Copycat - cellophane failure

I'm afraid to say this copycat photo was a failure.  I tried to make a collar out of blue cellophane but it just didn't work out, to be honest I looked ridiculous and frankly it was hilarious, Mr Ed and I couldn't stop laughing.  

It's a shame really as the glasses I made for the headband were kinda cool.

Mr Ed tried to cheer me up by saying 'Who would wear a raincoat like that anyway?'

Hands in the air ME!!!!

image found on Mir Reina's Pinterest board

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Late addition: OK so after Jess from Miss Fairchild's Charm School asked me to put the photo up, I thought about it and well, I think we all need a chuckle.

At least you can't say I take myself seriously.

Baking - It must be in the air, peanut butter biscuits

I have been baking a lot lately and it seems that a lot of people in Australia who's blogs I follow are doing the exact same thing - it must be the cooler weather.

As you might have seen from my Instagram feeds I've been making ANZAC biscuits, peanut butter biscuits, upside-down cakes and all manner of baked goods. By far the easiest and the one baking recipe I know by heart is peanut butter biscuits (this recipe is from the Woman's Weekly, I've had this book for many years and love it), they are so, so simple and so, so tasty.  

So all you need is 1 egg, 1 cup caster sugar and 1 cup peanut butter - yes really, 3 ingredients!!

Whisk the egg with a fork and add the caster sugar

 add the peanut butter - I like Kraft and crunchy, and mix them all together

scoop a heaped teaspoon of mixture and roll into a ball, little hands like helping out at this stage 'cause it's sticky and fun

Place on a greased oven tray (I like to use a spray oil) and push down a little with a fork to make them look all fancy

 Then in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes, even our heap of rubbish oven can cook these little beauties (it may look all fab in it's 60's facade but this oven is on it's last legs)

Remember to scrape the bottom of the bowl before little ones remember

Then sit back and relax with a book and a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy their sugary, peanut buttery goodness

Taa! Daa! I hope you enjoy them as much as me, and Little Miss A and Mr Ed

Copycat - scarf pose

Another Copycat pose for the weekend, I chose this photo because my hair style is similar - mine is real, I have a feeling hers is a wig - watcha think?

Now I don't have a fat neck but this girls neck is as skinny as her arm! 

Don't get me started on how bendy her finger is. It was a hard slog to get the fingers in the right position, the hand origami worked out in the end.

I repinned from Marie-Eve Tremblay's Pinterest board

Going back in time on the Puffing Billy

Last weekend we drove out to Belgrave which is about an hours drive from Melbourne into the Dandenong Ranges. 

Our new years resolution was to go on a day trip at least once a month and so June's trip was to take a ride on the Puffing Billy.

 

 The Puffing Billy is over 100 years old and the railway was built in the early 1900s to help establish and develop rural areas. However these days it is a major tourist attraction and is kept running by over 900 volunteers!

It was so exciting when we arrived; the steam engine's were puffing and the air was full of mist - so romantic.

Travelling over the Monbulk Trestle Bridge was one of my favourite sights.

 

Little Miss A got into the swing of things half way through the trip and sat on the edge of the train like all of the other children and some adults, feeling that cool air on her face and feet (I couldn't feel my toes by the end of our trip, I think it was about 5 degrees up there in the mountains that day).

And the views were amazing!!

I loved our return trip to Emerald, we had a little lunch at a wonderful cafe, Little Miss A had a play in the playground and we were back in Melbourne by mid afternoon which was just long enough for a little ones attention span.

Copycat - cardigan pose

 

I have come back to Pinterest.  I joined a while ago but I couldn't get into it, I'm on Instagram and found it supplied me with enough visual stimulus from the fabulous people I follow.  This week however I came back to the fold when I started searching for 1960's fashion photos - I was thinking of changing my hairstyle.

I love 1960's fashion photography: the poses, the hair, the models, the fashion.  So I thought I would start a regular post - copycat poses, not the exact same clothes obviously that would cost far too much money, but similar stance and feel.

So this first photo I found on Pinterest via Zafirah (a knitting pattern that has since sold).  I was wearing a cardigan today so thought I would go with this fab pose. And it was really hard to put my hips one way, shoulders another and smile in that - not too happy, not too sinister way - I applaud you lady gently caressing a cardigan sleeve while wearing another cardigan.

What do you think?

When a friend comes to town we eat cake

Saturday afternoon after I got a tidy-up hair cut by the best hairdresser in Melbourne (yes, she is! Anyone who can cut a bob as fine as her is up there with the best) I met up with 3 of the finest lassies in Melbourne town.

You may know them as: Miss Fairchild's Charm School, Razzle Dazzle Rose and Bess Georgette or....Jess, Jacinta and Teresa and we were off to the Hopetoun Tea Rooms for tea and cake.  *Jacinta doing the creepy hand on the shoulder trick

The Hopetoun Tea Rooms are one of my favourite places to walk past, I often walk down to the Block Arcade in my lunch hour and gaze out of the corner of my eye at all of the tempting cakes and pasties they have in their window.  The queue's are often long and I know why, it's georgeous interior and food, it's a special place.

 

 Look at these 2 getting ready to enjoy a chat, cake and a cup of tea.

  

It was so lovely to meet up with Teresa again (the last time being the Truly Vintage meet at Trish's shop about a month ago) So after tea and cake we waddled around town and popped into a few shops and then waddled our way home.

Here's to more afternoon teas and more cake and more tea with friends.

Novelty Brooch Friday - second chance in June

 First of all I want to say a big THANK YOU! To everyone who entered Novelty Brooch Friday last week and those of you who missed out last week but are looking forward to entering today and next Friday!!  

Erin and I were so excited with the response and are so looking forward to seeing what you have to show us this Friday.

I wanted to share with you what got me interested in brooches, it was the humble badge, I love badges and would wear them a lot and I have so many I have given Little Miss A the majority of my collection. 

 This is a just a smidgen of the badges I have (the rest are under Little Miss A's bed, she is asleep at the moment and I don't want to wake her)

But it was this Lea Stein brooch from Mr Ed about 9 years ago that I began to collect brooches and love the different designs, shapes and materials.

Isn't she lovely

So.....if you haven't heard about Novelty Brooch Friday let me tell you!......

Erin from The Fawn Times and I met on Instagram through our love of brooches and from there we started posting photos of ourselves on a Friday with a favourite brooch.  With a little prompting from Kirsten from Each To Own we decided to develop the idea and include a giveaway from either a designer of brooches or a seller of vintage brooches and do a little interview and taa! daa! it was born.

This month you can win this little cutie pie fawn brooch, find out more about the lady, behind the brooch, behind the company Each To Own here.

 So to enter the competition just post a picture of yourself on Instagram with your favourite brooch, entries can be submitted on any Friday from now up to and including 21st June with the hash tag #noveltybroochfriday and we will announce the winner (randomly chosen) on Monday 24th June. Open to everyone, you can enter as many times as you like either new or vintage brooches.

Each month Erin and I will take it in turns to showcase those sellers of vintage brooches and designers we admire and love to wear ourselves.

  

*If you are a designer or sell vintage brooches and wish to donate a brooch for an upcoming month and have your shop showcased, please contact me at tunabake@hotmail.com