At the airport

GeoTagged, [N51.47262, E0.48860]

Boarding in about five minutes.

I will tweet sporadically on the other side when we are in hotels and coffee shops with free wifi. @meridianariel

I'm packing for the wilds of northern idaho

running around like a mad thing today packing for our trip to visit my parents in Idaho. I'm sure I will a) over pack b) forget something essential c) have a hissy fit at the laundry or the dishes or d) melt down as that cat had climbed into one of the suitcases to be packed!!!!

I have a few blog posts that I need to finish writing up later when I have a break for my lunch, Right now I'm checking on the tracking number for a parcel of biscuits that is being delivered today. *runs around in circles*

where are all the damn chargers?

Idaho Baked Potato Soup

Idaho Baked Potato Soup

ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes (or 6 medium sized potatoes)

1/3 cup butter

salt and pepper

6 cups milk (I used 1 cup water and 5 cups of milk)

1 onion

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 cup sour(ed) cream

1 cup strong/sharp cheddar cheese

10 slices of (streaky) bacon (cooked and crumbled) optional

green onion

Directions:

Bake the potatoes then let cool completely before scooping out the middle, and roughly chopping all of the potato and half of the potato skin (discard the other half of the potato skins or bake them in the oven topped with cheese).

In a large pan fry the onion and garlic in the butter and balsamic vinegar.

Add 3/4ths potato, chopped potato skin, milk, water, sour cream, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper.

Use a hand/stick blender to blitz up the soup.

Add the remainder of the chopped up potato. Stir gently and bring just to the boil.

Serve hot with a sprinkle of cheese, crumbled bacon (optional) and green onions.

cook's notes: It's a simple soup and there are many ways to prepare it, this is just my simple way. There is no messing about making a roux out of flower when the potato is thick enough. You may need to add more milk or water to the soup as it has a tendency towards the thick side. It's one of my favourite winter warmers... or for freezing cold spring days.

etc magazine, coffee and dreaming of zines

etc magazine

This afternoon my friend Claire popped by for coffee, gossip and to bring me my very one brown paper wrapped copy of etc magazine. Claire wrote, edited, and photographed the magazine along with Deb of Fabulous Places. We drank coffee, attempted to sit in the garden for all of 2 minutes before the cold breeze drove us to huddle on the sofa gossiping and dreaming. I flipped through the magazine cooing over photos, places and food while we chatted. The magazine is lovely Claire did a brilliant job, I do think I should probably have gotten her to sign it for me before she had to trundle off to fetch her son from school.

brown paper parcel tied up with ribbon

and paper straws

We had a great chat about the magazine, about the desire to do something just a little bit more than what we both do now. I tried to convince her to start writing a book or the next issue of the magazine, to include a few tutorials for crafting, gardening, and woodworking, etc. I talked of my desire to do more writing and wish to if not write a book than to have my crafts and stories included in book, magazine or zine form. I showed Claire the zine book that arrived in the post minutes before she arrived. It's been a dream of mine for awhile to turn my little stories into a little booklet/zine but I had difficulty wrapping my brain around the idea and quickly went on to other things.

doodle of Merle the Ghost Boy

(he's a typography nut you know)

Talking with Claire has made me think again that I want to do a little bit more that what I am doing and that I want to try to make a zine and if possible submit some writing somewhere. I'm not sure where yet, but I will think about it and in the mean time I'm going to draw more and write more too. Yesterday I drew Merle the ghost boy on a book page and thought that perhaps I should doodle all of the dolls I have made recently. Perhaps they would make nice post cards with the stories on the back? Or just the illustrations to their stories if I turn them into a little zine. What do you think lovely readers? If I made a little zine would you buy it from me? Would you like me to write you a story or blog post for your blog? Am I just dreaming?

I may not be dreaming right now, my tea is cold and my biscuit is long gone.

the Nightmare Before Valentine's Day Swap Recieved

brown paper book

Here are a few snaps of the lovely Nightmare Before Valentine's Day Swap package I received from the lovely Jessica. I think she outdid herself sending me such a marvellous parcel in the post. I was beaming for days after the parcel arrived and I pawed through all the little goodies she thoughtfully gathered and crafted for me.

beautiful cover of the book Jessica made me

I told Jessica that Jack Skellington was one of my favourite Tim Burton creations so she designed her swap parcel around him (much more coordinated than I am). She made me a lovely pocket organizer (made with stripy fabric and vintage doilies no less) and a paper bag book (I had no idea what that was, my paper crafts abilities are quite small but the book she made is smashing. She wrote in a note that she thought I might like to draw and paint on the pages she crafted, I'm not sure I'm ready to draw and paint on the pages but the book sits beside my desk and I keep having a flip though the beautifully crafted pages when I need a little inspiration.

jam jar of buttons, cupcake cases and halloween cupcake toppers

Jessica did some snooping into my blog and my love of bon maman jam jars for craft storage... and drinking glasses. She filled a jar with black and white cupcake cases, some ace cupcake toppers, and red, white and black buttons. How awesome is that? I still have a few of the Mounds chocolates she sent me, they are hidden on my desk which is in an odd state of tidyness at the moment.

pocket hanger/organizer, a box filled with mounds

chocolate and coconut candies.

I love the packet of vintage ephemera she sent, I don't know what I shall make with this small horde of vintage papers, they are gorgeous and inspiring and I'm itching to doodle on one or two of them. It was a fabulous swap and I am so grateful to have had Jessica as my swap partner. We are off on holiday Friday to visit my parents otherwise I might be tempted to think up an idea for the next swap I host. ;o)

gorgeous paper ephemera, buttons and ribbon. <3

dark chocolate torte

mmmmm

Dark Chocolate Torte

Ingredients:

2 cups extra thick double cream ( whipping cream will work too)

3 tablespoons caster/white sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups (1lb of chocolate= 455g) of dark chocolate (60-70 % cocoa solids) chopped into chunks.*

5 tablespoons milk

cocoa or icing sugar for decoration (optional)

For the base:

1½ cups of biscuit/cookie crumbs (I used chocolate covered digestives as that's what I had .)
2 tablespoons melted butter

Mix the biscuit/cookie crumbs and the melted butter. Mix well and press firmly into a lightly greased 8-inch spring form pan and place into the refrigerator.

instructions for the filling:

Put the double cream and sugar into a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to the boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter and chocolate chunks and stir until the chocolate has melted. (you may need to sample the mixture too see if you need to add any more sugar to you taste. or that's the excuse you will need to use)

Let the mixture cool slightly before adding the milk and mixing until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the biscuit/cookie base. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minute before chilling for an hour in the refrigerator.

sparklers optional

Cook's notes: I have no idea what the difference between a torte and a tart are if you want to get persnickety. I just know the recipe works for me, it's simple and tastes good and I have been making it for years. Matthew requested it for his birthday the other week so that's what I made. It makes a very rich slice of chocolate heaven so suggest you slice it in small pieces and hoard the rest away in the fridge.

served with a dollop of lightly whipped cream

* the chocolate is more or less two cups worth as it depends on who is stealing..er helping make the torte by tasting the chocolate. Very important to taste the chocolate.

geeky browncoat card I made for Matt's Birthday.

I love Wash... don't tell Matt!

my head is spinning

I have in a tizz the last two weeks so much to get done before we fly to visit my parents and I don't think I have gotten half the things done that need to be done. We have had craft nights at school, school meetings, birthdays (Matt's), anniversaries (our tenth), Mothering Sunday, bank appointments and running around like headless chickens... spin, spin, spin.

I have still managed to do some junking, thrifting and a bit of crafting. I have made a few cards and some doll/monster making that has calmed me and made me stop and enjoy that rare gift of English springtime. The sun has even been out for a visit so I have got to grab a little bit of sunshine here and there to make me feel like I have finally stepped out of the winter blues.

My blog was visited by the Appliances Online Fairy Hobmother who stalks the blogsphere gifting bloggers with amazon vouchers asking for people to visit their website and looking at their cookers.Yes it is marketing, but I believe it's relevant to my blog or I would not have considered accepting the gift of an Amazon voucher or blogging about the Fairy Hobmother, but they are a shop selling kitchen appliances and I spend a huge amount of time in the kitchen and blogging about my baking.

Ian the Fairy Hobmother (Yes I know it should be the Fairy HobFather but apparently that makes people think of horseheads in the fridge and cement filled cooking pots which is a shame as the Fairy Hobfather would be ace) was very nice and says when I have blogged about the Fairy HobMother he will choose someone who comments to get a voucher for themselves.

I think in today's hard time you take what you are offered and keep giving back to others. I'm not a famous blogger, I'm just me but if in blogging about the Fairy Hobmother and someone else gets gifted with a voucher who am I to say no? I am cooking, and baking all the time, and if I could afford it I would have a fancy schmancy kitchen filled with all the latest gadgets and doodahs you can imagine. Its amazing how something small and nice can make a day that much better.

I think it's time for a coffee break now. Don't you? So I'm putting the coffee maker on and sitting out in the garden to enjoy the magnolia tree and the cherry blossoms and daffodils.

Malice in Valentine City

Malice posing with camera and skeleton key

Malice lives on the edge of Valentine City in a crumbling castle with whispering ghosts. She cries in the rain and laughs in the snow. Malice carries the tarnished key to her heart pinned to her dress. Her heart lies buried in a wooden box beneath the castle.

Once she fell in love and her heart was broken, dashed to pieces and she no longer lives in the bubbling metropolis of Valentine City filled with lovers, cherubs, flower garlands, frothy lace, heart shaped chocolate boxes, and Valentine’s cards. She roams the edge of the city in search of heartbreakers to destroy. To toy with their hearts as her heart was shattered into sharp edged pieces. She paints sorrow on candy hearts, and embroiders broken hearts onto rose petals.

Sally moleskin and the top of the key and button necklace

I made Malice and an assortment of other goodies for Jessica my partner in the Nightmare Before Valentine's Day Tim Burton-esq Swap. I dithered over what to make Jessica for days

weeks, I doodled in my note book ,read and re-read her likes and dislikes for the swap and finally decided to make a doll that would fit into Burton's Holiday World as her favourite film was Nightmare Before Christmas and Sally is Jessica's favourite Burton character.

Malice and her story card leaning against my inspiration board

I drew Sally on a sheet of book paper and decoupaged it to the cover of a little moleskin notebook. Then I made a heart pincushion in a vaguely primitive style with ribbon, lace, stripped ticking and a vintage button. Then I procrastinated for quite a bit gathering together some vintage haberdashery, a little clock stamp and ephemera items to go with the swap (better than candy and chocolate I think...a little bit better any way.) I made the necklace with a vintage key and red button (I slightly cheated here as I had made myself the same necklace with matching key and button the week before).

Sally notebook, pendant, pin badge, pincushion and pocket watch stamp

When I had procrastinated long enough I gathered together my fabrics, doilies and buttons and made Malice. I don't have much of a technique when it comes to doll making I tend to go with what scraps of fabric I have and begin sewing in a bit of a haphazard way. I do draw ideas for dolls and as I make them and draw them bits of story float through my mind and then everything seems to fall together.

Malice

I like that Malice carries a little key and though she is one of my simpler dolls I think she has a lot of heart even if it is locked up in a box safe and sound. I think she would live happily in Halloween Town don't you?

book page doodle illustration (one of my favourites)

all wrapped up, the pin badge is a typed quote

from Nightmare before Christmas

'What's wrong? I thought you liked Frog's breath.'

Miss Gertrude the Gatekeeper

Miss Gertrude the Gatekeeper

Miss Gertrude Grey is the Gatekeeper of Greymere Cemetery. Her father the venerable Professor Gideon Grey died leaving poor Gertrude with only the crumbling house filled with books and the skeleton key to the cemetery gates.

Each night she listens to the gears of her father’s collection of clocks waiting for them to toll the hours of the night. After midnight when the fog is thick in the empty streets she ventures out to the Greymere. She stalks the night voluminous skirts whispering against gravestones. From her pocket she withdraws a map of the cemetery each mausoleum and crypt carefully drawn. She follows a winding path, skirts brushing against headstones and crypts until she stood before the stature of a long forgotten lady.

Gertrude removed the skeleton key from around her neck and slipped the key into the intricately carved base of the stature. The key turned and Gertrude listened to gears grinding and turning before a small door slid back. She stepped through into the darkness and down a creaking spiralling stairs deep below the cemetery grounds. At the bottom of the stairs gas lamps flicker to life and Gertrude enters what was once her father’s laboratory. It is filled with rusting hulks of machinery, broken gears and levers, books, and dusty glass bottles filled with strange items and coloured liquids.

Everywhere are scattered notes and drawings in her father’s precise handwriting, piled high on the work bench, pinned up on the wall. Gertrude reaches out to brush her fingers against her father’s notes and the tools gathering dust upon his desk. A ghostly smile crosses her face as she picks up a small heart shaped machine from his desk turning it over and over in her hands looking at it through a golden filigree magnifying glass. She picks up a pair of delicate tweezers and sets to work adjusting the tiny cogs and springs within the apparatus.

Miss Gertrude locks the gates at night of ancient Greymere Cemetery, but when the hours dwindle she spends her nights in her father's secret lab building the machines he never finished and creating new clockwork curiosities.

Gertrude will be listed in my little etsy shop in a few moments.

by the power of..

Monday morning I wandered up into town to grab a few essentials from the grocery shop and I just happened to wander into a few charity shops and the one decent coffee shop in town. I found to my delight some vintage Ladybird children's books. Two learning books and three awesomely 80's Masters of the Universe books. I have used a very broken up copy of a He-Man book to make some pin badges awhile ago and these three are in much better condition. I'm not sure what I shall do with them but they are all fantastic. I had a quick thought about trying to resell them but I really haven't got a clue about such things as that, I will probably just keep them for swaps (80's cartoon swap anyone?) or make cards and badges out of them.

After nursing a latte for as long as possible I walked to the little antiques shop in town and found the small fruit knife in the first photo. It was only £2 and needs to be tidied up a bit but as it was only small and had a little loop for hanging it on a keychain I took it home and made it into a little necklace with a small vintage key and a small red button.

I think it looks rather smart.

Probably not very safe to wear on a plane next month.

glass beads, rusty keys and why I love twitter

glass beaded key pendant

This beautiful handmade pendant arrived in the post from the ever so talented Laura who gets to play with fire for a living. Seriously how cool is bead making? I assure you I don't want to have a go, fire and I have an unspoken agreement not to toy with each other ever. She is also a Browncoat, which makes her shiny in my book. Laura is one of the tiny twitter people that live in my laptop and phone. I don't know if I have told you this before but I think twitter is awesome. I have met some fantastic people via twitter, real life coffee drinking people. And tea drinkers too, but we don't talk about them.

You either get twitter or you don't. It's as simple as that. When I try to explain it as sort of a way to text friends via the internet I get an odd look from non-twitter people.

The majority of the people I follow on twitter are crafters, the rest are geeks, and most of the crafters are geeks as well so we all get along in out little 140 character bubble. The crafting community online is a really fantastic and supportive place, with everyone willing to share, swap, and help each other out. I, like many bloggers (I presume), am a bit of an introvert and quite shy, I don't have many friends in the town I live it, I could name them all on one hand, but the crafters,bakers, geeks, miscreants and vague sociopaths I know from twitter, blogs, and facebook are ten fold the amount of friends I have. And I do mean friends, I have met quite a few and they are some of the nicest most generous people I have ever known.

A few weeks ago Laura tweeted me and asked if I would like some vintage keys after seeing some of my crafty creations using vintage keys that I have horded. I said yes and she sent me a lovely little bunch of vintage keys that weren't the right size for her bead making. Which had me asking what beads did she make with vintage keys. She sent me a link to her flickr and I drooled over the Monochrome Key pendant there and told he she *has* to make a red bead key pendant because that would be ace. Two days ago a red polk-a-dot key pendant appeared in my post. I wasn't expecting it and I may have cried a tiny bit at the kindness and generosity of one of my lovely 'pretend friends'.

I love twitter.

Thank you Laura. You are so gorram shiny.

Iris the dryad doll for Japan

Iris the dryad

Iris dreams big dreams as she tends the flowers in her poison garden. Hellebore, columbine, foxglove, black henbane, bluebells , mistletoe, monkshood, poppies, oleander, stinging nettles and thorny apples, nightshade, wormwood, willow and yew.

Flowers, so delicate and earthly fair. Beauty that hides bitter poison filled secrets. Iris was human once, long ago forsaken by her love in grief and anger she became a dryad and her heart became a green and wild thing. She grows flowers in her poison garden flowers to heal and flowers to kill. Each afternoon she sets a tea party in her beautiful poison garden, delicate porcelain cups and saucers and a tea pot brewing tears, curls of steam dancing on the breeze.

Will you take tea with Iris? She made it herself.

Iris is listed in my etsy shop all profit for her sale will go to the red cross Japan fund. Her listing expired awhile ago and I thought about giving her away but I think this is better. Harrison has been very interested in what has happened and is happening in Japan. So listing a few dolls and donating is something helpful we can do together. I also have some things to take up to the Red Cross Charity shop in town that will hopefully help too.

popovers recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

butter to grease the muffin tin

Directions:

1. In a medium sized bowl or jug mix together flour, milk, eggs, salt. Mix well, the batter may be slightly lumpy. Let the batter rest for about 30 minutes before you continue.

2. grease 6 cups of a muffin tin (or popover tin if you are lucky enough to own one.)

3. pour the batter into the muffin tins filling them three-quarters full.

4. place the tin into a cold oven.

5. Set the oven temperature to 200C (450F) bake for 20-30 minutes until browned and crusty. Do not open the oven until cooking time is finished.

6. Remove the popovers from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. Pierce each popover with a knife to vent steam and serve immediately with butter, jam, syrup and fresh fruit.

cook's notes: I had been wanting to make these for awhile but never got around to it until this morning. Muffins are my usual go to freshly baked breakfast but the popovers were easy to make and everyone enjoyed them. Matt and I had butter and raspberry jam on ours and Harrison covered his popovers with maple syrup. I would have liked to have served them with some fresh berries and bananas but the shopping wont be done until tomorrow. I read through many different recipes on Food.com and Martha Stewart's Perfect Popovers, then as per my usual style I winged it and went with the simplest easiest way.

I best go get some housework, writing and typing done. But first I must share with you a picture I took on the way into Derby this morning. A very creepy skip lorry... I'm convinced it's Reavers. (sorry couldn't not have this little Firefly reference)

there are gorram Reavers in Derbyshire.

I am such a geek.

silver cup, buttons and books

silver egg cup and vintage buttons

I have been in a bit better mood the last week. The sun has returned on an off and we have had some lovely walks. I even managed a few thrifty trips to various charity shops. And I won't get in trouble for what i bought as Matt was with me both times, and he bought a few cds and some hamma beads with Harrison. *quitely swears*

On a trip into Nottingham to grab lunch we went into the Oxfam books shop and I bought a vintage Doctor Who annual from 1978, and a vintage ladybird telephone book. I bought them for card and pin badge making if I can bare to cut into them. Yesterday I bought the little silver cup, I think it must be silver plate. I love the patina of age on it and I plan to turn it into a little pincushion when I sit down to do some sewing a little bit later. I also found a dozen or so white buttons and a vintage pressed glass button that will used for doll making.

Dr Who annual and ladybird telephone book

please check out Apron Thrift Girl for Thrift Share Monday. Where some proper thrifting has been done by some lovely bloggers. Also please have a look at the little doll Harrison and I have made and listed in my etsy shop, the profits for the doll will all go to the Red Cross Earthquake Tsunami Japan fund.

the A to Z of me

button and key pendant I'm wearing

a little meme unabashedly thieved from from Emma who stole it from someone else so its totally ok. Any Excuse to better my attempts at procrastination.. but first I must put the coffee machine one...

*slurps coffee* alrighty then lets begin at the beginning

A. Age: 33. Until the very end of next month.

B. Bed size: Double though it came from ikea so it is probably so odd measurement instead of an actual size.

C. Chore you dislike: hoovering and painting walls

D. Dogs: I wish. My parents have a pack of little pugs and I'm campaigning to get one here. I just need to find someone to take care of it when we go to visit my parents and thier dogs in the wilds of Idaho

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee....its the only way to start the day.

F. Favorite colour: Red.. which makes me laugh as I used to hate the colour back in the days of working at Target in Santa Rosa when I had to wear a red shirt every day. Strangely I never got phaser-ed or left behind on a mission to an alien world. Purple is my other favourite colour from when i was a little kid as I hated pink..and I still do.

G. Gold or silver: silver. my mother has always worn silver and so do I. Gold just seems a bit tacky.

H. Height: 5ft 5. I am average in height.

I. Instruments you play(ed): er none. I had a keyboard as a kid and taught myself to play jingle bells and a few other things. We also had to play recorders in school which was just painful. I have no musical aptitude whatsoever.

J. Job title: I'm technically secretary of the studio (Field Photographic) though I mostly just do busy work that Matt brings home for me.. occasionally if I'm very good or bad I get to help lug cameras about. Mostly I am at home, shoddily doing the housework, crafting, and lots of cooking to keep everyone happy.

K. Kids: just the Boy. but believe me he is enough trouble for anyone.

L. Live: Derbyshire England, the town isn't so great but we are very near to so beautiful places and now that spring is here everything will be lovely and happy. I am always in a much better mood when the sun returns to the sky.

M. Mom’s name: Marie

N. Nicknames: Meri. Its been that for awhile from mumsnet and a shortening of my blog Meridian Ariel, which used to be a chat room handle from ye olden days of the internet. I also always wanted a more exotic, less month based name when I was a kid and would pretend to be an assortment of Alexandrias, Meridians, Catherines, etc. I like Meri best though.

O. Overnight hospital stays: twice. the first time was when I was pregnant with H and had hyperemisis and was put on a drip for a week in hospital because I got so dehydrated from all the up-chucking all day every day. It was hell on earth. the other time was when I had H. they wanted to keep me in over night which was a good thing because I came down with the flu over night and was somewhat delirious.

P. Pet peeves: I have many. Top of the list is chewing with your mouth open. Talking with food in your mouth and generally being rude and obnoxious.

Q. Quote from a movie: ‘Shiny. Let's be bad Guys' Jayne in Serenity. I wear the quote in pin badge form on my jacket. It makes me happy.

R. Righty or lefty: lefty

S. Siblings: none. Just me.. unless you could all the animals I was raised with. ;o)

T. Time you wake up: 6.30 ish... well its aroudn then that H gets up and starts talking. I don't actually get out of bed till about 7am.

U. Underwear: Sainsbury's. I'm classy me.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: brussel sprouts. but broccoli hates me.

W. What makes you run late: I try not to be but usually its one of two reasons. 1) getting the Boy motivated and ready to go out is a nearly impossible task. And then when he is out you notice things like his trousers are on backwards or he has chocolate all over his face. or 2) I have at the last minute decided to do some chore or other. say laundry which means shuffling it all along the line. seperating stuff out. then making sure the cats aren't in the garage. The having to take the stupid cat Starbuck back to the house as he has tried to follow me down the road twice this past week and he has no brain.

X. X-rays you’ve had: dental x-rays only. I am thick boned and have never broken anything. touch wood.

Y. Yummy food you make: I'm pretty good in the kitchen. I bake all sorts of goodies cakes, muffins, brownies. And a pretty good cook for everything else. I do love to cook though I don't think I will ever be as good a chef as my dad. I rarely ever do full roast dinners except for holidays. I wait till we go visit my parents as my dad makes the best roast chicken and gravy, roast beef .. well anything. I miss my dad's cooking.

Z. Zoo animal favourites: I always loved seeing the tigers, but we used to go to Marine World Africa USA (which is now Six Flags Marine World) and there was a big tiger enclosure and the keepers would give them cream from a carton. I also loved to see the owls and any of the baby animals.

that's me a to z ... what about you?