A Birthday Bookmark

Over the weekend, I stitched a sweet little gift for the most gentle and beautiful and resilient person I know. My Mum! She will celebrate another birthday soon and I wanted to make her a special little present to wrap up with my love. So, I made this:

 The little fabric bookmark I made for my Mum sits atop a beautiful book.

This little fabric bookmark, made using a free download embroidery pattern from the very talented Jenny of Elephantz, took just an afternoon to make. A bookmark makes the perfect gift for someone like my Mum who is an avid reader. I chose brightly coloured threads as I know my Mum loves these colours but Jenny's exemplar shows how lovely this little bookmark is when stitched in softer hues. The flowers and tiny strawberries on the co-ordinating fabric are like those in my Mum's beloved garden and the bird represents all those feathered friends that visit and who are welcomed with delight. Lastly, there's that special word, "Mum". 

 The stitching on my Mum's gift.

A soft fabric marker for tucking into the pages of a book. A sweet and simple handmade gift for someone I love. The kind of gift that I feel fits in with the simple and slower life I'm crafting here. Do you make handmade gifts too?

Meg

Bold and Bright Zinnias

Our sub-tropical Summer can be a harsh season. Temperatures can soar, heatwaves can last for days on end, high humidity can leave one drenched in perspiration from just thinking about gardening (or any other active outside pursuit). It may be too dry with little to no rain, leaving the grass crunchy underfoot and everything gasping for a good drink, or storms will roll through in the afternoons bringing rain and cooling relief from the heat and humidity of the earlier day. 

Summer's light here can be harsh too;  bright, strong light that makes one squint and reach for sunglasses when just looking out the window! In the garden, that kind of light can seem to leach the colour from delicate, softly-hued flowers. So I find that it is the bold and bright colours, of blooms like these Zinnias, that seem to reflect Summer's light rather than being turned drab and lacklustre by it. 

Bright pink.

 Deep yellow.

Bold orange.

Milky cream.

Deep pink.

Sweet salmon.

Ruffled red.

Started as tiny seeds, and thinned out as they grew, these colourful and cheerful flowers are such a delight. I can see them from my kitchen window as I'm doing the washing up which makes me smile (the Zinnias, not the washing up;) It is amazing to me that such tiny seeds have all that vibrant colour within. Just add soil and water and sunshine!

A little bud hints at the colour within.

In bloom and so colourful!

Up close ... a native bee in the centre of a Zinnia bloom.

I love these bold and bright flowers. My tiny native bees and visiting honey bees love them and I'm sure you would love them too if you have room for some Zinnias in your Summer.

I hope you have a bright and happy weekend.

Meg

Homemade Summer Granola

Breakfast sets us up for the day ahead, at school or work or home, so it's important it's nutritious and filling. There's always toast on offer at our place but often there's omelette with something green from the garden or buttery mushrooms or homemade breakfast muffins or banana bread drizzled with honey. Porridge is the staple of the cooler months but in Summer it's too hot for porridge so I've started making this delicious oaty granola instead. It's delicious with a thick yoghurt or cold, creamy milk. It's so easy to make too!

Yoghurt topped with a simple, homemade granola. Delicious!

I began with a recipe for granola clusters from Karlynn over at The Kitchen Magpie and simply tweaked it to suit us. I reduced the amount of honey, left out the extra sugar, substituted a nut oil for the canola oil and then I put in the nuts, seeds, coconut and dried fruit we like and that I had in the pantry at the time. Here's how I made it: 

Homemade Summer Granola

(Leave out the nuts and substitute no-nut oil if you have a nut allergy.)

3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
handful of raw almonds, roughly chopped
handful of coconut flakes
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 Tablespoon sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch or two of ground rock salt

1/4 cup macadamia nut oil
1/4 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 150C and line a flat baking tray with baking paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the macadamia oil and honey.

3. Whisk together the macadamia oil and honey in a separate jug then pour over dry 
     ingredients.

4.  Mix lightly to coat dry ingredients.

5. Spread mixture out on prepared baking tray. Push together little "clusters" of mixture 
    so they stick together as they bake. 

   (You may like to use the full 1/3cup honey to make clusters stick together more readily. 
     In using less honey, I found my clusters didn't hold together too well.)

6. Bake in oven until lightly golden. (Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn!)

7.  Cool completely then store in airtight containers ready to serve with breakfast. Yum!

Two jars of homemade granola for the pantry.

While I chose to add dried cranberries, almonds, coconut, chia and sunflower seeds to this batch of granola, next time I might choose different dried fruits, nuts and seeds. You can mix in whatever you fancy for a combination that your family loves. Yum!

I hope you enjoyed a hearty, healthy breakfast this morning and that it left you feeling ready for the day ahead.

Meg

p.s. The other thing I like about making our own granola is that I can forgo a cereal box, and the obligatory plastic packet inside that cereal box, when I shop.  Another good reason to make your own!