post punk princess warrior brooch for ruth

collingwood

flower for iris's birthday: 42, the meaning of life!

dahlia brooch for kaye

thanks for everything, kaye; see you soon.

"...with all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

be cheerful.

strive to be happy."

- max ehrmann

bluebell the crochet flower brooch

recycled fabric flower brooches for sofia

happy birthday, sofia!

would you like a brooch to give to a friend, or glam yourself up with? contact me to arrange colours, size and other preferences. prices start at $AUD9

rose petal jam

rose petal jam. how luxurious! and how better to enjoy roses from the garden than by extolling their fragrance  and eating them?

there is a massive variety of recipes available, and this is only my first attempt (i've been promised bags of petals from a colleague's garden to practice on). i've made 500ml batches to test the method:

60g fresh, unsprayed petals (the more perfumed, the better)

1.5c caster sugar

0.75c water

1/4tsp citric acid or 1/2tsp lemon juice

wipe or gently rinse bugs off each petal. with small scissors or fingertips, remove the pale pit of each petal (the part that connects the petal to the centre of the flower- if left on, the result will be bitter). in a medium glass or ceramic bowl, gently use a fork to bruise the petals with 0.5c of sugar. cover with cling wrap and leave overnight (or at least for a few hours)

the next day, mix the remaining sugar and water in a small pan. bring to a gentle boil, and cook until a slightly thick syrup results. add in petals and citric acid/lemon, and cook on the lowest possible heat for up to 10 minutes or until jam is a little sticky on the back of a spoon.

flower for rosie 3

blue folded flower for wendy

my lovely colleague wendy has left for another job; here is her farewell from me.

recycled catalogue packaging

nectarine blossoms

flowers for paula

here are the rosebud and rose in bloom crocheted hair clips i made for my lovely workmate paula :)

you can find the rose[bud] tutorial on youtube here, but it goes pretty fast and makes a much larger flower; experiment with the number of initial chain stitches to make a smaller flower or bud.