Di Mill

Tablescapes

We had a 30th birthday recently in my partners family and as I was in Sydney at the time, we hosted a small intimate family dinner. I wanted to decorate the table so that it looked special as you don't turn 30 every year.

I decided on a dark grey and white scheme. I don't know if this happens to you but I always find a picture of what I want but then can't buy anything close to it - very frustrating. So I had to improvise. Being in Sydney, on a tight budget and not able to find the fabric I wanted close by ...I resorted to making a runner by hand painting a design in white onto a dark grey cloth and using double sided tape to turn under the edges (no sewing machine available).

 

 

I added candles and fake crystals that I scattered over the table...

 

 

 

...and used beautiful white lisianthus flowers to add some softness.

 

 

 

 

I had just bought some vintage bottles in Tasmania a few days before so I used them as extra vases on the table.

 

 

The napkin holders were a bit trickier but I finally found some inexpensive bracelets that had jewels on them that were perfect. I snipped the elastic that held the bracelet together and reused the focal jewels by threading ribbon through them.

 

And then we come to the cake! I have to say - I don't have a great track record with making gourmet cakes, so I was a bit concerned. I decided to play it safe and stick with chocolate and strawberries:

 

 

I made two chocolate cakes and sandwiched them together with frosting. Then I covered the outside with frosting and added some piped chocolate squiggles and chocolate coated strawberries on top. It was delicious! I used this recipe for the chocolate cake and it has gone into my "best cake" recipe file - everything a chocolate cake should be: rich, moist and light.

 

No matter how often I decorate a table, I always learn something new:

• fabric paint doesn't always look good with one application - this one needed two.
• its always going to take longer to make something than you think!
• making chocolate squiggles by using baking paper made into a piping bag is NOT EASY, even though the you tube video says it is!
• pipe the squiggles onto a sheet of baking paper first and put into the fridge before putting them onto the cake...not like me who tried to pipe them straight onto the cake - not pretty!
• double sided tape does not always work
• chocolate cake and strawberries and very small children result in....mmmm...a mess!

 

 

Take care....Di

Beauty is on the inside

My family was all together this Christmas at my parents farm in North Queensland so Mum an Dad decided to give us all gifts that belonged to family members. As it was my birthday - I was first to receive my gift. At first glance - it looks like an old worn box.

 

 

But as the saying goes..."beauty is on the inside"...

 

 

This is a set of spoons that my maternal grandparents received as a wedding present. I'm not sure if they are desert spoons or soup spoons but they are beautiful. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Mum also put a note inside saying who owned the gift and how they recieved it along with their photo.

 

I also received the sweetest set of plates that I have always loved...

 

 

I don't remember when I first saw them or where - maybe my Grandparents?? But I have always thought they were so pretty. For years they have been in Mum's china cabinet and I would look at them and dream of living in a house with a cottage garden just like the one in the design.

Sometimes the best gifts don't cost a cent!

Take care....Di

Thursday Inspiration

 

 

image via tinywhitedaisies

 

Take care....Di

If this room had a quilt.....

 

image via house to home

 

I would use the new fabric range "Bollywood Bliss" designed by Jane Spolar of Quilt Poetry for Northcott:

Bollywood Bliss has all the colour and style of a great Bollywood movie. It has a beautiful over-sized repeat print that is full of rich exotic designs as well as a select group of stunning co-oridnates that work together brilliantly.

 

and I would use this quilt pattern:  Magic Carpet - designed by Chris Hoover of Whirligig designs

 

 

 

Bollywood Bliss will be arriving in Australian stores in April. Northcott is distributed throughout Australia by Lloyd Curzon Textiles.

 

Take care...Di

Tuesday Trackdown

5 things I'm loving out in Blogland this week:

 

1. A great idea - transfer vintage pattern designs onto fabric and embroider!

 

image via pinterest

 

2. A gorgeous Block of the Month called "Delbert & Leona" which is made from the wonderful Stonehenge fabrics by Northcott. You can read more about this BOM at the Sewing Sisters Blog

 

image via Sewsisters blog

 

3. Lovely French place mat transfers to print yourself! Go to Confessions of a plate addict to learn how to make them.

 

image via confessions of  a plate addict

 

 

4.  Here is a quick and easy zipper flower bracelet tutorial...very cool!

 

image via craftaholics anonymous

 

5.  Loving this recycled pair of jeans! Go to In between the lines blog for instructions and more photos.

 

image via between the lines

 

Take care...Di

Natural Inquisitiveness!

I heard this phrase the other day while watching an episode of "Who do you think you are". The celebrity Sebastian Coe was saying that up until now, his "natural inquisitiveness about his family background had not been remotely challenged"!

Luckily for me, I have always had natural inquisitiveness and a love of learning and I am especially inquisitive when it comes to my family history. Over the holidays, while having a bit of a blog break, I finished off a job I started a few years ago. I gathered all of the information I had on my late husband's family history and organised it and put it all into a program on the computer. I think it's so important to have an idea of where you have come from and I want my children to have that knowledge.

 

I'm very lucky as my mum spent years researching our family tree (when there was no internet to help her) and she has documented it all including two books full of photos, stories and information. It's such precious information! But there was nothing on the kids Dad's side. I had already collected a lot of information, so I downloaded a program and began to go through all of the Birth, Marriage and Death certificates I had gathered along with Census Forms, Electoral Roll info and Immigration details.

It's been a few weeks of excitement, sadness (oh how did those mothers cope when they lost so many infants between the ages of birth and 10), intrigue, frustration and lots and lots of inquisitiveness. To me it's like a puzzle, and as soon as I solve one piece of the puzzle, a new part appears - waiting to be solved.

It's so important to ask older family members questions and to listen to their stories and write them down. Although you can always try to find the information later after they have passed, it's hard to fill in all of the details and get a true feel of what their life was like.

So that's where I've been the last few weeks - surrounding myself with bits of paper, lots of dates, photos and facts and figures, trying to piece together an understanding of what and who has helped make my children who they are. 

My best advise is.....Be inquisitive!

Take care....Di

Thursday Inspiration

 

 

image via pinterest

 

Take care...Di

Thursday Inspiration

 

image via pinterest

 

Take care....Di

Merry Christmas

The presents are wrapped and under the tree....

 

The table is set....

 

 

and we are about to go to mass - a perfect Christmas Eve.

Wishing you peace and happiness...

and a Very Merry Christmas!

 

Take care...Di

Thursday Inspiration

 

 

image via la belle vie

 

Take care...Di