Early Riser?

I am not a morning person. As much as I love the idea of getting up with the sun, my brain hasn’t yet convinced my body to put this idea into action. Rather, I push the snooze button every 5 minutes until it gets to the point where, any longer, I would be running late for work.

Unfortunately for me, Mr B. is not a morning person either (who ever said opposites attract, anyway?), which means both of us struggle to find the motivation to make the other our morning hot drink when all we want to do is sleep ::sigh::

This morning was different as Bardoe had an early bus to catch to go to a conference out of town, so we were both up 2 hours before usual (though not without difficulty).

That is how I came to be awake and ready at 7am when the most unusual thing happened – I had all this spare time on my hands before I had to be out the door. What to do? Well I made a hot breakfast (normally a weekend treat) and then straightened my hair. Voila les resultats!

Skirt re-make

 

I have had this brown velvet skirt for quite a while, but rarely wear it as it is just a little too long to be ¾ and too short to be full-length (being tall I often get this).

So I cut the lining off another old skirt and attached it to the inside, then folded the hem of the brown skirt up beneath and attached it to the lining, creating a bubble hem (WAY easy!) 

Still not quite satisfied, I hitched up the front of the skirt a-la-Victorian, and was quite pleased with how it turned out!

 I turned it inside out to take a photo of the bubble hem, then discovered it works even better inside-out (good thing I sewed the lining on wrong-side to wrong-side so no seams are visable). GENIUS? I think so.

Healthy Noodle Soup

After accidentally purchasing Chinese medicinal vegetables instead of black fungus from our local Asian Supermarket (I was in the mood for an experimental recipe, okay?!),  the Udon noodle soup I made for lunch yesterday still turned out super delicious! 

Not to mention it was truly healthy. Steamed chicken is a wonder that rarely appears in my cookbooks but I must try it more often as it retains the chicken's flavour and oh-so-moist.

I really treasure the lunchtimes I can spend with Bardoe, as we live close enough we can both walk to work it is so nice spending our lunches together at home.

Cinnamon Scrolls

 Days from baked to demolished…2 days.

There’s just nothing quite like them.

DIY Fringe Necklace

I made this necklace for a birthday present and it was so easy! The beads do take a bit of time to attach but you can do this while listening to some upbeat music and you'll get it down in no time ;]


What you'll need:

 40cm x string of pearl beads
40cm x length of ribbon
10cm x length of fringe (or longer if you wish!)
glass beads (enough for each tassel)
1 x necklace chain

I bought all the above materials from the local emporium store, in total it cost less than $3!
 (You will also need hot glue and a lighter or some matches)


Steps: 

1. Cut the length of fringe you want for the necklace, and burn the edges of the fringe to prevent fraying (careful not to let it burn too quickly or you might lose more than you expect!)

2. Place the ribbon and string of pearls together, and attach the necklace clasp on each end so they are held together.

3. Glue the fringe onto the ribbon, in the centre, then glue the pearls on top, so the fringe is sandwiched in the middle

3. Thread one bead onto the end of each tassel, then tie a little knot to secure. (Optional: I also burn the tassel after you have tied the knot to give it a neater edge)

4. Put on your new necklace and enjoy!  I think it would work well with longer fringe, you can always trim it to taper more in the middle. You could also attach a rosette or something similar to one side for extra prettiness :]

Movie Night

source: weheartit

Last night the husband and I were planning on going dancing but we were a tad late leaving, so rather than miss the first 10 minutes we thought we would get out a few DVDs to watch.

The first was a Tim Burton film called '9', about a post-apocalyptic world where the only survivors are little handmade creatures and a monster machine. It was a bizarre plot with little hope for mankind really, unless you assume the rain at the end contains some type of organism and believe that evolution could theoretically happen.

The second film was much better and one that had been on my To Watch List for some time, Despicable Me. Humourous, touching and cute... My kinda film!

We find it so hard to find decent films to watch that don't contain blasphemy, sex scenes or unnecessary profanity, that we usually end up watching kids' movies.

Any recommendations?

Pure, unadulterated fun for the whole family

A few weekends ago, husband and I were scouring the opshops in Tauranga while we were over there for Father's Day, and I found THE BEST CARD GAME EVER!

Pit, a game I played countless times growing up, is a fast-paced card game where there are no turns and its a race against the other players to collect a full set. I'm disappointed there was no bell included with my set, but for $1 I'm not complaining!

I love the vintage packaging the game comes in, including slogans such as "Pure unadulterated fun for the whole family!" Hehe, that one made me chuckle.

It's for 3 or more players only, so we haven't been able to play it yet (otherwise, believe me we would have!). Will definitely be giving it a go this weekend; we are going out of town with some friends for a couples' getaway. Can't wait!

Matching Masonry

Source

Since we got married, Bardoe and I have been collecting mason jars to use for storage in our little kitchen. We just love how useful they are for organising our collection of grains, rice, and pasta, and they add a little touch of homeliness to our otherwise cookie-cutter kitchen. Last night we went through our assortment of beans, dried grains and pasta shapes, which until now have been sitting in the supermarket bags we bought them in, and organised our pantry. I’m a tidy person at heart (although if you ask husband, he'll tell you this doesn’t always work out in practise) so for me there is nothing nicer than putting things in order and setting up systems. I hope we can find more ways to make our little home more unique and cosy.

Deep fried, syrup-soaked bread - yes please!

My first attempt at making Koeksisters from scratch. It was a success, I think! Well at least my target audience, namely, husband, thought so… :]

Dear Grandma...

Hope you enjoyed your *surprise* birthday dinner.

Even though you read detective stories and figured us out before we arrived. errr...

Fare thee well, Winter

Sakura Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) via thepaperplace.ca

Ah, Spring. There's no other time quite like you - you draw out the daffodils as they find out you're close by, you sprinkle us with sudden and frequent sun-showers, and just when we were beginning to fret and grumble, you remind people that Winter does not last forever, and Summer is in fact just around the corner. 

In honour of the season of new things, I have decided upon a few mid-year resolutions of my own. 

This Spring, I plan to: 

- try to keep on top of housework by doing a little cleaning every day (dishes don't count!) 

- experiment with new colours in my wardrobe (marigold, anyone?) 

- get out of bed the first time my alarm goes off 

- stop biting my nails! 

- go for walks around our neighbourhood in the evenings 

- get a haircut 

- try out at least one recipe from our gourmet French cookbook, and keep trying until I succeed! 

My parents were married on the first day of Spring (happy anniversary Mum and Dad!) and my Mum's birthday is less than a week from now so Spring had a lot of cause to celebrate.

A place for us

This is us.

Now married for 8 months (almost!). And lovin' pretty much every moment of it.

Bardoe had the brilliant idea of keeping a blog for the benefit of our family and friends who wish to take a peak (and perhaps even a bit of a gawk :o) into the window of our lives. So my crafty blog has since evolved into more of a lifestyle blog.

We hope you enjoy reading, feel free to leave a comment when you do!

~Mr. and Mrs. B

Winter Blues Begone!

 

Wouldn't you agree there's nothing like some bright colour to brush away the Blues? Maybe it's the Bollywood in me screaming for release, but lately I have been fascinated by a Hot Pink + Marigold combination. So much so, that I went out and purchased a darling wallet (I needed a new one anyway, okay!) with loads of slots for my many cards.

 

 I think its really cute and I smile everytime I pull it out :]]

No Caption Needed

22.22.22

Photos from my birthday party on Wednesday 22nd June. I had a nautical theme, with reds, navys, whites and golds throughout.

Choux Pastry Swans

Some delightful paper straws we bought at Jessica's in Napier

My triple-decker, raspberry lamington cake. Sponges are trickier than I thought!

From lycra bike pants to stylish scarf!

I was inspired after reading Disney from Ruffles And Stuff 's post on how to make a pleated scarf to try one out for myself! Now, I don't have much fabric that is 4 1/2 metres in length, but I came across some green lycra in my Mum's fabric scrap bag that had been cut into bike pants (a project never completed, fortunately for me!) After much straight stitching, and meticulously searching for the perfect lace and buttons to match, here are the results!

Morning by morning, new mercies I see