My Side
Another busy week and I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to dig out some of my old things that I’ve had stored away since my move -at the risk of sounding a bit dramatic, it was a bid to re-connect with the old creativity. So, all week I have been re-reding my crafting books, dug out my old handmade notice board adorned it with my fave paper trinkets and treated Miles and I to new bedside lamps to match the Cath Kidston throw – the room needed some colour!
I have also been re-united with my old bed, from my last flat and think all the good nights sleep I’m getting is definitely giving me more energy. This is my precious Love pillow cases, by Lush Designs - they were a special present from Miles for the flat. I love all the Lush Designs things – especially the lamp shades! My side says ‘LO’ and Miles’ reads ‘VE’.
This is everything together – on my side, having all my favourite things so close has really cheered me up, I can’t wait to go home at the weekend collect all my crafty bits and go mad. I would like to note that the fox sticker on my notice board is a new Luella sticker I got yesterday, along with some beautiful badges. I love Luella and the shop is a haven of loveliness – if you haven’t seen her website check it out it seriously rocks!
On Hiatus
Lj, you can leave the picket line now please ….. I give in!
So I have taken a little break from the blog, I am not going to go on about how busy and preoccupied I have been as that is kind of old news now. I guess I am just one of those people if don’t have anything to say I won’t, and lately I haven’t. However I am really excited about the future, I am moving this weekend and have so much to share once everything is in place. I honestly can’t wait it is really soul destroying having nothing inspiring to write about. However personal life aside I have been doing some exciting things for work. The most relevant being I got to interview the amazing designer Clare Nicolson for the welovelocal blog. Her, and her brilliant Glasgow Craft Mafia did a guest post – and did an amazingly interesting job. Have a little look at the interview, it is all based around community and crafty goodness.
So this is a promise I will be back very soon with a much more exciting array of posts …… I promise Ljbigapple!
Happy Valentines!
Happy Valentines everyone!
I hope cupid was kind to you all? I thought I would post up this lovely picture done my my very own valentine – Miles. I love it and I think it really says something romantic, but it is also quite neutral if your not into the whole valentines romance thing. I am at work writing this, so no cards or surprises for me yet – fingers crossed for this evening!
Just a little Post
This is the picture that best describes how I would like to remember my weekend. I have spent the whole thing feeling pretty ill and sorry for myself, but today we ventured out to Greenwich to soak up some sun and stroll in the lovely park. I came across this beautiful independent cake shop called Daisy Cakes Bake Shop and had to tell everyone about it. I don’t want people to think I am obsessed with cakes, but they are just so damn pretty I can’t resist. Daisy Cakes is in Greenwich and they really do make a mean raspberry cupcake – very fluffy and really light. The cake shop also sells really useful and unusual cake equipment and accessories too, I’ll be heading back for supplies soon. The weather today has been almost spring like at 16 degrees - a very welcome change to the grey skies we are used to.
To facilitate my feeling ill I have been watching the first season of the new American series Gossip Girl. It’s made by Josh Shwartz, the brains behind The O.C and gosh it’s good so far! I highly recommend it!
p.s Miles and I finally have ourselves a flat so it’s all exciting stuff!
welovelocal Cake Recipe
I recently made a welovlocal.com cake for work it was my colleague Dan’s Birthday and plus I thought It would be nice to make some cake for the office, anyway people always ask for the recipe and because I kind of make it up I can never simply write it out for them so I thought I would do it on here and be done with it (for you Elaine).
Ingredients: (2 sandwich cake tins, well greased)
8 0z of margarine Large slab of cooking chocolate (scotch block)
7 oz castor sugar Large jar of Nutella
4 eggs 2 huge heaped table spoons of coca powder
8 oz of plain flour 2 level teaspoons of baking powder
- Cream the butter and sugar together until it’s fluffy then beat the eggs in one at a time.
- Sieve the flour, baking powder and coca into the mixture giving it height for extra air (fluffiness). Fold and mix the mixture adding hot water in to stop it drying out, mixture should be moist and drop off a spoon.
- Divide the mixture into the two tins and smooth out mixture to give an even surface and then bake on a medium to hot gas mark in a pre heated oven for about 20 – 25 mins (keep checking to avoid burning). Put a clean kinfe through the cakes to see if the are fully cooked if it comes out clean then they are done.
- Leave cakes to cool and then begin to grate your chocolate for the covering, I use cooking chocolate as real choc melts too quickly. Grate one whole big bar and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
- When the cakes have cooled used a generous amount of Nutella as the sandwich filling it gives a great taste. Melt some non-cooking chocolate to a runny consistency and add and stir in a generous amount of Nutella (this will be used to cover the entire cake).
- Now you have you two halves of the cake together smooth over the melted chocolate and Nutella, after a few mins remove the grated chocolate from fridge and cover the cake in the chocolate shavings (making sure you have no gaps) and then decorate with anything you like.
If anyone gives it a go I would love to know how you get on? x
Suddenly Sunshine
Yesterday was gloriously sunny so I thought I would grab a photo moment of my new lovely fruit/salad bowl that Holly bought me for my Birthday. It is by Greengate and is the Selma pattern. As many frequent readers will know I have the and milk jug in this range too. I am getting quite the collection, now all I need is the tea cups and spoons. Anyway, I love it and seeing as the weather is picking up what better time for a picture of some lovely vibrant organic colours, they really cheer me up!
I would have posted this yesterday but had a little bit of blog server problems – all better now though! I feel as though I am turning into the Sunday blogger, I apologise for this but with such a hectic schedule it’s though to make any other time. I miss posting more regularly I feel itchy too many pretty things out there not enough time to write about them. Oh the cute heart above hiding in the fruit is a fabric Greengate heart hanger that Holly also purchased me for my Birthday (lucky old me). In other news, I have spent most of the weekend flat hunting in London it is all very exciting – Miles and I are finally getting some where together. I actually can’t wait, it’s so exciting!
Decorating Ahoy!
p.s I hope everyone has checked out the new Cath Kidston and Greengate Spring/Summer 2008 collections they are adorable!
Home For Christmas
I am slowly but surely recovering from Christmas – I ate far too much and suffered for it. I think the amount I must have consumed on Boxing day alone was enough to feed a small army. I have spent the last few days detoxing, sushi, fruit tea and lots of soup. It was really great to finally be home, and back with my family and Miles after being away for the best part of 3 months. I was very lucky with all the lovely presents that I received this year, they were all so pretty – just how I like them!
My Mum hand knitted me the best scarf ever, I love it. It is over 6 feet and I love that it is one of a kind, she is so clever – I am a terrible knitter! I got so many great things I have so many things to do and make. Miles got the prize for the most innovative present when he found me this unique paint tube door stop from the London Graphic Centre. He also managed to hunt out Rice products in London and got me a fabulous floral oven Mitt and cometic case – too cute for words. I hope everyone else had a great Christmas, also ate too much and was very merry. Almost the new year, exciting stuff!
Present Time
Its happened again! This is a snap of mine and Holly’s Christmas presents – to each other. Yes, that is right we managed to get each other exactly the same thing! It’s mental we live together, but we spend most of our time apart and we still managed to end up buying the same thing. It’s getting creepy. Holly has gone home for Christmas so yesterday we did presents and this is what emerged, we had both bought each other these rather fetching and super cute Petra Boase mugs. Mine is the one at the back with the two big birds, though they look so lovely together. We went shopping in Liberty and both spotted them and ‘Oohh’ and ‘ahhhed’ over them but I really thought I was the only one who had remembered them, turns out I was wrong!
This is the tag that came with the mugs, I thought I would jazz it up a little with the cool mini stamp set Holly bought me from Muji - I love it! I also went to the London Design Grotto yesterday at Somerset House. It was pretty cool with stalls by Tatty Devine, Beyond The Vally and many more. I managed to win a canvas shopping bag in the tombola and a canvas shopping bag from the tatty Devine Stall. It was great so see some of London’s fine craft talent all in one place.
9 days until Christmas!