Trinket Box

DIY leather bow cuff

2012-03-16T19:00:00.001Z

I stumbled across this DIY on Pinterest [follow me here if you wish] - I thought it was really cute and decided to make use of a fake leather bag I no longer used.

You will need
A piece of leather
Scissors
Snap button/stick-on velcro
Needle & thread

1. Cut an oval shape from your piece of leather, ensuring it fits around your wrist - make sure you make it bigger, as you will need that extra material when making the bow.

2. Scrunch the material in the middle to make the bow. Tie a piece of material around to secure the bow. You may want to use a piece of leather you have left - I just used another piece of material from the bag I had cut up. Sew to secure if neccessary.

3. Sew your snap button, one part of it at one end and the other at the other side. I cheated a little, and used stick-on velcro, which does the job just as well!

And you're done! I fancied jazzing it up a bit, so put a few gold studs on.

Instagram #5

2012-03-12T21:09:00.001Z

[01] Mini egg rocky road - best rocky road I have ever made. I used vegan marshmallows which are really good [not sure how they compare to 'real' marshmallows, not had those in years!]
[02] Enjoying said rocky road with a cuppa.
[03] My pretty bridesmaid shoes. Too excited for my brother's wedding!
[04] DIY leather bow cuff - post coming soon.
[05] Playing peekaboo with Ben's cat, Jim.
[06] Visited my Grandparents yesterday afternoon and had dinner with them. My Mum made an amazing fruit crumble for pudding, served with custard.
[07] Topshop Innocent.
[08] I never like leaving my bed, especially at 5:30am for the gym. Ouch.

For more, follow me on instagram @sophie_soph

Nails - Aztec

2012-03-10T15:53:00.001Z

I got the inspiration for these nails from the skirt in this post. Never done Aztec nails before and I don't think they look too bad for a first try!

I used my favourite nail polish, Models Own Utopia, for the base then created the Aztec pattern using my Topshop nail art pens.

I hope you're enjoying your weekend! Mine has been pretty relaxed so far. Made some mini egg rocky road this morning - have been ordered to make more - and popped into town to get my bridesmaid shoes, which I love. My friend is popping over later for me to do her nails, so I've got to get my big collection of nail polishes out for her to choose what she wants done! Speaking of nail polish/nail art - has anyone seen this? It looks great, have pre-ordered my copy!

Eleven.

2012-03-07T22:11:00.000Z

The very lovely Fiona tagged me to answer these questions. Here goes!

If you could eat one type of food for a month, what would you choose?
In a world where calories didn't count, I would say nando's. But that wouldn't be very healthy, and it would be expensive.. I would probably say cereal. Not because it's my favourite food, but because there is a big variety so I wouldn't get bored. Plus it's one of those things you can eat any time of day!

What was your first ever pet?
A ginger cat called Arnold.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go to?
Right now, I would say New York. But I've been twice before [planning to go again next year!], so if I was to choose to go somewhere new I would probably say Australia. I have family in Melbourne, and I'm sure I could stay with them if I wished, so it could happen one day!

What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was little, I always told people I either wanted to be a dancer, dance teacher or a princess. I am now none of these things :(

What was your first childhood memory?
Can't pinpoint what was my first childhood memory, but one that springs to mind is during a dance class. I must have been about 3 years old [my mum started sending me to dance classes when I was 2 and a half] and we were sitting on the floor with our legs stretched out, doing 'good toes, naughty toes'...which was pointed toes, then flexed toes!

If you could be a superhero for a day, what super powers would you like to have?
All of them! But who wouldn't want to fly or be invisible?

If you could change one thing about your past, what would you change?
Nothing. I wouldn't change anything, although I might have done a couple of things differently.

What's your favourite film of all time?
I don't have one film I love the most, I have a few firm favourites. Including Edward Scissorhands, Stand By Me, The Notebook, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas and Disturbia.

If you could choose one activity to do before you die, what would it be?
Eat and you know...stuff ;) But if I had to be adventurous [which I'm really not], I would say scuba diving. Always fancied a bit of that.

Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years time?
I would like to see myself married and maybe with a baby... I am super broody, but not at all ready for it yet. I don't really know what else I'd like to be doing, but as long as I'm happy where I am that's all that matters.

What is the most adventurous thing you've ever done?
Pfft. Already said I'm not adventurous. I really am a bit of a scaredy cat. Sorry.

I tag the following people:
Victoria
Kim
Annie

And my questions are...

1. What never fails to cheer you up?
2. If you had to be stuck in a lift with one person, who would it be?
3. What's your guilty pleasure?
4. If you could have any talent, what would it be?
5. Best holiday you've ever had?
6. Tea or coffee?
7. What's been your best purchase of the year so far?
8. What is your life-long ambition/dream?
9. Best childhood memory?
10. What are your pet hates?
11. Favourite colour to wear?

xx

DIY dip dye shorts

2012-03-04T20:42:00.000Z

This DIY was inspired by the lovely Kim - check out this post for her little tutorial.

I bought some dye on ebay - I went for powder pink and burlesque red. I liked the look of these colours on their own and thought they could look good paired together.

I dyed some white denim shorts which I've had for a while, figured they would be good to use for my first try! They're a bit big for me now, but a belt solves that issue.

I was a bit unsure at first, but they're growing on me! I decided to add some little gold studs on one of the pockets too. I have some silver studs too and I recently bought a pair of jeans for £5 which I turned into shorts, so I think I will stud those as well.

I've since bought some more packs of dye, to try a different colour combination. I really enjoyed making these!

DIY Collar tips

2012-03-01T10:55:00.000Z

I've been after a pair of metal collar tips for a while - most of the nicer ones I've found on ebay I thought were a tad expensive for what they are, and reckoned I could make them myself. That's when I stumbled across a tutorial. I changed the tutorial slightly, to suit the materials I had - but here goes.

You will need
Book corner protectors
Ear posts
Strong super glue
A hammer
Scraps of fabric

What to do
First of all, get your corner protector and ear post and super glue the ear post to the back of the protector. When completely dry, put the corner protector between two pieces of fabric and gently tap the hammer, flattening the edges inwards.

Attach your new collar tips to any shirt you fancy! Simples.

Nails - Holographic & leopard accent

2012-02-26T14:40:00.001Z

I CANNOT STOP LOOKING AT MY NAILS.

When Lucy blogged about this nail polish, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I had been after a good holographic nail polish for a while, and can definitely recommend this. Just look at it! Such a beaut. And the photos don't even do it enough justice, it's just so lovely!

The nail polish in question is the Jessica Holograam Chic Duo - expensive, but worth it for this prettiness. Plus it's free delivery which is always a massive bonus in my eyes! You apply one coat of the Retro Revival base coat, then one or two coats [I used two] of the Disco Diva hologram polish. As I love accent nails I also leopard printed my ring finger up using Barry M Berry and my Models Own Wah nail art pen.

Instagram #4

2012-02-23T21:38:00.001Z

Another instagram 'filler' post! If you'd like to follow me on instagram my username is @sophie_soph.

Roses from my Valentine ♥ Sometimes I think Ben thinks I'm only with him for his cats ♥ Food at The Diner ♥ Casual pelican in Hyde Park ♥ Pancakes! I'm often tempted to try different combinations, but always end up smothering mine in lemon & sugar ♥ My new bag has a face ♥ Yep, I'm definitely a cat lady. ♥ Considered giving up chocolate for lent, then realised that would mean none of these babies [and malteser bunnies!] for 40 days - no chance.

Oreo and peanut butter brownie cakes.

2012-02-21T19:45:00.000Z

Another Pinterest find! I'm forever pinning recipes for future use. Pinterest is definitely the best source to find the yummiest food.

If you love oero cookies, peanut butter and brownies then you're onto a winner here. I followed this recipe, using Betty Crocker's [who else] sticky choc brownie mix. SO quick and easy to make. Mine didn't turn out quite as compact as the ones in the recipe - think I got a bit over-excited with the brownie mixture...but, MY GOD, they taste so good.

Recent buys.

2012-02-18T14:01:00.001Z

Wednesday was Ben's birthday and we spent the day in London. We went for lunch at The Diner in Soho then headed to Oxford St for a spot of shopping. The plan was that I bought Ben a few bits as, although I had given him a few presents, I didn't get him much as there wasn't anything he could think of. Well, that plan was soon scrapped as the fussy bugger couldn't find anything he liked! I did shop for myself, though [I have a very patient boyfriend].

♥ White leopard heart embellished tank from River Island. It was Ben who enabled me to get this, said it was 'very me'.
♥ I caved and bought the RI aztec skirt I featured in my wishlist a couple of posts back. BIG LOVE.
♥ Topshop nail polishes in Green Room and Celestial.
♥ I wanted a lovely pink lipstick, this Topshop one ticks all the boxes. The shade is 'innocent'.
♥ Couldn't go to Soho without popping into the Lomography Gallery Store. I got a Splitzer for my Diana F+.

What have you been spending your cashmere on lately? I'm finding it hard to resist buying more 'stuff', but I really should stop as we have to pay off our holiday next month!

I hope everyone has a great weekend. My plan for this afternoon/evening is to go to the gym and then come home and watch take me out! I started couch to 5k this week and will be doing my third run of week 1 later. Has anyone else done it? How did you find it? I'm not much of a runner at all but it's something I've wanted to be able to do for a while.

My 'new' camera.

2012-02-17T17:09:00.000Z

I spotted it in cash converters [of all places] a couple of weeks ago, went on and on about it, then gave in and bought it yesterday...

Canon EOS 1000 SLR film camera [oh hello lovely bottle of disaronno in the background]

I'm in the process of 'researching' this camera, and trying to get to grips with it as it didn't come with any sort of manual! But I'm all for experimenting. My boyfriend said I now have more cameras in my room than anything else - he's probably right. I am thinking of selling my lomography fisheye camera for cheaps, though, if anyone's interested!

I've had a lovely few days off work, and have spent too much money [post on new purchases coming soon]. I'm off out for a meal tonight with my boyfriend and his family. I don't have the money for it, but Ben has told me I don't need to worry about that as he is paying for me. Too lovely :)

Nails - Technic Carnival

2012-02-12T17:12:00.001Z

Just a quick little review on the OPI Rainbow Connection dupe, which I bought off ebay.

I applied the glitter polish over Sephora Metro Chic and Models Own Purple Mystique. I don't have OPI Rainbow Connection, but from the swatches I have seen online it seems like a pretty good dupe. I used two coats of it to achieve the amount of glitter seen here, but I can imagine it would look amazing with one or two more layers. The polish applies well and dries pretty quickly - I'm really impressed with this, especially for the price I paid for it.
I bought this from this seller for £2.99. I'm guessing the seller has realised how popular this nail polish is as they have upped the price to £6.99 - but I have found one cheaper here if you want to get your little mitts on it.

Instagram #3

2012-02-10T19:33:00.000Z

Have been a bit of a hermit the past week or so...my car failed its MOT this week [sob] so I had to pay over £300 for stuff to be fixed for it to pass. So that has meant it's not been possible for me to even think about purchasing anything off my wishlist. Which I guess should be seen as a positive thing. Saving my money for an epic spend on Oxford Street on Wednesday!

Dupe of OPI Rainbow Connection - got it for £2.99 on ebay, absolutely love it ♥ My favourite wine after a long & stressful day at work ♥ Hello Panda biscuits...yum ♥ Never enough chocolate ♥ Snow-covered trees in the park this morning - I know I'm not a fan of snow, but this is pretty! ♥ My pretty Diana, all kitted out with the fisheye lens my boyfriend gave me. Might give it a whirl in London on Wednesday!

I am so very glad it's the weekend now. I better dash, my boyfriend text me to say he's ready for me to go over but I said he'd have to wait as I was sorting out this blog post! Priorities and all that ;) Have a lovely weekend. x

Nails - peter pan collar

2012-02-05T17:30:00.006Z

I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend? And kept warm! I'm not a fan of snow, so when it started coming down last night I wasn't too impressed...however, the snowball fight my boyfriend and I had on the way home from the cinema [really recommend seeing Chronicle!] was pretty fun. Not looking so pretty out there today though - it's just a dirty, sludgy mush. So we spent this morning in bed and then booked our holiday to Cyprus this afternoon - it may be cold outside, but I'm dreaming of laying by the pool at our hotel which is right on the beach :)

Anyway, onto the nails!

Browsing Pinterest, I came across an amazing tutorial for peter pan collar nails! They instantly reminded me of tuxedo nails, which I've never really fancied doing on my own nails - but peter pan collars? Yes please!

I decided to do mine in black and pink, as I love the colours together. Mine may not look as good as those in the tutorial, but they're really easy to do - the hardest part is cleaning them up after, to be fair! I used Models Own Black Magic with my Topshop pink nail art pen.

Wishlist...

2012-02-04T17:38:00.000Z

I am meant to be saving, but I have already spent a bit of money since being paid on the 1st of this month. The things I have bought will probably be featured on my blog soon - they're things I don't really need, I just wanted them. But hey ho, you have to treat yourself every now and again.
It's my boyfriend's birthday this month, and I've also got to get my car in for its MOT next week, so I must make sure I 'draw my horns in' a bit - like my mother would say! There's no harm in looking, though.

1. This beautiful blouse is from Lavish Alice, a lovely website which I only discovered recently. I'm loving this colour at the moment, and really want a top with an embellished collar. Beaut!

2. I came across this skirt the other day, then I was in town today and popped into River Island. I nearly ended up grabbing it and paying for it, but I did manage to resist! I'm not normally a big fan of aztec but I think it's gorgeous, and at £15, a complete bargain. May end up getting it...

3. This dress is another Lavish Alice find - I guess it's a good thing it's currently not in stock, otherwise it would be going straight into my basket! Mint green is probably my favourite colour, and I love lace...it's perfect.

Someone please discourage me from buying these lovelies - I have a trip to Oxford Street on my boyfriend's birthday to look forward to! Plus no doubt I will be popping into the Lomography Gallery Store too.

Have a lovely Saturday evening, I'm off to the cinema tonight to see Chronicle - looking forward to it!

Banana & blueberry yogurt muffins.

2012-02-02T13:18:00.001Z

I altered the recipe for these muffins from a book given to me by a friend for Christmas. The recipe called for blueberries, which I didn't have to hand, so instead I just used a couple of pots of alpro soya blueberry yogurts. I also added in some banana.

The muffins came out a little browner than I would have liked - although that was my fault for getting a little too engrossed in a game of words with friends! - but the smell wafting through the house was SO good, and they taste really good too! I'm always a little aprehensive when changing recipes, but they turned out well. Great as a healthy breakfast!

Ingredients [makes 12 muffins]
225g plain flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
110g caster sugar
3 egg whites
3 tbsp low-fat margarine
150ml blueberry yogurt
2 small bananas, mashed
1tsp vanilla essence

Method
Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar and mix together.

In a seperate bowl, whisk the egg whites together. Add the margarine, yogurt and vanilla essence and mix well. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and gently stir until just combined, then fold in the mashed banana.

Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 cases, they should be about two-thirds full. Place into a preheated oven [190 degrees celcius/gas mark 5] and bake for 25 minutes or until risen and golden. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Instagram #2

2012-01-31T19:57:00.000Z

Another instagram post! Copying the whole world, I know, but I do enjoy looking at other people's instagram posts, and I am a bit addicted to the app...if you have it, let me know your username and I'll give you a follow!

Having been signed off this week, I've had the opportunity to get down to some jewellery making. I've started making these bow rings, which have gathered a bit of interest. I've since ordered some more wire, and will be making them in both silver and copper! If anyone would be interested in purchasing one then please just let me know. I also made myself an initial pebble bracelet - I made the 'pebble' using art clay silver, stamped with an 's' which you can't really see in the photo! I then just strung it onto a bit of elastic cord. Again, any interest in these - just let me know! Which brings me to remind you that I am still having a big sale in my shop! 25% off with the code CLOSING25 :)

Other than the jewellery making, I haven't done a lot so far this week. Took a walk into town today and got my new favourite thing from Starbucks, a skinny spiced vanilla latte. Then came home and watched Super 8, which has got to be one of the best films I saw last year.

Hope you're having a good week!

Nails - glitter tips

2012-01-30T19:22:00.000Z

I've been signed off work with a bad back. I had back pain a couple of weeks ago, but ignored it and it seemed to go away on its own. But I was running on the tredmill at the gym the other day when I felt it 'go' again - got a doctors appointment on Friday [after a lot of hassle at work, my managers are so selfish!] and he signed me off straight away. Got some strong painkillers and have been advised to rest - NO GYM :( Must admit, I haven't been resting as much as I should, I'm the type of person who likes to be doing things. Still, my back is starting to feel better and it is nice to have the week off! And I get to have my nais painted all week!

For these nails I used Topshop Butterscotch Babe with Models Own Juicy Jules on the tips. I outlined the glitter tips with my blue Topshop nail art pen. I really like the contrast of the colours.

Need to dash off to the boyfriend's - he tells me he has 'treats', that'll make me go faster!

Lomography Love #5

2012-01-27T19:02:00.000Z

Here are the first lot of photos I took on my Sprocket Rocket. I was so happy when I got the scans through - I think they have come out pretty well! I used redscale negative film, loving the orange and red tones.

Big cupcake.

2012-01-24T19:19:00.000Z

It's my boyfriend's birthday next month and I always make him a cake. My best friend got me one of those amazing giant cupcake molds for Christmas, so I decided I would use it to make his cake - and had a bit of a practise first, just to test it out!

I must admit I cheated a little, I used Betty Crocker's chocolate cake mix and icing - it was easier for the first go, just to see how much mixture I would need. But Betty Crocker is the best!

The mold also comes with a removable insert which leaves a big concave - I bet it would be lovely filled with raspberries and cream! One for the recipe book.

Handmade goodies in the post.

2012-01-21T15:25:00.002Z

The very lovely Fiona sent me some goodies this week. A while before Christmas I had commissioned her to make me a headband, however she got a bit busy and didn't get round to it. Obviously I understand completely, but she sent me some things she had made as a little apology - which was so sweet of her!

Excuse my make up-less face. I just LOVE this bow headband Fiona sent me. I had commissioned her to make one just like this, but in green, and I reckon I will still be wanting one! It's so comfy - fits perfectly, keeps my ears warm, and I love the colour :)

Another thing Fiona makes is lovely scented candles. She sent me a tiny teacup candles and some heart shaped melts!

And last, but not least, she painted up some false nails! Looking forward to using them!

Once again, thank you so much to Fiona, and if you're into photography, baking and crafts then check out her blog - you won't be disappointed!

Trinket Box - closing down sale!

2012-01-18T21:24:00.000Z

I have sadly decided to close my shop, due to time. Or lack of. I will continue doing custom orders [and possibly making things available to purchase through my blog] and making pieces for The Gift Gallery in York, as well as gifts for friends of course! Could not give it up completely - I love it too much - so remember, any jewellery needs, I'm your girl ;)

I'm not closing just yet though...I am having a BIG SALE first! 25% OFF EVERYTHING! Just enter the code CLOSING25 in the box at checkout...

What are you waiting for?!

Florals & leopard spots.

2012-01-15T21:56:00.000Z

Hannah of Bow Dream Nation held a Krisp giveaway in November. I entered, but forgot about it until a month or so later when I received a tweet from Hannah to tell me I had won!

The prize was an item of my choice. I picked the shirred waist belted tunic. The print and shape of the tunic stood out to me, so I emailed them with my size and received it a week or so later.

My blog isn't very fashion/outfit post orientated, excuse the rubbish photos - got my Mum to quickly snap these for me in our living room!

The tunic came with a belt to tie round, in the same material, but I prefer to wear a proper belt with these kind of things.

I really love it, the print is gorgeous and it's so easy to wear, and such a flattering shape too. I've already seen some other items on the KRISP website which I like the look of, and may end up making a purchase - such good prices too! Thank you to the lovely Hannah for holding the giveaway!

Instagram.

2012-01-12T19:45:00.000Z

Since getting my iPhone a week or so ago, I have become a tiny bit addicted to instagram. Here are some little snippets of my week in photo form.

My boyfriend's beautiful cat Rosie ♥ Leopard nails ♥ Lovely little package..more on this soon! ♥ My Hello Kitty notebook which is helping me keep my finances in order [so far] ♥ Bunny print top from h&m ♥ My favourite t-shirt to sleep in ♥ Cupcakes I made earlier this week ♥ My beautiful new shoes

Making cupcakes.

2012-01-09T16:21:00.000Z

I made some cupcakes using the cupcake maker my boyfriend got me for Christmas! I am IN LOVE with this little gadget.

It's so easy to use, just switch it on and wait for it to heat up, then fill the little cups with batter, close and cook for 8-12 minutes.

I used a basic recipe found in the booklet which came with the cupcake maker. For my first batch I used some cupcake cases, but for the second and third batch I went without.

The cupcakes may look a ~~little~~ very anaemic, but they are definitely cooked, and the colour won't matter once they're iced! :)

I made up some duck egg blue butter icing and used my new piping bag and nozzles which I also received for Christmas. As you can see, I need a bit of practise, but some came out ok...

I've had a quick nibble already, they're really good! Off to enjoy one with a cuppa :)

Bunny charms.

2012-01-07T15:26:00.000Z

I closed my shop a week or so ago, as I need a bit of a break. I am actually considering closing for good - sales haven't been great for me lately, and I just don't seem to have the time to do it all at the moment! If I do close, I will definitely still be designing and making, but will only be doing things for the shop in York which stocks my jewellery and custom orders etc. I may make some things available to buy through my blog too. I wouldn't want to give it up all together, I love it too much!

Anyway, I have opened my shop back up just for this weekend. I've added a custom order and these gorgeous little bunny charms...

Like with many of my fine silver pieces, the bunnies have a pretty lace texture. They have been polished and burnished by hand to a lovely subtle shine. They come with a jumpring attached, ready for you to string onto your favourite chain/charm bracelet. I have two available, but can make more.

Chances are I will be closing my shop again tomorrow, so if you'd like one of these soon be quick! I'll of course have them available again if they don't sell straight away :)

Recent buys.

2012-01-03T18:52:00.002Z

Hello, and a belated happy new year! I hope everyone's 2012 has started well? How are everyone's resolutions going? I rarely make them, but have decided this year I need to SAVE. Lots. That doesn't mean to say I haven't been spending, oh no. A girl is allowed to treat herself.

I attempted the sales, but I soon remembered why I dislike them so much. People turn all rude and ignorant, and there's just no need. So after traipsing around the ~~shops~~ jumble sale for a good couple of hours, I decided the best thing to do was go online.

♥ The first two items are from forever21, I got them in their buy one get one free sale. Both items were a tenner, so that's what I got them for! I'd never ordered from forever21 before, but I was pleasantly surprised. The skirt looks better on, and the top is gorgeous and super comfy.
♥ Wedges from h&m, I used a voucher I got for Christmas to buy these. They have them in leopard print too, ever so tempting but the black is more practical!
♥ Leopard print pussy bow blouse from new look.
♥ Oh, and, what's that? Yes, it's a white iphone 4! After being a blackberry user for over a year I have finally seen the light. My iphone will be with me tomorrow. Any app recommendations appreciated!

I also have this skirt and these wedges in black on order, thanks to Charlene ;)

And that's it...no more spending the rest of January though...bring on February! Although that's the month of my boyfriend's birthday so chances are I'll be spending all my money on him. What have you been spending your hard earned cash on lately?

Nails - Diamond

2011-12-31T11:29:00.003Z

This will be my last post of 2011 - crazy how fast the year has flown by!

For these nails I used barry m limited edition lilac foil for the base and did scrawls using my pink topshop nail art pen mr messy style! On my ring finger I drew and coloured in a diamond, using my black, pink and blue topshop nail art pens.

It was only after I'd done my nails that I turned to Ben and said, 'look, a diamond on my ring finger - hint hint!' - a little light-heartedly, of course.

Right, must get dressed as going out for a nando's and mooch around town, before heading out to a bar tonight to welcome in 2012! Not really fussed by new years eve to be fair, bit over-rated in my opinion, but I don't really want to be stuck indoors either. Hope you all have a great night whatever you're doing! x

Christmas gifts.

2011-12-28T18:39:00.000Z

I thought I would share some of my Christmas presents. I know I like to be nosey and see what others have got, so thought I would share some of mine! I'm so grateful to all my amazing friends and family, they know me so well. I got some really lovely things - Misfits & Outnumbered boxsets, Queen of Crafts, nail art stuff, smellies, money [always helps], pretty undies, socks, wine....but here are just a few of my favourite gifts.

♥ Lomography Sprocket Rocket camera.
♥ Cupcake maker! One of my favourite gifts from my boyfriend. So excited to use it.
♥ More baking bits! Silicone teacup cupcake moulds, piping bag and nozzles and jumbo silicone cupcake mould!
♥ Love Heart egg cups and cosies. I got these for my bestie for her last birthday and told my boyfriend I really liked them. He took note!
♥ Topshop purse. This was on my wishlist on amazon and I love it.
♥ Fisheye lens for my Diana F+

Has anyone else done a Christmas gift post? Link me to 'em, would love to see!

Bloggers secret santa.

2011-12-27T17:05:00.000Z

The lovely Rani organized a bloggers secret santa. I received mine about a week before Christmas, but put it straight under the tree and saved it until the 25th. I have since discovered that Laura was my secret santa - I am so chuffed with what she sent me, so thank you Laura! And I hope the person I bought for likes what they got too :)

Love the card :)

Laura sent me this lovely owl hottie, some pretty hairclips, barry m red glitter nail polish, socks, a cadbury chocolate star and some chocolate coins [which aren't in the photo as they have been eaten!]

I'll be back later with another Christmas gift post! For now I'm off to sort out stuff for tomorrow - back to work! Hopefully it will be nice and quiet though, and I'm on the early shift so not too bad! Hope you're all enjoying the festive period! Will leave you with today's nails - my Mum got me the bundle monster image plates for Christmas, I decided to do black stars on Models Own Tickled Pink!

A holly jolly Christmas.

2011-12-26T14:21:00.001Z

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas Day? Mine was spent with my family during the day. My brother and his fiancé had stayed over Christmas Eve and my Grandparents came over around midday. We had The Bublé Christmas album playing pretty much all morning. My Mum did some 'nibbly' bits for lunch and we all then opened some presents! The rest of the afternoon was spent watching Monsters vs Aliens and drinking lots of bucks fizz. We had dinner at 5, it was sooo good! Quorn roast beats turkey ;) I then headed to my boyfriend's for the evening where we watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 :)

Here are a few photos from our day.

I've been quite spoilt with presents, and there's still more to come! May do a post on some of them soon...

I hope everyone had as good a day as I did, and you all enjoy your Boxing Day :)

Going to go make a cuppa, got the boyfriend coming over soon to watch some dvds and perhaps overindulge in chocolate!

Nails - gift wrapped!

2011-12-24T11:40:00.000Z

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! I'm so excited - this is my favourite time of year. :D Obviously I wanted to do something quite festive with my nails. After a lot of thought [it's a big decision!] I decided to gift wrap my nails with bows, complete with little rhinestones in the centre of each one!

I used Models Own Purple Mystique and drew the bows on using my Topshop nail art pen. I then applied the clear rhinestones using a cocktail stick. Must admit, my right hand doesn't look as good as my left does - wish I was ambidextrous!

I'm spending today tidying my room and sorting the house out a bit, all whilst listening to the Michael Bublé Christmas album all day! Then out for drinkies tonight! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, get everything you wish for and, most importantly, spend it with the people you love the most. xx

Stained glass window biscuits

2011-12-21T18:16:00.000Z

I first saw these on pinterest a month or so ago. I had a day off on Monday and fancied doing some baking. Searched around for a recipe I liked the look of and, with my Christmas cutters at the ready, I got started on my stained glass window biscuits!

Ingredients
350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinammon [recipe said ginger but I swapped it for cinammon as I LOVE it!]
100g butter
175g soft brown sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp golden syrup
A packet of boiled sweets [I used fox's citrus sweets, but red ones would look great!]

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line a tray with baking paper.

Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinammon together in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.

In another bowl, beat the egg and golden syrup together and then add it to the dry mixture. Mix to make a smooth dough, kneading with your hands.

Put the sweets into small plastic bags and crush them using a rolling pin. Don't beat around the bush, really give it some and whack them!

Roll the dough out on a floured work surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes using your Christmas cutters, then transfer them to the baking tray.

Cut out shapes in the centre of each biscuit, making sure there is a good edge left around each one. Completely fill the hole in each biscuit with the crushed sweets. Bake the biscuits in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove the biscuits from the oven - do not remove them from the tray straight away as the boiled sweets need to harden. Once the sweets have hardened, use a palette knife to lift them from the tray and move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Nails - first time marbled.

2011-12-18T14:45:00.001Z

I've been wanting to marble my nails for a while and randomly decided to finally do it last night. I really love this technique - it's fairly quick and really easy. Bit messy though! I used a tutorial I found on youtube, there are lots of good marble nails tutorials on there.

I used models own Grace Green and Purple Ash. I think they go rather nicely together, next time I do marbled nails I'll use brighter colours though I think.

Only a week to go! Who's as excited as I am? I love this time of year. Is everyone organised with their shopping? I've still got my 10% discount code running in my shop - just enter RUDOLPH at checkout. It's only valid until 12pm Tuesday though!
I got very drunk on Friday night, so spent most of yesterday recovering. Every time I think about the wine we drank I feel sick. I'm off wine now, until Christmas Day that is! Going out for a Christmas meal with friends tonight, I'm having a pineapple pizza and baileys chocolate cheesecake for dessert! Strictly NO drinking though.

Going to go make a which chocolate peppermint mocha and finish making a bracelet for my boyfriend's Mum :)

Lomography Love #4

2011-12-15T20:10:00.000Z

Here are some more of the photos I took on my diana mini in London the other week. You can see the rest here. Thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my last lomo love post!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree.

2011-12-14T19:05:00.000Z

We put our Christmas tree up on Sunday evening. My Mum has always really enjoyed decorating the house for Christmas, and really prides herself on our tree. I think it has quite a traditional, Victorian feel about it. We never get a real tree, and have been using the same fake one for a good few years now, but I still think it looks good!

Do you have an angel or a star on top of your Christmas tree? Angels are cute, but for us it's always got to be a star!

Nails - snowflakes.

2011-12-11T17:45:00.001Z

My first Christmassy nails of the year!

Barry M Racing Green with a coat of Nubar 2010 over the top. I painted the snowflakes on my ring finger using my new nail art pen from Topshop.

Hope everyone has had a good weekend? I spent this morning recovering from last night - it was my work christmas do, had such a good time! We went to a lovely Italian. I had a starter as a main because all the main meals were full of fish/meat - they gave me sooo much pasta, I could not eat it all! I somehow managed some tiramisu for pudding though, which was heavenly. Karaoke after, followed by lots of shots and drinking games...we will have lots to talk about at work tomorrow, that's for sure.
Had a yummy Harvester for lunch with my boyfriend today, and bought a gorgeous dress from h&m which I tweeted a photo of. I might wear it on Christmas Eve, I'll obviously replace the trousers with tights and wear a belt to nip it in a bit at the waist. And after trying my local starbucks for a half price tumbler with no luck, my Mum messaged me to say she'd got me one! Best Mum ever! .

Right I'm off to watch Elf! Hope you all have a lovely evening. Mine will be spent watching X Factor and Misfits. Who does everyone wants to win? I absolutely love Marcus, but have a feeling it'll be Little Mix. Although that could be a good thing, as it's usually the runner-ups who do better isn't it?!

Recent purchases.

2011-12-09T21:59:00.001Z

I got a tax rebate [woohoo], most of it has been put into savings but I have spent a bit of it...why not..

First I had a splurge on the Topshop website. My order came today.

Sheer stripe shirt, nail polish in Butterscotch Babe and nail art pen in Frozen.

I don't own many sheer things, and have always lusted over these kinda shirts. So when I saw this in the sale I grabbed it. Love the fact it comes with a belt - bonus! Never tried Topshop nail polish before so looking forward to giving this gorgeous shade a go, and after seeing Gem's post on the new Topshop nail art pens, I decided I had to try one out for myself! I've had a go with it and am quite impressed so far.

And I've also bought a couple of lovely chunky rings.

The arty imitation ring is from dixi, I really like the colour of the stone and think it makes the ring a bit different to some of the ones you see around. The leopard ring was an ebay find, I won it for about £2!

Now I must try to save my money..well, on clothes etc, that is. I still need to buy a present for my boyfriend's parents, and I have a couple of Christmas events coming up - starting with my work's do tomorrow night. Looking forward to it! Have a lovely weekend everyone. x

[edit] Just a reminder that the 20% discount code for my shop ends midnight tonight [Saturday 10th]. Just enter MISTLETOE at check out. All my jewellery comes wrapped up like a gift, so it's perfect if you're getting a present for someone! Free shipping still going :) [/edit]

A quick reminder...

2011-12-04T21:20:00.000Z

For all of you who are still on the look out for Christmas gifts, I still have a 20% discount for you! Just enter the code MISTLETOE at checkout and your 20% will automatically be taken off your order. This offer is valid only until 10th December so get your orders in quick! Shipping is also still free for the time being.

Like the look of this? Take a visit to my shop for more.

Lomography Love #3

2011-12-02T19:00:00.007Z

Taken with my diana mini using colour slide film ISO 200. I have a few more from this day but will save those for another post.

Weekend highlights.

2011-11-30T17:52:00.001Z

The past few days have been really lovely. I had such a great long weekend, it was quite relaxed but I also managed to get quite a lot done. Here are some snippets...

♥ Went teacup shopping in my local charity shop, where I got 5 teacups and 5 saucers for £3.50! I got a couple of candle orders from work last week, so I made a start on those and also made some for the stall I'm doing on Sunday. I've been quite busy sorting out all my stock for that.

♥ Had a nice day to myself in London on Monday. I walked through Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park, took some photos on my diana mini, then walked across to Oxford Street. I avoided Topshop, and just headed to primark instead where I got this lovely Christmassy cardigan from the mens section! I also got a thermal onesie, some lovely thick tights and a velvet headband. It was a really nice day, apart from the fact I really hurt one of my toes and at one point thought it was broken! Just badly strained though, I think.

♥ Made white chocolate & raspberry cookies, which I found the recipe for on both Lucy's and Lil's blogs. VERY YUMMY.

♥ Got into the Christmassy mood [who am I kidding, I've been feeling it for weeks] and put up my little tree! It's barbie pink, it's a bit tacky...I love it.

♥ My faux fur coat which I won off ebay finally arrived. It took three weeks! I love it though, so cosy! Not bad for £6 eh?

♥ Ben and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. He took me out to our favourite Indian on Saturday, it was delicious! Our actual anniversary was yesterday, we stayed in and ate dominos. So classy!

So now I'm back at work, and giving myself a slapped wrist for not going to the gym for a week...I have enjoyed my time off far too much!

What have you all been up to?

Lomography Love #2

2011-11-24T21:00:00.006Z

So it's been a while since I did my first 'Lomography Love' post. I thought it was high time I did another one! May have already posted ~~some~~ most of these before but oh well...these were all taken on my diana mini in Portugal in June this year.

Ha, yes, those are my boyfriend's hairy legs...

I've now got a lovely long 5 day weekend! The plan is to sort my mess of a room out, bake, make jewellery & candles and sleep in! I plan to go out with my diana at some point, so I'm hoping I'll have more photos soon for another Lomo Love post :)

Nails - Nubar 2010

2011-11-20T20:26:00.000Z

Nubar 2010 consists of flakes of reflective glitter...

It took a while getting a half decent photo of these nails, as it was difficult to capture the colours! As you can see I had been wearing this polish for a couple of days, as it's a little bit chipped. I painted it over Models Own Black Magic. It works well with the black, you get beautiful yellow, orange and green tones. I LOVE this nail polish and can't wait to try it over other colours! Very festive too! I got mine here if anyone's interested.

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend. I went to see Breaking Dawn Part 1 with my friend on Friday night. We got tickets for the 8.30pm showing, but then had problems [as it was so busy], Vue then mucked us around so we complained loads and they refunded us the money and we went to a later showing for free! So it wasn't all bad. Loved the film too. Best one so far in my opinion.
Yesterday my friend and I went Christmas shopping. I've nearly finished mine, so just got a couple of things for people [and this dress for myself, oops], but it was nice to catch up and have a couple of coffees from starbucks!
Today my family [and boyfriend] and I went to help decorate my brother and his fiancé's new house. It was the first time I'd seen their new place, and I think it's going to look really lovely once it's all finished! We had a lovely roast at il Ponte after, Ben and I shared the most delicious dessert! Still stuffed.
Now I'm back home in my pyjamas watching X Factor and looking forward to Misfits later! Monday again tomorrow, that came around quick...but I've only got a 4 day week followed by a 5 day weekend so that's something to look forward to!

To spread a bit of Christmas cheer I am offering 20% off in my shop until 10th December. Just enter MISTLETOE at checkout. Shipping is still free for the time being!

Over the rainbow...

2011-11-15T19:30:00.004Z

Quite possibly the sweetest cupcakes I have ever made.

I spotted a photo of someone else's cupcakes on pinterest [little bit addicted] and knew I had to make them on my next afternoon off work. So I got all my ingredients together and whipped some up!

I originally wanted to make the sponge rainbow coloured too, but I didn't have any red food colouring and couldn't find any in the shops [boooo] so I think I'll make those another time.

Ingredients
♥ For the cakes... ♥
150g unsalted butter, softened
150g caster sugar
150g self-raising flour
3 medium eggs, whisked
2.5ml [1/2 tsp] vanilla extract

♥ For the icing... ♥
225g icing sugar, sifted
2-3tbsp hot water
Blue food colouring

♥ For the rainbows... ♥
Butter
Icing sugar
Fizzy rainbow belt sweets, halved

MethodLine your bun tins with 20 paper cases and preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius/gas mark 4.

Place the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for 15 minutes/until golden and just firm. Cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring the cakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Put the icing in a large bowl, gradually beat in the water until you have a smooth thick icing. Add a few drops of the blue colouring. I wanted a lovely duck egg blue colour, so added a few drops of green as well. Spoon onto the cakes.

For the clouds, I just made a small amount of buttercream icing - no measurements really, just use butter and icing sugar until you get the right consistency and add some vanilla extract. Add a blob of the buttercream either side of the cakes, then press the rainbow belt sweets down into the icing.

Nails - green glitter edge.

2011-11-13T15:38:00.000Z

Tried something a bit different this weekend. Trying to break free of my leopard print/spots/konad nail painting habits.

All nail polishes are Models Own [as usual, it seems!] - I started by painting my nails with Sophie's Pink, then added the green edges using Jade Stone. I have some of those sticky tip guide thingies, but I went free-handed as I always seem to mess up my nails when I use them! I finished with a thin strip of Emerald City, which I applied using a cocktail stick.

I actually really like them, and don't want to have to take them off later for work tomorrow :( I reckon they'd look really good with some kind of pattern painted on too. I actually got complimented on them by the girl who served me in BHS today. She asked where I got my nails from, I told her I actually did them myself and she said she really liked them. Aw :)

Hope everyone's enjoyed their weekend. I've mainly been Christmas shopping! SO nice to know I'm almost done though, and I'll be missing the dreaded rush! Also got my advent calendar, any others in their twenties still get them? I hope I'm not the only one.

Christmas wishlist.

2011-11-12T16:02:00.001Z

I must admit, I have been compiling my Christmas wishlist for weeks now. I started my own Christmas shopping way back in August. I know that's super organized, but I'm still shopping round for bits for people, as I'm trying to spread the cost a bit. It's a very expensive time of year, especially when you're like me and don't seem to be able to know when to stop with the present buying! I love getting people things I just know they'll love, but then I keep seeing other stuff they'll really like and end up over-spending.

Anywaaay, onto my lovely list! This is going to make me sound totally materialistic, but who cares! You're lying if you say you don't like presents!

♥ Fisheye lens for Diana F+. Just looks amazing.

♥ A kitten. Okay. Not very realistic seeing as I still live with the parents and my Dad is totally against getting one. But I can still wish. And hope. And pray.

♥ Camera lens mug. Such a cool idea! I may not own a DSLR camera, but this would be the closest I could get to having one for a while, haha...and anyway, who doesn't like a good cup of tea? Love the little biscuit holder too!

♥ I am totally in love with this twist bow ring from Tiffany & Co. Have put this on the list I gave Ben. I've also asked for this one, which I love equally to be fair. Excuse my expensive taste.

♥ Teacup silicon cupcake moulds. I love to bake and I love tea so these are just perfect!

♥ Queen of Crafts book. I first heard about this from Victoria, and it looks lovely. Definitely right up my street :)

This is by no means my entire list...I'm also after some clothes [knits especially], pyjamas, bath stuff [lush snow fairy in particular], baking essentials, and some crafty supplies would also be lovely.

What's on your Christmas wishlist this year?

Me & Zena.

2011-11-08T20:38:00.001Z

On halloween, Me & Zena did a 'witching hour' flashsale between the hours of 11pm and 12am. 50% off everything! Having previously lusted over various things on their website, and not being able to afford them, I managed to keep my eyes open long enough to nab a couple of bits!

When I received my order, I instantly fell in love with the envelope it came in! BRIGHT PINK.

I also loved the bags my pieces came in...as I said in my last post, I love cute packaging.

I ordered the broken heart ring and the hexagon eye ring. Both together came to just over £18!

I love my rings. I love the chunkiness of them, and they're not at all uncomfortable which I find is sometimes the case with chunky rings! I'll probably be more inclined to wear them on my index fingers as they're a little bit big to go on any others, particularly the hexagon ring. But still, LOVE. Love love love.

New in the shop...and a sneak preview.

2011-11-06T20:55:00.000Z

Just wanted to share my new pieces with you, as well as a sneak peek at something new coming to my shop!

Added this pendant to the shop - I love the flower, so pretty!

I also added another one fairly similar, so head on over and take a look! I still have four 50% off codes left - just enter CRAZYSALE at checkout for 50% off your entire order. Shipping is free too :)

Something which I'm hoping will also be up in my shop soon is this lovely piece of stunning Agate...

I've bought a few of these in different colours, and have been playing around with them and mixing them with other beads. I'm waiting on some copper chain to come in the post - planning on stringing them onto long chains. Would anyone be interested in these? I'm going to make myself one too, I think they're gorgeous [if I do say so myself!].

And also, here's my latest packaging idea.

I've been using the pretty little envelopes for a while, but have now added some rustic natural twine wrapped around and tied in a bow. And then dangling is a wire wrapped bead which, not along makes it look all pretty, means the customer gets a little extra treat with their order - can be used as a charm on a necklace/bracelet! So this is the kinda packaging you'll get if you ever order from my shop, who else can't resist pretty packaging like me?!

Nails - lilac leopard

2011-11-05T16:42:00.000Z

Definitely one of my favourite nail colour combos to date - Models Own Utopia for the base colour and Mystic Mauve for the leopard spots.

I originally painted just my ring finger with the leopard, as I didn't have much time before going out last night. But I woke up early [to a cider induced headache] this morning, the boyfriend was still fast asleep, so I occupied myself by painting the rest!

Had a good night out last night, a friend from work left last week so we went out for her leaving do. One of the guys from work brought a pack of cards with him and we were using them for drinking games in 'spoons! So I'm totally blaming him for my headache this morning, he will be in trouble on Monday morning. Ha.

Had a lovely chilled out day today :) I managed to get some more sleep after painting my nails, then my boyfriend brought me tea in bed. We then headed into town for a mooch around, had nando's [yet again] and I got a red cup [gingerbread latte] from starbucks :D I also bought these boots - have been after a pair like these for ages, I'm not keen on uggs - I think they're horribly bulky and ugly! - but these look better somehow, plus they are sooo comfy!

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. I'm going to make a cuppa and watch Vampire Diaries. The rest of the evening will be spent watching X Factor [much to the boyfriend's distaste] and The Walking Dead [something which he does like!] xx

Banana flapjack.

2011-11-02T18:45:00.007Z

One of my favourite things to do on my afternoons off work is bake. Usually I'm well prepared - choosing what I'm going to bake days before, then gathering the ingredients together at the weekend. However this week I was a little unorganized, yet I still felt the need to bake! Something I did have all the ingredients for was flapjack - I wondered whether to make apple & cinnamon flapjack, but I've made those before so decided to make banana ones!

I must say they are so yummy! Especially warm out of the oven! I added a teaspoon of cinnamon too, as I love the stuff. Mmmm delish.

Ingredients
200g butter
160g soft brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup
450g rolled oats
1 banana
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon [optional]

Method
Grease and line a shallow baking tin with baking paper.

Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup together in a saucepan on a medium heat. Mash the banana and add to the mixture. If you're using cinnamon stir it in also.

Add the oats and mix well, making sure they're well covered by the mixture.

Bake in a 180 C/Gas 4 oven for 25 minutes, or until the top is brown. Leave to cool [but not before trying a piece warm..!] and cut into squares.

Next time I'll try to be more organized and a little more adventurous... but these were lovely and I'll definitely be making them again.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T17:17:00.000Z

I had a great night out on Saturday with some of the best people. It started out at my friend's flat, where we did our make up and bloodied ourselves up, whilst having a couple of drinks. Then we headed to our favourite pub, which was hosting a night of live music from a few local bands. Best costume goes to my boyfriend who made a mask of my brother's face.

Had a lovely feast at nando's on Sunday, to soak up all the alcohol we consumed. Nothing better!

I also carved a pumpkin this afternoon. It's small and cute.

The plan for this evening is to watch The Human Centipede 2, which my brother bought on dvd today. I've seen the first one, and the second is meant to be worse..we'll soon find out! Planning to nick some of the sweets meant for the trick or treaters too!

Happy Halloween!

Nails - Spiderweb

2011-10-29T15:45:00.000+01:00

As it's Halloween soon, and I'm out to ~~'celebrate'~~ get drunk tonight, I decided to paint my nails a little Halloween-y. After a few failed attempts at other designs, I went for the easy spiderweb.

All nail polishes used are Models Own. I used Green Tea for the base colour with Juicy Jules over the top for a little sparkle. I then drew the spiderweb on using my black wah nail art pen.

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend so far! I've not done much today, just been for a drive and now back home preparing for tonight. Me and two of my friends are going out in ripped t-shirts with fake blood all over them - sweet and simple! Excited for the night ahead :)

Nails - 17 Magnetized

2011-10-22T10:04:00.000+01:00

I got a new nail polish this week. 17 Magnetized in Teal. A few other brands do this type of nail polish, and I'm sure it's been done in the past too, but I've only recently heard about them!

Whilst the nail polish is wet, you simply hold the magnet [which is on the cap and detatchable - very handy!] over the nail and wait for the effect to develop. You end up with a lovely wavey effect on your nails. I've seen you can get other magnets to produce different patterns as well.

Now I'm after more of these nail polishes, and I may just have to nip into boots when in town later :)

Giveaway winner!

2011-10-20T20:30:00.000+01:00

Thank you for all your entries to my recent giveaway. I used random.org to draw the winner. The number selected was 12. Entry number 12 was...

Hearts and Cupcakes

Congratulations! Please leave your email address here so I can contact you with regards to posting your prizes. Hope you love them all!

xx

Lomography Gallery Store

2011-10-16T19:00:00.003+01:00

Yesterday the boyfriend and I paid the Lomography Gallery Store a visit. Not Ben's cup of tea if I'm honest, but I really wanted to go, and he's nice so he came with me!

Images taken from the lomography gallery store website

The shop is really cool - it's got a huuuge lomowall - the biggest in the UK, apparently - and you can buy the full range of lomographic products.

One thing I did find annoying is that there wasn't any price tags on anything. When I asked a sales assistant, she told me it was a way to entice people to talk to them. I think it's just a ploy to make people spend more money than they should! I was quite restrained though. I came away with the Lady Grey film and fotoclips. I also got a freebie pack of buttons as I checked in on foursqaure!

After all that excitement, we headed to Nando's for lunch, then a spot of shopping in Covent Garden. I bought one of h&m's £3.99 bodycon skirts in a lovely rusty orange colour and this tee in green from Zara, which I'm in love with! Stopped off at Candy Cakes where Ben treated us to a double chocolate cupcake each, before heading home.

Delish!

The rest of my weekend has been spent watching X Factor [anyone else think Frankie Cocozza is really crap and just looks a mess?], laying in bed and drinking lots of tea, taking photos on my Diana F+ using the instant back and generally slobbing about. That's what Sundays are all about :)

New in at Trinket Box!

2011-10-15T23:03:00.003+01:00

I've updated the shop tonight with a couple of new pieces. Check out these beauties!

Daisy, Daisy

Pink Amethyst

Remember I accept custom orders - Christmas is coming [I can say that now it's October, yeah?] and my jewellery would make lovely gifts :) So if there's anything you'd like that's not available in my shop/something you've seen in my shop which you'd like made a little differently, just ask!

[edit] Free postage in the shop today [Sunday 16th] with the code FREEPOSTAGE :) [/edit]

Playing catch-up.

2011-10-13T21:56:00.000+01:00

Just a quick little [crafty] update post.

Too much gym.
I've hurt my back - not entirely sure what I've done, but it came on after the gym. I went 3 days running with quite hardcore workouts, and I think it was a bit much! I'm sure work isn't helping - picking up toddlers etc probably isn't doing it any good! Have to say that it's feeling a lot better at the moment. My Mum's a physio and is going to give me some exercises to do at the gym after my workouts, to prevent it happening again! I actually hate not going to the gym, as stupid as it sounds.

Teacup candles.
I've been making more teacup candles. Most of them are going to be given to people for Christmas - handmade gifts are the best. My bestie and her boyfriend recently moved into their own place, and she's asked me to make them one - have had other people asking me about them too, someone I work with even said she might get me to make some for her wedding :) Got a big 1kg bag of wax in the post today from Fred Aldous, so got lots to see me through - getting quite addicted.

Jewellery.
My jewellery making has been a bit sparse lately. I just haven't had the time, or the energy, to make much. I'm hoping to rectify this soon, as Christmas is coming so I want plenty available in the shop. I have, however, had time to make a couple of charms [which I plan to put onto chains - let me know if you're interested in either the flower or teacup!] and a pendant and earring set, which my friend commissioned me to make for her.

Weekend fun.
Really looking forward to this weekend. Tomorrow night my friend and her boyfriend are having a gathering at their new place, I'm excited to see it, it looks gorgeous! Then on Saturday the boyfriend and I are going to London for the day. I want to go to the Lomography Gallery Store, have told Ben that he can pick somewhere to go too, as I always seem to be dragging him around places only I like, bless him!

Hope you've all had a great week. Don't forget about my giveaway - you've got one more week left to enter!

Lomography Love #1

2011-10-08T17:30:00.009+01:00

I'm going to try to make this quite a regular feature on my blog - will be posting photos which I've taken on my diana - and hopefully eventually ones taken on my fisheye too.

Here are some taken on my last roll. I've now loaded my mini with some colour slide film, really excited to use it :D

Giveaway - a few of my favourite things - now CLOSED.

2011-10-06T18:38:00.001+01:00

I've spent quite a bit more time blogging recently than I used to, and I've really started to enjoy it more. Hey, I might not have a billion followers, but I enjoy it and love reading each and every comment I get, as well as reading other lovely blogs :) So I thought I'd do a little giveaway, I guess as a little thank you to the people who take time to read and comment on my posts!

I wanted to do a kinda theme - so decided to base the prizes on a few of my favourite things! I have bought/made all these items myself, and I hope you like them as much as I do.

So, on with the goodies...

Teacup charm - I made this using art clay silver, a precious metal clay which is 99.9% pure silver when fired. It's been oxidized to give it that lovely vintage egde. I've attached a jumpring so whoever wins can put it onto a chain/charm bracelet/whatever they fancy :)

Diana F+ Chrome keyring - too cute.

Models Own Raspberry Crush.

as well as a mystery prize [ie I haven't got it yet, haha]...I will also include a discount code to use in my shop!

So that's all the prizes. Let's get to the 'rules'!

♥ There will be one winner, who gets everything shown above.
♥ You don't have to be a follower [but it would be lovely if you are! :)]
♥ Open internationally - anyone can enter!
♥ To enter, just leave a comment telling me a few of your favourite things!
♥ Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner.
♥ Giveaway ends 8PM Thursday 20th October - I will draw the winner using random.org.

Good luck everyone! x

Caramel shortbread

2011-10-02T19:10:00.004+01:00

Otherwise known as millionaires' shortbread.

Ingredients

♥ For the base... ♥
50g soft brown sugar
125g butter [softened]
150g self-raising flour

♥ For the caramel topping... ♥
397g can sweetened condensed milk
125g butter [diced]
75g soft light brown sugar
50ml [2tbsp] golden syrup

♥ For the chocolate topping... ♥
75g white chocolate
75g plain chocolate

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 7x11 inch tin with baking paper.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and mix until combined.

Press the mixture over the base of the tin and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool.

Put the caramel topping ingredients in a saucepan and place over a low heat until dissolbed. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously, for about 10 minutes.

Pour the caramel topping over the base. Leave to cool completely. Melt the chocolate in seperate bowls over a pan of simmering water. Pour the chocolate over the caramel and swirl together. Leave to set, then cut into sqaures.

This was the first time I'd made any kind of shortbread, so I was a bit dubious as to how it would turn out - but it was delicious!

Teacup candles.

2011-10-01T10:15:00.003+01:00

During my days off work this week I decided to try out teacup candle making. I've dabbled in candle making before, but have just used moulds. I've bought a couple of teacup candles in the past, and always thought they were really sweet, so I thought I could make some as gifts for people for Christmas! I was inspired by Fiona who makes lovely candles :)

I decided to test it out using a teacup left over from a candle I bought from the lime garden. Here is the finished product, lit up!

I then picked up a few teacups from some local charity shops and set to work with making some coloured scented candles! Both red candles are rose scented - they smell so lovely.

My favourite teacup I've bought so far has to be this one - just look at those cute kittens! My inner crazy cat lady came out when I saw this in the charity shop. I'm going to make a green spiced apple scented one in this, I think.

Have had quite a crafty few days actually - keep your eyes peeled for another baking post [see the double chocolate fudge cake recipe here] coming up in a day or so, it's a good'n [well, I think so!].

Double chocolate fudge cake.

2011-09-29T12:29:00.002+01:00

If you're a chocolate lover, then you will LOVE this. I'm one of those people who enjoy chocolate, but only eat it when they ~~fancy~~ crave it. Therefore I only needed a small slice of this to satisfy my sweet tooth, yet my boyfriend managed a huge hunk of it! It was really yummy though, if I do say so myself.

Ingredients

♥ For the cake... ♥
175g butter [softened]
175 soft brown sugar
150g self-raising flour
25g cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 medium eggs
100ml sour cream

♥ For the icing... ♥
175g white chocolate
125g butter
4 tbsp milk
200g icing sugar

To decorate: Grated chocolate, chocolate buttons, cocoa powder...whatever you fancy!

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celcius/gas mark 3. Grease and line two 8" cake tins with baking paper.

Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and whisk together until combined. Sift over the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add the eggs and sour cream and whisk until combined.

Divide the mixture between the two tins and level the tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes, then leave to cool slightly before turning them out onto a cooling rack.

To make the icing, put the chocolate, butter and milk in a heatproof bowl over a sausepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the ingredients have melted and you are left with a smooth mixture.

Sift the icing into a bowl, then pour in the melted chocolate mixture. Beat together. Allow the icing to cool, then beat again until it forms soft peaks.

Use a little icing to sandwich the two cakes together, then spread the remaining icing all over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate as desired.

Now, one thing I will say is that the icing was a bit of a disaster! I'm not sure what it was, but it was really runny [despite adding more and more icing sugar!] so I whacked the cake in the fridge, which meant that the icing firmed up a bit and wasn't too messy to eat in the end! It still tasted good :)

New Moo.

2011-09-25T20:56:00.001+01:00

I love Moo. I really do.

Decided new business cards were a must after opening my new shop. Ordered them on 19th September, I think they were actually estimated to arrive on Wednesday but they came yesterday - that's good service right there!

I can't fault moo at all. Some people say they're too expensive, and yeah they are a bit, but the quality is amazing so I think the price is worth it for what you get.

I also need to get some new minicards [I use them to write my thank yous] but that will have to wait til next month now!

I hope you've all had a great weekend. Work tomorrow - that's come around too quick as usual! But I only have a two day working week this week, with a lovely 5 day weekend to look forward to. I plan to bake, make jewellery and make some teacup candles!

Don't forget, the code to get 15% off in my shop is valid until midnight - HAPPYWEEKEND15 :)

Nails - first time falsies.

2011-09-24T13:45:00.008+01:00

I decided to try out false nails for the first time ever this weekend. I bought a pack of Kiss short and square nails from boots. I really liked the shape as it's different to how I have my real nails.

I went for galaxy nails [which I tried for the first time a few weeks ago] - I filed the nails down and painted them before applying them.

Think I need a bit of practice when it comes to applying them, and I do still prefer real nails..but I think I'd still use them again!

Get 15% off in my shop this weekend when you spend £10 or more - just enter the code HAPPYWEEKEND15 at checkout!

Have a lovely weekend. xx

Oat & honey muffins.

2011-09-21T18:30:00.003+01:00

I made these on my afternoon off on Monday. I'd met my friend for a starbucks date [the best kind of date] and had a bit of spare time when I got back so decided to bake. I hadn't made muffins in ages [probably years], so went for these!

They didn't rise as much as I'd hoped, but they're really yummy - not too sweet either, which makes them perfect for breakfast!

Ingredients
250g plain flour
1tbsp baking powder
100g porridge oats
50g soft light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium eggs
175ml milk
75ml sunflower oil
5 tbsp clear honey

MethodPreheat the oven to 190 degrees celcius/gas mark 5. Line a muffin tin with paper cases - this recipe is meant to make 10, but I ended up with 18! I guess it depends how big you want your muffins.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, then stir in the oats, sugar and salt.

Put the flour mixture aside and in a large jug, beat together the eggs, milk, oil and honey until thoroughly mixed and frothy.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until all the ingredients are just combined. You should have a lumpy batter which is quite runny!

Divide the mixture between the muffin cases, they need to be about two thirds full. Cook on the top shelf of the oven for 20-25 minutes. Leave in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.

I've been enjoying them with yoghurt for my breakfast, mm-mmm :)

Nails - polka dots/roses

2011-09-17T14:19:00.001+01:00

Here are my nails for the weekend! I painted them last night, before going out for dinner with my boyfriend.

All nail polishes I used are Models Own. Tickled Pink as a base coat for all nails, minus my ring fingers, which I coated with Jade Stone. For the polka dots I used Jade Stone, which I applied using a dotting tool. And for the roses I used Tickled Pink, Pastel Pink and Green Tea - I did the roses using a cocktail stick, I think I need a bit of practice with them but I don't think they look too bad for a first try!

I'm feeling loads better now, I think my cold is on its way out! Which is just as well, as I'm due to go out for my friend's birthday tonight and I wanted to be feeling well enough for it.

I had my first order from my new shop yesterday - pleased as punch! Victoria has helped lots with promotion with her review of some of my pieces, so thank you lovely! :) Speaking of which, Victoria also has a lovely bigcartel shop and is offering 10% off all bracelets this weekend with the code LILYLOVESLOLA10 so make sure you go check out her shop! I've treated myself to a couple :)

Fisheye camera.

2011-09-15T20:22:00.001+01:00

I'm not very well :( I started getting 'the sniffles' last night before I went to bed, then woke up with a full stinking cold this morning! I thought maybe an early morning [try 6.30am] gym session might help sweat it out a bit, but nope. It's not actually as bad as I'm making out, but I'm rarely ill so it seems awful!

I received some post today, which did cheer me up a little! Some of it was Christmas presents [yes, I've started already - spreading the cost!], but I also got my order from lomography and my new lomography camera, which I got for £14 on ebay!

The fisheye!

Looking forward to hopefully having a play over the weekend!

I'm going to run a bath and start reading Danny Wallace's Yes Man again. I read it years ago, and it's hilarious so I decided I must read it again!

Also, the person who gives me my first sale in my new shop will receive a free gift!

Peanut butter oreo cheesecakes.

2011-09-11T10:45:00.001+01:00

As soon as I saw Charlene's post on these scrummy little things, I knew I had to make them. So I decided my day off on friday was the perfect time!

Mmmm...

For the full recipe, go here! :)

Also, my new shop is now open! I've added things from my folksy shop [which is still open, I may just wait for the items left to sell/delist] but am gradually adding more new pieces. To get 10% off, enter SPARKLE at the checkout!

A little announcement...

2011-09-09T16:56:00.001+01:00

I'm having a big sale in my folksy shop. Lots of items reduced and free postage!
I have decided to leave folksy and set up shop elsewhere. I'm a little sad to be going, as it's where I started out, but I've been there 2.5 years now and think it's time to try something different! I may be back on there in the future, but for now I'll be setting up shop somewhere new. I'll be busy with that over the next few days - will be sure to post about it when it's all up and running.

Have had a really nice day off work today! I've baked and shopped. I bought this [really want the pink version now!], this and this, which was actually £32 in the shop - still a bit pricey in my opinion but I loved it too much to leave it! Also got some burgandy over the knee socks and ankle socks from Topshop. And a t-shirt for the boyfriend :)
I also laid in bed this morning and finished reading Before I Go To Sleep, which was really good. Now need some recommendations - what should I download onto my kindle next?

Would love your opinion on my latest piece - a fine silver vintage style camera, handcrafted from art clay :) You can find it here!

Models Own sale purchases.

2011-09-07T18:38:00.001+01:00

Finally got my Models Own sale purchases!

I know a lot of people had problems with the website on the first day of the sale - I certainly did. Although I thought my order had gone through ok, it turned out it hadn't. But I cannot fault their customer service! I emailed them, they replied and refunded me within minutes. Luckily what I wanted was still in stock, so I re-ordered straight away with no hassle at all.

I chose [and it was a hard choice] Green Tea, Raspberry Crush, Tickled Pink and Juicy Jules. Also got one of their nail buffers!

I'm really pleased with what I chose. Especially Juicy Jules - I have no idea why I haven't had it until now, it is AMAZING. I wanted to get Disco Mix too, but it's out of stock :( Booo!

Clippy bag.

2011-09-04T16:49:00.001+01:00

After seeing Michelle's post on her clippy bag, I decided to take a look at the website. I needed a present for a friend, so popped a make up bag into my basket. I then saw that it's free shipping if you spend £30...well, I thought it would be rude not to treat myself to something!

Clippy bags have little pockets, so you can customise them however you wish by adding little images/mementos etc - I think this is a really sweet idea.

I got the small tote. Here's what I did to it...

On one side I have starbucks, diana camera, some [rather rubbish] instant photos I took using my diana instant back, kurt halsey, a vintage telephone print from Lola's Room and a couple of my business cards [gotta love a bit of self-promotion, ha ha.]

On the other side I have a couple of bits from birthday cards - the pretty butterfly and cute kitten - some photos I took on my diana mini, a Kurt Halsey post it note and more of my business cards.

I love my bag, and would definitely recommend getting one. I'll probably end up changing it again sometime, as I tend to get bored easily! Love how easy it is to change the style :)

Weekend in pictures.

2011-08-30T19:45:00.007+01:00

I've enjoyed taking a few photos with my new camera this weekend. Have loved playing around with the settings, especially the 'toy camera' effect setting!

So here's a selection from my [rather relaxing] weekend.

♥ Tried out galaxy nails properly for the first time on Sunday. I'd only ever practiced on my nail wheel previously.
♥ Fitted my instant back to my diana. Just need my film to arrive and I'm sorted!
♥ Spent quite a lot of time reading. I've just finished 'The One You Love'. It was a free one, but I quite enjoyed it, despite the awful typographical errors. I've downloaded 'Before I Go To Sleep' [recommended to me by a friend] so will read that next.
♥ Photographed some new pieces for my shop.

♥ My friend and I went shopping and I bought this grey cardi from h&m. I love the soft elbow patches. I got a black/white stripey one too.
♥ Went to see One Day at the cinema, and my friend [a fellow vegetarian] told me m&s were now doing veggie percy pigs! So we grabbed a bag each to nibble on during the film...they are amazing!
♥ Started packing up some jewellery I made for someone... ;) I've recently changed my packaging - used to use organza bags, but I got bored of them so I've now got these sweet little envelopes.

I hope everyone had a great long weekend, sucks to be back at work but at least it's a 4 day week! :)

NOTD - Berry/Utopia & rhinestones.

2011-08-27T10:36:00.000+01:00

My nails of the day/weekend!

I painted my nails half and half with two colours - barry m Berry [#308] and models own Utopia. Love these colours, and they go wonderfully together! I added three little purple rhinestones down the centre of each nail. A bit of bling to match my new phone cover!

Posting this quickly, as I've now got to get ready to meet my friend for lunch, shopping and cinema! Have a great day lovelies :)

New phone cover.

2011-08-26T19:04:00.001+01:00

Just wanted to show off my new phone cover. My old leopard print one had broken so I needed a replacement. I went for this...

My Mum thinks it's super tacky, and she's right, but that's why I got it! It's only a phone cover after all, it's not like I'd wear anything like this haha...

I bought this for around £4 on ebay [so addicted to that website, I think I have some kind of problem] - have had it a couple of days and so far so good - no rhinestones have fallen off just yet! You can find the seller here. She also sells nail art pens, rhinestones etc - great for if you love nail art like I do.

It's Bank Holiday weekend, yay! I hope everyone has a lovely one. What has everyone got planned? I'm going to see One Day with my friend tomorrow - TOO excited, although slightly worried it'll be a let down as the book is so amazing. We shall see!

Latest Diana Mini snaps.

2011-08-22T21:03:00.001+01:00

I recently finished another roll of film on my diana mini. The first half of the film was used whilst out on a walk at Virginia Water Lake. I hadn't been there for years - used to go all the time when I was little, for family walks and picnics. I'll never forget the time my brother cracked his head open on a tree in the woods! We've got a photo of him proudly holding up his blood-stained t-shirt - not phased at all, clearly.

Anyway, onto a few of the photos.

The second half of the film was used on Saturday night - my parents were away over the weekend so my brother and I had a few friends over. We sat outside, had a bbq [I cooked my veggie food in the oven], had a few drinks and some good conversation. Ended up inside a bit later, playing Just Dance 2 on the Wii!
I used my flash and some colour gels for the first time. About time really.

The last photo is my friend Shaun attempting to dance...

Before I start a new roll on my mini, I'm desperate to try out my Diana Dreamer - and I should be able to soon as I've just won an instant back on ebay :)

My new digital camera arrived today, and I'm so pleased with it! I got the Canon Powershot A3300 IS in pink ;) Taken a few photos of jewellery [listed some new pieces in my shop!] already, plus some flowers in the garden - they've all come out really lovely. It even has a fisheye and toy camera function, which is pretty cool!

Cinnamon banana bread.

2011-08-18T18:30:00.011+01:00

This recipe came from Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache. I've had this book a short while and this was the first recipe I tried from it.

Ingredients
140g banana [roughly 1 large one, peeled]
2 medium eggs
140g golden caster sugar
150g topped, tailed, peeled and finely grated courgette [yes, really]
150g rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
[The recipe also included 25g finely chopped brazil nuts & 25g finely chopped pecans but I didn't use these]

MethodPreheat oven to 180 degrees c/gas mark 4. Brush the inside of a loaf tin with a little vegetable oil.

Mash the banana thoroughly with a fork.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and light. Whisk in the mashed banana until completely incorporated. Add the grated courgette and beat again. Finally, add the flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla, cinnamon and mixed spice and mix until completely blended. If using nuts, this is when you add them in [leaving a small amount]. Pour the mixture into the tin and sprinkle the remaining nuts over the top. Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave the banana bread to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.

I think if I was to make this again I would use less sugar, as it came out rather sweet. Less sugar and maybe a bit more cinnamon, as I love the stuff! Oh, and for the record, you cannot taste the courgette at all. This is coming from someone who doesn't even like courgette :)

Peanut butter sandwich cookies.

2011-08-15T17:13:00.001+01:00

My friend gave me The Whoopie Pie Book for my birthday. I had a free afternoon on Saturday so I took the opportunity to use it for the first time!

I chose the peanut butter sandwich cookies, because they looked pretty easy to make and sounded yummy - I used to love making peanut butter cookies with my Mum when I was little. I think peanut butter is a little bit like marmite, you either love it or hate it.

The cookies are filled with peanut butter cream, a recipe also found in the book.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie ingredients
180g plain flour
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
A pinch of salt
225g unsalted butter, softened
200g light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
200g crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees c/gas mark 4. Line tray[s] with baking paper.

In a bowl, sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda together, then stir in the salt and set aside.

In a seperate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix well. Add the peanut butter and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix well. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Pop it in the fridge to chill for about an hour.

Drop 48 small scoops of batter, about 5cm apart, onto the tray[s]. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-18 minutes or until set and slightly golden. Remove from the oven and put aside on a wire rack to cool.

To assemble, spread a generous scoop of peanut butter cream on the flat side of a cooled cookie. Top with another cookie, and enjoy :)

[I actually halved the ingredients, as I knew me and my family wouldn't get through all 24 cookies!]

Peanut Butter Cream ingredients
225g unsalted butter, softened
250g crunchy peanut butter
300g icing sugar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method
In a bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and whip to mix.
Chill until ready to use - will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 1 week.

[Again, I halved the ingredients for this]

They were good..the cookies were lovely and soft and the filling was really creamy. Would definitely make these again.

x

New Diana - The Dreamer...

2011-08-13T14:00:00.000+01:00

My Diana Mini now has a pretty big sister...

Yes, I caved in! I found a 20% discount code for Urban Outfitters, which meant that even with postage it came to less than it would if I went and bought it in the shop.
I love it - now cannot wait to get an instant back and start using it!

Pretty new bed and such...

2011-08-07T11:00:00.000+01:00

After weeks of sleeping on the floor [and lots of angry phonecalls], I finally have my new bed!

I love it :) I'm well aware my pillows are at the 'wrong' end - but if I had my headframe thing the other end, it would be in the middle of the room and would look silly, and also I don't want to have my pillows that end as I'd have shelves above me...does that sound silly?!

My pretty duvet cover was £16 from Tesco!

Moving onto my next newest addition to my room...

I found this in TK Maxx of all places - not a shop I'd usually go into, but I found this when popping in by chance with some friends. I needed it immediately, however already had a perfectly good bedside table which my Grandad made when I was little. But I decided to buy it!

Mint green, which matches my room perfectly...

I love everything about it - the colour, the worn paint - but especially the decorative design - very Art Nouveau! My Mum is going to put my old bedside table somewhere else in the house, as I don't want it to be thrown away. But I couldn't miss out on this beauty :) Stores my diana camera & accessories well, plus all my other junk!

xx

NOTD - Grace Green & Konad

2011-08-06T17:02:00.001+01:00

Oh how I love Konad...I don't like how messy it is to apply, though.

Models Own Grace Green - gorgeous colour! The floral design is from konad image plate m71. Definitely need more image plates - I have 4 so far, but that just isn't enough.

Went shopping today with my boyfriend and his Mum! I'm trying to hold back on spending money on unnecessary things [ie clothes!], and I did pretty well today. Spent £36, which is pretty good! I got some brown loafers, a simple green tee, duvet cover set & headband [all from primark!] and popped into a sports shop for a couple of pairs of shorts, as I really needed some for the gym!
My boyfriend treated us all to Frangos after - second time for me this week, as I went [for the first time] with some girls from work on Thursday. I'm definitely more of a Nando's girl! The veggie pitta is so much nicer in there.

Going to spend the rest of the day reading on my kindle, and the boyfriend's coming over tonight so we'll probably watch a film or something! Got the Christening of my friend's baby tomorrow, then a little party after - I'm told there will be pimms, so it should be good!

NOTD - Nude Beige/Beth's Blue Leopard

2011-08-02T20:43:00.001+01:00

Technically not an NOTD as I painted my nails like this over the weekend! I'd still have it now, if it wasn't for my work's stupid rule of no nail polish.

I didn't have much time to do my nails Friday night so I went for something easy. Models Own Nude Beige and Beth's Blue with the wah nail art pen. Both colours are a firm favourite of mine. I was gutted when my bottle of Beth's Blue broke! I've had that problem with a couple of Models Own nail polishes hmmm. But my friend bought me a new bottle for my birthday, so it's all good :)

How hot has it been?! I was so grateful for my half day today - it's too stuffy to work! Although I didn't spend the afternoon outside enjoying the sun - I was tidying my room in preparation for my boyfriend putting my new bed up [finally!]! I did enjoy a cheeky twister though - yum :)

New purchases.

2011-07-31T14:57:00.000+01:00

I hope everyone is having a good weekend and is making the most of this lovely weather!

I had a little shopping spree yesterday. I'm technically not allowed to buy any clothes [a ban I put on myself], but I had birthday vouchers and it would have been rude not to take advantage...plus it's technically not my money! ;)

Still no camera, but I used my Mum's to take photos of what I got. Her camera isn't great to be honest - that's where picasa comes in handy!

Using my h&m voucher I got from the girls at work, I bought this lovely vibrant floral vest. I also got a couple of their basic jersey tees, which I really like. I had to get a size medium in the burgandy one as there were no size smalls left. But I kinda like it a bit baggy!

After my splurge in h&m I spent my remaining £20 Debenhams voucher. Now we have a Topshop in our town centre, the one in Debenhams is closing down. So I thought I better take advantage of the sale items quickly! I ended up getting a top I had seen a while ago...

This was £10, reduced from £16. I LOVE the print, it's so pretty and reminds me of something you'd have seen in the sixties!

As I had a tenner left I got a few pairs of knickers, using their 3 for £10 deal...but I'm sure you don't need to see those, as pretty as they are!

All in all a successful shopping trip :)

Sale items - bows & lace

2011-07-28T16:51:00.000+01:00

I hope everyone is having a lovely week. Mine could be better, but hey, it's nearly the weekend!

A sale or two would definitely cheer me up - and I have a couple of little beauties in my sale section, take a look...

Both pieces will be delisting in a couple of weeks, and I would love to see them go! I will be relisting them if they fail to sell, but will relist them at their original price, so snap them up quick if you like them!

I'm also offering free postage on these two :) I'll refund the postage cost via paypal once the purchase has been made.

Still waiting on my camera...argh..I have jewellery to list and my gorgeous new bedside table to blog about! Rubbish. I think the camera I ordered is very popular as they're low on stock, so it's going to take up to 28 days. Maybe next week, but I'm not holding my breath!

Diana Dreamer

2011-07-21T19:10:00.000+01:00

Since getting my Diana Mini, I've been getting really interested in other Lomography & film cameras.

The Diana Dreamer is a remake of the original Diana. Similar to my diana mini, but it takes 120 format film, whereas the diana mini takes standard 35mm - much cheaper and easier to get processed. When I was looking at Dianas I was originally going to go for the dreamer, but figured it'd be easier and more cost-effective to go for the diana mini. But, just LOOK at it.

So I think it's fair to say I'm still very much lusting after it.

It's available exclusively at Urban Outfitters. I already have the flash, so all I'd need is a 35mm back. But what I'd really like is an instant back, so I can take instant photographs! The back actually costs more than the camera itself, hmmm. If there was an instant back for the diana mini I'd totally get it.

So yep... got a little bit of saving to do. Feel free to help me!

New copper earrings.

2011-07-18T15:15:00.002+01:00

My new camera is taking forever to turn up. It's frustrating, especially as I have things I would like to blog about - and moreso because I have jewellery I need to list!!

I did use my Dad's camera to take some photos of a couple of new pieces over the weekend. These are the new copper earrings I have in my shop.

I love these. I think the colours of the beads go so beautifully with the copper, and they are so wearable. If you'd like to take a closer look, just click on the photos :)

I have some silver pieces I'd like to list, but my Dad's camera wasn't really taking very good shots of them :( So they're going to have to wait!

My kindle arrived this morning [very impressed, it was dispatached Saturday and free delivery!], so I'm off to make a cup of tea and have a play :)

Turning 26.

2011-07-15T09:52:00.001+01:00

I had a lovely birthday :) It was simple but sweet. My boyfriend made me a cup of tea in bed and brought in my cake, singing happy birthday to me...

He then gave me my presents. Amongst cat/hello kitty related items, I found a special blue box with a white ribbon...inside was this...

Heart lock pendant from Tiffany & Co. :) It is beautiful. And attached was a very sweet note :)

After Ben cooked us up a lovely breakfast, we went shopping so I could spend some birthday money. A new Topshop has opened up in town so I went in there and got these and this. I'm not sure about the latter though...do I keep or return?

The rest of the afternoon was spent at my house, just chilling out and talking to my brother. Rob gave me an amazing cupcake book and Gin and Titonic ice cube tray!

My friend came round later with pressies. Got some lovely things - The Whoopie Pie Book, a gift voucher for metalclay.co.uk, two Models Own nail polishes & a beautiful print from Lola's Room. Spoilt!

My boyfriend and I went out for dinner in the evening to our favourite Indian restaurant. The food is always so good in there. I had vegetable samosa to start, then a vegetable masala & pilau rice, mmm, seriously good. I couldn't finish it though, so got them to box it up for me to take home.

Spent some of my birthday money on one of these babies...

Cannot wait to receive it! My next big buy is going to be a DSLR camera I think, but I've got a lot of saving up to do for that so it'll be a while yet!

I've still got a few gifts to come...exciting much, haha!

Going out to 'celebrate' turning 26 tonight - just a few drinks with friends, I'm sure I'll get suitably merry!

Last of all, thank you so much for all the lovely birthday tweets on twitter! :)

Oh, and who else is seeing Harry Potter today?!

xx

Weekend catchup.

2011-07-10T15:17:00.001+01:00

Back in the swing of things with work etc! Hardly feels like I've been on holiday - think I need another one!

Have had a lovely weekend. My parents have been away visiting friends so my bro and I have had a free house. Rob went out last night so that my boyfriend and I could have a cosy night in. We had been planning on cooking a roast together for a while - we had meant to do it back in May, whilst my parents [and bro] were on holiday, but then my parents had to cancel their plans [really rubbish but my Dad's health is more important] so we had to scrap it. Finally got round to it last night - only I ended up cooking it all. I guess I just get annoyed with others getting involved with my cooking, haha. Ben really enjoyed it though, and the chocolate cake I made for afters, which I'd tweeted a pic of earlier in the day.

Have made quite a few new pieces of jewellery for my shop - getting desperate for my new camera to arrive so I can photograph and list them!

Monday again tomorrow. But another three day week! It's my birthday on Thursday [26!], so the boyfriend and I booked that day and Friday off for a nice long weekend. Not sure what we're doing Thursday yet, but definitely going to see Harry Potter on Friday :)

Would absolutely love to be presented with something like this on my birthday.

source

What's everyone been up to this weekend?

Diana Mini - Portugal snaps

2011-07-05T16:45:00.001+01:00

Following on from my last post, here are just some of the photos taken on my diana mini whilst in Portugal :)

Holiday snaps - Portugal 2011

2011-07-03T21:54:00.000+01:00

HELLO! So I'm back from an amazing week in the gorgeous Portugal. It was lovely - so nice to just be able to relax for a week and get away from the daily grind! We mainly sunbathed by the pool, but we did do a couple of excursions - a boat trip around the caves [loved it] and the zoomarine, where we watched an AMAZING dolphin show and seal/sealion show...we had the opportunity to swim with the dolphins, but it was around 150 euros...we are now kicking ourselves for not doing it! We've even discussed trying to find somewhere that does it for our holiday next year! Really want to do it now!

My camera unfortunately broke on the second day :( So gutted, but I have ordered a new one using money I got through a points system at work, so it's all good! We took loads of photos on my boyfriend's camera.

One word:AMAZING.

This makes me laugh...I look like I'm thinking "argh not him again"..haha.

Being silly.

What Ben wrote in the sand :)

My boyfriend mid-dive..thought it was funny hehe.

I took my diana mini with me [boyfriend likes to call it 'dirty diana'], and got some lovely snaps on that - they turned out better than I thought they would - will do a seperate post for those.

Not back to work until Wednesday! :) So I still have a couple of days left til I have to get back to reality...however, I will be getting back into 'gym mode' tomorrow, starting with my lbt class in the evening, followed by body combat Tuesday. And my shop is back open!

Now off to watch the first episode of True Blood season 4...been looking forward to this for ages!

Giveaway winner!

2011-06-23T20:11:00.000+01:00

Thank you for all your entries!! I have just picked the winner using random.org, which selected number 6 as the winner! Commenter number 6 was...

ANNIE!

Congratulations lovely! You should have an email in your inbox from me :)

Just a quick reminder that my shop will be going on holiday mode at 9pm tonight - any orders placed before then will be posted out tomorrow! I have this little beauty delisting very soon, if bought tonight I'll include a free gift with it!

Anyone for tea?

2011-06-21T20:20:00.000+01:00

Just a couple of new pieces up in my shop.

Firstly, this cute & quirky teacup pendant. I'd made some teacup earrings, which my mum quickly nabbed before I'd even got round to listing them! So I thought I would make this pendant.

I also made these earrings - gorgeous bows handcrafted from art clay...textured with lace [don't think I'll ever get bored of lace] & set with lovely wire wrapped Sodalite rondelles - so pretty!

Both can be found in my shop, which will be going on holiday mode Thursday evening, for a week or so. So any orders need to be placed between now and then!

Also...don't forget my giveaway - closes 8pm Thursday!

Current Love - my little birdie necklace

2011-06-17T17:30:00.011+01:00

How pretty/cute is my new necklace?!

I'd spotted this somewhere online and instantly fell in love with it. I looked in my local Accessorize, but they didn't seem to have it, so I ended up paying postage and buying it from the website. I do love it though.

Summer buys.

2011-06-12T19:30:00.035+01:00

As my holiday is just a couple of weeks away [yay!], I have been purchasing some bits to pack in my suitcase. Thought I would share some of them!

Cute little bag from Primark - £6! Perfect for carrying around the essentials - sunglasses, suncream etc. Plus I love the floral lining! I nabbed the last one in the shop.

I love Primark's £5 summer dresses - cheap & cheerful! I've bought a few of these, but this is the one I purchased most recently. I get a lot of my summer stuff from Primark - then if it gets ruined on the beach it doesn't matter much as it only cost a couple of quid!

I adore this dress...it's from h&m and I think it was £19.99. They had a lovely top in this fabric too - had to hold back from buying that as well, I think it's such a pretty print.

I love these criss cross sandals - £6 from Tesco! They have them in other colours too, but I opted for these as they'll go more with the colours I wear, plus I love minty blues!

And finally, these cute espadrilles from h&m - £6.99 :) I first saw these on the website and almost bought them. Kinda regretted not buying them, but when I was in my local store the other day I saw they only had one pair left and luckily they were a size 5!

Are you going on holiday this year? What have been your best summer buys?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to get your hands on some lovely handmade floral earrings!

Giveaway - fine silver floral earrings - CLOSED

2011-06-12T15:58:00.001+01:00

Everyone loves a giveaway! It's been a while since I've done one, so I thought why not?

You may recognise these earrings...

They were up in my folksy shop, but despite having well over 600 views and a couple of favourites, they never sold and were delisted earlier today. So I thought I'd put them up for grabs!

Handcrafted from art clay silver [99.9% pure silver], the discs measure approx. 16mm and are attached to sterling silver ear wires. They have a pretty floral texture and little flowers in the centre. Very pretty & feminine!

For your chance to win these lovely earrings, there are just a few little 'rules'...

You must be a follower of my blog to enter
The giveaway is open internationally - yup, anyone around the world can enter!
To enter, simply comment on this post stating which piece in my shop is your favourite.
Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!

The giveaway will close at 8pm on Thursday 23rd June. I'll pick the winner using random.org and will email them and announce it on here soon after. Good luck!

Vanilla Whoopie Pies...with Nutella filling.

2011-06-09T18:00:00.004+01:00

My first attempt at whoopie pies!

Okay, so I know they're not perfect in shape, but they still tasted good! And that's what really matters...right?

You will need...

125g butter
225g sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

The Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Melt the butter in a bowl set over a pan of hot water.

Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla together in a separate bowl then add the melted butter.

Sift in the flour and baking powder together and mix it all together.

Place tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking tray and bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set onto some cooling racks. Once cool, sandwich the soft cookies together. I used nutella for my filling, but you could use buttercream, marshmallow fluff...anything you like, really!

These were easy peasy...I think next time I make whoopie pies I'll go for a slightly more complicated recipe! I quite like the look of this book - which reminds me, I purchased this the other day - can't wait to use it!

Teacups & Trinkets

2011-06-05T18:00:00.004+01:00

Whilst having a bit of a clear/sort out of all my jewellery recently, I started to wonder what I could use to display my pieces. I have a lot of jewellery, and was getting a bit sick of all the boxes I had laying around.

Then I remembered the teacup candle I had bought from The Gift Gallery. I'd used it and cleaned it out and it was just sat on my window sill. So I filled the cup with my rings and put some pendants around the saucer.

I really like it! I have this other teacup candle, which I got from the lime garden [gorgeous shop!] - I expect I'll use it for the same kinda thing when I'm done with the candle!

Simple chocolate chunk cookies

2011-05-31T17:30:00.010+01:00

I made these on my day off on Friday. I had a good day, despite the fact I had to jump start my car to get to the gym, then later discovered some lowlife had keyed my car. Not a good start to the day, but I had a fairly relaxing one otherwise! Just making jewellery and making these yummy cookies.

I used a very basic recipe - you can add any extra ingredients you fancy. I had some galaxy chocolate left over from easter, so I used that.

They didn't spread out as much as I thought they would, but they were still pretty good! Everyone seemed to enjoy them!

You will need...
110g butter, softened
60g Caster sugar
140g Plain flour
Plus any other goodies you want to add!

The Method
Preheat the oven at 170oC or gas mark 3.

Cream the butter in a bowl until it is soft. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Sift the flour into the mixture and add any extra ingredients you have. Use your hands to gather up the mixture until it forms a dough.

Make walnut sized balls and place them on a tray, slightly apart from each other. Flatten the balls with the back of a fork and bake them in the oven for around 15 mins until they are golden brown and slightly firm on top.

Place them onto a rack to cool...or if you can't wait then I'm sure they taste just as good warm!

Makes around 12 cookies.

NOTD - Turquoise Glitter...with a hint of leopard.

2011-05-28T16:00:00.001+01:00

This gorgeous turquoise glitter nail polish is one of my new ones. Although it was a bit messy to apply [glitter everywhere!] I love it. I thought I'd leopard up one of the nails just for fun...I used the other metallic pink one I got the other day, along with models own Jade Stone and wah nail art pen.

Tin Lanterns

2011-05-26T19:10:00.000+01:00

Every Tuesday Gem does a Tuesday Tip! Last week I came across this, which I thought was such a great idea, so I tried it out myself!

All you need is a tin [cleaned out], a nail and a hammer! Oh and some water and a freezer...

Fill the tin with water and put it in the freezer for a few hours.

This is when you draw on your design with a pen...only I was too eager and didn't, so just went for it! Using your nail and hammer, punch holes along your design.

Leave to thaw, then put a tealight in it!

Current Love - stone rings

2011-05-24T19:45:00.000+01:00

I love stone rings. And the chunkier the better. I've bought lots lately, this one being the most recent.

Irregular Stone ring from dorothy perkins.

Browsing the pages of folksy, I have come across some gorgeous rings, all handmade with love. Check these beauties out!

Sea Blue Quartz Gemstone Sterling Silver Wire Wrapped Ring - Gimme That Thing

Vintage Opal Cocktail Ring - Silk Purse, Sow's Ear

Leopardskin Jasper Sterling Silver Ring - Unique Beaded Gems

Amethyst ring - Lodichka Jewellery

What are you currently loving/lusting over?