room with a view

I forgot to show you this snap I took last week when I got back from my work trip, lol! I arrived home when it was dark, so it was a bit of a shocker to see this scene in the back garden when I woke up the next day!! Not quite the palace I had dreamed of returning to.

So, it's all systems go here now getting the house ready (well, as ready as it will be!) for the arrival of Martin's brother Trevor, Becky & our new nephew Billy from Brisbane....8 more sleeps (and lots of building, assembling, sanding, scraping, painting, wallpapering, moving furniture, trips to hardware stores, quick decisions, pulling hair out, screaming and of course cleaning in between. Oh, and not forgetting the day jobs!).

So excuse me once again if I'm off the blogging radar for a bit, but hopefully I'll have lots to share soon..

stairway to hell

Thanks to everyone for the comments on my previous post & of course for voting too...it's a bit of fun anyhow. Just as I thought, there are completely different opinions. However, I think we have managed to make our decision...but there are four days left to vote so you can still sway us! Hopefully the big reveal will happen soon but, in the meantime I've dug out some snaps of the stairway's (very slow) progress (if you can call it that!) since we moved in....(Mel over at design heaven had asked for a snap of the area to help decide on which wallpaper but, Mel, not sure these are very helpful!)...

(L) as we bought it (R) stripping paper (with falling walls with it!)

(L) freshly plastered (R) carpet ripped up

which wallpaper?

We would really love your help with this one please! For ages now we have been undecided about which of these two wallpapers to go with for our hall & stairway (just up the one wall)....

Wistaria by Kuboaa

Saplings by Miss Print

I have always loved the Wistaria as the print looks great falling down a big expanse of wall....but then the Saplings one is sooo cute & retro! HELP! Cast your vote on the poll at the top right of the page. I know it's very subjective but let's see which is the favourite amongst you all & we'll reveal our chosen one soon!

a lovely phonecall

on the friendly cottage wishlist...reconditioned telephone from pedlars

We had an exciting call today from one of my brothers, Keith, with some fab news that he has got engaged to the lovely Lisa. We're very excited and I'm thrilled that I will have a sister on the Hearne once all boy team!! Congrats guys...can't wait already for Oct 2nd next year! XXX

wish you were here

As I'm away at the moment, Marty very kindly forwarded on some 'wish you were here' snaps. Looks like he's living the dream without me...I see a cement mixer has now moved in to join the chaos! lol! Sorry Mart, let me know when it's safe to come home!!

adorable prints

Thanks for all the lovely comments on the previous post...and welcome to lots of new followers this week too - what a lovely surprise!...and Paula, the print reminds me of Sanna Annuka too but it's not actually, it's a screen print from a lovely girl in south east london...you can find it and other very gorgeous goodies on roddy & ginger (home of these lovely images)....

The design is looking very cute printed on kids aprons too...

also on friendly cottage's wish list...

and for the love of all things owl...

lost in dust

Oops, sorry I have been missing in action for so long...I have a mix of excuses including being busy with work, not having a laptop (all sorted out now again thankfully!) and generally being lost in dust in this building site of ours. The renovations are cruising along nicely with amazing things happening every day. So other than the constant dust and dirt we're getting along fine! Here are some snaps of the top of our fireplace - one of the few areas of the house that is nice to turn to and remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm heading away with work for a few weeks so apologies in advance for abandoning blogging yet again! Hopefully when I get back all the renovations will be complete & I'll have a spick & span house (ahem, dream on!)

Electric Picnic Checklist

Well, the rain is pouring down and the hail stones pounding but still we're doing it to ourselves and heading down to a muddy field in stradbally for a weekend of festivities at lecky picky! Now I'm a bit of an obsessive compulsive when it comes to organising and packing (particuluarly when it comes to one's comfort don't you know) so here's my list of what we're bringing. The husband doesn't know the full extent mind you ;). Take or leave from it what you like, it's just a handy checklist....hope I haven't forgotten anything!!?!

CAMPING GEAR
tent (check pegs & guide ropes are included!)
blow up bed & foot pump
fitted sheet (ok, not essential but!)
pillows
really warm sleeping bags
torches & fully charged batteries
camping light
fold up chairs
waterproof backed picnic blankie
spare batteries
locks for bags (just in case there's some not so friendly people there!)
string
pegs
bunting!

GENERAL ESSENTIALS
printed out maps of site & day by day line ups
TICKETS!!
ID (unless like me there's no way you're gonna be asked for it but would be totally flattered if you were!)
phone / camera charger (or spare batteries)
phone (fully charged)
camera (fully charged) with empty sim card
post it notes & pencil (you never know!)
chewing gum
cash & cards (be careful not to bring too much - there are ATM's on site to keep you going)
magazines / cards / games (incase you're stuck in your tent with the rain!)
ipod & speakers / radio & batteries
ciggies & lighter (if you are naughty & smoke!)
shades
zip lock bags (you may laugh, but you'll be surprised what they'll come in handy for...think sick bag & smelly, soggy socks!!)
kitchen roll (for mopping up those spillages or to use as napkins)
BIN LINERS - not just fo rgathering rubbish but essential as your seat and rain jacket throughout the weekend!

CLOTHING
loads of warm (long) socks
plenty of clean knickers!
warm clothes for bedtime
general clothes (for all seasons!) - whether you're into frilly frocks, skinny jeans, hot pants...
umbrella :(
rain gear :(
WELLIES!
towel (whether you're taking a shower or not!)
swimwear - thats if you decide to take a (communal) shower
flip flops
hat
a good sized bag to take all your essentials into the arena and comfortable enough to carry for hours (& of course neutral enough to match with every outfit!)
hair bobbins & bands (for putting up that not washed hair into fabulous styles!)
jewellery (don't bring your great grandmothers jewels however!)

TOILETRIES
sun cream :)
lots of WET WIPES (festival essential!)
ear plugs (essential!)
eye mask
plasters
alcohol based hand santizer
headache tablets
toothpaste & brush
mouthwash
deodorant (lots of it)
perfume too!
cleanser, toner, moisturiser & cotton wool if you cant face a weekend of wet wipes!
dry shampoo
shower gel (if you're taking one!)
loo roll
razor
any tablets you usually take (BUT NO DRUGS PLEASE!!)
make up
mirror

FEEDING TIME
cool box
ice blocks
disposable BBQ
matches / lighter
tongs
disposable plates & cups
plastic cutlery

FOOD & DRINK
booze - 48 cans max per person permitted apparently - now, tell me who on earth would bring that amount for themselves??? or am i just being really old?! beers, ciders, ale, alcho pops, spirits & mixers, wine, bubbly...whatever takes your fancy!

loads and loads of water to conteract the booze!

We'll be scoffing cheese, crackers & chilli jam for a chilled out lunch on friday & then sausages (see tip below), bread rolls & relish for brekkie saturday. Other than that fresh food won't survive the course so we'll be feasting in the arena at all the yummy food stands & farmers market.

Some non-perishable breakfast ideas: rice cakes or crackers with mashed banana & peanut butter (or both), homemade flapjacks, cans of beans (thats if you love them cold from the can like me!), or just a plain old can of coke & packet of tayto if you're really hungover!

snacks we're bringing include pretzels, salted pistachios, marshmallows (for the barbie!), fruit & chocolate.

WARNING: THIS IS A POT NOODLE FREE ZONE!

FINALLY, SOME TOP TIPS

stick a large / visible sign in your car window (front & back if necessary) asking people not to block you in, particularly if you need to leave before monday

put a note, reminder or send yourself a text of where the car is parked!

stick some packs of sausages or bacon in the freezer - great as ice blocks in your cooler (pack them in zip locks to avoid spillages) and then perfectly defrosted in time for saturday mornings rumbly tummies!

freeze your drinks (watch out for expanding liquids freezer explosion theory!) for same reason as above (leave a few unfrozen so you're not pitching your tent sober!).

when your cool box is emptied use it as a bin by lining it with a plastic liner. easy to carry away with you then too!

stick your printouts of the site map & days events in a plastic pocket to keep it from tearing in tatters and / or becoming soggy from spilt booze or rain!

stick fake flowers on everything!! essential for fitting in with that colourful and fun festival vibe. Put them on your wellies, socks, hat, rain coat, bag, a wrist band, beady necklace & hairband & clips!

PHEW....good thing we're not travelling with Ryanair!! See you down there - call by for a beer! S & M X

Special Memories

It's our happy 3 years married day, awh!

Sunny Seaside Sunday

We were in London last weekend to visit Mart's family when we had a lovely Sunday drive to Whitstable on the coast. Besides it being a super hot & sunny day (when everything seems so much better!), Whitstable really is an idyllic seaside town with lots of gorgeous wooden beach houses, yummy fresh seafood, a long pebbled beach & lots of very cute shops selling gorgeous things. I had been a few times before but mostly with work when I went on photo shoots to an amazing beach house - which incidently I have been trying to find photos of on the net for ages now to show you. I must try searching again...in the meantime the bunting in the photo above has reminded me I really must finish that bunting I started so many moons ago. Here are some more sunny seaside snaps...

mirror makeover

'BEFORE'

I bought this mirror last year on the sales when I nabbed it for a bargain (and it isn't even one of those that makes you look short and dumpy thankfully!). Anyhow, this Roccoco or shabby chic, whatever you like to call it, style isn't top of my list but I just can't pass a decorative frill and so have hopefully taken the edge off that look with my mirror makeover...

I decided the easiest way to transform this mirror into something different that fitted in with the plans for our bedroom was to paint it. We first of all lived with some chosen test colour cards for a bit to help make that decision on colour choice. We went with a colortrend blue called St. Johns and chose a soft sheen emulsion.

Firstly, protect your work area really well with dust sheets or news papers. Marty's top tip is to make sure you double layer a sheet or even better, line underneath with plastic sheeting in case the paint soaks through onto a precious surface!






Test paint a small patch at the back of the mirror to make sure you are completely happy with your colour and paint choice. Don't forget to allow it to dry to see the true colour.








very carefully remove any staples or pins from the back of the mirror, peeling away the backing board.










Next, even more carefully remove the mirror and rest in a safe place.









Now, down to business. Scuff up the wood with a quick rough over with some sand paper. This is important to help the paint go on smoothly (great for the upper arms too!).





Using a dampened cloth, wipe the sanding dust away to give a clean surface.









You may need a paint primer first, depending on the type of surface you're painting onto - ask your paint shop for advice. Ensure your paint is well stirred up. Use a paint brush sized proportionally to the item you're painting (preferably synthetic for water based paints & natural for oil based). Brush strokes should go in one direction with (and not against) the grain for best results.


Squish and squirm (how's that for a description?!) the paint brush into awkward decorative bits to ensure the paint gets right into the groves. Use a much smaller brush for harder to reach areas if you prefer.




Leave the first coat to dry completely for several hours before giving a second coat. It's really important to give the second coat for a good finish - but at least the second coat will be quicker than the first!


Once the second coat has completely dried, then carefully turn the frame on one side - this will reveal missed or hard to reach bits at the top and particularly the bottom so give them the same care and attention. This might at this stage seem like a never ending project but it's so worth giving it time and patience.




A top tip for painting a mirror frame is to pay particular attention to the bit inside the frame that faces the mirror when the mirror glass is back in place. If you miss this bit out then you'll be disappointed to see the unpainted bit reflecting back on you once you have the mirror back in position! Don't forget to let this dry properly too.

Very carefully, return the mirror to the frame, securing it in place with the backing material. Staple gun or tack it back securely in position. Finally, the exciting reveal - turn it round to check out your creative handy work! tadaaa...

'AFTER'

our new living space

Sorry I haven't been around for a while - complete laptop meltdown this time - now after a glass of water being accidently knocked into it (not mentioning any names!), it has sadly passed away...a huge scramble was on over the last week to somehow save all my files from it which I have now thankfully managed to do (& thank god for foxmarks having my thousands of bookmarks in cyber space!). Anyhow, much less stressfull surprisingly, is how our extension is flying up. It is so exciting to see our new space taking shape and overwhelming to imagine how our lives are going to be transformed with our living space. Here are some current snaps...

school chairs revamp

We bought these school chairs here and recently decided to freshen them up with a lick of white paint. Here's the before and after shots along with some shots I took as I went and then a finished chair in our spare bedroom.

builders bums

I've never been so glad to see them! Our much talked about (2 years!) extension has finally started and it's flying up! It's very exciting but also very grown up to think we're paying three people to work for us for a couple of months, not to mention the guys who pull up in huge trucks on a daily basis and of course all the supplies, yikes! Here are some daily snaps so far (before and afters)...

clockwise from top left...the garden as we bought it. mart & his dad clearing the garden out (there was a LOT of wood). the garden this summer. foundations dug out on monday.

clockwise from top left...the back of the house soon after we bought it (you'll see we didnt change the bottom window or back door as we knew we would be extending). back of the house on monday (thats the soil from digging the garden out which the builders have now used to level the garden). the foundations dug out. a couple of walls up already.

strawberry basket

Sorry I haven't been around for what seems like ages recently - I was actually without my laptop limb as the charger cable stopped working. I freaked out at first but (as I still have internet use on my PC, albeit at a desk rather than slouching on the sofa) amazingly I survived!

Anyhow, I've been up to lots of things. Here is one project...I bought this (what i think is a magazine rack) in an auction recently with plans to use it as a strawberry hanging basket. I decided to spray paint it first as it had a funny mottled finish as you can see here and to help stop it from rusting...













I picked up the spray paint in B&Q - it's in sage green - very similar to the original colour but it gave a really lovely finish and was really easy to use. It was a pretty windy day when I did it (outside to avoid turning everything in the house green!) so it dried pretty quickly too...













I then lined it with (a small bag of) fresh moss which I bought here. I made sure to put the pretty green stuff to the front and any browner bits inside or to the back.

I made sure my strawberry plants were well watered and left them to drain for a bit...

And then finally I planted them - I half-filled the space with multi-purpose soil, removed the plants from their pots and sat them inside before filling around with more soil, packing it fairly well. I split one of the plants in two and poked them out the sides too - we'll see what happens there! Finally, I gave the whole thing a good water with some tomato feed diluted in there.

Just need mart to screw it onto the wall for me now!

elderflower cordial gift

There isn't much of our homemade elderflower cordial left so I quickly made up a small bottle of it for our neighbour, Mrs. Kelly. She was bemused to see me dangling from the tree and wondered what I was up to. She's very sweet and I can't wait to make cakes for her too once our kitchen is sorted (yawn).

I filled the cordial into a (ballygowan) water bottle which I had steralised and dried. Then I used my pinking shears (from any good haberdashery) to cut a small circle of fabric (which I got in trimmings) and secured it on top of the bottle with a piece of ribbon (from rubenesque). I then used my alphabet stamps (from ebay) and ink (easons) to stamp out the label (sticker labels from easons too). I finished off the bottom edge with my pretty lacey stamper (from martha stewart) and stuck it on.

homemade napkins

It's pretty quick and easy to run up some napkins, never mind how much cheaper it is than buying them and also the fact that you can make them to your own style and colour scheme. Choose a heavyish cotton or a linen - it's wise to test a little in the washing machine for shrinkage or colour loss. Cut out about 30cm squares and embellish them if you like. I simply machine sewed on some ribbons and ric rac but you could applique, embroider or print a design on either for example.

Next you need to hem it to hide the frayed fabric (and ribbon if using) edges. This is pretty easy with only the corners being a bit tricky. Working with right side down throughout, firstly, snip off a little of each corner (this helps to reduce the bulk when all the edges are folded in). The iron is your friend from here on. Iron the edges in evenly all the way round (I turned the edges about 5mm).

Iron the trimmed corners in by the same depth also. If you are not very confident at machine sewing, then tack (large hand stitches) the hem down to stay in place.

Turn the edges once more (just a little deeper than the last turn, so I went about 7mm). Pay extra attention to the all important corners so they sit together nice and neatly (or as neatly as possible at least!) - you have just made a mitred corner! Again, tack the edges down to secure in place for machine sewing.

Almost there now! Machine sew the hem in place, turning the fabric around at the corners (leaving the needle in the fabric as you do this). Remove any tacking and give a good overall press with the iron.

Fold the napkins neatly and voila and you're done!

Don't give up hope now!

Some days are tougher than others living in what we call 'home sweet hell hole'! Some days we just surrender and say we're never going to be finished our renovations. Some days we just look around, laugh and wonder how we got ourselves into this mess!?! Other days we are more optimistic. Mixed feelings today which is why I have had a look back through our progress photos for a little bit of encouragement and reassurance that we are getting there...here's a few snaps....it's hard to believe how bad it was to begin with actually (although to be honest parts of it still are, but lets just pretend its all done for now!)

THE SPARE ROOM

Green rug - M&S, white waffle duvet & pillow slips - Dunnes Stores, Petulia & Jeremy bears - Habitat, black & white cushions - Ikea, stripey pillow slips - Oxendales, bed - M&S, hydrengea wallpaper - Villa Nova from Home Couture.

I love this room (possibly because it's the one room thats almost finished!) - the bed is sooo comfy that sometimes we sleep in here pretending we're staying in a hotel for the night! Hydrengeas are one of my all-time favourite flowers so I died and went to heaven when I found this wallpaper. The stripy sheets remind me of our sheets growing up - they're so warm and fluffy too. The black and white cushions might seem a bit odd with the pastel colours but I love the contrast and I'm working on another item for the room which will help bring the clashing together so watch this space!

THE BATHROOM

bathroom suite - B&Q, tiles - Allied tiles, rubber flooring - the rubber floor company

The bathroom was so depressing when we first bought the house. There was no sink and only a really crappy old shower. We had to line the walls of the shower with plastic (which stuck to your bum when showering!) as the tiles on it kept falling down on us. It was definitely the first room that had to be tackled. It looks like there was a nice wooden floor on the original bathroom but it's actually wood effect 'lino' (and it was all over the house!). We love our new rubber flooring - it's perfect for the bathroom with lots of water around and it's warmer on our tootsies than tiles. More about the bathroom on another post.

THE SITTING ROOM

Rug & sofa - habitat, blankie - Dunnes Stores, cushions - Homebase, Debenhams & Ikea, Shutters - Shutters of Ireland

We kissed the ground the sofa delivery man arrived on - it was a long time coming - disasterous bad timing with the habitat closure and all that but we got it in the end. We really do miss shabbytat but luckily had stocked up on lots of goodies before it closed, including this rug. The room furnishings are quite dark so it's fun to add splashes of colour around the room like the cushions and my snuggly blankie. I had dreamed of these shutters for a long time and was so glad to see them installed - I love them to pieces still.

favourite fabrics

Here are some delicious fabrics I've fallen in love with online....I feel a shopping splurge coming on...the first four are from here, the next two from here and the final two from here. (As you can see I like my graphic prints!).

Kitchen Hunt

We spent all day yesterday on a mission to find a kitchen. It's been a long time coming let me tell you, but without tempting faith I think we may be 3-4 months away from finally having a one, horrah! I was armed with enough photos, tear sheets, drawings and plans to send any man into a spin (as only women can!). Here are some snaps to give you an idea of what we're looking for (I've got plenty more & have even started a dream file for 'the next house'!). Anyhow, let's get this one first and here's hoping it turns out half as nice as these...

Homemade Bunting

I've been in my element all week busy-beeing with my homemade bunting. I'm not quite finished but thought I'd share the process so far with you.

I firstly pulled out some of my fun summery fabrics
and chose which ones I was going to use.

I made a bunting triangle pattern from a piece of A4 paper which I firstly folded in half lengthways. Then i measured down the centre fold to about 23cm and made a mark here. Finally I drew a line with a ruler from this marked point up to the opposite top hand corner and then cut along this line to give a triangle once opened out.

Then to cut the triangles out I pinned the paper pattern on each piece of fabric making sure the pattern was going in the direction I wanted it to (you can see this through the paper). Mostly I made most economical use of the fabric though when cutting out. The pic above is of some old pj's which have had their day. If you feel confident you can double the fabric over to speed things up. Use a good fabric scissors and obviously work out how many triangles you will need, allowing two triangles per piece of bunting (for back and front).

This is where I had got to with embellishing
my fabrics as described in this post.

To embellish them further I sewed some beads and sequins on some of the pieces. I thought the sparkles would be twinkle nicely on a sunny day in the garden.

I also did some hand embroidery using a metallic embroidery thread (which I split to make a little thinner). I used a variation of the blanket stitch to highlight Martins initial. Obviously this needs a good iron now before I go any further.

Then I had a go at free stitching some flowers on my initial. Don't think I did too badly. Again I went for bling and used a metallic pink thread.













Anyhow, once all the really fun creative bit is taken care of it's time to start sewing up the bunting. For good strong bunting I like to strengthen any flimsy fabrics like the very light cotton here. I cut out a triangle of interfacing (from any good haberdashery) by pinning the fabric triangle on top and then with the bumpy side against the wrong side of the fabric gave it a quick iron to stick. If you don't feel confident doing this then throw a pillow slip or other piece of fabric over it to help protect your bunting piece.













Now that all pieces are ready, decide which pieces you want to go with which - you will need a front and back. It doesn't matter too much as obviously you will only see one side or the other when hanging but it's still a consideration so you have a good mix of colours and patterns in the finished bunting. Place right sides of each pair together and pin them together down the two side to the point but not across the top (you can tack them with needle and thread first if you dont feel confident to get straight on the machine with the pins in).

Machine sew them together along this line, removing the pins as you go (again leaving the top open). Trim any excess threads (I like to go back and forth with the machine at the beginning and end to secure rather than go back over by hand).













Carefully trim the pointy end off straight across near to the stitching and then trim from here about 1-2cm up each side also. This helps with achieving a nice pointy tip (and is more important to do the thicker the fabric). Then simply turn the triangles inside out and use the point of a small scissors to gently push the thinner end of the fabric through to give a nice tip.













Next, iron the triangular pieces to neaten them up. I like to iron the seams down first to help give nice crisp edges. Then, lay out flat and iron again on both sides to give a nice firm bunting piece. Be careful of any pieces with sequins or beading as they may melt - protect them with a layer of fabric over or use a very cool iron. Nearly there now (once you have repeated with all pieces)!













You could also add another touch to your bunting with dangling ribbons. This will have to be done as part of sewing up the triangles. Simply lay your choice of ribbons down the length of the right side of one piece of fabric, tacking them down at the point end. You can also tack or pin the ribbons down half way (which will help prevent them moving around and potentially getting caught up when machine sewing). Lay the second piece of fabric right side down and continue as normal (removing the centre pin or tacks once turned out).

The machine stitching will obviously sew the ribbons in place at the point end so when you turn the piece inside out the ribbons will perfectly hang out of the end as shown (and are also handy to pull the fabric through when gently tugged). I added some beads (which I took from an old bikini before throwing it out) to one of the ribbon ends. The flower was already on the end of the pink ribbon but you could sew a small flower on yourself.

Anyhow, Voila...here's a small stack of some of my pieces (I think I have about 21 in total). I now just need to order some gorgeous gingham bias binding I have spotted on the net and then I can have great satisfaction in whizzing them all up together and hanging them in the garden! Will give you and update once I get to that stage.

hooked on handtowels

We made another tiny step towards making this house a home tonight when we finally got around to hanging a hook and hand towel in the bathroom (a momentous occasion!). The door frame seemed the perfect spot for the hook (from Avoca) as it is right beside the sink, so Marty screwed it on there.

Meanwhile, I was busy gathering ribbons, buttons and thread to make a tag to hook it on with. We bought two identical hand towels in Anthropology when in New York last year (a bit like our Avoca with more of an Urban Outfitters edge) so that one could be in the wash when the other was being used. They are actually face cloths but I think they are large enough to use as hand towels and their pretty antiquey edges and embroidered flowers are too pretty to not have on show.

Anyhow, to sew the hooks onto the towels, I firstly doubled my chosen ribbons over themselves to make them stronger but also because one of them had a right and wrong side (and obviously both would be on show so I had to hide the wrong side). I machine sewed (yay, the machine is out of storage!) the edges together using a thread the colour of the towels (which contrasted with the colour of the ribbons and buttons and therefore bringing them together). After a quick press with a cool iron, I then folded the ribbons in half to create a loop. Then, I hand sewed their frayed edges down onto the corner of each towel. Next, I hand sewed the buttons on top of the frayed edges of each ribbon to disguise them. Finally I gave the towels a good iron and hung each one proudly on the hook to see how they looked...

creatively crafty

I've been beside myself with excitement the last couple of days as I've been attending a fantastic textile class. For a long time now my inner creative child has been craving something other than working with food but she just hasn't been given the time or space, so when I heard about this course I cleared the diary and fell wholeheartedly into it.

Rebecca Devaney & Paget Scott-McCarthy are two fabulous textile designers and gorgeous girls who ran the course as described here. They have totally inspired me to get back into working with textiles, were bursting with hints, tips and inspiring ideas and even reintroduced me to the world of potato printing (amongst lots of other things of course!).

We covered things like hand embroidery stitching, free stitching on the machine and printing with paint using a variety of methods. We then worked on our own little projects to bring all of these skills together and I choose to make bunting (having heart palpitations as I speak!) and greeting cards while I was at it. Here are some snaps of work in progress..






I'll post more about making bunting once I start to get it sewn up...off to pull my sewing machine out of storage in the meantime....oh how happy is my soul?!

A is for Apple

Oh I am so excited to tell you about our amazing new delivery here at Friendly Cottage..her name is Apple and she is the most gorgeous green Dutch bike with red & white polka dot pannier and basket liner!

Now, I have a confession to make as yes, you may remember a similar delivery not so long ago (from this previous post) but in the end both Marty and I had to agree that she just wasn't me. So she's gone to a good home promise, and then along came Apple. We found her in an adorable shop in Angel in London called Bobbins.

So far I'm loving cycling her around Dublin. Today we (that's Apple & I!) even came across a cute little girls cake sale on our street and bought some delicious goodies. There's none left to share with you, sorry, but here's a yummy apple tart recipe you might like to try...

me snapped by photographer Jack Caffrey holding an apple tart

APPLE & ALMOND TART

This might seem like a bit of a lengthy recipe but you can make the pastry in advance and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days or freezer for a few months. Or if you are a total domestic goddess you could even have the tart case already baked blind in advance and again stored in the fridge or freezer.

SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY
150g unsalted butter + extra for greasing
225g plain flour + extra for dusting
75g icing sugar
1 whole egg + the yolk from another
APPLES
200ml apple juice
1 lemon
100g caster sugar
4 eating apples
FRANGIPANE FILLING
100g unsalted butter
100g icing sugar
25g plain flour
100g ground almonds
2 eggs
1 vanilla pod
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Make the pastry, firstly gathering all the ingredients. Weigh out the flour and butter and tip them into a food processor. Whizz them together to give fine crumbs while weighing out the icing sugar. Tip that in and pulse again briefly. Next add the whole egg and seperate the second egg to give the egg yolk, adding that too and blitz again to bring the mixture together to form a dough. (Use the leftover egg white as part of the mixture for an omelette or quiche or of course for meringues). Remove from the processor and knead on a lightly floured surface into a smooth ball. Flatten into a disc, cover with cling film and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, have a clear down (you will need the processor bowl and blade again so wash, dry and set this back up) and gather the ingredients for the apples. Measure the apple juice, out and pour into a wide pan. Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice in also (watching out for any pips). Place the pan on a medium hob heat and then weigh the sugar out, adding that too. Bring the mixture slowly to the boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Meanwhile, core the apples and cut each one into 6 wedges. Add the wedges to the syrup and reduce the heat to poach gently for about 6-8 minutes until just tender. Remove the apples with a slotted spoon onto a plate and leave to cool. Simmer the remaining syrup until thickened, syrupy and reduced to about 6-8 tablespoons. Leave both aside.

Again, have a clear down and then lightly grease a fluted 23cm tart tin that is 2.5cm deep, placing it on a baking sheet. Returning to the pastry roll it out on a lightly floured surface until about 3mm thick and wide enough to line the tin. Carefully lift it into the tin, pressing the edges down and leaving excess pastry hanging over the edge. Refrigerate again for about another 20 minutes.

In this time, have a clear down again before weighing out the butter for the frangipane, tipping it into the processor and leaving it at room temperature to soften. Put the oven on to preheat to 180C (Gas Mark 4). Then sit down for a cup of tea, run the hoover around the house or whatever else can be done in the remaining time.

After this time, remove the pastry case from the fridge, line it with a piece of parchment paper and then fill it with baking beans (or dried pulses which you can reuse for this purpose over and over again). Leave to bake for 15 minutes (this is baking blind).

In this time, make the frangipane filling. weigh out the icing sugar and add it to the now softened butter already set in the processor. Blend them together until really smooth and pale, scraping down the sides if necessary. Meanwhile, weigh out the flour and almonds and add them too, pulsing to blend in. With the motor running crack each egg in one at a time until blended. Split the vanilla pod in half, scrape the seeds out and add to the mixture along with the cinnamon, giving everything a last blitz together. (Pop the remains of the vanilla pod in a jar of caster sugar for delicious vanilla sugar).

Once the tart case has cooked for 15 minutes it should look pale in colour and be just beginning to set. Remove the paper and baking beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes, allowing the base to set a little. Have a clear down again and have everything ready for assembling. Take the tart case out again and leave to cool a little.

To assemble, firstly neaten the pastry edges by carefully trimming the excess pastry off with a sharp knife. Spoon the frangipane filling into the case, spreading it evenly. Arrange the apple wedges in whatever pattern you like on top, keeping them in a single layer and pressing them down just slightly. Return the tart to the oven for a final bake of about 30 minutes while you have a final clear up and then head off for a cat nap.

Once cooked the tart should be set through and golden brown on top so remove it from the oven. The reserved apple syrup will probably have set a little too much by now so return it to a low heat to loosen it up. Brush the syrup all over the top of the tart, reserving a little to serve with it. Either leave to cool a little or completely before serving with some ice cream, custard or softly whipped cream.

Homemade Elderflower Cordial

So the sun seems to be gone (hopefully only temporarily!) but luckily I made the most of the last rays yesterday by gathering elderflowers from our garden tree to make cordial. The elder tree is a bit of a crazy grower so we are constantly cutting it back (you probably know it, it grows all over the place in hedgegrows, on wasteland and in the countryside etc). We gave it a really good haircut last weekend and then I dreamt about how many pleasant days we're going to have sitting under it once the garden is finally sorted out (whenever that may be..).

Apparently the Elder tree is known as a medicine chest - the flowers, leaves and berries cure all sorts of things from colds and flus to asthma, painful joints and headaches! Actually the tree is said to have a spirit called an Elder Mother, (I'm loving this legend already!) with many powers including protecting the land from negative energy and lightning attacks (!). Apparently we should show great respect for the Elder Mother and ask permission before picking the flowers and berries and cutting branches. Oops...we didnt realise this until recently but Im sure she appreciated all the trimmings to keep her looking good. Anyhow...onto the cordial...

HOMEMADE ELDER MOTHERS ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

The elder tree flowers for about 6 weeks between May & July. The flower heads are best picked on a really sunny day when they are all open. Only pick the bright flowery heads that are laced with pollen (obviously not great if you suffer from hay-fever, so beware!). It's advisable not to pick from a tree that is beside a traffic polluted road for obvious reasons. Please remember to be careful when climbing up a ladder or wall! The citric acid in the recipe helps preserve the cordial. It can be bought in pharmacies or health food stores (but you might have to search a few as not all stores sell it - it is said to be used by junkies also!). Read the label carefully as it can cause irritation to the skin if not handled correctly. I used those gorgeous French Lemonade bottles which we had leftover to store the cordial. And remember..don't forget to ask the Elder Mother for permission to pick her flowers!

Makes about 2.75L
(you will need enough stopper or screw topped bottles to take this amount)

2kg caster or granulated sugar
1.2L water
about 40-50 freshly picked elderflower heads
3 unwaxed lemons
75g citric acid

Stir the sugar and water together well in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Bring very slowly to the boil stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.

While that is heating up, gently rinse the elderflower heads to get rid of any bugs and pick off any leaves or brown flowers. Place the flowers in a really large bowl, or even better a bucket (in fact I use a clean cool box).

Remembering to keep an eye on and stir the sugar mixture still, shave a few pieces of zest off the lemons with a peeler or small knife. Thickly slice the lemons and scatter them over the flower heads.

Take the dissolved sugar mixture off the heat and stir in the pieces of lemon zest and then the citric acid to dissolve. Carefully pour the sugar syrup over the flowers and lemon slices and stir everything together to make sure it is immersed. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a cool dry place to soak for 24 hours.

After this time, you are ready to finish and bottle. It's important to sterilise the storage bottles (to avoid any nasty growths) so wash them in hot water and then dry them out in a low oven (about 170C) for about 15 minutes (or alternatively, run them through a hot dishwasher without powder).

Strain the soaking flowers through a very fine sieve lined with a piece of clean muslin, j-cloth or coffee filter into a large jug. Squeeze out as much of the syrup as possible from the flowers (but not so much the lemon slices) so as not to waste a drop!

Then the easiest way to bottle the cordial is though a funnel. Pop the lids on tightly and store in a cool dry place for a few months (although some people say up to a year - just keep a check out for any fur!). It can be frozen too but perhaps use smaller bottles so you can defrost a little at a time and use plastic instead of glass bottles (leaving a good gap from the top to allow for expansion on freezing). Once opened it should be stored in the fridge.

Use the cordial as a refreshing drink obviously - use enough cordial to sparkling or soda water to taste and with plenty of ice and some mint sprigs if you fancy too. It is also delicious with a swig of gin or vodka or added to bubbly. Also use the cordial to make jellies, sorbet or ice-cream. Use it to sweeten gooseberries or rhubarb in cooking too.

These are ideal to give as gifts to friends. Pretty the bottles up by sticking fun labels on, covering the tops with fabric or paper and then wrap with colourful ribbons.

Next, I'm thinking elderflower champagne and then elderberry wine in the autumn....

top BBQ'ing tips

How lucky are we with our continued sunshine?! Here at Friendly Cottage our griddle pan has been faking it as a BBQ all week. Besides the chicken and aubergine we cooked on it the other day, we've had lamb chops (marinaded in garlic & paprika and served with feta, spring onion and black olive cous cous) and gorgeous fresh mackerel fillets (with a thinly sliced fennel, tomato & olive salad) too.

Anyhow, to help you on your merry BBQ'ing way here are some of our top tips...

Charcoal, charcoal, charcoal. As much as gas is our top choice for a kitchen hob, it's definitely not our first choice for barbequing. We do completely get the convenience of a gas BBQ (as long as you don't forget to replace the gas bottle!), quick to heat up, easy to clean etc but to be honest we would rather wait (drink some wine, hang out with friends). And anyhow, cleaning a charcoal BBQ out is the same as cleaning the fire - you get such great satisfaction knowing how much pleasure you had from it and then you are getting it all set up for another great cook-up. Why such charcoal fans? Flavour!

Speaking of which, with a gas BBQ you don't get to throw a handful of rosemary or thyme on the coals for a mouth-watering savoury aroma through your food and garden, yum yum.

The best kept charcoal BBQ'ing secret is a chimney starter. It heats the coals up in about 30 minutes rather than an hour, then tip them into your barbie and off you go. There is no need to use chemical lighter fluid either, horrah!

Have utensils at the ready - you don't necessarily have to buy a special BBQ set (unless you need the long handles to stretch across a particularly wide BBQ) - in fact I find them hard to use. I just love my regular long handled kitchen tongs. Top tip is to have two sets - one for raw and one for cooked meats, marking each set with different colour sticky tape to distinguish (unless you have fancy coloured ones). A fish slice is handy for flipping burgers and then a brush is ideal for brushing marinade over.

Take meat out of the fridge about 20-30 minutes (depending on size) before cooking to bring it to room temperature. This doesn't mean leaving it sitting out in sweltering sunshine though! Keep it in the shade of the kitchen and keep it covered from flies.

Speaking of marinades - please please please don't buy a ready made one - they usually come laced with a cocktail of artificial additives and just taste down right chemically....and it's SOOOOOO easy and cheap to make your own. A basic start is a good splash of olive oil, salt and pepper, squeeze in some lemon or lime juice if you fancy and then go for your life with herbs and / or spices. Or be more adventurous and try Asian flavours like fish sauce, ginger, coriander and chillies or BBQ style with ketchup, honey, worcestershire sauce and garlic etc...easy peasy, yummy scrummy! Marinade overnight if possible but to be honest I'm sometimes cooking lastminute.com and the marinades flavour is still good.

I mentioned brushing on marinade - well, don't be a BBQ food poisoning statistic and go brushing it as it is onto BBQ'ing meat - remember the raw meat has been sitting in it! Once the meat is out of the marinade, pour it into a small pan and bubble it for a few minutes until piping hot and those raw meat bugs have been killed. This helps to thicken it also which makes it easier to brush it onto the cooking meat.

Make sure your meat is fully cooked, unless it's really fresh and you intend on serving it pink - just make sure it is completely browned all over the outside. Be careful not to overcook your meat either though!

Meat isn't the only thing you can BBQ of course - not forgetting veggies, some cheeses, fish, bread and fruit.

Don't forget to invest in a patio heater if you plan for the party to carry on into the night!

Bamboo candle holders are a gorgeous way to line a path in the garden or even just for exotic atmosphere! Fill them with citronella candles or oil to help keep the bugs away.

Don't forget to get the beer, wine and spirits on ice in plenty of time - a bin full of ice isn't always classy but works a treat.

And the boring bit...Invest in a wire brush to make cleaning the grill tray easier - and in fact use this to carefully scrape any bits that might be burning while you are cooking. It's so worth not forgetting to clean out the BBQ (waiting until the next day once it's completely cooled down) so as to avoid any nasty surprises the next time you get BBQ fever!

Cheats BBQ

We've just spent another sizzling day in the garden, what fab weather! As a late lunch / early dinner we dreamed of having a BBQ, but as our BBQ doesn't exist at the moment I pulled out our smokin' griddle pan. The griddle pan we have gets so smokey it sets off the smoke alarm every time but it gives a fantastic charred flavour to anything cooked on it (and great griddle lines too!). Marty came in saying he was gutted someone was having a barbie, but then he realised it was us! Here's my 'cheats' BBQ (which obviously is perfect to cook on a real BBQ too)...

GRIDDLED CUMIN CHICKEN WITH CHARRED AUBERGINE SALAD

I absolutely love the charred flavour from the chicken and aubergine combined with the cumin, the zinginess of the dressing, the kick of the chilli, and then the freshness of the lime.

Serves 2

1 aubergine
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 chicken breasts
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 ripe tomatoes
1/2 small cucumber
2 spring onions
bread & lime wedges, to serve
DRESSING:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 red chilli
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the griddle pan (or BBQ) on a really high heat. Cut the aubergine lengthways into 1/2cm wide slices. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the oil on a large plate or tray and crush the garlic cloves over. Season with salt and pepper and then toss the aubergine slices in the oil to roughly coat, making sure the garlic is evenly spread also. Griddle the aubergine slices for 3-4 minutes each side until well charred and softened. You may have to work in batches if using the griddle pan like me.

While the aubergines are griddling, place a chicken breast on a chopping board and cover with a piece of cling film. Baton it out with a meat hammer, rolling pin of empty wine bottle until about 1cm thick. Repeat with the second chicken breast and place them on the plate or tray the aubergines were on (to pick up any left over bits of garlic) and drizzle another tablespoon of oil over. Scatter the cumin seeds over, season with salt and pepper and give a good toss to evenly coat in everything. Leave for a few minutes until the aubergines are cooked.

Next, make the dressing. Pour the oil and vinegar into a medium bowl and add the mustard. Deseed and finely chop the chilli and add with salt and pepper. Whisk everything together well. Chop the cooked aubergine into bite sized pieces and toss into the dressing. As they are still warm they will absorb all of the yummy flavours.

Put the chicken on to cook, griddling for 2-3 minutes each side until charred and cooked through. While they are cooking, chop the tomatoes and cucumber and slice the spring onions. Toss them into the warm aubergines. A handful of chopped mint or coriander would be lovely in here too - unfortunately we had ran out.

Finally, place a piece of chicken on each serving plate and griddle some bread to serve (I had some round Polar bread but ciabatta, baguette or pitta's would be perfect). Pile the warm aubergine salad on top of the chicken. Serve with the griddled bread and lime wedges.

sizzling summer days

I hope you have been enjoying every last sun soaked second of this bank holiday weekend - how amazing are those clear blue skys?! No doubt the word Barbeque has passed your lips and hopefully a sizzling sausage or two also! Here are some BBQ's that have caught my eye recently...

Thanks to Harry for the photoshop help i.e. doing it!

1.Portable Weber 'Smokey Joe' BBQ from Meadows & Byrne
2.Marks & Spencers kettle BBQ

3.Portable BBQ from Divertimenti

4 Bodums portable BBQ from Divertimenti

5.Gas 'Genesis' BBQ from weber

mirror mirror

Did anyone see Channel 4's, The Home Show last night? I was so glad to be treated to some eye candy in the form of George Clarke...or is it his accent, his carisma, his dress sense, his inspiring designs and ideas..The whole package? yes please!

Anyhow, I was snapped out of my trance when I spotted these mirrors - I have been searching for months now for exactly this style and indeed for over our bathroom sink, so bingo! I think the double sinks and mirrors look great but unfortunately not for us this time in our teeny tiny bathroom.

Anyway, I had a little look on the shows website (while taking another sneeky peak at George) and found the supplier here. Now, I just have to pray I'm not disappointed with a 'no delivery to Ireland' policy!

the paint train

There's lots of painting going on at the moment...Ciara at milkmoon has plans, Zee at homebug has ideas and my friend Agnes in limerick is repainting the garden furniture for her cottage! Anyhow, I'm on the paint train too - I've been gathering paint swatches and tester pots all week for a wall in our bedroom as (a very small) part of the big push to get this house finished!

Once our house was freshly plastered last year, Martin gave it a big lick of white paint all over. It transformed the place, making it really bright, fresh and spacious. I love my colours too much to leave it white though, so the intention was always to paper and paint in places.

To add some colour to our bedroom we decided to work on the wall at the head of our bed...yes, it's down the somewhat dated 'feature wall' route but because our wardrobes are blingin' gloss white and down one whole wall, I think some walls have to remain white so they don't stick out like a sore thumb. I drooled over wallpapers but just couldn't make my mind up and so decided on a plain simple paint colour.

wall of white wardrobes

the royal suite

I think our choice of colour was decided upon as it is quite regal and so fitting for our King & Queen of France bed! I love mixing and matching clashing colours and so have been gathering soft furnishings, furniture, lamps and picture frames in red, white, pinky purples and blues (some already in those colours, others to be updated to match...watch this space) to help marry the room together. However, the exact choice of paint colour is definitely the next step before making final choices for everything else in the room.

There really is so much choice of paint out there. Besides the usual suspects like Dulux, Crown, Farrow & Ball and here in Ireland, Fleetwood and Color Trend, other paint makers include The Little Greene, Designers Guild, Laura Ashley, Sanderson and organic and eco friendly brand, Auro, to name a few. Find your paint online or in your local DIY store or paint shop (obviously we are spoilt with MRCB paints here in Dublin).

Paint comes in a huge variety of finishes depending on the intended purpose. Oil based glosses are prefect for wood, while water based emulsions are best for walls. After that you can choose your finish: gloss, satin, egg shell or matt. And not forgetting primers, undercoats, fire retardant paints, stains and varnishes to name a few! (Will save more details for another post!).

When choosing a paint colour the first point of call obviously is to check out swatches, either as colour cards, inside brochures or online. (The room set photos in brochures are usually pretty inspiring in showing what colours go well where and with what other colours). Stick the colour swatch to your wall with a little blu-tack and check it out in day light aswell as artificial light at night time. Look carefully at how it might blend in with other colours in the room, sticking it just behind items if it helps to see how they work together. Remember there are lots of shades of the same colour (not just between different brands but within brands also). Several light blues might appear to look the same but looking closely and holding them against colours in your room you will see different tones of green, navy or grey in them. Bearing this in mind will help you eliminate colours and get down to the chosen few. Read more about harmonising here and contrasting here.

Don't even think about buying your paint based on the colour card (unless you don't mind being disappointed or aren't really fussed). Next, purchase a paint test pot of the colour(s) you fancy and a small paintbrush (synthetic brush for emulsion or natural fibre brush if an oil based gloss), about 1" wide (Dulux sample pots actually have a little brush attached to the inside of the lid). Don't forget to protect the area around where you are painting with a dust sheet or newspaper. Paint about a 30cm square of each paint on the wall you will be painting, giving it 2-3 coats of paint (obviously allowing it to dry between coats). Don't forget to wash your paint brush really well (in water for water based paints and in whitespirits in oil based paints).

my test patches came out completely different to how they

looked on the cans...they definitely looked more alike but
quite clearly they're not so well worth testing.

If testing more than one paint then don't forget to label the patches so as not to forget which is which! then sit back and allow them to dry completely (while praying hard your favourite one will be the cheapest!!). Allow the paint samples to grow on you, checking them out in daylight and again at night, before making your final decision (hopefully, unlike us at the moment, you'll agree on a colour!).

paint me pretty

I must admit I'm not a huge fan of wood and so (much to some peoples cries of disgust) take the paint brush to it without batting an eyelid. I much prefer colours and so like to cover wood with a paint or spray paint colour that matches (or, much preferred, clashes!) with other things in the room. Here are some snaps I took in Avoca & Cath Kidston of exactly that....colourful and fun and a great way of instantly (but cheaply) updating something old, giving it a new lease of life...

seriously thrifty!

A really big thanks to Zita at Homebug for her very kind link to friendly cottage on her hugely successful blog, I'm flattered. Thanks also to her for asking me to contribute some thrifty tips to a feature she wrote for the current issue of House & Home magazine (editor (Eimear) of which by the way now has a fab blog here).

Being thrifty for me is not so much about making the most of my money, it's about the joy of being creative with what I have...or feeling confident enough to buy something cheap knowing I can mix and match or embellish it and nobody would ever know. I especially like to think of ways to use something in an unexpected way, particularly if it's something old. I crave and lust after old and secondhand things that can tell a story or two. Which brings me nicely onto the treasure I found today...

I had been searching all winter for a cute coal bucket and came across a 'fire' bucket online recently. I had planned to buy it tonight but was over the moon when I stumbled across this baby hanging from the roof of a big warehouse (Gibson & Bailey on South Circular Rd). The guys there went out of their way to get it down for me and then unbelieveably didn't want to charge me for it because they didnt realise they had it in the first place!! obviously for good karma I gave them a drink....seriously thrifty though eh?!

wedding cake

Happy first wedding anniversary (yesterday) to our friends Carmel & Liam. It doesn't feel that long ago that plans were in full swing, bridezilla was flying around organising, mart and I were busy baking a very special cake (well, lots of them) and then we all partied, and hard!

here are some wedding cake making snaps...

the 'cake' was made up of 140 lemon flavoured
cupcakes with american style frosting in the themed
colour of aqua blue. I baked them in silver foil
cases so they could be as blingin' as the bride!

mart (in his makeshift bakers hat!) was in charge of the
love hearts (ahh) which he stamped out of rolled icing with a
small heart cutter. Then, the couples initials were
embossed on with rubber stamps (which i bought on ebay)
before being left to dry out and harden overnight.

and le piece de resistance - the homemade cake stand. I had great fun
making this -it's made up of cake drums & boards (from any good cake
supplies store or online) which I covered with my favourite anaglypta
wallpaper (from your local DIY store). Once each layer was glued
together, I then cut out strips of the wallpaper for the edging which
I shaped with a pretty flowery stamper (from any good craft store or
online) to finish the antiquey look. bridezilla then choose a very
pretty candy pink and white stripe ribbon (from rubenesque)
which I gluedonto the edge to trim.

Then, on the big day, Mart and I carefully arranged the cupcakes
on the stand, before sticking the monogrammed hearts in.

and the happy couple tucking in!

marathon mart - the final hurdle

What a fantastic day we had at the London Marathon today. Mart did fantastically well, even though declaring at mile 18 (when he stopped to say a really quick hi to us, us being his cheer-leading family) that the novelty had well and truely worn off! Thankfully at that point he had passed out Jordan and Peter Andre who were ahead of him at one point, the shame!! I have no idea how any of the 40,000 of them did it - some clad in rhino outfits, carrying boats, a human sausage dog, superman, sponge bob square pants...the list of craziness goes on. Martin's plan to go as 'party boy' from Jackass thankfully went from his mind as the enormity of the task dawned on him over the last few months, phew....

mile 18 and still smiling

365 meters to go - don't turn back now!

After a re-hydrating boost of isotonic handouts from the finish line, I had some secret 26 mile flapjacks in my bag to replenish sugars, glycogen stores and comfort....

MART'S 26 MILE FLAPJACKS



Makes enough for a marathon runner and his family of cheer-leaders!






Melt 175g of unsalted butter in a large saucepan (if using the hob) or bowl (if microwaving). Add 100g of demerara sugar, 75g of golden syrup and 75g of smooth peanut butter and beat or whisk until smooth. Stir in 250g of oats, 4 tbsp sesame seeds, 2 tbsp sunflower seeds and 75g finely chopped dried apricots until well mixed. Line a 30 x 20 cm shallow baking tin with parchment paper and spread the mixture in evenly, smoothing with the back of a spoon. Bake in an oven preheated to 180C (Gas Mark 4) for 20-25 minutes until rich golden brown on top and beginning to set around the edges. Remove and leave to cool completely before using a sharp knife to cut into squares. carefully remove from the tray, removing the paper and store in an airtight container for a few days.

marathon mart part 2

Well, here he is, Marathon Mart in full stride. He has been working really hard for months now, training for the soon to be upon us, London Marathon. As chief nutritionist, I have been feeding him snippets of information about what he should and shouldn't be eating at various stages....he obviously hasn't listened very much by the look of the chocolate around his mush most evenings!

So, these past few weeks Mart has been carb-loading...so lots of wholegrain rice and bread, spuds of course, pasta and noodles, oats and oat cakes, and a smaller than usual amount of protein per meal, staying cut down on fat and not forgetting to include his greens! His favourite thing to eat now more than ever is homemade muesli. With our big storage jars being packed away still we don't get to make a big batch at once as usual but it's just as easy, if not more fun to assemble to order.

Just keep a good stock of oats, puffed rice, bran flakes or all-bran and nutritious wheat germ. Then, nuts like pecans, hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts, seeds like pumpkin, sunflower and even sesame and dried fruits like apricots, prunes, sultanas, raisins, cranberries, blueberries etc. then simply assemble in your breakfast bowl, either layering or tossing to combine, trying a different combination every day. Top with really cold milk or natural yoghurt and even scatter some fresh fruit like sliced banana or berries over if you have them in.

monkey mart's marathon muesli

But is it enough to get him over that finish line? check back to find out...

sunny south east picnic

I am totally loving these longer, brighter, sunny days. I forgot that it isn't always dark and drizzly (well, that's debatable). Mart & I visited my family in Wexford for the Easter weekend and while there we went for a little picnic at the beautiful Johnstown Castle....I really need to go back and investigate their secret walled garden. In the meantime, here are some sunny snaps (the last one is of me pondering how to get my hands on the keys for that gorgeous car!) & a recipe from the picnic....

QUICK EGG NOODLE SALAD

Serves 2

- Cook 150g of medium egg noodles in boiling, salted water until tender. Drain well and refresh in cold running water.
- In the meantime, make the dressing in a large bowl...whisk together 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, the juice of 1 lime, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 finely chopped small red chilli and 1 tablespoon of finely grated ginger.
- Toss the cooked noodles into the dressing with 75g of cooked and shredded chicken, 3 finely sliced spring onions, a small handful of beansprouts, 1 finely julienned (match-sticked!) small carrot, 50g of cooked sugar-snaps or mange touts and a small handful of roughly chopped coriander leaves.
- Pile the noodle salad into a picnic pot and scatter with 1 tablespoon of lightly toasted sesame seeds before popping the lid on tightly. Don't forget to pack the chopsticks too!

Happy Easter!

I hope you have a lovely weekend with lots of sunshine and chocolate! Here's a recipe from my current Donna Hay which I think sums up a relaxing easter weekend..

CREAMY SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH SMOKED SALMON

Serves 4

4 free-range eggs
1/2 cup (125ml) single cream
sea salt and cracked black pepper
20g butter 200g sliced smoked salmon or trout
toasted sourdough or rye bread, to serve

Place the eggs, cream and salt in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until just set. Serve with the smoked salmon and bread and sprinkle with pepper.

lazy dreamy days

Well, I have been really bad at posting lately, the irony being that I have more time on my hands than I'm used to, as the really hectic workload has thankfully eased off. I pieced myself back together by checking into rehab for a couple of quiet days on my own (utter fluffy-robed bliss!) and since then have continued the theme of staring into the clouds, watching flutterbys and day dreaming!

I'm totally loving these new found sunny days, having forgotten that we do sometimes get to enjoy nice weather here! Martin and I spent a few hours down the end of the garden (i use the term loosely...more like jungle!) last weekend, clearing out more weeds and dead wood. It has reignited my search for my dream garden shed. Here are some pictures from my ideas book....

I'm back

Sorry I've not posted properly in ages - been totally tied up with work and travelling lots again. Very tired now so Mart and I are having a blissful day of lounging around and cat naps (after those all important calls to mothers this morning of course!). Every so often one or the other of us cries out for some food or drink. It was my turn to get up a little while ago so I fixed Mart a quick avocado snack.

Halve 1 ripe avocado and discard the stone. Place cut side up on a small plate and season well with plenty of crunchy flaked sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle over some good quality extra-virgin olive oil (I had a gorgeous new zealand lime oil) and scatter over torn mint (or basil) leaves. Serve at once with a small spoon for scooping out.

happy paddy's

paddys day '05, up the sugar loaf

marathon mart part 1

Mart has been working really hard getting in shape and training for the London Marathon which is on 26th April. He got really serious after Christmas and put me to shame with his very healthy eating. I was appointed his nutritionist but I can't say I have been living by my own rules! I always enjoy eating healthy meals (why do some people think healthy doesn't mean tasty?) but I must admit I didn't give up my treats!

Anyhow, Mart started off getting his weight down so there was lots of steaming going on! Here are a couple of Mart's skinny dinners:

STEAMED GINGER & LIME SALMON WITH BROWN RICE AND SOY & CHILLI VEGETABLES
Get the rice onto cook first as it can take up to 40 minutes. We cook ours in the bottom of the steamer pan which saves on washing up and electricity too of course! Pop each portion of salmon fillet onto the centre of a square of foil, grate some fresh ginger over and then a good squeeze of lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and then gather up the foil edges, scrunching them closed into a parcel. Pop the parcel into a steamer and cook for about 15 minutes. Add the vegetables to the steamer closer to the end of cooking time, adding them at different stages depending on how hard or soft they are. Try broccoli, shredded green or savoy cabbage and asparagus in that order. Toss the cooked vegetables in soy sauce and dried chilli flakes before serving. Serve the salmon in the parcel for each person to open and slide out with lots of yummy juices.

STEAMED BASIL, LEMON, CHILLI & GARLIC CHICKEN WITH BABY POTATOES & VEGETABLES
Using the same idea as above, pop the baby potatoes on to cook in the bottom of a steamer pan. Place a chicken breast in the centre of a square of foil, rip up some basil and sprinkle over with some finely chopped garlic and red chilli and a squeeze of lemon juice. Steam for 15-20 minutes, adding vegetables to the steamer towards the end of cooking time. Try finely sliced carrots, courgettes and mixed peppers, adding the carrots first as they will take a little longer to cook than the other veggies. Serve the chicken in the parcel for each person to open themselves and slide out with the tasty juices.

Here is a photo I rooted out of Mart with his medal after the great south run in Portsmouth, I think in 2003 or 2004. It was a 10k run so at least we know he can make it that far!

awh, he looks about 12 at a school sports day!

london's finest export

...if i do say so myself!

Well, it's 4 years ago today that mart moved to Dublin to join me here. I can't believe where the time has gone. Here he is leaving London in the gay car (take me in the gay car, gay car, gay car..) and then when I opened the door to him in Ireland. He's still as silly looking 4 years on!

billy's dad's chocolate chip muffins

I got back from Cork last night and in current Friendly Cottage 'one in one out' style, Martin has now left! I'm just back from dropping him at the airport...this time he's off on a big trip to Brisbane to meet our new 'ickle nephew Billy for the first time!

Billy's Mum, Beckie tells me that he is very hungry....Billy's Dad Trevor that is...now that Beckie is a stay at home Mum, Trevor likes the idea that she's baking cakes for him all day! Becky got in touch looking for an EASY chocolate muffin recipe so here you go Becs.....(no doubt you can use some of the 10 kilos of dairy milk and galaxy martin and his mum and dad are carting out there for ye!).

BILLY'S DAD'S CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Usually I would make chocolate muffins with chocolate which has been melted and cooled a little (as well as chocolate chips stirred into the mix too of course!) but Becky wants a quick and easy recipe (to leave time to look after Billy!) so I've used cocoa powder here.

Makes 12

225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp cocoa powder
175g caster sugar
2 eggs
125ml milk
150g unsalted butter, melted and cooled a little
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F / Gas Mark 4).
Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a large bowl and stir the sugar in.
Beat the eggs in a small bowl and stir in the milk, butter and vanilla extract to blend well.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry to give a smooth, thick batter.
Stir the chocolate chips in and divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases in a muffin tin.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked.

Baby Billy, wake up, your Dad's eating all the muffins!

gift to self

I don't think I've told you about my gorgeous gift to self...a little Christmas bonus from Blueberry Pie to me....Donna Hay magazine now comes through the door every couple of months which is a really nice treat. Only problem is that it's still steaming hot summer time in Australia, so this issue was packed with happy sun kissed people enjoying BBQ's and ice creams while lolling around the pool, how annoying! Oh well, at least I can dream.

the current issue

Recently here in Friendly Cottage we have been eating lots of noodles with chop sticks (think we're still on an Asian buzz from mart's trip to Japan). So staying on that theme, here's a recipe from the mag you might like to try...

GINGER POACHED CHICKEN NOODLES

Serves 4

1L chicken stock
60g ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 x 200g chicken breast fillets, trimmed
1 bunch broccolini, trimmed and sliced*
440g udon noodles**
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup coriander leaves
1 cup mint leaves
2 spring onions, sliced
2 small red chillies, sliced

Place the chicken stock and ginger in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the chicken. Gently poach for 15-18 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan, reserving the stock, and shred. Add the broccolini to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until tender. Remove and add the noodles. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until seperated. Drain, discarding the stock, and return the noodes to the pan with the chicken, broccolini, soy sauce, corainder, mint, spring onion and chilli and toss to combine.

*broccolini, which is a cross between broccoli as we know it and a Chinese broccoli, isn't available in Ireland (as far as I'm aware) but it's very similar to our tender stem broccoli. You could always use choi sum, available in asian supermarkets, either.
** I love udon noodles but they aren't easily available in supermarkets here in Ireland. I buy mine from the asian store when I go in to stock up on foreign goodies!

P.S. I'm off to Cork in the morning with work AGAIN, so as I'll be back in the Ballymaloe Triangle of limited internet access I won't be blogging until I get back at the weekend...so have a good week & catch up with you then...

my first chocolate cake

I forgot to tell you about the chocolate cake I made recently for new 'ickle baby Scarlett-lily. I am working with Rachel Allen at the moment (hence spending a lot of time in Cork) and you may have heard she had a gorgeous girl at the end of January. Congratulations to the family! I made this cake as a bit of fun and knowing that Rachel would appreciate a bit of chocolate as every girl does at any excuse.

I used a Nigella recipe (which I have adapted the wording (and title) of a little) and then decorated with icing myself... here it is:

MY FIRST CHOCOLATE CAKE

175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled + extra for greasing
125ml corn oil
300ml chilled water
400g plain flour
250g golden caster sugar
100g light muscavado sugar
50g best quality cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
142ml tub sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract

for the icing:
175g minium 70% dark chocolate
250g unsalted butter, softened
275g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4. Butter and line the bottom of 2 x 20cm sandwich tins.

Using a freestanding or handheld electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended and then beat in the water.

Meanwhile, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicardonate and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs, sour cream and vanilla together in a seperate bowl until well blended.

Add the dry ingredients all at once to the oil and water mixture and mix on a slow speed to blend. Then add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins.

Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and then leave to cool slightly.

In another bowl, beat the butter until it's soft and creamy and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.

Sandwich the cake together with about a quarter of the icing and then ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.

TIP:
to ensure each half of cake is equal in size, sit the sandwich tins (one at a time) on an electric scales and pour in about 850g of mixtre into each.

my icing decoration:

pop about 50g (2oz) of ready to roll fondant icing into a processor and blitz to crumbs. Add a few drops of food colouring and blitz again to blend the colour in, adding more colouring again until you get to the colour you want. Tip the crumbs out onto a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar and bring them together to form a smooth ball.

Roll the icing fondant out with a rolling pin and then cut out letters, numbers or shapes with your chosen cutters. I have Nigella's set of cutters which has letters in and my favourite cutters, the feet came from here.

lots of love(ly food) on Valentines

..and remember ladies...take it from me...the way to a man's heart is most definitely through his stomach! (check out my work blog for some sweet treats)

the story of my life with marty (new york, may '07)

Happy 10 Years Together Day!

I'm not sure if it feels like a lifetime or not - Mart and I met 10 years ago today in a crazed club in London where I was so drunk, I had to keep asking his friends his name all night as I couldn't remember (the shame!)....anyhow, we won't go into that.

It's happy 10 years together day...what do you do to mark that? We don't dare go out for dinner knowing we would be surrounded by lots of valentines couples so we're staying in (and I'm currently being threatened with one of those M&S romantic meals for two if I don't behave, agghh..(what are they all about?!)...I could make a cake but I'm too busy writing about making cakes and anyway Mart is back in full marathon training so the closest I'll get to one is a rice cake!

Anyhow, we had gifts and cards for each other this morning which was lovely. As usual we told each other not to get too excited (Mart because he saved back one of my gifts from Japan for me, and me because his gift was more for me than him!)..












I went for the Jan Constantine cushion in the end - I've had my eye on it for ages - Mart did like it actually - I figured the British flag would win him over! I waited 10 years for a box of Japanese chocolates that resemble individually wrapped dog-poops (but thankfully don't taste anything like that!). Only joking - I really like my gift too - it even had a little booklet in there with fun Japanese cartoons on (Mart said cartoons are called 'Manga' in Japan...one of his boring facts that I've become used to over the years!!)..anyhow, I also loved the card which continued the recent Geisha girl theme - (according to Mart what he lacked in substance he made up for in detail!) he actually got it here in SWALK ...brownie points for effort anyhow!

...Perfect and simple 10 year bliss.

recipes for a perfect marriage

This book caught my eye before when I was searching the net for something or other. There was a great website to go with it (www.recipes.ie) which doesn't seem to be working anymore but it had lots of recipes on there too (which is most likely why I ended up on it in the first place).

Anyhow, my friend Richel gave me the book when I was down in Cork last week. Very timely with Valentines coming up and very ironic that I was saying to my parents recently that the secret to our successful marriage so far is us being apart!! Mart and I have hardly seen each other over the last few months as we dash in different directions with work. (Incidently, I thank my universe as it keeps us both away from this crazed building site of a house to save some sanity!)

When we do have a day or two together in Dublin we do our usual nagging each other (well, I nag Mart) and I always laugh saying we were better off being away with work - that sounds terrible - I don't mean it like that - it's just a joke between us (maybe that's part of our recipe?!). Anyway, as I said in the last post, it's our 'happy 10 years together day' coming up (2 more sleeps, with a read of this book to help me nod off) so here's a sweet thought from the book to leave you with...

HONEY CAKE

Although I always had a sweet tooth, I never liked honey until I ran clean out of sugar one day and tried this. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornflour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder with 1 Lb of flour and set aside. Cream together about 5oz of butter with just short of a full jar of honey. Gradually add the dry ingredients along with 3 eggs beaten into 1/4 pt of milk until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You can add 1 teaspoon of vanilla or cinnamon to taste - but I always preferred it plain. Turn into a greased loaf tin and cook in a medium - hot oven for up to 1 1/2 hours.

LOVEly things...

I know I know, it can be a dreadful day all round...Valentine's is looming...I find it a bit cringy - particularly if out for dinner for two - with two hundred other couples! not for us, thank you! Unfortunately we met on the 13th of Feb (10 years ago this year, yikes!)...by unfortunately I mean the date, not the fact we met! So I am on the hunt for something LOVEly for my British beau...here are some things I found along the way that might inspire you...

boldandnoble.com

thelondoncompany.com

hunkydoreyhome.co.uk

dotcomgiftshop.com

janconstantine.com

hunkydoreyhome.co.uk

coffeeandcream.co.uk

pinkyvodka.com

Also, check out my other blog for some Valentine's recipe ideas...

beautiful baby billy!

A big welcome into the world to beautiful baby Billy from Brisbane! Billy Martin Smith I might add! He made me an aunt and mart and uncle for the first time and of course nan and grandad smith too (how old does that make us all feel?!). He was born today at 10.53am aussie time (it was 1.53am here) and he weighed 7Lb 1oz. Mum is a bit wooped after the c-section and dad is currently sleeping after a very stressful 24 hours! Congrats Trev & Bec....he's just gorgeous...(even though dad said he looked disturbingly like martin when describing him to nan! - he has a point!)

Here's my eejet husband coming live and direct from Japan with his first photo with new nephew Billy ....very inventive mart!

This week I'm loving....prunes

How very timely...after Christmas and being healthy and all that... I actually came across this funny prune in work the other day and thought I'd share it with you. So I just had to love them this week. I do actually like prunes - although why is it that people think you have a constipation problem if you're seen eating them?!!

My love for prunes (while working perfectly regularly thank you!) combined with this freezing cold weather at the moment has reminded me of my yummy lamb shank casserole...

LAMB SHANK, PRUNE & RED WINE CASSEROLE
Serves 4

4 Lamb shanks (about 400g each)
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, very finely diced
1 large carrot, very finely diced
2 sticks celery, very finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
leaves from 2 sprigs thyme
1 bottle dry red wine (merlot is good)
300ml beef stock
250g pitted ready to eat prunes, halved
2 tbsp tomato puree
creamy mash & some green beans, to serve
salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 160C / Gas 3. Heat a large oven proof casserole dish or saucepan (that has a tight fitting lid to match) on a high heat. Dust the lamb shanks evenly with the flour and season well. Drizzle the oil into the casserole and sear the lamb shanks all over for a few minutes until golden (you may have to work in two batches). Remove and leave aside.

Next, reduce the heat and add the onion, carrot, celery and saute gently for 8-10 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and thyme and saute for a minute more. Return the lamb shanks to the casserole and then pour the wine and stock over. Add the prunes, tomato puree and season well. Bring slowly to the boil and cover with the lid.

Bake in the oven for about 2 hours until the meat is falling from the bone and the sauce is rich and thickened. If you want to thicken the sauce a little more, remove the lamb shanks (and keep warm) and place the casserole on a high heat, allowing the sauce to bubble down until reduced enough (with lid off of course). Check seasoning at this point also.

Arrange a lamb shank on each serving plate and spoon a little of the sauce over. Delicious served with creamy mash and green beans.

You can make this up to 2 days in advance and simply reheat on a gentle heat, adding a little water if the sauce has thickened too much. I know prunes don't scream romance but this would be a delicious valentines meal - you won't even know the prunes are there - honest!

Porridge or Pancakes?

I'm up early to wave Marty off on his work trip to Japan (lucky sausage!). We've done some extreme packing for the last 24 hours (he really is worse than a woman), we've had shoe fashion shows, emergency haircuts and lots of hugs and tears. So, he's gone and what to do next?

Well, first I should comfort eat. Porridge or Pancakes? Thick, creamy porridge made with cinnamon and topped with a dash of double cream and a sprinkle of brown sugar or a drizzle of honey? Or, small fluffy, pillow-like American pancakes served with berries, chopped pecans, natural yoghurt and some golden syrup?

PORRIDGE FOR ONE
Simmer 50g of porridge oats, 300ml of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in a pan for 5-6 minutes, stirring, until thick and creamy. Pour into a serving bowl and top with whatever reminds you of childhood....cream and brown sugar for me!

PANCAKES FOR ONE (well, this makes about 10-12 but either make them all at once and eat them all at once (yikes!) or refrigerate and reheat them or else keep any leftover batter in the fridge to make them fresh for brekkie tomorrow.

150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp caster sugar
100ml buttermilk
2 eggs
25g butter, melted and cooled
1 tbsp sunflower oil

Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl..the flour, baking powder, bicarb and sugar. Mix the wet ingredients together in a small bowl or jug....I usually measure the buttermilk into a jug and then pop the eggs and melted butter in there. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry to give a smooth batter.

Pour the oil onto a piece of kitchen paper and rub a large non stick frying pan all over. Pour tablespoonfuls of the batter spaced apart around the pan (however many will fit at a time). Gently fry until bubbles appear on the top and flip over to reveal a golden underside. Fry for a few minutes more until golden on the other side.

Serve with anything from natural or greek yoghurt, honey, maple syrup or golden syrup and then fruits - mango slices are my favourite or berries or pomegranate seeds and nuts like pecans, chopped hazelnuts or toasted flaked almonds.

Then what to do so I don't miss Marty too much? Ok, I'll have some reflexology, my nails done, a bit of shopping I think and then a night out with the girls! I'll survive...

Packing up Christmas

Well, its the day after the epiphany (the what i hear you say?!) so apparently it's time to take the Christmas paraphenalia down and sit in amazement at how big and bare your house has become!

The mother in law took her decorations down on Sunday night last as it was the 'twelfth night' but I did think that felt a bit earlier than I'm used to - I should have remembered religion would have a part to play in it - Carol is in London and we're in Catholic Ireland!

Anyhow, here are some piccies of my OCD Christmas packing up...

marty's fun freshener

We have lots of Christmas tree trimmings leftover since we tried to fit a huge tree into a small space (but we won't go there!) and now that the tree is coming down there are lots more bits everywhere. Mart had a brainwave when he wanted to get rid of a Thai takeaway smell from his car this morning (I presume that takeaway smell in the car the next day happens to everyone?!). Here are some piccies of how he made his pine & lemon air freshener...(Buy muslin in a haberdashery (I get mine in Murphy Sheeheys) or good cookware shop)....

Beats those toxic car pine trees anyday!

Fires a'blazin

I hope you're snuggled up from this very frosty weather. We are loving cosying in front of our flaming fire. We really should sort out using a small stick as a poker though! Never mind being a bit pikey, it's a bit tricky too!

I've been surfing the net to find a nice looking solution. I started by googling 'fire set', or whatever those thingys are called. I was soon enlightened they are 'companion sets' no less! I'm not liking the sound of them already...check these babies out...

Starting with these 'regular' looking ones...

Obviously trying out a 'modern' look on this day...











Not sure what was going through the designers minds here...

I think we'll be staying with the stick after witnessing this!!!...

If anyone knows of any more 'suitable' alternatives, please let us know where to find them!

A snuffly goodbye to '08

Well, it's the last day of the year and I'm ending it on a high - from all the tablets I'm dosed up on that is! Yes, the killer Christmas flu has struck me down so I'm in the jim jams for the evening. As we're in London, we had thought about going to see the fireworks but it's freezing outside and I don't think my body would survive it. So, I'm all tucked up with hot drinks, the details of which I thought I would bore you with. As you read this you are possibly nursing a hangover with a resolve to never drink again anyhow, so perhaps this is appropriate after all!

My non-alcoholic festive drinking includes:

I've been sniffling into lots of drinks like warmed ginger beer and ginger & lemongrass cordial made up with boiling water. Both have been really hot and spicy on my throat which hopefully means some bugs have been killed!

Also yummy as a booze free alternative is this spiced berry cordial which, when made up with boiling water comes close to mulled wine without the hangover.

After that, there's some homemade hot chocolate with marshmallows I need to consider while reminising about all the good things that have happened this year and looking over my list of things to do in 2009....

I can only wish for a really successful year in '09. Finishing our house renovations would be a dream come true; it would be great for marty and I to finally settle down and to have lots of friends and family round to snuggle in with us. A diary filled with lots of work is always welcome; it's exciting to start a year not really knowing what will come my way and then to look back on it and appreciate all the amazing opportunities I've had. I have lots of other things on the list of dreams I would love to achieve so no doubt I'll let you know as and when they happen...and of course I'm soon to become an aunt for the first time...

Anyhow, wishing you a fantastic, fun and food filled 2009 with lots of love, luck and laughter x

Pretty in Pink Pressies

Santa has been, yay! This year I got lots of lovely pink and girlie gifts. Besides this lovely roberts radio, I also got some pink polka dot pyjamas, paper lanterns, pink passport cover and a pink voucher for a nail bar. Plus lots of other goodies I am off to play with now too...

happy birthweek to me

How excited am I? I got a lovely old ladies bike (fitted with a basket and bell) from Marty for my birthday today. This photo makes me laugh because I'm sure I could pull out similar piccies from past Christmas's where I'm in jim jams and looking over excited surrounded by gifts. That was when I was 10 years of age or under though so I really should grow up, particularly as I am now totally over the hill! I'm not growing up just yet though as I'm loving my STREAMERS too much!! wahoo! p.s. check the tiara!

All Wrapped Up

Lots of people struggle with wrapping gifts or just don't enjoy doing it. Here's a quick step by step guide to creating perfectly wrapped gifts that people just won't want to open!












Gather your wrapping materials; wrapping paper, tissue paper, box (great for difficult to wrap shapes), ribbon, name tag, sticky tape and scissors. Cut the wrapping paper to size by placing the box in the centre and rolling to paper around to check it will completely cover.












Cut the tissue paper (if using) to shape and snuggle into the box. Place your gift inside, remembering to remove any price tags!












Fold the tissue paper over to enclose and pop the lid on. Line the box up on the pre-cut wrapping paper which is right side down of course.













Wrap the paper round and secure in place with a little sticky tape. Starting at one open end, fold the corners in neatly, running your finger along the paper to secure in place.












Trim the end with a scissors, as it looks better when it doesn't wrap up on top of the gift when taped in place. Fold the end up and tape in place with sticky tape.













Repeat with the opposite end. Sticky tape side down, wrap the ribbon around the parcel and cross over. If you have a longer ribbon and want to wrap it in the other direction also, then start with the sticky tape side up, cross the ribbon over and then turn the parcel right side up.












Tie the ribbon in a bow. My sister in law, Beckie showed me how to double bow and I think it looks really posh so I do this all the time now! To do this, leave the bow quite small and the ribbon ends hanging quite long. Then gather the ribbon ends and tie them in a bow also.












Next, prepare the name tag. Write your message on the tag before you add it on. You can either make a hole with a hole punch and tie it on with a little ribbon or in this case I simply cut a little slit in the card and then slid it onto the ribbon. And Voila!




The mother has said it looks better when the ribbon is off centre; I think she might be right!

More Wrapping Ideas

This year we have used wallpaper leftover from decorating our sitting room to wrap our gifts - how very environmentally friendly! It's quite christmassy anyhow as it's very deep purple with lots of shiny silver on. I think the red ribbon goes really well with it and we're so impressed we're thinking of bringing lots of red into our sitting room now too!

Anyhow, if not being savvy like us by using leftover paper, try buying wrapping paper that you can use throughout the year for other occasions (like the paper in the post above). So nothing with 'merry Christmas' embezzeled all over! Try opening gifts carefully so that you can save the paper, particularly if it's pretty, to reuse for wrapping other gifts or for crafty projects. Remove any sticky tape with a scissors rather than ripping it off, and keep paper flat in a box file or art folder.

Place any odd shaped gifts in boxes to make them easier to wrap (and throw the person off the scent of what it is also!). Reuse boxes that have come in the post or have had chocoates, toiletries or perfumes in for example. Obviously, good old tissue paper is really handy too. Use to wrap a gift inside the main wrapping so it builds the suspense for the person unwrapping! Or if you pack the present in a gift bag, then top with a ruffle of tissue paper so the person can't sneak a peak.

Cellophane is really handy for wrapping gifts also, whether wine bottles, jars of chutneys (as above) or plates of mince pies. Buy a roll from any good stationary shop (like Easons) or buy smaller amounts of it from your local florist. While in the florist, pick up some raffia (stringy stuff that comes in lots of different colours) that you can use to tie the cellophane closed. Raffia is also handy to tie name tags onto parcels if ribbons are too wide to go through the hole.

Speaking of name tags, rather than spending more money on tags, cut a piece of coloured card into smaller pieces or reuse old cards by cutting them into suitable shapes where appropriate and punch with a hole punch. Don't forget to write on the card before attaching it - and be careful not to get the cards and gifts mixed up!

Then, the wonderful world of ribbons! Reuse ribbons from other gifts received, from fancy boxes of chocolates, or even those ribbons that are attached to clothes for hanging (but end up sticking out just when that important photo is being taken!). Alternatively, buy new ribbons online, in your local haberdashery or trimmings shop. Also, at Christmas time ribbons are easily available in garden centres and hardware stores, particularly the wired type, which are easily made to look quite dramatic. The ribbons in the picture above were double bowed as per the post above to make them look really fancy.

Finally, the all important reminder not to forget to remove those price tags!!