Thursday, 13 June 2013

Member of the Month for June



Well another month and another name was chosen from Monique's fabulous bowl and this time it is ...............
Angela of TomaydoTomato. !!
Limited Edition Print: BIG CHICKEN BLUE, Marietta, Georgia.




Congratulations Angela.  Your turn for a month of being featured by our Expat team in treasuries, your own Pinterest board, Facebook and just generally spoiling you :)  Enjoy!


Angela, as you may guess from her shop name, is not a native of America, although that is where she is presently residing and working on her wonderful Etsy shop.

Originally from the North East of England she has found herself in very different surroundings in Tucson, Arizona.  You can read in her own words all about her travels on her Etsy shop profile page.  Just click and check it out:)  and her About Etsy page here.
You can also find out more too if you keep reading :)

Angela is one of our newest team members and we are all enjoying finding items in her lovely shop to feature.
This 1960's Corvette is definitely one of our favouirtes, as so many of us chose


Limited Edition Print: CORVETTEthis gorgeous car print to display.














There are so many other really great prints too but this is top choice this month!


Along with the prints of so many famous places and unique items, Angela makes handmade, personalized gifts
Her shadow box prints are a lovely way to acknowledge and commemorate someone special.


A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR - Themed personalized Birthday Gift Shadow Box
Personalized shadow box 

Handmade jewelry is another lovely gift option Angela offers in her Etsy shop.  Here are a few:
Natural Amethyst Gemstone NecklaceRed and Pink Glass Long Pendant NecklaceRed Jasper Gemstone Pendant NecklaceWood and Turquoise Bead Earrings

Natural Amethyst Gemstone
Red and Pink Glass Pendant
Red Jasper Gemstone Pendant
Wood and Turquoise Bead Earrings



Angela has a couple of recipes she would like to share with us and prints of her home town and some of Georgia & Arizona:

Originally from the UK.

I was born and bred in England. What is English cuisine, we are always asked? Well the thing we always make our new friends, is Yorkshire Pudding, or Toad in the Hole to be precise! 
I have no idea where the name came from, but it’s fun to see their faces when I tell them what we are having for dinner.


YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

Ingredients: Half a pint of milk, 4oz plain flour, a pinch of salt and 3 eggs.
Method: Mix it all together!

Yorkshire puddings should be cooked in Yorkshire Pudding tins, which are difficult to obtain in foreign parts. You could use a muffin tray? When making Toad in the Hole you need one large tin, a large baking pan, or a loaf tin is perfect for 2 or 3 people. (The ingredients serve 4, so if you are making a large one double up.)

The oven needs to be hot, and the oil does too. So have the oven heated to 250/475/9, put the oil in the tin(s) and heat it till it’s smoking hot. Then remove and pour the mixture into the wells of the tin. When making Toad in the Hole, cook the sausages in the oil in the oven first, then remove and add the mixture.

Return to the oven. Do not open the door for at least 20 minutes!!! It will collapse! 
The batter will bubble and rise, and become fluffy inside bit golden and crisp on the outside. Yum!

Serve with mashed potato and onion gravy…..



Prints of my home town of Newcastle:



Limited Edition Print: The Tyne Bridge from Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne / Gateshead, England, UK
The Tyne Bridge 
Limited Edition Print: The Tyne Bridge from Gateshead, Newcastle Upon Tyne / Gateshead, England, UK
Gateshead, UK
Limited Edition Print: The High Level Bridge, Newcastle Upon Tyne / Gateshead, England, UK
High Level Bridge
Limited Edition Print: SWING BRIDGE, Newcastle Upon Tyne / Gateshead, England, UK
Swing Bridge



Views of the Tyne Bridge, Newcastle Upon Tyne / Gateshead, UK







Now living in the U.S.A.

In 2009 we moved to Acworth, which is NW Atlanta, Georgia. 
I was sent a Jamie Oliver cookbook as a Christmas Gift a couple of years ago - ‘Jamie’s America’, which a thought was a little weird at the time…. An English book by an English chef, sent from England… to America. Anyway I am glad they did, as it contains one of my favorite recipes – a southern staple:

GUMBO

This takes around 2 hours to make, but OMG it’s so worth it. We love it. I make it at least once a month.

These are the ingredients for 6 to 8 people:
Meat: 4 chicken thighs, and 4 chicken drumsticks. (If I am making it for the 2 of us, I use 1 pack of thighs, or drumsticks, or 1 chicken leg is just as good.) Leave the skin on! You can take it off later.
Also a pack of Andouille sausages, or fresh chorizo sausage – thickly sliced. And 4 rashers of bacon, but I tend not to have bacon, so just leave that out and it doesn’t affect the taste.
Spice: A teaspoon of paprika, and a teaspoon of cayenne.
Erbs: It’s spelt with an H? Sprigs of Thyme, and 4 bay leaves.
Veg: A large onion, and four sticks of celery, finely chopped. A green pepper and a yellow pepper (I just use one for the two of us). 6 cloves of garlic. Sweet potatoes (one large or 2 smaller ones if fine for 2 people). Do not forget the sweet potatoes!
3 heaped tablespoons of plain flour. (I am gluten free, and corn or chickpea or potato flour all work fine.)
Chicken stock. He says 1.5 litres, but I just go with my gut on this….

Season the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. 
Fry the chicken, sausage and bacon in a large pot, on high, for 15 minutes, till it is golden brown and crispy. (You really do need a large pot, as everything ends up in that pot cooking together.)
Remove the meat, turn down the heat, add the onion, celery, and peppers and fry in the meat fat for 10 mins.
Add the flour - to make a roux. He says 10 minutes, or if you prefer darker 20 to 30 minutes! I’d stay I stick with this for 5 to 10 minutes….
Add the garlic, sweet potatoes, all the meat, thyme, bay leaves, and stir for a minute, then add the chicken stock. Bring it to the boil, then simmer for 45 minutes. (I use enough stock to cover everything. Too little is better than too much? You want it thick, not watery! You can always add more later?)
After 45 mins, take the chicken out and shred it off the bone. Throw away the bones and skin, and add the meat back into the pot.

Jamie adds chopped parsley and spring onions, but I don’t bother with garnish!
Serve with rice. Yummy yum yum – spicy meat and the sweetness of the potato


Prints of North Georgia:  Click to view more.  


Limited Edition Print: BIG CHICKEN BLUE ii, Marietta, Georgia.
Big Chicken Blue, Marietta



Limited Edition Print: LAKE ACWORTH, Georgia.
Lake Ackworth


Limited Edition Print: CARTERSVILLE DEPOT, Cartersville, Georgia.
Cartersville Depot, Georgia


                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


October 2012 we moved to Tucson, Arizona. We actually live in Sahuarita, which is south of Tucson, about 30 / 40 miles from the Mexican Border. I can’t say I ate much Mexican food in Newcastle, nor when I lived in London either – it wasn’t available. But there are Mexican restaurants all over America, and we had several favorites near where we lived in Georgia, and even more now here. 
I mentioned before I was Gluten Free, and it is such a joy to go to a restaurant where I can eat most of what’s on the menu! If it’s not on the menu they will usually put whatever it is into a corn tortilla too. Except for a burrito, which is always a large flour tortilla - but they are the size of a small baby?! 
I’d never had mole before living in Arizona – spicy chocolate sauce - OMG I get to eat chicken with chocolate!!! I digress….. 

The main thing we get here in Arizona, which I’d never had before in Georgia, is Tamale’s. A tamale can be filled with meat, cheese, fruit, or vegetables, which is wrapped in masa (a starchy dough, usually corn-based), which is then steamed or boiled in the actual husk of the corn!

TAMALES
Ingredients: 2 cups masa harina (Mexican corn flour), 
1 10oz can beef broth,
1 teaspoon baking powder,
1/2 teaspoon salt, 2/3 cup lard (yes – lard!),
1 (8 ounce) package dried corn husks, and whatever ingredients you want for the filling you want for your Tamales.

Cook the meat or vegetables, etc you want for your tamales. Meanwhile soak the corn husks in a bowl of warm water. 

In a large bowl, beat the lard with a small amount of broth until fluffy. Mix the masa harina, baking powder and salt together, and then stir this into the lard mixture. Add more broth as necessary, to form a spongy dough.
Spread the dough over the corn husks a quarter to a half inch thick. Place a tablespoon of filling into the center, and then roll the husks in. Steam the tamales for 1 hour.
Remove tamales from the husks and drizzle with sauce. They usually use as green or red chile sauce, or I have had them with a cream sauce too. A quick option is to mix chili sauce into sour cream.

You can tell I have never actually cooked these? Lots of restaurants serve them. You can buy them at the supermarkets. And we have taco trucks! and makeshift cafes at the side of the road! Who needs to cook?


Prints of my new home in Southern Arizona:  



Limited Edition Print: SAN XAVIER TOWER
San Xavier
Limited Edition Print: TUMACACORI GRANARY
Tumacacori Granary
Limited Edition Print: "PUEBLO HOTEL", Tucson, Arizona
Pueblo Hotel, Tucson, Arizona
       
Thanks for reading. Happy eating! 
And thanks again for all of your support to me as June MoM x

  
It was our pleasure Angela!!  Thanks for the recipes.

Here's a grand finale treasury of your fabulous items.

Please swing by and check out Angela's shop.

You can find these unique items at TomaydoTomato





Posted by Linda of JustOneLook for Etsy Expats








Monday, 3 June 2013

May Challenge: 'Going In Circles"

Some wonderful items entered into the team challenge treasury this month.

We will be commenting and voting over the next 48 hours so check back to see who the winner is.
Better yet, pop on over and comment and vote for yourself!! The more the merrier :)

Click HERE to view the treasury.

and our winner is................................... Monique of uniquenique
Well done ... what a fabulous entry!!!

Green or Blue Starburst Fused Glass Serving Platter
Fused Glass Serving Platter
This challenge brought out so many wonderful items that really fit the bill.  Quite impressive.

Jan and Linda (actually, that's me) tied for second place with Jan's lovely scarf from her foulardfantastique shop and this jewelry pouch from sewfinefashions.

Rhiannon/tailorbird, Hayley/thehopetree and Jackie/StitchMikki all tied for third with their wonderful entries (respectively):
An appliqued perpetual anniversary tree hoop
A set of vintage clocks
An organza flower art card.

Our team challenge treasuries are always filled with lovely items making it a hard choice but this time it seemed extra difficult.  I really could have picked 5 or 6 winners!!  

Well done team... let's keep the standard up and see what you all come up with for our next challenge at the end of June.  

Posted by Linda of JustOneLook for Etsy Expats

Wednesday, 1 May 2013

Member of the Month for May


Well here we are at the start of another month and time for a new M.o.M.
Who will it be this time?

Monique and her helper, Ryan, put all the names in that beautiful bowl and once again, stirred and stirred and stirred.

Check out our team FB page to see the photos.  (Monique uses one of her gorgeous creations) and her son has fun helping. 

Then ..... the name was chosen...................................................................Hayley! Yay!!


Hayley is our team founder and has two fabulous Etsy shops 
.... selling not only her wonderful French vintage finds but also her unique & artistic paintings.  A very talented lady indeed.  

We will be featuring her shops in our treasuries this month, posting items on her very own Pinterest board and generally spoiling her as much as we can.  :)  

Please check back to see what progress we are making.. we will be adding items along the way
.

Hayley is from South Aftica and loves to paint from her heart... this painting shows her talent.


original african face painting
original African face painting

2  vintage sugar tongs    Jan, our member of the month last month,
found these cubed sugar tongs and chose them to feature:..she is also a collector of vintage.





One of my personal favourites
is this corkscrew
made from hardened grape vine.


vintage wooden corkscrew
tire bouchon

Julie chose this fabulous collection; in fact it is one of Hayley's personal favourites too!
vintage french clock collection'''''
One of Hayley's favourites.




antique lace collar french rouleau lace or cord collar
antique lFrench rouleau lace collar


Delightful!  Is how Shirl described this vintage collar.
Yes, absolutely lovely!




 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hayley  grew up in South Africa and has sent us a recipe... one she remembers enjoying particularly on school days.  



South African RUSKS
They’re perfect for dipping in tea or coffee and are a great healthy-ish afternoon snack. They keep well if you store them in an airtight container.

Ingredients :

* 6 cups white flour
* 2 cups whole wheat flour
* 7 tsp baking powder
* 2 tsp salt
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 cup sunflower seeds
* 3 cups all bran flakes
* 1 cup chopped pecan nuts (optional)
* 500 ml buttermilk or plain yoghurt
* 250 ml oil
* 300 g butter
* 3 free-range eggs

Mix all the dry ingredients together, and melt the butter and allow to cool. Beat the eggs.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together to make a dough. Divide the dough in half and flatten in two roasting pans that have been lined with tinfoil and greased. Cut the dough into rusk-sized shapes before placing the tins inside the oven to cook for 1 hour at 160 C.

Once cooked, the rusks need to be lifted and placed upright in the roasting pan and returned to the oven at 100 C for a further 2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the rusks in there overnight so that they are able to dry out well.

 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 Sally noticed this unusual item:
vintage key corkscrew in a key shape
vintage key


Looks like a vintage key but is actually a corkscrew/bottle opener!
What a fabulous find!!






So many more items were chosen this month to be featured.  Hayley's shops are looking fabulous.
This set of stamps is one of my favourites
french embroidery stamps 3 vintage stamps
Embroidery Stamps

Hayley has a few lovely purses.
antique coin purse metal beads'''''
Antique Coin Purse
This beaded coin purse is a popular item. A couple of our members picked this one out to highlight.


Click on it to get a better view... it is really pretty.

Here is another lovely purse
French Clutch Evening Bag.



vintage metal beaded french clutch evening bag
French Clutch Evening Bag

... and this lovely selection of three little clutch purses.


Of course, this is just a small taste of the wonderful selection of vintage items the hope tree has to offer.


Check it out for yourself and don't forget to visit
hope and vanilla also to see antique religious items and lovely linens.

Keep up the good work Hayley, bringing us all these wonderful items.


Posted by Linda of JustOneLook for Etsy Expats




GOING ORANGE

Queen's Day, Netherlands

By Shannon Meyer



Today, the blaring of horns is not a traffic jam. Driver's are celebrating the Dutch national holiday, Queen's Day.

“We celebrate the birthday of the Queen,” explains an Alblasserdam resident. “Actually, it's the birthday of her mother. She kept the 30th of April as Queen's Day as a remembrance of her mother.


1.jpg

Big rigs parade around the city of Ridderkerk, their horns echoing through the neighborhoods.


It has been celebrated in this way during Queen Beatrix's 33 year reign. However, next year will be different. Today Beatrix will step down and her son Willem-Alexander is to become king, the first Dutch king in 123 years. Maxima, of Argentina, is his queen.

Many Dutch remember Queen Beatrix's reign fondly. “They have a lot to live up to. The legacy they are inheriting is significant.”



2.jpg

Queen Beatrix on the Dutch Euro coin.


The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, and Dutch royalty has no official political power. However, unofficially, they have influence through their relationships with other monarchies and world leaders. Hearkening back to the country's roots in trade and commerce, the resident remarks, “The other thing, why it's important to have a monarchy, is we are a very small country. Our biggest asset is trade. You do business with friends.”



3.jpg

Many houses display the Dutch flag today.



The streets are lined with fluttering red, white and blue Dutch flags topped with orange “wimpels,” the color of the royal House of Orange. Orange is to be seen everywhere as shops string up orange balloons and people don orange shirts, feather boas, fedoras, and even hair. Communities big and small are alive with activity.



4.jpg

Orange clothes are worn in honor of the House of Orange.


While the Dutch are proud of their culture, such showing of national symbols is uncommon. “Here in the Netherlands, the flag with banner complete is typically something for Queen's Day...I would say it is a very modest [national] pride. We don't go 'oooh, look at us.' We don't advertise.”


In line with the tradition of commerce, a typical Queen's Day event is community rummage sales where anyone can lay out their used items to sell. The town of Ridderkerk has organized several such sales, where one can find everything from an antique sewing machine to a bucket full of smurfs. A large screen is set up in the city center, showing the coronation ceremony as it happens in Amsterdam.


5.jpg

One man's trash is another man's treasure.


A crowd gathers as the ceremony begins with the Dutch national anthem, Wilhelmus. Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima move across the screen. In attendance of the ceremony are many other members of royalty, including Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, as well as prominent people such as Kofi Annan. Even the elusive Princess Masako of Japan is attending, her first trip abroad in seven years. The Alblasserdam resident re-iterates his earlier remark: “It is very important to keep relationships in good order.”


6.jpg

Ridderkerk city center.


Many Dutch are gathered today with friends and family to watch the proceedings and share “tompouce,” an orange-frosted puff pastry. Elsewhere are parades, and everywhere bustles with activity and people out to celebrate. At one point, a distant band enthusiastically belts out “Sweet Home Alabama.” The day will conclude with fireworks, bidding a final farewell to the reign of Queen Beatrix, and the Netherlands will look forward to next year's King's Day.



7.jpg

Tompouce.



Shannon Meyer is an American artist living in Holland. She is the owner of SilentMagician Fine Art. Her work can also be found on Etsy.

RECIPE: Dutch Pancakes




BASIC DUTCH PANCAKES

..200g flour
..400mL milk
..2 eggs
..dash of salt
..olive oil (or frying oil of choice)

1.  Combine all ingredients with a mixer until smooth

2.  Heat oil in a frying pan over Med/High heat. Pan should be hot enough to solidify batter very quickly.

3.  Add just enough batter to coat bottom of frying pan with a thin layer.  Tilt pan as needed to cover the bottom evenly.

4.  Flip once top is dry, or check that underside is golden.

5.  Serve with sweet toppings.  (Some Dutch favorites are syrup, chocolate sprinkles, anise powder, apple syrup).

Variations: Add slices of fruit or bacon to the pancakes while frying.

Contributed by:  SilentMagician



Monthly Team Challenge: "April Showers May Bring..... "

original cat etching and watercolor - singing in the rain
original cat etching... singing in the rain

Our team challenge was the first Monday in May..... May 6th.
Hope you managed to come by and vote !

We had so many entries this month that we had to have a second treasury.  Not enough to fill two but it was fun finding items that fit the bill and what a great showing we had!

Treasury Part One can be seen here and Part Two you can view here.

So many choices and finally the votes were tallied and we had a tie!
Tailorbirds' umbrella and raindrops cushion was a huge success as was atelier28's etching.

Rhiannon's lovely pillow was so appropriate.
Umbrella and raindrops cushion cover, yellow and blue, free motion applique, linen and cotton. 40cm / 16"
Congratulations both of you Rhiannon and Andrea!...

April showers brought out quite a variety.... including these two items too.

Karen's bridal wrap was popular as were Katrin's pretty painted sandals.  Another fun, diverse challenge.

Hope you all manage to come by next month for our May challenge.... "Going In Circles" ..... we are already off to a good start with several entries and it's only week one!!

See you then.......

Posted by Linda of JustOneLook for Etsy Expats








Monday, 1 April 2013

Member of the Month for April: Jan


Our pot was stirred and stirred and stirred.....  and stirred .... and stirred....... Monique's son gave a helping hand and made sure the names were mixed well. You can see the photos here on our FB page.                                                                                                     







The winner was finally chosen.......
Yay!!!!
it's Jan .... who has three lovely Etsy shops to visit.
fabriquefantastique

foulardfantastique

boutiquefantastique


Visit and follow Jan on her blog.  

Jan always has something interesting to follow, whether it's travelling to a far off land or visiting the local thrift shops, showing us her fabulous finds.  

Stop by our FB page to see the photos of Ryan stirring and choosing a name... and let us know you like us.

Leave a comment here and give Jan some love.  

Best of all, come join us.  We are a chatty group who support each other and have fun doing so.  Click on the join the team button on our home page.
Back later with more information for you to check out about our new MOM :)  Off to forage through her shops to see what I can bring you.............

I found this fabulous vintage quilt in fabriquefantastique:
Vintage,  antique quilt,  30s 40s,  Grandmothers Garden, hexagons,  vivid and fresh
Amazing condition for such an old quilt.  

a wonderful 1940's wedding gown at boutiquefantastique
1940s satin wedding dress long train beaded stomacher
antique satin gown

and in foulardfantastique this lovely item:


Bill Blass vintage silk scarf flowers ribbons pearls Romantic and feminine
Bill Blass vintage silk scarf



It's so hard to pick just one scarf from Jan's amazing collection.  I will have to bring you some more next visit!!  









***************************************

Jan's birthday this month too and Julie of Dorsbien made her a fabulous treasury:)  

***************************************


As promised here are a couple more of Jan's lovely scarves. These were chosen by team members for their treasuries this month:

AtelierJen chose this pretty scarf.


FLORAL silk scarf, 80s, large square, signed , hand rolled ,  summer theme




New Zealand vintage souvenir scarf FREE SHIPPING
Souvenir of New Zealand
This one from Joanne of CoconutPalmDesigns

Julie picked this gorgeous colour scarf
Vera scarf 1970s tangerine with ladybug
Silk scarf / spring / Iris / 1940s 50s / hand rolled / delicate / feminine
Alysen chose this one



and there were so many more .. we could just keep going so you really need to go visit for yourself..  foulardfantastique.  Enjoy your visit!!  


*Jan originally comes from the UK and now lives in Toronto, Canada. 

She is sharing a couple of her favourite recipes with us:

I am not a 'recipe' person any more having cooked for so long I barely measure anything (cept for cakes and jams)
Easy to throw together anywhere in the world....feel free to try any root veg or any spice or any onion...this is only a starting point
easy peasy

Carrot and poppy seed salad.
4 large carrots
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 spring onions
oil/lemon juice dressing of your choice

Peel carrots with peeler. Continue to peel carrots down the length of the carrot to form thin ribbons.
Put poppy seeds in heavy saucepan and dry roast for a few minutes, leave to cool.
Mix carrot ribbons, onions and dressing, sprinkle with poppy seeds.....serve.


From my DIL ....again, feel free to use any fruit or nuts.

Pear and arugula salad.

3 ripe pears, peeled chopped or sliced
4 or 5 large handfuls of arugula or watercress
large handful walnut pieces
4 oz approx blue cheese of your choice. crumbled

sprinkle pears with lemon juice
roast/ brown walnuts in oven....cool
mix all together at last moment turning gently with your hands
drizzle with olive oil or oil of your choice.

No other seasoning is required as the lemon juice is in the pears and there is plenty of salt in the blue cheese.

Thanks Jan.  These sound delicious!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Finally before we bid our fantastic member of the month farewell, here is a treasury in her honour.  
We had fun Jan... hope you did too!!!


Post by Linda (JustOneLook) for Etsy Expats

March Challenge: Marching To The Beat of a Different Drum

Starting off the beginning of the month with our usual, or should I say unusual  team challenge treasury.  
Please come by to vote for your favourite.

48 hours later:
Voting has closed and the winner is uniquenique (our March member of the month) with this lovely Kokopelli pendant. 
Green and Blue Fused Glass Kokopelli Pendant Necklace
March Team Challenge Winner


Congratulations Monique!!

Jan of foulardfantastique came in second with this lovely Soloman Islands scarf.
Soloman Islands, travel scarf  , tropical flowers , map ,   canoe prow , frigate bird
foulardfantastique's entry
We had plenty of participation with many votes too for CoconutPalmDesign's drummer boy print, StitchMikki's fabric landscape and Dorsbien's renaissance shirt.  (modeled by the guy in the kilt). 

Well done team.  Thank you for commenting and voting and supporting our team challenge.  
See you next month for our April challenge:
'April Showers May Bring... '  

If you are already a team member, stop by and enter your item here or join our team to play.  Go to our home page and click on the join team button.  
Look forward to meeting you,
Post by: Linda  JustOneLook

April Fool's Day

Good Morning Expats... first day of April.  
Hope nobody is getting pranked:) 
May it be a wonderful month for us all.

Post by Linda JustOneLook for Etsy Expats