HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN MOTIVATIONAL CUSHION

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 30/06/2014

Photo: Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

MODERN COUNTRY LADY-CRAFT 

 MOTIVATIONAL CUSHION-

80TH BIRTHDAY PRESENT 

I don't know about you, but I was rather stumped when I had to figure out what to buy someone for their 80th Birthday.I mean, what would you still need that you haven't got at that age ? A jumper? Or a bottle of wine? Been there , done that I reckon. The personalised cushion I made in a few posts ago went down so well that I decided to make another one for this really much older birthday boy- but then with a sort of motivational -sort of-quote - I came up with. 
I tell you, I reckon it was the best received present of them all ! Was he happy ? You can betya !
And whilst I was on a roll, and the Birthday cards for 80-years old I found were either, dull, boring or completely overpriced, I decided to make my own that would tie in with the cushion itself. No reason why you shouldn't either  !

 Here's again how to go about it.
-remember -  it's a unique way to say how much you value the person you are giving the present to.. here's my easy modern twist for a great present ! ( and while you are doing your design, you may as well make a card as well ! )

 You will need : 

white cotton or linen 

different scraps of colored fabric

 " Bondaweb" or similar iron-on adhesive for fabric 

1. Take a simple pillow slip with an envelope closing at the back as your example for a pattern .

2 .Cut your white cotton or linen according to this pattern.If you want to achieve a small rectangular cushion simple adjust the size a bit.

3.Come up with a short, positive quote, print this off  in a font you like on your printer.

4.Cut out the letters in paper then arrange on the different coloured fabric and move around till you have a combination of colours you like.  

5. Cut out the fabric letters using the paper font letters as a guide line.

6 .Iron some " Bondaweb" or other similar fabric adhesive that will attach one fabric to another on the back of the letters , then iron the letters to the cushion.If need be you can also as an extra measure, zigzag the letters to the fabric as well.

7. Add an image in fabric underneath the slogan , again using " Bondaweb".Choose a slogan that is perfect for the person you are making it for,  then gift it to the lucky friend you made it for-proudly.Always better than anything you can buy for them . 

Cushion design : Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Card Design: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

WHY LAVENDER MATTERS-THE SMALL TORTOISE SHELL BUTTERFLY

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 30/06/2014

Photo's : Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

                                                                            LAVENDER MATTERS

This month I had the plan to write a short post about lavender and how great it is to use in as filling in small ( needle) cushions . And that it's a really 
problem free plant, especially if you have a sunny corner in your garden.
 
And also to urge you pick your own lavender as soon as you can so you will have a good supply of gorgeous smelling dried flowers for all your arty / crafty projects. ( For instance, to make your own lavender water and other things like lavender sugar ) .
 But seeing these small tortoise shell butterflies yesterday descending en masse  and feasting on the open lavender flowers has given me pause for thought.

I wish you would have been there .You could hear their wings flap slowly while they were drinking and  they were going from flower to flower, sometimes hanging upside down , just to get the nectar out of the buds.It was just such a a life affirming experience.and to think if I would not have planted the lavender, and would not have left the flowers on, I would never have lived to see this happen.

Last year I picked my lavender as soon as the flowers opened, dried them ,and
have had a great supply of dried lavender. 

I would , by all means, still  urge you to plant loads and loads of lavender.It's a really easy plant and you can even grow it in a big pot on your terrace if you live in the city.

But keep some flowers on the plant for the butterflies.It seems more and more butterflies seems to disappear and become extinct. There's a  really good article about why butterflies matter here on the Butterfly Conservation website.

A few good reasons which you can find there, for me at least are :

Conserving butterflies will improve our whole environment for wildlife.
Conserving butterflies will enrich the lives of people now and in the future.
 
The life cycle of the butterfly- from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis is one of the wonders of nature.

Butterflies are beautiful.
People love butterflies.

So keep on planting your lavender- but keep some flowers on if you can ! And leave a whole patch of nettles as well ( as I do as I am not that tidy ) as this seems to be attractive to them too.
  

CRAZY ABOUT TENNIS- A QUICK PRESENT

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 30/06/2014

Photo: Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

MODERN COUNTRY LADY-CRAFT 

 NAME CUSHION 

Here's another example if you are stuck for a present - I have always find it really hard to figure out what to give the men in my family ! The personalised cushion I made in a few posts ago went down so well that I decided to make another one for the next birthday boy. Here's again how to go about it.
-remember -  it's a unique way to say how much you value the person you are giving the present to.. here's my easy modern twist for a great present ! ( and while you are doing your design, you may as well make a card as well ! )

 You will need : 

white cotton or linen 

different scraps of colored fabric

 " Bondaweb" or similar iron-on adhesive for fabric 

1. Take a simple pillow slip with an envelope closing at the back as your example for a pattern .

2 .Cut your white cotton or linen according to this pattern.If you want to achieve a small rectangular cushion simple adjust the size a bit.

3.Print off the name of the person for which the cushion will be made in a font you like on your printer.

4.Cut out the letters in paper then arrange on the different coloured fabric and move around till you have a combination of colours you like.  

5. Cut out the fabric letters using the paper font letters as a guide line.

6 .Iron some " Bondaweb" or other similar fabric adhesive that will attach one fabric to another on the back of the letters , then iron the letters to the cushion.If need be you can also as an extra measure, zigzag the letters to the fabric as well.

7. Add an image in fabric underneath the name , again using " Bondaweb".Choose an image that is perfect for the person you are making it for, so say a rugby ball for someone who is crazy about rugby, or a tennis racket for a tennis fan- then gift it to the lucky friend you made it for-proudly.Always better than anything you can buy for them . 

Cushion design : Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Card Design: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

KEEP YOUR ROSES GOING

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 26/06/2014

Photo: Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

This month ( June)  has been spectacular so far for our roses, but sadly, at the end of June, it very often is the end of the rose abundance. Just a quick tip just in case you love roses as much as I do: it really is worthwhile  to keep on deadheading. to keep your roses going as long as you can.This rose, the " Albertine" has just had most of the roses that had finished flowering, removed- and as a result I can see a whole lot of new buds starting.Keep snipping and keep them going !! 



PS. If you are interested in roses, you may want to check out the My Aunt Agatha Flickr site which you can find here  !! 

ROSES I HAVE LOVED-

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 20/06/2014

Photo: Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

This year has been fantastic so far for our roses.Last year was terrible - it was so very hot that the roses all dropped off or turned brown .But this year is really astounding.So I thought to show you some quick shots of my front garden and drive which I took last night while my other half was dozing in front of the football on the telly ,The quality of the pictures isn't that great as it was getting dark but it's just to give you an idea.Most of my roses are at the front of the house and I always have some favourites that I plant wherever I live .

I love the “ Albertine “ rose- it's such a good performer .It's got a lovely delicate rose scent ( some quite vicious thorns mind you ) and it's a great climber . The flowers themselves are a lovely soft pink colour when the rose is open, and the shape is like a rose on a cover of a 1950's romantic novel- a bit like a mid-century summer dress with a tight bodice and a wide skirt .The buds are a striking rose-red before they open up. And a great contrast to the soft pink flowers.I grow it on a rustic trellis attached to the front of the house .The trellis I found discarded outside an old florist's shop .

I love the “ New Dawn” rose, too, it's my mum's favourite.Everywhere I live I plant one to remind me of her as we both live in a different coun try and are so far away from each other.It's a delicate rose, not so vigirous as the “ Albertine “ but the colour is a really delicate sort of pink, like the inside of the ear of a fluffy cuddly white kitten.

There's a white rose at the entrance of the drive that was a standard rose with a lovely peach colour, but the standard died off, and the root of it turned into a white rose with huge clusters of roses with a lovely scent.So I can't tell you what rose it is, but it certainly means to it's a good idea to leave your dead standard roses in the soil if it dies as you never know what might happen.

The “ Peace “ rose is one I inherited from the previous owner/gardener, and it's a really gorgeous delicate yellow rose with pink edges, just beautiful. Also a great favourite, I once had a standard “ Peace” rose which my mother gave to me for my birthday..

My last rose at the front is “Teasing Georgia” - soft yellow, and looking like one of those old fashioned roses you see on paintings.. ( but it's more healthy as it's a David Austin rose, bred to be more disease resistant.)Although not as strong as the “ Albertine”, it's a beautiful rose I can really recommend.

SUMMER ENTERTAINING- RUSSIAN EGGS

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 19/06/2014

Photo: Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

For a glorious summer lunch you could do no better than by making a staple that the Dutch people often order in their cafes and restaurants for lunch: Russian Eggs.

I decided to make this yesterday for my birthday when I had some friends and family over and although the dish has a certain seventies appeal, it really is rather tasty ( but not very slimming) and it went 

down very well! 

Your ingredients 

for the potato salad:

1.5 kilo's potatoes

1 pot of mayonaise,

 1 pot of chopped gherkins, 

10 small pickled onions ( sweet /sour )

 a small bunch of parley and

 2 table spoons of Dijon mustard .

for your deviled eggs :

4 eggs,

1/3 pot of mayonaise

mustard

parsley

salt and pepper

Remaining ingredients :

fresh asparagus( 2 bunches) freshly boiled/prepared and chilled

baby tomatoes

strawberries

cucumber

grapes

boiled ham

salami

cold roast pork

Italian Prosciutto

Here's how to make your potato salad:

Make some potato salad by boiling 1.5 kilo's potatoes that you have peeled and cubed. test if done, then drain and cool.Mix with one pot of mayonaise, 1 pot of chopped gherkins, 10 small pickled onions ( sweet /sour ) a small bunch of parley and 2 table spoons of Dijon mustard .Season to taste and arrange in the middle of a big serving dish.

Next, make your devilled eggs.

How to make devilled eggs: 

Boil 4 eggs till they are hard-boiled ( about 10 minutes ), then cool under running water, peel and half.Scoop all the egg yolks out of your halved egg whites and put them in a bowl.Mix the egg yolks with some mustard, salt and pepper, mayonaise and parsley according to taste .Fill the egg-white halves with scoops of the egg-yolk mixture.Set aside .

Remaining ingredients for your Russian Eggs Dish:

fresh asparagus( 2 bunches) freshly boiled/prepared and chilled

baby tomatoes

strawberries

cucumber

grapes

boiled ham

salami

cold roast pork

Italian Prosciutto

How to put your Russian Egg dish together:

Place the potato salad in the middle of a big serving dish.

Place some rolled up Prosciutto on the edge of the serving disg , and arrange some of the devilled eggs on top, and the rest of the eggs on the 4 corners of the dish as you can see on the picture.Wrap your cooked chilled asparagus in the boiled ham slices and place at the edge of the dish , half on top of the potato salad ( use the picture for guidance how this should look ) Fold your salami like a little cone and place a few on the top , in the middle of the potato salad.

Arrange the cold roast pork slice by slice between slices of cucumber on the edge of the dish.

Use the strawberries, grapes and baby tomatoes to decorate the rest of the dish to pleasing effect.

A SUMMER'S DAY IN THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 10/06/2014

Photo: Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

Sometimes, it's good just to kick back and smell the roses .So that's what we did today .There is nothing like a relaxing summer's day in an English country garden and I feel so lucky to live here.

Maud certainly loves rolling around in the rose petals ! It's the teeth that are killing me.. and I bet Kevin Spacey if he had any heart would prefer this to the original version of #Americanbeauty.It's just one of those days were the bees are so busy it's just amazing to watch these little fellers.Friends of the Earth and the BBC are having a bee watch today to track what kind of bees there are all around the country side and and you can find the link here on  BBC Beewatch

BABY SIZED PLANTS - WILD STRAWBERRY

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 09/06/2014

Photo: Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

If you are looking for a cute baby sized plant that carries lovely berries for your breakfast cereal, you may want to get yourself some wild strawberry plants.

Wild strawberries flower from April to June and you can grow them in a pot on your

balcony or in your garden.I think it's a great plant as it covers acres of soil that would otherwise be covered in weeds, what's not to love ?

Plus add the benefit of those cute little strawberries and I think we're in business.

Sweet Paul has just done a great summer berry pie, and you can easily translate that into a wild strawberry tart.

Here's the recipe below

1.Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.

2. Stir flour, baking soda and baking powder together in one bowl.

3.Cream the butter and sugar together in a second bowl.

4.Beat in the egg and vanilla in the butter/sugar mixture.

5.Blend in the dry ingredients into the buttery/egg mixture

6.Roll out the dough onto a layer of baking paper, then turn this upside down in a baking tin that you have buttered.

7.Bake dough for 10 minutes or till golden.Cool.

8.Separate the eggs and whisk the eggwhites to a soft peak.

9.Whisk yolks and sugar till light sand creamy, then add the mascarpone

10.Add vanilla and egg-whites and mix.

11.Pour mixture into piecrust.

12 Add wild strawberries and serve.

ROSE PETAL OVERLOAD- HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN ROSE WATER

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 08/06/2014

Photo: Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

When I was wandering around the garden this morning I realised I was going to have a bit of a rose petal overload problem very soon.June is just about my most favourite month as all of the roses are then coming out, but roses flowering also mean petals everywhere . I thought to harness this gold rush of flower petals into something useful and a quick search gave me a wonderful recipe for quick home made rose water .

Here's how to make your rose water :

1.Pick your petals .

2. Wash the petals thoroughly so that eventual small insects that are on there are removed.
3.Place the petals in a large pot and add the distilled water.Add just enough water to cover the petals

4.Cover the pot then simmer on a low flame.

5.Let the water simmer till the petals have lost their colour and the water has taken on the colour of the rose petals.

6.Strain the rose petal water through a fine sieve and keep in a bottle or container in the fridge.

Once you've got your rose water supply covered, there is nothing from keeping you making the most fantastic things with it, like a raspberryand rosewater cheesecake .

Or keep it simple and use it on your ironing.As if that is ever going to happen with me. But cake sounds good.

SWEET TASTE OF SUMMER- FRESH ELDER FLOWER CORDIAL

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 07/06/2014

Photo: Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

Nothing says " Summer" like some fresh elder flower cordial made with your own fair hands.

Those elder trees that are frowned upon by many gardeners as they seed themselves easily in every bit of space where they are not wanted, transform themselves in early summer.

Then they are covered in beautiful lacy flower heads that have a fabulous tangy scent .

Those flower heads can be picked everywhere right now .Make sure you get yourselves some before they are gone to transform into cordial (and keep some champagne handy )  !

Here's how to make your cordial :

1.Pick your elder flowers .

2. Shake the flower heads over the sink so that eventual small insects that are on the flowers, fall off.
3.Take all the stalks off the flower heads so you have a bowl full of flowers.

4.Boil the water, then pour it over the sugar in a big bowl, so the sugar dissolves. Let it cool down.

5.Slice your lemons, then take a big pan, and put the lemon slices and the flowers in the bottom and add the cooled down sugar water .Add the citric acid- in my case 4 tablets of fizzy vitamin C tablets which have citric acid ( this does really work ! ).

6.Cover with a lid or plate and let it stand for 24 hours in the fridge.

7.The next day, strain the cordial through a fine sieve.

Serve with ice and chilled fizzy water , or even better, with champagne and a spring of mint .

Elder flower cordial with champagne.

25 ml Elder flower cordial

25 ml Gin

50 ml Champagne

Mint sprig.

Add gin, lime and elder flower cordial to glass.Top with champagne and garnish with mint.

HAPPY WEEKEND

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 06/06/2014

Photo: Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  

Happy weekend ! Say a little prayer for my little doggie Millie if you can ( here on our holiday last year ) so she may recover swiftly.The vet has told us she has a trapped nerve in her back so she has real trouble walking .The cure : 3 to 6 weeks cage-rest-poor Millie! She is taking it very well but let's hope she will recover.   hope you enjoy a lovely relaxing time this weekend with your family . 

 XO Bea 

SUMMER FLOWERS : D FOR DOG-ROSE

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 06/06/2014

Photo: Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

If there’s one flower that we see at this time of year when we go for a walk in the English countryside , it's the Dog-rose. I't's such a pleasure to come across it, as it holds  for us both links to the past and to today.The dog rose was the stylised rose of medieval European heraldry and  according to the Victorian language of flowers, symbolises pleasure and pain. Dog roses, with their innocent and modest  open flowers seem to hark back to a simpler and better time and I feel privileged every time I come across them .In autumn, it produces bright red rosehips that are often eaten by birds.It can also be a useful plant in your garden too - the nectar -filled flowers attract many insects. The fruit is noted for it's high vitamin C level and is used to make syrup, tea and jam and I fondly recollect the rose-hip jams my mum used to make when I was a child .It certainly is worthwhile trying to re-create these this autumn.   I’ve included some more details below on this adorable flower.   xo, Bea

Additional Information about the dog-rose :

• Full Name: Rosa Canina
• Varieties: There are many species of thw wild rose, which are all very similar , they all have white or pink flowers, throns and red hips in winter .
• Size: Dog-roses grow as a scrambling shrub, and can span from 1-5 m, though sometimes it can scramble higher into the crowns of taller trees.  

CRAZY ABOUT RUGBY : A QUICK PRESENT

by Andrea ( Bea )Vonk • 06/06/2014

Photo's : Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Styling: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk

MODERN COUNTRY LADY-CRAFT 

 NAME CUSHION 

 CRAFTY FRIDAY  

I've always loved personalised cushions- it's a unique way to say how much you value the person you are giving the present to.. here's my easy modern twist for a great present ! 

 You will need : 

white cotton or linen 

different scraps of colored fabric

 " Bondaweb" or similar iron-on adhesive for fabric 

1. Take a simple pillow slip with an envelope closing at the back as your example for a pattern .

2 .Cut your white cotton or linen according to this pattern.If you want to achieve a small rectangular cushion simple adjust the size a bit.

3.Print off the name of the person for which the cushion will be made in a font you like on your printer.

4.Cut out the letters in paper then arrange on the different coloured fabric and move around till you have a combination of colours you like.  

5. Cut out the fabric letters using the paper font letters as a guide line.

6 .Iron some " Bondaweb" or other similar fabric adhesive that will attach one fabric to another on the back of the letters , then iron the letters to the cushion.If need be you can also as an extra measure, zigzag the letters to the fabric as well.

7. Add an image in fabric underneath the name , again using " Bondaweb".Choose an image that is perfect for the person you are making it for, so say a rugby ball for someone who is crazy about rugby, or a tennis racket for a tennis fan- then gift it to the lucky friend you made it for-proudly.Always better than anything you can buy for them . 

Cushion design : Andrea ( Bea ) Vonk  Card Design: Andrea ( Bea) Vonk