Handmaiden

EyeSpy

Bird Bath has asked us to EyeSpy "something we should use."

For me its lots of homegrown silverbeet that I know will cook down beautifully in my braised lamb with chickpeas, allspice and cinnamon. I am loving cooking lots of slow food now I am back in Melbourne.

 

even better I can use up this huge amount of cinnamon bark - at least a bit of it! We picked this up in our travels sometime ago and its taking a while to use it.

 

Thanks to Cindy for hosting 

And I am off to  The Melbourne Open House 2009 today, keen to have alook at Melbourne Town Hall amongst other buildings.

Enjoy your Sunday

Sharon

EyeSpy

Thanks to Ellieboo for this weeks theme....something I love (or hate) about my suburb. 

Well it's all love from me. I love walking The Tan

 

The ability to walk to the "G"

 

Watching the City at night

and I love to watch the ferris wheel at Birrarung Marr lit up at night

 

and use all the facilties of the Arts Precinct

There are so many fabulous things to see and do in my neighbourhood

Why not have a look at The Melbourne Open House 2009 programme on July 19th and enjoy my neighbourhood too.

Thanks to Cindy for hosting 

Enjoy your Sunday

Sharon

Eye Spy

I am playing along with Cindy's Eyespy and 3redbuttons has asked us to share: 

My Morning Ritual........

I suppose muesli for breakfast would be mine. I make up a container full...here is the recipe

2C of oats

                                               1/4C sultanas                                                

                        1/4C cranberries                         

handful of chopped or flaked almonds

                            sprinkling of coconut                               

sprinkling of sesame seeds

1/8C sunflower seeds

1/8C pumpkin seeds

you can add wheatgerm (I choose not to)

To moisten I add a tablespoon of water (you could add apple juice or milk)

Top it with yoghurt and your choice of fruit........I love the frozen raspberries from Sara Lee

 

I usually have it with freshly squeezed Apple and Vegetable juice

1 granny smith apple

2 stalks of celery

piece of cucumber

1/4 piece of lemon

 handful of mint and parsley

knob of ginger

For more morning rituals visit here

Sharon

 

 

EyeSpy

This week Trashcan has asked us to Eyespy green.

Now I could show you some tropical greenery from the garden in Singapore

  

Or I could share this portrait of Marilyn Monroe with you that I took at the Singapore flower show last year. Close up you can't see a pattern at all but from faraway it comes into focus

 

but I really want to show you my latest project - book binding, more tomorrow

Visit Cindy for more players

Sharon

Eye Spy

I am playing along with Cindy's Eyespy. This week Monique from A half full glass has asked us to share what we are reading.

I posted a little while ago about this fabulous book. I read it over Easter as I couldn't put it down and I did not have much sewing to do. Some of you have also read it and felt the same way. My reading has suffered alot since I started blogging but this book has certainly regained my enthusiam.

It's part of a trilogy so I have started to read the second one. The third book has yet to be translated and I will have to wait till next year for that one. Only 50 pages in but its got me hooked again.

 

See who else is reading what over here and Happy Mother's Day to all you mum's out there. Hope you get spoilt today.

Sharon 

Eye Spy

The lovely Jhoanna of One Red Robin fame has asked us to share a fav blog.

Well I have come across two in the last month mainly through playing memes. I am always keen to find out about new things in this community and both these blogs are beautifully presented.

Kellie from 74 Lime Lane is an aussie who has a love of graphic design, photography and shopping

Sharon from Blossom is a children's fashion designer in the UK and shares her love of fashion, art, photography and shopping with us

Find out about some other new finds over at Cindy's   

Sharon

Eye Spy

This week hugoandelsa has asked us to post about a work in progress. Now as I am getting ready to go back to Singapore I have been trying to finish up things here and I havent got much "in progress". I thought perhaps I could show you a half empty case being packed but that's a bit boring.

However, I do have one project that I started on Friday when I went for a sewing day at the wonderful and generous Kellie's house from Dont Look Know

I have been inspired by her machine quilting and her use of colour and I have never attempted machine applique before.

She sells the most amazing patterns and kellie showed me how to machine applique and quilt. So this is my first try at free motion quilting. More practising required.

  

This is the beginnings of a pillow using the Pretty 'n Pink pattern. The applique process is actually easier than I first thought and I enjoy the process of fussy cutting fabric to make it work for the template. As this is a practice piece I am just using fabric from my last Amitie VIP mailout. I think a small project like this is a good way of trialling a new application as its not too daunting and you can see whether you like the applique and more importantly the machine quilting............so definetly a work in progress 

 

And this is Kellie's final pillow. Go check out her patterns and have a go or book in for her workshop at Patchwork House in Hawthorn 

Visit Cindy for other players and visit Jemma at AmityvilleBoronia for her 100th post giveaway

Sharon

Eye Spy

Ok so Amy at Badskirt wants to know what our Magic Elixir is. I cant say I have any secret potions or recipes. I don't own a Spotless book. I do know that you can take furniture indentations out of your carpet by leaving ice on the problem area and it brings back the pile.

But I suppose for me anything becomes better after a bottle of Champagne!!

 

Visit Cindy to see who else is playing

Sharon

EyeSpy

I am playing along with Cindy's eyespy.

This week A little bird told me has asked us to spy  "A New Development"

Now I am often discovering new things and I like to explore new ideas.

So a new development for me is that I have a 50% chance of living in Qatar by the end of the year. If you watch the soccer you will know that the Socceroos play Qatar next for their World Cup qualifications and they held the Asian games there a few years ago. They also hold world motorbike championships and if you watch the BBC you will know it's the home of the Doha Debat

It sits in the Arabian Gulf near Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Life is fairly topsy turvy for us at the moment but with the lack of opportunities available in Melbourne we have to search further afield.

Sharon

EyeSpy

A discovery....... has been chosen by The Byron Life  for this week's theme.

I have discovered Google Maps.......you can type in an address and see a street view. This is my old  street in West London on a sunny day. You can use it to find a map and directions to get to a local address.

 

Google Earth allows you to fly to anywhere in the world after you download some software. This is Melbourne and you can get closer than this if you wish. This view shows the Melbourne Grand Prix track around Albert Park as well. I have been flying to Singapore, London and the Middle East and checking out Qatar where I may be living part time

   

Have a look and play armchair tourist in a new fun way

Thanks as always to Cindy for hosting

Sharon