By Alice | Published:
July 9, 2010
We got this new-to-us kilim wool rug from Ebay. Our last rug had got pretty destroyed by the kitties, they just loved to dig their little kitty claws into it (much more than their scratching post) and give it a good scratch leaving large tumbleweeds of fluff blowing about the place. I think I have conveyed the message that they shouldn’t claw at the carpet upstairs as they aren’t allowed up there by themselves when I’m out but the unsupervised downstairs rug didn’t have a chance. So now we have a new rug, I got this flat woven type of rug as it wouldn’t be so satisfying for the kitties to scratch at and I also got them a new scratching mat. So far it’s working! I like this rug a lot too, probably better than the last one. It’s still got creases in from being posted but I hope that will flatten out soon. It’s pretty huge, about 10 feet by 8 feet.
I was just going to write about the carpet but I realised as I was taking the picture that I am wearing my shoes that I got for this summer, they are Swedish Hasbeens. I know some people are still on the fence about this clog style shoe but I love it :) Quite expensive but I’d saved up and they are handmade and great quality. They are the ‘high’ ones as even though I think the ‘super high’ look really great I wouldn’t have got as much wear from them as I have quite a hither and thither lifestyle that requires some practicality. Oh yes and I wish the box hadn’t said ‘I got nailed in Sweden’ as my neighbours took the parcel in for me and goodness knows what they thought was in there ;D
Also posted in Pretty things |
By Alice | Published:
January 25, 2010
I used the fabric from Liberty to make two cushions. I also made something with the leftover fabric which I’ll show later. A bright addition to our sofa (seen before here – the cats still hate me hoovering).
I made them in the envelope style and held together the opening at the back with two small cream bows on each. If the cats get into attacking these too much I will replace them with poppers but I like the bow look with this fabric. The fabric felt a bit too light for zips (also this is quicker and cheaper than having to find two zips of the right size!).
Btw I keep the longer lengths of ribbon that I have wrapped around a cardboard roll, I like to think I’m channeling¬† ‘Martha‘ on a tiny scrappy scale :)
Also posted in I made things, Sewing |
By Alice | Published:
October 21, 2009
Coffee break. At lunch I gave myself a break and went out for coffee. It’s good to get away sometimes as you come back fresher than if you had ploughed through. I am thinking about making ‘coffee Wednesdays’ a regular thing.
As far as I can tell looking out the window is the cats version of watching TV, there was particular excitement when a ladybird landed on the outside of the window. They also seem to have fans amongst the other people who live in the street, there is a window by my desk and when I look up I often catch people looking up at them!
I found another way to keep the cats from drinking my tea – use a cup with a lid :)
By Alice | Published:
June 22, 2009
For Father's Day my dad came over for dinner. I cooked fish coated in polenta, with fresh pasta I made, and a pesto with basil from the garden. For desert I made tiramisu as it is one of his favourites. Homely cooking :)
Pesto.
Making pasta. I like best the bit when you cut it into ribbons with the tagliatelli cutter. 6 eggs + 600g flour makes loads and loads with enough left for the next day. Maybe 6 portions total?
It was quite hard to get Vin Santo for the tiramisu so I spoke to the wine man who suggested this dessert wine. It worked in the recipe and is nice on its own too if you like fruity dessert wines.
My dad brought over a peony from his garden! So nice!
The meal. I wasn't going to bother to take any pictures but my dad said I should :)
The tiramisu. This picture is of the leftovers today. Delicious! I used this recipe from Jamie's Italian. Really easy to do. My notes to myself are to next time make the coffee a little stronger.
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Ps. The peony is still going strong the next day :)
By Alice | Published:
June 9, 2009
One more burst of flowers to brighten up the day. These are the chrysanthemums that I have in a pot on our dining table. I associate this kind of bright fushia pink with my mother who wears colours like that :)
