Wise Words, Maritime Heritage and Orange Poppyseed Loaf

Hello there Maddabling readers, did you have a wonderful weekend? I certainly did, and the wintery rain today didn't dampen my spirits too much. 

This Sunday Blog post is all about Wise Words, Maritime Heritage and Orange Poppyseed Loaf. Enjoy x

Wise Words

I don't often share inspirational quotes and the like on the Maddabling blog, but these Words of Wisdom from Simmone Star really did catch my attention. It reminded me that really, I am fortunate, and life is good, we really do have a level of control in our own destiny. By the way, Simmone Star makes really lovely things - you should visit her facebook page here: 

http://www.facebook.com/SimmoneStar

Maritime Heritage

Making the most of the winter sunshine again this weekend, we embarked on a 5km walk trail called Point Possession Heritage Trail. The walk starts at the Whalers Cove (Fisheries Beach) car park. We saw a myriad of orchids and wild flowers and stunning views along the way to our Possession Point destination. 

Whalers Cove (Fisheries Beach)

        Donkey Orchid                               Verticordia Plumosa

                                            Redhoods                                       Hakea Laurina

At the end of a short and relatively easy to walk path, you get to see the Isthmus. "The Isthmus or Tombolo that connects Point Possession to the Vancouver Peninsula was formed by wave action depositing sand between the island and the headland." To the right you can see the Outer Brambles and Barker Bay, to the left you can see the Inner Brambles and Shoal Bay. 

The walk along Outer Brambles is wonderful; 700 metres of firm yet powdery snow white sand and crystal blue waters. 

I also spotted this broken starfish that had been washed up and was quite taken by the intricate markings and textures of this small creature. 

A short yet somewhat challenging walk later, we arrived at our destination.

At Point Possession, the commemorative plaque on Vancouver's Cairn explains that "Captain George Vancouver, Royal Navy, claimed the South West Part of Australia for Britain on the 29th September, 1791." 

The walk back was just as beautiful with this reverse view of the Inner and Outer Brambles, Shoal Bay and Barker Bay. 

Once we arrived back at the parking area, we drove down to Mistaken Island and finished the afternoon with a picnic. We had this very picturesque panoramic view from the rocks we perched on including Mistaken Island, Breaksea Island and Michaelmas Island. It's a really fantastic walk trail, I highly recommend it if you are living in or visiting the area. 

Orange Poppyseed Loaf

This is one of those dreamy recipes, a moist Orange Poppyseed Loaf. It is so easy to make, in fact, all the mixing is done in your food processor! And there are only 6 ingredients. For me, this recipe made 5 small cupcakes and one regular sized Orange Poppyseed Loaf. 

Ingredients: 
1 large orange, zested and pith/seeds removed, roughly chopped
185g of melted butter or vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
2 tablespoons of poppyseeds

Method: 
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius
2. Grease and line an 18cm cake pan or a loaf tin. 
3. Puree whole orange and half the zest in food processor.
4. Add melted butter or oil, eggs and sugar, mix well.
5. Add the flour and mix until well combined. 
6. Using a spatula, stir through the reserved zest and poppyseeds until well combined. 
7. Pour into prepared tin. Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked when tested. 
8. Remove tin from oven and rest for 5 minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack. Enjoy! 

recipe adapted from: http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/moist-orange-poppyseed-cake-L10542.html

Notes: 
*For those with a sweeter tooth, an orange buttercream icing would be delicious with this cake, add in some finely chopped orange zest for that special touch. 
*Instead of melted butter, I used the 1 cup of Rice Bran Oil in this recipe. 
*If you prefer, you can add all of the zest and poppyseeds to the food processor, but I prefer to add them in afterwards. 

Well readers, that concludes Wise Words, Maritime Heritage and Orange Poppyseed Loaf. I sometimes wonder, how many people read these posts, be a dear and leave me a message to let me know that you stopped by. See you all on Wednesday for the next Wednesday Wishes wishlist blog post xx

Friday Friends - Australian Makers - Missa Made It

Yay for Fridays lovely Maddabling blog readers! After a short bush walk last weekend, and spotting some gorgeous wildflowers and orchids, we are planning to visit another walk trail this weekend. I will try to get some baking in too, so that I can share a new recipe with you all in the Sunday blog post. 

This week I am thrilled to introduce an Australian maker - meet Melissa of Missa Made It! 

Melissa makes the most gorgeous things for babies and kids - here are some of the treasures I found while snooping through her page! I love the colours and design of these tactile teethers - there is a little one due to arrive for one of our close family members in a few months time and I am starting to look around at what is on offer in the Aussie handmade world for babies! 

I really truly adore this Foxy Sweet Dreamer softie cuddle toy - so so cute! 

And I must confess I am a little excited at these uber cool Owl Cushion Covers coming soon to Missa Designs - the newest branch of the Missa Made It empire! They will be available for purchase soon. Did I mention lately how much I love Owls? 

Time now dear readers for me to leave you to read The Marvels of Missa Made It. I hope you enjoy Melissa's story as much as I did. See you all on Sunday, and have a fantastic weekend xx

The Marvels of Missa Made It

Who am I?

I am a 25 year old stay at home Mum of two who has always had a passion for art and design. Thinking back to when I was younger, I have always been a bit of an entrepreneur, designing and making all sorts of crafts to sell at the markets my parents attended to earn a bit of pocket money. I just love being creative! Sewing was never a passion of mine, but the design side has always been my driving force. All of my designs are made from my own concepts, and patterns, in fact, I've only ever sewn a handful of things from store bought patterns.

What is Missa Made It?

Missa Made It (Mmi for short) is my creative outlet. It is a place I have created where I get to be 'me' (any Mum would understand this!). Missa Made It is pretty much just as the name suggests, a place where I bring together and sell the things I have designed and made, all of which are little pieces of 'me'.

When did my handmade journey begin?

I have been doing this as my part time job for the past two and a half years. It was never really planned, it just sort of evolved! I started making toys for my own children when they were babies, and from there I started selling my original design softies online on Ebay and madeit.com.au. I still remember the thrill of selling my first few designs online, and getting positive feedback from strangers which was pretty cool, and encouraging to keep at it!

What inspires me?

I am inspired by my children mainly, most of my designs have come about as softies I have designed for them. Also current trends play a part, I started making babushka dolls because they were popular at the time, the same with owls. I'm also inspired by patterns, colours, textures and fabrics in general.

What mediums do I work with? What is my favourite?

I mainly work with fabric including quilting weight cottons, minky, felt and corduroy. I have to admit, I am pretty addicted to fabric shopping, so I guess that is my favourite! I just love 'collecting' different patterns to use in my creations, but the coolest fabric I have is the patterns I have designed myself! That is something else I really enjoy, the design side of things. It's such a thrill to create something using a print no one else has, because it's my design! I am also interested in, and work with a few ECO products. The toy fill I use is made from recycled plastic bottles which I think is really cool!

What kind of things do I make?

I design and make children's toys, and other bits and pieces. My softie designs include the 'Sweet Dreamer' range which is designed to be the perfect bed time companion for little people. 

They are made from super soft swirl minky which is perfect to cuddle into, and they have no arms of legs to get in the way - the perfect cuddle buddy really! I have also dabbled in screen printing my designs onto children's clothing and canvases.

Favourite creation?

Everything I have designed myself is my favourite! It is really cool to be able to make my own patterns, and sell designs that no one else does!

Plans and dreams?

A year ago my plans were to get my designs into children's stores - which I can happily say I have done! Mmi has been stocked in four different stores which is really cool! My other dreams for Mmi were to have my own website, an official www.missamadeit.com, which I now have! From here, my dreams are to continue to grow Mmi, and the number of people I reach, and more importantly the number of smiles I put on little people's faces when they are given their own little piece of 'me' to treasure.

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

Become a fan on facebook here: 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/missamadeit

And buy lovely things on the Missa Made It Website here: 

www.missamadeit.com 

A Sea View - Wednesday Wishes

Maddabling is currently having a photographic love affair with the beautiful coastline in our region, hence the inspiration for todays Wednesday Wishes;

 "A Sea View" 

Beach Photography, Coastal Decor - A Sea View from CassiaBeck

Sea View 244 ocean waves Art Glass Pendant 1x1 Jewelry Necklace from art painting by L.Dumas from artbyLucie

Sea the View Driftwood Art with colorful beads and shells (Made to Order) from PeaceLoveDriftwood

Island Life Earrings in Sea View style ... handmade glass from LushLampwork

Dubrovnik. Croatia. Portal. Blue. Photograph. Adriatic Sea.Seaside.

Travel Photography. Various Sizes Available. from seardig

Wilderness and Wildflowers, Breakfast and Art.

Hello readers, I hope you had a fantastic weekend. Ours was filled with good things, mainly Wilderness and Wildflowers, Breakfast and Art. There is no recipe to share this week, I simply ran out of time! I hope you enjoy reading this blog post. 

Wilderness and Wildflowers 
The Walking Naturally in Albany book promised that walk no. 1 - Sharp Point Coastal Trail would be an easy 20 minute walk of around 500 metres. Which is was. Although, if you really stop to appreciate everything that is around you it will take longer. The views are stunning from every angle...

This is the view from the left 

 

straight ahead

and to the right. 

 

Oh and did I mention the view behind us? 

We saw wildflowers in full bloom, both at Sharp Point and Whalers Cove (Fisheries Beach). 

            Donkey Orchid, Torndirrup National Park      Cockies's Tongues, Torndirrup National Park 

If our Winter Weather allows it, we are planning another walk next weekend. I am sure our beaches and coastline are the most beautiful in the land! Or perhaps I am just predjudiced. Maybe you can be the judge of that! 

Whalers Cove (Fisheries Beach)

Mistaken Island / Goode Beach

Breakfast and Art

We decided today to indulge in a lazy Sunday Breakfast at Vancouver Cafe and Store.  I totally loved the "fresh" table decorations in cute silver buckets. 

And we both very much enjoyed the Turkish Rolls filled with eggs, bacon, fetta, fresh tomato and spinach, topped off with an onion jam! I must confess, I meant to take a photo before I had consumed half of the turkish roll, but a photo of half is better than a photo of none right? The coffee was pretty fab too. We had to restrain ourselves from ordering a second cup.

There is lots of local art to see at Vancouver Cafè and Store, we chose a few greeting cards to bring home and frame, to add to our ever growing collection. These gorgeous creations are from Tracey Margetts - aka Miss T Artworks.

You can connect with her on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/traceymiss.t

Clockwise from top Right we have Wuthering Heights, Little Miss Muffet 1 and Little Jack Horner. We both agreed on these three cards (although I would have happily brought any of them home) and are very happy to be giving them a loving home. There are a few other artists who have work displayed and for sale, why not check it out for yourself?

Dear readers, that concludes the Sunday blog post "Wilderness and Wildflowers, Breakfast and Art." I do love sharing my adventures with you all. See you on Wednesday for the next edition of Wednesday Wishes xox 

Friday Friends - DUSTy Divas - Collecting Feathers

Good morning Maddabling blog readers, welcome to Friday. It's been a quieter week in the Maddabling household, if the promised sunshine is delivered by the weather man this weekend, we are planning to find one of the walk trails listed in a local council book and to explore some coast line that we haven't seen before. For those in the Albany Area it's called "Walking Naturally in Albany" and is available from the City of Albany office at a small cost. There are some 20 walk trails listed - we have only completed 5 of the 20 so far! 

This week it is my absolute pleasure to introduce to you a new DUST Team Member and Friday Friend - meet Nick from Collecting Feathers! 

Nick strives to create through up-cycling and re-purposing and I really do love her work. Here are a few pieces I found while snooping about her online stores. Even though this one is sold out, I needed to share it. My sister and I used to have the Plush Rainbow Bright Dolls and Horses so this struck a special chord with me. It's Rainbow Brite Vintage Little Golden Book Bunting. 
Adore!

I also heart the LOVE Bunting Cake Topper - it is just too cute and would make a great addition to any special occasion table.

And how cool is this "Danger" card made from a re purposed vintage 1962 Ladybird Book. Perfect for men, women or children for any occasion.

Dear readers, I leave you now to enjoy The Collecting Feathers Narrative. I do hope that you enjoy this story as much as I did. If all goes according to plan, I should have some pictures to share with you from our weekend walk - see you all on Sunday night. Have a wonderful weekend xo

The Collecting Feathers Narrative

Thanks so much for having me on your Friday Friends Samara…and hello to all your readers! My name is Nick and I am the creator of the label Collecting Feathers.

It initially began three years ago when I was at a crossroads in my career. Should I continue full time work in an office job I hated, should I commit to work as a full time artist making ‘real’ art, or should I just go with the flow and potter, waiting to see what life holds?

I was lucky in my situation, and I opted for the latter, choosing the activity that caused me the most pleasure, which was making ‘stuff’ from vintage objects…re-purposing, up-cycling, reusing to create new objects.

As one of my obsessions is with all things paper, my creativity manifested itself with, what else, but making garlands and banners! My garlands are all hand embossed and hand cut. That is, I use scissors rather than punches to create the shapes. It results in shapes that are irregular and individual. In addition to vintage children’s books, atlases and music, I use vintage hankies to create these memory garlands.

My Little Golden Book banners are just that. Banners made from Little Golden Books. I adore the saturated colours of the older books and the different styles of illustration through the different decades.

Initially I had a few concerns about cutting up books, but I rationalised my fears with a few arguments. Firstly, by putting the books on the wall, their artwork is appreciated. Secondly, they not only look good, they are educational. Children can construct their own stories to the individual pictures, using their imaginations to create narratives.

To compliment the banners, there are also cards made from vintage books, cake toppers and gift tags (when I get the time to make them!).

Another of my obsessions is vintage clothing, vintage fabric, vintage anything! My massive stash of vintage tea towels is now slowly being whittled down as I transform them into cushions. I mean, how many dishes can you dry! 

And in the middle of my journey, a bride-to-be asked me to create a printed hessian banner for her special day. As I had studied printmaking at uni, I took up the challenge…and I am still printing ‘em! Now whenever a client comes to me with an idea, I am completely open to its possibilities.

So there duckies, is a rather long-winded tale of my label. But if you think it stops there…it doesn’t!  I have another shop, Laughing Duck Vintage where I sell dress patterns, tea towels that can’t be made into cushions, fabric, clothing and anything else I have time to list!

If anyone would like to see a bit more of my work and life…I have a blog, that is currently concentrating on documenting a recent trip to Italy, or you can keep up with day to day creations on my facebook page.

Thanks again Samara for having moi! 

Collecting Feathers

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

Become a fan on facebook here: 

www.facebook.com/collectingfeathers

Follow the Collecting Feathers blog here: 

http://collectingfeathers.blogspot.com.au/

Fancy a bit of shopping? 

You can buy lovely things on Etsy: 

www.etsy.com/shop/collectingfeathers

You can buy lovely things on Madeit:

www.madeit.com.au/collectingfeathers

You can buy lovely things on bluecaravan: 

www.bluecaravan.net/collectingfeathers

And you can buy vintage goodies on Etsy here: 

www.etsy.com/shop/laughingduckvintage