October Meeting - rainy day, sunny people

October stamp club happened on a rainy day. So rainy, once we were inside, we didn't want to leave!

Louise made a start on Christmas cards. What's a good word to use? "Celebrate" usually covers it. We discussed Hallowe'en, and what costumes she would be rewarding.















Cathy brought lemons from her tree to give away. They are Meyer lemons.




















Michelle brought a box of stamped/decorated papers, that were surplus in her stash.















Anne worked on background for her Christmas cards - she wanted a blue(ish purple) background, and decided she was too mean to buy new paper, so she painted some! She demonstrated the fact that some kids' paints have SO little pigment in them, they are little more than tints. So that's why we pay the big bucks for the good stuff.









Here's what I made out of Michelle's junk box. Ingrid liked the stamped vellum, and there were two, so she took one home too.
















Beverley came along with heaps of stamps to sell. She's a founder member of SERS - it's been going twelve years!

















Cathy got some new punches - wings and crowns, pretty!












Here's what else Michelle is up to - making Ephemera kits to sell on Etsy. Here's a link. On the left is what SHE made with a kit. Oh yummy!

I took a kit home, natch. With any luck, later today I'll post MY results. It IS raining in Melbourne, after all.








Here's my other result of the day. A Christmas card (see, the bird has a HAT on).
















This was the snack of the day - my home made fruit bread. Want to know how to make it? I already dictated the recipe to Ingrid.

Here goes:

FRUIT BREAD
3 cups bread flour
1/4 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp salt
1 2/3 cup water

Stir all that together , get all the flour wet, and put a loose lid on it. Let it stand for at least 12 hours.

Turn out the sloppy, bubbly dough, and knead it just a little, to get it looking like proper dough. You'll probably add some flour. Then knead in :

1 bunch* sultanas
1 bunch currents
1 bunch cranberries
1 bit** cinnamon
1 bit cardamom
1 bit ground cloves (smaller bit than the other spices, it's strong).

Let that rise, and bake it, inside a casserole dish for the best results, in a hot oven for 30 minutes. Finish it off with 5 minutes with the lid off.

* nice handful
** sort of a spoonful

November 2009 Meeting - my birthday!

Well, it's a sneaky way to get a birthday party, but I brought along a cake, stuck a candle in it, and announced that nobody was getting any until I'd blown out the candle. So of course, all the lovely SERS ladies sang me a beautiful song (no, not the one comparing me to a monkey, either).

Here's a picture of the cake; and the cake cut; and my slice. It was an amazing Tunnel of Fudge cake (moist and fudgy in the middle). Just amazing. I can't take any credit for it - I made it, but to an exacting recipe from a wonderful scientific cookbook Jeff and I just bought. This is the book - you may be able to get it locally - we found it at Angus & Roberston. Great Chrissie present. And this is the recipe.

So, I think that's enough about the cake. Next post will be about stamping.

September 2009 SERS meeting

Argh, forgot to take photos, again! Some on-the-spot journalist I would make.

Anyway, it was a great success - we met in the "cosy room", the carpeted room that is a little smaller than our usual one. That was because our patchworking friends were having a weekend long sewing binge. Good for them!

I was lucky enough to bring my kids - they are not little any more, so it didn't seem too hard to manage. They had card games, they had Nintendos, and there are always rooms free. Well, there are USUALLY rooms free, but this time they scored a little corner of our room. Blustery and cold outside too, which added to the, umm, atmosphere.





Jenny smuggled in a radio and called out footy scores. Pat brought excellent shortbread that was snapped up in short order. Chris made cards with birds. I used my Golden paints on some truly cute stamps, making them turn out cool and arty. I thought, anyway.

Anyway, here's a recipe for shortbread, and a photo so the page doesn't look bare.

July 2009 meeting, with Caraway Seed cake

I forgot to take any photos at SERS this month. Duh. But here's what happened anyway.

Nan was away at a Christmas in July (oooh, sounds lovely). Cathy was sick. Gail was at Stamp Camp, Chris McL was at the craft show, and Chris G had grandchildren visiting. Those are all good reasons not to come!

Sharon is a friend, colleague and neighbour of Chris', and they usually sit together. But with Chris away, I got all the Sharony goodness. She helped me work out a better way to do they eyes of my punched Penguin cards - one fiddly step saved, that's gotta be good. She helped me work out this little fish too... I did an official demonstration of the penguin. Easy, really, when you have the oval punches from Stampin' Up. Oops, that last link is a blatant plug for my own Stampin' Up blog. If you're wanting SU stuff, support your local demo, OK? She'll look after you.

Sharon had a cool new stamp set, fresh from the USA, and made an excellent card for hubby. Wish I had a photo, you'd like it.

Pat and Margaret had been on the phone discussing a card idea. They'd each made it, without seeing the others'. Then they had their first looks at each other's cards at stamp club - yay! That's what clubs are for!

Helen and Jenny were trying all sorts of things. I quizzed Jenny about the cards she sells, 'cos I was having a go at selling cards too, at the Quilt and Craft show.

Maria was organising her amazing travel photos in a photo album. Louise brought a book, the results of a technique swap, so we all had a browse at that. Awesome!

We munched on Caraway Seed cake (my latest favourite - I have to make a small one, cos nobody else at my place likes it); and Choc Chip cookie; and some bought Lime and Coriander crackers, which must have been nice 'cos they all went before I could taste one!

And, 'cos I want to offer something nice, here's a recipe for the semi-healthy choc chip cookies I've been bringing lately. I'm still working on the Caraway seed cake recipe.


Choc Chip Cookies

2 pkts choc chips
250 grm butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups SR flour
2 ½ cups oat bran

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs. Beat until well combined. Add flour and oat bran. Once combined add choc chips until evenly mixed through. Roll into balls and flatten slightly on tray.

Cook at 160°C – 170°C until cracked in appearance, approximately 15 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool.

June meeting - the one with Sesame Cookies

Another lovely SERS meeting this month. Much glitter on the floor, and Louise suggested that attendees who make no attempt to stamp should be punished. Her suggestion is not taken up. We'd all be guilty some time.

First things first - here's the recipe for Sesame Cookies, aka Benne Wafers. This was the home made snack I brought this month, and they are very nice to munch on with a cuppa while doing craft.


Now, on to business : Sharon shows us a well set up table for colour-coordinated card making....
















Chris (right) came and joined us for the first time. She's formerly of NSW, but now of just-down-the-road. Lizzie next to her is making Christmas cards!! That's Sharon standing up - tee hee, I got a photo of her after all!













Overheard : "Now Nan, you must join Facebook". Cathy is a big fan.










Jenny is making little glittery handbags. She'd spent the morning making things at Little Bits, and then came to us.

















Chris injured herself pulling a carrot out of the garden (yes, really) and got a "Carrot Injury Commiseration Card" to cheer her up. There wasn't a stamp for that. I checked.
















Cathy saw my dinosaur edge punch and suggested one of the dinosaurs could become a tortoise - she was right!