Hi friends! I'm just full of freebies at the moment! Here's this months downloadable wallpaper to spruce up your desktop. Enjoy these sugar coated geometrics by downloading them right here.
something for your screen
Hi friends! I'm just full of freebies at the moment! Here's this months downloadable wallpaper to spruce up your desktop. Enjoy these sugar coated geometrics by downloading them right here.
so good together
Oh look, it's friday again! How did that happen? If you were thinking of going out in search of a Valentine's Card this weekend then add some extra pennies into the gift pot and print this free downloadable card instead. It couldn't be much simpler and you end up with a hand finished card all packaged up with lots of love.For the card you'll need...
- Downloadable Valentine's card
- A4 card
- Scissors or a scalpel & a ruler would be even better
To make...
- Download your card here and print onto A4 card
- Cut out/ or scalpel according to the markers
- Score to fold in half neatly
For the envelope you'll need...
- Downloadable envelope
- A3 paper
- Scissors or a scalpel & ruler
- Double sided tape or glue
To make...
- Download the envelope here and print. You will need a printer that can print A3 for this, in order to accommodate the card size.
- Cut of scalpel around the edges and then score following the guide.
- Fold and secure with your glue or tape. You can use a dot of glue or tape to fix it shut or alternatively use a sticker of some sort.
full of love
Hi! Sorry for my absence in blogland. There's been a whole lot going on and changes brewing which have left me little head space for much else. To my surprise January whizzed past, turning into one big rainy blur. Now suddenly it's February and nearly Valentine's and I went to get in quickly and share this simple little DIY with you.
All you need to make your little jar of love is...- downloadable labels
- A small jar
- A4 paper or inkjet sticker paper
- Scissors
- Heart shaped sweets
To make...
- Start by downloading your free printable sheet of labels. You can either print this onto paper and glue your labels onto the jar or you can print them onto inkjet sticker paper, which is a little easier.
- Choose a heart size that works with your jar and draw a circle on top of the heart pattern to cut out and use for the lid. Stick them on.
- Then fill your heart with sweets. I used heart shaped Haribos but it would work just as well with heart shaped chocolates.
And there you have a Valentine's gift you could probably rustle up in your sleep!
pick six: tapas to try in spain
Another instalment from Aspiring Kennedy, tapping in further to the wealth of Lauren's travelling experience. Her 10 month old baby is the most well travelled teeny tot I've ever met! So well travelled that they'll pretty much be out of the country until April. Here she gives us some tips for tucking into tapas. You can't go to Spain without it! Oh and do check out her blog...
I hadn't been to Barcelona in a long time- in almost 10 years, actually. When I got the chance to meet up with some of my best friends from high school there for a girls weekend, I couldn't' book my RyanAir flight fast enough. Eventually, the girls weekend expanded into my husband + baby coming, too. Three nights in Spain was enough to wet my appetite for spending more time there in the future. The combination of the relaxed culture, the great style, the affordable prices won me over…. and, of course, the food! I could eat tapas all day long. And with the affordability of traveling to Spain, that dream can become a reality!
If (and when!) you find yourself in Spain, here are the six tapas items you need to fully embrace. Not only will they get you the best taste of Spanish cuisine… but they'll just give you the best taste in Spain period.
1. Pan Con Tomate
1. Pan Con Tomate
This is a basic staple for any Spanish tapas spread. Simple bread rubbed with a juicy tomato and lightly salted. Mmm. The combination leaves a tasty (and toasty) combo.
2. Croquetas
This is the tater tot's classy cousin. Mashed potatoes mixed with delicious accompaniments like manchego cheese, tasty local meats like jamon or spiced chicken, are then rolled in bread crumbs and pan fried. The best part- most restaurants sell them for about €1.50 each. Yum.
3. Patatas Bravas
I'm a potato girl… if you saw my butt, you'd agree. I like my starches. I'm a universal starchie. Wherever carbs & potatoes may be across the world, I'll seek them out and befriend them. In Spain, there is no exception to this affection. Lightly roasted (ok, maybe fried) potatoes with delicious spicy & creamy aoili on top. Si, señor.
4. Peppers Padron
Just because these are low in calories doesn't mean they skimp on flavour. I could pop these like chips. Oh man. Apparently, 1 in 100 is spicy, but don't let those odds make you sweat. Padron peppers have a fantastic (and not too spicy) flavor that makes them easy to inhale, err, eat.
5. Tortilla
I think of the Spanish tortilla as the love child of a quiche & potatoes dauphinoise. To us Texans, it's a bit confusing as we conjure the corn or flour variation upon hearing this word. However, the tortilla of spain involves potatoes, eggs & various additions cooked in a skillet… and the result, well, it's really delicious.
6. Chorizo
Maybe this is an obvious choice, but how could a meal be complete without Spain's beloved chorizo? I'm not a huge pork eater, but this spicy delight will make me a believer.
something for your screen
It's Friday (yay) and I feel a freebie coming on! Here's a new downloadable wallpaper to brighten up your screen. Get downloading here, enjoy and I'll think up a new batch for next month. Have a great weekend. I plan to!
winter fiesta
A hint of summer vibrance brought back down to earth with with a deep navy. This colour combo is the definition of striking and choosing a navy instead of black keeps it classy. Hope it inspires!
little mini
A bit slow off the mark but here’s my next guest recipe post over at the lovely Aspiring Kennedy. This time you can have a go at making mini cheesecakes because desserts look so much more appealing in miniature. Or is that just me? Find the full recipe here and there isn’t even any baking involved so there’s no room for over-enthusiastic ovens to ruin this treat. a winter wedding
Hello friends! Happy New Year to you all! To start 2014 I thought I'd share with you one of my ongoing projects from 2013. This lovely couple commissioned me to design the whole stationery shabang for their winter wedding, straddled in between Christmas and New Year. Yes you heard right! While everyone was winding down into post Christmas lethargy and nursing their swollen bellies, this couple was skipping down the aisle. 
This was a lovely project to work on, one of my faves in fact. The brief was loose but I loved their enthusiasm for simplicity. Black print and recycled board runs all the way through and works really well for this winter wedding. I also loved their idea to have a staggered invitation booklet and sweet personal touches like the recipe card with the RSVP.
so that was december...
From right to left...*One 'Freelance Friday' started with a brutal scalpel injury and was followed with a visit to a walk in clinic and lots and lots of waiting around. Needless to say that was not a fruitful day of work! Never fear!...Santa Claus popped some nail glue in my stocking.
* We had such a lovely Christmas back in that place we used to call home. I scored big time with Christmas gifts this year. Not a questionable gift in sight, just pure pressie gold!
* A very happy December Sunday, when my friend Camille was baptised, cheered on by the TW family.
* Trinity West's first public carol service. I did a bit of decoration which mainly involved instructing big strong boys up ladders in the art of hanging giant baubles. A highlight was the kid's chance to get involved in a song, aided by the beautiful sound of clashing percussion instruments.
*Our second London Christmas has been and gone and I'm sure London is the best place to be in the run up to all the festivities. Unless you don't like crowds that is.
Well Happy New Year to you all! Hoping the year has lots of great things in store for you. I spent the last day of the year working on a bit of a blog overhaul so I'm looking forward to getting that up and running in 2014!
Merry Christmas
John 3:17 // Original photo from The Collective Quarterly
Why are we celebrating? Do we ever really stop to think for long? Today we celebrate God breaking into this troubled world with a plan to save us from ourselves. He stepped into human history; a real living, breathing, feeling man, destined to live the perfect life we couldn't and pay the price we should have. What an amazing truth to celebrate! Have a very Merry Christmas however you're spending it and I'll leave you with some words from my little bro who puts all this far more eloquently than I'm capable of.
all tucked up
Happy Friday! It's a very happy one for me as it marks the start of my 2 week Christmas break. I haven't taken any leave since my summer holiday so I AM EXCITED! If you too or relishing your newly acquired Christmas break, perhaps you're up for a few holiday projects or even a last minute gift for a friend. This DIY phone pouch is useful and pretty. Now there's a combination you don't get that often. I'm known for smashing up phones and scratching them into an abstract mess in my bag so this is a welcome addition to my life, for sure! A sewing machine would be very handy for this project, unless you're happy to spend a while hand stitching. 
To make:- Paint dashes onto your canvas with the fabric paint and allow to dry. Cut two rectangles 3cm bigger than your phone from the felt and then do the same from your spotted fabric but leave an allowance of about 6cm at the top. I doubled up my spotted canvas with a plain canvas layer to give a more solid white. Line all fabric sheets up.
- Fold the longer top edge of your spotty fabrics over the felt and iron down to hold in place. Then on a sewing machine with the white thread, stitch a straight line to secure.
- Then reverse your sides and pin together, leaving a material allowance around the edge. Check that your phone slots in and out.
- Use your sewing machine to follow the pins. Curve the corners as this will make it neater when you finally turn it out.
- Trim the excess fabric. Cut a few small slits in the excess around the curved corners.
- Turn your pouch out. This may take a bit of manoeuvring.
- Thread the tapestry thread through a needle and hand stitch into the corner of your pouch forming a loop.
- Thread on the beads, pushing them close to the fabric and then tie a knot in the loop to fix them in place.
And there it is! Happy using or gifting. Tuck all your phones up and keep them safe.
something for your screen
This is definitely something I need to be reminded of everyday. If I really believe that God has shown me more love and grace in Christ than I could ever imagine or deserve then he should be what I treasure most! He has cleansed me of all the wrongs I've done and ever will do and welcomed me into the family of God and I've been blessed with a precious, eternal inheritance that will never fade. He didn't have to do any of this and yet he has. Ignoring this is settling for so much less and how fickle we are even as children of God, when we live out our days treasuring earthly things more than Christ. All the others things inevitably disappoint but Christ never does. What we treasure most with our time, money, thoughts, energy etc shows us what we've really given our heart to.
Download these free desktop wallpapers right here.
festive freebies
Happy Friday to you....and not long now until Christmas. Somehow I haven't managed to buy a single present yet but at least I've got the gift tags sorted (eek). Perk up your gift wrapping with this printable selection.
All you need to do is...
- Download the printable gift tags
- Print onto card
- cut-out the shapes
- Hole punch on the dot
- Thread through your string
Download and enjoy while I find some presents to gift wrap and ponder why I haven't written a single Christmas card when I work in the card industry.aspiring kennedy; what to pack for a trip to England
It’s that time again! Time for Lauren over at Aspiring Kennedy to share some travel love and as my blog readership is shall we say US heavy (an understatement) this should be pretty handy if you are thinking of making the journey across the pond. For more from Lauren, check out her awesome blog. Sit back and soak in all her fun adventures in life and all around the globe.
2. Coat // I hate to say it, but a coat is almost essential year round here. Light weight trenches or quilted coats are perfect for the "warmer" months.
3. Booties // People think it rains all day in England. That's not true. It just typically rains at some point on every day in England. So while you won't be drenched, you definitely want to be wearing the right shoes when the clouds do cry… or you might find yourself crying, too. I wear booties a lot. It's a good middle ground from the bulkiness of longer boots while still offering good protection from the crappy weather.
4. Water bottle // I like to keep these in my purse when I'm doing the tourist thing to avoid repeatedly paying £4 for bottled water. And yes, the tap water is safe to drink…. and request at restaurants. Hooray for legislation that requires restaurants to provide it for you.
5. Socks // I always say that Brits flash a bit of their quirk through their socks. When you're on the tube, take a peek at the ankles of the businessman across from you. You'll see the brightest and happiness socks peeking out under their dress pants. Get in the spirit with your own pair.
6. Guide //Take some notes from people who know how to travel in the NY Times "36 Hours" book. It highlights some amazing things to see/do/eat during your stay. Oh, and you can also pick up a few things on the travel section of my blog, Aspiring Kennedy.
oh christmas tree
I'm very excited to be putting our tree up this weekend! It was always a bit of an occasion growing up. Even as teenagers me and my brother would clear our diary to make sure we were present on this magical day. Bought decorations are lovely but there's something even better about making a few new decorations every year. Here's an idea to try. These hanging tree decorations look just the right dose of handmade and couldn't be much more straightforward.
You will need...- Fimo Air/microwave modelling clay
- Fimo sculpey gloss satin varnish
- Paintbrush
- Gold sharpie marker
- Cutting board
- Circular cutters or cutters of your choice
- Stampable letters (I used these)
- Tapestry thread or bakers twine
- Rolling pin
- Scalpel
How to make...
- Start by rolling out the clay until it's all about 1cm thick.
- Use your cutters or scalpel around a stencil to stamp out your shapes. Use a pencil to make a hole at the top of each shape enabling you to hang them later. Set aside.
- For the circular decorations you need to stamp in your Christmas phrases while the clay is still mouldable.
- Leave all the shapes to dry out overnight or you can use the microwave to dry them out quicker.
- Then glaze your decorations. I did two coats either side to make sure the coverage was even and nice and glossy.
- You can now get busy with your sharpie marker. The gloss enhances the metallic affect. Simply draw out whatever design you want. My doodles are pretty easy to copy. I used a medium nib sharpie but if you want more detail you can go for a fine nib.
- Then thread your string/tapestry thread through the hole and tie a knot in the end.
hug in a bowl
Nothing spells out winter quite like a whopping, great, big bowl of soup. I usually make big vats of vegetable soup during the hibernation months, to take to work for lunch or I whip it out as a speedy dinner (only if Nick isn’t around as he insists that it doesn’t count as dinner). Much as I love squeezing as many vegetables as humanly possible into one broth, I tried something a bit more interesting. Grab your hand blender, follow the link to the fabulous Aspiring Kennedy for maple carrot, apple and bacon soup and get cracking.so that was november...
From left to right:* Best bonfire night I've ever had, from the comfort of my own sofa, glass of wine in hand.
* I always get sad about the lack of flowers winter brings but these potted cabbages cheered me up. A clever winter alternative!
* Longest stint spent apart followed by a lovely date day to put things right.
* A whole year in Shepherds Bush and our little flat. It's flown by!
* Sometimes I try to remember what life was like before our DSLR camera. This little friend has had some serious use this month, for work and play. It's also over a year old and I haven't dropped it yet. That's good going for me!
date day
This probably sounds a bit lame but hey ho, that’s me. Nick was away at a conference last week and it happened to be the longest we’d spent apart since being married. It was only five days but I was so ready for him to be back by Friday evening! It made me really thankful for being in a season where my husband doesn’t really have to go away on business trips. I wouldn’t enjoy that. Nope. 
We have date night or date day every week if possible because lets be honest, it’s easy for the busyness of a week to swallow up time to actually connect. It often just consists of dinner and a film or coffee and a chat but I decided to welcome him home with a day of simple things he enjoys. I even made tickets. Luckily Nick finds my creative quirks cute rather than creepy...phew.
It may sound a tad girly but it’s not just me who likes granola in our house. Nick is a big fan and has often asked me to make a homemade batch. In all honesty I didn’t need much convincing and followed this recipe for Brown Butter, Pumpkin Seed and Espresso Granola, adding even more coffee for luck hence the dark colour. We washed it down with banana, coconut & honey smoothies that were so thick the straws seemed liked a misjudgement but tasted yum. Then we tubed off to indulge Nick’s ever growing love/obsession for good coffee. I may well be the only creative londoner who doesn’t appreciate good coffee but I do love food and fun branding so going along for the ride is always a good idea. We ticked off another spot on Nick’s list and walked off our lunch via St Paul’s, the Thames and borough market of course, where Nick felt it necessary/essential to have his third coffee of the day. Basically it was a lovely, chilled day and so nice to catch up properly. Dates can so often be less than lovely when you’re both holding out to spend some proper time together and come to the table with different expectations of a perfect afternoon/ evening. Cue grouchy arguments or huffy sighs. Last Saturday however was a good one and reminded me how blessed I am to have Nick in my life, whether we are spending cute romantic days together, hanging out the laundry together or sorting our online banking together.
Hark!
It's fast approaching carol season! It's our first proper carol service at Trinity West and I was very happy to design the postcards for the event. I was equally great to have a bit of time to illustrate, something that so easily gets shoved to the bottom of the design pile. Anyway if you are near Shepherds Bush on Sunday the 15th December than we'd love for you to join us at 5pm for carols, mulled wine and mince pies. Details are on the postcard back below and you can also find out more about us via our website. 
keep your eye out
Two weekends ago I paid this year's Renegade Craft Fair a little visit. I'd always wanted to go, having followed all the beautiful fairs held in San Francisco, L.A, Austin etc and now living in London I had no excuse not to. It was a pretty inspiring trip all round and lovely to get opportunities to chat to the designers themselves. Its also free (winner) and a really great place to score some cute and quirky Christmas presents so if you didn't get along this year then do go next year. Here are some of my favourite stalls... 
I've seen these gorgeous prints from Paper Moon bouncing their way around the blog world and had already even pinned a few. I think her colour palettes won me over on first glance!
Aren't these beautiful?! Gorgeous illustrations turned into badges and jewellery from Kayleigh O'Mara.
I was already following this talented lady's work but it was great to see all her lovely products laid out together on the Oh no Rachio stand. I love the simplicity in her design and the build your own succulent kits were a highlight. Had to exercise some serious self control to not buy one.
I stared at Lui's necklace selection for a good long while, imagining one of these bad boys round my neck. Stunning colours that would definitely make a statement.
These illustrations probably excited me the most! I'm a sucker for collage as you may have already realised so the Lucy Driscoll stand was a real draw. They're all so thoughtfully put together and yet retain a sense of
spontaneity.
This collection of rainbow fun would be enough to brighten up even the bleakest, rainy days (which that Saturday was). Hand Over Your Fairy Cakes is a quirky range of perspex accessories set to put a smile on even the saddest of faces and even more impressively this talented lady is self taught.
Gold, leather and pompoms anyone?...100% yes! Benu is owned by Pauline who loves working with leather. I hadn't really even thought about what a versatile material it was until I saw these. Each design was fun and bursting with personality.
Scout Editions had some really eye catching prints, my favourites being the Bird Series. These are printed using a risograph, which I'd never heard of but it creates a lovely affect and the pops of neon colour caught my fluro-magpie attention.
What a clever idea this is! Ceramic glossed gems look almost good enough to eat, especially in all these powder shades. You'll find them at Made By ME ME ME.
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