Caroline's 'Modern Home'

Check out this month's edition of Modern Home featuring Caroline's home and the rest of the dandi girls!  We were very excited when the issue came out last week and we made the cover! 

Some home made dandi cushions are featured here in the Gumleaf pattern

Above: Kitchen Products in Olive Branch Pistachio 

Above: Dining setting featuring Dandi 6 Seater Tablecloth in Gumleaf Wisteria and Dandi Bamboo range

Click to the image above to enlarge and read about the Dandi team

ANZAC biccies!

This ANZAC day we have been getting into the spirit of things early by baking yummy chewy ANZAC biscuits. We love how they make the kitchen smell, and how they taste fresh from the oven, but mostly we love the history behind these delightful treats. ANZAC biscuits are an ongoing legacy of the support given to the Australian and New Zealand soldiers during World War 1 by concerned wives, mothers, girlfriends and sisters. They are incredibly easy to make and your friends and family will love them!

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the oats, coconut and brown sugar. 

Put the butter, golden syrup and 2 Tbs water in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until melted (or place in microwave for 60 – 90 seconds). Stir in the bicarbonate of soda. 

Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined. 

Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on the trays, about 5cm apart. 

Press with a fork to flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. 

Set aside on the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack (if you don’t gobble them up immediately!) so it cools completely.

Bored of your Board?

They're new, they're bright and they're in HOT demand!

You asked for them and we have delivered. We are proud to announce our popular Holly Berry design is now available in ironing board covers. So why not add a little colour and warmth to your laundry this winter.

Our adjustable ironing board covers  have two elastic drawing strings and three Velcro fasteners. With foam padding encased within cotton lining you get a smooth surface and a better iron. The cotton materials ensures you can machine wash it to keep it looking like new.

RRP $44.95

Some handy tips to make your ironing easier.

For large items such as tablecloths, don't use the small end of the ironing board. Instead, lay the fabric (folded, if needed) across the big end of the board and press. Keep the fabric moving forward until it is ironed, then flip it over and press the other side.

Cotton fabrics require a high heat setting. If the fabric is heavily wrinkled, iron it first on the back, then on the front.

For heavily wrinkled clothes, dampen a towel, lay the wrinkled fabric on the towel, and iron. The steam from both sides of the fabric will remove the wrinkles faster. This technique works well on cotton shirts and denim.

Remove clothes from the dryer and iron while they are still slightly damp to eliminate excess wrinkling

Hot Cross Bun Recipe

Traditionally Hot Cross Buns are made on Good Friday Morning....but delicious anytime!

These can be eaten fresh from the oven with butter or jam, or toasted the next day.

Makes: 16 Buns

Ingredients :
450g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mixed spice
180g currants
25g fine candied peel
275ml slightly warmed milk
25g fresh yeast (better result with fresh - although dry will do)
100g melted butter
60g caster sugar
2 beaten eggs

Method :
1. Combine milk, yeast and butter
2. Add sugar and eggs
3. Mix in separate bowl: flour, salt and spice
4. Make well in centre and add liquid, beat until smooth
5. Knead in currants and peel on floured board, until no longer sticky
6. Place in greased bowl, cover, leave 1.5 hrs
7. Knock down and let rise again (optional)
8. Shape into 16 buns, place on greased tray and leave for 20 mins to "prove"
9. Brush top with sweetened milk.
10. Mix flour, water and some oil to make a little dough for crosses.
11. Roll in hands to make little strips to form cross. Place on top of buns.
12. Bake at 220C for 15mins.

Tip : Place a tray of water at bottom of oven to provide a a bit of steam for extra fluffiness

New Photo Shoot

Today we are sharing with you a few images from our latest shoot. We took over 450 photos, and most of these won't go to print or go on our website so if we didn't put them up it would be such a waste! Hope you enjoy. Above: Chocolate Rick Rack Placemats and Runners with Bamboo Bowls

Gum Leaf Rick Rack Placemats and Runners with Plain dyed Wisteria Napkins

Plain Dyed Green Tablecloth and Napkins with Olive Branch Rick Rack and Bamboo Bowls

Plain dyed Chocolate Napkins and Bamboo Bowls

Plain Dyed Wisteria Tablecloth and Napkins with Gum Leaf Rick Rack Placemats

Home Beautiful: Plum Cake

Check out this gorgeous photo from the April edition of Home Beautiful magazine.  Its a cracker shot of our bamboo chopping board and the recipe looks amazing too! You might recall that back in February Caroline baked a plum cake with fruit from her inlaw's orchard, so seeing this shot made us feel like we were very up with the times! 

Friday!

Well its been a busy week here at Dandi HQ, Friday has come around too quickly! We've received some new samples, done a photo shoot for our new catalogue, and been given some superb coverage in Home Beautiful April. For this reason we were too busy to blog but we hope to have some more dandicrafts and favourite recipes for you in the coming weeks so stay tuned. The above image is a teaser from the photo shoot, no dandi product in it as it was a lighting test, but a nice image nonetheless! Have a great weekend!