I Finally Have Chairs!

Late last year I bought a secondhand table for about $70 and sold my old set for $50, there was just one problem... the old set included 6 chairs and I had only bought a table! Well, this weekend I solved that problem! In a little second hand shop in Nuriootpa I found a set of four chairs and they were exactly what I was looking for; wooden pressed back chairs with a beautiful design on them. I paid $120 for all four, they need a bit of work but I am very happy with them. It's hard to tell from the photos but they are painted and I am thinking that I will repaint them a creamy white and make some cushions for them out of grain of coffee sacks... I'll keep you posted.

One of the chairs, this one has some damage - missing or replacement supports

You can see the design on the pressed back also where some of the paint is wearing off

Two of the four have a design made from holes on the seat!

All four, side by side, Tribbles investigates!

Tribbles decides she approves!

 

This Is Not a Shopping Blog

Hello again! I know, I know... it's been how long since I posted?! well, here's why... I kind of lost my vision for this blog, I was looking at these big, polished, fashion blogs with links to all the places you could buy their clothes... and that seemed like a lot of work and I just didn't want to do it! Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with those kinds of blogs, but it was not my intention when I decided to start THIS one. So, here I am, starting again, doing what I intended to do in the first place. So, exactly what it that? Recycled fashion, recycled living... basically, turning one persons junk into another persons treasure, just like the name suggests! I love creating new from old and revitalizing old things for many reasons but my focus for this blog is two things:
1) the cost, I'm promoting living thrifty, why pay heaps when you can spruce up something old for half the price!
and
2) Reducing my waste, I am really passionate about reducing waste and recycled fashion and decorating goes hand in hand with that.
So what exactly will you find if you come back and visit again? Fashion: Hand made, thrifted or refashioned; Renovations and home-wares: Thrifty designs using second hand materials; Food and cooking: Cheap, easy and (sometimes) healthy recipes using local and natural ingredients as much as possible.
Hope you come and visit again and I can't wait to get started on some actual content!          

Thrifted Fashion

Wow, things have gotten busy lately and, clearly, I have been neglecting my blog. Here is a quick little outfit post to try get back into the swing of things. This outfit is almost entirely thrifted from Salvos in North Adelaide. The shoes are, of course, my old faithfuls from the Shoe Shed  and the scarf is another favorite that I got so long ago that I can't remember where I bought it.

Little Things make an Outfit

I love layering my clothes. Why? because it's the little additions that make an outfit for me. A cute dress or top only goes so far an outfit needs a great necklace or a hat to finish it off. For this outfit I added a black wool beret I found at Salvos for $1, a pretty scarf and some pattered stockings to make an alright outfit into something really nice.

Hat and Belt: Salvos // Dress and Stockings: Big W // Scarf: Random little shop i.e. I can't remember! (Similar found Here or Here)

   To get this look with the scarf i looped it round my neck and tied the ends together to make it a temporary infinity scarf! This outfit really has my favorite accessories: hats, scarves, belts and pattered stockings - the only thing missing is a statement necklace!

Cinnamon Rolls

The other day I made these amazing cinnamon rolls based off of a recipe I found on one of my favorite blogs The Cloakroom at Victoria Station:

Cinnamon Rolls

From The Cloakroom at Victoria Station

Dough:
1 cup warm water
2 tsp honey
2 tsp yeast
2 cups of white flour
1 tsp sea salt
2 Tbs olive oil
Combine yeast, warm water and honey and proof for ten minutes until foamy. Add 2 cups of flour, salt and olive oil and combine until it forms a soft dough (you may need a little extra flour to keep the dough from being sticky). Let dough rise for 1 hour until doubled in size and then punch it down and roll it out into a rectangle. I rolled it out quite thin which made it hard to handle but they tasted fantastic in the end.

Filling:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Pour butter over rectangle of rolled out dough. Spread around with your freshly washed hand. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over dough making sure to sprinkle all the way to the edges. Roll the dough up, making a long skinny roll (you want roll the short sides together of the rectangle so that you will have lots of cinnamon rolls rather than a few very fat cinnamon rolls). Cut with a sharp knife to make 2-3cm wide wheels. Let rise for another 45 minutes and then bake in a preheated 180 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Icing:
2 cups of powdered sugar
2 Tbs butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (opt, but recommended)
1/4 cup milk

Whisk ingredients together until smooth and pour evenly over baked cinnamon rolls about 5 minutes after pulling them out of the oven. I used half the icing recipe as I had run out of icing sugar... it was fine but I highly recommend following the full recipe, it sounds like a lot but it's really yummy!

They are best eaten fairly quickly but I was eating them at the end of the week after a 30 second burst in the microwave to freshen them up and they were just amazing warm!

Closet Orphans Outfit and the ultimate distraction!

Wow, I meant to post this at the beginning of the week but I just didn't get around to it! This is one of the main reasons:

Meet Tribbles! 

 She is very cute... but thinks my computer key board is a playground! But, on with it, you remember this top:

I wore it into town to do the grocery shopping (yes I lead a highly exciting life!) I figured out my biggest problem with it was the fact it was strapless... I just don't wear strapless tops very often. How to fix this: I wore it over a black tank top. The colour still makes it hard to pair with many outfits but I felt comfortable and was very happy with how it turned out:

Last Minute Meal - Alfredo Pasta for 2

Sometimes when it gets to the end of the shopping week and there isn't much food around and it's been a busy day I have to find something quick and easy for dinner. When this happens I turn to Alfredo Pasta. It's so easy and still tastes good! This was one of the first things I learnt to make when I left home as my housemate at the time gave me the recipe!

Alfredo Pasta for 2

Ingredients: 

• 250g Pasta
• 25g Butter
• 150ml Cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese 
• Pinch of Nutmeg (or more to taste)
• salt and pepper to taste

 Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water until al dente. Drain and keep warm.

Heat butter and 2/3 of the cream in  a large frying pan. simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the pasta to the warmed cream and toss to coat. Add the remaining Cream and slowly add the Parmesan stirring as you go to ensure it melts evenly. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper, toss again and serve immediately.

I serve it with more nutmeg and some pepper sprinkled on top but my husband prefers more Parmesan.

Have a great Easter everyone!