Sunday Art Finds, Terrarium Tutorial and Banana Oat Spelt Muffins

Happy Sunday readers, did you have a good weekend? 

I want to make a special mention to all the Mothers, Step Mothers, Aunts, Sisters, Grandmothers and Mother Figures out there for Mothers Day; remembering that we are not all biological mothers but still have important roles to play in the lives of others. I feel that sometimes this is forgotten and is worthy of mention today, being Mothers Day and all. 

Now back to the Weekend Blog Post - today I want to share with you "Sunday Art Finds, Terrarium Tutorial and Banana Oat Spelt Muffins." Happy Reading xo♥

Sunday Art Finds

Local Artists Leanne Fry and Janelle Peterson held an epic Garage Art Sale today, I must confess I showed incredible restraint and didn't buy too many of the gorgeous pieces on offer. I will share with you the gorgeous works I did bring home to add to our ever expanding collection! 

This Woodblock (made from the wood of the beautiful Yellow Tingle Tree) from Le Papier - Leanne Fry is a OOAK taken from one of her original paintings. Love! 

 This mixed media piece from Janelle Peterson - Artist also caught my attention and has come home with me. Hubby really liked this one too. There were several more in this series that I left behind that would make a wonderful art display together. 

You can check out more of the work from these two talented ladies at these links. 

Leanne: 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Papier-Leanne-Fry/148196531865546

Janelle: 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Janelle-peterson-artist/270262646338538

Terrarim Tutorial
At a recent quiz night, I managed to win a lucky spot prize, a glass bowl. I had been thinking about what to use it for and then I found this wonderful Terrarium tutorial at the Gardening Australia website which was presented by Jane Edmanson on the 27/8/2011 - see this link: 
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s3301070.htm
I will step you through this wonderful tutorial so you too can make your own miniature garden. 

Step 1.
Gather the things you will need to make your terrarium garden: 
A clear glass or plastic container
Pebbles or coarse gravel/sand
Activated charcoal
Coir or sphagnum moss
Potting mix
Plants
Spray bottle filled with water
Ornaments

Step 2: 

Place a layer of gravel or pebbles in the base of the container, about 2 ½ cm deep. This makes a base so the plant roots never sit in water where they could get root rot.

Step 3: 

Pop on a pair of gloves then add a layer of activated charcoal. I got mine at the pet shop in the aquarium section. Make sure that you don't breathe in the Activated Charcoal Dust, give it a light mist of water to dampen the dust before you handle it. 
The activated charcoal will help absorb any nasty smells from the wet soil.

Step 4.

Add a layer of sphagnum moss or coir (I cut up a hanging basket pot liner) - this will stop the potting mix from settling into the lower layers of the gravel and charcoal.

Step 5. 
Add your potting mix - at least 4cm deep, you can get a little creative here, making valleys and hills if you wanted to. 
Add your plants and ornaments, I even gathered some moss from the garden to add to the overall effect. 

Step 6: 

Give your garden a light misty spray of water to settle your new terrarium garden in. 

NOTE:

Gardening Australia had the following handy hints for Planting: 

"Many indoor plants work really well in a terrarium - go for a range of heights and colours. Plants to try; Peperomia, Helxine, Calathea, little ferns, Hypoestes phyllostachya
To start planting you may need to reduce the size of the plants rootball to fit the space you have. You can trim up to half the roots and the plant will be fine. 

If a terrarium is to be viewed from all angles, arrange the plants with the tallest one in the middle. If it's viewed from one angle, position the tallest plants to the rear. A range of different heights, colours and leaf shapes will always create interest exactly as they would in a garden bed.

Water the plants with just enough to settle the plants roots in. When positioning your terrarium, make sure you keep it away from direct sunlight and from heaters because they will get too hot and dry out. And there you have it. You've created your own living masterpiece!"

Banana-Oat-Spelt Muffins

I don't recall where I got this recipe from but oh my it's good. I did make a couple of alterations to the original recipe and hope you enjoy these as much as we did. They are super easy and really yummy.

Banana Oat Spelt Muffins

Ingredients:  

2 mashed ripe bananas (about 3/4 cup)

2 tablespoons rice bran oil

1 egg

1/2 cup fat-free milk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup wholemeal spelt flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup sugar

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Maple Syrup 

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 190º Celsius.

2. Combine bananas and next 4 ingredients (through vanilla) in a medium bowl; mix well, and set aside.

3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife. Whisk together flour and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl.

4. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until they are just combined.

5.Fill muffin cases just over 3/4 full and top with a thick slice of banana. 

6.Bake for ten minutes - when muffins start to brown, brush banana and top with Maple Syrup. 

7. Bake for approximately another five minutes or until a skewer inserted in center comes out clean.

Readers, I hope you enjoyed "Sunday Art Finds, Terrarium Tutorial and Banana Oat Spelt Muffins." See you all on Wednesday for a new Wednesday Wishes blog post x