Craft Market . . .

Kelly and I put a lot of work into preparing for today's Craft Market. Our tables looked wonderful and very inviting. Sadly, after the first 45 minutes there were very few customers entering the hall. The organisers at Burnham Military Camp also put in a lot of work behind the scene and the table setup for all of us was very well thought out. The market had a wonderful variety of stalls and quite a few of them tempted me to buy lol. Even though the market was very quiet, both Kelly and I well and truly covered our costs and it gave us a great experience for our first market. We also put a raffle together with goodies from both of our stalls. This was very well received with lots of tickets sold, so that also gave us a few more dollars.

#CraftMarket #CrochetToys #KnittedDishCloths #CrochetFlowers #WoodTurnedBowls #WoodTurnedFlowers #WoodTurnedChristmasOrnaments
#WoodTurnedLanterns #WoodTurnedPegPeople #PizzaCutter #WoodTurnedToys

25th August 2025

 Run Up To Craft Market . . .

With my first craft market just a few days away, I've been busy with finishing touches. Bruce finished making the lovely pizza cutters he made out of old saw blades. He got me to turn the handles and then he used his tap tool to create a thread inside them so they could be screwed onto rod he had attached to the cutter. Because they are quite sharp I made cardboard sleeves for them.

I decided to marble some of the vases I made. I love how this paint technique looks. I also marbled so of the trees and the ends of the playdough rolling pins.

Finally, I took everything over to the craftroom and worked out how I was going to set up my stall. Having a practise run means I won't waste time when we arrive at the market. After moving everything around a few times I achieved my desired look. I think I have set everything out so that there is a natural flow for customers. Also having these photos means I have a pictorial guide for getting the set up right on the day. Next I had the massive job of pricing everything. I don't want to make things too cheap but I also don't want to scare prospective customers away.

#PizzaCutters #WoodTurnedVases #MarblePaintedVases #CraftStallSetUp #CraftFairSetUp#CraftMarketSetUp #WoodTurned  #WoodTurnedBowls #WoodTurnedFlowers #WoodTurnedChristmasOrnaments#WoodTurnedLanterns #WoodTurnedPegPeople #WoodTurnedToys

August 2024

 Spring Has Arrived . . .

 

It is so good for the soul to walk amongst the the first flowers on the trees. Magnolia flowers will always be my absolute favourite, however I also have a soft spot for Camellia flowers. The white and red bushes are in flower already and the pink ones are not too far off blooming as well.

With the Magnolia tree beginning to bloom it is time to harvest some of them. Magnolias taste a little like ginger and black pepper, with the crisp, freshness of cucumbers. They are great raw, but I prefer them pickled. I have read that the whole flower is edible, although I only eat the petals as I don’t know much about eating the center of the flowers.

The following recipe is for quick pickles, also known as refrigerator pickles, which means they should be kept in the fridge and are not shelf stable. They will last for a good long time though! Making these pickles is really easy. Once you get your flowers, remove the petals and rinse them under cool water. Shake them dry, and gently pack them into jars, they bruise very easily. Also add some garlic and a star anise, although you can change it up a little if you like. Add some black peppercorns, a bay leaf, red pepper flakes, or other herbs and spices you want to enhance your pickles.

Make the brine with rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. You can also use other vinegars if you prefer, but I think that rice vinegar compliments the taste of the magnolia petals well. Heat up the brine and whisk to help the salt and sugar to dissolve. Pour the warm brine over the petals, and put them in the fridge. Let it sit overnight. The petals will absorb some vinegar, release water, and the flavour of the petals will also infuse into the vinegar. And you’re pickles are ready to enjoy.

Ingredients -

• 175g magnolia petals (about 25 flowers)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 star anise (optional)
• 2 cups rice wine vinegar (you can replace ½ of this for white vinegar, if you like)
• 2 Tbsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar

Method -

1. Gently rinse the magnolia flowers in cool water to clean, making sure to always handle them delicately to avoid unnecessary bruising. Remove the petals from the flowers center, reserving only the petals. Use two 500ml sized  jars, and place one clove of garlic and one star anise in each. Divide the petals in half, and pack them into the two jars.
2. Add the vinegar, salt and sugar into a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until all the salt and sugar is dissolved into the vinegar. Pour the brine over the petals in both jars, so that the jars are full. Add a lid, and place in the refrigerator overnight.
3. The next day, the petals will have lost water and reduced, leaving the jar about half full of liquid and half petals. Your pickles are now ready to be enjoyed! Eat on sushi, sandwiches, or in a cucumber salad. Store pickles in the fridge.

 

#Magnolia #Camellia #PickledMagnoliaRecipe 

 30th August 2024

 Bruce's Birthday . . .

Bruce's birthday is not complete without his usual bottle of whiskey and his favourite pineapple dessert. This his family have always called Pineapple Stuff, which is pretty sad considering the love their mother would have put into it while she prepared it for them. The custard always has a richer flavour with the addition of extra egg yolks, so it is a perfect partner for making with a pavlova which only requires egg whites. 

Pineapple Dessert Recipe . . .

 

Ingredients - 

1 Tblsp Gelatine

1½ cups Water 

1½ cups Milk

¾ cup Sugar

2 Egg yolks (I prefer to use 4)

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 Tblsp Coconut (optional)

450g tin of Pineapple pieces

2 Egg whites

Method -

Sprinkle gelatine over the water and stir gently, put aside till later.

Put egg yolks and sugar into the top of a double boiler, or as I did a bowl which I later put over a pot of hot water, and gently combine together. Gradually add the milk until thoroughly combined. Place over pot of gently simmering water and stir occasionally until thick, about 10 minutes. 

Add gelatine mixture, vanilla and coconut (if using) to custard and combine. Pour over pineapple pieces.

Beat egg whites to soft peaks and dollop over custard. Gently mix whites into custard and pop into the refrigerator to set. Enjoy

#PineappleDessert #PineappleCustard

19th August 2024

 Craft Market Preparation . . .

With our Craft Market coming up next month, I pulled out my big roll of calico fabric. Then I set to work making two table covers for myself and one for my daughter-in-law. It was Kelly who told me about the upcoming market and convinced me that I could also have a stand for all of the things I turn/make. So stepping outside my comfort zone, I accepted the challenge and will give it my best shot. I designed the covers to completely cover the tables, so that we could hide away all of the boxes that we carry our goods in. When I finished the covers, my friend Megan came to the farm to help me design and cut out the iron-on vynal for the signs. Using my Cricut, this was an easy task for Megan but a learning curve for me. I am thrilled with our finished signs and discovered that they are quite easy to iron on to the fabric.

Another friend told me about some wee wooden boxes that were on sale. I bought a couple of sets and created some ribbons to go with the 'Ma is White' song. After finding all of the correct coloured ribbons, I sewed each of the colours in order and placed them in the boxes. This song is perfect for teaching children the Maori words for each of the colours. Great resource for Maori week or any other time.

 

I gathered together all of the flowers I turned on the lathe, sanded them flat on the bottom, drilled a tiny hole and superglued florist wire stems onto them. Using the wire as a handle I them dipped each of the flowers into dye and left them the dry. While they dried, I drilled rows of holes in a block of wood and used this to display the finished flowers. I also put a few into vases for a visual demonstration of their potential. As I had a lot of dye left over, I decided to dye some of the wood shavings around the lathe. When these were dry I filled glass spheres as Christmas decorations. Want not, waste not lol. They looked great hanging on my tree.

I got busy on the bansaw and cut out pieces to create tree shaped tiered stands to help elevate items on my stall tables. After cutting them I painted the underside of the tops and when they were dry Bruce screwed the tops onto the trunk shaped legs. When they were all assembled, I painted the top of the stands green as well. After I painted them, I realised that I should have filled the screw holes. They will do this time and I will repaint them at a later stage.

#CalicoTableCovers #MaIsWhiteRibbon #MaIsWhiteSong #WoodturnedFlowers #ColouredWoodTurnedFlowers #ColouredWoodSavings #ChristmasDecoration #TreeShapedTieredStand #TreeShapedTables

July 2025

 Ladies Catch Up .  .  . 

I'm a long way behind with the stories for my blog, but I'll add a few back ones for their recipes and content - just because I finally want to share lol.

We had the most wonderful catch up at Kerry's. It is always a treat when we can get together without the children everyone cares for. As usual, I'm the odd one out as I've given that lark away. However, I thoroughly enjoy listening to and contributing ideas to what they are doing with their charges. Homebased care offers such a wonderful start to any child's learning journey and these girls are the cream of the crop. Such talented and resourceful teachers, I'm in awe of each and every one of them.

We were all asked to bring a plate of goodies for a shared afternoon tea. I didn't have to think to hard about this as the request is always for my Neenish Tarts, these are certainly a favourite with the group.

Neenish Tart Recipe . . .

 

Pastry

125g Softened Butter (not melted)

125g Sugar

1 egg

225g Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

Filling

4 Tblsp butter

4 Tblsp Icing Sugar

4 Tblsp Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 Tblsp Lemon Juice

Method

Pastry - Cream butter and sugar, add egg and beat well. Mix in sifted dry ingredients. Knead well. Roll out, cut circles and line patty tins. Prick and bake for about 10 minutes at 180° or until golden brown. Because the pastry often still rises I press the tartlet down again to ensure I have a good size base for the filling. this needs to be done as soon as they come out of the oven. I use silcone trays so they don't need greasing. However, if you have metal trays they need to be greased and floured to ensure that the pastry cases come out easily. 

Filling - Cream butter and sugar, add condensed milk and lemon juice. Combine well together and fill cooled pastry cases. I find a piping bag or plastic bag with the end snipped off makes this job much easier. Pop them into the refrigerator to set.

Icing / Chocolate - Traditionally, these are iced with white and chocolate icing. However, Bruce isn't keen on icing so I cover mine with melted chocolate. I melt the white chocolate first and cover one half of each tart. Placing them back into the refrigerator to set while you melt the dark chocolate. Finish them off by covering the other side of each tart. Set and enjoy. If there is any chocolate left, I pour it into chocolate moulds for an extra treat. 

While making the dough for the tarts, I doubled the recipe so I could make Bruce some custart tarts. Otherwise he would feel left out lol.

Custard Tart Recipe . . .

 

Pastry

125g Softened Butter (not melted)

125g Sugar

1 egg

225g Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

Filling

½ cup Sugar

3 eggs

500 Milk

Nutmeg

Method

Pastry - Cream butter and sugar, add egg and beat well. Mix in sifted dry ingredients. Knead well. Roll out, cut circles and line tart tins. This dough is not cooked first. I use silcone trays so they don't need greasing. However, if you have metal trays they need to be greased and floured to ensure that the tarts come out easily. Having a double ended tartlet, means I can use the other end to push the pastry into the tart pans.

Filling - Combine egg and sugar, mix in milk. I do this in a jug so that it is easy to fill the tart cases. Pour mixture into tart cases and either sprinkle with ground nutmeg or grate over whole nutmeg. Bake for about 25 minutes at 180° or until custard is set. If using silicone tart pans, place in metal tins or on a tray as it is impossible to move them once filled otherwise.

Apple Pies . . .

I went on to make another batch of dough and using some apple puree from the larder with a little cinnamon, also made Bruce some small apple pies. Like the custard tarts the dough was cooked with the apple at 180° and this time I cut a smaller circle for the top of each one.

#NeenishTarts #CustardTarts #ApplePies

6th July 2024