Stamp tramp - Making An Impression

I have a new problem. A good type of problem...but its still a problem if it makes you forget to eat lunch, right?

Geninne Zlatkis' new book about stamping, Making an Impression, arrived at my door just before Christmas. I had been hanging out like a kid for this beautiful publication because Zlatkis is not only a phenomenal creative artist, she seems to lead this life of zen where everything is in alignment, and her blog makes me so happy!

And wowee she did not let me down. What a generous collection of lovely things to make. And all stemming from the humble rubber eraser.

Since January 1st, when I finally sat down with the book and tools at the ready, I have been completely obsessed. I am looking at every image I have ever drawn as a fresh idea. Every surface seems to be calling out 'stamp me, stamp me...'. I can almost sniff out eraser supplies in shops!

At the core of it (besides the mesmerising whittling factor) I have found that there really is something magical about being able to reproduce your own images so quickly, while still retaining a bit of their own personality and imperfection.

Here are a few of my creations. Some were inspired by Geninne (the plant pots), and some are my own designs (paisley, leaf). The teacup is an adapted design sourced from here which is a great resource if you want some vintage design ideas.

I can't wait to go into production and put some of these in my shop!

Christmas truffle hustle

My sister and I got together just before Christmas for a last minute gift hustle. Home made gifts are such a treat today I think, with everyone being so busy!
Melbourne once again thwarted my baking plans by dishing up a generous 37 degree of celcius. So we turned to the humble truffle ball, whose basic recipe was implanted in most kids at the age of 12 in their first cooking class.  I remember the boys in my class were total ratbags and at the end of class stole as many as they could from everyone, sucked on them, and threw then at the roof. Our poor home economics teacher!
The basic recipe consists of:
- 1 packet of Marie biscuits (crushed finely)
- I can of condensed milk
- then some cocoa (if you want chocolate flavour/colour)
But we also made different flavours, including:
- apricot and almond (rolled in cocoanut)
- chocolate cherry, or "cherry ripe", rolled in cocoa, dipped in melted chocolate, and decorated with little sugars sweets to look like a pudding!

- Nelle -

35 degrees and nothing to do? Have a Christmas crafternoon!

A few days ago I hosted a little workshop for some friends and I to make Christmas cards. It was quite a success, although I spent most of my day being overexcited by the ideas pouring out at the table, scoffing the biscuits we'd brought along, and hydrating, since it was 35 degrees outside! It was such a nice excuse to drag out boxes of beautiful things and hang with other creative types for  a while.

Seeing the mass of paper, pens, cutters, scissors, adhesives, stamps, inks, rulers and stencils, ribbons, paint and brushes laid out on the table, gave me this bizarre sense of nostalgia and satisfaction. It reminded me of a picture from a woman's weekly special craft magazine that my mum had when I was a kid. In the middle, there was a centrefold image that I used to drool over - a birds eye view of all these ice cream containers filled with magic craftical things, like pipecleaners, and cotton buds, paper offcuts, foil, and paddlepop sticks. Ah, the potential of it all. I must see if mum still has it.
Here are some of the cards we made!

Christmas ahead: Dalmatians and Gingerbread!

Today was a test run of two recipes for Christmas treats.

I started with a great gingerbread recipe I found in a magazine a few years ago. They're super tasty but they take a bit longer than normal cookies as you have to let the dough harden in the fridge for a bit (they say up to an hour!). That does make it easier to cut, but tests your patience... so I cheated and popped it in the freezer for ten minutes!

Because gingerbread isn't for everyone, I also tried out a dead easy recipe from my friend at Sweet Treats, for white choc chip macadamia cookies. I added dark chocolate chips as well for extra taste bud happiness. And because they are kind of cute and spotty, I call them Dalmatian cookies.