my creative space - shop

Years ago I worked as a web designer, and I still enjoy playing with code. I love the mix of maths and design, and the special language of html and css! It appeals to my inner nerd.

For a while now I've been wanting to have my own space online for selling. Etsy has been wonderful to me over the years and I will always keep that shop, but for local buyers who want to buy in Australian dollars and find me more easily through my website, an independent shop selling in Australian currency is the perfect fit.

I've set up shop with bigcartel as they offer a cheapish option with no commission and just a monthly fee. The big cartel design is customisable too, you can fiddle with the colours and fonts etc with no coding experience, or you can off-road it and attack the css and html yourself, starting as I did from one of the free templates on offer and tweaking till it fits your design.

So though it may seem a funny thing to post for my creative space, this is literally how my creative time has been spent this week. The shop is newly open, so to kick it off, and see if it actually works (!) I've put a few of the items on sale for my lovely readers.

This week get the 'Collection' print, Yellow Bricks fabric or Chalk on Unbleached linen tea towel at bargain Australian currency prices, meaning you and I don't pay the exchange rate. I'll throw in a Ruby Slippers card too for each of the first five orders!

Meanwhile my Etsy store will change back to US currency for overseas customers. (Prices are a little cheaper in my shop due to the exchange rate at the moment, and all will be going up a little soon).

And please tell me if something doesn't work or looks funny. I need you to help me roadtest!

sausage and bean stew

If you live on the East Coast of Australia it seems they've been talking about the extreme weather event to come all week while the sun shone defiantly and the sky stayed blue. Then yesterday afternoon it hit with a screech of wind and rain and its been cold and windy with random patches of blue all day. There have even been reports of snow out west where we're headed this weekend and I'm wondering if I can knit some more woolies before Saturday!

All of which inspired this meal which I first made a couple of weeks ago. I'm certain there's a recipe for this sort of thing out there somewhere but this one is mine and uses what I had on hand at the time - chicken sausages with lots of different beans and my old favourite tomato base. It makes a heart warming and healthy stew to help fill those empty legs my children seem to have at the moment. I think the sausages make it a bit more child friendly too, they love it.

I made it early today (which I never do) and it gave me the chance to take some pics along the way. I must say it was lovely cooking away with the sun and rain duelling outside the kitchen window, listening to the radio and pottering about. And its such a nice feeling knowing that dinner is all ready I must do it more often, maybe finally invest in a slow cooker. All thats left to do is slice some crusty bread and pour a glass of wine.

The chicken sausages are so light and tasty. Some are plain and the others are chicken cheese and spinach. I really love all the sausages you can buy these days, aren't we spoilt! All measurements are approximate and you could easily use different beans or perhaps lentils, add some vegies (I popped in some pumpkin), some chilli or a different meat, pork sausages would be nice. (p.s. I love this locally made Massel stock which is vegetarian - even the chicken stock - and all natural and free of lactose, gluten and msg.)

Bean and Sausage Stew

olive oil
salt and pepper
2 onions chopped
3 garlic cloves crushed
100ml white wine
1 cube vegetable stock dissolved in 350mls hot water
 2 (or 3) cans chopped Italian tomatoes
3 or 4 cans of beans (cannelini, kidney, lima, chickpeas, borlotti) I drain and rinse mine
2 packets chicken sausages

heat olive oil in large pot or casserole dish
fry onion and garlic till soft and golden
add white wine and stir for three minutes
add stock cube, water and cans of tomatoes cook down, approximately 15 minutes
meanwhile fry the sausages in a separate frypan or grill
add beans to casserole, cook ten minutes
add sausages to casserole (cut into large pieces)
season to taste

cook a bit longer then serve with crusty bread and glass of wine!

p.s. Winter warmer recipes very welcome! (And thanks to Tiel who emailled me about Boston Baked Beans today, sounds so delicious, its top of my eat list now!)

Do you have a slow cooker? What's the best one to buy, and what do you cook with it?

vivid sydney 2012

We headed into the city last night to see the Vivid Sydney light show, which is lighting up Circular Quay and surrounds this month. For non locals Vivid is an annual festival held in Sydney with the themes Light, Music and Ideas. Its often showcases avant garde ideas and I remember a few years ago Laurie Anderson held a concert for dogs on the forecourt of the Opera House and a few of my friends took their pooches (who didn't actually seem so fussed!).

Vivid is such a beautiful sight, if you're local I really recommend it, We parked near Sydney Theatre Company and walked round under the bridge and all the way round the Quay, into and up and round the MCA, then round to Customs House which has a bespoke animation playing on its front.

There was a really nice atmosphere, there were lots of families and kids and lots of babies too I noticed! it seems like everyone had a camera and the light installations are really accessible and interactive, especially the one near the MCA with flaps that jump the louder you scream!

Looking for somewhere to eat, and disappointed by the narrow choice between fried food joints and chef hats restaurant we suddenly stumbled across Young Alfred's outdoor dining area right on the square at Customs House, undercover and with a good view of the Customs House show. What a great find, it was really reasonable and so delicious. We shared a Caesar salad and Messi, Tito and Miles pizzas (roast vegetables and goats curd; caramelised onion, sausage and pecorino; and mozzarella, prosciutto, tomato & rocket).

I'm at my happiest exploring with my gang, and combining good food, art, landscape, a bit of instagramming and a cold beer... well it doesn't get much better for me.

Happy weekend everyone. If you have a chance go and see Vivid, but maybe not this weekend, its meant to rain, a lot! I'm thinking some food, crochet, and a bit of iView if its really miserable.