Merry Christmas - A Turkey Recipe with a twist

Merry Christmas!  Only 7 more sleeps!  I have done some Christmas baking, got the gifts and have them all wrapped.  The tree was decorated a few weeks ago with the kids help and now it’s time to enjoy catching up with friends and family!

I love all the decorations the kids make each year they add a real personal touch to the tree!

There's nothing like yummy home made treats at Christmas, Cranberry and White Chocolate shortbread and Rocky Road! There's never enough chocolate at Christmas!

I am still contemplating the fare for my Christmas dinner but now for the long awaited Turkey loaf recipe.  My apologies, I made it back in July and have lost track to post the recipe.

http://littlecovedesign.blogspot.com/2011/07/wish-list-27-christmas-in-july-dinner.html

So you will need the following Ingredients

Proscuitto slices thinly (enough to cover the size of the loaf you are making)

Loaf

Turkey Mince 500g-1kg

GarlicVegetta 2 teaspoons

StuffingSausage mince 500g1 cup fresh breadcrumbs½ cup slivered almondsLemon rind of one lemon1-2 tablespoons lemon juiceRosemary fresh or dried2 cloves of garlic chopped/gratedOne grated onion

Method
Preheat your oven to 170 degrees
Mix the stuffing ingredients together in a bowl and set aside
Line your loaf tin or casserole dish with greaseproof paper and then line the dish with the prosciutto

Mix the turkey mince garlic and vegetta and any other seasoning you wish.  To add some moisture if required add an egg or a splash of milk to the mixture mix together and spread the mixture over the prosciutto layer save a little for the lid. 

Put the stuffing in the middle and then use the last bit of turkey meat mixture to cover the stuffing and then cover with any prosciutto slices you have hanging over or left.  Cover with aluminium foil or casserole lid and cook for approximately 1.5 hours.  Remove foil and out of cooking dish and turn out onto an oven tray and brown for approx. 10-15 mins.  Serve with your favourite gravy and vegetables.

So enjoy all the Christmas festivities (I've been enjoying lots of window shopping!) and I look forward to a fabulous 2012 filled with lots more projects to share with you!

Saying Thankyou with Flowers

For those who tune into my blog regularly you know I love sharing flowers even if it is in cyberspace.  There is nothing like saying thankyou with flowers.  I ventured off to the flower markets early the other morning in search of my favourite flower the Peony and I wasn't disappointed!

I stepped out of my car and saw the most extraoardinary bunches of Peonies.

Peonies, Peonies, Peonies!

Here's my Thankyou! arrangement of flowers mixed in with white roses and some greenery.

I couldn't resist and treated myself to a similar bunch which I can't help gazing at and the Peonies perfume is just delicious!

Back from my Hiatus! with Chinese Lanterns

Apologies for my absence from my blog!  I've been laying low while trying to recover from my my bad back - a result of too much gardening and chronic tonsilitis!  I'm finally feeling ready to take on the world just in time for my 7 year old's disco party!



An apple on the go as well as strawberries with leaves to come and watermelon minus the seeds!

So I've been fundraising for a charity function and taken on a quiet task while I've been recuperating!  Creating fruit with crochet!  This is a Christmas gift in the making for my 2 year old so I am getting the hang of crochet after not doing any since highschool. Here's the "Fruits" of my labour so far.....

So once I've created the disco cake for the weekend I'll get back into my mini- makeovers - Stay tuned! But here's some party inspiration for you to enjoy-have a fabulous weekend!

These floating lanterns are popular at weddings and festivals image from Wish Lantern

I love these White Paper Chinese lanterns that I photographed at the Paul Kelly Concert back in July such simple, fabulous and effective set decoration! (Meet Me In the Middle of the Air Brisbane Riverstage)

Same Decorative Chinese Lanterns using the same feature but giving a totally differrent look for an airy garden party feel!  Both of these images are from Factory Direct Craft

This brilliant pop of colour reminds me of an Alice in Wonderland Moment - this image and many gorgeous others can be found at hanginglanterns.co.uk

Chinese Lanterns are fairly inexpensive and lanterns of many colours and sizes can be found at your local discount store for as little as $4!  I only hope mine can help transform my garage for the party!

Mini Makeover - Part Two for a dirt patch

There was a little more digging in stage 2 than I anticipated.  I also came across some existing drainage I was unaware of and lots of lumps of concrete to dig up. I made a good start on digging the drainage trench and a big storm on Saturday morning put a stop to any work but did help to soften the ground!

tough digging and an unexpected inground drainage pipe!

I was able to repair the pipe with some agi pipe (slotted pipe) and the drainage line running parallel to the pavers has allowed a great place to connect the trench drain to!

I levelled the ground in the trench and laid the drain on a smooth sand base to a fall so the water will drain into the existing pipe and the trench grate drain is also level with the pavers.  The trench grate drain is a great product that comes in 1m lengths from Bunnings and is able to be clipped together and easily cut to length with a handsaw. (Tip: run water in your grate to ensure that the water flows in the right direction before backfilling)

Ahh finished all that digging!  Now just had to backfill the trench with small aggregate (rocks) and soil and plant the remaining mondo grass and place the river pebbles!

Voile won't be long and the grass will grow up to the grate!

Now I have another tired area to plan in the garden, stay tuned......

Mini Makeover Part One - for a dirt patch!

After many attempts for the grass to grow up to our outdoor paved area, I thought it was time for a quick solution!

Great hardy mondo grass ready for planting!

A few bags of sand, some nice river pebbles and some leftover sandstone pavers from the front path and some greenery in the form of decorative mondo grass and voile!



Tired dusty strip ready for a makeover!

So away with the whispy shoots of dry grass and weeds, a bit of muscle and a shovel to level the area.

I spread the sand and levelled the pavers and used the river pebbles as a feature around the pavers. Then I planted a row of mondo grass between the gaps of the layed pavers.

All the hard work is done, now time to water the new plants and hose off the pavers.

The great colours in the sandstone are able to be seen now that they've been hosed down.

Part 1 complete and Part 2 to follow..... more planting and important drainage and TLC to the remaining lawn!

Not enough hours in the day!

I've been away from my blog for a while - not enough hours in the day!
Busy on some maintenance and spring cleaning projects ........

Find great storage solutions like this mop/broom holder (great space saver and this was one of the best changes to my laundry at the beginning of the year!) at Howard's Storage World

These jobs don't always create a picture perfect opportunity, but have to be done!

I've been doing more work on a design for a beach apartment, will keep you posted on this one.

Maeira Beach image Rentalo I could never get tired of the fabulous colour and warmth in this picture

Getting out in the garden...

Lime tree in flower image treesdirect.co.uk - find great fruit trees at your local nursery or market

Sometimes with gardening you need the patience of a Saint!  I bought a lime tree in the last few weeks and planted it within reach of a lime tree which I had planted nearly seven years ago that had never beared any limes! What do you you know I have many buds and baby limes similar to those pictured on my old and new tree - I can't wait for the bumper crop!

and indulging in a few bike rides on my new wheels!

image by Juan Salmoral

The scenery may not be quite as magical as this Amsterdam scene but I love riding around my local neighbourhood and enjoying the gorgeous Brisvegas weather.

and lastly I've been planning some more mini makeovers to share with you in the coming weeks!

you may remember this one....

http://littlecovedesign.blogspot.com/2011/04/red-geraniums.html

Bus Scroll Art - Rock Style!

Finally I have completed painting my Rock Style Bus Scroll Art in my husband's man cave that I alluded to in my last post!  I've been up late the last few nights to get it finished and I'm chuffed with the final result. 

I was inspired from my post "LCD All Things British" earlier in the year where I came across a music inspired Bus Scroll Art piece from Pixel Squared.

So firstly I made a list of our favourite bands including my husbands' band name.

I then chose a font I liked (Trebuchet) and got the spacing and size of all of the names looking right in a word document to come up with the final draft.....



Rock Bus Scroll by LCD


I then scaled up all of the letters in each word to fit into the space on the wall (lots of maths - love excel!) and printed them all and cut them out. (very time consuming!)

I traced around all of the letters in the band names onto the wall with a marker pen and then set about painting.

I chose a gloss acrylic paint (black and white) to paint the backdrop and lettering. The paint dried quickly and it was easy to clean up any boo boos! I needed a number of sized brushes to suit the different size lettering.

The rendered wall was a little rough in places making it tricky to keep the lettering straight!

I've really enjoyed this labour of love so Happy Belated Father's Day Hubby!

For more personalised Bus scroll Art contact LCD or you can visit Blueliquid Canvas Printing

Spring is here!

I just got my October issue of Home Beautiful and I've been enjoying flipping through the pages of another super issue.  It really has some great inspiration every month to get you thinking of an update to your home whether it is small or large!

Mara's Editorial is spot on!  Renovating is not just about profit but it's about making a house a home and making your renovation functional to suit your lifestyle!

I am always inspired by images I see and I keep these in a file so I can reference these for my own projects and for projects I'm working on.

So here's the things I've spied recently!

Molmic Ottoman available from David Jones in Batik Indigo this fabric is just gorgeous! image from DJ's Spring Catalogue

Don't forget all the beautiful Flowers that come with spring time!   So get planting! or buy some flowers to brighten a room.  Floral themes are still extremely popular and here's one that caught my eye.

I love this country style room with a homage to Laura Ashley!  and the lovely cornflower blue and white pallette! image Best Interior

I love this bumpy style grass! Not only for the look but for the low maintenance "no mow" quality! image tranquilhavens it is known as "Zoysia Tenuifolia" can create some interest in a small backyard.

Bus Scroll Art is still popular!  I've been working on a mural "music" style for my husband's man cave that I'm hoping to have finished at the end of the week so I can show you all my hard work!  A belated Father's Day pressie. image busandtramscrolls.com.au

Update on textured walls

A great modern alternative to pressed metal is a new product I ran across in the September issue of the Home Beautiful.  It is a product called 3-D board and is available from 3d-board.com.au

This great product enables you to transform your wall with a bold pattern (checkout their website to inspect the range!) and is made of lightweight bamboo fibre.

This pattern is known as "Curl Upwards" and is available from 3d-board.com.au

Pressed Metal not just for ceilings!

I've been away for some R & R at the beach and I'm back with my first post after a week or so.  I've managed to fit in some retail therapy while I was away and I've been working on a project at the coast and I've seen many gorgeous things!

I've been visiting Bed Bath N Table frequently deciding on a new quilt cover and I've spied many fabulous accessories including a mirror with a white gloss pressed metal frame that I can't stop dreaming about.  As they don't have a website you'll have to pop in there and see it for yourself! or checkout a similar item below.


This is the only image I can find of a mirror similar to that of BBNT! also available from bridge interiors

Pressed metal was traditionally used as a ceiling finish and you may have seen it in an English style pub or turn of the century building.  For some time I've been admiring the pressed metal feature wall in Nina's apartment in the TV Series Offspring and the mirror I saw reminded me of it once again. If you love Nina's Living room wall and the "embossed effect"  Here's some pictures that you might like to take a squiz at.

To see the Shield pattern and many other fabulous options checkout the link to.... http://www.pressedtinpanels.com/

ABC TV Famous chef and the cook with a gorgeous pressed metal splashback in their TV kitchen!

Pressed Metal isn't always used as a traditional finish it can also add an industrial effect to a modern space as seen in this kitchen.

Pressed metal ceiling as seen in March's studio on Domain

Party Ideas for a dinosaur party for girls

Well it's been a little hectic at my household with a very busy lead up and wind down to my 2 year old's dinosaur party!  I have to say firstly I was inspired by the pom poms at kindy that the teachers had made and I had seen them in some window displays too; and so I whizzed up a few of these for the party.  The kids love making them too and taking them home from the party.

If you haven't seen them they look a little something like this....

This is a beautiful decoration for a special party or occassion this image from Neat Things Boutique

Instructions on how to make these simple and effective decorations go to...marthastewart.com how to make tissue paper pom-poms

... even my store bought dragon/dinosaur pinjata got a pretty pom pom to wear for the party!

I wanted flowers for the party, but to give them the dinosaur treatment I put toy dinosaurs in the vase.

Flowers with the Dino touch! from my favourite florist at the Brisbane Markets - Lynch Market Flowers

The dinosaur cake by Charmaine C (Me!)

and dinosaur cupcakes by Charmaine

So now our household's recovered from the celebrations (it was my wedding anniversary too!) it's back to business. I'll be getting the Christmas turkey loaf recipe to you in the next week for sure but for now it's time for some zzzz'ss Have a great weekend!