DIY Silver Tray and Button Heart Art...

Isn't it so much fun re-purposing things?
At the moment I am enjoying being creative with old silver trays.
Repurposed upcycled DIY crafts
Combine silver,
and...
Repurposed upcycled DIY crafts
some glorious old buttons...
Repurposed upcycled DIY crafts
With a little creativity, you can create a new artwork!
I needed a little something for the wall above the washing machine,
which is for the Laundry revamp (ongoing project).
If you want to know why that is an ongoing project,
It is because I am the sort of person who is easily distracted.
The laundry revamp is fairly minor, 
as there is only a wee bit of touch-up painting required,
no major wall painting...
and a little bit of décor changing.
Very difficult to complete when life is so full of distractions like
photography, other craft projects, my grandchildren and tea parties!
'Never mind, I say, 'I LOVE distractions. 
There is another day tomorrow!'
So to create this:

DIY Button Heart Art
You will need:
Repurposed upcycled DIY crafts
An old silver tray (mine is just a small one)
A heart template (Many shapes to choose from on the net)
Marker pen.
Scissors
Paint in a colour of your choice.
Paintbrush
A selection of buttons in chosen colours
Glue.
-----
Simply cut out your heart template with the scissors.
Repurposed upcycled DIY crafts
Place it in position on the tray.
Repurposed upcycled DIY crafts
Draw around the outline of it with the marker pen.
Repurposed upcycled DIY crafts
Select the buttons to fit in the heart outline...
Repurposed upcycled DIY crafts
Paint the heart in your desired colour.
Repurposed upcycled DIY crafts
When it is dry,
Glue the buttons on it.
Repurposed upcycled DIY crafts
Dry overnight...
Repurposed upcycled DIY crafts
and hang it on the wall.
(I used those fabulous velcro 'easy to remove' picture strips)

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New Cookbook & Blueberry Tarts....

My beautiful daughter gave me this gorgeous cookbook...
(Yet another one of her frequent random acts of kindness!)
'The Ladies Book of Baking'
A Collection of Elegant recipes.
And oh my... 
it is full of simply delicious recipes...
The first one I baked was:
Blueberry Tarts. 
YUM - Baked morsels of berry delight!
Served with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream...
They were very easy to make,
(because you cheat by using ready-rolled pastry!)
and
VERY scrumptious to eat!
Here's the recipe:

Blueberry Tarts
Heat oven to 190 Celsius
Grease a muffin tray or 6 small pie/tart dishes.
Ingredients:
300 grams blueberries (I used frozen)
2 teaspoon cornflour
55 grams caster sugar
4 teaspoons water
55 grams plain flour
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
40 grams diced butter
ready made sweet shortcrust pastry

Make filling:
In a small saucepan put the water, half the blueberries, the cornflour and half the sugar.
Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.
Take pan off the heat and add rest of the blueberries.

Make Struesel:
Put the flour, lemon rind, butter and rest of sugar in a bowl 
and combine until like fine crumbs.

Then:
Line muffin tray or dishes with pastry.
Spoon blueberry filling into each case.
Sprinkle tops with struesel mixture.
Bake for 15 minutes until topping is pale gold.
When warm, remove from tins,
plate, and add a dollop of vanilla ice-cream.

EAT!



Dutch Irises...

How to grow Dutch Iris
The colour of this Dutch Iris is AMAZING!
Every year it pops up in Mia Bella Passions Garden with its incredible purple colour and a bold yellow stripe!
How to grow Dutch Iris
The History Of The Dutch Iris.

Dutch irises, asIris hollandica, are celebrated for their striking colours and elegant shape. Despite their name, Dutch irises do not actually originate from Holland itself. The journey of Dutch irises begins in the Mediterranean.  From the 17th century, plant breeders in the Netherlands began to enhance the beauty and robustness of irises. By the 20th century, these hybrids were being exported worldwide, with the 'Dutch Iris' label as a nod to the Netherlands breeding skill.

They are easy to grow but need a rich, well-drained soil. 
Average plant height: 60 cm
Planting depth to base of bulb: 15 cm
Spacing between bulbs: 10cm
Light requirement: full sun
Landscape uses: beds, borders and pots. 
How to grow Dutch Iris

They are easy to grow but need a rich, well-drained soil. 
Dutch Iris is a fabulous cut flower for the vase.
How to grow Dutch Iris
Purple Varieties

The rich hues of purple in Dutch Irises symbolise royalty and elegance, making them a popular choice for many occasions. Here are some notable purple varieties:

· Iris x hollandica 'Blue Magic': This variety flaunts deep blue-purple flowers with a striking yellow throat, creating a beautiful contrast that catches the eye.

· Iris x hollandica 'Purple Prince': True to its name, Purple Prince offers large flowers with a majestic royal purple colour, ideal for adding a touch of luxury to any garden.

· Iris x hollandica 'Hollandica': A classic choice, this variety features elegant violet blooms that exude charm and sophistication, making them perfect for both contemporary and traditional gardens.

White Varieties

If you're looking to add a touch of purity and simplicity to your floral displays, consider these gorgeous white varieties:

· Iris x hollandica 'White Excelsior': This variety is renowned for its pure white petals and striking yellow markings, bringing a sense of grace to any floral arrangement.

· Iris x hollandica 'Alba': Alba offers pristine white blooms with a slight hint of cream, making it a versatile choice for weddings and other elegant occasions.

· Iris x hollandica 'Snow Queen': True to its name, this variety stands out with its dazzling white flowers, perfect for brightening up any space in the garden or home.

How to grow Dutch Iris
Whether you prefer the regal shades of purple or the elegance of white, Dutch Irises are sure to mesmerise you with their beauty.

They are a favourite in Mia Bella Passions Gardens!

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Homemade Coconut 'Bounty' Bars

When I have failures, they seem to happen in twos or threes.
Thankfully, by some miracle, 
I seem to be able to save the project at hand!
Remember the 'almost failure' with the French Look DIY pot?
Well, folks, here is another 'almost' EPIC FAIL
 I thought I would share it with you.
I added the word EPIC as I was pretty sure 
Whilst making these Bounty Bars, they were definitely not savable!
I found a delicious recipe for homemade bounty bars
with SIMPLE picture instructions at 'Not Enough Cinnamon',
Homemade bounty bars aresometimes known as mounds.
I thought, "Oh, YUM, let the confectionery-making begin!"
It all started off so well.
I gathered my ingredients: sweetened condensed milk, coconut, and melting chocolate.
Homemade Bounty Bars
And into my bowl went:
one cup of condensed milk and three cups of coconut.
It was mixed together as instructed.
So far so good!
But then mistake number one occurred,
I added a bit more coconut as I thought the mixture was too wet!
 Mental note to self for the future...
'Do not overthink things!'
Then I 'squeezed' the coconut mixture - using clean, wet hands into mounds.
Which of course was harder to do, 
because my mixture was now drier than it should have been.
Second note to self:
'Do not adjust quantities - stick to recipe!'
Homemade Bounty Bars
The wee mounds were popped onto a tray lined with baking paper and into the freezer for 20 minutes they went.
Near the end of chilling time, I melted the milk chocolate.
This is where things went horribly, horribly wrong!
The first mound was dipped, and the coldness of it made the chocolate set FAST!
It looked OK, quite smooth, but a little thick, 
so thinking the chocolate needed to be thinner.
Mistake number two occurred.
 I added a little bit of cream to it.
BIG MISTAKE!
IT WENT THICKER!!!
Needless to say, I was grateful a chocolate cake was in the oven, 
and my chocolate concoction was now the ganache to ice it with!
Then melted dipping chocolate attempt number two began.
Dark chocolate this time.
Nicely melted, 
Homemade Bounty Bars
but I still struggled to dip my mounds nicely.
They did not look smoothly coated.
In fact, mine most certainly resembled hedgehogs!
And worst still, one got completely stuck to the fork.
(But that was a terrific excuse to EAT it!)
It's clear I need a few lessons on how to dip confectionery into melted chocolate.
(I think I did not have my melted chocolate hot enough!)
But the good thing is,
they may not look like the perfect chocolate mounds 
created by 'not enough cinnamon' on their Blog,
BUT THEY DO TASTE DELICIOUS.
Homemade Bounty Bar Recipe
My homemade coconut bounty bar mounds have a new name:
 'Coconut hedgehogs'!
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#homemadesweets #homebakedconfectionery #homemadebountybars

Cupcake making for kids!

It was with much fun we had the pleasure of 'testing' a cupcake kit for kids
for our local Whitcoulls  bookstore !
First we make a batch of vanilla cupcakes
and let them cool before icing them.
 The kit had the smallest rolling pin you've ever seen in it...
cute little cutters, and fondant in pink, yellow, white and blue.
This kit is quite educational too...
with fondant in primary colours mixed to make new colours,
Yellow + blue = green...
So that's a bit of science isn't it?
 The fondant passed the taste test...
Kids would love the different flavours...
 pink strawberry was the best!
 The little cupcake stand was a trick to get the cupcakes on...
But this was the end result.
Cupcake making with fondant icing...
Now there's an idea to keep the children entertained 
during the weekend,
or holidays!

DIY Willow Wreath...

The countdown to Christmas is truly underway, have you been doing any planning?
I thought I had better get a move on with that,
 so I sat down with pen and notepad, and planned away!
Every year I have a colour theme,
and this year it will be the traditional red, dark green and white.
I'm going to make book page butterflies, Scotty dog decorations in white felt, and a decorated wreath.
Those bits will go nicely with the felt reindeer made last year,
and all the other Christmasy things, I have made or collected over the years.
Don't you just LOVE Christmas?
When do you decorate your house?
Are you like me and decorate in the first week of December?
The large willow wreath was today's creation.
 It should be dry enough to decorate in a few weeks.
Here is how you make a willow wreath...
There is a little willow tree in the house paddock at Mia Bella Gardens, so I gathered some of it.
You will need to pick the more flexible new growth.
How to make a willow wreath
As well as some thin wire and secateurs.
How to make a willow wreath
The next task was to strip the leaves and tips from the willow...
How to make a willow wreath
 Then cut some small pieces of wire...
How to make a willow wreath
 Choosing some of the longer lengths of willow bend into a circle.
How to make a willow wreath
 Using the wire, bind it together in three of four places.
How to make a willow wreath
 Don't worry if it's not perfectly round, 
for you will shape it as you weave more willow into it.
How to make a willow wreath
 Keep weaving and twisting, poking the willow into the circle.
Give it a squish and help it shape into a circle.
How to make a willow wreath
If you have access to willow, have a go at making a wreath...
It is lovely to work with as it is so supple.
It took me about 3/4 of an hour to make this....
Quite therapeutic actually, all that weaving.
How to make a willow wreath
 And here it is...ready to hang and dry...
Don't the poppies look pretty framed by my DIY willow wreath?
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In LOVE with old china....

It's a terrible addiction I seem to have for anything old...
And old china is something that I do enjoy very much.
The other day when I went to visit a friend,
she was having a sort out of some bit's and pieces
 that belonged to her mother...
it was all going in a yard sale...
 I was so lucky to have first pick!
And my oh my, did I enjoy looking through her boxes
 of newspaper wrapped china and glassware.
I really did have to curb my desire to buy the whole lot...
but one has to be realistic...
so I bought the pieces that I knew would fit the décor of my home,
And the pieces I knew I would actually use!
And here they are...
Pretty don't you think?
Now I have to rearrange 'everything' to find a home for it all!
 I have always admired this design...
It is 'Foxglove' by Carltonware...
I adore the wee sugar bowl and the jugs!
New trios of cups, saucers and plates are always a great excuse to have a tea party!
There is a lovely thistle design by Adderly which is English bone china...
The other set is also bone china, 
and that's Colclough with the most dainty violets on it!
I seem to have so many passions...
If I was asked "What is your most favourite thing?"
That my friends is a question that would be impossible to answer...

Mod Podge Creation Reveal...

Yesterday a French look DIY pot was created...
Find the 'how do do it' info here:

How to mod Podge Transfer on pots
24 hours of drying time later, with my bowl of water and cloth in hand...
I start to wet the label...
AND THEN...
SHOCK, 
HORROR...
 realised I had modpodged over it yesterday 
when that is NOT what you do!
NOTE TO SELF (for future craft sessions)
PRINT the instructions.
Don't just read online and then think you will remember how to do it.
So here is what I should have done...
Brushed the modpodge onto the label....
How to mod Podge Transfer on pots
Smoothed it onto the pot... 
Then left it to dry for 24 hours.
Thank you 'Heavens Walk' for those instructions.
How to mod Podge Transfer on pots
So because of my mistake,
The removal of the label was a painstaking event!
It took quite a while to soak the top paper layer off.
But get it off, I did!
One coat of clear sealer later...
How to mod Podge Transfer on pots
It was complete.
In the end, it worked,
even though I thought I was heading for a DIY craft disaster!
Yay!  The final result is one super cool French look pot. 
That will look fabulous in my laundry revamp (= ongoing project!)
Now that I actually know how to do this correctly,
I will definitely be creating some more!
DIY Tin Can Vase Crafts
The vase was a great success...
DIY Tin Can Vase Crafts
 and looks fab on the mantel. 
French Country Decor
 It sits next to the fleurs basket...
Mia Bella Passions Blog
Filled with 
snowball tree flowers, roses...
and pretty purple blue Japanese irises.
DIY Tin Can Vase
 I am loving this wee bit of BLING
as the colours complement the violet fabric perfectly.

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