Friday 27 June 2014

THINGS I’M LOVING: #1

Instead of doing my monthly favourite posts at the end of every month, I have decided I would do a blog type of series called "Things I'm Loving". This way instead of having to wait till the end of month to talk about products that I love, I will do these types of posts instead, every time I find a few things that I want to share with you all.


So on with the post:

So recently I have discovered this bath bomb called Twilight from Lush, I can't believe I haven't come across this before now because it smells so amazing. To me it reminds me of the time that me and my family went to France and visited a French perfume factory and it just has that smell of French perfume. My sister left this bath bomb unwrapped on her desk and to be honest it did a job of a candle, the scent from it just filled our bedroom for days.
Next on my list has to be this car air fresher I picked up in the Next Home section in the scent Apricot Blossom this smells so fresh and for only for a £1 I thought I would give it ago. It's meant to last up to 6 weeks so for a fraction of the price of a normal car air freshener I am hoping it will make my car smell nice. They also do this scent in a home diffuser and candles which I am very tempted in getting to go in my bedroom.
I couldn't have done a love post without mentioning Rosie, we now had her for a couple of months now and I have to say she has really settled in since we have adopted her into our lives. She has now developed a habit where she will wake me up every morning. Not sure if it's because she missed me or wants to get in to my warm bed (second reason my money on). To be honest I was never a cat person however some weird reason I want really want another one.


What products or things are you loving at the moment?

xxx

Tuesday 24 June 2014

Recipe: Rocky Mountain Cupcakes

I really love the taste of Rocky Road bars so I decided that I would try and recreate a version in a cupcake form. So I came across this recipe from the recipe book called 1001 Cupcakes, Cookies and other tempting treats and thought I would give it ago and this is how I did it:
Ingredients:
140g Margarine or soft butter
140g Caster Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
150g Self-Raising Flour
3 Eggs lightly beaten
55g Cocoa Powder

To decorate the cupcakes:
5oz Margarine
10oz Icing Sugar
1M Wilton Piping Nozzle
Disposable Piping Bag
Mini Marshmallows
Honey comb

How to make:
1. Preheat your oven to 180 C (gas mark 4) and line the bun trays with bun cases (makes around 10-12 buns) 
2. Using an electric hand mixer beat together margarine and caster sugar, and then beat in the vanilla extract
3. Add in the eggs and beat slowly
4. Sift the flour and coco powder and fold into the mixture
5. Spoon the mixture into the bun cases and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch
How to Decorate:
1. Place margarine and icing sugar into a bowl and mix together to form butter cream
2. Place mixture into a piping bag and create a swirl shape on top of the bun
3. Sprinkle your chosen toppings onto the icing I picked marshmallows and honeycomb pieces and  then covered with a chocolate icing pen on top


To be honest because Rocky-road bars look quite messy it doesn't really matter how neat the Mountain Cupcakes need to look.

xxx

Saturday 21 June 2014

Recipe: White Chocolate Rocky Road Bars

After making the dark Chocolate version of Rocky Road Bars, it was only matter of time that I tried making them with white chocolate. This recipe again is so quick and really easy to create without having to put hardly any effort into it and this is is how I did it:
Ingredients:
250g White Chocolate
100g Digestive Biscuits
30g Mini Marshmallows
A bag of mini eggs (or another other ingredients you want to add)
How to make White Chocolate Rocky Road Bars:
1. Line a deep tin with clean film
2. In a sandwich bag break up the biscuits and mini eggs with a rolling pin and then leave  them to the side
3.  Break the white chocolate up into chunks and give it one minute busts in the microwave until fully melted
4. Then into the melted chocolate pour in the crushed biscuits, Mini eggs and Marshmallows and mix well
5. Pour the mixture into the line tin and flatten down with a spoon and place into the fridge for around 2 hours
6. Take out of fridge and cut into tasty bite size pieces 

Yum
xxx

Thursday 19 June 2014

My Current Obsession: Decorative Storage Book Boxes

For my current obsession at the moment has to be decorative storage boxes in the style of books. I know in the past they would used these type of storage books to hide their valuables in as a sort of safe and I just love the concept of them. I have been on the hunt for some storage book boxes in a vintage fairytale design however I don't seem to have found any yet. While on the hunt for these boxes I came across a really interesting website called Secret Storage Books where turn used books into discrete hiding places to fit your precious things in. I love the concept of this company and I wished somewhere in the UK could do this to. 
As I was on the hunt I came across some lovely examples that also caught my eye:
Printed storage books from Dunelm
Retro Shabby Chic Secret box from etsy 
In the style of Fairytale books from H&M sadly sold out in the UK

In the style of a art wooden storage box from Not on the High Street
xxx

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Review: Collonil Classic Leather Gel

Recently I have been looking into buying a leather product to use on my new handbag and I came across this one by Collonil called leather gel. The reason why I brought this was because every handbag I seem to have always seem to get jean transfer on the back of it. However since investing in a more expensive and first leather handbag I didn't want jean transfer to happen again. So I did my research and I found this product by Collonil. This product is mainly used for water proofing your leather items and stops water marks being left on your handbags so I hope it this will also stop some jean transfer happening.
I know Marc Jacobs don't recommend that you use any products on your handbag and you should leave your handbag completely naked however I felt I couldn't risk it. The leather Marc Jacobs uses on his handbags is very similar to Mulberry's handbags and Mulberry recommends Collonil products to use on their handbags.
About the product
As some of the online reviews state a little of this product does really does go along way. This product can also bring your dull leather products back to life. Before using this product make sure you test a small amount of the product somewhere hidden on your handbag to make sure it won't change the colour on your handbag. I tested it on the back of my handbag strap. 
 The way I used the product on my handbag was I used a Collonil cloth and dipped the cloth into a bit of the gel and rubbed it onto my handbag and left to dry.
What else I used the product on
I also used this on my work shoes to make then waterproof and used on our leather sofa. After adopting Rosie the cat we didn't realise how much damage her claws can do especially to the leather sofa.
How I used it on the sofa
1.      Wipe down the area with a damp cloth
2.      Dry
3.      Rub in Gel

Even though the gel didn't get rid of the damage marks on the sofa it did reduce the look of them.
Before
After
I will keep use updated how on whether or not it did stop jean transfer or not.

xxx

Saturday 14 June 2014

Review: Coffee Galore Lily Flame Candle

Recently on the candle front I picked up another candle from the brand Lily Flame in the Coffee Galore scent, and I absolutely love the smell of this candle.For me if you are a big coffee fan then this candle is perfect for you, it smells just like coffee it reminds me of walking into a coffee shop and this is the smell that you are greeted with. Again, it has the four wax triangle sticking out of the candle at each end and comes in a beautiful presented in a coffee coloured tin.
I will leave you with some more photos of the candle:

To see my last review on the Fairy Dust Lily Flame Candle it is here!


xxx


Thursday 12 June 2014

My Top 5: Places to Shop for Pet Accessories and Products in the UK

Untitled #7
I thought I would do a different type of post today and talk about my top five places including online and offline where I like to buy all my pet accessories and products from in the UK. I know that some places are quite obvious however I am hoping there are some places that people wouldn't expect to be on this list.

At number five TK Maxx, I know TK Maxx is very well known for its great offers on fashion and homeware at affordable prices and it is no different for pet accessories either. I know not all TK Max stock pet accessories and until this year I didn't even know they stocked pet stuff until I found myself down the pet aisle. They stock great quality pet products at affordable prices such as bedding, toys, food bowls, collars and leads. I find myself in my local store every month browsing the shelves for new toys for my cat Rosie.
At number four VioVet - Viovet is an online store that sells products such as medication that a vet would sell you but at a cheaper discounted price. I found this website when my last dog needed medication buying every month and it was so much cheaper buying it from the website than from a vet. Recently I used them to get a few things for Rosie and their delivery service is really good they post your items the next day and if you have a problem their customer service team will sort your query out straight away. Not only do they stock medication but a wide of pet products such as food, toys and other accessories.
At number three Petplanet - They stock a wide range of products for your pet at discount prices and do have products regularly on sale. I think this website is well worth a look if you are considering getting a number of things for your pet.
At number two Amazon - I find Amazon offer a wide range of pet accessories and pet food on their website at very competitive prices and what I love most about the site are the customer reviews. I love reading the online reviews and reading about how other people who brought the product for their pet found it and whether or not it is worth buying for my pet.
At number one has to be Pets at Home - Pets at Home is the first place where I go if I need something really urgently because they always have the item you need and stock a wide range of products for many pets such as cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs etc. I also love that their staff are full of knowledge and their store policy is if your pet does like the pet food they have supplied you with they will give you your money back, great if your pet is a fussy eater. I also love that you can take your pet into the store and no one minds at all so you can get your pet kitted out with a collar and a lead. I love that this company offers a wide range of products for your pet all in one place and a great place to get all your essentials.

Hope this has been useful xxx

Tuesday 10 June 2014

What's In My Everyday Handbag: Marc By Marc Jacobs Classic Q Percy Crossbody

I  always love seeing these type of posts and I decide it was a great opportunity to do a what's in my handbag post with my newest addiction to my collection my Percy cross body by Marc by Marc Jacobs. Now, normally I play it very safe with handbags and go for a safe colour in either brown or black. However something about this violet colour attracted me to this handbag and I love how unusual the violet colour is and not many people would have a handbag in this colour.
Ok, onto the handbag it's self even though the Percy looks a small handbag it is a very roomy inside so I can fit all my essential in it. The only thing to note about this is handbag is that the strap is very long and I felt it could have done with another hole in the strap to make it a bit shorter for people who are more on the petite side like me. However I still love this handbag and I am really happy with it.
Here is what I carry inside my handbag:
1. Car Keys
2. House Keys
3. Radley Dog and Spot Medium Coral Purse (Review here)
4. Pen
5. Blistex MedPlus Repairing Lip Balm 
6. Mobile (Old I know, but it does the job!)

xxx

Saturday 7 June 2014

Handbag Wishlist

Handbag Wishlist

Recently I been really into my handbags and here are a few that I have been craving after and are on my list to start saving for in my handbag fund. For some reason I been really into my across body handbags at the moment because they fit so well with my lifestyle. 

xxx

Thursday 5 June 2014

Recipe: Victoria Sponge Cake (Victoria Sandwich)

One of my favourite things to bake is a good cake and I always seem to crave a slice of Victoria Sponge Cake its one of my favourite cakes to eat. However I have to say I never seem to make my Victoria Sponge look like the photos  you see on recipe websites but it still tastes great. 

This is how I made mine:  

Ingredients:
225g Margarine
225g Caster Sugar
2225g Self-Raising Flour
2 tsp of Baking Powder
4 Eggs


How to make:
1. Preheat your oven to 180 C (gas mark 4) and grease and line two cake tins
2. Using an electric hand mixer mix together margarine, caster sugar, flour, baking powder in a bowl until well mixed
 
3. Spoon the mixture equally into the two cake tins and smooth over the tops. Place on the middle shelf and bake between 20 to 30 minutes until it has shrink away from the sides.
 
4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes, and then push them out of cake tins onto a cooling rack

To decorate the cake:
100g Margarine
140g Icing Sugar
Strawberry Jam

Place margarine and icing sugar in bowl and mix together to make butter cream
Then cover one half of the cake with the butter cream and then cover with Jam.
Place the other half on top, sprinkle with icing sugar and you're done



The original recipe came from here I just change the inside ingredients


xxx