just because....

You'll probably never see me without nail polish on my finger nails but usually I'm not fussed about my toes. However, this is such an easy way to make your feet look pretty (and I'm no big fan of my feet...or feet in general for that matter) that it begs a try. People will marvel at your intricate brush work skills but actually all you need is a trusty old sharpie pen.

How to....

1. Paint two layers of white nail polish (I used Barry M)
2. Then start zig-zagging your way across your toe nails with your sharpie marker
3. Seal them with a coat of clear nail polish.

I've had mine done like this for over a week and there are no chips at all! Fun...check. Pretty...check. Durable...check.

Next time I'm after a gold sharpie marker.

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lolly party invite

Been trying to get round to posting this for ages...preferably before the summer was up! Here’s a very straightforward DIY invite where most of the work has already been done for you, which means they honestly don’t take very long at all. Be advised; they are not edible. Those sprinkles may look tasty but they won’t taste too good. Download the lolly invites here.

You'll need:

• The free downloadable designs printed onto card
• Scissors
• A selection of 2mm multi-coloured beads
• Wooden lolly sticks
• All-purpose glue
• Tape
• Spray mount 

To make:

1. Cut out the ice lolly sides
2. Then paint the top section of each ice lolly front with your glue. Make sure all of it is coated but don’t over saturate the card.
3. Sprinkle your beads over the glue and leave to dry.
4. Tape the backs sides and attach your lolly sticks with strips of tape.
5. Spray mount the back of your beaded sides and adhere to the back sides, making sure to line up the edges.
6. Press down gently and you’re ready to write your invites.

I made them so that they would fit in a standard envelope, so you can send them on their merry way if you want to. See, I told you it was straightforward. I hope these give you an excuse for a summer party!

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summer smiles

Um, I’m wondering when I’ll wake up from this extended dream of a heat wave! I’m 100% loving that bare legs and sandals are on the menu everyday. Ok so the tubes are a glorified sweat fest and bed time leaves me groaning for an electric fan and wondering if sleeping outside on concrete is a feesable idea, but then hey!...I’m not complaining. Here’s a little summery illustration of mine to celebrate our little slice of summer. Hot air balloons always signal summer for me. In the same way the Coca Cola advert tells me it’s the beginning of the festive season, hot air balloons tell me it’s time to prepare the patio and and replace the sunglasses I lost the previous year. Praise God for such beauty and grace revealed in his creation under the warmth of the sun! I'll be back to more meatier posts soon. I've been a very busy girl!

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so that was june...

From top left...

*Thoroughly enjoying these colourful doors just down my street. I walk past them everyday but only noticed them last week.
*A bunch of flowers from our neighbours, handpicked from their back garden brightened up our house for a week. Who said neighbourly spirit didn't exist in London?
*A Birthday trip to London Zoo. My enthusiasm over getting to meet Madagascar's King Julien & Maurice in person (or lemur) seemed to embarrass Nick somewhat.
*Birthday presents! Nick added to my ever expanding collection of Oliver Jeffers books along with 'I want my hat back' by Jon Klassen.
*Summer is here! There was more than enough sticky humidity to go round but the sun was out and I was smiling.
*I've been beavering away on all the styling details left for the wedding I'm helping out with. 3 weeks to go!

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colour me happy

A few weeks ago, I felt particularly compelled to illustrate a flamingo in my lunch break. Pretty random huh?! Perhaps I was getting into the spirit of summer, who knows?! You can download this image as your desktop wallpaper (13" or 15") right here. Brighten up your background with this jolly fellow. 

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Summer Stew

Today is a fun day as it's my very first guest post over on my lovely friend, Lauren's blog. She has a really sweet blog full of all sorts of interesting reads, giveaways and fun photos of their travels so I'd definitely check it out if I were you.

When I think stew, it conjures up images of chilly winter days, big cardigans and a huge bowl of something warming but this Chorizo and Butter Bean Stew with Lemon Cous Cous, is what I'd consider a summer stew, if there ever was such a thing. The Mediterranean flavours would be really nice on a warm Summer evening with a glass of wine. For the full recipe skip on over to Aspiring Kennedy.

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sun on a stick

I’ve been meaning to make ice pops for aaages but kept on forgetting to order some lolly sticks. I thought up some combinations that sounded yummy and decided to find out if they actually were. I just used cheap ice lolly moulds but ditched the plastic sticks that come with these kinds of sets. I used a short piece of string across each individual mould and secured the wooden sticks with a tiny bit of cellotape. This way the stick stayed where I wanted it to while ice pops set. There may be a much easier way of doing this but I couldn’t think of it.

For these you’ll need....

• Lemonade 
• A small bunch of mint 
• Lime chopped thinly 
• Some vodka or rum if you'd prefer

Pour a small measure of vodka into  the bottom of each mould. Don’t be too generous otherwise you might end up with a very clinical tasting ice pop. Then roughly chop the mint and add as much as you want, along with the lime slices and then almost fill with lemonade. Remember it will swell slightly as it freezes. You may need to push some of the lime and mint down to the bottom if they float up to the top. Then put them in the freezer and leave preferably over night but it will depend on your freezer.

For these you’ll need....

• Vanilla yoghurt
• Strawberry yoghurt
• Mango and Passion Fruit yoghurt

You will have to add each layer separately and then allow to partially freeze. I left them for about 5 hours in between layers. I also added a few drops of yellow food colouring to the mango and passion fruit yoghurt before layering, which made the colour a bit more punchy, giving a better contrast between this layer and the vanilla. Try spooning the yoghurt in carefully and wipe any excess from the sides, to get nice clean lines.

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don't wait for summer

Ok so we are still waiting for Summer to come and say hello but here are a few bright little things to cheer things up a bit. I have to say I've always been a big fan of a limited colour palette but I'm slowly starting to change my mind and embrace the rainbow!

1. Mini lanterns from Typo. 
2. Nail varnishes from Barry M.
3. Bring back multi coloured sprinkles. They shouldn't just be reserved for kids birthday parties!
4. Geometric exercise book. 
5. Candy cracker free from Eat Drink Chic blog. 
6. Pink luggage labels from Knot and Bow. 
7. Birthday card from Typo. 
8. Forget pastel macaroons, put a few more drops of food colouring in the bowl. Macaroons from this lovely blog. 

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