the sunday session 19 - what a tart

how's things lovely fashionistas. hope you had a lovely week. i did - but then, i always try to find the shining light every day.

i loved my looks this week - a mix of thrifted, home sewn, upcycled, some classic, some modern and of course colour. i never like to find myself locked into one look, it messes with my sense of adventure.

i think my favourite look was this one - the one i likened to a big dollop of whipped cream with strawberry.  i find this one quite out of character for me, but it felt amazing.  it felt quite classic and old fashioned and i really just wanted to go somewhere with equally stylish ladies and enjoy a high tea.  who am i!

the skirt was made by me using fabric from darn cheap fabrics at port melbourne. they have a few stores around melbourne and their fabric has a mix of low and high end quality and pricing, including fabric from dolce gabbana and other designers.  there is a price tag attached to some, but they do have a good bargain area, which is where i found this fabric.  it's a textured piece and it cost $6 per metre. the blouse was thrifted in the brotherhood of st laurence op shop in the city.   i teamed this with my red mary janes from jo mercer and a thin red belt from a $2 shop at south melbourne opposite the markets.

what i loved about this fabric was its texture and rather than cutting the skirt with the stripes across - the way they were meant to go - i let them run down and used the edge of the fabric as the hem detail. if you were ever wanting to make a super simple skirt, this is the one.  just requires the side seams and elastic around the waist.  it's super simple, super spunky and it worked a treat  i didn't have a slip to go underneath it, so i just used a satin flowery skirt which gave the skirt and extra hint of mystery.

now speaking of strawberries and cream, i have another recipe share..... and it's for these super fun tasty yumbo jumbo mumbo strawberry tarts.

get some medium size strawberries
some puff pastry
a bit of castor sugar
a hot oven
some icing sugar for later
and some whipped cream if you feel so inclined.

**
wash the cooties off the strawberry's, get rid of the green stuff and make the bottom flat, then turn them upside down and with a sharp knife, score the top - start to cut the strawberry like you were going to slice it in half from top to bottom, but stop about half way cause you don’t want to cut it in half. then cut it the other way like you were going to slice it in half from top to bottom, but stop, cause you don’t want to cut it in half right!

line a baking tray with baking paper.

cut some pastry into rounds a bit bigger than the strawberries (i did have to use 2 layers, cause i wanted extra puff). use a scone cutter, or a glass and a knife, or make a little template from paper if need be.

sit a strawberry ever so delicately in the middle of one of the puff pastry rounds (flat side down) and give it a good sprinkle of castor sugar. repeat with all strawberries.

whack them in the hot oven, for about 15 mins

and if you are like me, then keep opening the door to see how they are doing, and make sure they haven’t slid off the pastry

after the 15 mins, if the pastry looks puffed and a bit coloured, then those little tasties are ready. if you find that your oven has a mind of its own, then by all means adjust the cooking time.

and voila

if you are an eager beaver like me, you will try to eat one straight away, which could end up with a mouth injury, so wait a while, then sprinkle them with icing sugar before serving.

if you want to add a little dollop of cream before serving, then go for it.

here's to strawberries and cream, for both clothing and for the mouth. till next time xxxxx @janijans

dinner party delight

on my recent trip to sydney, i got the opportunity to cook a meal for the host and the hostest with the mostest.

as i have been living lean since my move to melbourne, having the opportunity to cook something more exciting than a dish of dahl was great for me as i got to do something i truly love - cooking. And the dinner guests got to do something they truly love - eating and eating my food, which they often got to enjoy when we all lived in the same city.

as i was cooking the meal, it occurred to me that this meal, which consisted of gnocchi done two ways, 2 salads, a broccoli dish and some bread was a really varied meal, which actually came in pretty cheap and could be perfect for someone wanting to throw a small dinner party that was easy and economical.  so here's what we had.

gnocchi gorgonzola
gnocchi with olive oil and chilli
rocket, baby beetroot and fetta salad
caprese salad
fried broccoli
bread stick

so yep there were 2 types of gnocchi and this was to provide a dryer option to complement the very creamy and cheesy gorgonzola dish and in case any guests were put off by the stinky cheese.

and now i am going to share all this goodness, so you can make any or all of it for yourself or to entertain. Here is what you will need for this amazing meal.

for the gorgonzola gnocchi
some good quality gnocchi (i used a pack and a half for both dishes and we still had leftovers)
small carton of pure cream
gorgonzola dolce - to taste
small amount of butter
sage leaves - as many as you fancy
grated orange skin

for the gnocchi chilli
gnocchi
olive oil
fresh chilli
salt and pepper
parsley

rocket salad
rocket
tin of baby beetroots - drained
fetta cheese (optional)

caprese salad
fresh tomato
buffalo mozzarella
basil leaves
olive oil
balsamic
salt and pepper

fried broccoli
broccoli
olive oil
salt
chilli (optional)

Bread and parmesan cheese also required.

Let's get cracking then.  any, and all of these work together or can complement other dishes you may decide to cook.

and maybe you are going - what the fuck, what the fuck - too much..... but the beauty here is that you pre-prepare most of it and it can just sit and wait until the magic happens in the last minute.  don't be afraid, cause here is the order of cooking.
1. heating the water
2. the broccoli
3. the salads
3.5 the bread
4. the pasta sauces
5. the pasta.

first up. heat a big saucepan of water - keep topping it up if need be, but have it ready to go.

the broccoli - cut up some broccoli and give it a quick cook in the boiling water. add some olive oil to a saucepan, heat with the optional chilli and then add the not too cooked broccoli.  give it a shit load of salt - i use Himalayan or sea salt.  put the lid on and fry the fuck out of it on a low heat.  stir occasionally and then put it aside till dinner time.  it should be soft and salty.  thanks to my new york sister for this beauty.

next up....the salads.

starting with the rocket and beetroot.

wash your rocket, open the beetroots and add both to a serving dish.  sprinkle on some fetta if you wish.  i left this a dry salad, as there was a lot of other moisture to wet this down.  set aside till dinner is served.

time for the caprese.

my hosts had fresh basil and i picked off some leaves. (damn them - i can't even grow a weed and they get this)

slice your buffalo mozzarella and put on a serving plate.

slice your tomato and add to the plate. there are no rules with this.  as you can style it any way you like.  layer it, stack, separate it. whatever! tear up some basil leaves and put on the plate.  drizzle, the oil, balsamic, salt and pepper just before serving.

the bread - you don't need instructions for this.

now to the gnocchi. so the water has been bubbling away patiently and we are nearly ready to go.

gorgonzola gnocchi and chilli gnocchi - these can be done at the same time.

in a frypan, add the carton of cream, a knob of butter, some sage leaves. some grated orange skin, and gorgonzola to taste.  i used nearly half a block (it was igor gorgonzola from coles).

for the oil and chilli - add some olive oil and some chilli to a pan. i have added a diced chilli and a half chilli for fun and i chopped the parsley in readiness.

 

so - it's nearly time.  put these items on to heat.  the cheese will melt slowly and the chilli maybe a bit quicker.  (start the cheese first or just turn the chilli down if the cheese isn't done) neither should be bubbling erratically.

when both the sauces are nearly heated through, put the gnocchi in the boiling water. when it rises to the top it is ready.  simply use a slotted spoon and split between both sauces.

add the parsley and some salt and pepper to the oil dish and stir both gently so the sauce finds its way into the gnocchi.

you are done. two great gnocchi dishes to add to your other prepared stuff - you can even serve them straight from the frypan for that "i don't want too much washing up" feel.

serve it up, go put on some lippy, so you look as hot and as effortless as the meal you have just prepared, and enjoy. buon appetito.

if you do try this or any of this, i'd love to know how it went, because i feel confident that it will work a treat.

the what i wore project - week 18

this was the week that the weather went out of control - hot cold, windy and wet wet wet.  It was like dressing for any possible event, was on the cards.  And here is what I ended up with for week 18.

There was short, long, sleeves, no sleeves, open and closed toes and even my gumboots were on stand-by - just in case.  what was a saving grace, was that i managed to go through all my winter clothes last week and wash what wasn't storm damaged in preparation for the coming months.

As i also now have to take my own photos, there are a lot of misses, while i am running to get into to my shot.  Today, you get to see the behind the scenes.  Cause it is not a one shot wonder at all, when you are in control of the remote control, which i might add, is the best invention ever.

Monday - it wasn't too hot, and it wasn't too cold, but it wasn't just right.

I wore pin corduroy spotted dress made by me, pom pom necklace made by me, shoes from whittner.

Tuesday, the weather was not to heavy and not to light, it was just right.

I wore pink stretch satin skirt made by me, top/dress made by me. I had decided a while back i wasn't in love with it anymore so put it to the donation pile, and then i saw it again and we feel in love, again.  shoes were from betts and earrings are from huudaverti.

Wednesday - i had a feeling it would warm up and i was right.

I wore pants from country road, shoes from betts, shirt from suzanne grae, giant hoops from lovisa and this super fun poncho from huudaverti.  It is covered with botticelli's and is our special of the week with coupon weekly20, if anyone wants one.

Thursday - well look who is rugged up.  It was cold and wet

I wore pink velvet skirt and sequin belt made by me, jumper from Harris Scarfe (this jumper is the same one i wanted from Witchery last year but it was sold out and also twice as expensive) boots from Jo Mercer, circa 2005.

Friday the weather was shitter than shit.  It was a tropical low of tropical proportions (for brisbane) and we all got an early mark from work to get home as it just got worse.  Fortunately, i had an easy run home and was so grateful that i now have the roof above my kitchen repaired and the rain doesn't come in.  It was too wet to even go to the local for a wine.  Now that's saying something, cause it is only a minute down the road.

I wore jeans from target, ankle boots circa 2006 from whittner they are well worn and still going strong, long sleeve T and woollen over vest and my fave heart earrings.

Saturday turned out to be beautiful blue clear skies - not sure why we call it skies, cause there is only one. i offered to drop my son at work, so he was behind the lens today.  It was one of those brissy days - cold in the morning and then by lunch time it is boiling.

I wore my jeans from target that i tie dyed myself, shoes from gola, long sleeve T over a short sleeve T and puffer vest i picked up from uniqlo in melbourne.  I love a puffer vest, it's the perfect transition piece. Both vest and long sleeve T were relagated to the back seat of the car by mid morning.

Sunday and it was cool, warm, cool warm and i just knew i would end up roasting if i wore too much, so the super charged poncho was the item de jour.  Someone pointed out today that it is so brissy to wear thongs with warm weather stuff.  Aint that the truth.

I wore pink cords from sportscraft, havaianas from byron bay, black tea from temt, silver hoops and poncho that i picked up from tree of life last year.

I also did the how old am i test this week.  bbbhhhaaaa it say's i am 33. it is such a liar.

this week was another week that i read about women who are living with body image issues and these issues affect so many other areas of our life and the most important one is our own happiness and inner peace.

On friday, while i was grabbing some brekky, i saw this card in the shop and took a snap of it. 

It takes a lot of courage to walk up to a mirror and say - i am perfect just how i am. and if you don't believe it, who will?  Doing this in front of a mirror may seem strange and weird and you may not believe it at first, but it's a start on the journey to self love.

Friday was also the day that someone liked a pic on instragram and as you do, i checked out the profile and was interested to see what they were on about  at #ownyournumber.  they want you to share the number you want to overcome, or already have... and here's what i posted.

well i don't care about the number of my clothes size (18) or my age (48) or any of that stuff, but i do care about me and my place in the world and that makes me number one (1). we all deserve to be number one (1) and put ourself first. We all have issues and struggles to overcome and i have overcome mine. It doesn't mean that everyone else is not number one (1), but if i am okay, then everyone around me will be too. it's okay to be number one (1). What is your number?

So there goes week 18.

Be kind to yourself and to others and spend some time being number 1.

The what i wore project -- week 17

Gee it feels good to be bringing a colourful snapshot of this week's looks.  

I am going to get straight into it, cause i have had a busy week, so there is no time for small talk.

Monday and i was in need of a total colour burst, and i think i hit the mark with this one.  It was starting to feel a little chilly, so bought out long sleeves for the first time since last year.  These 2 pieces have been in my wardrobe for such a long time and i can't believe i never thought to wear them together before.  What a der, cause it was a wonderful combo.

Today was also the day I made good on a promise to myself earlier in the year following a major life change.  I decided to purchase myself a new piece of significant jewellery.  I had been eyeing this piece off every time i walked past the jeweller in west end.  Like every freakin time!  I would stop, look, admire and walk on. This was the day i went in, tried it on and said yes please. However i didn't pick it up till Tuesday as they wanted to polish it, so of course i cant show it right now

I wore pink satin pants with elasticised bottom,  made by me.  Beaded top from Roma 4 in Sri Lanka (shopping tip), shoes from jo mercer and earrings from Fiji.

Tuesday - oh my god - look at me back in black!  It was chilly today, so i needed to find another long sleeve top.  In the storm last November, most of my winter clothes got trashed - some salvageable, some not. Lots of damage from water, which then caused dye to run across various items.  Heartbreaking at the time, but this was just a moment in time and is insignificant, compared to other tragedies that have happened.

Today, i picked up the ring.  When i saw it in the shop it was actually really tarnished looking and wasn't expecting it to come up as gorgeous as it did.  As i said, i was instantly drawn to it. When i showed the person who suggested that i make a purchase, she said it looked like a bird and it does. And birds have freedom to fly anywhere they want to, so it suits me just fine.

I wore daggy black top from valley girl that is yonks old, brilliant sequined skirt from Odel Sri Lanka (another shopping tip) shoes from Jo Mercer, and diamonte name belt from NYC and some silver hoop earrings, but i wasn't yet wearing the ring, as the shop wasn't even open when i took my OOTD pic.

Wednesday was even chillier than tuesday and i had to get out the big guns.  Boots and a jacket. As it queensland, once the sun is in full swing in autumn it is way to hot for a jacket, so it didn't stay on too long.

I got something a little bit exciting at work today - a stand up desk.  Sitting is the new smoking apparently and i can't tell you how great it feels to not have to sit at a desk all day, but still be able to work to capacity.

I also went to dinner with my son and he really threw out all the stops to put on an amazing dinner.  It was one of those dinners that could be smelt when you opened the car door and it was pretty fantastic.

I wore tree tube skirt from huudaverti, yonks old top, denim jacket from best and less, beautiful handmade necklaces from Bec Jobson and my jo mercer boots, which were also trashed in the november storm, but i have done my best to ensure they still are wearable.

The vegetarian ate - home made goats cheese tarts with pesto and fresh picked marigolds, air dried rosemary and garlic potatoes and salad and the carnivores ate all that plus home made crumbed chicken accompanied by a tempus two pinot grigio, home made indian halva and an episode of ramsay's kitchen nightmares.  Very proud of my son and his ability to work magic in the kitchen.

Thursday seemed to see the nip in the air disappear for a while and i went all summery again.  I took my ootd photo up at annerley again, cause it is such a quaint place.  I went photo crazy.

i took photos everywhere i could and ensured i left the quaint little gate exactly how it was - open!

i wore top from huudaverti, skirt made by me, shoes from mollini and gold hoops from lovisa and gold sequin belt made by me, which just happened to fall off at some point through the day and was never to be seen again.

 

Friday was Fashion Revolution day and the day that commemorates the tragic anniversary of the Rana plaza collapse in Bangladesh and the day to ask "who made your clothes?"

Today we also held an afternoon tea for our sewers in Fiji, as it was important for us to acknowledge the work they do for our label huudaverti.

I wore tartan pants and top made by me, men's suede shoes from stone, my mismatched love heart earrings and necklaces that are yonks old.

hello weekend, and it was cool enough to sport some jeans and a longer sleeve top. I recently went bra shopping - what an ordeal that is, and i have to say, after being given three different bra sizes, at three different shops, i was confused and in the end, went with what felt comfortable and that was triumph. They offer me comfort, a little bit of sexy, a lot of uplift and with 25% off there was three coming home in the bag. i don't know when i last had a bra that felt not frumpy and just for function, but this was the one and i was going to let it peak through my shirt.

i wore jeans from target, shoes from jo mercer, top from tree of life, silver hoops and awesome bra from triumph.

Sunday was kaftan day and massage day. and i loooooove them both.  it has hearts and frills and hearts and frills.  love love love love love.  literally! it was bloody windy today and i did quick poses to ensure that my tripod didn't blow over in the wind. it was nutz.

at the boundary street markets, there is now a bagel store.  not bakery bagels, but boiled bagels. the real deal and this is now my sunday staple. thank you bagel boys.

i wore kaftan from huudaverti, shoes from nine west and earrings from odel sri lanka (shopping tip) and the massage as always is from i do thai massage from west end.

i am going to end on a bit of a serious note - a debbie downer if you choose to see it that way. i am a total believer in people being free to do what they want, but what if they are doing something that puts themselves and others at risk? what do you do? apart from having a love of fashion, it isn't my main bread and butter.  i have a job that is on the opposite end of the spectrum. it is serious and it is in a high risk industry. and sadly, sometimes people go to work and may not come home to their families at the end of the day due to unforseen accidents that may be caused by distractions of others. isn't that a horrible thing to consider. i have been their 4 years and over that time, the education towards safety has made me stop and think about the practices i do each day, that may incur a risk to the safety of me or those around me.

we had a toolbox talk a while back about the use of mobile phones when driving and the statistics were so frightening that from that day, i decided not to use my phone in the car. it has been about 2 and a half years now and guess what - there has been no emergency to or from work, i haven't missed any important facebook updates and i haven't been distracted by texting (not that i ever did) but it is really alarming to know what i know  and see people continue to be using their phones while driving. i don't know who this lady is, but she was obviously needing to do something very very important while in control of vehicle.

as i often travel in a 4WD, i see so many people using their phones in high speed, low speed and they are usually looking at the screen - how do you focus on the road? Isn't it illegal to use your phone in a vehicle????? i for one, don't want to be the reason that you or someone else doesn't make it home safely to the people you love and who love you, because i decided that watching my phone was more important that watching the road ahead.

stay safe!