This week has been a little rushed…to say the least. Gathering ideas for patterns I’ve been taken photo’s of some wonderful Australian flora….or found on Australian soil.
Open Pods
Joining in and linking to Kim Klassens Texture Tuesday.
Original Twistedvines + kk lola + light and shadow adjustments.(Picasa3)
original photo.
![texturetuesdaysbutton[1]](https://twistedvines.me/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/texturetuesdaysbutton12.jpg "texturetuesdaysbutton[1]")
Have a great week, Yvette…x
The colours of these liliums are just so vibrant, and exhibit light and fragrance to a corner of the garden. The hot sultry sun rays shine on their transparent petals, with hues of white, yellow, purple and oranges.
With the music of the whispering wind, they’re like playful bells with outspread ruffled skirts, beautifully stylized and coloured, with grace as they waltz and sway in the breeze.
It’s amazing how each flower has a unique pattern and colour and such an intricate flower center.
I sometimes feel like Alice, in a magic garden wonderland and find myself within the enchantment of the frame of a picture perfect flower and its perfume. Lost…and whispering!
Have an enchanting day, friends
Yvette…x
Source:
Original photo’s: Copyright 2012 Yvettes Twistedvines
Etchings – The Pink and White Botanical Print (Circa 1855 Book) The Graphics Fairy and Wikipedia.
Don’t fear change – embrace it.
Anthony J. D’Angelo
Busy Bee
Macro Photo Twistedvines + Embrace Texture by Kim Klassen
We all fear the unknown, we all have our routines. And wouldn’t it be a boring place if we knew everything that was going to happen to us. How do we stay focused on the many wonderful things we have and then have lost.
Gone, in a moment.
Another moment gone by – lost in the past.
What happened in that moment – I had control of my life, and can only do what I feel right to do in each moment. Our approaches to moments in time become our life. Can that next moment be an empty space, or maybe we should just e m b r a c e it as its own mystical place. How many times have you thought of something new, a new idea, heard a new voice and grasped that moment, that thrill or spark to reach for the unknown and embrace the moment. Our past experiences of thoughts and ideas master over that moment. Our future doesn’t have to be limited by our past experiences and ideas. We don’t need to continue within our head, but create and master from our heart.
Creating a new textured photo, using one of Kim Klassens textures ‘embrace’,TT Texture Tuesday is when we link to Kim Klassens cafè and share, visit other participants and view the talents. Come along and join in here
![texturetuesdaysbutton[1]](https://twistedvines.me/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/texturetuesdaysbutton11.jpg "texturetuesdaysbutton[1]")
Have a great day,
Yvette…x
I’m not going to write bucket lists, wish lists, long lists…I’m going to write one word
FOCUS
…this is my word for twentytwelve. Every time I do something, that inner voice within is going to remind me of my word..focus..on the creative side, on the things I love to do, write and say. However many times things may seem blurred in my mind, with my eye’s I can focus, breath and grow.
Moving into a new year, I’m back into the swing of Texture Tuesday with Kim Klassen. This weeks theme is ‘nice and easy’, that’s the way we gently ease ourselves into linking each week at the cafe …what will be a year of creativity, new beginnings and lots of learning for me with my photography.
Linking to the cafe here
![texturetuesdaysbutton[1]](https://twistedvines.me/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/texturetuesdaysbutton1.jpg "texturetuesdaysbutton[1]")
Have a great week everyone,
Yvette…x
Here I am at the end of another year…a year that was, what it was….I’m not sure about how lucky it was, you know all that eleven lucky stuff, but it certainly proved to be an experience of highs and lows. I found pleasure behind the lens of my camera and developing those skills. I continued baking and discovering more and more my passion for the kitchen and food styling, renewed my artistic hand in design again. A talent that truly has been hidden deep within me for so long and only learning again to soar, create and fly on those wings of artistic freedom.
I’ve laughed and cried, lost and gained, fought and struggled, but I’m still standing. I’ve made some really hard choices this year and I’ve counted all my blessings. Found gratitude for the little things and Give Gratitude for your support throughout twentyeleven. I’ve found some wonderfully talented people from all over the world around the blogging world, made new friends and travelled the world to catch up with long lost ones
I wish everyone a safe and happy New Year everyone.
A mosaic look at Twistedvines for the year –
All the best,
Yvette…x
![1awalnutgfairy008[1]](https://twistedvines.me/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/1awalnutgfairy0081.jpg "1awalnutgfairy008[1]")
Although some of you may well be over the Christmas Day cheers and shaken berocca’s. I end the Christmas month of December sharing with you one of my all time favourite Christmas ‘sweet’ recipes. Of course this can be made anytime of the year as walnuts are available all year round now. However, it’s our family tradition to make it over the Christmas month.
Torta di Noce (Italian Walnut Cake).
This was our third platter made up of Torta di Noce and Florentines for our mixed ‘sweet’ platters of Chocolate Rum Balls and Christmas Sugar Cheer.
I’m also sharing photo’s of our family Christmas celebration – A Christmas Summertime in the southern hemisphere.
Sugar and spice make these Chocolate Rum Balls a decadent ultimate Christmas treat. Aromatic spices of cinnamon and mixed spice, rolled in chocolate sprinkles and coconut. One bite size of pure bliss.
During Module 1 of The Art and Business of Surface Design course, we created moodboards and colourboards that we shared with all the other participants. It was four weeks of creative works and wonderful new friendships and energy, and I look forward to modules 2 and 3 in 2012. One of my boards I created was chocolate brown and red, and it’s somehow has influenced also this post. Just a little romantic touch also in my moodboard!
Read on for this delicious recipe for Chocolate Rum Balls and a little more festive red and chocolate brown.
What better way to start the countdown to Christmas than sharing some festive Christmas sugar cheer. Our sugar project; prepare some Christmas treats to see around thirty smiling faces.
With so many ‘little’ treats to choose from we short listed some of our favourites, and created a couple of our own. The main feature, a ‘Pandoro’ Christmas Tree.
Pandoro (pan d’oro) is a traditional Italian sweet yeast bread most popular around Christmas and New Year . Typically a Veronese (someone or something from Verona, Italy) product, pandoro is traditionally shaped like a frustum with an 8 pointed-star section. Cut crossways it’s shaped like a star, and then layered usually with Chantilly cream, custard or even ice-cream.
It is often served dusted with vanilla scented icing sugar made to resemble the snowy peaks of the Italian Alps during Christmas.
Ours was filled with fresh whipped cream, cherry syrup jam and cherries (tinned). Decorated on top with fresh cherries and puff pastry reindeers and snowflakes sprinkled with icing sugar.
These pastries are based on cream horns, see details here. Cutting an oval base and two sizes of puff pastry snowflakes, coated with egg wash and sugar and baked in a moderate oven until golden. Layered with fresh whipped cream and cherry jam.
Love sharing the Christmas Sugar Cheer…Happy Baking!
Yvette…x
This quote was placed in front of my eyes, only this week and thought I’d share it with you.
If you want to see the Sunshine, you have to weather the storm.
– Frank Lane
This quote rings in my ears, how true…
I’ve been celebrating the 12 days of textures with Kim Klassen and looking at my photo’s today, there’s the strong contrast of cool and warm colours,
Cool or warm which appeals to you…
Winter wonderland for Christmas, or Summer warming sunshine rays?
Not long to go…
Yvette…x
The list is long, of all the special sweet treats that you might write on your wish list of baking for this festive season. My niece wanted to bake something and one of her all time favourites is fudge…you bet chocolate, cocoa, coconut fudge brownies. So her eyes went bounding through many of our cookbooks, which were scattered over the kitchen table and she found this easy delicious recipe.
Looking almost in every kitchen shop, I finally found some snowflake cookie cutters, so I decided to cut snowflake shapes of this choc fudge. I think they look great, it does take a little extra time however, but you know me anything for a little more loving detail.
Recipe: Peppermint Candy Cane Slice
125 grams butter, melted
1 cup (220grams) brown sugar ( we didn’t have quite a cup full so I added fine caster sugar)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon peppermint essence
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup (150grams) self raising flour, sifted
2 tablespoons cocoa
3 or 4 candy canes, roughly chopped/crushed
375 gram block of cooking milk chocolate
Preparation:
Pre heat oven to 180° C
Grease a 19 x 30cm lamington slice pan. Line base and sides with baking paper. Place butter, sugar, egg and peppermint essence in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Stir in coconut and sifted flour and cocoa. Mix well and press into prepared pan.
Cook in moderate oven for about 20 minutes.
Unwrap 3 or 4 candy canes and place in a snap lock plastic bag. Gently crush with rolling pin.
Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Pour over slice and spread evenly then sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Stand at room temperature until set.
To serve cut into rectangles of for than something special idea for Christmas use your favourite cookie cutters.
Enjoy,
Yvette…x
Sources: Snowflake etching The Graphics Fairy.
Yvette's Twistedvines 