Lemon Cordial is for Vodka, Lime and Soda

It's been forever since I posted, but it's not my fault.

I've been drowning in Lemons!

So, I made Lemon Cordial, which turned out not just sweet but wonderfully zingy. Then, I made Lemon curd, which is now my favourite thing to have on crumpets.

They didn't have time to get a fancy make over, I've only got one jar left!
I've also been making cards...

 ...finding things to add to the compost...

...Mr Frog has harvested our first veg, Lettuce and Spinach...

...and, we've been generally enjoying the garden Mr Frog has become so obsessed with...

Mind my bra hanging on the line.

Meanwhile, I've been going mad on Pinterest for Tadpoles 1st Birthday, and hunting for supplies. The invites are in the middle of being made, and I am slowly talking myself down from the extravaganza in my head to something more achievable without giving myself a stroke.

What have you been up to?

Got any lemons?

Lemonade is for Wimps

So, remember how I have a lemon tree?

Remember how I made Preserved Lemons?

Well, at the same time, I made this...

 

This is Limoncello.

After a month or so like this...

...this Bad Boy gave birth to these...

 Retro babies...

 Pretty little retro babies.

And that chilled little dude in front minus a little bit....?

He's mine. And had I not felt compelled to do a taste test (actually, I made Mr Frog taste it first) to make sure I wasn't going to poison anyone, my little guy would be full.

But not for long!

Oh, and the preserved lemons...?

I haven't been game to open them!

MC

Nervous Water

Tomorrow, I'm doing this:

I'm pretty worried I'm gonna be standing there "like a shag on a rock" (a little nugget from my mum) looking like a loser.

If you're in town, come visit me.

I'll be inside out of the rain and everything.

You don't have to buy anything.

But do!

MC

Odd Jobs

Since moving into our new rental, Mr Frog and I have been happily decorating all over the place. Trying out the stuff we already have, wishing for new stuff, making do, and occasionally actually buying when there's not much choice (for example, the pantry.)

Of course, my craftiness helps us out every now and then.

First up, a tissue box cover for the bathroom, which is really starting to look "finished". We bought a paper mache cover, then realised that the cheap tissues we buy from Aldi are not only shorter in length, but higher, if you follow. That means to actually have the tissues covered and not peaking out the bottom, I'd have to either buy more expensive tissues, or extend the cover.

So I extended the cover. Like an idiot.

It involved a bit of faffing...

First, eat an entire box of Cheezels on your own ( I did this over days, but I coulda done it faster!).
Raid the recycling bin for said box and start cutting.

Make a bunch of "planks" but glueing a few pieces together, trying to match the thickness of the cover.

Then get totally jack of the whole caper while having to stop and start while looking after the baby, and forget to take any more pictures.

Just finish the damn thing already.

That's a fabulous piece of scrapbooking paper from Kaisercraft.

 (Looks totally awesome if you ask me... no word from Mr Frog yet)

Next, we went mental with herbs, in pots on the deck. I love them.

 Mr Frog wasn't sure what was what, so, I made labels..

These were also made in stages, because that's my life now.

There was a bit of mucking about working out the best way to write in the clay (toothpick and water), and in the end I'm not sure I like them. Plus, I'm not sure if they'll disintegrate. I used air drying clay from the $2 shop, a bargain at $3.75. According to the packet, it dries to "earthenware hardness". I'll probably give them a coat of PVA or something just to help them out... but I'm not sold yet.

Do you think I should paint them?

Anyhoo, I had left over clay, so I made this...

Yes, that's a piece of wrapping paper in that frame. I'm so arty.

So that's what's been keeping me busy.

Now, I'm getting ready for this...

Come and see me!

MC

Eat Your Sprouts! Yes, I Said Sprouts.

Brussel Sprouts.

People often have very strong feelings about them.

I LOVE them. In winter I eat sprouts like they're going out of style.

Halved and sauteed in butter, oil and garlic. Sometimes with a little bacon thrown in. That's all you need. In fact if they're cooked properly (steamed or sauteed, not boiled and then boiled again), then all you need is a little butter and salt and pepper.

Forget what you think you know, and try it.

Or try this. I could eat pasta all day every day, and quite frequently did when I was a poor singleton. But Mr Frog... Not so much. But this recipe, he LOVES!

After trimming the ends and less lovely outer leaves, halve and then finely slice your sprouts.

You want a lovely pile like this, but quantities vary depending on size of sprouts, and frankly, the size of your people. This is about enough for two people.

Dice a couple of rashers of bacon, chop some garlic, and lightly toast some chopped almonds. Faff about arranging them just so, so you can take a bloody picture.

Then take another one.

Next, throw some olive oil in a pan and start cooking your bacon. Once it gets going, throw in the sprouts. As they soften, add the garlic, and cook, until the thickest pieces of sprouts (the stem bits) are just tender.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta (I like spirals for this, but you choose) and reserve a little of the cooking water. Drain and then throw it into the pan of cooked sprouts. Stir well, and add some of that water.

Serve with the chopped almonds scattered ever so artfully on top, and parmesan.

Trust me, it's delish!

Bon Appetit!

MC

Beauty is in The Eye of The Beholder. Or Not.

I think it's pretty clear that I am a not a professional crafter/sewer/cook etc. Yes, the things I actually sell are well made, but for everything else, I'm just a chick who likes to make stuff. Sometimes things turn out perfectly. More often then not, they turn out o.k, and on occasion, they just don't work. That's how we learn. It's how I learn. It's usually fun either way.

Here is an example of a project that "technically" kinda worked out.

But it ain't pretty.

I started with this Abomination.

 

Now you can't tell in the photo, but this palstic bag holder is a bit of a mess. It's falling apart at the seams, literally, and bags actually fall out of the bottom. It's time for a new one. A prettier one.

I've always thought a tea towel is the perfect material for these things. I don't know why. It's just an idea that would.not.leave.me.

So, this is how it went down.

I had Mr. Frog choose an old tea towel from those we already own, telling him to "choose a tea towel for the cause!", like it was for the war effort or something. Now my reasoning behind using a tea towel we already own is that, already have = free. I like free. Getting Mr.Frog to do the choosing meant I wouldn't get in trouble later for sacrificing the "wrong" tea towel.

He chose this.

 This "beauty" comes from France, from a place we've never been. I think it was a xmas present from family. Yes, the embroidery is coming undone. Yes, those are holes you can see.

I figured that given where the bag holder lives, it didn't need to be, shall we say, typically beautiful. And remember, it's free.

First, I folded over and pinned the top and bottom of the tea towel. I didn't measure, just guessed how much room I'd need to get elastic and a ribbon through the space. Then I sewed in a fairly straight line. Yes, I was being  nonchalant. The tea towel turns out to be quite wonky, and me quite nonchalant, so it turns out like this:

 

Never mind.

Warning: there are heaps of photos because I got carried away using this:

That's my super cool tripod. I'm in love with it.

O.k, then I folded the tea towel in half long ways, and sewed along the open edge, being sure not to sew over the very ends. I didn't get a shot of this step, so here's one of me in my "craft room", aka, the dining room.
That's either my posing face or I have a pin in my mouth. Or both.

Next I threaded some elastic through the bottom part and tied it off. But first I had to spend 20minutes looking for a bloody safety pin, because who the hell knows where Mr. Frog puts anything! I eventually found one in the depths of my old sewing basket, in an old tin of pins my nanna gave me.

Then, I threaded the elastic. To get the length I needed I measured along the tea towel (now doubled over) and then added half that again.

Then I did the same for the top, but with ribbon. Only, I couldn't get to the ribbon because the baby was asleep (by now anyway, before that there was a lot of crying while I concentrated on sewing moderately straight) where my craft is stored. So I pulled the cord out of the Abomination, and used that. Free!

You need a longer piece of cord/ribbon so you can get into the bag easily, and hang it on something.
And voila:

A new Abomination.

Good Lord!

Well, at least this one doesn't leak bags onto the floor. And it's hidden.

And a bonus?
On my search for a safety pin (so much swearing!) I found some old lace from an outfit I "made" in high school.

If only I had pictures of that. I thought I looked hot!

But what to do with this scrap...?

Stay tuned.

MC

Smile, You're Home

Keys.

Where do you put them? On a hook, in a dish, or perhaps you never know where they are and find them in odd places, like the freezer?

We were using a dinky little key holder from Ireland, a souvenir from Mr Frogs many travels. It did the job. But, it was dated.

So, during a recent trip to Kaisercraft, Mr Frog suggested "we" make one, killing two birds with one stone; a project for me, and a fancy new place to hang the keys.

Sometimes Mr Frog gives me a hard time about my crafts (usually the mess) and sometimes... he's my enabler!

We spent ages deciding on a word, forgoing the more predictable "Paris" for an optimistic "Smile". This is the most simple tutorial you'll ever see.
I traced  around the word on the right side of the paper. Mr Frog loves orange, it goes with the awesome Aboriginal artwork we have hanging in the entrance, and I already had the paper in my stash. Already had = free.

I thought I'd taken more pictures, but obviously not. Never mind.
I painted the edges and front of the word in grey, glued on the paper with some PVA, then when it was dry, sanded the edges using a nail file. (Or if you wanna be blokey about it use sand paper, but trust me, the file works!)
Then I hammered in some hooks, semi evenly spaced on the bottom of the letters. Let me tell you... I love to hammer!

Hammering the doo-hickeys in to actually hang it proved a little trickier. That nail on the right actually pokes out a bit on the side. Woops.

I got better though.

Voila. New key holder.

Smile sunshine, you're home.

MC