Paint by numbers.

I may become a paint by number artist next break... It's been years since I picked up a paint brush but I used to wile away many hours that way.  I can't say I have been into paint by numbers for at least two decades now but out of nowhere Nick has decided he would like some art for the house, and in the spirit of mid century design it's now all about the retro painting for dummies technique.  Whilst shopping today I came across something that caught my eye and I ended up picking it up with the intention of making it a joint Easter project.

I think it looks neat, and in all honesty it was probably the right choice when one considers I was also faced with the tough decision as to whether to bring this home:

  

... I didn't.

Arriving home with the ships I got browsing to see what other paint by numbers there are out there.  It turns out there are some neat ones:

Houses of Parliment

Swiss Alps

Though I would enjoy gazing at European landscapes it isn't necessarily what Nick would want up in the house.  I then typed "Mid Century Paint by Number" into google images and was pleased to find some ships that resembled the painting I had just purchased. Finally satisfied i'd made the right decision to leave the cats behind I moved on...

The next thing that caught my eye happened to be a paint by number Jesus.  Amazing yes?  Amazing, but not as amazing as what happened next... Upon clicking on Jesus I ended up at Nick's blog SURPRISE!... It's a small world huh! 

Jesus says check out MidCenturyMidwest : )

Watch this space... We may end up with a wall o' dogs.

Chocolate chip, BananaBanana Bread Muffins.

Occasionally there are times when you purchase a fresh bunch of green bananas at the grocery store and you set them aside for a day or two to ripen.  Then you get busy, forget about healthy snacks and go for the biscuits and you continue to intentionally/unintentionally forget all about them until the next time you look and they are past an appetising stage of life. They are brown.  It happens.  In the past I have disposed of them whilst trying my best not to imagine my Grandmother saying, "Waste not want not" over my shoulder like Jiminy cricket.

Well, guilt no more! I found this great banana bread recipe last summer (see here) which I found works perfectly when divided into individual muffins.  Due to the last minute nature of throwing this recipe together I have now tried both castor and brown sugar alternatives, both are great.  I have also used varying numbers of bananas so you shouldn't panic if you are short.  The great thing about muffins is that you can experiment by adding all kinds of ingredients! 

Below is my own recipe, slightly altered from the original.

Ingredients:

• 250g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• A pinch of salt
• 115g butter (or Flora Proactive for lower cholesterol option) 
• 115g dark brown soft sugar (or white castor sugar)
• 2 eggs beaten
• 125g-500g mashed over ripe bananas (Depending on how many bananas you have to spare, I found that a minimum of 3 large or 4 small work adequately.)

Optional extras: Chocolate chips, nuts, vanilla essence, cinnamon extract, soft fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, apple sauce ensuring that when measured with the bananas the combined weight is no more than 500g.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180c/ Gas mark 4 and line baking tray with regular sized cupcake cases.
2. Combine flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  Stir in the beaten eggs and mashed bananas.  Stir to moisten and add extras (chocolate chips in this instance) and fill paper cases to around 2/3 full. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes away clean.  Leave to cool and enjoy! 

Perhaps the best part is that the recipe makes about 21 muffins and if your friends and family can't help you eat them all in one sitting then they freeze very well.  Place in air tight ziplock bags and either leave out to defrost as required or zap in the microwave for a few seconds and warm them up!




My Grandmother will be proud!  

Valentines Day and the Rug Fiasco

Well... I will begin by admitting I was knocked for six yesterday when I arrived home to find a delivery note for a parcel left with a neighbour. This wouldn't have been an unusual occurrence had it not been Valentines day. See I have been in a relationship for the past seven valentines days but given our transatlantic situation we have never seen it fit to spend money on gifts for valentines as the money was always better spent on flights to see each other again. Usually we post cards some time in January and thats that. This year I received a DOZEN red roses, (via my middle aged-neighbour) this was both awkward and exciting as I squealed on his doorstep like a school girl. Lovely day.... What a lucky lady!

Now for the rug fiasco, the man has been talking about rugs for some time now... I may sound jaded here, but I can assure you that I am not. I feel privileged to be with a man that is more interested in decorating than sports and bars! Well, back to the story, he has asked for some help in picking one out for the house, which I have done on several occasions but i'll admit its been of the half hearted nature as lots of the pieces we have currently in the house are not the colours or styles of furnishing we had originally set out to buy. Do you then try to find a rug that ties in the colours of the furnishings that you have currently or look for a rug that draws together the furnishings that you are hoping to miraculously come across whilst thrifting, car booting and estate saling this spring/summer? Ideally, we are agreed in that we would both would love a fantastic Navajo rug, made honestly by some talented inuits but quite frankly our purse strings do not stretch to make this a possibility at the moment.

Well, I know this is something that is causing the other half uttermost strife so I decided to put in some time this morning to find a collection that may suite his needs. Look what roses can do to a women!

Soho Black/ Red Country Rug (7'10 x 10'3)



Fairly Navojo in style, yellows to match chair, reds and green to match the thrift fairies future couch...

Sale:$118.15

Southwestern Striped Burgundy Rug (8' x 11')


A little dark for my taste but most of the colours to match.

Sale $109.64

Berber Southwestern Beige Stripe Rug (8' x 11')


That future couch again... yellow and black for the existing chairs.
Sale $120.69


Handmade Alexa Texture Houndstooth Jute Rug (7'6 x 9'6)
In blue to match the existing couch...
Sale $198.04


Hand-woven Mohwak Jute Rug (8' x 10'6)


Covering every eventuality here... Maybe one of my favourites.
Sale $188.69

Handmade Alexa Eco Natural Fiber Bamboo Rug (8' x 10')


Probably more office or upstairs, but it matches the black lounge chair and new slat bench.
Sale $106.24

Okay, i'm off to bake some bread and goodies for company coming over.  I love half term!