Gilles Street Markets & Creative Spaces...

Welcome to my revamped blog! I finally took the time to make it a little more 'darling-esque.' Admittedly, I despised the last background/layout that I had, just because it was a generic one that I knew would be used by thousands of other people. But these are baby steps- I have never been very techno-savvy, so even setting this blog up with a generic look was a challenge for me! After much tweaking and copy-pasting of widget codes, I finally have this new look! I'm proud!

Choosing my new background was pretty easy, because I have done lots of art in this style lately. I love the convenience of my little kid's watercolour palate (yep, just add water!)- I even brought it to uni with me last week! It is handy because I can paint something, and then after a couple of minutes I can pack it away in my uni bag because it is already dry! I really like the style I have been working in because it has basically no structure and is very therapeutic! The peices don't take much time so I am starting to get a little collection. It is one of the only collections of my own art work that I have actually liked- I am usually just annoyed by the final products... but these ones can stay! If I make enough, I think I am going to finally set up an online Etsy store (something I have been meaning to do for a loooooong time). 

But the watercolour palate is not the only place I have been getting my creative juices flowing. My kitchen has also been a place of creation lately! I have been working on perfecting a few recipes. The first one is The Cauliflower-Base Pizza! This recipe has been circulating around the health blogs for ages now, and I have always wanted to give it a go. Last Friday night I had a drinks-thingy to go to so I seized the opportunity (and a large cauliflower) to make the pizza! 

For something so simple, I was amazed and pleased at the results. The base was just steamed cauliflower, two lightly beaten eggs and a bit of parmesan cheese (which I think would be optional). These ingredients are blended and then the mixture is spread out on a baking tray (I added a sprinkling of oregano) and baked for about half an hour. And there you have it- a flour-less pizza base! I covered it with whatever ingredients I had in the fridge- tomato slices, olives, onion and parmesan. It was sooooo tasty (and my friends agreed!)

Who says my favourite tea cup is just for drinking purposes?

I have also been creating some more complex recipes. The first is homemade CoYo. Anyone who has tried this will understand my recent addiction to this coconut milk-based yoghurt (as seen in the photo above), and will also understand my horror when I saw the price of a tub! So, my clever Mum suggested making it at home. We have some experimenting to do, but I will be sure to post about it once we have mastered the art of making CoYo! 

With all these creations- homemade skincare, new recipes and artworks- I should start up a market stall...

Oh wait, I did! Last weekend myself and a few lovely lady friends ran a Gilles Street Market stall. The Gilles Street Markets are Adelaide's top fashion/craft markets and attending them always means you are in for a fun and funky day. 

We were only selling clothes this time, but when I get back from France I want to do one selling art and/or my skin care products! 

We had soooooo much stuff to sell. Between five of us, we managed to fill more than 6 clothing racks and took up the space of a double stall site! 

The Gilles Street Markets are a fun day out whether running a stall or buying from one! I was selling clothes that I just wanted to get rid of, so I was pricing them at about $5-$10, and I still made a profit!

But apart from that, I had so much fun running the stall with some close friends. We just hung out there all day, chatting and eating yummy market food. 

We were really lucky to get such a nice bout of weather for our market stall. It was not too hot, not too cold, just right for selling our unwanted clothes to bargain hunters! 

Mum and I cannot wait to get our hands on a soy candle-making kit! Finally, an excuse to buy all the
cute tea cups that I see during my op shop raids!

I even picked up a few bargains myself- including these amazing white-framed glasses that I cannot wait to wear in Spain with my new bikini (which I bought with my market profits!). Our market day was a big success, I had a lovely time with my girlfriends and made enough money from my clothes...to buy more clothes! Haha! I can't wait to do a craft/art based stall in the summer...