Hello there!
I am so very cute….
You can make me in any colour you like….
I am so very easy to make….
I am soooo going to be loved by your Dad!!
Make me NOW!!!
“Cute little envelopes/baggies that are folded to look like dress shirts! The envelopes are sealed by folding down the collars and securing them with a tie or bowtie shape cut from paper or sticker paper.”
OH. MY. LORDIE*…….
I nearly cried when I saw this….for a number of reasons:
1. I am a qualified shoemaker so I can appreciate the idea and workmanship that has gone into this invention.
2. I loved all of the Back to the Future movies as a kid and also as a big kid now as well!
3. The future is arriving……”cue Close Encounters music”
4. I’m excited for this girl and am looking forward to following her successful journey!
Ok, ok, ok …..This is what I’m on about folks:
Power Lacing Shoes
Self Lacing Shoes
Call them what you will – THEY SERIOUSLY, TOTALLY AND ABSO-*&^&%%-LUTELY ROCK!!!
Power Laces get serious as Nike lodges patent for Back to the Future II Air Kicks | News.com.au
*Yes, I’m not religious but that’s another story – don’t send me your religious propaganda either!
Awwwww…..what a great idea for balloons!!
So, so simple and so, so lovely!!! Go Martha, go!!!
I’m a fidgeter…what about you???
I like to fidget….so I believe I really, really, really need one of these…or maybe more than one???
I love, love, love them so much I just want to eat them all up right now!!!
In any case, the ring comes in 3 sizes, and whilst the silicone is stretchy, don’t opt for the smaller size, it will be so tight that it’s uncomfortable!
Now order the ring and start googling for the meringue recipe, we can tell you’re already anxious for a soft and fluffy sugar thingy…”
What do you think?
Well, my meringue recipe is now definitely coming and on the way folks….stay tuned!!!!
All images courtesy We Heart It
A new take on ‘friendship’ bracelets!!
Let’s all get real friendly now…..
“The phrase “Pura Vida” (pu·ra vi·da) means pure life in Spanish. Enjoying life slowly, celebrating good fortune and not taking anything for granted embody the Pura Vida Lifestyle. The hard work that went into each bracelet represents the dedication and respect for the beautiful land that we all live in. Each original bracelet is handmade in Costa Rica with a unique combination of colors. Selecting your “Pura Vida” bracelet isn’t always a quick task. Local jewlers spend days, even weeks creating specific bracelets to express their lifestyle. From vibrant colors to earth tones, Pura Vida Bracelets has any combination for you.
While traveling through Central America, the team at Pura Vida Bracelets realized they needed to help clean up the beautiful beaches around the world. With the success of the bracelets, the company decides to donate a percentage of company profits to the Surfider Foundation. The Surfrider Foundation is a grass roots organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the oceans and beaches worldwide. It has over 50,000 members and over 140,000 volunteer hours. Pura Vida Bracelets strives to go above and beyond your average new fashion trend and truly give back to an important cause.
Whether it be at the beach, going to work, or even a night on the town, Pura Vida Bracelets has proven to be worn at all times. It will be interesting to see this promising company continue to grow over the rest of summer. Hello fashion world, Pura Vida Bracelets has arrived and is here to stay!
For more info, pictures and updates visit http://www.puravidabracelets.com“
From here:
Pura Vida Bracelets Sparks Latest Fashion Trend in Southern California
My man needs a man bag….what about yours???
Oh, that’s not my man….oopsie!!! But it IS a nice MAN…oh…bag….
The problem is….I can’t (for the life of me) find ANY good ones out there!
Marc by Marc Jacobs Punk Boy City Bag at Zappos.com
1. Laptop bag, Gap
2. Small bag, Asos.com
3 & 4. Leather bags, Mango
I like this one….but Oh-Oh…$$$
Then…Jackpot baby!!!
But also very $$$…..Boo Hoo…..the man bag hunt is still on….
If you find one better then these, PLEASE let me know!!!
I stumbled across these pictures today and thought they were all really great…..what a lot of work and what a great idea…..
Today is the RSPCA Cupcake Day!!!
So I hope that you are all munching away on pretty, lovely, yummy little cupcakes and of course, donating lots of $$$$ to a good cause!!!
If you missed my post about the RPSCA Cupcake Day, you can find it here….
In the meantime….
There is a war going on in our kitchens…..
A war over CUPCAKES!!!!
Love, love, love the idea…….
“Cupcake Wars pits Cupcake vs. Cupcake in Food Network’s tastiest competition yet.
In the latest episode, 4 cupcake makers vie to have their treats presented at the Alma Awards.
Judged on taste and presentation, only one will win the gig.
We are about to put on our helmet, pick up our frosting gun and go to battle.
The war is on!”
Cupcake Wars : Cupcake Wars : Food Network
Look at this amazing photo I found while searching for the above pics:
All images courtesy We Heart It
Every day Give Kids The World’s Wish families enjoy delicious ice cream from early in the morning until late in the evening. In fact, we have been serving ice cream for breakfast at the Village for over 20 years and now we think its time to share the concept with the rest of the world!
Give Kids The World Village invites everyone to support this delicious idea during the month of July by giving a “Scoop of Hope” for the families who stay at the Village every day of the year. Your “Scoop of Hope” will help ensure that we can continue to serve ice cream, every day of the year, to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Having all the ice cream they can eat is just one part of the magical vacation Give Kids The World provides to these special children.
By donating just $5.00 and picking your favorite Scoop of Hope, you’ll be helping us continue to serve ice cream for breakfast year round.
OH. MY. GOD.
Möbius
“The United Nude Möbius is the launch product of the United Nude brand. Since then it has become an icon in the world of design. Conceptually, the shoe is a möbius band where a single strip forms the sole, heel,foot-bed and upper.”
I am having major heart palpitations here at my desk folks!
For those of you that do not already know, I am a fully qualified shoemaker (Diploma Textiles, Clothing and Footwear) and I also have 5 industrial machines at home just sitting there, waiting and ready for me to use them one day. “What?!” I hear you say – “Why is she sitting on this wonderful talent??!!” Unfortunately the bills have to be paid folks and if I sat at home all day making shoes (which, mind you does take a very long time – about 4o processes go into making one pair of shoes!) I would be living in the gutter before you could say jump…..
So anyhoo, when I saw these super awesome wonderful shoes, I really appreciated the design and architecture (yes, you will see soon; I can call it that!) from a shoemaking point of view. These shoes are wonderful, beautiful and attention seeking works of art, that also look (surprisingly) very comfortable to wear. I just have to cross my fingers and toes now that they bring me a store down under in the very near future!!!
The United Nude Mono Jane is a classic Mary Jane wedge molded from lightwewight material. Its sleek design equally combines comfort and elegance. Available in nine summer colours.
The United Nude Eamz is conceptually inspired by a furniture design classic; the Charles and Ray Eames chair. The United Nude Eamz shoe is an ode to their vision.
The United Nude Loop is a revolutionary shoe silhouette, formed by dramatically molding the strongest plastics in the world. The design is based on a simple concept of penetration: a floating foot-bed slips through a sexy loop, functioning as both heel and upper.
The United Nude Ruby is a sleek, elegant and comfortable slip-on. The Ruby features a slick molded heel that has the appearance of a smooth jewel.
The United Nude Cup is a sculptured heel piece which literally ‘cups’ the heel of a classic shoe and also acts as a backpiece. Available in four exciting new styles and a multitude of eye-popping colours.
The United Nude Fold is about the fluent movement of a single strip. The strip folds around the foot front-to-back-to-front like a scarf.
The United Nude Elastics are all made with United Nude custom designed materials. The style is dominated by bright colours and linear patterns.
The United Nude Lo Res is part of a new semi-automatic design method by United Nude. An object is digitally scanned into a 3D computer model and regenerated into various resolutions. The Lo Res shoe is part of an automated design revolution.
United Nude Shoes Online Store | Spring Summer 2010 Range
They also do boots – check out the pocket and Bubble boot!!
Get some lovely, lovely lamb from your lovely local butcher….
Ask that lovely shopkeeper for some ‘souvlaki‘ meat or maybe lamb backstraps if they decide to look at you like you have two heads….
In the morning after your yummy bacon and egg or pancake glamping breakfast, grab that lamb and marinade it for the day……season it with some ground paprika, lemon juice, and dried oregano and a splash of the good ole olive oil and then soak that lamb baby for the arvo while you go exploring/fishing/bike riding/bird-watching……
Skewer that lamb when you get back from the lovely wilderness and baste it in the liquid – keep a bit for later on and seal and wrap your meat up in foil….cook it over your fire….not too close! Over hot rocks is best and cook that baby for about 45 mins per kg. Unwrap it and cook till the outside is crispy and golden brown….
Serve your deliciousness sliced and dressed with lemon juice and wrap it in a pita bread either whole or split in two for the little munchkins with sliced red or brown (white) onion, sliced (cherry ones are the best for this) and shredded lettuce and get yourself some tabouli if you are really feelin’ fancy! (Let me know if you want my tabouli recipe too folks!) Dress this little wrap of wuvly goodness with a mix of crushed garlic – hit it with at least 2-3 cloves or 5 if you are daring….and a tub of greek yogurt….
Do it like this to share it round the campfire!!!
You can also boil/steam some little potatoes cut into slices – (but I personally like quarters = more crispy sides!!), and then fry them in a pan till crispy and you have your own home made chippies to go with it!!!
Like these:
So the little munchkins are back for the weekend and guess what little special treat I had in store for them???
A donut bath!!! Not the pastry kind silly!!! This kind….fizzers!!!
But then…I found the bath bombs below that reveal toy Fried Foods and Sweet Donuts. Kinda like a Kinder Surprise!!! But in water….
So I found these little wonders and I realised that I TOO am missing out on the fun of a donut bath!!!
But, where to find these down under???!!!
‘Happy Bath Time’ Bubbling Bath Bombs
Or you can just stick to the good ole donut soap!!!
Momiji are hand painted Japanese themed dolls made in small village in Warwickshire, England…..
Each doll comes with a secret message card hidden in their bottoms!
Just as cute as the Unazukin…..maybe more with all their different little personalities!
They are to be loved and a definite collectable!
Now I just have to convince them to start shipping to Australia!!
The Momiji Doll Flickr Group can be found here
Betcha can’t guess what I’m doing right now??
Well not quite that, but I do have a plan…and it involves ice cream and heat….another conundrum….
There is nothing better when it is cold than rugging up nice and warm with ugg boots, leggings, jumper & blankie and then eating my favourite ice cream…..
All toasty while sitting in front of the roaring hot heater!!!
Don’t forget to lick it…..quick!!!!
All images courtesy We Heart It
Don’t forget to check out my Honey Ice Cream and One Ingredient Ice Cream posts….mmmmmmm
I love this dress….
Although I don’t love the look on the models’ face….
I also don’t love the price…..
So I might just have to find a nice long jumper/top from the local little strip shop clothing store and alter it to be similar….
The other option is to get a basic long sleeve t-shirt pattern and alter it yourself! Or perhaps you could find a scoop neck t-shirt in your wardrobe and make a pattern from that, then sew it up in a fleecy fabric….
This pattern from Burda is not too bad:
It is a very easy piece to make…..
Now THAT sounds like a plan….stay tuned!!! This will be my upcoming Spring Fashion project!
Bonds make an oversized sloppy Joe that is kinda getting there….and you might be lucky enough to find it on special somewhere….
One of my winter lusts was this jumper below and I recently found it on sale so it is now on it’s way to my sticky little hands!!! Knowing Melbourne and it’s weather I should have a chance to wear it while it is still cold and then stockpile it for next year.
16 Chefs
3 Days
1 Chance
It’s the Tour De France of Dessert!!!
Now that our beloved Masterchef is over what are we all to do with ourselves every evening at 7.30pm? Hopefully our networks will put a show on that is worhty of our time wasting abilities….but that may be wishful thinking….
In the meantime, check out “Kings of Pastry” for some dessert porn!!!
“This is no MasterChef-style cook-off…The tension is almost unbearable.”
Sydney Morning Herald
Here we go again – they call them macoroons!!!
Check out this fantastic blog post on the delectable macaron definition spelling debate:
I want to drive my plants up the wall!!!
“Drive your plants up the wall with Wally!
Create an instantly lush vertical garden and experience the magical fun of plants in any environment.”
They also produce Meadow – The Modular Garden….
“Put roots down and create a nurturing home for a family of plants.
Great for the budding urban farmer or flower aficionado”
As well as Islands….
My grandfather taught me to make these….a very long time ago….and I love, love, love them!!!
They are of Swedish origin and yes, they do take a little longer to chop up than normal roast spuds but the upside of this is that the potato does cook quicker and you will end up with beautifully crunchy roast spuds EVERY time – guaranteed!!!
Ingredients:
Method:
Okey Dokey folks – Who wants to make some Hornet Honey Aioli???
“Edible aims to bring you delicacies that you may never have considered or perhaps seen before, whether it be recreations of ancient aphrodisiacs consumed in the court of Queen Cleopatra, Insects eaten by the street traders of Phnom Penh or more sedate but equally interesting fayre such as rare chewing gum from Japan with unique weird and wonderful flavours to rare chocolate, teas or coffees found by our epicurean explorers around the globe.”
Check out their departments!
Insectivore – edible insects like Locusts and Beetles and oh, wait people – it’s an oven baked Tarantula!!!….
Aphrodisiacs – products like a 24 carat gold lollipop (gimmee, gimmee!!!), Scorpion Vodka and pearl dust….
Carnivore – meat and fish products like crocodile thai curry, reindeer pate (excuse me??!!) and ostrich eggs….Masterchef THAT baby!!!
Herbivore – fruits, nuts and vegetarian products like weasel and civet coffee and monkey picked tea – wow!!! Are they battery monkeys or free range I wonder?
Herbs and Spices – Wild Black Vanilla Bean Pods….
The English Garden Collection (What? For some sanity here??) – Nope – it’s Worm Gin!!!
Apothecary – Skincare range – Monkey Picked Tea Wash and Scorpion Extract Wash….
Happy Shopping!!!
Usually I freeze my old bananas to make into a banana cake…..(this is my Mumma training here)……
Then I found this great idea for using up the old frozen banana stockpile…..
It is way too cold in my part of the world to be eating any ice cream whatsoever but I hear there is a massive heat wave in the US of A so maybe someone over there will find this helpful and cooling – please let me know if you make it!
The best thing about this recipe is how easy it actually is to make!
The second best thing is it contains no fat, no cholesterol and no added sugar – just yummy, creamy and sweet bananas!
You will need about 4 frozen bananas (or 1 per person). Break them into chunks (if you can, muscle woman/man) and put them in the food processor. Pulse the processor a few times to break up the chunks then turn on full bore and run for about 5 minutes; scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally (make sure you STOP the food processor 1st!). Place the mix in a bowl and re-freeze to firm for about 15 minutes or bugger that and just eat it!!! A spoonful of Milo (or drinking chocolate) and some chopped nuts goes beautifully served with the ice cream.
Yes, so the title of this post is ‘One Ingredient Ice Cream’…..theoretically you could do this with ANY frozen fruit – berries probably work best but let me know what you try (a mix of fruit maybe?) and please let me know how you go!!!
If you are still feelin’ HOT HOT HOT, check out my Honey Ice Cream post!!!
This is also a great idea – get your bananas and fill ‘em up with chocolate chunks then bake ‘em or whack them on the barbie (BBQ/Hotplate for you non-Aussies out there) to get some chocolatey banana-ery goodness!
Or aren’t these pretty????
Pretty damn easy for the little kiddies to do as well I say….
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