Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Chrysocolla and Black
I'm off to Ikea/Starbucks for coffee and to find some now craft storage to sit beside my little desk! wish me luck
Monday, 29 June 2009
Vintage Doily Needlebook

Saturday, 27 June 2009
Coconut Candy

Coconut Candy
ingredients
2 cups desiccated coconut (I used a mix of plain and sweetened)
1 tablespoon butter (softened)
1 tablespoon milk
¼ cup icing (confectioners) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
A sprinkle of salt (optional)
1 x bar of white chocolate *
1 x bar of dark chocolate **
In a small bowl, combine the coconut, butter, milk, vanilla and a small sprinkle of salt.
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave on MEDIUM power, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. Add the white chocolate to the coconut mixture and mix thoroughly.
Form into 1-inch balls by rolling a teaspoon of mixture in your hands, and place onto wax paper covered baking sheet.
Refrigerate the coconut balls for 20 to 30 minutes.
Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave on MEDIUM power, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted.
Drizzle the coconut candy with the dark chocolate (you may also dip the candy into the melted chocolate then place the dipped candy back onto the waxed paper.)
Refrigerate to set the dark chocolate. Once the chocolate has set, store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

*I used a 150g bar of continental white chocolate that was lurking in the cupboard
** I used a 100g bar of M&S fair-trade organic dark chocolate (72% cocoa) but you can use any chocolate you prefer and you can use more than one bar if you prefer the coconut candy to be covered by more chocolate.
Cooks notes: I had it in my head to make some simple coconut candy yesterday, having not made any before I searched the interwebs for a suitable starting recipe. The original recipe was simple enough but it didn’t workfor me, the mixture wouldn't stick together so I decided to experiment. I added vanilla, and melted white chocolate to the coconut mixture and it worked like a dream. Good reviews back from M, my Mother in Law, and from my neighbour down the street… and I think they taste yummy too!

Thursday, 25 June 2009
a little birdie
precious things
and did I mention the sketching? because I have been drawing, sketching and painting too, only a little bit but still that counts. Bust mostly I'm in love with these cute bracelets, the black agate and the chrysocolla ones are my absolute favourites and I'm really trying not to snaffle them up for myself.. but they are calling me, whispering things to me... oh but the turquoise one is pretty too...

they may find there way into my etsy shop tomorrow.. if I don't hide them away... "My Preciousssss" ... ahem yes where was I?
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Quick Tiramisu Recipe
ingredients:
1 tub Mascarpone cheese (or 1 1/2 packages cream cheese)
1 package lady fingers (trifle sponges ect)
½ cup caster (white ) sugar (or confectioners powdered sugar)
2 tablespoons Tia Maria (brandy or coffee liqueur)
3 tablespoons cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 shots espresso (or roughly ½ cup very strong instant coffee)
Dark chocolate for grating (or you can use cocoa powder)
6 small glass ramekins for individual servings
First make the coffee and let it cool in a small bowl. Add the Tia Maria (or other liqueur) when cool .
Open the package of sponges and tear them up into pieces to line the bottom of the ramekin dishes. Drizzle the cake with the coffee and liqueur mixture and set aside.
In a medium bowl beat the cream, mascarpone cheese (cream cheese), vanilla and sugar.
Spoon the mascarpone mixture over the drizzled cake. Smooth over the top and then grate the dark chocolate over to top. Refrigerate until serving.
For a fluffier cheese mixture, use ½ cup whipping cream, beat it in the bowl until whipped and fold in the mascarpone and sugar mixture.
Cook’s notes: I have made this several times and each time I have varied the amounts of coffee and alcohol to taste. it’s a very quick and simple recipe without having to mess around with eggs. This recipe took about ten minutes to make, much to M's delight.
Many of tiramisu recipes ask you to tip the cake fingers into the bowl, I find this unnecessary, messy and more work than you really need to do, Its easier to just drizzle the mixture over the cake until you have as much as you desire in the individual dishes. Even H liked the tiramisu, and scoffed his own little ramekin’s worth (I did put less of the coffee and liquor mixture in his).
Monday, 22 June 2009
Mermaid's Kiss
Seeing as my beading supplies were scattered on and around my desk I decided to play with some green agate beads that I could never seem to put together in perfect way until today. It's a really simple design but the beads are such a lovely colour green in the light, and the bracelet sits well on you wrist. I'll be adding it to my etsy shop a little later today.

I made the little mermaid tattoo lavender and rice warm/cool bag a few weeks ago and never photographed it because I couldn't get a decent photo and I thought it wasn't good enough at the time. But now that I look at it I don't know why I didn't because its perfectly pretty, and though its small (measuring 3" by 8" ) its still very nice and smells good too so I thought I would pop it on etsy and see if I get any bites, but as its only a small bag I will sell it for a small price.
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Lovely Meme Blog Award

coffee..oh wait you probably know that allready... well recently I was obsessed with watching Veronica Mars, learning to sew the things that float about in my little brain, and possibly a rather unhealthy obsession over the exploits of zombified chickens in the Derbyshire countryside...run to your nearest mall people! its the only safe place..
Taurus, I'm probably pretty on the mark sign wise if you believe in such things, I'm strong willed, grounded (mostly but my brain sometimes wanders away from me), warm hearted, relatively reliable, not entirely patient with things...
What are you wearing today?
ahem.. I still have my jammies on but after I have made a cup of coffee (yes another) I will probably put on jeans and a t-shirt, nothing fancy.. and its cold this morning.
What's for dinner?
no idea, something with chicken, and a very small amount of potatoes that need eating or planting.
What's the last thing you bought?
an iced latte at Starbucks!
What do you think about the person who tagged you?
Megan is great, she is fabulously talented, with a great eye for brilliant finds (with and without buttons), we haven't met in person but maybe one day we will because I think we would get along brilliantly. I have swapped a few times with Vv (Megan) and bought buttons from her and will probably swap again with her when next we have created something that the other wants!
That question about a fully furnished, paid-for house that everyone answers with 'Paris' or 'New York'.
Northern California...yes I know I grew up there but if I'm getting a fully furnished house somewhere then I want it to be somewhere lovely that I miss and love and would only be a short hop on a plane to visit my parents in Idaho. Though i don't think M would be able to survive summers in California it would be too hot for him.
What is your must-have item for summer?
ice... seriously you have got to have ice for you iced coffee, your ice cold coke, and for making fruit smoothies and milkshakes... its one of those things that I can't live without and living in England even after 10 years I find the lack of ice when you go to a restaurant quite annoying. I always have to ask for extra and get this completely baffled, "Lady you are weird" look when all I want is an ice cold drink that is not luke warm with one sliver of ice floating around pathetically at the top. Give me ice goddamn it!
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would it be?
Borders bookshop to curl up with a coffee and a pile of craft books and urban fantasy novels...bliss
Who do you want to meet right now?
I would love to meet some of the bloggers/mumsnetters that I haven't met yet, like Vonnie, Megan, Juanita, Serenity, Show of Hands, Hannah, AnnieB, Jodie, all the rest of the crafter..oo'ers that I haven't met... I could go on and on about the fab bloggers that I would be in awe of meeting, but I would also like to add my cousin Tiffany who I have just gotten in contact with via the interwebs after not seeing her since we were small.
What is your favourite piece of clothing from your own closet?
my grey converse, I'm not normally big into clothing, I'm fussy, fat, and not into labels in the slightest, I prefer dark clothes, and live in jeans most of the time.
What is your dream job?
I honestly don't know, I love crafting, baking and writing and I'm scared to death to push anything to far because it will turn out that I'm not actually good at anything at all.
What's your favourite magazine?
Craft, Sew Hip (because my friends have been featured, not because my skills are good enough), Empire movie magazine, Glamour for clothes and tat, Arena/Maxim because for some reason women's magazines never have anything remotely funny and men's magazines have gadgets, blow stuff up, and are completely sarcastic and funny.. *makes note to start a zine*
Where is your dream holiday destination?
I would love to go on a family holiday to Italy, stay in a lovely little villa somewhere and bumble about the countryside and cities, that would be fabulous. Also would like to add that one of M's dream holidays is to get a massive RV and drive across the States stopping everywhere to take loads of pictures.
What is your most treasured possession?
coffee...oh erm I have a lot of things that I treasure but one of the most treasured items I own is a small antique silver and mother of pearl fruit knife that my dad gave me. I always carry it in my purse but the most it ever cuts are bits of yarn when I'm in a knitting sort of mood.
Describe your personal style.
hmmm, I'm completely unstylish, I dress for comfort, simplicity, and to not be noticed, I tend to wear a lot of black and grey this is my inner gothlet's doing, she would have me in full goth gear if not kept in check, or at least a 50's sort of Betty Paige look (at least my hair would be if I could tame it)
get dressed, make coffee, sort out some beads for jewellery making!
What are you proud of?
I'm proud of M and H but I'm not normally that proud of myself, this is where I get told off by my friends for my low sense of self worth and accomplishment, *shrug* that's just me.
What do you want to learn this year?
I would love to learn more sewing, and to make my own stamps, fabric design, and learn to make resin jewellery too!
Favourite childhood movie(s)?
Legend or Labyrinth, Goonies, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and The lost Boys
There are rules to this tagging shenanigan... Respond and rework – answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, and add one more question of your own. Tag eight others. I'd like to tag these blogs:
I'm not going to tag anyone because I think you are all fab (and I'm lazy and half of the people I was going to tag have already got tagged.. so if you haven't taken this particular meme and had the award than take it you all deserve it you are all lovely people!
u
Thursday, 18 June 2009
poison apple
Its a poison apple due to my obsession with writing my Poison Apple tree fairy tale, which I keep putting off finishing because I'm afraid it will turn out to be a terrible story, whether it is bad or not it will seem so to me. I keep going back to the theme over and over again, I have embroidered, painted, doodled, and painted the tree several times, and I have an idea that it could turn into a fantastic quilt if i god talk someone into helping me turn it into a quilt. But the story must be finished first. Oh and then there was that silly promise I made to Katy about getting a small tattoo of a curling black apple tree branch with two blossoms and a wee apple. (I'm a coward like that is ever going to happen? unless Katy drags me *looks about worriedly*)
I need to get some red fabric though to make it more true to the story in my head, in my heart, and half written on my writing blog (and a bit more saved in a file on my little laptop. And paint the stem of the apple black, and a few more details I haven't figured out how to make perfect yet.
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edit: I just recipeved this beautiful stamped silver pendant in the post from simply*u*jewelery that I won from papernstitch blog giveaway. I asked for "poison apple" to be stamped on the pendant and here it is, draped over my plush poison apple, perfect!
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Red Rock Wasted

So I sat and knit and found a small rock to wrap my knitting around, and there you have it, one small knit rock. I clambered about and took a few pictures leaving the red knit rock on a section of dry stone walling. We were ready to go, when all the sudden H realized we didn't have the rock, I explained it was meant to stay there for someone else to find. Cue tears and drama, and H hugging the rock for dear life. *face palm* maybe next time. knit graffiti = fail
Friday, 12 June 2009
What's in a bloggy name?

I'm a total sucker for memes of any kind, and over at a 1/4 of an inch the question has been asked "What's in a bloggy name?"
the answer for me is that Meridian Ariel is a combination of two names that I always wished for myself when I was a little girl. Anything was better than being named for a month of the year and getting teased with the incredibly lame "April showers brings may flowers" thing, it was in no way remotely funny when said by classmates or by teachers. and for goodness sakes its a Y not and I. bitter moi? Eventually I used the handle Meridian Ariel on the WBS chat forum in the X-Files room (when not being Vixen51 or 50 other random handles). When I decided to start blogging to get me writing again (after many years of avoiding it) I decided on Meridian Ariel, its been such a part of me for such a very long time, and Meridian was already taken.
I also have a small random writing blog called The Teapot Nebula, for random short stories, drabbles, and that pesky fairy tale that I still haven't finished writing. Why the Teapot Nebula? it was random really but I was thinking of the whole tempest in a teapot thing and thought why not a nebula, as the point of writing drabbles is to create a small world in 100 words. One hundred words, infinite worlds....I thought it was clever anyway.
what's in yor bloggy name?
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Knitting Needle Bangles


How to make knitting needle bangles
you will need:
vintage plastic knitting needles
a pan
tongs (or tweezers)
a tin or jar (measuring roughly 8" around)
gloves (optional if you have Teflon hands like mine)
1. boil a pot of water.
2. place your knitting needle in the pot, Its a bit like cooking spaghetti, push the knitting needle into the water a bit at a time until it is fully submerged. ( soften for 5 to 10 minutes in the hot water)
3. Use the tongs to remove the knitting needle from the boiling water and wrap the needle around a can or jar. I used my bare fingers but you can use kitchen gloves to wrap the needle around.
4. plunge the can and bangle into cold water to set.
5. if the bangle isn't quite right, pop it back into the boiling water to reshape.
easy as 1...2...3...4...5
Monday, 8 June 2009
50's B Movie Swap Partners

Swap Partners are as follows... let me know if everything is ok and if you have swapped with your partner before I can swap things around a bit....I'm really excited about this swap and I hope you all have fun with it!
Amiee and Chrissy
Juanita and Apryl
Talia and Kim
Hannah and Gloria
Tammy and Alix
Miya and Heather
Kathryn and Lindsey
*I'll add links tommorrow I promise... honest...really and truely
Thursday, 4 June 2009
One Red Tear


Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Misanthrope Owl


He is made from some small pieces of fabric I had lying around, the grey is from an old skirt, I used the same material to make H's owl lavender and rice warm bag, the fabric on his back came from the owl swap so it was only fair that it be part of a little owl. The little tag is a bit of ribbon Katy sent and the buttons for his eyes are from Megan's Vintage Haberdashery shop.

p.s. if you haven't already signed up for the Attack of the 50's B-Movie Craft Swap please sign up!!!!!!!!!
Friday, 29 May 2009
Attack of the 50's B Movie Craft Swap

A swap that is all about B Movies, all the terrible 50’s B Movies filled with monsters , aliens, vampires, 50 foot women, badly designed tin foil robots, irradiated critters of all sizes. I have a great love of crappy horror and sci-fi films and I’m sure I’m not the only crafter out there who doesn’t love huge amounts of cheese in their movie viewing habits. So if you craft and love Dracula, Gort, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and pie tin spaceships then this is the swap for you!
Here is how it works:
1. SIGN UP by Friday, June 5th! Email me at meridianariel@hotmail.com with the following information:
-Name
-Mailing Address
-Website or Blog Address
-your favourite B movie (or favourite sort of B movie horror, aliens, radioactive, etc.
*Swap partners will be chosen randomly by me, after the signup closes Monday. I will email you you're partner’s details Monday night, Tuesday morning at the latest.
2. Your parcel should contain:
*Candy (or chocolate) to eat while watching B Movies
*Handmade crafts with the 50’s B Movie theme.. (For example a cuddly werewolf toy, a notebook decorated in flying saucers, creepy alien cards, a crocheted alien, vampire jewellery, and a brain shaped candle for the mad scientist etc…) The swap can be as simple or as extravagant as you wish, just make sure that the things you send are something you would be happy to receive yourself.
*craft supplies
You don’t need to spend the Earth (pardon the pun I couldn’t help myself) but make sure you and your partner spend roughly the same amount. I would say spend around £20 ($30 ish)
3. Mail your package by the end of the first week of July!
4. Take a picture of your swap parcel once you receive it. Upload your images to the Attack of the 50’s B Movie Swap account.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
an idea for a swap
let me know if you think its a good idea.
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
gardening, baking, playing

p.s. I'll write up a recipe for the muffins if anyone requests it.. they did turn out very nice and got rid of half of the bananas in the fruit bowl that were turning a nice shade of brown.
Sunday, 24 May 2009
through a scanner faintly
Friday night I went to dinner at a friends house, four skinny birds and me the fat hen, if you like your poultry analogies. I’m well aware of the fact and though I find it depressing that I’m the fat one I also find it more so that I feel as if I’m a lost cause, I’m the only friend that doesn’t work, two of the group are teachers, one works in an office and Heather runs the comic shop. Me I don’t do anything much or anything that is particularly worthwhile, I start things but never finish them, I’m over qualified or vastly under qualified for nearly everything.
I’m a stay at home mother, but I am far from a domestic diva or Suzie Homemaker, aside from a flare for cooking. M says I should get a job or volunteer more for H’s school, but to be honest M is much more outgoing and happy go lucky than I am, he can easily talk to anyone where I really struggle at times to talk with people that I haven’t anything remotely in common with, aside from being parents. I loath having to pick H up from school, standing there at the class room door waiting for the kids to be left free, I talk to Heather and maybe two other mothers the rest ignore me and keep to their own cliques. I hated that when I was in school and I hate it still, I’m not an “in with the in crowd” sort.
That rules out any more volunteering for school, I will bake cakes and I will help out at craft nights, as long as I don’t have to do the sticking and gluing table because there is nothing that annoys me more than gobs of glue dribbled everywhere. M got very cross with me for my refusing to help the school out on a walk up to the church in town, its not my bag, I don’t believe in church I believe in belief, anything more organized just leads to trouble. I am American and schools in the States have nothing to do with religion aside from the small mention in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Work…I don’t know what I would do I’m not qualified for much, I only did a few years of university/college before burning out and coming to England to be with M, instead of having M move to California. I have worked retail so that bit isn’t a problem, I have done cash office and been a manager for Target in California, I worked for a few years at IKEA at Giltbrook until I fell pregnant at the same time they refused me working in the actual cash office. They were for reasons known only to IKEA getting rid of all the managers that actually gave a damn about the cashiers and changing the job title so that they could give a pat on the back to the people they liked, not the ones that could actually do the job. Bitter? Moi?
Craft…I have always been artistic, and for the past two years I have been getting back the artsy side of me that I misplaced when I moved to England. I have taught myself to knit (badly), beading, stamping, card making, vintage book staining and painting, and lately I have been learning to sew with my dinky little sewing machine. Crafting has lead me to blogging and meeting with some very talented and brilliant crafters, and to the knowledge that I’m a scanner.
Scanner…I never heard the term until last summer when I did the Fairy Tale Swap and partnered with Selena (Apron thrift Girl) who is a fantastic writer blogger and crafter who also happens to have a scanner personality. A scanner is someone who isn’t one thing, we aren’t this or that, we can become intently focused on one thing until it is mastered then may never do that again, having switched on to doing something entirely different. A Jack or rather Jane of all trades, that’s me(one of my lovely skinny blonde even told me so), I’m an expert in nothing, yet I will turn my hand to anything that I’m intensely fascinated by or in love with. Then a few months, weeks or days down the line I will drop it and move onto the next thing whatever that might be.
I have always admired those people who know what they want and have the drive to be the best at one thing, I have no special one thing that I am, I’m not a photographer, a writer, a doctor, a mechanic or anything special in particular I lack that drive to be that one thing and be the best at it. I wear a lot of hats but they never seem to stay perched atop my head for very long. And I never know what the next thing is going to be, aside from getting my arse in the kitchen and finding something to make for tea.
For more information about scanners have a look at the link below.
http://www.getmotivation.com/articlelib/articles/barbara_sher_scanner.html
Monday, 18 May 2009
Let's Play
“Let’s Play”
Let’s Play rules: IT’S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS! COPY, ERASE MY ANSWERS, ENTER YOURS, POST IT ON YOUR BLOG, FACEBOOK, ETC. USE THE 1ST LETTER OF YOUR LAST NAME TO ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. THEY HAVE TO BE REAL PLACES, NAMES, AND THINGS. NOTHING MADE UP! TRY TO USE DIFFERENT ANSWERS IF THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU HAD THE SAME 1ST INITIAL.
Have Fun!!
1. What is your last name? Lowe
2. A 4 Letter Word? Lame
3. A Boy’s Name? Logan
4. A Girl’s name? Lily
5. An Occupation? Librarian
6. A Color? Luscious Lavender
7. Something you wear? Lint
8. A Beverage? Latte
9. A Food? lettuce
10. Something found in the bathroom? Lemon Lime (technically its "citrus") Lotion
11. A place? Lincoln
12. A Reason for being late? Lethargy
13. Things you shout? Lummox
Tag. You’re it.