I love a Christmassy House!

Pasteis De Nata...mmmmm

Some time ago I went to visit a good friend of mine from my school days who now lives in Lisbon. She took great delight and went to great effort to show me the best Lisbon has to offer in 4 days. Without doubt the favourite of these was Pasteis de Belem. There is no competition.
We ordered our coffees and custard tarts, Alexandra had been building this moment up throughout the day and the expectations were high. They didn't disappoint, they arrived at the table still warm from the oven. We sprinkled them with cinnamon and icing sugar and tucked in...I have wanted to go back ever since, the tarts would be worth the flight alone!
So with much excitement, I found a recipe that appeared to stay true to the original - no short cuts. I made a couple of unsuccessful batches. The sweet flaky pastry proved elusive. So have decided to go with ready made All Butter Flaky Pastry instead. The custard, although time consuming, was perfect so I figured that to cheat on the pastry was allowed surely?
And what a winner it was! Even though they are nowhere near as perfect as those made in Lisbon, they are delicious enough to do, so I'm not complaining, and I am saving myself the airfare.

The Greenhouse just keeps on giving

I posted this picture some time ago when the cold was meant to have set in and the greenhouse put to bed for the winter. It's now February, the greenhouse has been neglected and plants left to their own devices, it's a mess! But would you believe, I am still finding tomatoes and chilies? The little lemon tree is still going strong and the other plant, although a little withered are all going strong! I'm amazed! Even the couple of days of -13 degrees and the pile of snow we had recently has done little damage - if any! This is going to be a bumper year of crops I feel it in my bones, so watch this space!

Winter time is the best time on our sofa

The clocks have gone back, the fires lit, there's a chill outside and everyone in the house is on the sofa, this is winter at its best.

I never complain about winter and the cold cause it's such a special time in our house, our cat loses her attitude and tolerates the dogs in order to join in on the sofa where life is good. Generally Sunday afternoons are about roasts and afternoon naps where the house is dark when you wake up and you have to stagger around flicking light switches while still half asleep. The dogs tuck right into your sides and the cat waits impatiently for us to settle so she can climb on one of our laps and sleep, for obvious reasons this never happens in summer but I wish it would.

Vintage Repairs

Of the varied bits of work that make their way through my studio, one of my favourites are the vintage dresses, not only does it give me a chance to breathe new life into them, but I get a chance to have a close-up look at how the olds craftsmen and women of yesteryear made their clothes. Everyone has their own way of sewing up and finishing a garment and no one persons way is the right one. So while I'm replacing broken zips, letting out or taking in waists, changing hemlines and replacing lost beads, I take a good look at the construction, inside and out - it helps, not only to teach me alternative methods of construction but also to improve the methods I already have.

Some of the dresses have so much work in simple details (like the neckline pictured) it's clear that someone has sat and painstakingly sewn on beads and bindings, so as far as possible, I do the same, hand sewing delicate stitches even when I know a sewing machine would breeze right through it - it makes me feel like I'm showing some sort or respect, like I am making up for all the times I have watched designers buy vintage items only to cut them up for colour samples or tea dye them, shred them or distress them as I stood by horrified that these beautiful delicate garments that had survived for years only to be destroyed irreversibly on a whim .

Mangle Mania in Titchwell

In what seems like the worlds most unfair trade (a dozen eggs isn't anywhere near enough) these 3 beauties dropped through my door this morning. As previously blogged Amanda Colville is the very talented Print Designer behind Mangle Prints and last week over a coffee, I expressed my love of her hand-printed Christmas cards, she told me she would send me some and would only take some of the ladies eggs by way of payment.

These cards are a steal at just £2 each and are limited prints of only 50 or 100 each, so really should be framed when Christmas is over - how could you not?

Locally they are sold at Creake Abbey studios, but should you be from further afield, click on the link above and you will be taken straight to her ETSY shop where you can buy them, worth every penny!

Vin-Stitch is up and running

Slowly and steadily Vin-Stitch is taking off, as word slowly spreads and people in the area become used to the fact that this service exists, the work comes in.

As much as is humanly possible, I intend to sew on my old treadle Singer sewing machine and will be sewing by hand using couture techniques, especially when repairing and altering the vintage dresses that are making there way to my studio, it just feels right!