Karen Karn

Recipe, as requested.  Allow at least 4 hours for these. Please read through the whole recipe before starting to bake, or making a shopping list. Disclaimer: I tend to work intuitively, so I don't know how accurate the measurements are for flour. If you can bake, this recipe will work. If you're a novice, try a site like  Joyofbaking.com . Here 's their version of cinnamon rolls. Cooling on the rack, pre-frosting. Makes: 24 Time: all day For the bread. Start with 1.5 cups all purpose flour, you’ll add more later 1.5 cups wholemeal spelt 1.5 cups rolled/porridge oats 450mls water I packet / 12g dry yeast 1/4 cup sugar 50g butter melted 1Tbsp cinnamon 1Tbsp honey or molasses. For the filling - measurements are to taste As much cinnamon as you want - about 5-7 Tbsps About 150-250g butter, soft About 2 - 2 1/2 cups soft brown sugar For the frosting, type 1 Combine the following: 100g cream cheese (optional) 50g soft ...

In the pages of one of my notebooks, also bound for the fire, I found a few sketches, some of which I've posted below. And a fairytale! All from July 1998.

In the spirit of minimalism and letting go of the past, I decided it was time to burn my journals. I decided to destroy them a while ago, and today, due to a lack of fire wood, I decided to have a go. I had a conversation with my daughter a long time ago, instructing her that I didn't want her or anyone else to read my journals (in case something happened to me before I had a chance to destroy them). She said I could have them buried with me. A good idea, I thought, but why hold on to any of it any longer? The photographs are a little blurry because of the low light. 2001, the worst year of my life, soon committed to flame. After finding some unused notes and a precious photograph of the kids, I meticulously went through each journal to prevent the destruction of any other hidden treasures. I got through all but three journals yesterday. The sheer volume of paper meant that the wood burner just couldn't handle them all at o...

I recently came across these images of an apartment in Brazil.  Words can't really express the affinity I feel with the space. I am happier merely for having seen that it exists. Original post  by  Caroline Williamson  for Design Milk FORWARD VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY Brazilian architect and designer  Diego Revollo  recently completed the  Real Parque Loft  in a residential neighborhood of São Paulo, Brazil. The space was reconfigured from its original, broken up floor plan to an open, loft-like space. They chose a burned cement coating for the floors, walls, and ceilings to give it an overall uniform look, which lends itself to the modern aesthetic the owner was looking for. With most of the surfaces being a gray tone, they made sure not to let it be too cold with the finished color. Warm reddish-toned woods and pops of color were brought in to bring a more natural balance to the space. The wall shelving unit visually t...

My lovely daughter has just moved into her first proper home - her own place, a grown up, unfurnished, one bedroomed flat. We've talked about everthing a person needs when moving into their first home - the essential, basic stuff, like a bed and a duvet, scissors and a spoon (at the very least a spoon). So I looked to see if there was such a list online. I found some ridiculous ones, like this one , which lists for the kitchen measuring cups and spoons, but not a saucepan. So, I decided to make one, to print and send. The list isn't finished yet, but there will be an empty table on the back for adding items by hand.

This morning, before leaving for school, Noah said, "It's alright for you, you can just stay at home." Hm. I began to explain what it means to be a parent, that I am actually at work when I'm at home and that I don't get weekends or holidays or Christmas or even evenings. I explained, as many parents before me have explained, that I am at work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. He just looked at me, eyes wide. I had his attention, so I continued. "For example," I said, and I began to list a few of the chores and tasks I have before me this morning, "... and then when you get home, I need to help you with your homework and start preparing the dinner." I asked him then, "Can you remember some of the chores I need to do today?" He remember the first three. "That's why I need to write a list!" I said. Incomplete list of the days responsibilities. I can add, 'write blog post' to this list...

Feeling pro-active, I decide to start the long process of setting up my Etsy shop, today. First step, think up a username, which will also be the name of my shop, I decide. I choose Kookichoo. It's taken. I choose Kookoodolls... then Kookoodoo. That's okay, but looks funny. I change it to KuKuDu. That's taken, so I settle on KuKuDo... bit like Sudoku - I love Sudoku. Yay! I set it all up, start editing the profile then realise something... translated from Norwegian means, KuKuDo means CowCowLoo - 'Loo' as in the informal (and most widely used) word for toilet. Not sure little humans will want to snuggle up to a CowCowToilet doll. Unfotunately, the username can't be changed... Time to start over then.

This is what I've been working on this morning - working on creating them.  I will now work on applying them.

I started writing a blog post about my dressmaking experience. The Kafka Dress, I have named it, due to its metamorphic realisation.  The post has been written, but all posts are a little flat without images that are both relevant and appealing.   A relevant and appealing image. The above image is relevant because for the past eight days or so, I've had a migraine. I first started getting migraines around the age of 13, so I know how to handle them (head stands, dark sunglasses and coffee work best for me). But they have got in the way of finishing my blog post. I want to try on the dresses, model them, to give a proper report on the outcome of my project. Part of the report, though was the fabric shopping trip my sister and I took while in London. I've decided to write about that now, using images borrowed from the net.   Coffee.   After the decision had been made to shop for fabric, Mandy made a preliminary search, and found a...