Think honest country living, organic farming with your gumboots, argyle socks by the fire with a baked Sunday dinner in the oven, sheep baa-ing in the next paddock and the faint smell of wood fire on a crisp, clear day
The range has been made totally by hand. Each plate and bowl, hand cut, hand finished, brush glazed by hand and loved by my own hands. Each piece has it’s own, organic shape and they are all food and oven safe too.
The basic ‘Organic’s’ collection has two designs- the linen texture, which is Marley & Lockyer’s signature…
…and the snow texture. A dimpled texture that has been totally done by hand. It reminds me of new snowfall in a country paddock.
I have been putting some of my other collections in with it and they all work so well together. This little bowl on top is one of my other patterns.
Part 2 to the range…the ‘Argyle’. I adore this. When I opened the kiln the other day, I may have done a little happy dance beside the kiln! It worked – and I am stoked it did. A perfect cable knit pattern that is also useable- oven and food safe. Imagine Sunday dinner by the fire with these on the table?
I’m so happy with how the texture picked up.
I hope you like this range. I have been working on it for the past few months in preparation for the Sydney Finders Keepers Market, which is on Friday 31st May and Saturday 1st June. This is when the collection will officially be released, after that, they will be available in the Store.
After the post I recently done on our kitchen re-do, I had a lovely email from the owner of a local Launceston Antiques Store, Recycled Relix. The owner, Cathy had told me that she had some old pieces I may be interested in…so I stopped in to check out the store and thought you might like a look in there.
The store is filled with all sorts of interesting bits and pieces and I took photos of some of the ones that caught my eye, like this old milk can filled with naturally shed Deer antlers. I actually painted a farm scene on one of these cans years ago for a farmhouse.
Not only did I love the ladder and the bottle carrier…but I loved the old cast iron meat hooks too.
This big trunk would make an amazing side table or coffee table…it’s huge. While I was in snapping photos, Cathy and I got chatting and I found out that Recycled Relix has been it’s current store for 2 years. If you are a local, you would remember, they started off across the road in the old heritage listed building. Cathy also moved to Tasmania with her family after a 9 day holiday tour of the state…just like we did!
I was so amazed at how many great pieces Cathy has jammed into the shop. Everywhere I looked I found something I loved…like this old hat box…
and this platter
and this. I was unsure of what it was and Cathy told me it was used in the mines for pouring hot liquid like metal, gold etc
You would know by now that I love old stoneware bottles and crocks and have a little collection of them…so this one immediately caught my eye.
Tucked under a table was this 1920′s medicine cabinet…and some handmade Convict bricks. I loved them both! I also loved the huge collection of porcelain electrical insulators and old amber bottles, but ran out of time to get photographs.
..but this is what came home with me for our kitchen!
Two old enamel pendant lights. They need a good clean up and are a lovely green.
The undersides are white- perfect. I am still unsure if I will keep them green, but having them against the beadboard in my studio gave me an idea of how they will work…I don’t mind it at all.
If you are ever in Launceston, stop into Recycled Relix at 167A York Street on the corner of Bathurst Street and say hi to Cathy…she is a sweetheart!
Thank you Cathy for all of your help with these. I really appreciate it.
My model for the day was Sarah, who some of you might recognize from the Marley & Lockyer market stall.
I really wanted this shoot to be relaxed, just like Sarah was at home doing her thing on a lazy Autumn weekend. Here is the Geo Porcelain/Wood Ring and the ceramic Pod Drop earrings. Sarah really has beautiful hands…not like my poor ceramic bashed hands!
Love this shot. I think it captures the whole Autumn/Winter feel I was after
This ceramic brooch, which is still un-named looks great on my big cowl that Sarah has on. I do need your help with that name….
One of you, who picks the name that I love, will win this brooch and the earrings shown!
If you have a name for it, please leave it in the comments section and I will pick a name…I wouldn’t mind hearing what you think of the photo shoot sneak peak too please.
Most weekends I bake…I love it. I love having family over and cooking for them all. That sense of belonging and being together is one of life’s wonders. Most weekends start like this for us here in ‘The Old Lady’ (our home)…a long lie in I need a spray tan while the boys play and we contemplate the weekend ahead. All I could think about was….
baking this!
So after Mic cooked us all a big bacon and egg breakfast, we headed off with the boys to the hardware store, then home to get some jobs done and then I got to work.
Now, as always, I tweaked this recipe to suit. I don’t like having to go out and get things we don’t have in season or already on hand. The boys are learning all about food growing at school in their School garden, so it’s great to use this idea at home too.
The original recipe I got from the amazingly beautiful magazine, Kinfolk ”Blackberry Buns With Warm Vanilla Sauce” and obviously calls for blackberries, but we had fresh raspberries I had frozen on hand so I used them and I had run out of vanilla beans, so I used the real vanilla paste (which is basically what you scrape out of the pod, but in a jar), so went with that.
I posted the photos I took here on my Instagram and Facebook page, and got lots of comments about giving you the recipe, so here it is. Can I just say that sauce is amazingly good and you could drink the whole bottle!
~Raspberry Buns With Warm Vanilla Sauce~ original by Kinfolk Mag and modified by me~
~Dough~ 500gms of all purpose flour
~250mls milk
~50gms caster sugar
~42gms fresh yeast
~200gms unsalted butter, softened
~1 egg
~pinch of salt
~Filling~ 300gms Raspberries (I guessed)
~pour flour into a bug bowl, and make a well in the center. Warm the milk. Mix 2 tablespoons of the warm milk with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and yeast together and let sit of 10 minutes. Add 120gms of the butter, remaining milk and sugar, egg and salt and knead with your hands until it forms a dough. Form into a ball and put back into the bowl and cover with a tea towel and place in a warm, draft free spot to rise for about 40 minutes. Ours sat by the kitchen fire.
When it has risen, knead again on a floured bench top and roll into a long roll. Cut off about 18-20 pieces that weigh about 50gms each. Press them into your hand like a little cup and fill with 3-4 raspberries and tuck the ends up together to close in the berries and face joined ends to the bottom of a buttered, oven proof pan. Cover again and let rise for about 10 minutes while you start the sauce. Preheat the oven to 180C (of 160C fan forced). Once you have let them stand for 10 minutes, brush remaining butter over buns and bake for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Cool down and dust generously with icing sugar.
Vanilla Sauce~15 gms cornstarch flour
~80gms sugar (I used caster sugar)
~5 egg yolks
~1 Vanilla bean (I just added vanilla paste to taste)
~500gms Whole Milk
~250gms Whipping Cream
Mix cornstarch, sugar and yolks together in a small bowl. Halve the vanilla bean and scratch out pith. In a medium pot, boil milk, cream and vanilla. Pour about a 1/3 into the yolk mixture, mix and pour back into the milk, but don’t let it boil again, just keep it on medium heat. Stir thoroughly until the sauce thickens. Remove from stove and either keep in warm pot or put in fridge if your not using it straight away.
Served best warm with the warm vanilla sauce.
This is such a nice dessert. The buns have a tartness to them from the berries, but that sauce balances it out beautifully.
If you try it, I would love to know how you go. Ness xx
Well then. It seems my divine birthday gift, the French Breadboard, has caused quite the fuss! So many of you have left me messages and comments on where I scored this divine piece…well, let me divulge my secret source…
As you might know after reading the last few posts, I have wanted one for…ever! Could never find the right one though I know I am picky, it’s the stylist in me but this one is, well, perfect. Perfect colour, patina, size – everything.
I got this baby from Jim at Fossil Vintage in Melbourne who gets the most divine, amazing pieces from all over Europe and brings them back in big old shipping containers full to the brim….I could take it all!
Here is a little peak at Jim’s treasures…and some of whats on my shopping list.
Real Demijohn’s…you can even get the wire baskets with handles that cart these beauties about – I know, right!
Who doesn’t like a huge ol’ letter? Look at the stuff in the back of that truck!!
Yep, I know, I have one already, but I think big old needs a smaller relative…
These French galvanised bowls are wonderful and will be perfect when we get our new shelves in.
Vintage French rolling pins come in tub loads and that one on top is amazing. I do love a rolling pin…after all I use them all day with Marley & Lockyer
One of these old sieves is on the list too. I really want one some for the wall in the kitchen, or maybe on the mantel of our old fireplace in the kitchen…either way, I could have showed you a million things I want need from Fossil Vintage, but we’d be here all night now. The thing with Jim’s finds is that you need to know that they are real vintage/antique pieces and they come to you as is, straight from the container, so you see them here as they have been sourced in all their perfect old glory. If you have ever loved a stylish restaurant/cafe that has awesome antique pieces, good change the pieces came from here. It’s the best kept secret!
Jim will post anywhere and it seems some of my readers from the U.S.A have also contacted Jim for bread boards after seeing the one I got. If you are interested in looking at the site and getting in contact with Fossil Vintage, just visit the website and email Jim and let him know that Ness sent you Run, don’t walk…or you might miss out!
Now for the winner of the giveaway which includes a LUDA ceramic plate and a ceramic Hummingbird necklace.
THE WINNER IS -SARAH HALLET!! who commented on the blog page with this:
I get so excited to see new lovelyness on you post….you make everything look so gorgeous and inspiring!! If only the breadboard could talk…what stories it would tell!! love, miss birdy xx
Congratulations Sarah! I wish I could have given you all something for your kind comments. I really appreciate all of the support and love you give to Marley & Lockyer…don’t worry, more giveaway’s soon!
Designer, Stylist, Artist. Lover of white, vintage home wares, old linens and textural elements. This is a journal of all things I love. I hope to inspire all that beauty can be done on a budget. Shop Marley & Lockyer at http://www.marleyandlockyer.etsy.com Enjoy!
