The Altoid Tin

Several years ago I received three empty Altoid tins as part of an exchange.   This was at the height of "Altoid Tin Topper Fever".  However these have languished in my stash cupboard while I tried to find a suitable chart (for free of course) or to pluck up courage to design my own.  

This is stitched on 28 count pale sea green linen in DMC floss using a free chart from Victoria Sampler which I altered to suit myself.   I glued satin ribbon around the tin and added a twisted cord in DMC perle around the top edge. I don't really like the words on this but I am not good at charting letters so left it as was.
Tonight I will line the inside with fabric and then Finito!  This is the first of the 12 items I plan to stitch for the sale of work at next years Embroiderers' Guild Exhibition.   Do you think it will sell?
I have another free chart, a hardanger one this time, also for an Altoid Tin Topper so that is lined up to do next.  All being well that should be done before Christmas too.   Yeah!

My only tree this year....

The Naxos Necessaire is all stitched and I have begun the search for suitable lining fabric before constructing.   Our tutor told us to take time to choose carefully and I am looking for a striped silk.   So far I can only find blue striped silk but am determined to wait until I see exactly what I want.   So no happy dance for this one yet.

However it meant I could start a new piece.   So start I did and finish too!   Here's this year's tree.

From this years JCS Ornament Issue -  stitched entirely from stash.   28 Count Cashel linen (Vintage Mocha) and DMC floss.  The small spool came from my friend in Japan.  One stray star, a drinking straw, some pins and tacky glue.  Voila!

Tonight I hope to glue the ribbon and twisted cord on my first Altoid Tin Topper.   Yes yes, I know.   These went out of fashion about five years ago (^_-) but I have three tins and stitching one of these was on my list of 60 Things.   They are tiny (therefore quickly finished), useful (thereby satisfying William Morris) and stash reducing (self satisfying) -so all in all a Good Stitch.

60 Weeks Until ..... Number 14

This week was delicious!  I highly recommend this one.

Yogurt-Baked Fish with Walnut-Herb Crumbs

You will need

500g White Fish season with salt and pepper

Grease a baking dish
Remove any stray bones from fish and place in one layer in the dish

150g breadcrumbs
150g finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon butter

Mix altogether with your fingertips until the consistency is fine crumbs

250g natural Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cornflour
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all these together into a smooth cream. 

Pour the creamy yogurt sauce over the fish.
Pack the walnut crumbs generously over to cover the fish.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

Serve hot with rice and fresh salad. 

I used New Zealand Hoki but any firm white fleshed fish that becomes succulent and tender when cooked will be successful.

Enjoy!

Colour Coordination and Naxos Red

Yesterday the HD3QBEM and I went to Daruma Sushi and here's the proof.  Doesn't the HD3QBEM eat a lot!   I colour coordinated the pile of dishes to make it easier for the waitress to count.

On the way home we called at my LNS and I sneaked a couple of shots of Christmas trees.   Somebody else has made a Suffolk Puff tree!   I really like the idea of cinnamon quills for the tree trunk.   Might try that myself next year.   The button tree would be better in green and/or red I think but I doubt I will copy that idea as I couldn't be bothered sewing all the buttons on (^_-)

Last night I completed the final ornament for the 2013 Christmas Ornament SAL and the big reveal will be later this month.   This one is not a hanging ornament - it stands alone on its own one foot.

The Naxos Necessaire is coming along well.   I have one main panel, the wide hinge and the two narrow hinges to stitch and then I will have completed my target for this year.   Construction of this is complex and not suitable at all for the silly season busyness of this time of year so I will put it away, joyfully start a new project and finish-finish in 2014.
Yes, she says with a small jump of great happiness.  I can make a start on a new piece.  What shall it be?   I have already decided -  it will be a sampler so that I get a variety of stitches and colours.   While it may be traditional,  these monochrome Naxos inhabitants have created in me a total boredom and somewhat temporary dislike of red.  
 Weekend chores are now done and I'm off to put tonight's dinner in the oven and then read some more of my Henning Mankell e-Book.   Enjoy your weekend as I have enjoyed mine.

November Christmas Ornament

And now for the November Christmas Ornament.  I have had this one prepared for a few months and soon it will be wrapped and posted off so it can be displayed on its very own tree.  
But here's a photo to prove I've done it!

Please don't ask me where the design came from.   I can't remember.   It's a scrappy piece of A4 paper but I do know that I stitched this on 28 count linen in DMC115

Still a little early to say Happy Christmas so I'll try Happy Thanksgiving instead.

This is made for me!

I work for an office products supply warehouse and today while chasing up the manager for a signature I went past a new shelf and saw a "made-for-me" notebook.
What sort of notebook is that?
Let me show you

Just perfect for someone like me who loves lists!

I can see this filled with a variety of lists but first up is of course an embroidery To Do List (^_-)

60 Weeks until .... Number 12 and 13

It's catch up this week.

First up Easy Lemon Chicken

4 chicken breasts (around 250g each)
500g potatoes peeled and chopped into small pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a shallow pan.
Place the potatoes around the chicken.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Combine the vegetable oil, lemon juice, garlic and seasoning
Bake for 50-55 minutes until the chicken is done and the potatoes tender when seasoned with a fork.
Increase the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius and cook for another 10 minutes until the potatoes are browned.

Delicious and enough for three meals.   Yay!   An easy week for meals this week.


Next is Roast Pumpkin, Zucchini, Capsicum and Feta Crustless Quiche.

Cut 500g of peeled pumpkin into 1cm dice and roast in a hot oven
In a pan sauté

• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• 1 small red capsicum diced
• 1 zucchini trimmed and diced
• (and I added four mushrooms also chopped finely)

Season the mixture well then add the roasted pumpkin.

In a bowl mix together 1 cup self raising flour with six eggs and 100g of grated cheddar cheese.

Add the vegetable mixture to the egg flour and cheese mixture and combine well.

Pour into a well greased and floured 24cm springform cake pan.   Smooth the top and crumble 100g of feta cheese across the top.

Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and the egg is set.
Serve with a side salad and tomato chutney. 

Yummy!   But should really be called Vegetable Cake as that's what it looks like on the plate.

So this week the HD3QBEM won't have to cook anything, just reheat as needed.   Isn't she lucky to have such a kind daughter ;-)