This is...My creation

Or creations rather
Whether it's art,cooking,designing,we're all creating.
There's a feeling of great satisfaction after you create something,the hard work and research pays off in the end.
When I first started cooking i just saw it as making food to eat but it really is being creative.
More participants are listed at Three Buttons.

Print Dolls

I've seen these old school style bus stop displays featured in heaps of Home and Interiors magazines here in Australia recently.There are a few available for different areas in Sydney and Melbourne,love the use of fonts as art.
Looks like their site will be live shortly.

Checked my site stats for the first time in a while today and was intrigued to see why so many people referred from Bloesem,one of my favourite blogs,it's always a daily read,thank you so much for the mention and welcome to my little blog.

More embroidery

This is the second teatowel I have completed.I think the hardest thing is deciding what stitch to use for each project and this time I used a splitb stitch,takes a little longer to complete since you have to go back to the middle of the previous stitch,like a chain.

The pattern at the back of my book was too small so I enlarged the pictures and found some carbon transfer paper and traced the pattern straight onto the teatowel,was very simple.

The great thing about embroidery is that time watching tv actually becomes productive.

Weekend of get togethers

There was a little road trip to the other side of town to get together with old and currents work friends over yum cha,and getting together finally for Sunday breakfast with friends,there were many exciting announcements.People moving,someone expecting,and someone being featured in print,all very exciting news.

It's very faint on screen but my new candle holder makes pretty patterns on the wall.

This Is..

This week's theme is Looking out my front door,more participants listed at Three Buttons
I don't get to hang out in the park across the road anymore but it is a lovely view to have when you open the door.

New season-Witchery

I love the beginning of a new fashion season,seeing the new trends and deciding what you would like while browsing catalogues,magazines and websites.Witchery always delivers the trends and makes it wearable,these are some of my faves.

First project completed.

It was a choice of teacup or fork and spoon for my first tea towel to use my new embroidery skills on.The latter choice was too small in the book but i just need to wait until i get to a photocopier to enlarge and then trace or draw my own.
Hope you can tell but to the right of the teacup is supposed to be a tea bag.To get used to this fabric i first had a practice run with a scrap of linen and it felt right so it was time to start on the real thing,then probably the hardest decision is choosing what stitch to use.

End of Summer

It felt like the end of summer a few weeks ago when it just kept raining everyday and now it's a little cooler,although right now it is sunny and warm outside.Perfect weather for my time off work this week.
This weekend I got to enjoy some of the last fruits of the season,some mango from our tree and fresh raspberries from the farmers market to make yogurt berry muffins.


Edit:Here's the recipe,I only used white self raising flour and full cream milk instead of buttermilk.These are great when you need something sweet but low in fat too.

Makes 12

185g (1.5cups) self-raising flour
150g (1cup) wholemeal self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

155g (3/4 cup) firmly packed soft brown sugar
250ml (1cup) buttermilk
125ml (1/2cup) low-fat natural yoghurt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
440g (2cups) chopped mixed berries
(eg. strawberries and raspberries –
frozen variety is fine)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/
Gas 4). Line a 12-hole 125ml capacity
muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Sift the two flours and cinnamon
together into a large bowl.
3. Stir in the sugar and then make
a well in the centre.
4. Pour the buttermilk, yoghurt,
eggs and oil into a large bowl and
whisk with a fork until just combined.
5. Pour into the well the dry ingredients
and stir with a wooden spoon until
just combined.
6. Add the berries and stir until just
combined (do not over mix or your
muffins will be tough).
7. Spoon into the muffin tin and
bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.

This is...my inspiration board

There have been some changes to my board since i last posted about it in October last year.There have been some new fashion additions to the board as we get ready to face autumn here in Australia.You can't see the colour very well in the pic but I love the dark blue of the trenchcoat on the model.
And how could you not love the image on the left from last year's Toast catalogue,makes you yearn for lazy Sundays still in your pajamas and drinking lots of tea or coffee to stay warm.

Saturday in Leura

We were so excited to see Mr Whippy arrive

I chose this wine because i loved the label,luckily it was yummy as well

We sat down for some coffee and tea at Cafe Bon Ton

On Saturday a friend organised a trip up to the mountains and we had a lovely picnic at the cascades just behind the main strip of Leura.The sun was shining and it was still warm but you could feel the crisp fresh air,such a big difference from the city.Cannot wait to go back again in autumn.

This is...Me taking a picture of myself in the mirror with my favourite accessory.

I've had to cheat with this week's challenge.I've just returned from a trip to the mountains and it's dark so no good light to take a photo.
But my camera is my favourite non fashion accessory,I've learnt my lesson and now take it with me wherever I go,so many times in the past I was caught out without it.
The photo was taken a few months ago after a trip to the hairdresser,in the changer ooms of my local DJ store.

You can see all the participants listed at Three Buttons

Learning and practising

I mentioned in yesterday's post about deciding to learn or probably relearning embroidery.I'm sure I was taught when i was younger,or was that needlepoint?

I sat down last Sunday afternoon and started going through Sublime Stitching and learning the different stitches, some were so easy that you just had to look at the diagram,some were just too hard and I'll need to go through those again or see if I can find some other instructions which are easier to follow.

I started with all 6 threads in the one strand but that seemed too thick for most stitches so I just split it in half and 3 seems looks much better.

The first transfer in the book is made to help you practice different types of stitches so I will complete that on a piece of scrap material before I start on the tea towels.

First project-still in progress

All sewn up and just waiting to be finished

Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter

A had bought Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing late last year and this year I finally have a sewing machine so it was time to start making something.I decided on the tea towels,probably the most simple project.I helped a friend make napkins last year for her wedding and I wasn't very good,lines were not very straight but it was promising to see I had improved,and thanks to the seam ripper,I could go over something again when it didn't look right.
I decided on a clean organic look and found some lovely 100% linen fabric,then I came up with an idea,I should learn embroidery,at first I thought maybe a tea cup,but have decided on a knife and fork.
Since then I have bought Sublime Stitching,it looked more like my style,much more modern,bought some supplies and have spent the last weekend learning the different types of stitches,stay tunes,more to come.

When Jack Met Karen!!

This is...What makes me laugh

With the rise of reality tv,there aren't too many great comedies on tv anymore.I absolutely love Will and Grace,but my favourite on the show are Jack and Karen,there are just too many funny moments between these two.I've recently bought the first 2 seasons on dvd and hope to add to the collection.
Above I've posted a videa from when the first 2 meet in season 1.

To find out who else is participating,check out Three Buttons.

I found some great things on my trip to Newtown last week.Most of them on the southern end past the train station and high school.When I walked into Pentimento Papeterie it looked like they just sold paper goods but it's also filled with great gifts,books,jewellry,and they also sell a large range of Mud Australia products which i love.I picked up this gorgeous black vase which i plan to use in my room when it gets colder and I change to a darker colour palette.



There are so many antique stores along the strip and I found these funky salt and pepper shakers,I'm obsessed with things in that mustard colour at the moment.

Beehouse Gallery is a space where artists and crafters can sell their goods,I found this beautiful japanese fabric,I'm thinking of displaying some fabric in emroidery hoops,just like this idea from The Purl Bee.And I just had to have the little pouch,zipper bag with Florence Broadhurst fabric

Happy Valentines Day

I don't even celebrate this or know any couples who go to great efforts but it's all just a bit of fun.And I was given a heart shaped lamington from a sweet work friend.

What is everyone else up to?I'm just going to go straight home and relax with some wine or champagne and have a little mini spa treatment with a scrub and mask.

And without noticing the upcoming holiday,I bought some new pajama pants on the weekend,I just thought they were cute,I can't wait for the colder weather when I can start wearing them.

We have a winner!

Sorry for the delay in announcing a winner in the little giveaway i organised the other week.I was planning to draw the winner when I met up with a fellow blogging friend but we couldn't get together due to this crappy weather we've had recently.
So I added everyone who didn't say they didnt want to be entered,into a bowl,scrunched up bits of paper and randomly selected from the bowl.
And the lucky recipient is Ali
Can you please contact me at skokoris {at} hotmail {.} com and I can arrange to send of your goodies.

Some light reading

I made a trip to the local library last week looking for something easy to read.I really want to learn how to knit this year so I borrowed the top book to get me in the mood for learning.

I received Camilla Morton's first book How To Walk in High Heels,a few years ago as a gift and decided to borrow the latest,I'm just skimming through it.I don't normally buy fashion magazines but Harpers Bazaar had a very large issue this month for a new season that's approaching,and I bought Vogue for the free Karl Lagerfeld dvd that came with it,the man fascinates me and I think he's a legend.
Saturday afternoon got quite cold and I had a sore throat,felt like a cold was coming on so I curled up in bed and read for the rest of the day.
Sunday i decided to go to Newtown,I hadn't been in years,there are so many great antique stores along the southern end of King Street,I preferred this area to the main section of King Street,there was even a store called All Buttons which of course just sold buttons,unfortunately they were closed,but I will definitely be back.

This is...Sunday Lunch

Sunday lunch is always a casual affair at our house,most weekends when it's warm we usually have a barbecue,today it was home made burgers .
For me I like to lighltly toast the bread,add some cheese,a squirt of tomato sauce,beef patties,tomato,caramelised onions and lettice(didn't have any today).

I'm not always home for Sunday lunch so when I'm out it's either yum cha,or something casual at a cafe.

You can see more participants of This Is at Three Buttons.

What else is there to do while waiting for the bus,take a photo.

The icing didn't quite work out.

Thanks to everyone who has left a comment on my previous post with the giveaway,I will select the winner some time this week.

This weekend was pretty quiet and quite boring,so boring that I slept for a few hours on Sunday afternoon because I wasn't in the mood for anything else.I now know that no matter what my intentions,i need to be out on the weekend in summer.

saturday morning I paid a visit to the library and discovered I had to pay some fines,it would have been nice to be told and not just sprung on me while in the queue.The book I got didn't end up being for me and I lost interest in it by Saturday evening.

Sunday I decided to bake a lemon pund cake with lemon frosting from a Bill Granger book,the icing looked great once I was done whipping and was nice and stiff but as you can see from the pic(please excuse the darkness,it was very overcast on Sunday) it collapsed 5 minutes later,I think I had put in too much butter,now know to leave it to rest for at least 5 minutes before spreading it on the cake.Such a shame since it tasted quite good.

This is...My collection

I didn't know about this meme organised by Three Buttons when it first began and last week I was interstate so I have finally joined this week.The theme this week selected by
Hyena in Petticoats is This Is My Collection.

My fascination with spoons started last year,I jut love their shape,and I have started collecting spoons made from wood or ceramic.The two wooden ones in the picture I found at The Bay Tree,a store here in Sydney and the white ceramic ones with a diamond,heart and clubs I found last week at Husk,in Melbourne.Unfortunately they sold out of the clubs so I couldn't have the whole set.

It's only a small collection right now however it will certainly grow,as well as my wish to start a collection of vintage coloured glassware and teapots and teacups and saucers.

This is a test

I've noticed recently there have been more visitors to this blog,some have a quick look,some stay for a bit longer,so this I suppose is a test for myself to see if anyone actually reads my entries.If I get no responses then fine,i know nobody reads it,we shall see.

So I have a gift to giveaway,it's the latest edition of Delicious magazine,a gorgeous teatowel that came with the magazine plus some letteropress cards and gift tags.

Please leave a comment and I will pick a name out of a box or container or whatever i can find and pick the lucky recipient.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend,I'm looking forward to the cooler weather this weekend after a week of high temps here.

Melbourne-Day 2

Flinders Street Station

Federation Square

Madame Sousou on Brunswick St,Fitzroy

My very delicious lunch of figs wrapped in proscuitto with goats cheese

Tusk cafe and bar in Prahran

A Melbourne tram

*Went out for breakfast while my friend slept as he had gone out dancing again the previous night
*Poached egg on an amazing ham and cheese sandwich at Journal on Flinders St,the breakfast menu looks simple but tastes amazing.The coffee was so good i had drank my first cup before my food arrived
*Had to roll my eyes listening to a pretentious couple from Sydney while enjoying breakfast,almost felt embarassed to be from the same place
*Made a quick trip to Federation Square-what's that all about?
*Noticed there were some markets across the road at The Arts Centre and had a quick browse while waiting to meet my friend
*We finally figured out how the transport system works,Couldn't believe there was a $2.60 Sunday Saver,almost anywhere for the day on bus,train and trams,so cheap.
*Missed our stop on the tram on our way to Fitzroy and ended in the wrong part of town
*Had an amazing lunch at Madame SouSou,you just wanted to sit in there all day
*Lots of great cute boutiques,cafes and bars along Brunswick St
*Another visit to Prahran,absolutely loved Chapel Street Bazaar,such a huge range of vintage finds from clothing,records to glasswear,you could spend a few hours in there
*By the time we got back to our hotel and were ready for dinner it was already 9:30 pm so we just ordered room service and grabbed a bottle of wine on the way back

*Monday was our last day,a short day,visited Chapel Street,South Yarra,I think it's gone downhill,the stores were quite dissapointing.

*On the way through Melbourne airport I was "randomly" selected to be tested for drugs and explosives,i wanted to lasugh

I had a great time and have started thinking about eventually moving there at the end of the year,we shall see.

Melbourne - Day 1

Our Hotel on Little Collins St

Hotel Room

Breakfast at Talking Heads cafe,Flinders Lane

Time for champagne

Inside GPO

Hopetoun Tea Rooms

Laurent Patisserie

Block Arcade

Melbourne is well known for it's laneways filled with boutiques and cafes

We arrived at our hotel on Friday night at about 10pm,a colleague of ours was very generous and gave us a bottle of Moet to start off our holiday,we couldn't believe it when we opened it up,it was a limited edition bottle decorated with Swarovski crystals,we were in a rush to drink it but had to wait for it to get cold,we hardly had any patience and opened it before going out,I came up with the idea of adding the ice cubes that were in our mini bar,in the bathroom basin.

My travelling partner had asked his friends about clubs to go to,we decided on The Market,all we knew was that it was off Chapel Street,off we went in a taxi with no idea where we were and hoping to stumble upon it,we asked around and finally found it,well duh of course it was near Prahran market,hence the name.
That night there was a cover charge of $35 as DJ David Morales was playing,we really wanted to party and have a dance so we obliged,we entered a massive club with 3 levels,I made the mistake of wearing heels but it just meant I had to take some breaks in between,we had such a great time,just dancing to the music,it was a great crowd as well,no attitude,I can't remember the last time I went out dancing until 4am.We would have stayed longer but had to make the most of our time exploring the city the following day.
We woke up pretty late the next morning and started our tour in the city,our first priority was breakfast,I had my favourite,eggs benedict,the eggs were poached beautifully and tasted amazing and the coffee was great,a good way to start the day.

Some events of the day included:
Exploring the laneways around the city
Lots and lots of shops,they close late as well
Exploring the Paris end with designer boutiques
Running into a well known tennis player
Discovering the Hopetoun Tea Rooms,such a shame we got there pretty late just before closing time so couldn't hang around longer,such a beautiful and opulent room
Made a quick trip to Koko Black,we weren't hungry so just bought some chocolates to take home.
Saturday night was a disaster with cab drivers taking us somewhere else and finding no decent restaurants in the city open
Decided to go out to Lygon Street for dinner,went back to our room to enjoy a bottle of wine,my friend went out dancing again

All set and reasy to go

I was all packed up and ready to go this morning for my trip to Melbourne,unfortunately I've had to endure a very long Friday at work before I depart,the days always drag on when there's something exciting to look forward to.

My travel buddy has been sick and this week broke up with their partner so it will be good to go away,there has been no itinery set,we will probably just expore the cbd and other inner city areas,there's alot to fit in in just 3 days.