oh i do like to be beside the seaside...

I recently celebrated my 25th Birthday. I had such a smiley weekend and was 100% spoilt on the present front. Nick also took me for a day trip to Brighton, a place I always love visiting. It's a town full of creativity and when the sun's shining it's so nice to be by the sea. There's so many cute little eateries and cake shops and rows of artists displaying their work along the sea front. I thoroughly enjoyed the antiques warehouse we found just off the Lanes. It was like a treasure trove that seemed to go on and on and on. Accidental discoveries are often the best. Here's our trip in Instagrams... 

Nick also made me the most delicious Birthday cake I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Anyone who knows me will be aware that I think peanut butter chocolate is kind of a big deal. Nick decided to go one better and make me a peanut butter chocolate cheesecake! ...a genius idea which outdid any cheesecake I've ever made. He can make dessert from now on.

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sweet tooth

Looking at these paper creations make my eyes so happy! I stumbled across her Etsy shop the other day  and fell for Essimar's simple screen prints in fresh, candy colours. I adore minimal designs with just a hint or suggestion of something. As they say (I'm not sure who) 'less is more'. Tres chic indeed.

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the 'goings-on' of 2012

I’m always looking for something to illustrate, which may well have something to do with why I ended up in cards. Here’s a little present I made for my husband last Christmas after much talk of getting organized. I’m not sure it worked but it does look nice on the wall. As usual I thought it would be a quick project, after all there are only 12 months to illustrate, right?  Hmmm…well it took a little longer than expected and I ended up finishing it on Christmas Eve and giving it to Nick unbound.  It’s the thought that counts.

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pimp my vase

You may have noticed I love jam jars! They’re such a cheap and easy way to store and present things. Here’s a quick little DIY idea for jazzing up your plain, glass jam jars with a few bits and pieces you may well find in your craft stash at home. It would make a bunch of flowers into an even sweeter gift or perhaps an idea for a wedding and party centre pieces. Just be careful not to get the paper wet if you fill it up for flowers. Soggy isn’t a good look. You'll need....

Wash out your jam jar and clean off any labels. Once dry attach the ripped paper with some double sided tape and wrap around the jar. Overlap the paper slightly and attach with another line of double side tape. Then do the same with your lace and wrap your string or twine round and round. Transfer a phrase onto your tag (I trimmed mine to make it even smaller) and thread this on to the twine/string. Finish it off with a bow and your vase is complete. 

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brunch o'clock

As someone who never dreams of missing breakfast, brunch has never held much appeal. Its always seemed quite inferior standing in the shadow of the 'most important meal of the day'. Despite this I decided to embrace brunch a few weekends ago thinking it sounded kind of romantic and maybe even a little continental. I’d seen a mocha frappe recipe on A Beautiful Mess blog and felt it was begging for a try. To go with these I made banana, toffee & pecan muffins, the perfect way to use up bananas that look past their former glory. Milk and I don’t get along very well so I used soya milk instead, which worked just as well and I kept the muffin topping simple with walnut halves and a sprinkle of brown sugar before baking.

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