OPAM (One Project A Month) June 2016

These months are just flying by and time for another OPAM for June

This time a little Zippered Pouch designed by Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched

Back

Looking In

And here is the little Kit......I love Anni's designs!!! 

Next is a little shoebag (also designed by Anni)

This shoe bag was made for Tarnyia as part of a Fat Quarter Birthday Swap hosted by Chez

A yellow Fat 1/4 for Tarnyia also (yellow was specified as her favourite colour to receive) along with some threads and a natural coloured Fat 1/4 and a Theodora Cleave Prim Cat button

And the gifts all together!!!

Thank You Sweet Peg and Kris for hosting OPAM again this year!!!

~Paris...Day 2 (Part 3) ~2nd September, Quays of Paris, 1st arr~

Still 2nd September 2015 and on our wonderful bus trip around Paris

We bought tickets on the Hop On Hop Off Bus 

These tickets lasted for 2 or 3 days

By road or boat whenever we liked........Just hop on and  hop off if you want to look at something and then back on again

Here we are coming upon Francois Mitterrand Quay 

Here 'tis along with the River Seine in the background

Our first look at this and boy was I excited

Two quick views of the Musee des Antiques in passing 

Francois Mitterrand Quay

Paris - 1st arr.

The Louvre Quay

Quay of La Megisserie

Quay of Gesvres

Beautiful lamp posts everywhere

Paris - 4th arr

Ile de la Cite

I'm not used to seeing such crowds 

Cars, bikes, people.......they all seem to work together here

Still 4th arr

Petit Pont

Next time still on 6th arr, Champs-Elysées and seeing the Eiffel Tower up close!!!

~My Birthday Cake~

Even though my Birthday was quite a few weeks back now I feel like I have to blog  the delicious cake and recipe which I need to save here just in case it enters the World of Lost Recipes one day.

Introducing Flourless Almond Cake
Recipe given to me by Anne (no blog) some years ago now and it is well and truly used

I found this French Caster Sugar sourced from Champagne-Ardenne which was really sparkly (above and below) and whipped up beautifully. 

For information on French Caster Sugar go over here 

All stirred and whipped ready for the oven

And about ready to blow out the candles

Hip Hip Hooray

Note.....wearing Fat Quarter in hair by Anni Downs (range 'Kiss Under the Mistletoe')

I find fat 1/4's easier to wear than regular headbands as I usually have one to match

I just go to my stash lol!!!

**RECIPE**

Anne's Flourless Almond Cake

Mod oven 170c for 40 minutes

25cm Spring Tin

Vanilla

8 Egg Whites/Yolks

1 C Caster Sugar

Vanilla

200g Almond Meal or Ground Hazelnuts

Flaked Almonds

Icing Sugar for dusting

**METHOD **

Grease Tin

Whisk Egg Whites

Add Sugar and Vanilla

Gently fold in Yolks then Almond Meal

Sprinkle Flaked Almonds

Bake and then dust with Icing Sugar

Thanks so much Anne, I love this Recipe.......it is a real favourite!!!

Bon Appetit......Dzintra

~Chookshed Sewing Weekend Celebration~

I happily joined Chookyblue celebrate The Chookshed's 4th Birthday
I put Mr Armchair in charge and said I was sewing all weekend

What started off with pleasant rain and coolness which is perfect for an inside sewing day quickly over the weekend turned into devastation down the East Coast of Australia 

including our own South Coast

My aim on Saturday was to get these borders on to this Quilt,  Past Times

Well that didn't happen in a hurry as a bit of fiddling was done

I started early afternoon

And then what seemed like only a couple of hours Mr Armchair brought up to me an anticipated Happy Hour lol

Time to call it Quits now

And success yay borders on the next day

Mr Armchair hanging the Quilt top over the balcony

This quilt is made up of 15 Fat Quarters all taken from my stash and some are quite dated in 

Country Style but hey they look good and come together really well I think

Even a couple of reproduction fabrics are in there

Somehow they all work together!!!

After rain all day Saturday plus overnight and into Sunday we thought we'd take a little drive around the beaches and see what was happening

Lots of leaves on the ground

A few branches here and there

and a wild surf

Here we are coming down on to Casey's Beach

Down the hill

and then on to Denham's Beach

which was quite wild out to sea

See in the distance the wave hitting a small rocky outcrop/island

And then looking on to Surf Beach and Denham Beach from Wimbie Beach

Wimbie Beach

Our beaches are normally quite tame with not a heap for surfing due to the Bay

so this was all quite something to see

So back home now and I thought I would cut some more pieces for Farm Girl Vintage

yet another quilt I didn't need to start but I've had the fabric for a while now

and come Birthday time I bought myself the book

so what's a Gal to do!!!

Besides I cannot resist starting a new project lol

Lovely 30's Playtime Fabric

And a bit more cut up for the box

I think there are about 7 blocks to go out of 72 

Having done that I thought I would do another block of Sylvia's Bridal Sampler inspired by the 

Elm Creek books by Jennifer Chiaverini

and of course there was a black out

After quite a while power was back and I was into Block 54-40 or Fight

and that's where I left it

All in all a lovely weekend of sewing 

Thank you Chookyblue for hosting this fabulous weekend again

and 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHOOKSHED

May you have many, many more!!!

********

 My Heart goes out to the people whose homes and livelihood are affected by all the devastation of this weekend including the families of those people who have tragically passed away

Sending Hugs and Prayers to you all

Dzintra xo