Ivy

I spent yesterday evening working in my sketchbook. The current module is about adding interest to pages through cutting and adding extra paper.
The page standing at the back is a practice piece for the ivy page, with leaf outlines cut and folded out from it. I applied pastel to the sketchbook page off the inside of a stencil, this is the one which is going to have the leaves cut and folded from it.
Tonight I'm going to do the cutting, and work on the page below which will be revealed through the cuts.

Beautiful Tulips

Yesterday, Simon surprised me by popping up for the day, instead of sleeping. We had a wonderful day, ate lots of lovely chocolate, and he brought me these beautiful purple tulips. I don't own a vase, but they look great in this purple vase on my dresser.

Pretty vegetables

I was making one of my favorite suppers the other night (scrambled eggs with lots of veggies in), when I noticed all the pepper slices stacking up on the knife in a pretty little row. Lovely.

Swap Partner Stalking Assistance

I'm getting back into swapping on Craftster, and have signed up for the Embroidery Hoopla Round 4 Swap on Craftster. With that in mind, I thought I'd make this helpful post for future partners.

So, if we've been partnered in a swap - hello! Here is a bit about me:

Things I love:
Spending time with friends, geeky board games, cooking, reading recipe books, baking glorious cakes, exploring, popping to the farmers market to pick up tasty bread, cheese and veggies, reading (especially young adult fantasy & sci fi, apparently!) and my favourite authors are Roald Dahl and Jeanette Winterson. I also enjoy taking photos, especially macro and texture shots.

Crafts I do:
I'm a bit of a Jill of all trades - I dabble in knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, spinning, embroidery, cross stitch & crewel, machine embroidery. I enjoy zentangling to unwind. At the moment I am getting over my fear of drawing, and working towards a City & Guilds qualification, which I am really loving. I want to do more papercrafts - altered books, ATCs, etc. I also want to develop my machine embroidery skills.

Music & Movies:
I enjoy a lot of (British) folk mysic, my favourite group are Oysterband, but I also like Billy Bragg, Eliza Carthy, Kate Rusby, Mumford and Sons, Stornoway, Noah & The Whale, Chris Wood. I love how folk music tells tales that are beautiful and moving, and still relevant to life today. I also like bouncy pop of all varieties, bits of country, and lots of other things. For a better idea of my musical taste, here's My Spotify Profile (needs Spotify to view it).
My favourite films are Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Moulin Rouge, Amelie, Stranger Than Fiction, Juno. I love Pixar movies, and am hard pressed to pick a favourite amongst them, but if I had to, I think it would probably be WALL-E or Up, and the Boundin' short.

How I like things:
Bold, confident, bright, burlesquey, striped or polkadotted, natural, oceanic, jewel toned, soft, comforting, Gorey-esque, playful, elegant, symmetrical/patterned, odd, kooky, well made, thoughtful.

I collect:
Driftwood, shells, rabbits, hand carved wooden spoons, 1980s Ravensberger childrens board games, keys, leaves, conkers and other natural things, BPAL perfumes (foody, spicy, woody, not floral scents), art & craft supplies, buttons. I also have a set of the 5 Nat West Piggy Banks from my childhood which I love.

I'd rather not:
Pastels, cutesy, gas masks & post apocalyptic themes, gore & horror, excessive swearing!

I'm really looking forward to swapping with you :)

(With thanks to Knickertwists for the inspiration & headings.)

Soup

It has been, among other things, a weekend of soup, stirring and simmering, and now my freezer is stocked with lots of tasty lunches for the next few weeks.

On the way back from my holiday last weekend, I picked up a copy of Saturday's Guardian, which contained a 'Soups and Stews' supplement. So far I've made two soups from it, and both have been wonderful:

Lighter French Onion Soup


Serves 4

150g haricot beans
50g unsalted butter
900g onions, sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 bunch of thyme, tied with string
1.5 litres light chicken stock
50g parmesan, grated (plus a piece of rind if you have one)
A squeeze of lemon juice
2 tbsp parsley, lightly chopped

1 Soak the haricots overnight. 2 The next day, melt the butter in a pan and add the sliced onions. 3 Cook gently for 20-30 minutes, until soft and starting to caramelise, then stir in the oregano, mustard, vinegar and some seasoning. Lob in the bunch of thyme too and simmer until all the vinegar has reduced away – just a few minutes. 4 Drain the haricots, tip them into the onions, cover with the stock and bring to the boil. Toss in the rind of the parmesan now, if you have it, to infuse the flavour. 5 Once the soup has come to the boil, skim off the froth, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the beans are soft and tender. This may take anywhere between 1-2 hours (it depends how old the beans are). 6 When you're sure the beans are cooked, check the seasoning and make sure you are happy with the thickness (simmer it down to thicken, add some water to thin). 7 Remove the rind and bunch of thyme. Stir in half the grated parmesan and finish with a light squeeze of lemon juice. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and the remaining cheese once it's in the bowls.

Moroccan Carrot Soup


Serves 6

½ tbsp cumin seeds
750g carrots, chopped
30g butter
80g rice
250ml milk
1.2 litres light chicken or veg stock
2 egg yolks
Small handful of mint, chopped
Sprinkling of paprika

1 Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until you can smell their flavour, then crush with the side of a knife. 2 Wash and roughly chop the carrots into 3cm chunks, then sweat them on a medium heat in the butter for 10-15 minutes. 3 Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 12 minutes or until ready, then drain. 4 Once the carrots are beginning to go golden, cover with the milk and stock, bring to the boil and simmer until tender. This will take about 10 minutes. 5 Blend the soup to a rough consistency, then tip back into the pan and add the rice and cumin. Simmer for a few more minutes. 6 Pull off the heat, whisk in the yolks one by one, stir in the chopped mint, season well and serve immediately with a sprinkle of paprika.

Both utterly lovely soups, light and tasty, and easy to make, with a nice amount of kitchen pottering, and time to knit while things simmer. There are lots more lovely recipes in the booklet, I think next I will try the Salt Cod Macaroni Bake