Shrinking Violet - Wednesday Wishes

These perfect purple accessories will ensure you are no Shrinking Violet...  

be bold! 

I hope you enjoy this Wednesday Wishes wish list x 

Layer Necklace Purple from Koki Designs

Lavender bobble frame Coin purse from Zest4Colour

Vintage Bright Purple Shoes with Flower from Noseboopfactory

Purple, pink, lilac floral earrings - Vintage patterns in resin from Retrofied

Arm Warmers in Purple Crocus Fingerless Gloves from mirabeans

A Winters Crafternoon, Seaside Sculpture and White Wine Poached Pears

Hello lovely readers, I must admit, we had a real touch of winter here this weekend. I present to you a summary of what has been happening in the Maddabling household this weekend - A Winters Crafternoon, Seaside Sculpture and White Wine Poached Pears. Enjoy x

A Winters Crafternoon
With inclement weather lingering on the weekend, I started on a new craft project that I have been meaning to get to. Let's call it a solo Winters Crafternoon effort. It is a simple task, some hand stamped and hand coloured gift tags. 

Take one hand cut gift tag, stamp with image using a quality archival ink, wait for the ink to dry. Then colour using markers, coloured pencils or water colour pencils. Finish by looping through some bakers twine, string or pretty ribbon. Voila! Cute Gift Tags made with love! 

Seaside Sculpture 

While watching a whale off Middleton Beach yesterday I spied a new sculpture on the beach front. I took some happy snaps and when I got home did some background research to find out more about the sculpture.

storm cloud rolling in over Middleton Beach - sculpture on the right.

looking through the view finder on the new sculpture.

looking through the view finder on the new sculpture.

Here is what I found.  This sculpture - and three others not yet seen by me, were part of a project to create public beach side art. They incorporate pieces of the Albany Town Jetty which was demolished in October 2009.

I found this article written by Andrew Collins on the local abc website and it gives a little more background on the project. 

http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2013/05/22/3764953.htm

"Old Albany jetty now peers onto Middleton Beach"  by Andrew Collins 

"Parts of the old town jetty in Albany have been transformed into sculptural pieces and installed at the iconic Middleton Beach.

The idea of turning the old timber into art was spearheaded by the Middleton Beach Group and the sculptural artistry performed by Many Peaks based sculptor, John Wills.

Pat Kerruish from the Middleton Beach Group says the four pieces are a great addition to the Middleton Beach area.

"It adds public art, which was one of the quite strong wishes on the list from our Middleton Beach survey...and it retains a bit of the history of the old town jetty."

If you are interested in reading a little more about this project, you can find some more information here: 

http://middletonbeachgroup.com/

Poached Pears in White Wine
What to do with a half empty bottle of sweet white wine? This was a dilemma I faced - I just don't enjoy this style of wine and didn't want it to go to waste. It was left over from a recent event we were involved in. So I googled and found a Poached Pears in White Wine recipe. It really is a decadent winter treat - you should try it! 

Ingredients:
2 cups sweet white wine 
3 1/2 cups water 
1 cinnamon stick 
1 vanilla bean (substitute 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract) 
1 teaspoon lemon zest 
1 teaspoon lemon juice 
4 pears, peeled with stems left intact 
2 cups granulated sugar 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes 
Cook Time: 20 minutes 
Total Time: 25 minutes 
Serves: 4 

Method: 

Stir together the white wine, water, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat and add the prepared pears. 

Poach the pears, uncovered, for 7 to 9 minutes, until they turn tender, but not mushy. 

Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the pears onto a serving plate. 

Return the poaching liquid to a simmer, add the sugar, and allow the mixture to reduce by half in volume, about 6 to 8 minutes. The syrup is ready when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean from the syrup. 

Arrange the pears on individual serving plates and drizzle with the wine syrup. 

recipe from http://frenchfood.about.com

note : I found coring the pears prior to poaching an advantage. Also we used Bosc Pears which needed a little longer to poach. 

Dear readers, that wraps up the weekend blog post. I hope you enjoyed reading A Winters Crafternoon, Seaside Sculpture and White Wine Poached Pears. See you all on Wednesday for a new edition of Wednesday Wishes xo
P.S. thank you for continuing to support my ramblings on the Maddabling blog - I do love reading your comments and feedback!

Friday Friends - DUSTy Divas - Skinny Minnie Designs

Welcome to another Friday dear readers - what are your plans for the weekend? If the sun shines, I really must get into the garden to do some winter weeding - before the weeds take over completely! I feel it will be an at home weekend, not doing too much at all. 

This week it is my absolute pleasure to introduce a new DUSTy Diva and Friday friend - meet Jillian of Skinny Minnie Designs! 

One part that I really do love when curating the Friday Friends feature blog posts is snooping to pick out gorgeous things to share with you! Here are some pieces that I just loved and had to share - the sweet Antiqued Silver Key Wrap Pink Leather bracelet.

The darling Little Birds Hair Pins from the Woodland Wonders collection.

The statement necklace made from Purple, Pink and Orange Hand Painted Wooden Beads on Black Leather - delicious! These remind me of hard lollies or gum balls :) 

Dear readers, it is now time for me to hand over to Jillian  - enjoy The Scoop on Skinny Minnie Designs! See you all on Sunday for the weekend blog post xo

The Scoop on Skinnie Minnie Designs

My name is Jillian Ives, I live on the beautiful Gold Coast. I am a local High School Teacher of Information Technology, Business, English and Vocational Education (VET) by day; on my holidays or after work I design and make my jewellery products. 

I started making a few items for myself and got quite a few comments from other teachers and students. This prompted me to register my business and open up a store on ETSY. I closed the store in 2012 as I was busy planning my wedding. I recently decided to open it back up with new designs and a renewed passion for making handmade jewellery that is modern, with a touch of bohemian flair. 

The name Skinny Minnie Designs actually came about as part of my nickname as a child Skinny Minnie; as I was so tiny and skinny. I always have had a love for designing especially on the computer. I hand designed the logo, my business cards and other digital facets.

I always have had a love for art and craft; as far back as I can remember I was drawing or creating something.  In my teens I loved to paint and dabbled in quilling. As an adult I love accessorizing and pairing outfits with one off designs. Nowadays, I don't have much dedicated time to pursue my art so I dedicate a few hours on weeknights and weekends to design a few jewellery items.

 

My inspirations come from many areas; sometimes I get inspiration from fashion trends and colours, other times I'll pull out my stash and place items with other parts until something jumps out and me and gels. I have a notebook full of ideas, sketches and colour combinations, that if I see something or have an inspiring moment I'll pull it out and doodle my design down. I am inspired by my own personal style which I describe as rock chick with a boho flowy feel, I love items that mix well with leather or chain.

My favourite medium at the moment is using the beaded tubes. I am loving coming up with new designs involving them. The other medium I love is natural gemstones, I have a variety of them in my collection. Some are faceted and some are just tumbled, they give the cool rock chic that I love with a touch of bohemian feel that natural stones have. I love using chain in a variety of gauges and styles to mix up my designs.

I mostly design bracelets, necklaces and earrings. I have quite a few ideas jotted down or floating in my mind that I plan to make over the next few months. 

My future plans are to keep designing my jewellery items and getting better with my jewellery making skills. I am hoping to do a few jewellery parties on the Gold Coast and just keep having fun doing what I love; teaching and being creative!

Dear readers, would you like to see more? Here is how you can connect: 

Buy pretty things on Etsy here: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/skinnyminniedesigns

become a follower on Facebook here: 

http://www.facebook.com/SkinnyMinnieDesigns

and read all the latest news on the Skinny Minnie Designs blog here: 

http://skinnyminniedesigns.blogspot.com.au/

Vintage Honeymoon - Wednesday Wishes

As my lovely step-daughter and her husband enjoy their honeymoon holiday,

I set out to find some Vintage Honeymoon inspired finds.

I hope you enjoy this special Wednesday Wishes blog post x 

Vintage Paper Dolls Bridal Whitman Box Set 1968 Bride Groom MOD Clothes Uncut Complete by missussewnsew

Honeymoon Fund Chalkboard Glass Jar by thebeezeknees

Honeymoon- Archival Art Print by ValerieGalloway

Set of Three Nesting Blue Vintage Suitcases by AnnaMaeVintage

Vintage Mint Pink Ruffle Night Gown Up-cycled by MandolinDreams

Baking Prettiness and a Winter Wedding

Hi lovely Maddabling blog readers, what an exceptional weekend it was in the Maddabling household. There is no recipe to share and there was no bushwalking done - instead I witnessed my gorgeous step-daughter Jade marry the love of her life, Stephen. It was a beautiful ceremony and the rain even held off for outdoor photos. I swear, I didn't get teary until I started editing the photos taken and then poor hubby was on standby with a box of tissues! I share with you now Baking Prettiness and a Winter Wedding.

So there was something blue............

a candid snap from hubby of me checking that my camera is ready to go...

and here are the sweet treats I baked - chocolate cupcakes, pumpkin scones, lady grey tea infused cupcakes, orange + poppy seed heart shaped butter cookies and lime + coconut heart shaped butter cookies. Yum!

I also want to share the beautiful custom knife serving set made with fine handcrafted Italian Glass Beads from Naomi at Nazzy Beads not to mention the delicious White Chocolate Ganache covered Vanilla Butter Cake with Cherry Ripe inspired Filling from the clever Janine at Albany Cake Designs. 

Then there was the beautiful bride - and that dress! Wow! 

the exchanging of rings........................ 

and the cutting of the cake. 

It really was the most beautiful day, despite the somewhat wintery weather, and we wish Stephen and Jade every happiness for the new life adventure they have chosen to embark on together as husband and wife. 

We love you to bits guys xox

Friday Friends - DUSTy Divas - Vspora Art

Hello lovely readers, it's Friday! Maddabling has a very exciting weekend planned, attending the wedding of some loved ones - can't wait to frock up and be girly! 

This week it is my very great pleasure to introduce to you a relatively new DUSTy Diva and Friday Friend - meet Magdalena of Vspora Art :) 

I predominately wear silver jewellery and fell in love with the pieces that Magdalena creates. Keep in mind that each creation is hand crafted, one-of-a-kind artisan jewellery and that you can have a unique piece that no one else will have. Take for example these Raw diamond Herkimer silver earrings that are sure to glam up any outfit. 

this Raw sterling silver rustic artisan pendant with smokey quartz is sure to be a conversation starter whenever you wear it 

and if you love a good statement ring, then the eco friendly rustic silver ring "Pebbles of Light" is for you! 

Dear readers, I invite you now to be captivated by the very inspirational creative story that Magdalena is sharing with you today - The Tale of Vspora Art. Happy Reading everyone - and have a fabulous weekend xo

The Tale of Vspora Art.

Hi,I am Magdalena Pillai and I create and design silver and mixed metal jewellery under the name of Vspora Art. 

I was born in the land of Bohemia, in the Czech Republic in the late 1970s. My Passion for travel began at the age of 4, when my family escaped to Austria. We lived there in a Refugee camp until we migrated to the largest Island in the world, Australia. When I revisited my homeland at the age of 14, I was so enchanted with travelling and culture. Travelling is all I ever dreamed of since.

My silver journey relates to this story as my early years were spent constantly visiting my favourite jewellery Artist at our local market, each piece would transport me to many wonderful exotic worlds and many imagined lands…

My silver making story began at the age of 17. I studied casually for more than 10 years from various teachers, and them I just continued to experiment and explore.

Nature is my greatest inspiration, which is why I choose reclaimed metals and wish my Art practise to tread ever so delicately on this inspiring world. 

I am also immensely influenced by Indigenous Art and especially African adornment, with its versatility, ingenious use of materials and its celebration of originality. I also draw inspiration from the many cultures I have lived in and the many I dream of experiencing.

My Yoga studies eventually took me to India when I was 21, where I intensified my study of Yoga and meditation. I fell deeply in love with my husband and also India, where I lived on and off for 3 years. Here I studied henna art intensively. I currently teach the art of Henna at various colleges in Australia.

We now live in the Coastal town of Kiama Australia, with our beautiful daughter. The natural inspiration abounds here, from ancient rainforests to sublime rock pools, beaches, volcanic rock formations and the crispest ocean air. I feel very blessed with the art of jewellery and I wish to share my love and passion. I have recently collaborated with 3 wonderful women Artists, as Kiama Mothers Art and we are exhibiting together....

Dear readers, do you want to see more? Here is how you can connect.

For all the latest news, become a follower on facebook here: 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vspora-Art/258470620836412

follow the musings of Magdalena on her blog here: 

http://vsporaart.blogspot.com.au/

and you can buy lovely things on Etsy here: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/vsporaart

or on Madeit here: 

http://www.madeit.com.au/Main/Store?userName=VsporaArt

French Connection - Wednesday Wishes

items found by searching "french" a lovely eclectic French Connection Wednesday Wishlist this week - enjoy xo

the French Connection bib cotton tunic dress, charcoal+ash, open back with pockets. from sewmoe

vintage french embroidery roller with 8 rubber stamps from sissidavril

French Lavender Aromatherapy Cat Eye Mask (spring edition) from Naomilingerie

Antique french lot Vintage Skeleton Key from PARISOUIPARIS

Ruffle dress zawann creator node peas curved Liberty from zawann