Projects

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Sparkling Blue

It was too cold to take photos outside today. I must tell you that the top is a deeper blue than it appears as all the lurex thread caught the light and lifted it several shades. That's a pity because it is one of the prettiest blue tops I own. Don't laugh (you will anyway) but it is from the Niki Minaj line at K Mart. I know! She's not the first person you think of for a poloneck sweater. I regret not purchasing it in other colours last year as it turned out to be a well made, inexpensive item of clothing that layers easily.

The heavy velvet maxi skirt is vintage Susan Bristol made in Hong Kong. Susan Bristol is best known for horribly twee (and expensive) sweaters and cardigans. It was nice stuff, but a little too cute for me. This skirt isn't typical of their offerings, just as the top is a bit out of place for Niki Minaj. Strangely, they work well together.
I couldn't decide! So I wore them all. I like a cluster of small pins anyway. Someday, I'm going to pin them all to a jacket at one, and get it over with.
The earrings had to come off outside-it was cold enough I was afraid they might freeze to my ears.
I baked some spritz biscuits. As you can see, my skill with the press isn't great, probably as I only use the thing once a year. I used quality butter for these as they're mostly butter and I only bake them at Christmastime. The recipe is from my mum's old copy of the 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook. 
You Will Need:
1 cup soft butter (1/2 pound)
2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon flavouring (I used vanilla)
2 1/2 cups plain flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix together butter, sugar, eggs, and flavourings. Work in flour gently with your hands. Force through press onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 7-10 minutes rotating pan at midpoint. Watch for burning. The dough takes nicely to tinting if you want to make green wreaths, etc. I made a few pounds of candied cherries earlier in the year for Danny to use in his Fair baking and now I'm looking for ways to use them up. Surrounded by buttery dough sounds like as good as use as any!

Net week, I'll bake the stollen. We already did pulla, and I have quite a bit of it in the freezer to get us through the winter. I try to space the baking through Advent so that I don't need to worry about Christmas until after Danny's birthday. This week, the biscuits go to our library volunteers, State park employees, and the staff at our favourite thrift store. For the State park I'm doing iced biscuits shaped like the leaves of our native trees. Last year I did fish, the year before that, birds. I like the challenge, but this might be a bit more detail than I'm capable of piping. I rely on food writer pens that deliver food colouring through a felt tip point. If you haven't tried them, my advice is to take extra care when spreading your icing and make certain it is completely hardened before proceeding. they don't work well on un-iced surfaces. 

Outfit Particulars:

Niki Minaj top-K Mart
Belt-Shop Ko
Vintage velvet Susan Bristol skirt-Goodwill
Large bangle-Goodwill
Scatter pins-Can't remember
Vintage handbag-Goodwill
Earrings-K Mart
Fragrance-Rive Gauche (Because I'm wearing black, blue, and silver. I recently bought a vintage canister, and I wasn't sure the accellerant would still work. It still works! The vintage really does smell different-I'm so happy to have a large canister of it). 
I wore my, Old Lady coat, because I am one...old. Not a lady. Sure, I looked like a polar bear, but I wasn't freezing my behind off like the kids in their oversized puffer jackets that let in all the wind. With this kind of cold, you'll want a cocktail. Something warming.

Hot Point (serves 4)

4 oz. Scotch whisky
32 oz. ale
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons sugar
Heat ale to boiling. Combine egg, sugar, and Scotch. Mix well. Slowly add boiling ale, stirring constantly to prevent curdling (I'd temper the mixture first). Pour into mugs from a height to create froth. Drink immediately-words that are like music to my ears.

Stay warm, and if you can't stay warm, stay toasted.




12 comments:


  1. I bought a Susan Bristol cardigan in a charity shop somewhere years ago; I don't think I still have it; I need to check my cardigan stash...

    I love your velvet skirt with the pretty blue polo neck sweater - Nicky Minaj? Who knew? Love the scatter pins and as for the earrings - fabulous. I just can't imagine my earrings freezing to my neck/face. It surely does gets cold in Nebraska!

    I have a love hate relationship with Rive Gauche; I love the packaging but always associate the smell with my ex sister-in-law who hated me...we got to like each other in the end and she lives in North Carolina now.

    Those cookies look gorgeous and how kind of you to donate them to public service workers and thrift store volunteers. I wish someone would do that at ours!!

    Talking of old ladies - and you look nothing like an old lady in your fab fur coat - I bought some perfume called 'Florisette' by Floris quite cheaply in a chemist recently. I don't know what the heck is in it but boy does it remind me of old lady perfumes like Arpege and Joy - I like both and I like Florisette - but what is is it that gives it that old lady smell? Can you tell me? My nose is so uneducated.

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  2. Now that you were NJ's clothes will you start twerking for us??? Keep warm in your fur coat, I love a good coat in Winter, but glad to see the back end of them and welcome some warmer weather.

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  3. Nicky Minaj and Susan Bristol...together.

    Mind.blown.

    Happy thrifting ;)

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  4. @Veronica
    Typically that powdery note is iris, though certain roses in combination with aldehydes can also get a bit powdery. I've never been able to smell Joy (thanks jasmine anosmia!) but I can smell Arpege, and to me the iris is the dominant note there. It is a style that has fallen out of fashion, though heaven only knows why-I'd much prefer it to the candy floss perfumes of today. I don't know Florisette but just about anything by Floris is going to be good quality-I wish heir stuff was easier to get in the US.

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  5. Looking festive! I read that Nicky Minaj was designing for Kmart. Is Martha Stewart still doing her 'everyday' collection in Kmart's home, kitchen & garden dept's?

    Rose (especially damask or taif varieties) , violet, iris, and orris in any combination usually get the dreaded 'old lady' label. Elizabeth Arden's Red Door is a good example of a modern take on rose & violet and Prada's Infusion D'Iris is a modern take on iris. (Both are really easy to find and sample with a spritz.)

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  6. That jumper is fabulous. I couldn't resist Googling images of Nicky Ninaj after reading your post and failed to find a single one of her in a turtleneck.
    Your baking looks very impressive. For an ex-chef and also a trained patissier ( I earnt a distinction in my professional qualification) I'm a huge disappointment in the kitchen! xxx

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  7. Blue lurex, black velvet, a fur coat and 4 servings of Hot Point-- a fine recipe for a festive evening! (The egg, of course, adds much needed protein to the diet.) This inside only ensemble reminds one of Vix's evening at home hostess dress and can't say nicer than that.

    "Old lady" smell? To me, that means mothballs, Cameo soap, and Murphy's oil soap. Perhaps a dollop of rose glycerin and mercurochrome wafting from the wooden medicine cabinet...

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  8. Anonymous9:46 AM

    Great baking! I love how you are giving them to such worthwhile people.
    Please don't label yourself old- I still feel and act young!
    JanF

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  9. Love the lurex turtleneck, and of course you had to wear all the brooches. I'm not telling you which is my favourite ... Oh, I will, it's the Bambi of course. Those dinky spritz biscuits look very yummy. Your old lady coat is fab, by the way! xxx

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  10. @Sue
    Trust me, you don't want to see me twerking!

    @Thrifty Parka
    I can't help but wish NM would wear some classic Susan Bristol as a joke.

    @Bibi
    No more Martha, which is a shame as it was nice stuff.

    @Vix
    I'm sure if I were trained I wouldn't waste my skills in my own kitchen either!

    @Beth
    Add in, "Rendered chicken fat" and you'd have my nan's house described perfectly.

    @Jan
    Thank you.

    @Ann
    I suspected you might appreciate Bambi.
    The biscuits were gone in two days!

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  11. LOVE the deer brooch!

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  12. I have a soft spot for Nicki Minge; she always looks like she's having a good time, and there's a lot to be said for that. Also, underneath all the tacky she has the most stunningly beautiful face. And now I learn she designs a decent lurex poloneck too.

    I shall give your spritz cookie recipe a go. I have a biscuit press but I've never yet got a recipe that works successfully in it. Perhaps this will be the one. Or perhaps I'm just shite at using a biscuit press. Your biscuits look gorgeous.

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