Self drafted twist front top

I drafted this top using the instructions from the book Pattern Magic. I picked up the English version towards the end of last year from Tessuti. The twist front top is the first project I've tried from the book. I used a fairly basic shirt pattern from BWOF 02/09 as the base for the pattern and followed the instructions for converting the front pattern piece into a double twist front. After some fiddling it worked out quite well. The top is made from a black 100% cotton rib jersey which breaths really well. I used the same cotton to make a polo shirt for my brother for Christmas last year.

My only issue with it is that the neckline is a little wide and can show my bra strap which is fine at the moment because I'm almost always wearing a scarf with the weather the way it is at the moment in Sydney. I think next time I make this pattern I will bring in the neckline a little to stop this. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

This post has been sitting as a draft for quite some time. We made these peanut butter cookies a few months ago when I discovered Smitten Kitchen's Peanut Butter section. It was one of the first recipes we made from her website and since then we have made many more. These cookies turned out slightly differently to how they appear on the smitten kitchen website but they were delicious and I will definitely be making these again.  

We made these as a spur of the moment cookie making on a Sunday afternoon so we didn't have any chocolate chips around and I'm not certain that peanut butter chips are even available in Australia, although they seem like an awesome idea, so we omitted both of those. Otherwise we kept the recipe exactly the same. You can find it here. 

RnB Events Management Office

These are some renderings of the office space I am working on for uni. These aren't finished but they are getting there.

Workspace

Workspace

Bar/Breakout Space

Breakout Booths

Workspace and Breakout/Meeting Booths

Entrance Hallway

The idea for the space was to show the two different sides of RnB the glamourous side and the street side. The main work space is inspired by a streetscape while the bar, office area and chill out zones are inspired by a club aesthetic. A breakout booth/meeting space divides the two aesthetics while still giving visual penetration into both spaces. 

I am working on finishing the 3D model up now and making a physical model for the presentation. 

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Tarts

I've recently been on a bit of a desert making spree. During the Easter/Anzac Day long weekend I experimented with two different types of tarts. I don't normally do deserts entirely without recipes, I normally just bend and tweek but I was feeling adventurous and I had leftover cream cheese so I just sort of winged it. 

I love the light crunch that puff pastry brings to a dish and by brushing a little sugar syrup over the puff pastry before baking the shells take on a lovely light sweetness to compliment the cheese and strawberries. These tarts are really simple to make and can be whipped up within half an hour. Making them perfect for an impromptu desert.

Makes 8

Ingredients:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp boiling water
250g cream cheese
12 tbsp icing sugar
3 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
12 strawberries

Method:
Preheat oven to 200ºC. Cut each sheet of puff pastry into four squares. Grease a muffin tray and press each piece of puff pastry into a hole. White sugar and boiling water and brush over each piece of puff pastry. Place in the oven and cook until golden.

Meanwhile place cream cheese, icing sugar, lemon juice and rind in a mix master or food processor and beat until well combined. Cut each strawberry into four.

Remove pastry casings from oven and allow to cool slightly. Add 2 tsp of cream cheese mixture in each casings. Place 6 pieces of strawberry onto and serve immediately. 

From Pinterest - Chairs

From left to right top to bottom:
Bali
Snake
The Rising Chair
Sgarsul
Spring
Pavo
Loop Chair
LCP
MT3

From Pinterest - Lighting

Augustin
Q Floor
Teardrop Table
2D LED Pendant
New Buds
Cage Mic
Lumiere Grande
Uto Table Lamp
Hanging Light

Apple Tarts with Almond and Brown Sugar

Continuing on with my desert spree from the long weekend I whipped up these tarts really quickly with what was in my fridge. They are really quick but do require a little fiddling with filo pastry. They were fantastic though especially with all sorts of apples just coming into season in Australia. I suggest you make some. You can substitute whatever pastry you want for the filo. I find the crispness of filo offsets the apples nicely.

Ingredients:

Makes 4

1 Granny Smith Apple cored and sliced

1 Pink Lady Apple cored and sliced

15 sheets Filo Pastry (Approximately)

4 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp slithered Almonds chopped or whizzed in the food processor

1 Tsp Cinnamon

Glaze:

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp boiling water

Method:

Preheat oven to 200ºC. Grease a muffin tray. Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon and almonds. Spread mixture between random sheets of filo pastry reserving about 1/4 of the mixture. Cut pastry into four through all layers and place into individual muffin holes making sure to push pastry gently into corners. Arrange apple slices in pastry cases making sure there is an even mix of each apple in each tart. Sprinkle remaining sugar and almond mixture over apples and bake for 30mins until apples are cooked through and pastry is light golden.

Mix glaze ingredients together. Brush over tarts and serve with ice cream.