Love: Five Things About Me

Posted on July 31, 2012 by sewandbakeandlove

I was lucky enough to receive the Liebster Blog Award from my friend and fellow blogger Shan over at Life and Times With Art.

I thank her for this and I would now like to share FIVE things about me….that you MAYBE don’t know….

Number 1.

- I am NOT a seafood fan. I want to be someone who likes seafood. Everybody around me raves about seafood and I know its nutritional benefits. But I cannot grow to like it.

Number 2.

- I love washing, hanging and folding washing. Is this bizarre? I think it’s the refreshing, newness about the whole process that I like.

Number 3.

- I must have a beverage with my evening meal. Whether it’s water, or juice or mineral water, I HAVE to have a drink with my meal, or the whole world will end.

Number 4.

- One of my pet hates is when you hang the washing out and then it gets rained on, deeming the whole process a waste of time. This is not just something that annoys me, I absolutely DETEST it! (Another washing one – weird?)

Number 5.

- I love the Bachelorette and The Farmer Wants a Wife. I have copped a lot of flack for it over the years, but I care not. I love watching this tacky genre of ‘reality TV’. I am fascinated with how far people will go with a camera shoved in their face.

I would now like to nominate the following five bloggers for this very prestigious Liebster Blog Award:

1. Ingrid @ In Glossy Beauty

2. Kim-Marie @ KimbaLikes

3. Prttynpink @ PrettyGrievances

4. Rachel @ Sewitsfashion

5. Janene @ Ooobop

I hope that you enjoy reading their words as much as I do.

Do you’all have any bloggers you follow and would like to share here?

Alison

Bake: Home Made Meat Pies

Posted on July 30, 2012 by sewandbakeandlove

We recently purchased a fancy Bocastle ($18) family meat pie, that was worth EVERY PENNY! It was a spectacular meat pie! Evie LOVED it! Instead of spending another $18 on pie, I decided to save some pennies and get baking some of my own Evie-sized pies. The result was very positive.

I jumped onto Taste.com and found a recipe for the pies and another one for the basic mince that is the filling.

– Onions and veggies cooking off to start with -

– The mince is cooked off and then tomatoes and sauces go in near the end -

– The final item…the fresh flat leaf parsley

– After it had cooked for 45 minutes, the flavours had really infused -

– I hunted around for a round kitchen item that was the perfect fit for the muffin trays I used…a funnel was the closest -

– The shortcrust pastry fits snugly into the muffin tins -

– In goes the goodness -

– Ready for the oven. I trialled some different toppings: sesame seeds, flaked salted and freshly cracked black pepper -

– Straight out of the oven -

– An arty shot….like? -

– Evie is ready to devour her Evie-sized pie -

I love knowing exactly what goes into our food – knowing there’s no added preservatives and the meat is lower in fat makes me feel better about eating foods like this. The Evie-sized pies were also a hit with Husband….the downside of that was that he would eat four pies, to Evie’s one pie…meaning they didn’t last very long.

Have you made meat pies before? Or do you think they’re easier just to buy? Do you have a preferred brand?

Alison

Love: Photo of the Week

Posted on July 29, 2012 by sewandbakeandlove

My gorgeous friend, Karen, and I, just completed a short digital photography course. We learnt so much and hopefully will now be able to take more awesome photos with our fancy cameras. This week’s photo was part of the homework from last week. This is a beautiful rose from our garden. I love the colour of this rose – it’s the colour of the roses from bouquets at my wedding. Such a pretty yellow.

Have a great week!

Alison

Love: The Kindness of a Stranger

Posted on July 28, 2012 by sewandbakeandlove

One thing that completely overshadowed everything else that I could possibly love this week, was the kindness of a compete stranger.

What was one thing you loved?
Alison

Love: Pretty Dresses

Posted on July 27, 2012 by sewandbakeandlove

Pretty Dresses.

– Portmans Belted Dobby Dress in coral ($99.95) -

– Forever New Mia Striped 2-in-1 Dress in periwinkle ($79.99) -

– Cue Multi-Colour Print Dress ($269) -

– Glassons Colour Block Dress in black/charcoal marle ($40.49) -

Does it feel like the weather might warm up soon? Or is this just wishful thinking?

Alison

Love: Question of the Week

Posted on July 26, 2012 by sewandbakeandlove

Society has expectations. When you move in with someone, they all ask, ‘When are you getting married?’ When you get married, they all ask, ‘When are you having a baby?’ When you have your first baby, they all ask, ‘When are you having your second baby?’…and so it goes on.

I can imagine some people find being asked about their reproductive situation rather offensive. I am personally OK with being asked, as I tend to just make up an answer to suit the mood I’m in, or the person I am talking to. I also don’t really get offended that easily about those sorts of things.

I always think of the time Jo Stanley, from From Matt and Jo’s Fox FM morning program, saying that she likened it to people asking you when the next time you were going to have your next shit was…she believes it is that personal.

– Matt & Jo -

This leads me to this week’s question…

Is asking someone when they are going to have a baby, or their next baby, an offensive and far-too personal question?

Alison

Love: Three Bloggers’ Posts

Posted on July 25, 2012 by sewandbakeandlove

I am loving other people’s blogs so much lately. They are full of inspiration and great ideas. Here are my three faves today..

– In Glossy Beauty’s (Ingrid’s) DIY Inspiration Board Post -

– Meaghan Smith’s Mix Apparel Post -

– The Renegade Seamstress’s (Beth’s) Refashion a Man’s Shirt into a Beach Dress Post -

These are this week’s faves. Watch this space for more…

Alison

Love: Beautiful Bedside Tables

Posted on July 24, 2012 by sewandbakeandlove

I’ve been looking inside some beautiful homes/houses lately, and I have been inspired by many people’s design choices. This has inspired me to do some posts on interiors over the next few weeks and maybe even months (hopefully we can find a house to buy soon…). To kick off my Beautiful Interior series of blog posts, I would like to share some bed side tables that I love.

– I love the simplicity of these, there is some display space as well as a space to hide away some things: link -

– Elegant and simple: link -

– I love the ‘open-ness’ about this one….a little beachy -

– A bit rustic and lots of storage: link -

– A great concept by Cupcakes and Cashmere: link -

– Simple, practical and cheap: link -

I’ve noticed a pattern forming – do you see it? What do you like in a bedside table?

Alison

Bake: Chocolate Scones

Posted on July 23, 2012 by sewandbakeandlove

Once again, I have been inspired by the clever Nicole Avery, over at Planning With Kids when she recently made chocolate scones with her children. I instantly decided I had to have them….in my mouth…yum! They were super easy, super tasty and super more-ish. I made the first batch, and they were eaten within two days (there’s some serious chocolate scone-loving going on at my house) and so I made a second batch about a week later during a play date with my gorgeous friend Shan, and her daughters Amaya and Remy. All the girls got in and helped make, and eat them.