How to make chiffon ribbon flowers with stamens.

I've decided to make a few very quick and very easy videos on making ribbon flowers. Please watch the video until the end and add a comment on Youtube rather than on the blog.

Easy Flower Drawing

Many of you will know that years ago I used to sell ribbon and other pretty things at the big craft shows around the country. I also spent a lot of time drawing flowers and became known as the flower drawing lady. I not longer have a stand at the shows but my love of drawing flowers has not gone away. So I have decided to film a series of short videos in which I show you how to draw flowers. the technique is rather like one stroke painting. So watch the video and please be inspired.

If you want to buy the pens then they are for sale here on ebay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163371548355

Beautiful Puffy Vintage Style Ribbon Roses

I have intended to make a video tutorial on making a new style of ribbon rose for quite some time. Something always got in the way. Yesterday the sun was shining her in Wales. A rare occurrence her in Wales, so the light was good and I got on with it. No prevaricating was allowed. 

So, with many retakes and a fight with Photoshop Premier under my belt I finally got theirs baby up and running on Youtube.

In fact I published it 3 times. How did I do that?

Watch and create.

Have Apricots, Make Jam

The apricot season is here and nothing can be better than home made apricot jam. it is just on the right side of tart and the colour alone will bring a smile to everyone who sees it. Even in the depths of  winter this spoonful of sunshine will bring a smile to your tastebuds.

There is even a speechless tester at the end. 

Enjoy.

Blue two tone flower - Tutorial

Just had to make this video tutorial as I worked out how to replicate the flowers that I draw with Kuretake pens.

If only I could work out how to put the video further down the page I would be really happy. I am not too bad with technology but things like this really annoy me. GRRRR!

Delicious Kefir Berry Shake

How many of you have been watching the many, many television programmes on improving our health? If you have you may have seen Dr. Michael Mosley and others promoting the increasing of good gut bacteria. To do this we need to eat more probiotics and this is best achieved by eating kefir.

Kefir is the new super food that is said to promote good gut health. It is not readily available and when it is it is expensive. Not to say unpleasant to drink. So today I have a way of making kefir delicious. Watch the video and enjoy.

Panzanella, A Taste of Italian Sunshine

The sun is finally shining so today to celebrate the first real sunshine here in the UK, I've decided to post a sunshine salad. This salad is known as panzanella. It appears frequently on Italian recipe web sites but when I told some friends in the village that I was making a panzanella, they told me that they had never heard of it. This is fairly typical of Italian food knowledge. People eat what they were taught to cook by their mothers and grandmothers but don't really look outside that repertoire. What they do cook is excellent so it is hardly surprising that they don't look for anything else. 

The colours of this salad are truly vibrant, but don't expect pretty. It is a mix of all the ingredients so that the flavours mellow and blend together in a bowl of heaven.

I have to admit that I was lucky as everything in this salad came from my garden, so if you are not as lucky, then try to get the ripest tomatoes that you can get your hands on. The quality of the tomatoes will affect the quality of the salad.

I do feel that it not making this salad they are missing out big time. So, if you want to join me in a bowl of delicious and dare I say it, healthy eating this is what you need to do.

• 1 red onion that has been soaked in wine vinegar. This will soften it and make it less harsh.
• 3 or 4 large ripe tomatoes. I used the cuore di bue which are the size of my hand. 3 of these will weigh about a kg. So aim for that.
• 3 small European type cucumber. These will need to be peeled as they have a spiky skin. Failing these use 1 hot house cucumber.
• a large handful of stale bread cut into chunks.
• a bunch of basil torn up.
• olive oil
• wine vinegar

Begin by slicing the onion thinly and soaking it in vinegar for at least an hour. Drain and keep to add to the salad.

Toast the bread for about 10 minutes in a medium oven. You are looking to dry stout so that it will absorb the dressing and the juices from the salad.

Make a dressing from 1 part vinegar and 4 parts olive oil. If you have some dijon mustard you can add that. I usually have this made up in a jar so I can't give you precise amounts. Just add enough to coat the ingredients. 

Cut everything else, except the basil, into chunks.

Put into a bowl and add the slices of onion, the dressing and finally the the basil torn up into pieces. Toss it all. Leave for about 10 minutes for the bread to absorb the dressing. 

Enjoy.