small kitchen tales

Remember that frame , well it has found a new life as a chalkboard that I will take with us to markets. Perfect for all the daily specials and prices. All we needed was some 3mm MDF & chalkboard paint and yay, new chalkboard to take to the market on Saturday. Wouldn't it look great in the kitchen or creative space as well. Want to see another flea market frame, pop round to Sophie's . ✗ ♥

Hope you enjoy it & laugh a little bit more than usual. Hey, if you have a minute, hope you can pop back to see what the frame has been transformed into. ♥ ✗ ♥

edited to add that the chai is getting cold! ♥ ✗ ♥

Now, I haven't been big on reading anything seriously of late besides the odd Donna Hay , Gourmet Traveller or Mixtapezine so I didn't think that would classify as reading material to some. But as My Place and yours has a new home , I definitely HAD to have something to read. Luckily for me I popped round to Anthea's and entered a giveaway of Matt Preston's Cravat-A-licious and I won !! yay. So here * is what I am starting to read thanks to Anthea . Hey, why don't you pop round to Vic's aswell for a cuppa and a book , she's really nice :) ♥ * yes, I do realise that it is still food related reading :) ✗ ♥

Even though I don't eat cupcakes I absolutely love Chai and wanted to combine my two favourites, Chai and baking cupcakes. Was not sure if mr m.e would like them as he is a coffee drinker and I did try a while back to make them but he definitely was not impressed with that version. Thankfully with these, most of them have already been devoured and the verdict was that they are like a moist spice tea cake. Chai Cupcakes makes 24 ingredients 1/4 cup chai mix 1/4 cup hot water 3 eggs 225g butter, softened 1 cup caster sugar 1/4 cup milk 1 1/2 cups self raising flour 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg cinnamon sugar topping 1/3 cup raw sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons warm water cinnamon sugar method preheat oven to 160 C, place medium sized cupcake papers in pan in a cup add chai mix and hot water and allow to stand for 15 minutes and strain in another bowl, beat butter and sugar, then add eggs and beat until light and fl...

Have you got some old spoons lying around? Well I didn't so I had to go for an op shop/thrift store visit, which you know I absolutely LOVE to do, and ended up making these spoon plant labels. All you need are some letter stamps, a rubber mallet, steel wool, black marker and off you go. Just pound away at the spoon until it's completely flat, preferably outside, mark out your letters, stamp them and colour in the letters with more black marker and use your steel wool to rub gently and get rid of excess marker and shine up your spoons. Have fun and a fabulous weekend ♥ edited to play along with Sophie's meme tomorrow , pop by and have a peek . ✗ ♥

do you think the postman would laugh if us big people waited for him * like this? have a good Friday friends , I hope you are having lots of adventures ♥ * I know there are male and female posties, but ours is a male ✗ ♥

A while ago we were talking about collections , but I neglected to include my love of old suitcases to the list. This love has been going on for longer than the other collections and I have so many and they are all so very special . Well, you can imagine my reaction at the find on someone's nature strip, obviously their trash but definitely MY treasure . The other two suitcases were found at local op shops for about $2-$3 each. So you gotta love a good op shop find and especially a good hard rubbish find. Hope your day is full of treasures ♥ ✗ ♥

When you photograph something do you ever think about composition, or do you try and include alot of things in the frame to get your message across? In order to communicate something to your viewer you need to ensure that your subject matter is dominant and that your composition complements what you are trying to communicate. You need to allow your viewer to explore your image without complicating the overall point you are trying to communicate and decreasing the importance of your subject. Next time you photograph something stop and look at the overall composition, avoid placing the main subject in the centre of the image and try and use the whole frame in your composition. ✗ ♥

I wasn't sure what to bake for you today and Amelie suggested a cheesecake, so here it is, simple to make but definitely worth the taste. Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake ingredients 200 g chocolate biscuits 50 g melted butter 250 g dark chocolate 1 kg cream cheese 1 cup sugar 1 cup sour cream 2 eggs & 2 egg yolks 1/4 cup brewed espresso coffee 1 teaspoon vanilla method preheat oven to 180C. process biscuits in a food processor until crumb consistency, add melted butter and process until combined press into a lined 22cm spring form tin and refrigerate melt chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and set aside to cool. beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy and then add sour cream and mix to combine add eggs until they are well mixed, then add espresso, vanilla and melted chocolate and mix until well combined pour mixture into prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes, then turn off oven and leave in for an hour tips here on how to judge if your cheesecake ...

We visited Scienceworks yesterday with my sis and a lovely old friend and the kids absolutely LOVED it. If you are stuck for kids holiday entertainment in Melbourne, give it a go. Good place for us biggies as well :) Have a fabulous Friday & come back on the weekend, maybe I'll bake something for you ♥ ✗ ♥

Who in their right mind would be baking TODAY at 34.9 °C / 94.8 °F!! ... guilty ... hope you are staying out of the kitchen and surviving the heat. ♥ ✗ ♥

I wish I could have done this today aswell, instead of having to work . Whether you faced heat or snow, did you laugh as much as they did? ♥ ✗ ♥

Whatever you are upto my friends, smile, laugh, relax and enjoy it. hearts to you ♥ ✗ ♥

Ok, so I am supposed to be baking...but it's sooo hot and we are aircon disadvantaged and sitting here is so much better. If you are in the mood for a day out tomorrow, the Gardens Market is on at the botanic gardens in Melbourne, so pop by for a lovely market and some family fun. In the meantime, if you feel like baking, I know it's still school holidays and the littlies need some baking entertainment, let's try some Sugar & Spice cookies. Sugar & Spice Cookies makes about 30 ingredients 125g butter, softened 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 3 tablespoons golden syrup 1 3/4 cups plain flour, sifted 1/2 cup self raising flour, sifted 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda for sugar & spice mix 1 egg white 1 tablespoon raw sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon method Sift flours, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon in a bowl and put aside Beat butter and sugar in a mixer until soft and pale. Add egg and golden syrup and continue beating Add flour mix a...