath for my front door, or as my son says, Wreef!  The pin that I had on my board was pinned by, Pearls- handcuffs- Happyhour, who discovered it via Eddie Ross. If you Pinterest, then you know how all that stuff works - pinning via another and another and another!!!  The wreath looks gorgeous and it is fairly straight forward to make, although I would suggest you have a friend/child/partner/spouse with you to help you with some of the wire twisting.

First of all I have to ask, how on earth do you make a good circle with your wire hanger? I have decided mine looks 'organic' as it circular, but by now means a circle....i'm no perfectionist or anything...haha...heehee. Lets move on shall we.

You will need:

 *  roughly 60-80 Baubles in colour of choice - I got mine at Coles.
(I used 60 as this was what I bought and realised later more was required, mine just looks a littler smaller)

*  1 wire coat hanger

*  Some ribbon or twine.

*  glue gun and pair of  pliers

For all step-by-step pictures go to here or here. 

This is what I did:

1. Shape the wire in the best circle you can do without cursing. A pair of heavy duty pliers come in handy with this. I did it free hand but you could perhaps use a basket ball to shape it...I thought of this just now..tad bit late but helpful to you!).

2. Eddie Ross and Team Caroll both glued the tops of their bauble on, but I found that mine were on quite securely. Only 2 baubles fell off when I finished, but if you would like the peace of mind and have the extra 10mins or so to glue them on, then go for it!

3. Then string the baubles onto the wire alternating colours and sizes as you go.

4. When all the baubles are on, with the help of another person, hold the ends of the hanger together and twist together with the pliers,use gentle hands when you do this.

5. You can wrap some ribbon over the wire to make it look pretty. As for me, I was a little frustrated by the time I had finished and just wanted the wreath up and looking good! I will add something soon, but I do tie some twine onto the hook I made with the hanger so that it would hang nicely on the hook I have on my door.

Here is my finished product and all for $8 which is the cost of the baubles. It could cost more if you wanted to add more than 60. Still a good project and looks great....well I think so anyway:)

 I will be posting more as my week progresses. I am very excited about a two story gingerbread house that hubby is creating. The kids will decorate, so I am taking pictures as the project progresses before the onslaught of child-style decorating!!!

Handmade Christmas Decorations

My goals to make some handmade Christmas decorations are still in place...but aren't happening yet!! I have the supplies so I have started, but I have to just organise the time and get it moving. I also really want to get some cute gifts going this year. The kind that have a Christmas message that relates to the names of Chocolates or lollies...my kind of gift! I see these on Pinterest left right and centre and my board is full of pintastic ideas! Over the years I have come to realise that Americans really love their holidays and are so creative with gift giving, its really inspiring.

In the mean time, while I am working out when to start my own Christmas creations, I have come across some more amazingly talented people who make interesting things. As you all know how much I love handmade goods, I want to share with you another talented creature!

Marina has her own Madeit shop called Resinating where she sells her own hand cast resin creations. She makes Christmas decorations, and a range of jewellery that includes but is not limited to necklaces, rings, and earrings. If you are a Lego lover or know someone who is, then you will love her Lego man pendants that are made into necklaces or key rings.

For me, I purchased her Christmas decorations because they were well priced, brightly coloured, unique, and well made. Each set is made up of 12 decorations and cost $12AUD excl postage. The colours are so rich, and they look like lollies...maybe that's why I like them!

I purchased mine for our tree, but they would make great individual gifts for work colleagues or friends.

Do you like a good bunting? It seems to be the 'in' thing at the moment and you come across many that look great, but sometimes there is something missing. When I came across Hot Fudge on Madeit I fell in love with Robyn's Christmas buntings instantly. The bright, stand-out colours are hard to resist, well I bought one so I didn't really resist!!  The bunting is handmade and cost $22 incl postage. I am thinking I should really grab another before they go!  I think I like these buntings because they aren't traditional, yet you know that its Christmas by just looking at them. Hot Fudge is not limited to just buntings. If you have a little girl to buy a gift for this year, then you will fall in love with her divine dresses. They are amazing and the bright and unique materials aren't what one would see everyday. If you like the bunting style, you can also snap up the garlands and pop some colourful shapes in your little ones bedroom, take a look at her Madeit store for her full range.  She also has a  Facebook page and an Etsy Shop.

Buy or Make Handmade For Christmas

Most of you know I love handmade. Whether its something I can DO and share with you, or if its something I can BUY and share with you all, I love it!  Christmas is a time for giving, and I think that we are all aware of how commercialized Christmas is faster becoming. Well, I think it always was, but it is becoming more so as we become more materialistic.  How to do we overcome this? I think we need to step back at this time of year and work out what Christmas really means to us. I think we need to work out what kinds of gifts will mean more to our recipients now and in many years to come. In saying that, I think there are a good number of items on a commercial level that can fit this bill, but I think there is a growing number of items of a handmade nature that can fit the bill better and I want you to consider this if you haven't yet.

For me, I like to think about the person who I am buying for and how well do I know them? This can be hard especially if you are in a Kris Cringle for work, but if your gift is for family or friends and you don't know what to give them, then its a good time to think what you can do, to get to know this person better to make your job easier next year!

Buying handmade or making something yourself, makes the gift more personal and you can give something that is unique in style and design. By giving handmade you are communicating to your recipient that you have thought about them in a meaningful way and taken time to consider their present. I also think when it's handmade, unless its edible, it can usually last a while or even forever and it reminds the recipient of who the gift was given by each time they see it.  How easy do you think it would be to throw away a gift you know someone, be it the giver, or the person they have purchased it from, has worked hard to create?  This is something we don't really understand as consumers of commercial goods. We don't always realise what goes into the creation of an item. However, I think when we buy handmade or make it ourselves, we tend to understand it better and appreciate the process and the item more and so would our recipients. Buying handmade also supports individuals, not mass corporations and for me, that makes me feel better knowing I have supported a person who is giving it a go!

So with this in mind, I would like to  spend a few posts over the next couple of weeks sharing with you what I create this Christmas. I also would like to share with you handmade and creative products that I admire, some of which I have purchased for Christmas presents, although I won't specify which ones, in case family and friends are reading! I hope that I can encourage you to think outside the box, and purchase from some amazingly creative people, or inspire you to get a little creative yourself.

LesleyJane Designs

Lesley is a talented designer who makes beautiful bags, purses, and jewellery rolls in a range of designs. I like her work because she uses bright, interesting, and quality fabrics. Her designs are simple, yet versatile.  So that you get to know her on a personal level here are some interesting facts about Lesley.

• In her past she studied fashion and worked for a British fashion designer
• After many years she decided to create something under her own name
• Her bags and purses are made from her own patterns
• All her bags are one of originals - no 2 bags are the same! 
• She loves to sew, and while her life gets busier, she will always keep sewing!

While Lesley is located in Great Britain, you can purchase her items no matter where you live via her Esty Store. Postage is reasonable and delivery is prompt.  Here is a taste of her current range.

 
Me2 Designs
I introduced Melanie last year as a unique Christmas gift idea. I want to re-introduce her because I love her work! Its truly different and she is also doing her bit for the environment by upcycling and re-using spoons and other materials to make her goods. In particular, I want you to take note of her gorgeous Christmas spoon decorations. If you are searching for a decoration, but not an ordinary one, something different and like nothing else you have seen before. I also find that if you aren't sure of what you buy for someone, a unique decoration can always be a good option.  You can find Melanie at her Madeit store or Etsy store.

 If you want to make sure you keep up with all my Christmas crafts and places to buy handmade, make sure you sign up to the e-mail notification, found to the right on my side bar.

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Sugared Walnuts and Danish Feta

Every year I get a food assignment for Christmas dinner and this year I scored what I love to make, salads!! I wanted to do something a little bit different, but still yummy and memorable. At my work Christmas party, one of the girls made the above salad and it was so gorgeously divine, I was hooked and new I had to make it for my Christmas dinner! It is super easy to make.

Zuccini
Sweet potato
Grape or cherry tomatoes
Red onion
2-4 cloves of Garlic - up to your preferred taste
Capsicum - at least two different colours
( this is what I used, but you can adjust to what is in season, but never use potato!)

I small bag of baby spinach
1 small packet of walnuts
1 cup of sugar
Danish Feta - at least 150-200gs
Balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil.

Method
Pre heat oven to 180C.Chop up veges in to medium sized pieces(leave garlic whole or mince) and add to a plastic bag or larg zip loc bag and drizzle generously with oil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste and toss veges so that all are covered well. If you have the time, marinade the vegetables for an hour or two, this will increase the flavour intensity.

Add to baking tray with juices and bake in oven for 30-40mins or until cooked well and a bit crispy. You can take the veges out once or twice during cooking time and toss and coat the veges. Once cooked leave out to cool down.

On low heat in a saucepan, add walnuts and sugar and toss to coat the walnuts until sugar is dissolved and walnuts are well coated and smell sweet. Be careful not to burn the sugar, as this will make them taste awful!! Set aside to cool.

Assembling the salad

Pour spinach leaves onto serving bowl or platter - I think its best not to have a deap bowl, more a large shallow dish. Add vegetables will juices. Add walnuts then crumble feta all over salad and serve immediately. You could also add semi dried tomatoes and olives if you like, but its not necessary. You can add more balsamic if desired.

This is a great recipe for BBQs or family gatherings because it doesn't cost too much to make a large quantity.

I also made an Asian cabbage and crunchy noodle salad that I added roasted silvered almonds too. It was super yummy and a natural crowd pleaser! Unfortunately I didn't get a pic of this:(

Snow Covered Rocky Road

I think for me, making rocky road usually means its Christmas. I don't normally make it any other time of the year and I don't really think of making it any other time of the year. I have posted about Rocky Road bites before, but this time I wanted to do something a little bit different.  This years mix included:

Pascall marshmallows (best marshies on the planet!!!)
rasberry lollies
almond M&Ms
Roasted silvered almonds
Malteesers

To this I added melted Cadbury dairy milk chocolate and mixed through to coat all the ingredients and put it in a pan to set.

Just before I put this in the fridge to set completely, I decided, for something different to melt up some Nestles premium white chocolate for the snowy effect, because it really suits the climate of Sydney, Australia this time of year!!! Hahaha!! Na, it was just for something different and it looked good!

I then cute up the Rocky Road into bite size pieces so you don't feel overwhelmed when you eat it!  I didn't get a picture of the pieces, but it was super delicious!

ROCKY ROAD BITES

I  have seen some cool christmas treats lately, which got me to thinking, even though I did not have much time to do my own cooking this year, i did have time to make these little yummies! Who doesn't love Rocky Road? If you have never heard of it, you must make it as soon as possible and understand the true sweetness of this amazing treat! I have had some great rocky road over the years and of course, some not so great. My secret is to use the best chocolate, which for me is Cadbury Dairy milk and good quality nuts, preferably not peanuts, for no other reason than, I prefer not to use them!! I tend to go for cashews, but really any kind of nuts is fine, or you can also opt for no nuts. I have heard that traditional Rocky Road has coconut, but I don't use it and also glace cherries which aren't popular in our house so I use raspberry lollies but you could use freeze dried or dried raspberries/strawberries to be a bit more healthy. You could also get away with Craisins as well. I made these christmas eve and it took me all of about 25mins to make make them and then it takes about 30mins to set them in the fridge. Super easy!

Ingredients

500g quality milk or dark chocolate melted
1 packet marshmallows chopped - Pascall Marshmallows are the best in the world!!!
1/2 to 1 cup nuts - can be roughly chopped.
1 packet raspberry lollies chopped.

Line mini muffin tray with paper or foil cases.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with melted chocolate until well coated. Place in mini muffin cases and refridgerate for about 30mins or until set. Makes about 50

You can make them bigger or in a rectangle pan and cut to size. I just found that these were the prefect size to just pop into the mouth without looking bad!!!

All these ingredients can be stored in your pantry or freezer short and long term. Its a great treat for dessert for a party. They also make a great gift, especially if you need something quick.