Lino Printing

I've always wanted to give lino cutting/printing a go, and last week I bought a few supplies to realise this little desire of mine. I've discovered it's quite therapeutic (when I manage to keep the blade away from my thumb!) Here's what I made:

These were a couple of practice runs so I could see how it turned out and if I needed to fine tune any of the letters. I'm pretty happy with how it looks, but I think I need to buy some special heavy duty paper to print on. Also the paint is a little patchy too so I think I might have to experiment with a few different types... If there's anyone out there who's a bit of an expert I'd love a couple of pointers!? In the meantime I'll be happily carving away, maybe a picture rather than words this time (those little serifs were a pain)!

K x

Owls on Etsy

I previously posted about the gorgeous plush owls and other bits and bobs our friends at Goose Designs Mapleton have created. Well the Etsy store is finally up and running here with their first couple of listings! There will be more to come soon. Lovely colourful plush creations, Margaret.
K x

Stone Set, Ready to Go

So I finally, just this morning at my Silversmithing class, finished my first cabochon setting and here it is:

I was pretty happy with how it turned out for my first stone setting, and as you can see below I've already got a head start on my second- a pendant.

K x

Snug As A Pug In A Rug!

How adorable are these pet coats and bonnets by Beantown Handmade?! (almost as adorable as the gorgeous Boston Terrier modelling them!)

With the cooler weather creeping closer (though if you live in Brisbane you wouldn't know it judging by the magic past couple of days we've had) it's time to not only start getting our winter wardrobe in order, but to also consider the furry friends who keep us company on those cold winter nights.

Beantown handmade have solved the dilemma of keeping our little animal buddies cosy and warm with their selection of handmade woollen coats and hats. I must say they look rather fetching. You can even select the combination of colours you want and they are custom made to fit. Bring on the chilly nights...

K x

A Cabinet Worth Ooh'ing Over

Flipping through this month's issue of Australian Home Beautiful I came across this fantastic cabinet by Tassie designer Matty C Smith (you can check out his other designs and musings at his blog:  http://mattycsmith.blogspot.com).

Not only is this cabinet interesting, playful and functional, it was also designed with eco-friendly choices in mind. Probably why it bagged him the 2010 Tasmanian Design Centre Award for Sustainability and Emerging Designer. (Image and info courtesy of State of Green). I love it! It just seems to have such a big big personality for one little cabinet.

"Shortdivision" cabinet by Matty C Smith

K x

It is, after all, the Most Important Meal of The Day

You know you're going to have a good day when you have a burst of inspiration even before breakfast... Well, today mine was concerning breakfast.

I'm a sucker for pretty much any food with mushrooms in it, so when a friend at work was telling me about a mushroom breakfast involving cream and rosemary it was all I could do not to run for the doors to the nearest Woolworths and buy up whatever they had from the fungi family!

This yummy brekky was so simple to make and quick as a flash- I'm not sure how the original recipe was supposed to be but I improvised and it tasted pretty goshdang good to me. 

For the mushrooms (I used Portabello) I just melted some butter in a pan, added the sliced mushrooms and a little water and let it sauté for a few minutes. I then added some Rosemary (from my herb garden!), salt and pepper and a few dollops of cream. Pop the mushrooms and delicious pan juices on some toasted Sourdough bread and it's done.

I added ricotta and rocket on top because the mood struck me but I imagine the mushies would be great on their own atop the lightly toasted Sourdough.

...And there was someone else who wanted some too... It's rare for her to sit still for more than two seconds but she was being such a good girl I was compelled to share. Just a teeny bit.

K x

Cabochon setting update

(...here is an entry I wrote on the 6th May and saved it waiting to take the photos and then seemed to forget- oops!)

This week saw me get back into my silversmithing class after a two week course break over Easter... and boy was it good to be back into the swing of hammering and sanding the morning away.

Here is the ring progress so far- it seems to be taking forever but it's the biggest piece of silver I've worked with thus far so forming it, hammering and soldering took longer than my previous projects. Can't wait to finally set the stone... hopefully next week!
K x

I chose a cushion shape for the band as it's supposed to
be more comfortable and won't spin as easily on the finger.

...to give an idea of scale and roughly how it should look
when finished

Kitchen Plans

Hello! Well it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted and I have just returned from a nice little break at the beach which was lovely- lots of eating, drinking and soaking up the sun but unfortunately not much creative stuff going on which is why this little blog has suffered some neglect lately.

One exciting thing is that MrBenni and I have decided on a colour for our mini kitchen makeover.

Current cabinets need an update and replacing
them isn't an option at the moment.

The existing kitchen cabinetry needs a lift (i.e. I can't stand the dark wood veneer any longer) and after reading a couple of articles on ehow about how to paint wood laminate and wood veneer, it seems with the right prepwork (and sealant) anything is possible. I'd be interested to know if any of you have done this before? Tips/tricks?

So we've (almost certainly) decided on British Paints 350 Flight Plan for the cabinetry to tie in with the blue/grey of the bench tops (I'm hoping it won't be too dark if we go with light walls) and I think with new stainless hardware to replace the old brown knobs it will be the pick-me-up our tired little kitchen needs...

Oh and maybe this island bench from Ikea and some bright stools

We plan to get stuck into it soon, will let you know how it goes!

K x