january, wtf?

Ok, so I have some catching up to do. Here's 3 things I should already have blogged about.

1. Honest Cooking: The Food Magazine
I can't believe I haven't even had time to announce this here, but see that little button on the left? Just under the picture of Quincy and I? That'll take you to a list of recipes and articles I've written so far for the wonderful new online food magazine Honest Cooking. I'm so pleased to be contributing to this ever-evolving and truly international site. If you haven't visited before, here are a few of my recent favorite stories to get you going:

• Homemade Goat's Milk Ricotta. Yeah, so I wrote it. But seriously, you need to make this.
• Roast a pig's head in the oven? Don't mind if I do!
• Basic principles of successful food and wine pairing. Finally!
• On my stove the minute the temperature goes down: 15-bean soup with smoked pork and beans. 
• Everywhere I look at the moment, I see Dutch babies. And they're making me hungry. 

2. We sow the seeds, nature grows the seeds, we eat the seed.
Some readers (Americans and Mexicans particularly) may be horrified to know that it is nigh on impossible to buy fresh tomatillos in Australia. I know - it's a stinking disgrace. Casa Iberica (bless their saffron-scented socks) sell tins, but those won't do for a fresh-roasted tomatillo salsa. So I took Neil's advice and look!

Salsa verde coming to the table, real soon.

3. My 30th birthday present (and my kitchen).
This one's some homemade vintage sewing porn for my sewing buddies. I turned 30 late last year (quelle horreur) and my ma and pa gave me:

This sewing machine has travelled across the world three times to get to me. It was used by both my grandmothers and my mother. It's a Singer 1908 portable (ahem, 3 elephants) model with its electric light, all the attachments and original booklets. And kittens, it sews like a DREAM. Is it not the most gorgeous thing? And is it just me? Or, wft happened to January?

Lexi.x

a little bit of sewing and a giveaway winner

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get onto this, but this week has been insanely busy! I sat at my desk the other day and wrote all your names on little bits of paper, highlighted them in pink, folded them up and tossed them into my keep cup and stuck my hand in to pull out just one. And it was Oona's! Which is so great, because it was just her birthday, did you know? Also, she's one of my friends from the blogosphere who lives in New York, so hopefully these little trinkets can provide a little post-Irene cheer.

There ain't no 'random number generator' on this blog, cause I just don't like the way they look. But why is Oona's name sitting on a copy of a promo poster for the film Orgy of the Dead (1965)? Well, because that's the kind of thing that is laying about on my desk at work, that's why. One day I'll tell y'all what I'm writing my PhD on, but for now, I'll just congratulate Oona and thank you all so much for reading my little blog. Really, thank you!

Oh - and I'll show you the little (and I mean little) bit of sewing I've been doing in my "spare time" this week:

Pretty cute, huh? My friend Whitney named them Skunkity-skunk, Hoots and Lucas the Hedgehog; "they're all British", she says. OK! They're members of a little set of finger puppets I've made for my friend Jane's little girl who just turned one - special birthday! I hope she likes them. I had planned to design my own critters, but work got the better of me and I turned to etsy for a pattern to whip these up with. This one came from Floral Blossom and was only $5. It was speedily emailed to me as a pdf, I printed it out and made one puppet every night until I had a whole little gang of them. You can buy your own here. The only real change I made was to stitch every detail on, rather than use glue. I like the effect this achieves and it's probably safer if little one decides to stick a puppet in her pie hole. I'd forgotten how much fun working with felt can be. Of course now tempted to make a whole bunch of owls and an Agent Dale Cooper, but for now, must return to Orgy of the Dead. Not reluctantly, either.

Lexi.x

mini mid-week giveaway: gorgeous Sanjou thread cards

Hi friends. I mentioned in my last post how much I love collecting vintage bits and pieces. I told you about my clothing and cookbook collections, and I mentioned my buttons. But actually I love all vintage haberdashery and just can't get enough of old notions and gadgets. One place this has led me to is a little shop in Melbourne called L'ucello. If you love old buttons, silk ribbons and and velvet flowers from old Parisian milliner's shops or just gorgeous interiors and visual merchandising, you should really visit.

Last time I was there, I came across some beautiful French haberdashery by Maison Sajou, a vintage brand that was relaunched in 2004. The bits and pieces are just stunning; there's gorgeous detailed embroidery scissors and cases, thimbles, needle-threaders, lace-making bobbins and these sweet little thread cards in gorgeous Parisian designs (see above), perfect for winding up your bits and pieces of embroidery thread, or just to have around as a pretty nick-knack. I picked up one set for myself, but thought my blogging friends might appreciate the chance to have a set too?

The set that I'm giving away is made of six thread cards, each featuring the Eiffel tower in different colours. They're gorgeous! They do pop up on Etsy from time to time, and the exact set I'm giving away is this one here that sold a little while ago. They come in a sweet folded box and make gorgeous gifts - if you can bear to give them away!

This giveaway is open to readers world-wide; all you need to do is become a follower of this blog and comment below this post to let me know. Of course those already following can enter. Just leave a comment below here to say 'hello Lexi, count me in'! I'll draw the winner at 9 am on Monday morning (which will be Sunday evening for most of you folk o/s). Good luck!

Lexi.x

The fine print: This giveaway is self-funded and has in not been sponsored by Sanjou or L'ucello. I love to support small, independent businesses though and encourage you all to visit L'ucello if you're in town.