Lovely Lashes

Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts

Winter cupcakes

Jessica is hosting lots of yummy cosy winter and holiday recipes over at her blog Way Side Violet including my winter orange and amaretto cupcakes.

My new (old) camera, hope to have some pictures soon.

It is dark, dreary and cold out, perfect excuse to stay indoors, spruce the notice board and then use these super cute marzipan fruits for a batch of Autumn cupcakes.

Perishables.

A perfect start for curbing winter chills this October was taking part in my sister Tamzin's cookie exchange. I was so excited when I received a box labelled perishables and opened it to find the delicious parcel from Alissa containing layers of chocolate, hazelnut and lemon biscuits. Plenty to share with friends and family and even enough left over to brighten a rubbish day at work. I wonder if they will actually miss me or just the baked goods when I leave?

Thank you again Alissa for such a s scrumptious gift.

A black liquorice door.

Every time I walk up towards my house, freshly painted pale grey like the British sky with white icing around the windows, I can't help but wonder how fabulous it could be in pink, a huge hunk of pink birthday cake with iced windows and a black liquorice door. Cream puffs for shrubs and sugar flowers in the garden. I have been awake since five this morning and as I'm sure you can guess, baking since six thirty. My brain is addled from all the lemon frosting and chocolate cake batter.

With the frill off an old dressing gown, some fabric flowers, vintage french ribbon and a roll of pretty making tape from the lovely Lynne of Papermash I decorated the corner of the kitchen to accommodate my makeshift cake stand. Then popped in to town to deliver the cakes to my colleagues as an afternoon cheer up, had some lunch and made it home between the summer showers.

Looking

Watching Marie antoinette over and over and . . . I am looking for a pretty tiered cake stand and found these great images for inspiration over at Wedding Magazine.

Pretty in pink

Kitchen is sparkling clean and a subtle scent of lavender is in the air. Lunch and a bakewell, which looked pretty in pink but had icing like a rock and zero flavour, that will teach me not to bake my own. I think I will make one now to delete the bad memories of this cute looking one.

Happy Wednesday

Pretty in pink, things for a sweet tooth and new craft projects. I'm going to London for the day with my sister to meet a friend and see a show. Happy Wednesday.

All I want to do is bake

I spent Friday screaming and getting soaked through all the layers of my clothes at a theme park with four of my girlfriends and had so much fun, slow drive home in weekend traffic and then a dinner at Wagamama's. When I finally got in at ten o'clock I was happily exhausted.

Then up at 6am Saturday to bake 150 cupcakes for a wedding and I was a bit daunted at first but mostly it went well (my electric whisk blew up) and was such fun icing them all, I really think I could do this for a living. The house smelled divine and they looked so pretty all lined up in their boxes ready to be delivered. Think I will try whoopie pies for a birthday tomorrow.

Flowers everywhere

Summers almost upon us and I am so happy to be placing flowers everywhere, some from the super market, some from a friend, some retrieved on a walk and some from my dad's garden. I layered them all up on the table for dinner with friends. Lamb, potato gratin, slow roasted tomato comfit and bitter chocolate cake for dessert. All recipes chosen from Bill Granger's delicious book Feed me now.

A walk today, while the sun was still out, took me past a whole host of new blossoms. Boughs draped in deep pinks, mauves and creamy pale blooms all frothy like just poured champagne. I have been think about flowers so much lately still craving a garden of my own, choosing a list of my favourite varieties to sew once we have an outside space. Top of my list anything pretty that can also be eaten, then lilacs, peonies, and I am feeling a slow rising jealousy at a huge patch of colourful snap dragons in one of my neighbours gardens. I remember how amazed I was as a child when my mum showed me how to pinch the petals and make their little floral mouths open and close.
I will put the envious feelings to a good use and draw up a garden wish list. Hope your long weekend turned out well and I am wondering if you have a favourite flower from your childhood ?

Pastel puddings and ballroom dancing

Good weather is keeping me in high spirits, baking pear and almond muffins and sweet spiced nuts. Out and about I picked up some of my favourite puddings from the Chinese supermarket and Some broken blossom boughs from a walk in the park on the way to visit a friend.

The shoes I mentioned in my last post are from Bourne, they are from last seasons range but there are lots of new bejewelled designs or try Ebay for similar. Continuing on the shoe theme I visited Kirt Geiger and I picked up a pair of super cute silver ballroom style shoes for £29 so no lunch money for me next week. Time to hand the debit card in to my husband I think. I don't know what it is about silver and gold shoes but I am building up quite a collection, I love them.

Happy weekend to you.

where I have been

I am taking five minutes before I am swept off on a friends birthday day of fun, to pop in and say hello. I have missed being here but just have no time at the moment.

I have been . . . .

Sending packages
receiving parcels
baking
tidying
making garlands
guest posting
eating salt butter caramels
visiting friends
watching "The September issue"
and "La vie en rose"
household stuff
back to work
I feel there is so much more to the list, but I think you understand.

My days have been so full and I will be back soon, when I get the time I promise to answer some of the questions that are left in your comments, which I so cherish, but I seem to get swept along and hardly ever reply. Just know that I read each one and am so glad that you visit me here.

I must say a super huge thank you to Holly for her extra lovely post about my blogs and I. To hear such words written about yourself can be quite overwhelming, and I can't tell you how thrilled I am. Thank you again Holly!