BRRR!! WIND & RAIN..BUT LISTING LOTS VINTAGE SEWING GOODIES..,

Hi ladies...WHAT A WINDY WINDY old day in Melbourne

Has literally been blowing a gale since last night.

the wind is howling through my windows...blowing dust inside...plants blown around outside.,

BUT just as I speak/type...still windy...BUT YES!!! RAIN!!! please keep it coming..

anyway...with the coldish weather..I really cannot be bothered venturing out too far other than getting a ticket for tonights 90 million DOLLAR tatts draw!

must admit!! ACTUALLY BOUGHT 2 X TICKETS...!!

one for ME...& the other for ME!! (just joking)..

also bought the ingredients for a lovely MINESTRONE soup..which is cooked & ready to be consumed..with lovely oven toasted TURKISH bread...parmesan cheese sprinkled on top...YUMMO!!!

so have been organising nice vintage sewing craft stuff...into colour themes...& listing on ebay...

I LOVE OLD wooden cotton spools...buttons ... lace...

keep warm (if in victoria!!)... dont get blown away...& have a lovely week..

xx andrea

"BLUE ILLUSIONS"..MY FIRST SHOP OF THE WEEK!!!

Hi ladies..am doing my FIRST blog on the LOVELY shops I visit..frequent..in my lovely suburb of Melbourne....

..... WILLIAMSTOWN!!! ....../

so the first shop i am feauring in my SHOP blog is...

"BLUE ILLUSIONS" ...

It is mainly a dress shop...BUT also sells LOTS of french type goodies.................

FROM chandeliers...books....gift cards...soaps...frames....& LOTS more...

the shop looks gorgeous...the detailing/display is lovely. ...

AND I have purchased soo MANY clothes from this store.

lovely tops///dresses//I actually have my entire wardrobe now filled with items from this shop...

including my PYJAMAS!!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS ONE of my FAVOURITE shops.........I do shop THERE all the time..

& ROS...featured in the photo..is just the MOST wonderful...gorgeous LADY who sells these goodies to me..

DRESSES....TOP....CARDIGANS..PANTS..ETC ETC.

all gorgeous...............

great shop...lovely displays.

they are AUSTRALIA wide....& is an AUSSIE company...(hubbie & wife)...

Honestly...I love their clothes...(i am nearly 52 yo..still look youngish!! cough cough!!)...BUT i love a little smock...for summer & winter....little dress which suits all ages...

stretchy pants...light weight tops/....I have a wardrobe FULL of their stretchy little tops..in all colours...which I literally wear every day...

AWESOME AUSSIE COMPANY...

with lots of great clothes which i wear in summer & winter..

and with the staff being just soo WONDERFUL....& with the decor inviting...calming...frenchy chic!! who wouldnt want to shop there???

I ask for nothing MORE!!

I LOVE my LOCAL BLUE ILLUSIONS store....soo I am just soo glad when they opened their store 2 yrs?? ago!!

MY wardrobe is now literally a BLUE ILLUSIONS wardrobe..

I LOVE IT...it just suits what I love at my stage of life..!!

smart...casual...chic...and COMFORTABLE!!!

just hope you ladies enjoy the photos of this shop...

(intending to feature a lovely shop each week!! )..so hope you like?? ....

xx andrea

SATURDAY ORANGE CAKE..PORTERHOUSE ROAST..CANNOT WAIT!!

Hi ladies...a bit of a colder winters day today..with a STRONG wind blowing..(blown over my plant on my balcony...and a real howling whistle coming through the front windows).

Soo this means a NICE roast for dinner...as Christian is having his girlfriend over for dinner..

SOO bought a lovely BIG piece of porterhouse...AND my hubby has come home..and scored the skin...salted it..strung it up..and put the lovely rosemary sprigs (from our garden).. in a lovely pattern on the top...(BOY... I must say..I am not as pedantic as he is...I love the way he cares about food...I AM MUCH MORE AD HOC!!)..

anyway..I have ALSO cooked my mother in laws ORANGE CAKE...

it has turned out perfecto in my new square pan i bought today...(tired of the proverbial round tin!!)..

I shall just give it a little sprinkle of very light icing sugar (mixed with orange juice..)...just to add a little bit of a tang to the top..

here is the recipe if interested....(I must say..it is always...sooo moist..yummy..with a little dollop of cream!!)..

ORANGE CAKE RECIPE..

1 & 1/2 cups SR FLOUR...

1/2 cup PLAIN FLOUR..

250 gms butter..

1 & 1/2 cups CASTOR SUGAR..(i only ever put in 3/4 cup...is plenty..)..

4 x EGGS...

2 TABS spoons ORANGE RIND..

3/4 CUP ORANGE JUICE...

beat sugar & butter...add eggs one at a time..then orange rind..then flour & juice alternating..

bake at 150 degrees..

OKAY...i actually have used TANGELLO juice/skin ...rather than oranges..(as they are just soo much richer & better at the minute..)..

PLUS I add some orange flavouring...(just a tad)...and some Vanilla essence..

I am NEVER SPECIFIC with my measurements...I guess the butter...& some of the other ingredients...

just go by the way it looks ....& stirs...

I am an AD HOC COOK...kind of go with the look/flow ...NOT INTO exact measurements...that kind of makes me grumpy!!

it all always seems to work out in the end...!! we HOPE!!

HUBBY ALSO brought home a lovely NEW SET of KNIVES..in a BLOCK...YES!!

we have been meaning to buy some of these for years!! i just have the knives sitting on my kitchen shelf...and I HATE it...SOOOOOOO finally a SHARP set of knives...in a block...AND AT HALF PRICE re the sales...

PLUS SOOTY just sitting on the couch watching the world pass by...

xx andrea

A GLIMPSE OF ORIGINAL PAINTINGS IN MY HOME..LANTS VICTORIANA??

Hi ladies...a quick little post.

Just highlighting some of the MANY original LANTS paintings i have throughout my home..

LOVELY Victoriana type feel..(except for the little portrait of Byron..

I have these lovely watercolours throughout...bedroom..hallways

(I especially LOVE the one in my bedroom...way above the door...DONE ON CARDBOARD!! but with this gorgeous whimsical victoriana lady..in same toning)..

I have LOTS more stored away...... with gorgeous differing themes....I have a GREAT PAIR OF chooks...they are gorgeous...!!

PLUS... OPERA THEME....SAILOR THEME...etc etc.......

soo if you like this little snippet..I could show a LOT MORE!!!

all from LANTS...my mum used to have an art gallery above my shop displaying his paintings.. \

xx andrea