Sunday 22 April 2012

...'Louis' style cabinet, before and after.....

...I finally remembered to take a 'before' photo of this piece! Now, one of my friends liked this the way it was and said I should leave it (no pun intended) but I like to go with my gut and finish things the way that I would like them if I was keeping them for myself so this had to go.....


...and so did this, the top of the cabinet.....


...BTW inside one of the drawers was this lovely old label (perhaps the most attractive part of the whole thing so far)...


...so I went with a classic French finish which showed off the lovely original handles...


...I finished it in a slightly aged, crackle glaze...


...and distressed it a little bit...


...what do you think? like it?...

Monday 16 April 2012

...around the house....


.....you know it's my 'thing' to have things which are useful AND beautiful - I don't see why the two have to be mutually exclusive - however, sometimes just beautiful is just perfect.  Here are a couple of corners of my house which always please me.....you like?



 I'm not actually religious but I've always admired religious iconography...


...these books area set of natural history volumes from 1910 with some fabulous prints and some quite outrageously non-PC content but they look wonderfully old and shabby. I have some other lovely old books and I'll get round to posting about them some time, they really are beautiful.

Saturday 14 April 2012

How much do I owe the Graphics Fairy?.....

.....so I started looking around the house and thinking 'so just how much influence has Karen from the Graphics Fairy had on me and my work?' the results were a little scary.....


 .....okay so a few cute cushions are nothing to be ashamed of........


.....and we all need somewhere to store our kitchen stuff, it might as well look nice too (it's the image on the base box in this case from Karen)........


....likewise this one......


.......now, in my defence, this one isn't from Karen but, once the idea took hold I started having a little fun, and this one houses a lot of my DIY furniture refinishing stuff......


.....for this one I used a frame from Karen and made up my own words (and I MEAN 'made up' 'cos I don't think this is actually 'spice box' in French exactly but then very few actual French people drop in for a quick cafe creme with me so it doesn't really matter) anyway I digress, I use this for all my spices and herbs and essences and so on in the kitchen and I love it........

So, you get the picture. I owe Karen a lot - or would if she wasn't so generous with her images
and this is probably just the tip of the iceberg if I keep looking around, so Thanks Karen!

ps. none of these boxes cost anything to acquire either, I was just cheeky enough to ask if I could have them and kind people said yes. The man who gave me the original incarnation of the spice box even unloaded his Christmas display from it in the shop for me and still smiled and wouldn't let me pay for it.....there are some nice people out there!


Monday 9 April 2012

Paris Chest: before and after.......



Now I happen to like this lovely old chest as it it but it wouldn't close properly and was missing part of it's latching mechanism. Also I am going to put it into my retail space to sell and not everyone likes things as old and distressed as me.....by which I don't mean I'm old and distressed....although thinking about it......anyway, moving on......here is the finished article:



refinished and with a personalised address (if you happen to live at 38 Avenue des Champs Elysee, Paris VIIIe). I fixed the closing issue and made a new latch and I love it. However, I can't keep it so into the shop it must go......another of my 'babies' goes out into the world! Take care everyone.....

Thursday 5 April 2012

Biscotti Mani Cotti.....

....I have turned into a 'biscotti monster' now I know how easy these little delights are to make. They're also very impressive to give as gifts, perfect for Easter. As I'm Coeliac I make mine gluten free, but they are very low fat and dairy free so I tell myself they are as healthy as possible.....yeah right, especially if you dip them in melted chocolate (you don't HAVE to do that, I'm just sayin'.....)

Thanks go to joyofbaking.com for the recipe, have a happy and peaceful Easter  xx



Related Recipes You May Like
Almond Biscotti: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Toast almonds for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely. 
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  
In a small bowl lightly beat the eggs and extracts together.  
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until blended (about 30 seconds). Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding almonds about halfway through. On a lightly floured surface roll dough into a log about 14 inches (35 cm) long and 3 - 4 inches (8 - 10 cm) wide. Transfer log to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until firm to the touch (log will spread during baking). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Transfer log to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut log into slices 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick on the diagonal.   Arrange evenly on baking sheet.  Bake 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.
Note: Can substitute hazelnuts or walnuts for the almonds. If desired, add 1 tablespoon (5 grams) of orange or lemon zest to the egg mixture.
To dip in melted chocolate - Melt 3 ounces (85 grams) of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon (5 grams) vegetable shortening or butter in a small metal bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Dip one end of each biscotti in the melted chocolate and let dry on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Makes about 28 biscotti.

Almond Biscotti:

1 cup (145 grams) blanched whole almonds
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract



Read more:http://www.joyofbaking.com/biscotti/AlmondBiscotti.html#ixzz1r9bGdTKE