love note... to true religion | espresso bar

love... your illustrated wall
love... your friendly service
love... your coffee!
love... the cute stamp on your cups
love... that you offer 100% natural sweetener
love... that you are very local
love... that i usually see someone i know there
love... knowing i'll be there again soon...

true religion is located at 415 darling street in balmain. be sure to check them out if you are in the area.

[photo credit | ceri muter via instagram ]

** 40% off ** this is terrific news for you, not easy for me though...

** celebrate with 40% off all book handbags at CERIosities **

while i have delighted in the creativity of making the ‘spines’ collection and have been truely inspired by all the wonderful custom orders it has come time to retire the book handbag ‘spines’ collection.  yes it is a shame, however on reviewing their viability it is correct business decision to make, not such an easy personal decision though. 

this is terrific news for you! to celebrate my 'spines' collection i'm offering 40% off all book handbags at CERIosities [$ aus] shipping is only $6.35 within australia so be super quick and get handmade value for your money!  of course international shipping is also available, details coming up...

be admired... for your creative flair in owning one yourself or for your imaginative and thoughtful gift giving that inspires others. then they too can be admired! 

please refer to each items individual listing for specific details and international shipping rates at CERIosities or feel free to contact me with any queries or to purchase directly from me at hello [at] CERIosities [dot] com [dot] au or use link in the 'contact me' section above.  

get your 40% off - handmade value for money - here at CERIosities and be admired...

ceri

  
[photo credit | ceri muter ]

** 40% off ** this is terrifc news for you, not easy for me though...!!!

** celebrate with 40% off all book handbags at CERIosities **

while i have delighted in the creativity of making the ‘spines’ collection and have been truely inspired by all the wonderful custom orders it has come time to retire the book handbag ‘spines’ collection.  yes it is a shame, however on reviewing their viability it is correct business decision to make, not such an easy personal decision though. 

this is terrific news for you! to celebrate my 'spines' collection i'm offering 40% off all book handbags at CERIosities [$ aus] shipping is only $6.35 within australia so be super quick and get handmade value for your money!  of course international shipping is also available, details coming up...

be admired... for your creative flair in owning one yourself or for your imaginative and thoughtful gift giving that inspires others. then they too can be admired! 

please refer to each items individual listing for specific details and international shipping rates at CERIosities or feel free to contact me with any queries or to purchase directly from me at hello [at] CERIosities [dot] com [dot] au or use link in the 'contact me' section above.  

get your 40% off - handmade value for money - now here at CERIosities and be admired...

ceri

  
[photo credit | ceri muter ]

techie talk... you probably have more fb 'likers' than you realise!

did you know...?  

when a facebook page likes your page, it doesn't get included in your pages's total like count? this count only includes likes from facebook personal profiles. yup, you probably have more likers than you realise!

mari smith also points out there isn't any way to check and see which pages have liked your page, so why not pop over and leave a hello note, as your page on a page(s) that your page has liked and have a little engagement fun!

ceri

ps. that required using the word 'page' 8 times, in case your wondering...... oh mmmy! :-)

[photo credit | mari smith | facebook]

love note... a shopping spree with my friend bree!

how divine is thee, new parasol bought by bree. 

what else is a girl to do, it's not enough to only coo....

[photo credit | ceri muter, on location at darling collectables, rozelle, nsw]

love note... an 'egg'cellent moment

a random glance down, and what did i see.  there you were hearting me...

gratefully yours, more please..

ceri

[photo credit | ceri muter ]

'groovy' gifts | in store now!

'groovy' [ha ha] vinyl record bowls have been enjoyed for ages now and they never seem to lose their intrigue. this clever idea is not mine, however these are heat warped and individually hand shaped by me making them uniquely one of a kind.

lately i have had enquiries about theses vinyl record bowls from some very organised christmas shoppers and friends who wish to pass on the joy they experienced upon receiving one themselves.  

  

so you can now find neil diamond's 'heartlight' vinyl record bowl in store now at CERIosities with more on the way so check back again soon.

[photo credit | ceri muter ]

love note..... to an adorable post box

you caught my eye today, can't believe how adorable you are!  you are certainly unique, not many like you around. who is the creative one that gave you life, the owner, adult or child? wonder if the postie smiles like i do every time i see you? has anyone else noticed and admired you?  you bring such cheerfulness to the dullest day. thank you for the delight i felt in the moment i noticed you and always....

gratefully yours, more please

ceri

[photo credit | ceri muter]

love note... to one of my favourite foods

 

mmm... mmmmm... mmmmmmm... !!!!!

swiss chalet, how i love thee!  succulent, juicey, tasty, white chicken breast you melt in my mouth.  french fries, you are the best ever and oh mmmmy, special sauce you are to die for - oh sooooo delicious you send by tastebuds crazy!  wish your lids were off so i could see more of you..... skin, of course i eat you, and what a crispy, yummy treat you are! 

can i actually smell you at this moment.....? that is impossible! you are only in canada and although we were both born there i lust for you from australia now. will you ever come to this part of the world?  please, i'm sure everyone here will love you swiss chalet and i promise to be your best customer..............!  mmmmmmmmm......!!!!!!

gratefully yours, more please....

ceri

  

[photo credit | ceri muter]

love note... to my bike

you've safely gotten me to where i need to go and faster than if i were to walk, for that i thank you.  i've personalised you so your handbars and seat are most comfy.   love your colour and sporty look, it suits me better than your vintage style mates.  would you agree that using the water bottle holder as a coffee holder was a good idea...?

gratefully yours, more please... 

ceri

[photo credit | ceri muter [me] ]

love note...

bridge, you are so strong and connecting and display wonderful patterns. trees, i love the way you've created a contrasting, soft, romantic canopy which still lets the warm sun shine through.   bridge and trees, if i were a fairy or a troll i'd choose to make you my home.

to the two guys on bikes, i adore your sense of adventure, love ya!

gratefully yours, more please...

ceri

[photo credit | ceri muter]

free for me... free for you...

up until now [24 may 2011] i have not been charging for the padded bag that safely protects the bookmarks on their way to you.  i had a huge amount of them generously donated to me and i have passed that savings onto you the customer, if i didn't have to pay for it nor should you.

now that all the donated padded bags are gone, having taken bookmarks to wonderful places, an additional $1.00 has been added to the shipping cost to cover the protect padded bag that is used to safely ship the bookmarks.  the australian shipping cost of $1.20 is the exact amount australia post charges plus the $1.00 for the padded bag, that is a total of $2.20 no hidden costs....  international shipping costs increased as of april 2011 to $2.25 plus $1.00 for bag is a total of $3.25.

 

i only wish i had made the freebie known from the start then perhaps it wouldn't be so awkward making this increase now.  i'm sure you understand..... thx

[photo credit | leeber & doublewinky & brad stabler]

my mailbox has a secret...

my mailbox was smiling at me today...  i thought it was happy to see me, after all is has been a while since my last visit.  nope, my mailbox had a secret!  you see my mailbox can see through envelops and it knew what delightful treasures awaited me...

...beautifully designed and perfectly handmade by the lovely skye of StudioS


[photo credit | ceri muter ]

they're back!

the penguin on a iceberg bookmarks are back!

if you are thinking they are a little different you are right, good spotting!

still just as gorgeous, the new lampwork penguin beads are a little chubbier with a more distinguish tuxedo look and a cute red scarf . 

the every popular frogs on a lilypads, ladybirds on a autumn leaves and otila bookmarks are still available. browse CERIosities shop here.



[photo credit | ]

let's celebrate with something sweet!

did you know it's coeliac awareness week [13-20 march 2011].  no, i wouldn't have either had i not been diagnosed with coeliac disease late last year.

it's a bit cooler here today, the grey clouds have come over and i feel like a cuppa. i think we need a sweet treat to go with a cup of green tea while we listen to the soundtrack to one of my favourite films 'amelie' i've got playing in the background.

how about we make some really easy gf [gluten free] coconut macaroons inspired by a recipe from donna hay's modern classics book 2.   these macaroons are gf by the nature of the ingredents.  i'm going to try replacing the sugar in this recipe with xylitol a 100% natural sugar free sweetener [low gi and low carb] and decorate them a little bit of melted gf chocolate.

ready! let's don our aprons and make some gf macaroons.......

coconut macaroons recipe

preheat oven to 180˚c 
2 cups disiccated coconut
1/2 cup caster sugar or xylitol 100% natural sweetener
2 egg whites
mix all ingredients to combine
pack mixture into a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon
place on a baking tray lined with baking paper
cook until golden brown aprox 10 mins

the xylitol worked extremely well, they were still sweet as macaroons are meant to be but not as sweet as when caster sugar is used.  i perferred the sweetness of the xylitol but i tend to go for savvy over sweet, so if you have a sweet tooth and don't mind the calories then use the caster sugar.  it binded equally as well, baking time was the same, they may have gone a bit more golden. the only difference was they crumbled a bit when eaten,  now that could be due to the different sugar or it may have been the humidity because once they were stored in an airtight container for a while they they were perfect.

if you make these macaroons, drop me a comment i'd love to hear from you.

enjoy the weekend......

ps. as defined by the coeliac society of australia, coeliac disease (pronounced seel-ee-ak) is an autoimmune disease. autoimmune means the body mistakenly produces antibodies that damage its own tissues. it is a permanent intestinal intolerance to dietary gluten. a number of serious health consequences can result if the condition is not diagnosed and treated properly. further details here at the coeliac society of australia.

[photo credit | coeliac society  ceri muter [moi]

messy, destructive, perfection...

it's no secret i'm a big fan of keri smith. i love her books mess, wreck this journal and how to be an explorer of the world, it is always fun and a well needed mindset shift to play around with her creative destructions / experiments.  you should try it some time....

i've coloured in a t-shirt with a rotten lemon, played with glue and sand to create a lovely textural design, got messy with clay from a beach side cliff, drawn endless colourful circles and an continuous drew line until the page was full. you can see the outcome of these experiments above and here.

on sunday night david and i decided to try our local korean restaurant ma ba sa, and i ordered the bi bim bap as my main meal.  just look at the pile of rice with the perfectly cooked egg placed on top and the slight bit of snow pea sprout, the perfect garnish, doesn't it just look perfect.  then there are the vegetables, again look at all the perfect piles of tasty colour all perfectly presented with the chilli in the centre, perfect!

stick with me here.....  there is a reason i've jumped from creative destructions / experiments to food and just used the word 'perfect' 6 times! in one paragraph.

as it turns out, my dinner date with david turned out to be one of  keri smith's destructive experiments with food.  keri is all about making a mess in every way possible, i on the other hand have to admit i like neat, tidy, organised, clean, undamaged......etc.etc. i know... i know...! :-)  the way in which you eat this dish is to chop up the egg, mix all the veggies with the rice and egg until you have a delicious 'mess'.  and delicious it was!!!

i'm going to share a little secret with you.  i sat and admired my brand new, perfect, keri smith books when they arrived and wondered how am i going to bring myself to mess or wreck these......  now i have i would love to do it more often, however finding these sorts of 'experiments' in everyday activities is just as fun!

it is interesting though how the completed  'mess' or 'destruction' always turns out perfect...!

[photo credit | ceri muter ]

notation #1 | rhonda of the the dainty baker has a great blog post / review ma ba sa and her photos are much better than mine.

notation #2 | i order my bi bim bap without soy sauce, so if you decide to try it yours may vary slightly.  i'll explain in an up coming post.

if you were a rock star....

 

if you were a rock star what would the name of your band be?  what would the cover of your album look like? and what would be the title of your album be? 

ok, so the heat of last week got the better of me and i had a moment of weakness and got distraction by this fun little game on flickr | lawendula, or maybe i have a secret desire to be a rock star....

here is my rock star moment.....

band name | undersurface,  album title | a season of hope - love it! and all the colours of the album cover are awesome.

isn't lawendula's album beautiful and mystical. so, here are the games instructions as set out by lawendula

1. go to wikipedia, click "random article", use first word as your band name.

2. go to randomquote. use last 4-5 words from last quote on first page for your album title.

3. click on groups in flickr, use the second group under 'groups we've noticed' [right side] and then search for 'creative commons', use the seventh picture as your album cover.

4. put it together. there you are.

have fun with this and i'd love to see yours so add 'your' album here and/or here.

[photo credit | heather & ceri & lawendula]

promise to myself...

a big hello, yes, i know it has been awhile.... i hope everyone is happy and well, i am!

once the sun sets on the year gone by and the new year presents itself, i tend to feel the excitement of new beginnings...

 

adore the freshness of summer and all things new and blooming...

am deeply touched when emersed in serenity, peacefulness and natural beauty...

relish in the sense of letting go and moving forward...

as i sit and appreciately absorb these precious holiday moments i made a quiet promise with myself, be aware of moments like these every day of the year, they are there.......


[photo credit | ruminatrix - photo #1 | ceri muter - all other photos ]