A Red Dog and an Orange Cake.

Today begins the Lunar Year of the Dog... I started well last week preparing my greeting cards incorporating 'red' in my art works in time for giving and posting. Why are these so red? Most of you can answer that as it is commonly known that the colour red for Chinese symbolises good fortune and happiness. It is certainly the Chinese celebratory colour - unavoidable during Chinese New Year and other traditional and official holidays.

Being the year of the dog, so many cute images of dogs appear in both traditional and contemporary New Year designs. I used Christmas Island stamps on my cards. The stylised patterned image of a little dog is adapted from the Chinese character -very modern and festive. Although I think the little red dog looks pensive, it is certainly a lovable and a reassuring image. This thoughtful dog image certainly fits with what Chinese astrologer Linda Lau predicts for this year....
(from https://www.refinery29.com/2018/02/190941/year-of-the-dog-chinese-zodiac-2018

"The earth element makes this a gentler dog than other elements. This element encourages us to take a cooler-headed approach to problems, rather than letting our emotions flare up and get the better of our reasoning...the year of the Dog is a great time to reach out to those around you and become a friendly presence in their lives, if not a true friend. And, if you're already speaking out for your values, you just might get an energizing boost this year."

And the orange cake? As I am writing my orange cake is cooking. My childhood training would never allow me to turn up at someone's house empty handed, especially on New Year's Day. It is traditional to give oranges at this time of the year, again to signify a wish for good luck. Why? The word for oranges in Chinese closely resembles the word for good fortune. And besides the colour and shape just says 'abundance'. So my take on this traditional gift is a home baked orange cake for our friends when we visit later this evening.

This cake is such a winner. It is so easy to make. It uses whole cooked oranges (skin and all) and has no flour, milk or oil, so is gluten and dairy free and has the additional Chinese associated ingredient of almonds. Here is the recipe:

Flourless Orange Cake ( from www.oversixty.com.au)
Ingredients
250 grams cooked whole oranges
6 eggs
250 grams castor sugar
250 grams almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
Method

Boil the oranges whole for about two hours. Cool, remove any seeds and pulp in a food processor
Measure out 250 grams of pulp ( I cook a whole bag of oranges at one time, measure out the weight and put in containers to freeze ready for the next time )
Beat eggs and sugar until light and creamy . Fold in the combined almond meal, baking powder and orange pulp. Pour into a greased and floured cake tin ( springform preferably) and bake at 180degrees C for approx, 40 minutes or until set.

And here it is - out of the oven cooled and decorated with eight orange slices ( 8 is a lucky Chinese number! ) and ready to be packed for transport and giving.

Happy Chinese New Year - Happiness and Prosperity 恭喜發財

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

Background Information: Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap. 2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...

Christmas Countdown ...7...Pudding Coins

Christmas Countdown ...7... Pudding Coins We all love Christmas pudding, but have you ever wondered where the practice of putting coins in the pudding came from? Getting a silver coin with your serving of pudding is said to bring good luck. This came possibly from the 1300s in Britain when a “Twelfth Night Cake” was eaten during the festivities on the twelfth night of Christmas. A dried bean or pea was baked inside the cake and whoever got it was “king” or “queen” for the night. The bean was sometimes a silver ring. Then it turned into a farthing or a penny and then after World War 1, a silver threepence or sixpence. There was also a practice of using tokens in a pudding, which held predictions for the finder – a bachelor or spinster for the following year, or the prospect of marriage. These days, silver coins are no longer currency, but many (like me) have kept a few silver coins just to put in the pudding on Christmas Day.

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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