Dashfield Vintage

A new home

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 00:34:00 +0000

Dashfield has moved! I've been working hard on a newer, fresher home for this little blog and am excited to bring you www.hellodashfield.com. Consider this the next chapter in the Dashfield chronicles!
Pop on over and take a peek. xx

Lately

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 02:18:00 +0000

Phew, so Tuesday night had the three of us huddled in bed together while 145 knot winds howled through the bamboo outside. The next morning (rather bleary eyed at 530am) we looked out of the window and saw the lawn covered in a brown blanket of autumn leaves and branches. The power was out, the taps were groaning and empty when we tried to turn them on and the only real comfort were the embers in the fire place still glowing hot from the night before. We huffed and puffed until the flames began to flicker again, and then sat down to a picnic style breakfast of cold leftover soup and crackers. After that everybody crawled back into bed and by lunchtime our groaning bellies finally prompted us to get dressed and treat ourselves to a Mexican lunch. By the time dinner rolled around we were still powerless so used the excuse to treat ourselves to Japanese. So far this power cut business wasn't as bad as it initially seemed. Sure we hadn't showered in two days, the dishes were piling up in the sink, the toilet was... hmm yeah lets not talk about the toilet... but on the flip side we had full bellies, warm toes and without technology to distract us we actually had some damn good conversations! Having said all that, waking up and being able to have a hot shower this morning, mmm it felt so luxurious.
xx

The most beautiful blogs I know

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 00:26:00 +0000

I WANT TO BE A FOOL

PRACTISING SIMPLICITY

A WELL TRAVELED WOMAN

HOUSE IN HABIT


JUNKAHOLIQUE

I don't have much time for reading blogs these days but there are a handful that I just can't get enough of. They are so utterly beautiful that for a short moment I am transported out of my daily chaos and into a much calmer world! Obviously I know that these are only small snippets of life and these women probably have the same chaotic lifestyles as I do, but they seem to capture both the tranquility and adventure so nicely.
xx

Coatesville

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 03:41:00 +0000

Coatesville feels like the last little pocket of countryside around these parts. Suburbia is suffocating this town and the beautiful old fruit tree's, roaming chickens and ramshackle farm houses are quickly being swallowed up by vast concrete jungles. But not Coatesville, not yet. There's not much there and that's part of the charm. The two roadside cafes* are bustling with activity on the weekends, their carparks jam packed with shiny four wheel drives that have never had a spray of mud on them (city folk), the pony club is full of eager young riders and over the fence the chickens are scratching in the neighbours yard. Unless you're there for the monthly Coatesville Market, you're best to settle in at the cafe for a cup of coffee, go for a wander through the paddocks and breath in that country air (faintly scented with horse poo).

*We love the Fernilea Cafe because it is super kid friendly which means you can almost drink your coffee in peace!

Lately

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 04:55:00 +0000

I don't think I could sugar coat the past month even if I tried, it has been a rough one! A good solid year of not sleeping finally all came crashing down around our ears. Everybody was snapping and snarling, there were plenty of tears (mainly mine), there were fantasies about stealing off into the night to go and find a hotel, unplug the phone and hang a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door just to get a few hours of shut eye. Now that we're creeping out at the other end I realise that things had to come to a head in order for us to make some changes. I learned that when it comes to parenthood it pays to be flexible and not have too many die hard ideas about the way things are going to be. My house will never be tidy, dinner doesn't have to be a lavish affair, no I don't have to go back to work just yet even though everybody else is, Ayana actually prefers sleeping in her own room rather than beside her insomniac mother and yes I had always imagined that I would be breastfeeding until she is at least 2 years old but my body is exhausted and crying out for a break. All these things are alright! None of them make me a bad person or put my family in harms way, if anything the harm is coming from ignoring what feels right. As always the key seems to be going with the flow... something that goes against all my virgo instincts. Live and learn though eh!
There have been good times too though of course. We've made an effort to go on some adventures, we've watched Ayana turn into the most incredibly little human (by god I love that kid!), there have been laughs, good food has been eaten, and more concrete travel plans discussed.
So we're definitely happy to see the tail end of May and welcome June with open arms!
xx

GARDEN STORY (so far...)

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Wed, 21 May 2014 03:19:00 +0000

In the beginning...

The books that got me thinking

Our hideously overgrown garden before Nic turned it into our vege bed

This guy worked HARD to get the patch back to a usable state. I was so impressed.

Ayana was just a wee thing back then and refused to be put down for even a second. We couldn't have done it without the help of Thalia (despite being a nervous first time aunt!)

The sweet little seedlings ready to go out and face the big bad world.

Planting at dusk

Ayana during the second season of planting... and still non to pleased at being left on the sidelines!

Changing seasons. Looking back I love seeing how Ayana grows as the garden does. These days she's wandering around with me digging in the dirt.

Having a baby does this weird thing to you, it makes you think A LOT! It makes you think about what you're eating, what your child is going to eat, where that food comes from, how much crap is in it, how much it will cost, who has handled it along the way. You're given this absolutely perfect new life, free from all the poisons and rubbish that we subject ourselves to everyday, and you can't help but feel that it's your duty to preserve that for as long as possible. That's how I felt anyway! Long before Ayana was born I found myself toddling down the musty aisles at the local library looking for books on gardening. This makes me laugh now because the most valuable source of information on all things concerning this lived just five minutes down the road... my mum! She has been growing her own food since I was just wee thing. In Munich she grew carrots and lettuce on our inner city balcony and when we moved to New Zealand she created an amazing organic farm. As these things always go I of course had no interest in it at all! All I saw was the punishment of having to shovel goat shit for compost after school, of hiding in the back of the car in shame while she collected seaweed from the beach after a storm, of that hideous smell of rotting fish fertiliser. I wanted to be a city kid, I wanted to eat bug free lettuce, I wanted apples without wormholes. And so I paid no attention to all the hard work that was going into the food we so much took for granted. Oh how my mum must laugh now when I come to her begging for advice on how to stop the rabbits from eating our lettuce, or when to string up the tomatoes, or how much salt to throw into the olive brine. We're not the finest, most dedicated gardeners Nic and I. Between focusing on a new baby, a new career and a never ending haze of sleep deprivation our poor garden has often been left to its own devices, but we're learning, we're slowly getting there! We've managed three seasons worth of vegetables so far and the rewards of harvesting our own food has just blown me away. It feels SO good to eat what you've planted and encouraged to grow, and the taste is something that will never compare to the over shined supermarket lot. Our freezer is bursting with chilli, tomato's, capsicum and cubes of basil. The pantry now has two jars of olives, with two more bowls soaking in the kitchen. And my pride at what we've managed to create for our little family is huge. Of course none of it would be possible without the help of my amazing, amazing mum. From providing us with a little plot of land, to growing extra seedlings in her glasshouse for us, to giving us a much needed kick in the backside when we're not getting things done on time!
xx

MOTHERHOOD

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Sat, 17 May 2014 01:50:00 +0000

I can hardly believe that my second Mothers Day has already been and gone. My SECOND one!! It's the oddest feeling. I looked back on photos of myself as a young teenager recently with my braces and my frizzy hair (thanks for nothing puberty) and my painful insecurities, and I found myself whispering 'You're a mother and a wife now'. I somehow wasn't really certain that motherhood would be in my future, I just couldn't picture it. But I felt certain (naively so I now see) that if I was ever to have children, then motherhood would come naturally to me. Of course I quickly learned that there's quite a difference between being the oldest of five siblings and changing the odd nappy, to being entirely responsible for the well being of a perfectly helpless little person. And so while I found my pregnancy, and to some extent the birth to be a breeze, motherhood shocked the hell out of me.

From the moment my slippery, sweet little daughter was placed into my arms my heart began to pound at triple the speed. My anxiety levels went through the roof, although exhausted I couldn't sleep and I stressed about the smallest of details. I think looking back I was terrified. Once I was back on my feet I fretted over the house not being clean enough, the garden looking overgrown, dinner not being up to scratch. All this with a crying baby on my arm that never wanted to be put down. Of course I was in a constant state of tears.
"Be kind to yourself", my mum kept saying to me gently.
That's easy for her to say, I thought. She's nothing short of bloody superwoman!
Anyway over a year on and I think I have only just started to relax. Only just realised that the only thing that matters at this time in my life is that I'm the best mother I can be, and sometimes that means saying to hell with the housework, the cooking, the washing... today I'm going to chase seagulls down at the beach with my little girl, we'll have an omelette for dinner and maybe our clean socks just won't be a matching pair tomorrow. I feel like for the first time in a year I am taking a breath, I'm stopping to enjoy and simply observe this amazing person we created. And do you know what? The house isn't actually messier than it was before and nobody's complaining that dinners a little overcooked.

Life is funny the way it's always testing and pushing us, but in the end the rewards usually far outweigh the struggles.
xx

First date

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Fri, 09 May 2014 00:27:00 +0000

It's crazy to think that Nic and I have not actually spent any time alone since Ayana was born 15 months ago! Up until last Wednesday that is when Saba offered to come and babysit so that we could go on a 'lunch date'. We left the two of them sitting at the dining room table together enjoying a late lunch themselves while I quickly swapped my food incrusted toddler jeans for some 'going out in public' clothes and jumped in the car. We giggled nervously, gave each other shy side ward glances, tried not to check our phones every five minutes to see if Ayana was alright and we talked! We talked like real people, sometimes even about unbaby related things. It felt so good, so refreshing, so very adult like! I sipped a margarita (hey why not!), I didn't have sticky little fingers making a dive for my food all the time, nobody was tugging at my shirt trying to get a sneaky milk feed and my clothes were practically still clean by the end of the meal. Of course by the time we got home (an hour later) I was already missing my little one like crazy, but it also made me realise that I've missed my husband and partner in crime over this past year!
We are of the co-sleeping/ baby wearing/ breast feeding persuasion, and while I have no regrets about that I can see now how it's time to find some balance between baby and husband. She's old enough now that I can leave her with my mum or my sister for a couple of hours and know she'll be in good hands. I'm realising that it's ME with the attachment issues rather than her. Heck she's having so much fun that she barely notices I've left.
If there's one thing I've learned about this whole parenting game though is that you have to be flexible and open to constant changes. So here goes mama, a new phase is upon us and I need to learn to let go and embrace it! In the mean time I am counting down the days until our next date.
xx

For the love of Feijoa's

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Thu, 01 May 2014 04:37:00 +0000

There are few things I really like about Autumn and Winter. I hate the cold, I'm not a fan of root vegetables and I can never find a good jacket but I do love feijoa's! At this time of year there is nothing more delicious than sitting beside a luscious feijoa tree, heavy with these tart green fruit on a sunny Autumn morning. One after the next you collect them from the ground, split them in half with your fingers, slurp out their content and throw the peels over your shoulder. Yes at some point you'll get up groaning as you clutch your belly and curse the huge pile of skins that have amounted up behind you, but in the moment it's all well worth it!
So while we still have an abundance of feijoa's, Saba has been giving them a little French twist...

Feijoa Tarte Fine

Tarte fine is a simple, delicious French tart, made from puff pastry, thinly sliced fruit, butter and sugar. That's it! We like to use store bought pastry, to keep it ultra simple! Sadly today we only had non-butter based puff pastry in the freezer, but I highly recommend making this with a butter puffy pastry, it's 100% more delicious (in New Zealand, Paneton make a great ready to use butter puff pastry, you can find it in Nosh, Farro Fresh and selected New World supermarkets).

What you'll need:
Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry
30g unsalted butter, melted
6 large feijoas, peeled and sliced
Sugar for sprinkling

What you do:
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius,
Cut four 10cm discs from your pastry (I used the base from one of my mini tart tins to trace around)
Place pastry discs on a buttered baking tray, and brush with melted butter.
Arrange feijoas on the pastry, overlapping slightly, leaving a small border around the edges.
Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar (how much really depends on how ripe your fruit is, and how sweet you like things!)
Bake for 20-30mins until the pastry is golden and crisp.
Let cool for 5-10mins, sprinkle the edges with icing sugar, and serve! Of course no dessert is complete in this family without adding a little whipped cream, but this tart is just as delicious without it.
Recipe from Cuisine
Serves 4
Don't have feijoas? Tarte fine is traditionally made with apples, but so many other fruits work really well too such as plums, apricots, peaches, pineapple... The options are endless.

Feijoa cake

What you'll need:
2 large eggs
100g sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g butter
150g milk
170g all purpose flour (this cake works well with spelt flour too!)

5g corn flour

3 tsp baking powder

Enough feijoas to cover the top of the cake.

What you do:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and grease a 28cm baking tin.
Peel and slice your feijoas (not too thinly).
Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until pale, thick and creamy (this is the most important step, so make sure you don't under beat this).

in a saucepan, heat the butter and milk until it just comes to the boil.

Sift the flour, corn flour and baking powder together, and fold into the egg mixture.

Lastly add the hot milk in 2 batches, mixing until just combined.

The mixture will be creamy and quite runny, and may even have a few small lumps, that's ok!

Pour it into your greased baking tin, arrange the feijoa slices on the top (you want to squeeze in as many as possible!)

And bake for around 20-25mins. Try not to over bake this one, or it will be a tad dry.

Notes: I made this cake yesterday as a simple lemon cake, to do so, just add the zest of 3 large lemons to your sugar, and omit the feijoas. I then slathered it in a not too sweet lemon cream cheese icing, yum!
xx
P.S

Ayana is obsessed with feijoa's! There are some days when I feel like I can't get the girl to eat much else, but at the moment if it distracts her from her teething misery then I'm happy :).

Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 01:38:00 +0000

If you live over this side of the world and you're not religious, then Easter is a bit of a bewildering holiday. Rather than celebrating new life and colour, we're collecting fallen leaves in red, orange and brown. We're just packing away our summer clothes and pulling our musty sweaters out of our wardrobes. And it's still incredibly exciting, there's still that buzz in the air, and I'm still secretly counting down the days every year!
Every Easter all the 'kids' stumble into my mums house one after the other, usually nursing a hangover. The coffee machine flies into action, the decorated eggs (for which the chickens are locked into their coop the previous week so that we don't have to hunt for their latest nest under the house first) are put on the table, and this year the smell of Saba's homemade hot cross buns fill the kitchen. As everybody wakes up, the noise in the house goes up several notches and before long the friendly teasing, bickering, joking sets the tone for the day. Let me tell you, this is when I am at my absolute happiest! To be surrounded by all my siblings, their partners, and now Ayana too is my idea of a perfect day. After breakfast we hunt for chocolate eggs (Ayana had a couple of little presents to find instead), steal eggs and swap eggs... and then crash out on whatever spare couch there is and sleep off the sugar comedowns.
Can't wait until next year.
xx

Autumn storm

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 22:43:00 +0000

When we woke up bright and early on Thursday morning it seemed as though nature had turned horizontal. The thick line of bamboo that normally shelters our garden was on a dramatic lean, the rain whipped past the kitchen window, and the birds began chirping with irritation long before dawn broke. We had quite literally just finished nursing our first cups of coffee for the day when the house suddenly went quiet. The whirring, buzzing, beeping, humming... it all came to an abrupt halt. There was an uncomfortable silence and then 'Ohhh it's the bloody power again'. The THIRD power cut in a week! Let me tell you, you quickly realise how much you rely on it when it's suddenly gone. To be cooped up in our dark little house with no water (because we're on tank water so it requires the pump to be working), no light, no internet, no music and a raging storm outside just feels nothing short of archaic! I know, I hear you muttering "First world problems", under your breath. And you're right of course.
When the storm finally cleared in the mid afternoon, I packed Ayana into the ergo and we checked out the damage on the farm. The air was thick, humid and completely still, the light had an eery iridescent glow to it and the wildlife seemed to just sit there in a state of bewilderment. Two hours later and we were still sitting down in the paddock beside the apple tree eating until our bellies ached. Neither of us wanted to go back and sit in the house... ever again!
x

Crabapple and lavender compote

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 00:33:00 +0000

For some reason both Saba (the true heroine of this story) and I both recall being told that these little red pigmy fruit were poisonous. As children we would look at them longingly as they hung in big clusters off the tree outside the lounge. In fact it wasn't until very recently when we saw our cousins from overseas devouring them that we realised that although extremely sour, they are very much edible!
Having just come back from learning to be a pastry chef in Paris, Saba is full of great ideas on adapting classics with whatever wonderful delights we can pillage from the garden. So last Sunday I was instructed to come over nice and early (well early for a Sunday) with a big bag of crabapples and a handful of lavender.
Oh boy the result was too good not to share. Lights fluffy scones, healthy dollops of whipped cream, a sour lavender infused compote and a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce. Should I go on? Or are you already half way to the kitchen?

Saba's Crabapple and Lavender Compote
You probably won't find crabapples in your local supermarket, but your local farmers market should have them in early Autumn. Or if you're really sneaky you might be able to pinch them off your neighbours tree.

What you'll need:
Compote

245g Crab apples - Cored and cut into quarters (I like to leave a few in halves, for extra texture)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

25g Unsalted butter

30g Sugar

10g water

Lavender Syrup:

75g Water

75 Sugar

4 x Lavender flower heads

What you do (this sounds long and complicated but is actually very easy!):

To make the lavender Syrup:

- Combining equal parts water and sugar in a small pot,

- Heat until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar is completely dissolved.

- Remove from the heat and immerse the lavender heads in the syrup

- Put the lid on and let it infuse for 5 minutes

- Remove the lavender and reserve it for later

To make the compote:

- Cut the crab apples into quarters and remove the core (some recipes say this isn't necessary, but I find the core is a bit woody when cooked). I like to keep about a quarter of my crab apples cut in halves, because it adds a little more texture.
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the apples, to stop them from browning.-

- Melt the butter in a medium sized pot (on medium heat)

- Stir until it is well browned and emits a soft caramelised smell.
- Add the crab apples and sugar, mix to combine, and put the lid on the pot.

- Cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally

- Add 10g of water.

- Mix well and pop the lid back on, cooking for another 5 minutes or so, until the apples are soft, but not quite falling apart.

Finally:
- Add 40g of the lavender syrup

- Cook until the mixture becomes thick (almost jam like in appearance at the edges)

- Lastly, pick the lavender petals (including the small 'buds') from two of the lavender heads reserved from the syrup, and mix evenly through the compote. At this stage I also like to mix in a dash more of the lavender syrup.

Best served with scones and lashings of cream! (We are big fans of the trusty Edmonds scone recipe which you can find here)

Notes:

- Crab apples are very tart, and this compote is too! We love it, but if you would like some extra sweetness, just add 10g of extra sugar before you add the lavender petals, and cook until the sugar is combined.
- Don't have crab apples? This recipe would also work well with any tart apple variety.

Creative Common Occupation

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 23:50:00 +0000

As much as I love the idea of supporting small, independent fashion designers, I often find the garments unwearable. They're more like pieces of abstract art then something I could actually figure out how to put on. So yesterday when we plodded up the stairs to check out the Creative Common Occupation pop up shop I was blown away by the collections. They were beautiful! They were so simple and yet unique in their design, and best of all I could see myself wearing almost every piece (unfortunately my bank account was less cooperative otherwise I would have come tripping back down the stairs with a whole new wardrobe).
I've got to say though, I really fell hard for My Deer Fox's diamond bags (Ooo they're like origami) and Jyoti Kalyanji's seamless knitted homeware.
Anyway listen to me prattle on! I just wanted to tell you to go and check them out. Their opening party is TONIGHT and they're only sticking around for a couple of days so don't dawdle.
Creative Common Occupation
4 Cross St (behind Krd)
Opening party 7 - 9pm
More info here

Links to love

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Sun, 13 Apr 2014 23:13:00 +0000

Some people just have a way of capturing all the beauty in the world. I'm always obsessed (aka wickedly envious) with talented travel photographers, so when I came across the Nishaantishu blog the other day my jaw pretty much hit the floor. What a stunning way to capture an otherwise maybe depressing scene of rubbish and poverty.

I won't lie, I've been stuck in a bit of a rut lately and have been trying to figure out how to shake it... then just by chance I came across Practicing Simplicity! It was like stumbling upon a little ray of sunshine and gave me a real 'ah ha!' moment. I'm determined to live better, with less clutter, less stress, less having a million things to do and never really finishing anything. I've been reading this blog whenever I get a chance and am feeling so inspired.

Some blogs are just a breath of fresh air. The lovely Brooke put me onto this one just yesterday (thank you!!) and it's oh so sweet! I'll definitely be adding it to my list.

Gala Darling's ten questions about her life. Call me nosy, but I kind of love it when bloggers get personal and dish out some dirt about themselves. Gala answers questions on everything from her writing habits, to wardrobe tips, to hanging onto girlfriends. Her ever positive attitude is always infectious.

A Cup of Jo's inspiring series on motherhood and finding balance. This is a topic that weighs so heavily on my mind these days, so it's nice to hear about other women who manage to balance it all. This is kind of a cute blog anyway, she has a habit of touching on topics that make you blush a little.

*Sigh* I just never get tired of the House in Habit blog. This mama of (almost) four takes the most beautiful photos, in fact she almost has me convinced that I need to move to the desert! I also highly recommend following her on instagram.

I don't get up to much crafty business these days (who has the time with a toddler to chase?!) but when A Beautiful Mess did a post on making your own rag rug today I got pretty excited. I've always wanted to make one and am ashamed to say that the ones we currently have are cheap and nasty Warehouse numbers. I have been trying to figure out what to do with all the strips of fabric from our wedding backdrop... and now I've found the perfect solution!

Phew there we have it, that's quite a list for our first Links to Love of the year. I stopped doing these a while back when I just wasn't getting a chance to go online anymore but I've been finding so much inspiration out there that I though it was time for a come back. You can check out previous links here.

Lately

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 08:02:00 +0000

These past couple of weeks have felt like we're clinging onto the final days of summer. Any moment now it's going to slip out of our grasp for another year and we're going to be spending dark afternoons huddling in front of the fire. So we're having last bbq's, last beach days, and last sun drenched mornings exploring the markets. I'm feeling a little nervous about winter to be honest. I'm wondering how endless days holed up in our tiny, cramped house is going to go down with a toddler. I'm mentally trying to plan lots of excursions. I'm stalking blogs like this for ideas (surely if a mama of two living in a tiny apartment in New York can get by then so can I!). That aside it has been a good month though. Several birthdays were celebrated, plenty of family has been visiting from overseas, we're all working hard at the moment, the garden is still cranking out vegetables and we're all in good health. What more could you want in life right?!
x

How to wash your hair with baking soda & vinegar

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 08:47:00 +0000

I've been wanting to share this for a long time. In my hippie quest to banish nasty chemicals from my life I decided it was time to break up with my $50+ bottles of shampoo from the hairdressers. For years I had fallen for all the traps... more shine, more bounce, more length, less frizz, less curl etc, etc, etc.

"It's not bloody working, what's wrong with me?", I would moan to my hairdresser.

"Give it time", my hairdresser would say soothingly. "Do you double shampoo? You must always double shampoo! Once to get the oils out and once to really clean your hair".

And so I bought more designer shampoo, and washed my hair more rigorously. Eventually my hair was getting so greasy that I practically had to wash it every day. Disaster!

Bugger this I thought, I'm quitting, I'm going cold turkey on the shampoo. And then the night before my last foamy head massage I read an article on washing your hair with baking soda and vinegar. I was skeptical of course, and more than a little worried about smelling like salad dressing for the day. It certainly didn't feel terribly luxuries in the shower but the result amazed me. My hair was not only clean but in no time at all the grease was so much better that I only had to go through the process a couple of times a week. Best of all what used to be a $50+ habit turned into a mere few dollars a month. As for my hairdresser, she shook her head in disbelief!

What you need:

Baking soda

Apple cider vinegar/ water (you want to fill your spray bottle with a 50/50 ratio)

Spray bottle

What you do*:Wet your hair in the shower. Take a cap full of baking powder (I keep mine in a water tight jar on the shower ledge) and massage it into your scalp. If you have a lot of hair like I do you may need to use a little more. Then generously spray your whole head with the vinegar/ water solution. Leave the whole concoction in your hair for a good few minutes while you get on with shaving your legs, brushing your teeth or doing whatever else it is you do in there. When your time is up you simply give your hair a good rinse. And don't worry, that salad dressing smell doesn't linger. Ta da, you're all done!

*Oops somebody reminded me of a missed step. It helps if you turn the baking soda into a bit of a paste before applying it. I do this by just adding a little water in with the baking soda while I'm in the shower.

If you find that your hair is a little dry you can always put a little coconut oil into the ends. I found mine struggled a bit because of breastfeeding, so would occasionally put a conditioner treatment in afterwards.

Other uses for baking soda and vinegar:

Wow the possibilities are endless! I mean you actually start realising that these are the only two ingredients you need in your bathroom cabinet AND laundry cupboard.

- Exfoliating

- Deodorising

- Oven cleaning

- Scrubbing showers etc

- Cleaning carpet

- Removing candle wax

Ah the list goes on. Basically the uses are endless.

Anyway I hope that helps for all those that have asked me. xx

Please excuse the mess

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 08:28:00 +0000

Source

Hello, hope you're having a great week so far. I just wanted to apologise for things being a little topsy turvy this week. I'm just in the process of cleaning, sorting and re-organising the blog so there may be some odd things going on. Really looking forward to sharing all the new projects with you. I didn't realise quite how much I missed blogging, so now that my baby brain is clearing somewhat I look forward to delving into my little corner of the internet again.

Shop local: Thick as Thieves

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 08:55:00 +0000

My bag is my most prized possession (you know, after my daughter, my camera and my wedding ring). It has been with me for nearly 10 years now. It has had zips replaced, seams restitched and is at least a few shades darker than when I bought it. We've traveled half way around the world together, had some crazy adventures, met some wild folk. So when Thick as Thieves say that a good bag is like an old friend I get it, I really do. I only discovered this amazing New Zealand label recently and am just in love with their handmade leather satchels. Stunning right?! So go on, go and find your bag for life!

Thick as Thieves

Knee deep in inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 02:30:00 +0000

Beam and anchor

Imogene and Willie

Penny Weight

Remember back when you knew who was making what you were buying? When hard working people could make a living from producing quality items that lasted a life time? When you really thought about what you needed, bought it once and bought it right?

No??

Yeah me either. It's practically a foreign concept to our generation. We buy on impulse, we buy crap, crap breaks two days later, we throw crap in the rubbish, crap ends up in the crap heap. We shrug, didn't cost much anyway, we head to the next dollar store, buy the same crap in a different colour... the cycle continues!

I've been so guilty of this, so addicted to the 'want' for crap, so used to impulse shopping.

But lately I have really been opening my eyes to this amazing sub-culture that is fighting its way through the chain store pandemic. Young people who are learning old crafts, using local sustainable materials, spending painstaking hours perfecting each individual piece they make. And the result is something beautiful.

Anyway it would be fair to say that it has had a profound effect on the way that I think about... well almost everything really! It's a bit of a learning curve for sure. It's not easy to switch your brain from 'oh my god that's so cheap and I have to have it right now', to 'I really need this and wow okay it has a bigger price tag but that's okay because I'll be using it for the next 20 years'. But I'm trying, we're trying.

The reason I really bring this up is that there are changes coming to Dashfield Vintage, and they heavily reflect this new (to me) way of thinking.. So just a heads up :).

Cultural fix

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 07:55:00 +0000

A lot of people don't know this but I'm half Eritrean.
You're half WHAT??
Half Eritrean.
What's that?
It's a country.
Never heard of it.
You're not alone, most people haven't. It's a tiny little country, in case you were wondering. It's nestled in along the coastline of the Red Sea in Africa. I'm sad to say that I've never been there before and know very little about the culture, but there are two things I am very well acquainted with... the food and the coffee! Ask me what the one food is that I could happily eat for the rest of my life and I will tell you injera. Glorious, delicious injera. And then I'll wash it down with a little cup of your best Eritrean coffee.
Injera is this sour sort of yeasty pancake that gets piled up with spicy sauces, vegetables and salad. Then you use the pancake to scoop this irresistible mountain of goodness up and shovel it into your mouth. Mmm and then you savour every last bite! I am yet to come across somebody who isn't utterly in love with injera from the very first taste.
Then comes the coffee. Oh my, it's like no other coffee you've tasted. It's coffee the way it was always intended to be brewed! Fresh green beans are roasted in a little pan over red hot coals, then ground in a mortar and pestle before being boiled in a long necked vessel. The end is stuffed with horse hair to filter out the grinds when the coffee is poured into tiny cups piled high with sugar. All the while a chai smelling incense is burning away on coals beside you filling the air with a smell that makes you forget you're sitting in a West Auckland sports field. Traditionally you drink three cups in a row, but if your caffeine tolerance isn't up to scratch you're probably jittering after the second hit.
So you see every year we wait for the International Cultural Festival like it's Christmas. We head straight for the Eritrean tent, say our hello's and take our place in the semi circle around the coffee lady. And we don't budge for the next few hours!
xx

Mimosa

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 07:32:00 +0000

There aren't many good cafes over this side of the bridge. In fact if I'm perfectly honest I can only think of a couple, and Mimosa* is at the top of my list. It's one of those places that just make you feel at home, or at least the kind of home I wish I had! It's a little vintage, a little rustic, it has local influences and is just the right kind of quirky. We come here when country life is getting the better of us and we're craving a bit of cafe loitering and people watching. We hang out by the window sipping our coffee's and devouring our sushi rolls (well that would mainly be Ayana, she rates their sushi pretty highly). You see this cafe has a little twist, it's run by the sweetest Japanese woman and therefore the food has a delicious Japanese influence. Everything also happens to be organic and fair trade which is something I'm finding increasingly important. So if you ever find yourself stranded on the North Shore and would rather pretend you were somewhere more exciting then this cafe serves as a great refuge.
Must try: A Japanese breakfast (which I haven't actually tried yet but am dying to!)
Parking: Plenty of 30 minute parking on the street outside, 120 minute prepay parking on the side streets or if you're sneaky you could park at the mall for free.
Highchair: No proper high chair but a cute retro kids stool for the slightly older ones.
Vegan/ Gluten free/ Vegetarian friendly: You betcha!
* Psst, Mimosa isn't just the name of a prissy cocktail, in Japanese it means Silk Tree.

Address: 460 Lake Rd, Takapuna
Website

Hitting the brick wall

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Sat, 15 Mar 2014 09:06:00 +0000

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Actually I'm not really hitting a brick wall, in fact I feel like I've just busted through a giant brick wall... and boy am I liking the view on the other side! Big changes are coming and I can't wait to make them public. In the mean time I have been obsessing over brick interior walls lately. There's just something so ancient, yet cosy about them. They have that romantic, New York apartment sort of appeal. Ahhh yes, I don't know if I could ever live in a new house, I'm always much too drawn to the old.

Downtown

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 07:52:00 +0000

It's days like this that leave me wishing we lived in town again. I miss the huge variety of different people (the North Shore isn't exactly known for its diversity), I miss the cafes and I miss just being able to walk down to the local shops. Country life is great too of course and has many, many benefits but occasionally the grass (or concrete I suppose) looks a little more inviting on the other side. Anyway although we had a lovely afternoon of exploring downtown Auckland, the real aim of our mission was to check out the Vintage Fashion museum exhibition. What a fantastic and altogether unique location for such an event! These gigantic, eery old Silo's make such a great exhibition space, although probably less appealing to those with claustrophobia. As for the clothes themselves, hmmm they didn't particularly blow my socks off. I mean yes, there were some beauties in the mix, particularly the blue 50s El Jay frock, but on the whole it was a little sparse. From what I understand a number of garments where being photographed at the time we were there so perhaps that's why there were so many naked mannequins. I'm glad we went of course, especially because I think it's important to support these events so that they can grow and educate more of the public, but it wasn't quite what I had hoped. All in all we had a great day though, so no regrets there!

EVENT: NZ Vintage Fashion Museum exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 08:25:00 +0000

New Zealand made vintage has always been a bit of a mystery to me. It's not that I have anything against it or think we had no particular fashion sense, it's because it is so incredibly difficult to track down! It seems that anything before the mid 60s just sort of vanished (or is still tucked away in grannies closet). Back when I had the vintage store it was always a great day if I stumbled across an earlier piece with a 'Made in NZ' label hand sewn into the back, or an old designer I recognised. Part of me just wanted to pack it away for safe keeping. I know of course that during the war and in the time afterwards, almost all clothing was sewn at home. You didn't head down to your local clothing store and pick something off the rack, rather you would wait impatiently for the latest pattern books to come out at your fabric store and devour the pages in search of the latest styles from Europe and America. Then you would zip home, jump on your old sewing machine and whip up the closest resembling frocks possible. How times have changed.

Anyway if you're as curious about these old treasured garments as I am then you have a precious few days to head down to the Silo in Auckland for the New Zealand Vintage Museum exhibition. I had the pleasure of meeting founder Doris Du Pont for coffee one afternoon a couple of years ago (whilst setting up a Dashfield pop up shop on High St) and was blown away, if not a little intimidated by her knowledge and fashion experience. I can almost guarantee that this exhibition is going to be a goodie with her at the helm.

I'm hoping to make it down there tomorrow so will be sure to report back for those of you that can't make it.

Venue: Silo 6 at Silo Park in Wynyard Quarter

Address: Silo Park, Jellicoe Street, Auckland, New Zealand

Date: 1 - 9 March, open daily (except Mon and Tues) from noon to 6 pm

Ticket: Free

Website

Thoughts on blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Malayka) — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 01:50:00 +0000

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I sat on my bed sweating over my first blog post about five or six years ago. It was shortly before getting my first real article published (entitled 'A Beginners Guide to Vintage) and I was mildly terrified of putting myself out there for all the world to see. Of course I had a My Space account but it was more for stalking really, I didn't actually post things myself. I don't particularly remember what my first post was about, something to do with travel no doubt. I do remember the rush of pushing publish and then running back every five minutes to see if anybody had taken a peek. With every new reader I ran around the room squealing, 'oh my god, oh my god, oh my god'. And then when people started leaving comments I was just beside myself. What a rush! What a thrill! To think that timid little old me could spill some thoughts out on my computer and people from all over the world would actually take the time to read it, think about it and respond! After that I wrote regularly for a while, it even led to a regular column on a New Zealand fashion website for a while (which I quickly realised was rubbish for me because I took very little interest in anything that wasn't vintage, let alone New Zealand fashion). Since then I've stopped and started blogging many times. My subject matter has changed occasionally. Sometimes I would get caught up trying to copy somebody else who inspired me. And occasionally I would just run out things to say and throw in the towel altogether. Basically, aside from dabbling in Yahoo chat rooms when the internet first began (*gasp* yes kids I'm practically prehistoric), blogging was my gateway drug into the addictive world of social media. But that's another story.

I blog for several reason, the main one being because I love to write and to photograph. Unlike when you're working for a magazine, here there is nobody telling you what you can and can't do. There are no deadlines other than the ones you might choose to set for yourself. It's a beautiful creative outlet and often connects you with other like minded people. I started Dashfield Vintage the blog around the same time as starting Dashfield Vintage the shop. I wanted a space to advertise up coming markets, new shop items and maybe the odd vintage inspired article. It served its purpose well. Eventually my interest in spending every weekend at market stalls, and weekdays competing with other vintage sellers to try and hunt down an ever diminishing source of stock wore me down. When I then became pregnant I realised that it was time to take a break. What about the blog? I still enjoyed writing it, but my interests and subject matter were changing. I felt I had to start a new blog, I thought I would try my had at lifestyle blogging. After a few posts it just didn't feel right to put my baby daughter and young family on public display. And then it dawned on me, Dashfield is my blog, I can write whatever the hell I like on it, I don't have to stay vintage exclusive. It's my home on the internet, it's a reflection of me in way and I want to continue to use it for documenting all the beautiful things that inspire me.

So for those of you who have followed me faithfully as I flit from one place to another (thank you), I'm happy to tell you that I've gone full circle and found my way home again. I have changed, my life has changed greatly since the early beginnings of Dashfield, so changes are coming over the next few months to both the blog and other related projects too.
xx