Christmas Cupcakes

The Fabulous Bakin' Boys have launched a new range of treats for the festive season.

The boxes of six cupcakes are available in either mint chocolate or orange chocolate, and we were sent some minty ones to try. Each box contains two each of milk; dark and white chocolate flavour topped cakes.

Each cake is individually wrapped so they suggest maybe popping one in your Christmas stocking - I'm sure Ruby would be more thankful of that than a satsuma or a walnut!

If you can get past the dinner lady mafia, maybe you could pop one in the lunchbox as a festive treat.

Don't get me wrong - these aren't what I'd call 'gourmet' cupcakes, but nor are they pretending to be.  They are not what I would bring out for my poshest guests, but they're worthwhile having in the cupboard for unexpected visitors who seem to drop by, and they make a welcome change from the ubiquitous mince pie.

The cupcakes are available from supermarkets nationwide.

While I've got you, can I also tell you about a cool competition the Bakin' Boys are running at the moment.  They are looking for a mini baker, so if you have a child aged under 12 years, and they have a passion for cooking, get them to enter their new cupcake suggestion here for a chance to win a trip to the bakery and see their cake being created.

Sponsored post: I received one box to sample and review however, no other reward was received.  Any views expressed are my own.

Magpie Monday - Gimme the Drugs!*

...by which I mean Lemsip and Throaties.  Please also send chicken soup, hot water bottles and my new favourite tipple of choice - Port.

*not the hard stuff -don't do it kids it never ends well.

Yes, I'm laid up with flu - cue lots of ahhhs and sympathy.

This has however prompted my only thrifted purchase of the week... a new bathroom cabinet.

Since we left our cavernously huge cabinet behind when we moved house, our toiletries and stash of lotions, potions and ointments which rivals Boots the chemist has been variously stored in drawers and boxes around the house, so a new cabinet was very much on our to-do-list.

On Saturday we set off for a happy family outing to the DIY store (as you do), and happened to drive past a charity shop.  One of those 'proper' charity shops where the stock spills out onto the pavement.  And there stood a lovely mirrored, double door cabinet.

I made the old man pull up while I dragged my achey bones over to have a closer look.  It was clean, neat and tidy and only £6.50. It looked just the ticket to me.

I could see him sat in the car shaking his head in a rather annoying fashion (this is why I shop alone), so I left it.  When I got back in the car, he said it was clearly too small.

Oh yes, clearly. I mean you have a much better vantage parked the other side of the road, looking at it in your rear view mirror, than me, who is standing right next to it...

Anyway, off we continued to the DIY store.  They had lots of choice of cabinets, but they were all much of a muchness size-wise.  All pretty much like this.  The EXACT same cabinet at £61.50.

Well, guess what?  He decided that perhaps it was big enough after all so we went back to the charity shop to buy it.

We paid practically a tenth of the price, we re-used something that someone else no longer needed, and more importantly I scored a moral victory.

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Handmade Christmas - Plant Pot Bird Feeder

I thought it was about time I showed some tat-to-treasure posts, from some of my Magpie Monday hauls.

A couple of weeks back I picked up this lovely little stash of old terracotta tom pots for not very much money at all (as they're going to turn into gifts, I won't let on quite how tight I've been!).

The same day, I visited the Bedford Pop-Up shop which is showcasing and selling lovely wares from local artists and crafters.  I bought these gorgeous tags from Scarlett Rebecca and I knew somehow I wanted to marry the two together.

So, based on the old favourite 'yoghurt-pot-bird-feeder' which I'm sure you've all made in the past, I made these lovely upcycled beauties.  I hope they will be received as a thoughtful gift for someone who loves eco or vintage-style.

Here's what you need:

• Vintage terracotta plant pots (you can buy modern ones in garden centres if you can't find old ones)
• Bird seed
• Strong string or twine
• Beads or buttons larger than the drainage hole in the pot
• Solid fat - vegetable, lard or dripping (from experience though, lard stinks, so better to use dripping or Pura)

If you're using recycled pots, first give them a quick wash and brush to remove any debris.

Loop and knot your string with a bead or button - it looks nice to have one inside the pot and one outside but bear in mind this will mean it won't stand upright, so may affect how you wrap the gift.

Ensure your hole is 'water-tight' whilst at the liquid fat stage by squashing some tin foil around it - there's nothing worse than liquid lard everywhere believe me!

Stand your pots upright in a cup or mug and fill with bird seed.  Melt the fat gently in a saucepan until liquid and pour over until it is filled.

Refrigerate until solid and then it is ready for the birds to enjoy.

I've wrapped mine as gifts with tissue paper, cellophane, coloured raffia and of course, Scarlett's lovely tags.  So much more grown up than a yoghurt pot I think, and the pot and be used to grow seedlings in come the spring!

If you like it, put a pin in it!

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Linking up with Handmade Thursday.

Wrap up for Winter with Lands' End

I've reviewed clothing for Lands' End before, and so impressed was I with it, I placed orders myself, so it was really nice that they asked me to review a snugly winter coat - for me this time!

I chose the Diamond Down Jacket, which is shown beautifully by their lovely model on the site.

But for here, you'll have to make do with this second-rate model.

Matchey-matchey

The coat is available in Angel Blue, Deep Amethyst or Pink Begonia which I opted for.  Super warm due to it's down filling it also has a water-resistant finish to keep you dry in that horrid drizzly mizzly weather we seem to be having.

I never remember to put a hat on so the hood with faux fur trim is a welcome addition when the winter winds pick up.

Say Hello Eskimo

Perfect for the nursery run; shopping and of course

Walking the dog

What do I like most about it?  Well, apart from the undeniable warmth it gives, I love the shape and inner draw-cord which means you still have a waist and unlike some coats you're not left like some shapeless Michelin man.

The pocket linings are so incredibly soft, it's like slipping your hands into little pillows.  They are lined with the softest fleece I've ever felt and there's also a little internal pocket for a handwarmer which is a nice touch.

It's very easy to move in and feels light unlike other winter coats.  See how versatile it is!

I can do this

and this

and for the boys

Negatives?  To be honest I'd have preferred it a teensy bit longer to cover my derriere, but I have that problem with a lot of jackets and jumpers - guess I have a long body.  There is some feather loss as they do occasionally work their way to the surface and poke through the fabric - like you get on a duvet.  I have to be careful not to wear it with leggings and Uggs and big gold hoop earrings or I'd end up looking a bit Bianca Jackson.

But overall, I do love this coat.  The temperature has dropped here over the last couple of days and I'm already feeling the benefit of the down filling.  I think it's going to keep me snug through whatever the great British weather throws at me.

Sponsored post: I was sent this coat free of charge for the purpose of this review, however any opinions expressed are my own and are honest.

On the radio

Did I mention I was on the radio this weekend?

No, actually I probably didn't.  So terrified was I of screwing up and humiliating myself that I tried not to let on.  The idea being, if it went well I could let people listen on iplayer, and if it didn't I'd keep my trap shut.

Well, guess what - it did go well. Considering.

Considering that speaking in public is one of my biggest phobias.  That I was freaking out I'd blurt out a tourettes style string of expletives and blasphemy.  That I was nervous one of my family would ring in and out me as a take-away lovin' fraud.  That I was in the same studio as amazing cooks and chefs who would make my pile-it-high food look like something from a pig's trough...

Bricking it

Nick Coffer (aka My Daddy Cooks) has been trying to get me to guest on his BBC 3 Counties Weekend Kitchen radio show for a while now.  I've always managed to slopey-shoulder it, but eventually his producer pinned me down, and Saturday was the day.

I had to produce a main and a dessert, so after much deliberation I decided to use up some of the marmalade I've been making and stock-piling, and came up with Sticky Spicy Pork Belly

and Orange Panettone Pudding.

You can download the free fact sheet with the recipes here.

and listen to the show here - but be quick it's only available until the end of the week.

Listen to James Perry talking about his amazingly perfect food

and Katie Khakpour-Smith from The Charming Cupcake Company explains how to make beautiful chocolate ganache at home to give as Christmas gifts.

My food seemed to go down fairly well.  Everyone's still alive as far as I can make out, and Nick cleared his plate.

Do try the pork belly recipe.  It's a great budget family dish (a £2.50 piece of pork belly feeds us three), and it's a lovely one to make when you're home all day and can enjoy the lovely aromas that fill the house.

What a great experience!  I loved it.  My poor old man got a ribbing about still not proposing after 8 1/2 years, and my mother-in-law was mortified that I'd told everyone I was wearing second-hand jeans, but apart from that I think everyone was proud of little old me.


Huge thanks to Nick and his producer Emma for having me along.  Thanks to James for his amazing food, and to Katie for her scrumptious choccies and master class, and good luck with her imminent arrival. x

Magpie Monday - On the tiles and in my drawers

There are a few characteristics I think you need to be a successful second-hand shopper.

One of the most important ones to me is foresight - long foresight!  When you see something in a charity shop or at a boot sale, you need to be able to think how you can use it and incorporate it into your home - if not now, at some point in the future.  You need to seize the moment and grab it while you can, because chances are it won't be there the next day, the next week and certainly not the next month.

You need patience.  Things on your 'want list' don't always turn up straight away, and equally you may buy something that waits in the shadows for some time before it can fully shine.

It also helps if you have an understanding other half/plenty of storage space/no desire for an uncluttered house, but we wont dwell on those points.

Take my box of old tiles I bought.  About 4 years ago, I spotted a box of beautiful ceramic tiles hiding in a crate under a table in the Red Cross shop.  They were priced at 50p each, but I asked if I could take the whole box.  I got them for £10, pretty good because there were two designs, some border tiles and certainly way more than 20 individual tiles.

I couldn't find a use for them in our house at the time, so they sat biding their time in the shed.  When we recently moved house I knew instantly that they'd be perfect for the living room hearth, so when we re-decorated I asked the old man to take out the existing tiles from the fireplace.

I've never seen him move so quick, and he'd got them out before I had chance to take a picture, but here they are chucked in our garden awaiting a new fate.

There was nothing particularly wrong with them, they were just plain old utilitarian quarry tiles, and certainly nothing special to look at.

Unlike these:

He's done a fantastic job, and the 'new' tiles totally transform the whole room.  They look like they were meant to be.  It makes me happy that they have been given a new life and will be enjoyed for many years to come.

We still have the other design, and I'm hoping after this successful mission, I can persuade him indoors to make a splash back for the bathroom sink.

Oh, I promised you a look inside my drawers too didn't I?

Well (adopts husky M&S voice), these are not just any drawers...

Not only are they special because I managed to get them for the knock-down price of a tenner on eBay, they are special because they do this:

I am not one to worship at the alter of HD, and don't like the over-riding feature in a room to be the telly.  In our previous house the TV was kept hidden away in original built-in cupboards, and we really found it was a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'.  We switched on the telly much less, because it wasn't in your face, so I was on the hunt for a TV cabinet.

To be honest, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind.  I wanted a white painted one, or one I could paint myself, but when this came up I thought it was so unusual I put a bid in.  Now I guess I'll have to re-think what other furniture we'll get, because I can't paint this!

What second-hand gems have you found?  What do you think are the traits needed for great charity shopping?

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Christmas Craft Kits

If you've been reading the blog these past few months, you'll know I've loved attending School of Craft's sewing lessons.

I've re-kindled my love affair with my machine and realised how relaxing hand sewing can be.  I've stitched and made gifts that I'd have never have thought possible, so I want to say a HUGE thanks to Jo for this.

My last School of Craft event was a few weeks ago, when I went to one of their 'Crafternoons'.  What a lovely way to spend a Saturday!  In a nice hotel, with lots of lovely new friends, chatting, munching cake, drinking coffee and making Christmas decorations.

We each chose one of the new, specially designed kits, and set to.  The beautifully packaged boxes contain everything you need for each project - right down to the pins and a needle.  So if you're a new sewer, or looking for something you can pop in your bag and do on the go, these are perfect.  The materials used are natural fibres and excellent quality.

At the Crafternoon, I chose the little padded hanging hearts. They were simple to make and have a lovely rustic homemade feel about them.  The kit contains enough material, thread and padding to make five hearts (of course, I'm know for my tightness when cutting out, so I managed to squeeze six out!)

I heart hearts

Since I had the pattern, once back home, I raided my cupboards, and have made more.  I'm stitching some blue ones without hangers to pop in a glass jar in the bedroom.

and some diddy pink ones for Ruby's tree

I also bought a Christmas bunting kit, which I've yet to do, and Jo kindly sent me a stocking kit for me to review here.  I loved making the stockings.  Her template designs are perfect - I can never seem to draw a decent stocking!  The toe detail with contrasting fabric really makes them special.

Look at my stockings!

Because I'm slightly OCD about decorating the tree, I've made colour co-ordinated ones for our living room!

The kits probably take about 2 hours to complete, and as it's hand stitching, it's perfect for doing in front of weekend trashy TV!

The kits are available to buy in the We are Bedford pop-up shop, and online at School of Craft's new Folksy shop for £12.50 each.  They are great value, as literally the only thing you need to supply yourself is a pair of scissors.

Grab while you can - the kits were featured in The Telegraph magazine this weekend, which is an amazing achievement - well done Jo! x

Featured in a proper newspaper -how cool is that?

Disclosure: I was sent one kit to review free of charge, however I've purchased two more myself and am a regular customer.