Birthday Month - December 6th!

 

Well we can all dream can't we?

Here are just a few things I would love to receive this year for my 19th Birthday :)

 I adore this top! But I would wear it as a skirt I think! From Urban Outfitters.

This cake looks so yummy from Patisserie Valerie

I think this dress is really pretty and looks very festive! All I need now is a pair of red sandals and a Christmas jumper to match! Modcloth

 These Flamingo earrings are lovely from Hannah Makes Things!

 I know I have the green version already.. But these silver ones and the red are equally as pretty! Schuh.

  A neon sign for my bedroom!

Not going to happen, but hey ho.

Hehe, these are so cute! I already have a Lego man torch keying from last Christmas

 I've already posted these shoes on here, but I still think their awesome.

Ever since watching Juno, I have wanted one of these phones!! Maybe not the most practical item ever, but who cares, it’s a burger phone?! Accessorize

And finally this awesome eletric green bag from Jansport.

What I love this week ♥ - Christmas Lights

 Not Long left until Christmas! Here are a few pics to inspire you to get decorating with the Festive Spirit!



Hot chocolate and comfy blankets

Uch I have been really ill today, so I’ve stocked up on Satsuma’s, hot chocolate, hot Ribena, Tea, soup and cherry bake wells.

Also I’ve been wearing my all in one Dalmatian pyjama suit, which has kept me cosy all day.

Can't wait to feel better now though....

Roasted Tomato and Onion Soup

Ingredients:

2kg/4½lbs large ripe plum tomatoes, halved/

2 garlic bulbs, cut in half horizontally

2 large red onions, peeled, quartered

few sprigs fresh thyme

1  1/2 tbsp Honey

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

250ml/9fl oz vegetable stock (optional)

100ml/3½fl oz single cream (optional)

few drops Worcestershire sauce (optional)

          Method:

1.      Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 8.

2.      Place the tomatoes, garlic, onions and thyme into a large roasting tin and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with the oil, and roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

3.      I said use two bulbs of garlic, with the first, pull the bulbs from their skin and mash in with the soup. The other is purely to enjoy as a sweet little treat for all you garlic fans out there, though if you everyone is a fan in the house, you could always add it to the soup as well.

4.      Tip the roasted tomatoes and onions into a food processor along with the mashed garlic, and pulse until smooth.

5.      If the soup is too thick, pour into a large saucepan and loosen the mixture with either vegetable stock, or single cream. Add a little Worcestershire sauce to season, if you like.

This is a recipe I have addapted from Sophie Dahl's Recipe Book, which is really worth buying if you can.

When your dress is just that bit too short...

Today I decided to have a clear out of my closet! I listed a few things on EBay before finding this lovely velvet dress I bought a few months ago. Unfortunately when I purchased it, I didn't realise how short it was. Not that I’m against short skirts, I’m actually very pro short skirts. But this dress was that little bit too unacceptable for my daily trip to college! So I have come up with a way to lengthen it just that little bit more.

  

Firstly I plunged into my ribbon supply!

1. I found a similar colour ribbon and creamy lace that matched my dress.

2. I then sewed together the lace and the ribbon, with the lace on the underside.

3. Then I turned the dress inside out, and sewed the ribbon side to the dress.

4. Turn the dress back to the right way, and there you have it! A slightly more sophisticated look for a dress well worth keeping.

Re-desigining a bag

Yesterday I made this bag from an old vintage purse and chain my mum found lying around at the back of our shop. The beading reminds me of those cheap little purses you have when you're little, and I loved that!

There is a little pink stain down the side, but I think it adds something more to look at rather than being a problem. 

This was the bag before.

 I really didn't like the chain and it was broken anyway. The fringing was ok but most of it was missing and I thought it would look neater without it.

Finally the zip was stuck so I decided for full reconstruction!

       1.Firstly I cut off the old zip.

 2.Then I unpicked the stitching on all four sides of the bag and removed the fringing. Then I sewed on the new zip.

3.Next I sewed the three sides back up together.

4.And lastly, using fishing wire, created a new strap made from a pattern of pearls, white beads, and plastic beads, before sewing it onto the finished bag.

 

Overall I think it now looks much better, and I can actually use it as a bag, rather than just keeping it in a pile of things because it looks pretty.

Our beautiful boy Harrison

 Last Thursday we had a terrible thing happen to our family. Our gorgeous boy Harrison was hit by a car
near our house :(

 I wanted to share just a couple of these pictures with you as he meant so much to us all, and was such a little character. We are so heartbroken by loosing him, but I guess there is some solace in knowing he wasn't in any pain as it was instant.

  

 This isn’t the most skilled of photographs, but it just makes me smile. Harrison would always sneakily drink the remains of my tea from my cup, and I caught him doing it on camera just this once!

Sadly this was the last photograph I took of him before he died, which really hurts to look at it, but again he was being a cheeky chappy and trying to sample my chilli which is to the left of him.

This was Harry as a kitten.

He wasn't just a cat, he was a member of the family and he will always be remembered. He filled our house with such love and fun and happiness, we will never ever forget him xxx

What I love this week ♥ - Illustrations

 I love this drawing of a Teackae! The wrapper is so beautiufl and they taste yummy too.

 I like the simplicity of this painting.

The rainbow and the nutella look so good together.

 This was something I made last year ! I painted and sewed them, and used foil for the alluminuim bits!

I love the colours of the feather and think the idea is really clever.

Weird and wonderful

I love these duck shoes!

 

Renu Renu – designed by Dunja Seselja.  All the shoes in the Renu Renu line are made with cruelty free materials.  renurenu.deviantart.com.Pictures from :http://www.bizarrebytes.com/author/elizabeth/

Autumn times

Today we drove home the scenic route with all the beautiful leaf colours turning and already turned golden browns, deep yellows and rich reds. It was so pretty.

 We stopped to get a few pictures and a quick kiss.

 That night my grandmother found this caterpillar (now named Billy) in her chard. So I was summoned to remove it, and again, we took some more pictures.

Finally I finished the night of by cooking a rather yummy chilli.

Recipe: Winter Chilli with fresh Spinach

Feeds roughly 6.

500g Lean Beef Mince

1 large onion

1 red pepper

1 red chilli (and chilli flakes depending on spice preference)

2 Tins chopped toms

4-5 garlic cloves crushed. (We love garlic at our house)

1 small glass of red wine

2 tbs tomato puree

2 tins red kidney beans

1 tbs Worcester sauce

1 chicken, 1 beef stock cube

200ml milk

Half bag of spinach

2-3 tsp Cumin

 2-3 tsp Ground coriander

Fresh coriander

Salt & Pepper 

Just the usual process really. Sauté the onion and pepper add the chilli and mince, brown off the mince and add the wine. Then add the rest of the ingredients but hold the spinach and the kidney beans until nearly ready to serve before adding, as they would overcook.

Finally top with fresh coriander and grated cheese and serve over rice, a lovely meal for a cold autumn evening. We like adding spinach as it makes us feel that bit healthier, and it does taste very good too.

Colour theory

Were covering colour theory at the moment at college so here was a quick snap from my sketch book today! Also downloaded the instagram app so this was my first chance to try it out!

Raspberry Ice Tea

 I have a new food/drink obsession. Raspberry ice tea.

I usually buy ice tea from Costa, but recently I’ve been looking for the best way to replicate it for when I’m at home (our nearest Costa is Mold which is about 11 miles away) so I came up with this combination

  Lidl Lemon Ice Tea (You can use and make or brand of ice tea) and Raspberry ‘Monin’ Syrup which I bought from Amazon for £6.49. It sounds expensive but it lasts for quite a while, and is well worth the price once you taste it.

Recipe:

Add about 2-3 teaspoons of syrup to your ice tea; then add ice and lemon and Viola, a yummy drink, much cheaper than the £2.60 I pay at Costa, and just as tasty and refreshing.