Book Review and Preview: Make And Give By Steph Hung and Erin Jang

This is a book review and preview of Make And Give: Simple And Modern Crafts To Brighten Every Day By Steph Hung and Erin Jang that is due to hit book stores on 14 October 2014.

 

The two authors behind this book are Steph Hung who is a craft stylist and former editor at Martha Stewart Living and lives in Toronto, Ontario and Erin Jang who is a graphic designer, illustrator and former art director at Martha Stewart Living and lives in New York City.

 

 

As the name suggests, this is a modern craft book with 35 projects to make and give to friends and family as gifts.

 

This is not an old fashioned craft book - it's stylish and fun with unique and affordable projects to make. The pages are full of bright pictures and pretty styling for each project so you know what the craft is meant to look like - which is a necessity!

 

As with any craft you will need to buy certain materials and use templates to do the projects. It has step by step instructions on how to do each project and suits crafters on all levels - from those that only know how to use a pair of scissors to professionals with a hot glue gun!

 

Written by two creatives - the former editor and art director of Martha Stewart Living you can imagine how good the images and ideas are in this book - it's definitely one that Martha Stewart fans will love.

 

My only vice is that I didn't receive a hard copy of this book and because of the images I couldn't download it to my Kindle eReader either and I had to download it to my computer to read from which I found difficult. I would get much more use out of this book in hard copy.

 

I recommend this book to readers who want to make modern home made gifts - it would also make a great gift for a fellow crafter.

 

I give this book 4 stars out of 5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch re-runs of Neighbours than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd pass up a pack of tim tams for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

Make And Give can be purchased from Amazon

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure: Thanks to NetGalley and Roost Books for providing me with a digital version of this book to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook and Instagram


[Image via Amazon]

 

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My 100 Happy Days Recap

From May to September 2014 I took up the 100 happy days challenge and photographed a moment each and every day for 100 days that made me happy, made me smile and laugh, or just made my heart go all warm and fuzzy.

 

I shared my photos on my Instagram over here using the hash tag #100happydays.

Some days when I hadn't taken a photo all day all I did was look around where I was and whether it was me and Mr P hanging out and spending time together, a delicious home cooked meal ready to be devoured or my fur baby Lexi being my companion always by my side I realised that it was the comforts at home that bring me the most happiness ..... Although food and wine feature pretty highly as well!

 

This challenge made me appreciate things more and realise I have so much to be grateful for.

 

 

I am by no means a photographer and some of my photos were not the prettiest or coolest to share, but they captured a feeling or a memory to me and that is what the photo challenge is all about.

 

Having just joined Instagram this year, at first I was really overwhelmed by the beautiful images and beautiful lives that are shared on there. But I have to stop and say to myself that my photos are not to win a contest but to share my life as it is - Freckles and all!

 

I think the 100 Happy Days challenge is such a great idea and everyone should give it a go - you can read more about it here.

 

Are you doing the 100 Happy Days Challenge?
 

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook and Instagram


[First image via 100HappyDays - All other images my own]

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Smoking Food At Home

Since my book review of Home Smoking Basics: For Meat, Fish and Poultry by Maria Sartor last month, I've had some fun trying out the recipes in the book using my new Bradley Smoker.

If you follow me on  Facebook or Instagram you will have seen the delicious smoked foods we've made so far ..... and if you don't follow me ..... well you're missing out!

We have been smoking food at home in our new Bradley Smoker - Digital 6 Rack Smoker Oven which we got from a Perth local supplier The Smoke Shack.

Being digital, all you need to do is set the temperature and timer and then sit back while it pretty much cooks itself.

In this smoker you can do both cold and hot smoke foods - so for cheese you could cold smoke just to get the smokey flavour or you could hot smoke on a very low temperature to soften and slightly melt the cheese - we did smoked brie with garlic and lemon thyme this way and the smokey flavour was delicious.

Our Bradley Digital 6 Rack Smoker Oven

The flavour you get from smoking foods is amazing, it adds a totally different layer of flavour to the food and can transform a simple dish into something really special.

The smoke flavour can be intense but the trick is to alter the amount of smoking time to soften the flavours and also use different flavoured bisquettes - everything from apple flavour (great for pork and cheese) to bourbon flavour (great for meat and ribs).

So far I have cold smoked cheddar and brie cheese and hot smoked chicken, roast beef, ribs, pulled pork and a variety of sausages.

Cold smoked cheddar and brie cheese

Oven smoked tandoori chicken

Oven smoked beef ribs so tender they fell off the bone

Sausage hooks and Italian beef sausages ready for the smoker

If you love smoked foods, BBQs and outdoor entertaining you will love a smoker oven. They are about twice the price of a BBQ but so long as you use it often enough then it's worth the money.

Most Sundays we have dinner cooking in either the Webber BBQ or Bradley Smoker which I'm sure drives our neighbors deliriously hungry with the delicious smells coming from our backyard!

If you have a smoker or thinking of buying one, the Home Smoking Basics recipe book is great it has heaps of recipes and ideas to have you smoking like a pro in no time!

What's your favourite smoked food?

Sharing with link party:
Savvy Southern Style - Wow us Wednesdays

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[Image 1 Schiffer Publishing, All other images my own]

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Author Interview and Book Review: Who Am I? By Megan Cyrulewski

This is a blog book tour for Who Am I? How My Daughter Taught Me To Let Go And Live Again by Megan Cyrulewski that was published on 2 August 2014.

 

This is Megan's first book, a memoir about the extraordinary challenges she has faced in life and how she survived them. Megan is an attorney, a writer and single mother to her 3 year old daughter Madelyne, they live in Michigan USA.

I was given the opportunity to interview Megan about her book and to get to know the lady behind the story a bit better ....

 

Interview with Megan Cyrulewski 

 

 

Q   Megan, I'm so excited to introduce you to my readers! Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. Let's start at the beginning - what inspired you to start writing?

 

Everyone kept telling me that I should write a book about everything that had happened.  I love to write so I figured, why not?

 

Q   Tell us a little about yourself

 

I am from Michigan – born and raised.   I have a beautiful, intelligent, but sometimes sassy, little girl named Madelyne Rose.  I’m an attorney specializing in court mediation but I’m also an author.  I’m working on my second book – crime fiction.

 

Q   How did writing your memoir help you deal with your past?

 

It was closure for me.  That part of my life is past and I am now in the present and plan to stay there.

 

Q   How easy/difficult was it to write it?

 

There were days I had to walk away from my computer.  It was difficult reliving some of the tough times but I don’t regret writing the book.

 

Q   What are your hobbies?

 

Reading (obviously), swimming, and watching reality TV – some trashy.  It’s my vice.  I can’t help it!

 

Q   What led to law as a career choice?

 

I have always loved the law but I never thought I was smart enough to get into law school.  When I started disliking my career in the non-profit sector, I thought I might as well take the LSAT and see what happens.  I passed and was offered admission to two good law schools here in Michigan.

 

Q   How do you manage your time around work, your daughter and writing?

 

Luckily, I’m my own boss so I can make my own schedule.  Plus, Madelyne is in pre-school full time.  But when she comes home, I put all of my work away and spend time with her.

 

Q   What message would you like to share with the readers?

 

One – If you have postpartum depression, don’t feel ashamed to seek treatment.

 

Second – Emotional abuse is a form of domestic violence.  Those of you who are in that type of relationship need to seek help right away.

 

Thank you so much for the opportunity to interview you Megan,

I wish you all the very best with your next venture!

  

 

Book Review

 

This memoir is about 30 something year old Megan who tells the story of her life over the last few years based around her marriage breakdown and in turn child custody disputes.

Megan has had a rough time in life, and tells what's it's like to go through post partum depression after having her daughter, she has suffered anxiety and panic attacks since her teenage years. She has had stays in hospitals and a psych ward. Her relationship ended in divorce, there was domestic violence and her struggle for custody for her now 3 year old daughter Madelyn.

Along the way Megan had the unconditional love and support from her family which helped her overcome these struggles. She has also fulfilled her dream of going to law school and is now an attorney.

 

Reading this book was like having a friend talk to me through the pages, it was a very easy and likable read. I felt very sad for the day to day troubles that Megan faced in her relationships as a partner, mother and daughter.

 

I recommend this book to anyone facing struggles in life, particularly in a difficult relationship because it will show you that with determination you can survive anything.

 

I give this book 4 stars out of 5

 

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch re-runs of Neighbours than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd pass up a pack of tim tams for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

 

Who Am I? can be purchased from Amazon here

 

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here

Disclosure: Special thanks to the author Megan Cyrulewski for providing me with this eBook published by Black Opal Books to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook and Instagram


[Images via Megan Cyrulewski]

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Avery Product Review - Organising The Herbs + Spices

It's been a year since I unpacked and moved into my shiny new renovated kitchen and some areas now need to be re-organised because they're not really working - starting with the herbs and spices.

I keep my herbs and spices in a drawer by the stove in an assortment of glass jars with labels made from peeling off post-it notes and names being crossed out and rewritten a few times. As you can see it's hard to know what I have and what I need more of and was basically a mess!

So I pulled everything out and got organising with the help of some Avery products!

 

I needed a way to keep the herbs and spices organised so I could find what I was looking for without pulling out a zillion jars before finding the right one!

Avery sent me some of their home organisation products to try out and while I've used the Avery office range before I didn't realise they did so many different products for the home, like these Martha Stewart labels which are the perfect size for the herb and spice jars (they RRP for $9.95 for a pack of 36 labels).

I peeled off the old labels, cleaned the jars and then re-labelled them using the Martha Stewart kitchen labels and a sharpie pen.

The labels have a nice glossy finish and were really easy to apply. They are removable too which I tried out when I stuck some labels on crooked by mistake, they peeled off easily and could be reapplied. They are also moisture resistant so you can even put them in the fridge.

 

 

The lids were a mix match of different brands and colours so I went one step further and painted them red to match the labels.

The red spray paint I already had so it didn't cost me anything, I sprayed on a few coats of paint to get a nice coverage leaving them to dry in between. I only sprayed the top and sides of the lids not the inside as I didn't want the paint smell to get into the jars. Once dry, I wrote the names on the top with a black sharpie so they are easy to read and I can find what I need at a glance.

 

 

I'm really happy with how the jars turned out - they look like a new set of jars with their new labels and lids and it was an easy crafternoon project.

Now that I can find what I need cooking will be a whole lot easier .... no more near misses of grabbing the chilli instead of paprika!

 

 

The next project I want to tackle with Avery products is the pantry and I'll share with you in the coming weeks.

 

You can buy the Avery range from most stationary stores like Officeworks and Staples or check the website for a list of suppliers.

 

How do you organise your herbs and spices?

Sharing with link parties:
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The Dedicated House - Before and After Wednesday

Disclosure: Thanks to Avery for providing me with these products for review. I have not received any payment or compensation. As always, all opinions are my own.
 

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook and Instagram


[All images my own]

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Book Tour and Review: A Fatal Tide By Steve Sailah

I'm taking part in the Random House Australia book tour for A Fatal Tide by Steve Sailah that was recently published on 1 August 2014.

Steve worked for 26 years as a radio journalist and foreign correspondent in Australia, London, New Delhi and Washington. Steve now writes full time, he's written a children's book and this is his second book, a historic novel showing his interest and knowledge of Gallipoli.
 

This is a mystery and war time story set in 1915 when young Australians were leaving home to fight in Gallipoli in WW1. Thomas and his best mate Snow are two young men, one aboriginal and one white, who grew up together in Queensland. When Thomas' father is murdered with clues that point to the South Africa Boer War that his father fought in, Thomas and Snow enlist in WW1 in the hope of finding the murderer and solving the crime.

 

Once in Gallipoli, the war turns out to be a very harsh reality for Thomas and Snow as they join the Anzacs to fight the Turkish. It is really confronting reading about what war was like for all those young soldiers, how they lived, the sickness and injuries, and the fighting on both sides of the battle.

 

Having the mystery of Thomas father's death to solve amongst the war story was a little hard to follow at times but the story did work in the end and it was something really different. This could have made a great war time story on it's own, but the murder and mystery added another element. If this is what the author wanted to achieve, then they definitely did write about something with a point of difference.

 

I really enjoyed this book, I liked the characters, writing style, and learning about Gallipoli which the author had a lot of knowledge on, no doubt from his time working as a foreign correspondent.

I recommend this book to readers with an interest in the Gallipoli and Boer War and Australian history.

I give this book 4 stars out of 5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch re-runs of Neighbours than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd pass up a pack of tim tams for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

A Fatal Tide can be purchased from Random House Australia

Sharing my book review on Random House Australia here and Good Reads here

Disclosure: Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Australia for providing me with this eBook published by Bantam Australia to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

 

 

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook and Instagram


[Image via Random House]

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Kalgoorlie Weekend Away - The Count Down Is On!

I have been absolutely hanging out for my girls weekend away to Kalgoorlie to arrive and it's finally here!

Now to dispel any myths on what happens on a girls weekend away I can say this - it's basically an adults version of a slumber party! We'll do all things girly, paint our nails and do each others hair and makeup. Talk and laugh until the tears come and the belly hurts.

There's nothing better for the soul than a good belly laugh!

Don't you think?

The reason we have picked Kalgoorlie and are heading out to the Goldfields is for the Kalgoorlie Cup and I've treated myself to a new race day outfit - dress, shoes, bag, facinator, jewellery - the works!

I'm really looking forward to a day at the races and have tickets to the Leger Tent with all food, drinks and entertainment included. It's going to be a fantastic day, I must remember not to get too caught up in all the excitement and actually watch a horse race. My family are right into racing, my parents have a few race horses on their farm so I've asked for some winning tips to put bets on!

Dining out in laid back country pubs will be a welcomed excuse to escape from the kitchen at home, as much as I love cooking it's nice to not worry about making dinners or dirty dishes for a few days!

Sorry Mr P you and Lexi will have to fend for yourself for a few days .... and Mr P has promised me some paint on the walls in the laundry when I get home, now that will be nice :)

When was your last weekend away?

To keep up with my goldfield adventures follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook and Instagram !

[Images via my Pinterest - 1, 2, 3, 4]

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