On all the red things in our house...

So I like a little red around the place......ummm maybe a lot of red.....

Now I know I have posted about Christmas a little already, however I have not taken you on a little tour around our little place to see all our red things! And you know you want to right?!

So.....

If you happened to pop round to my place today....You would see this (if you came to the front door that is....some cheeky people like to come to the back door), you could too although you would miss seeing this....

I just lurrrrrrve this wreath, it is plain I know, but I think I like it just like that. 

Simple, unfussy, a bit rustic.

We are leaving this house in just over a months time. I am going to miss it. Even this funny front door with the little window (the Arch window that is....). I am going to miss the beautiful view from our lounge room. Although we are moving to Pear Tree Farm with beautiful views and room for a pony.

If you popped over to our place you would come through this door, past the gorgeous understated wreath and you would probably spy my little pop of Christmas here.....

Don't you just love these ornaments?! I bought them from a friend who raises money for a hospital over in Congo Africa (where we went together to help out for 2 weeks) I will tell you more about that another time though. For now, just admire these lovelies!

Little Miss O happens to love these too....in fact I think she prefers to take them off the sticks and appreciate them up close rather than admire them from a distance.....

If you were round at my place, I would probably make that Rhubarb Cake again just for you because it is red and today I am loving red.

Perhaps then I would take you to admire this gorgeous little stocking belonging to one gorgeous Little O...

Isn't it sweet? My sister bought it for Little O's first Christmas last year and I just love it.

Mmm so what else would I show you if you were at my house for a visit?

I think I would get out this lovely christmassy linen table cloth

Mr PTF and I bought it when we went to Europe in 2009. We got it from a gorgeous town in Germany called Rothemburg ....basically a Christmas village all year round. Isn't it just lovely?

We also bought these.....

They make me smile.

One of my favourite things to do is put on some Bing (or perhaps I should say have Bing blasting in the background) and just potter around fluffing and putting up ornaments here and there, lighting candles wherever possible and just enjoying the feel of Christmas coming.

As a family every year we go and get a real Christmas tree together. My siblings and I and Mr PTF, all trim the tree together with Mariah Carey's Christmas album blaring all over the house.

 As a teenager I used to rearrange everyone's decorating at the end of the night, when they had gone to bed.....much to their annoyance. For me, well, I liked to make it look just so...it had to look amazing. Not just a rinky dinky glitzy tinselly tree. No. It needed to be Myer window Christmas tree worthy. None of these hand made mismatching garishly coloured ornaments, nooooooo. We needed matching colour coordinated baubles, absolutely no skeric of tinsel, not even a hint. Plain coloured fairy lights and even some red poinsettia flowers dispersed randomly-yet-evenly amongst the branches of the tree.

Ahhhhh dear.....sorry guys. Not sure why I felt the need to be the Christmas decorating police.

I have now changed my approach to Christmas.....fortunately! I much prefer to keep things simple, rustic, unfussy. Just like that wreath.

I love candlelight, I love a pop of red here and there. I love plain fairylights and lanterns. I love the vintage glass or mercury glass ornaments and baubles. I love my handmade hearts and doves (I love that the money I bought them with, goes directly to women in need in Africa). I love using what I have already got around the house, rather than buying into the excess and materialism that is shoved into our faces every day. Don't get me wrong I am still hanging out to go to Ikea for my Christmas pilgrimage (yes really Mr PTF), but I really want to make Christmas a simple beautiful day, full of fun family traditions that bring people together and reflect the true meaning of Christmas. That's what I love.

Just in case you didn't see The Christmas Story on youtube I am posting it again here. Its just too cute for you to not have a look at it!

So there you go, a quick peek at all things red in my place.

                                               

Thanks for dropping round!

xo Rachel

P.s Tomorrow I will announce the winner of this Little Red Thing pictured below, so today is your last chance! Just leave me a comment and I will be drawing out a name and the lucky winner will get sent a little something like this.....

I linked up with :

Sarah at A Beach Cottage

Chas at A Woman's Haven

And Michelle from Primp











And theChristmas  Blogger Block Party

Sunday Market Madness

So I went to the markets.......and spent a bit of money....oops!

Mmmmm....yes. Markets and me. Not a good combo when trying to save moulah for paying off mortgage to Pear Tree Farm.....must remember that.

So I went to the markets. I had a game plan. Just vintage cutlery. That  was all I was out to get.

Did I stick to my game plan? In a word....no.

However I think if I show you all my market loot you will understand my weakness.

My mum, sisters and I went to the markets in Melbourne on Sunday. I could hardly contain my excitement. I felt the feverish thrifting frenzy come over me as we arrived at the stalls. However I did manage to control myself somewhat and even tried to appear nonchalant as I enquired about the price of yet another set of aluminium picnic cups. 

There was a plethora of vintage wares, soooo hard to walk past them and try to resist. I managed to find some vintage cutlery, a little metal trunk, a chippy white box, some sweet vintage Christmas ornaments and lots of other things. I did spy the most gorgeous long white chippy pew-bench seats (but I did not buy them....sigh) Firstly, they were rather pricey and, secondly, I didn't have the landrover to take them home in. Thirdly, I don't have anywhere to put them in our tiny house that we are trying to move from and already don't have enough space or boxes for my ever growing stash of vintage china....and other bits and pieces, and Fourthly and probably the most convincing, I don't think I could have handled any more raised eyebrows from Mr PTF.

So I shall give you a snippet of my day in Melbourne, come and have a wander with me through the market madness....

Here is the cutlery I found. I had this idea that I would start collecting some old cutlery for an everyday set and maybe keep in tin cans in a wooden cutlery/tea caddy/tool tray type thing. Dunno, just an idea so far. But I am loving it.

I also spied these lovelies. Some vintage glass Christmas baubles, at 50 cents each, could you really go wrong here? I am not 100% sold on the colour of them, as I was hoping for red and silver, however I snatched them up anyway.

I loved just having a potter here and there. Practising restraint and just soaking in the market atmosphere. Enjoying the uniqueness of some of the stalls. 

To own the truth though, at times I did feel a little irked that things that you can find at a thrift store for a pleasant $2, or better yet for free from your parents or grandparents shed, were being labelled as 'vintage' and sold for an arm and a leg.

I did go slightly weak at the knees when I found this little shoe box/stool. I am thinking I will stencil some numbers in black paint on the top of it. What do you think? I just love what Melissa does with her stencils, so I am thinking I will have to follow suite!

I also found this metal trunk which I am debating about whether to paint white. Any thoughts? I do like it as is but I think it may look a little overpowering.

I love the faded blue inside this trunk, not to mention the black printed lettering.

Now I don't normally look for clothes at the markets, I don't really know why. I think I just can't be bothered trying them on over my clothes and peeking at myself in tiny, distorted mirrors to see if they look any good. However, I did spot this cute old blue plaid coat.....and...well....I bought it! I mean I was on a roll, frittering away my moulah, so why not eh?!

So I didn't stick to my game plan.....

But I found these...

I also spotted this lovely old box, nice white and chippy. It was so coming home with me then and there!

Don't you think it was all worth it?

I do!

There were quite a few other purchases made on the day, however as they are presents for certain people for Christmas, I obviously can't take pics of them....however sorely  I am tempted!

So somehow I frittered away all the cash in my wallet....and there was quite a bit there (Sorry bout that Mr PTF). Actually I think the sum total was around $80. But my justification is that my most expensive purchase for the day, (the metal trunk) was only $20 AND I bought quite a few Christmas presents for people....amongst all my other purchases.

And that is money well spent in my book.

Now don't forget to send me a comment if you want to be in the running to get sent a little red thing that may look a little  something like this.

See you soon for the winner of this little red beauty and a little Christmas tour round my little place.

xo Rachel

Cooking and Whatnot

On Rhubarb Cake and Red things

So I thought I would throw in a recipe for good measure this week. We had my Mother and Father-in-law over for dinner the other night and I made this gorgeous cake for dessert.

When I was out and about with Little O, we stopped by a green grocer and I saw this gorgeous bunch of Rhubarb just calling to me to come and pick it up and take it home with me....so I did!

I wanted to do something different with the rhubarb rather than the usual rhubarb crumble I always end up doing. I didn't want to fluff around making something tricky like sorbet or a soufflé....I was just not that kinda girl that day. I wanted something quick and easy and scrumptious yet would give the impression that I was a domestic goddess.

So I looked online as I had noooo inspiration. I found a recipe on taste.com and I thought I would share it with you cos it was easy peesy and it was delish and most importantly it didn't leave you with the usual after taste you can get with rhubarb.

So here it is....

Rhubarb Cake

Ingredients:

·         60g butter, softened

·         1 1/2 cups (300g) brown sugar

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

·         2 eggs

·         1 cup (150g) plain flour

·         1 cup (150g) self-raising flour

·         1 tsp cinnamon

·         300g carton sour cream

·         350g trimmed rhubarb, cut into 2cm lengths

·         1/4 cup (55g) brown sugar, extra

·         1 tsp cinnamon, extra

Method:

      1.  Preheat oven to 160°C. Lightly grease a 24cm springform pan. Line base and sides with paper, extending paper 3cm above top of pan. (I actually didn't do this step being the 'non domestic goddess' always in a hurry type of gal that I am!)...it turned out fine too!

      2. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and zest with an electric mixer until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in sifted dry ingredients and cream in two batches. (I didn't really bother doing the two batch thingy either.....just added the dry ingredients...not sifted, bit by bit) Fold in rhubarb. Spread mixture into prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with combined extra sugar and cinnamon.

3.  Cook for about 1 hour and 15 mins, or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cover top of cake with foil if sugar starts to over brown. (Also when testing with a skewer just make sure that it is not getting over cooked...I kept thinking it was raw inside but it was really just the rhubarb on the skewer!)

      4.  Remove cake from pan and cool on wire rack. Cake is delicious served warm, cold with custard, or cream.

       I actually made some Rhubarb compote with the extra rhubarb. Sooo easy to do:

Rhubarb Compote:

Chop up rhubarb into 2 cm cubes and dump in pot with a couple of tablespoons of sugar and stir over medium stove until sugar is dissolved. Cover pot and allow to gently simmer away until the rhubarb softens....usually about 10 mins or so.

So there you go, easy peesy delicious Rhubarb cake!

Hope you enjoy it!

Now onto Red things.

I have begun hanging red things around the house. It is looking festive. Little O has noticed. She pulls them down...and sucks on them.

I am thinking that I will sew some more red things. I may even feel the need to give some away. How about that for some Christmas cheer?! Would you like some red things to hang about your place?

If so, leave me a comment and I shall show you what I will send to one of you soon!

It may look a little something like this....

Have a great weekend enjoying all things red,

xo Rachel