A VOYAGE ACROSS THE PACIFIC

It is good to be home!
I had a wonderful holiday in Fiji with my lovely Mother. It was the perfect mother-daughter getaway, full of sunbathing, swims, cocktails and spas. Everything was so beautiful. And when I flicked through my camera afterwards, I found that most of the shots I took were scenic ones. There truly is something magical about a sunset.

One of the highlights was when Mum discovered these beautiful big purple jellyfish (her favourite colour) while we were out kayaking. We also saw some very colourful tropical fish when we went snorkeling out on the reef... Im yet to develop my film!
Unfortunately on our last day I managed to pick up an icky tummy bug which I then unintentionally bought home to my husband. I don't think that's what he meant when he asked me to bring him something back from Fiji!

BULA!

Today I am sitting poolside and soaking up the Fijian sun. What a life! I packed all the essentials... Including cameras for all occasions! A bit over the top you say?! But I just can't help myself!

TEPEE LOVE

As a surprise on my birthday my hubby made me a little tepee out of bamboo and sheets. It was lovely to come come after work and see it on our backyard with the fairy lights twinkling and the brazier going. He knows me so well!
I've been very busy lately and I have lots of wedding stationery that I'm dying to share with you all. But that's going to have to wait, because in two sleeps I'm jumping on a plane with my Mum to Fiji! I am beyond excited! Winter is starting to set in here and I can't think of anything better than lying on the beach with my wonderful Mother. She's a real gem. I will have lots of photos, no doubt, to share when I come home.
Moce for now :)

SMILE

I have been getting a little snap happy with my Fuji Instax camera lately. I have a big pile of them sitting on my desk, not really knowing what to do with them all. So as a bit of a salute to the darkroom I decided to use string and pegs to display them. This is super quick and simple to do. I had mine up on the wall in 10 minutes. This is great for me as I change out the photos so they always have different ones displayed.

You will need: Fabric, wall hooks (I used 3M decorating clips which I like because they wont leave a mark on your wall), mini wooden pegs, string or twine, masking tape, fabric scissors or pinking shears and photos or artwork you want to display.

1. Attach your hooks to the wall using the packet directions. Tie your string to your hooks. Make sure there is a little slack in the string, but not too much as the weight of the photos and pegs will make it sag.

2. Cut a rectangle shape from your fabric. I cut mine to approx 240mm x 170mm.
3. Fold the longest sides into the middle.
4. Fold the top and bottom into the middle.
5. Turn the fabric over.
6. Sinch the middle of the fabric with your fingers to create a bow shape.
7. Use your masking tape to wrap around the middle to secure the bow in place. (I used masking tape as it was the same colour as my fabric and because I was being lazy! Of course you could use your fabric to wrap around an make a proper bow).
8. Make sure the masking tape ends at the back of the bow. You may have to play around with the sides a little to get it to look just right.
9. Turn the bow over and make sure all the edges of the fabric are tucked in so you wont see it from the front.
10. Attach your bow on top of your hooks to hide them from view. I used a double sided foam tape, but you can use any adhesive that you have handy.
11. Line your pegs along the string.
12. Attach you photos! And volia! You're done.

FEIJOA WINE: the recipe

Hello lovlies. I've had quite a few requests for the Feijoa Wine Recipe that Brendon and I used in response to my wine posts. And so... (finally!) here it is! I am by no means an expert at this, I am only just discovering it! So if you have any tips, feel free to share them with me :) Head to your local home brew store, pick up a few things and get fermenting. 

1. Freeze the Feijoas. Defrost and wash, then cut in half. Scoop the inside of the fruit out of the skin and crush. Sterilise a bucket and put your feijoas in. Wash the sultanas (to remove the wax coating), chop and add to the bucket.

2. Add pectilose, a crushed campden tablet or metabisulphate solution. Then cover with water and leave for 24 hours.

3. Steep for two days stirring daily. On the third day strain out the fruit pulp. Add dissolved sugar, tannin, citric acid, yeast nutrient and white wine yeast (Harvest SN9). Leave in the bucket (covered with a teatowel or gladwrap) for further two days, stirring daily.

4. Strain again into fermenter/demijohn and take your original gravity reading with your hydrometer. Top up with cool boiled water and add airlock.

5. Rack (syphon) once per week for four to five weeks. Every time you rack, crush a campden tablet into wort (mix) to prevent oxidisation.

6. Take your final gravity reading, bottle and store for six months.

7. Drink!

NOTE: Make sure you sterilise all of your equipment before use.

Download this recipe.
Also, check out some photos of the process from our 2011 batch.
Happy wine making :)

SNOW LEOPARD

I couldn't help but share a post featuring my new favourite Max jeans! They have become a bit of a go-to as the weather has started to cool down. Mornings and evenings have been very crisp indeed but at least we are have lovely sunny days once the chill lifts. This lovely spot is up in Whangarei where Brendon and I went to a wedding recently. What a beautiful country we live in.
As well as my leopard jeans I've been loving a fishtail braid. My hair is still a wee bit short and I've been willing it to grow faster, but alas, the more I want it to grow the slower it seems to go... Such is life!
On another note, I've been getting quite a few requests for our feijoa wine recipe (our tree is just starting to drop its tasty fruit!) and I promise I will share it with you all... Once I dig it out of the cupboard along with all our other wine making supplies :)

SNEAK PEAK

I have a busy little bee lately with lots of projects underway. And, unfortunately, I've also been sick with one of those changing-of-seasons colds. Boo! I can't wait to share some of the things I've been working on of late, but until then, here is a little bear illustration that is part of a wedding invitation I'm working on. xx