Arts and Crafts

It’s been a long while since I blogged…so here goes!

As you know I am a Corsetiere, which is a lovely old craft involving the excavation of gorgeous patterns from the depths of history and re-creating them for the pleasure of both client and myself. I just love creating things with my hands and if I find a pattern which is particularly old, the thrill of bringing it back to life is better than toasted Hot-cross Buns and tea!

My fashion excavations are not limited to ladies archaic unmentionables, however. I have recently discovered a men’s tail- coat pattern dating back to the 1800’s and I love the process of re-drafting the pattern and finding just the right fabric to recreate this beauty.

In fact I love anything made by hand. It is something that I think that modern folk have taken for granted. If you are used to buying your clothes or gifts from a store that has them spat out of a factory at a rate of knots, I expect you to balk at the price of hand-made goods. But here’s a challenge: find an easy project for you, anything creative will do. Now take time gathering all the bits and pieces that you will need to complete that project. Then reserve time to sit and truly enjoy the project. It doesn’t matter how easy or how difficult it is, you are on a journey of discovery. Once you are finished, sit back and appreciate how much love and care went into your creation. That is priceless…even if it wouldn’t sell on Regretsy.com.

So I will include a recipe for my favourite smash together dinner, for those of you who are too busy to cook. It’s cheap and will make your partner want to marry you!

Refried Beans with Nachos:

Serves 3-4

3 x tins of Red Kidney Beans drained and washed.
1 tin of Mexican tomatoes
1x chilli chopped finely
1x clove of garlic mashed…more if you really enjoy it
Half an onion finely chopped.
1tsp Coriander powder
1tsp Cumin powder
1 garlic and herb stock cube.

Fry your onions, garlic and chilli with your spices in a little oil.

Add the beans and the tin of Mexican tomatoes

Dissolve your stock cube in a quarter cup of boiling water and stir into the beans.
Now mash the beans roughly with the back of the spoon. You don’t have to pulverise them, just smoosh them a little.
Add pepper to taste.
Simmer for about 10-15 min and then serve on a generous portion of Nachos. I prefer the plain salted, but the Spicy Tomato ones aren’t bad.
If you are feeling really decadent, top this off with cheese. Pop your plate under the grill to melt the cheese. (Only of it’s oven proof!)

Dollops of Guacamole are a must!

Enjoy!
C