Art Trail, Coast Walks and Best Ever Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Happy Monday lovely readers, I confess I didn't get the blog post out on Sunday night as promised, it was a long weekend here and I was busy busy. 
This week I share with you Art Trail, Coast Walks and Best Ever Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Enjoy :) 

Art Trail
The Bendigo Bank Southern Art + Craft Trail is in full swing at the moment. We stopped at two venues over the weekend - one to see the fantastic work of Brad Lucas (Lucas Copper Designs) who makes amazing Copper Pipe Sculpture (on show at Oranje Tractor Wines) 

 

and at the Meleah Farrell Photography studio to see her beautiful abstract photography. I will share with you all some more of Meleah's beautiful work later in the week. This collage is just a snippet of what is to come. 

 

Coast Walks 

We took a trip to the West Cape Howe National Park this weekend. Check out the amazing view from the Shelley Beach Lookout. 

While we were there, we made an impromptu decision to walk a lazy few km's of the Bibbulmun Track. 

It was a little scary in places as the sides of the track are quite steep and the track itself runs very close to the edge. 

The views back to Shelley Beach are simply spectacular! 

Lots of wildflowers to see, in particular a tiny purple fringed flower that I can't recall seeing before. 

Back at the car park, we could hear some very noisy birds and when I looked a little harder... we were rewarded when we spotted a couple of (Carnaby's?) Black Cockatoos feeding in the bush. This one certainly wasn't camera shy :) 

Best Ever Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

 Sometimes you will come across a recipe that is almost too good to be true. These cookies have things in them that are really good for you and they are incredibly moist and tasty! I used rolled spelt instead of rolled oats. This recipe was passed on to me by the lovely Jess of Full Spiral Designs. 
Best Ever Oatmeal Raisin Cookies    

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup cold pressed coconut oil
• 1 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups raisins
• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats or rolled spelt
• 1 cup shredded dried coconut

Method:

Preheat oven to 170° C (350° F).  Rub 2 large baking trays with a little coconut oil.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a large bowl.  Stir well.

In a food processor, combine bananas, coconut oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Whir until fully combined.

Add wet ingredients to dry, folding gently so as not to overmix.

Gently fold raisin, oats and coconut into the batter.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.  If you have the trays on two racks switch positions halfway through to ensure even cooking.

Let cool for 2 minutes on trays before eating. 

Well readers, that concludes Art Trail, Coast Walks and Best Ever Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Thank you for stopping by to read my blog xo

Friday Friends, Australian Etsy Makers, maplemist

 

Happy Friday once again lovely Maddabling blog readers! It is a long weekend in the West and I am hoping to catch some of the exhibitions on the Bendigo Bank Great Southern Art Craft Trail, watch this space :) Apart from that, those who love their AFL, like me, will be watching the Hawks battle the Dockers in the 2013 AFL Grand Final. 

This week it is my great pleasure to introduce the very clever creative Debbie of maplemist designs. Debbie is an Australian Etsy maker and this weeks featured Friday Friend. 

Debbie makes two of my favourite things - being handbags and purses, plus clutches and pincushions! The designs and fabrics are nothing short of gorgeous - let me share a few favourites with you now. I will start with the fabulously retro colours of bag - made of genuine vintage fabric with a barkcloth texture in bold black with a fluoro pink and purple paisely pattern. Debbie has added a black velveteen trim and handle. Just delicious! 

Next I want to share this treasure, a small aluminium tart tin holds this sweet pincushion made from a vintage unused pure linen tea towel and featuring gum leaves and flowers.

And last but certainly not least, how divine is this small purse, with an Art Nouveau inspired scroll pattern in soft creams, pink, peach and brown, with a striking cornflower blue in the centre of the flowers.

Readers, now that I have shared my favourites with you, it is time for me to pass the blogging reigns over to the lovely Debbie to share with you The Fabric of maplemist. Have a wonderful weekend everyone x 
The Fabric of maplemist
Who is maplemist? I’m Debbie, the creator of maplemist designs.  I make handbags, purses and clutches, with a little sideline of pincushions, just for fun. 

Sewing has always been a part of my life, thanks to the guidance and encouragement of the women in my family.  I’ve nurtured and grown my passion for sewing through my years as a uni student, as a mum to three boys, working and fundraising for schools and charities.  My lucky boys had a great collection of costumes and dress-ups for every occasion!

Somehow, without really trying (well actually I was trying), I ended up with a mountain of beautiful fabrics, which was fine for me but taking over the house!  In a light bulb moment their future as unique handbags and purses appeared…and so began the maplemist journey.

So I’ve been designing and making handbags and purses now for five years and loving every moment.The dance between colour, pattern, shape and texture constantly inspires me. I’m especially drawn to natural materials: linen, cotton, silk and wool. I always start with the fabric and the mood it evokes. I picture it being used and touched. From this flows the shape, function, how it’s detailed and embellished and what other fabrics it’s combined with. That magic moment when the bag finally emerges from its inside-out cocoon.... 

My favourite creation so far is my beach wedding clutch – it’s connected me with so many brides around the world and it’s totally heart-warming to know I’ve contributed to their special day. You’ll often find me checking out op shops for fabrics and trimmings. Tucked away in a small corner I’ll find half-finished projects, small pieces carefully cut by gentle hands. I take a moment to imagine the woman who had plans for this fabric. What was her story? Who was she making it for? I will never know, yet I do know she was motivated by love. To me it’s a kind of honour to bring the pieces to life and in a way to carry on the story. Unexpected inspiration from unfinished business. 

What are my hopes for my work on the future? 

    Find fun in the quirky

·      Connect with the immense talent out there

·      Learn more about what my customers love and stretch myself to provide it and...

·      Maybe, just maybe, give up my day job!

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

Buy lovely things on Etsy here:

www.etsy.com/au/shop/maplemist

and become a follower on Facebook here: 

facebook.com/pages/MapleMist/424289620966679

a square peg.... thursday thoughts

For those days when you feel a little out of sorts, like a square peg......

this is the inspiration for Thursday Thoughts this week xx

Candy Squares Statement Necklace fromMissRicochet

Handmade Ceramic Tableware Square Tapas Plate + Bowl set from DeeDeeDeesigns

Lobster Dress with square-cut neckline - women's size S/M. from RikkiB

Rose quartz rectangle square ring from Florencehandmade

Pretty Square Retro Cushions from WISHESandWINKS

Craft Swaps, Coast Walks and Choc Peanut Butter Icecream

Hello there - thanks for stopping by to read the Sunday Edition on the Maddabling blog post. This week is all about Craft Swaps, Coast Walks and Choc Peanut Butter Icecream. Enjoy :) 

Craft Swaps

Last week I shared with you all the craft swap goodies I sent to Ofunneka of c3n2kids - you can see the parcel I sent here: http://maddabling.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/craft-swaps-coast-walk-trails-and.html ). 

This week my parcel arrived and here is a photo of the sweet little book that Ofunneka sent to me. One day , this book will be passed on to a new arrival that is due our extended family soon! 

Coast Walks

This week we ventured to the Mount Martin Regional Botanic Park. The walk trail here is described as strenuous and is around 11km return if you complete the whole trail. There is a really amazing diversity of native plant species and equally amazing views of King George Sound, Oyster Harbour, Emu Point and Middleton Beach. On a relatively clear day, you can see the Stirling Ranges, Porongurup Ranges and Mt Manypeaks in the distance. 

From the other side of King George Sound, you can see the Flinders Peninsula in the distance, where we walked to Bald Head a couple of weeks ago. 

This is one of the rest spots on the way, the beach in the distance is where the walk trail starts from. A really amazing spot to stop and take it all in. 

We saw lots of orchids and wildflowers while on the Mt Martin walk trail, here a few that I snapped! 

 

It was kind of odd to see this big ship anchored in the sound, while walking through beautiful bush land. A reminder of the modern world we live in. 

 

The trail back took a diversion and we walked a section of track that led through the bush land rather than along the coastal hills seen on the way there. 

There were no water views only amazing lush unspoilt bush land! I can't wait to explore this area again, it is so beautiful. 

Choc Peanut Butter Icecream

The recipe this week comes from Clean Healthy Recipes (photo courtesy of Clean Healthy Recipes) and is on my To Try list as soon as possible :) 

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2 Bananas
1 Tablespoons Organic Peanut Butter (No Added Sugar)
1 Tablespoon Cacao Nibs

Method: 

Peel bananas then place in a plastic bag and freeze.

Once bananas are frozen, place in food processor along with peanut butter and process until the mixture becomes thick and smooth.

Pour mixture into a plastic tub, add cacao nibs and stir through.

Re freeze for a couple of hours and then take out of freezer 5 mins before serving. Scoop out using an ice cream scoop and serve.

That wraps up Craft Swaps, Coast Walks and Choc Peanut Butter Icecream, see you all on Wednesday for a new Wednesday Wishes post.

Friday Friends - DUSTy Divas - Ain't No Frippery

Welcome to another Friday Friends feature dear Maddabling readers, the weekend is now so close I can almost smell it! Tell me what does the weekend hold for you? We are hoping to head out to do a spot of orchid spotting, now that wildflower season is well and truly under way here. Fingers crossed I will get some photos to share with you :)

This week it is my great pleasure to introduce a new DUSTy Diva and Friday Friend - meet Prudence of Ain't No Frippery. 

Prudence designs and makes wonderful things, from homewares to jewellery.   I wanted to share these pieces with you, they really grabbed my attention!  

Take these striking Geometric Non-Toxic Wall Decals which are PVC-Free and they are able to be repositioned many times....don't you think they could really brighten up any room?

This divine Charm Necklace is handmade by Prudence and it features exclusively designed charms from the Ain't No Frippery textile and design label.

And last but not least, I heart this Cushion + Blanket Set; in fact it's a luscious Organic Cotton Knit Blanket with two Cushions in an Original Fern Glow Pattern. 

Well readers, time now for me to hand the blogging reigns over to Prudence, to give you the lowdown on The Ain't No Frippery Fact Sheet. Have a fantastic weekend everyone, see you on Sunday night for the weekend blog post xo

The Ain't No Frippery Fact Sheet
1. The label Ain't No Frippery, owned and operated by visual artist Prudence Lawrence, endeavours to create products that delight the senses through touch, sight and smell. This is achieved with the use of luscious silk, linens, and organic cottons for fingertip touching’s. Soft and dreamy hues and patterns for eyeball looksee’s and unvarnished woods and spun corn fibre for hypnotising smell sessions. 

2. Prudence grew up in regional NSW, the daughter of a potter, sculptor and Jill of all trades. It was her mother that taught her the strength and agility of her hands and boundless nature of her imagination. Studies in design, screen-printing, painting and digital design have given Prudence the passion to create beautiful functional objects for everyday life. Her inspirations spring from her love of animals and the natural world, her fascination with horror and the supernatural and her strong desire to promote natural and non-toxic materials in our lives. An unlikely combination of loves but it is these things that drive Ain’t No Frippery’s quirky collection of jewellery and soft furnishings. 

3. Prudence says: 
“I have practiced as an exhibiting artist in the past and love the unbridled nature of creating paintings and sculptures that reflect my version of reality. My move towards more product oriented creative methods was due to the alluring ability to manipulate my designs across different scales, materials and products, as well as a love of useful and functional objects. My products for Ain’t No Frippery hold both elements of my fine arts practice as well as my love of designing.” 

4. “Many of my products have been achieved through much trial and error and refinement. I generally don’t work for pre determined patterns or instructions. My process comes from a combination of finding instructions intensely boring and from preferring to encounter the happy accidents that come from open exploration.”

5. “Another important part of my design process is the materials I use and the methods of production from which they came. I am always on the look out for innovations in new materials that have low impacts on both workers and the environment. I look for good sustainability profiles and love to find new materials created from sources that would other wise go to landfill. Workers rights and the environment are important to me and it is something that I consider when looking for materials and methods for the production. Having those boxes ticked is definitely not something that I can achieve 100% in my business at present but as the business grows I would like to work more with innovative Australian businesses and be a part of the move towards more conscious and sustainable practices within the creative and manufacturing industries.”

6. “My favourite product, or the one that endured the most hardship to become a reality, is the rustic linen cushions. The design was hard won through much trial and much error. When I finally achieved what would be the finished design there was much relief (and much merriment). Another favourite is Golden Baby Walrus Brooch, just because he’s so cute and reminds me of that crazy picture of Pakak walrus calf in the bucket!” 

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

Buy gorgeous things on Etsy here: 

www.etsy.com/au/shop/AintNoFrippery 

Become a fan on Facebook here: 

www.facebook.com/AintNoFrippery 

and visit the Ain't No Frippery Portfolio Website here: 

www.prudencelawrence.com