Delicately different

Something new in my Etsy shop this week, and a little different...

Rose Garden Earrings

I had a little bit too much fun making silver teardrops a couple of weeks ago and I had a lovely box full of differing sizes in this delicate shape. I was looking at them and struck upon the idea of making asymmetrical earrings, they are perfect for this!

I put the teardrops with some beautiful sparkly mystic quartz briolettes, and then added some vintage millefiori beads. I have a whole mixture of the beads and they are all slightly different, so were also begging to go into this design.

I am really pleased with the soft colours and the quirky design.

I hope you like them too!

A Quick Recipe - Cheats Lasagne

I love spaghetti bolognese, I love mac and cheese and I like lasagne even better. This recipe is great because it is quick to put together, involves less effort than lasagne and is a tiny bit healthier than macaroni and cheese.

This is a fairly simple idea but I liked how it came together with things I had in my freezer and store cupboard already, and it tasted great! I picked a few of the new herbs we've planted in the garden - some oregano and purple basil went in.

Serves 2 greedy people!

250g macaroni pasta
1 tin of plum tomatoes, blended
250g mince lamb or beef
2 shallots or half an onion
1 clove of garlic
pinch of chili flakes
1 tbsp tomato puree
herbs and spices to your liking (I used fresh oregano, purple basil & nutmeg, cumin and paprika)
cheddar cheese - grated - enough to cover the top of your pasta for baking.

Finely dice the onion and fry in a saucepan with olive oil for a few minutes, stirring often. Add the mince and break up and brown. Add in the garlic. Add in your herbs, spices and season. Then add in your tomato puree and blended tomatoes. Bring to the boil then simmer for 1/2 hour  - 1 hour til the mince is tender and tomatoes cooked down.

Preheat your oven to a medium high heat.
Cook your macaroni for half the time as indicated on the pack.
Once done mix your bolognese sauce in and then put into a large casserole or lasagne dish. Cover with cheddar cheese and bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes until the pasta is done and the cheese is bubbling. You can grill it for a few minutes at the end to get the cheese really browned.

Dig in and don't forget to go back for seconds! ;)

UK Handmade Summer Issue + Rhubarb Jam!

I've been writing for UK Handmade again, you can find my article on How to Make Rhubarb Jam in the latest issue, page 86!

Am nearly through the three jars I made, it is lovely stuff. I very much enjoyed the cream tea I made up for the pictures. Yum!

a new hobby - knitting

So I've started knitting!

Being a left hander I never really learnt properly but on a recent trip to the Lake District with some arty and crafty friends I decided that I'd ask the lovely moocowhandknits to teach me to knit!

She originally taught me how to knit left handed, being a right hander herself this was quite an achievement, afterwards I practised on some wool and thin needles to get the hang of it. Then I had a lot more help from my mother in law and now I can knit right handed. I can also cast on and off (although I may have forgotten the cast off bit slightly).

I've started a yummy wide purple scarf in wendy mode yarn which has merino in it, so soft! I'm still a bit slow but I reckon I'll have it finished by the time the colder weather comes.

Am starting to develop something of an addiction to yarn and finding myself drooling over it on Etsy and in shops - I think I want to try some really chunky yarn and knit up something big and soft. I have my eye on this lovely hand spun, hand dyed yarn from Colour It Green on Etsy at the moment too:

Handspun Wool

I think everyone is getting scarves for Christmas this year! ;)

work in progress - copper stacking rings

I've been impatiently wanting to add stacking rings to my shop for such a long time, this process is a bit of a learning curve for me as I've not worked with thick wire before.

I've already made a silver ring but I thought I'd experiment with copper which is softer to work and also a bit cheaper!

These three rings are made from 1.6mm copper, two smooth, one hammered finish. I'm not all there with the solder joins yet, they aren't as smooth as I like. But I like the finish and the thickness of the wire.

I'm wearing these with the silver ring I bought, they stack well as a four, or a three, or a two!

Am continuing to work on these, watch this space! Hopefully I'll be back working with the silver soon too.

Monday Moodboard - Tea Time

I love tea time and afternoon tea themed goodies, these would be perfect for any tea lover!

L-R

Tea Time print by Anek
Wild Blueberry Preserve by Wee Bee Jammin
Art Journal for Tea Lovers by Buechertiger
Eat Me Alice in Wonderland Tags by vintagetwee

Simple Shapes

I've been working with a lot of pearls recently, some lovely intricate mother of pearl and some beautiful vibrant lampwork. I sat down to my desk yesterday and made a whole bunch of really simple shapes for some everyday designs.

I like metalsmithing because it allows me to completely handcraft a piece of jewellery and use simple shapes to beautiful effects. The first piece of jewellery I made yesterday was these gold fill earrings. I intended to add some sparkly smoky quartz (yes I'm going into gemstones!) but they looked just as good as they were.

I'm keeping the first pair for myself, they are perfect for everyday wear and the warm colour goes with lots of different things.

These earrings are in my Etsy shop to buy.

More new and simple shapes coming this week, in silver and copper. Watch this space!


xx