Rainbow

A beautiful embroidered pillow by MeringueDesign. Check out more simple and bold designs in her etsy shop. I just love how effective simple shapes and colours can be.

On another note, I am thinking about moving my Crafting Movement blog back here. Having two blogs is a bit confusing, especially when they're both about the same thing; craft. We'll see what happens.

As for me going awol for awhile, sorry about that. I went back to Brisbane for a week to attend my cousin's wedding and also to catch up with my family and friends. It was a wonderful getaway, and just what I needed to get my focus back. Now I'm back ready to do more Animation Mentor, Crafting Movement and job search. And of course, I'll be posting more often. Got lots to show! Talk to you later :)

Yarra Valley

Seeing as we are inbetween jobs, Matt and I decided to take advantage of the free time yesterday and visit the beautiful winery region of the Yarra Valley. Yarra Valley is the home of many famous Australian wines and was a must see on our list. There are a lot of wineries to choose from and lots of farms with fresh produce, perfect for foodies. The scenery is absolutely stunning. We had a bit of fog which made everything seem magical at sunset. Here is a collage of each place we went to. Click on the picture if you want to see a bigger version.

The Big Bouquet (Hydroponic Gerbera flower and Alpaca farm)

Yarra Valley Dairy
Riverstone Estate

Pumpkin Soup

I just made some really good pumpkin soup, perfect for a cold evening. So simple too, and I'm proud to say it came out of my head (with a little research on the basics).

Roasted Pumpkin Soup. (adapted from taste.com.au)

1 butternut pumpkin
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chicken stock
3 spring onions - cut in thirds, leave long
2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sour cream

Cut pumpkin into big chunks (skin left on) and roast with a bit of oil in a 180 degrees Celsius oven for 45 minutes. Cool for a few minutes, then scoop the flesh from the skin and put into a saucepan.

Mash the pumpkin then add the chicken stock and the spring onions. Bring to boil and then simmer for 30minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the spring onions. Add garlic salt and salt to taste (add hot water if you prefer a thinner soup).

Blend the soup in batches in a blender and then return to (clean) saucepan. Reheat and stir through sour cream. Sprinkle over some chopped parsley.

Done!

ps: use full sour cream. The light or low fat ones do not dissolve as well and leave little specks. It doesn't alter the taste, but it just doesn't look as good.

Applique bag and quilts

Well it's been awhile since I last posted about something other than my own little Crafting Movement project, though I've still been keeping up with my daily dose of inspiration. Today I came across this cute little applique bag from Sew Mama Sew. I've visited the blog before but it looks real different this time (it's been awhile), anyway, I adore how simple and cute this little scene is and I so want to make one for myself. Perhaps it could also be incorporated into my Crafting Movement work in the future (once I get a sewing machine). Anyway, what I found interesting was the layering tip and how it is recommended that the sewing starts and ends where it will be covered. Will have to keep that in mind when I do give it a go.


The book Whip Up Mini Quilts has been a huge hit everywhere and I am SO keen to get a copy of my own. The projects are simply gorgeous and so sweet I want to make every single one, (even though I've never quilted a single thing in my life). I hope it's going to be easy enough for me once I do get around to it.

Unfortunately since I am inbetween jobs (my contract at the Melbourne studio ended and so I'm looking for new animation work) funds have stopped coming in, so I will have to be patient. Patient for this book, patient for a sewing machine and patient for some cool fabric for my own little quilt!

New Line!

Finally, I've listed my new line Crafting Movement at my shop Sodalight Creations. I've made several items, however at the last minute I've decided to list them as Made To Order items. Not only do I want my customers to have a bran new one with customizable feature (like change colours), but it also allows me to have a set to refer to. I can also use them and market them that way haha, plus I love them and want a set for myself. Please pop over to my shop to check out the bags. Will be listing more over the next couple of days.


One final thing, I was watching Martha Stewart today and she was featuring Bakerella, a cupcake maker, check out the really gorgeous looking cupcakes on her site. I really want to try this one.