Cat crazy.

Hey iPhone users, cutify your phone pics with Cat Effects! Just don't blame me if you get a bit addicted :)

Dumplings.

I've been a bit dumpling mad lately. This craze seems to coincide with Chinese New Year. But I didn't know how easy they were to make yourself! Just a bit time consuming. My Chicken & Shitake Mushroom dumplings were delicious! I like to boil or steam mine. Great to keep in the freezer as a quick meal.

Hello.

I had a little visitor in my garden the other day.

Shrewsburys.

I forgot to show you these earlier. I made Plum Shrewsburys! They were absolutely scrumptious. Not bad for a first attempt.

Here is the recipe...

Shrewsbury Biscuits - Edmonds Classics Cookbook

125 g butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 cups Champion standard grade flour
1 teaspoon Edmonds baking powder
raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 180 deg celsius. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and lemon zest and beat well. Sift flour and baking power together. Mix dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Knead well. On a lightly floured board, roll out to 4mm thickness. Cut out rounds using a 7cm cutter. Cut a 1cm hole in the centre of half the biscuits. Place on greased oven trays. Bake for 10-15 minutes. When cold, spread whole biscuits with jam and top with biscuits with holes in them. Makes 22.

*I used plum jam instead of raspberry which was delicious and had no seeds. And instead of a round cutter you could use any shape. My heart cutters are from Daiso.

Happy baking!

greetings.

I purchased a whole bunch of greeting cards from Lagom last night; a site I happened to stumble upon somehow. Funny, wonderful Internet! My order has already been shipped too so I can't wait to see. Actually, I can't remember all of the designs I have ordered so it will be a nice surprise in the mail.
And ha! I wonder how many will be written in and lovingly gifted. I can imagine I'll want to keep them all to myself to secretly admire. 

Screenshots from Lagom.

birthday.

I celebrated a rather scary milestone birthday a short while ago. No real reason for the silly feelings as the day was super with surprise dress shopping and a picnic at the park with friends. We had a few little people join us too. So lovely to share food & laughs! 

Merry Wishes.

Happy Christmas everyone! I hope all you Kiwis have enjoyed the company of loved ones, have stuffed yourselves with delicious homemade food, napped a little then have filled up on the leftovers. Presents are a bonus! To everyone on the the other side of the world, I hope you wake to a beautiful day. Merry Chrismas!

 

Pretty presents.

Eek, Christmas is nearly upon us! Aren't these pressies the sweetest? Simple and cute wrapping paper.


Via Darling Things

Fisheye, NYC

Hope you're not getting sick of all the travel photos! Just say the word and I'll stop, promise. Here are some taken with our toy fisheye camera.

Central Park, NYC

Central Park is a sanctuary from the craziness of the NYC. It's easy to forget you entered from a concrete jungle. We sat ourselves down with a lunch from Whole Foods. I had a delicious egg salad and a spinach, feta orzo salad which I am still obsessed with to this day. If you're interested, I found this recipe which comes pretty darn close. Also took a few too many photos of squirrels. Cheeky little buggers and certainly not shy!

Doing some kind of munted pirouette under a bridge :)

Disneyland.

Before our big trip to NYC we spent 2 nights at the happiest place on earth. And oh boy, they weren't kidding! We stayed at a Disneyland Resort Hotel (this one) and had a fantastic view of the park. Lots of walking (I used up all of my NYC bandaids - ouch!), AMAZING rides, Disney shopping and lots of photos. So much fun, I didn't want to leave. Definitely going back one day!  

home again.

I have just returned from a trip to the craziest city in the world! So many photos to sift through so here are just a few for now. More to come!

manhattan in motion.

Have you seen this? I got a bit teary when I first watched this. Just so beautiful.
Watch it larger on the youtube site :)

opshop cushions.

 

I paid a long overdue visit to a good friend recently and she took me to all her local opshops. I found these cute cushion covers which have been lovingly handmade. One pumpkin orange with patchwork and the other woven baby blue. They are unusual sizes so I haven't found any inners for them yet. Just for you I have temporarily stuffed them with singlets and t-shirts from my drawers, which I guess I will need to refold after this is done (never thought of that...) 

Hope you are all having a lovely week!

thank you.

To everyone who purchased a par avion paper kit via Felt or directly from me. I will be putting through the donations to the Red Cross this weekend. I am sure Christchurch will appreciate the help!

Image: via Pinterest

closet visit.

Here's a little site I have been visiting for the last few months or so. I quite like a peek into other peoples lives and wardrobes. Makes up for the lack of interest in my own clothing dept. There are a few of my faves below. Hope you are all still out there and keeping well!

All photos from closetvisit.com

The Stylist's Guide to NYC.

 

My first Book Depository order arrived yesterday. The Stylist's Guide to NYC by Sibella Court! The book is hardcover and has a small pull-out map in the front. It also has a handy pocket in the back, kind of like a Moleskine where you can put those bus tickets & fancy named serviettes (I know you keep those!). It has small, handy sections on Scents & Flower Merchants, Oddities & Curiosities, Jewellery & Hardware, Haberdashery & Handmade, Drapers & Upholstery, Art & Objects, Paper & Art Supplies (my fave), Kitchen & Table Paraphernalia and Furniture & Interiors.

Sibella gives tips and suggested itineraries with 'loops of interest'. A pretty little guide that will have you oohing and ahhing at all the fascinating pictures. Mmm love the smell of the manila/recycled pages too. A must for any adventure to the Big Apple! 

  

india block printing.

This is amazing for anyone interested in printmaking. Such skill! Watch it here.

afternoon tea.

I invited my mum, sister, sister-in-law (all mums) and my three nieces to a special mother's day afternoon tea at my house. We had mini cupcakes with lemon icing, macarons, asparagus rolls, sammies, sausage rolls, chicken nibbles, pinwheels and cups of tea. Just the ladies, although a sneaky uncle and cute lil two-month old nephew turned up later to eat some leftovers. Hope all the mums out there had a fantastic day of hugs & treats!