Alice in Wonderland Cookbook

Being an Alice in Wonderland fun I couldn't go past this vintage find - an out of print Alice in Wonderland Cookbook. With the Lewis Carrol quotations and Sir John Tenniel's delighful illustrations, it is quite priceless. Drink Me Soup or Queen of Hearts Jam Tarts anyone?

                                                                         Amazon Books

                                                               courtesy of  Brain Pickings

     

Take the recipe for Looking Glass Cake:

1 pound flour | ½ pound butter | 4 ounces currants | 4 ounces mixed peel | 3 ounces raisins | ½ pound castor sugar | 2 teaspoons baking powder | 3 eggs | 1 teaspoon mixed spice | milk

1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Beat eggs and whisk gradually into the creamed mixture.
3. Sift flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture by degrees.
4. Finally mix in fruit and spice.
5. The mixture should now be of such a consistency that it will drop easily from the spoon. Add milk only if necessary.
6. Turn into a cake tin approximately 7 ½ inches in diameter lined with greaseproof paper.
7. Bake for 2-3 hours in a slow oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, Gas Mark 2.
8. Test with a skewer to see if cooked. Insert it in the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready to be placed on a wire rack to cool.
9. Cut it first and hand round afterwards.

                                                        Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

"The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,

All on a summer day:

The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts

And took them quite away."

berry red, berry blue, berry-licious

They come and they go. You have to be quick. Have them while you can, enjoy them while they last...here's to berry-licious summer splendor!

All photos copyright Galeria Rocco

frame it DIY

I freely admit, I don't like empty picture frames on the walls...to me they look sad and hollow.
You know, like they were made to frame something, and that something disappeared. I had frames without pictures on my walls at times, but they always held something to compensate the loss.
So for those like me, here are a few ideas of frame management:

                                         
                             a totally unique way to put a picture in a frame...
                                                                                Etsy
                                                                            

                                           
                              a seasonal frame decor from  Lush Home

                      A leaf from that special fall trip via  DECOmyplace                 

                             framed letter...or is it a laundry list?  Or a recipe?  via Jeanne d"Arc Living

    curtain hanger clips can hold many treasures...from Ikea

       
          these are really blank canvas, stamped and dressed in burlap pockets, to hold some goodies,
                                                                  tutorial via Makezine

                                                 
                      not a real frame, but it pretends to be... from Etsy

                             this window frame is so gorgeous...

                             and this one makes the vintage posters feel right at home...

                                and this one looks very crafty.              
                                all above via dishfunctional designs

                                I wish you happy framing!!!

chilli peppers love

 My love affair with chilli peppers started in India, and never stopped. The fiery things are actually really good for you!  They are widely used in Asian countries for their antioxidant and antiseptic properties, to preserve food, and - surprisingly - to cool the body. They also contain an amazing level of vitamins and minerals, and can be powerful healers. Good article here.
Best still, they are so easy to grow!

       They grow in summer, they grow in winter, they grow on your window sill and some bear fruit all       year long. They look great in a tropical garden, and they look even better in a pot, against a snow covered window, pretending they are a Christmas decoration. And there are so many kinds!

 

    I dry them or pickle them in olive oil or vinegar (try adding carrots and honey...)
    Good recipes here and here. I still have to try homemade chilli jam!

All photos copyright Galeria Rocco

petrified wood pendants

Petrified trees. Chunky and somewhat crude, there is something very solid about it, that I feel like holding on to...After all - unlike rocks - it is organic matter, that managed to survive millennia without changing shape...amazing stuff.

                                          free stock photo

According to lore, petrified wood helps removing obstacles, grounding and calming emotions, it assists in reaching difficult goals and overcoming fears. It strengthens bones and protects. In other worlds, it is rock solid, like you would like your friend to be. I can't help liking it. And it can be worn.

Here's some special pendants for inspiration:

                                all photos Bauble Arcade Jewelry

salt candlelight

Warm, calming light of these mood improvers never fail to entice me...whatever other health benefits they are supposed to possess  - reasonable article here - they make me take a step back from my daily plod-stomp-slog combo, and for that they should be prized.

                  
                      I like to place them under my herb pot plants...

               

                      together with my Black Vanilla air freshener sticks...

                     on the window sill for those lost at sea...

 
                                            or simply by themselves.

By the way, so called Himalayan salt is not mined in Himalayas, but in Khewra Salt Mine in  Pakistani province of Punjab. But I agree, Himalayan sounds a lot better!

All photos copyright Galeria Rocco

black wall - ditch or dare?

Oh, no mistake, I am a white wall person, calico and linen natural shades devotee, washed out timber floor dreamer, and sun kissed, light filled rooms native. Recently though I seem to crave the drama of a jet black wall...and I'm not talking about ever present chalkboard kind, popping everywhere like mushrooms (cute, but becoming too much of a standard, which for me means look elsewhere).
I have been adventurous about my walls since I was able to hold a paintbrush. I was drawing, painting and stenciling on walls, I had pure white walls, cream and yellow walls, lime, mint and teal walls, even a dark purple wall with a large antique golden frame mirror, which looked eye popping. But I never had a black wall.
My black wall would have good natural light and preferably high ceiling for the full impact. And on it, a large hanging print, painting, photograph, hand painted wall plate, an antique sword or a Cameroon hat. Some white or organic looking furniture against it. And a lot of empty black space. I'm a minimalist at heart. Unfortunately at the moment I don't have a suitable wall to try out these ideas, but maybe you do? What would you do to your black wall?
Here's some I really like:

                              the above white against black contrast photos via digsdigs.com

                       this via apartmenttherapy.com

                         highly tactile wallpaper, I feel like patting it... that yellow flower on the wall...
                         via at home arkansas

                          art objects pop out against the black...via Vogue Living Australia

 
                    how cool is this? black wall with a twist via emmas.blogg.se

                              drama of a gilded frame mirror - I'm convinced it will be kinder to your image...via Fresh Home

                             organic against black does pack the punch too!
                             via materiadesigns.wordpress.com