Etsy Greek Street Team meeting

On Thursday afternoon the Thessaloniki branch of Etsy Greek Street Team met at Peirama, a beautiful space where I learnt how to crochet a couple of months ago.
Sweet Vivika of The Wandering Deer organized the whole thing.
First we were shown how to make some scrapbooking card holders by Olga.

 This is Lia's of Meandmamacreations

 This is mine!

Then we had a break to munch sweet and savoury delights some members made. I made some cheese, red pepper and dill mini muffins and they were a huge success.

Then I was asked to introduce the second handicraft which was embroidery on old photographs.

Some members really made great things out of this.But unfortunately I didn't have time to take pictures.

This is what I made. Always on my favourite sea theme.

(pin booklet by Tinyhappy)
In the end there was a Bingo game and I was the first winner!Wow! This is what I won made by pocolocini. I know who is going to receive this lovely owl in a couple of months!Someone who really adores owls!

And here's a photo taken by Anna of inmyc.We really had fun!

They draw and cook.

They draw and cook is a lovely artits' cooking blog. I had found it when Geninne illustrated a recipe of hers for it. It is great to see the recipes that appear in lovely colours and not many words and you can make them instantly.
The blog published some of their recipes in a lovely book that I saw in Melissa's blog Tiny Happy and I ordered it from Amazon.
 I have already made the Turn That Frown Upside Down Cake with pineapple by Claire B. Murray when my cousin Platon was here and it was great. You can find easy and more difficult recipes but what's the most attractive about them is the illustration.

Tsiknopempti.

This is probably a Greek custom only.
Annually on this Thursday people eat meat and get dressed for carnival.
It is ten days before Clean Monday when Lent begins and fasting for Easter.
Tsiknopempti means Thursday with tsikna which is the smell of grilled meat.
We were not really in the mood to get dressed and have fun so we simply had some meat brought at home and the men (hubbie,son,brother) watched Manchester City-Aris Salonica. We are already losing with 3-0 but well ok we are still fighters.
Here is what we ate.

 Souvlaki.

 Gyros.

 Tzatziki and pita.

 I at the same time finished a beautiful sea themed frame which will be a gift,so no photos till it is delivered.
Here I would like to show you the two little parcels that arrived yesterday from faraway Canada and New Zealand.They are a je t'aime tea towel by Arounna and a lovely needlebook by Melissa of Tiny Happy.

 New Zealand is suffering from that awful earthquake of the day before yesterday. Christchuch suffered the most with a great toll of deaths. I am very sensitive on this subject because when I was only 12 years old back in 1978 my city Thessaloniki was hit by an awful 6.5 Richter scale earthquake that caused the death of 45 people and a lot of destruction.It is a memory I cannot ever take out of my mind.

I will close with a hopeful photo of my son reading a literature book. He doesn't usually do that so I was happy to see him read something at last.