Naughty

Emma — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:27:00 +0000

Oh I’ve been just so so bold. I’ve gone and left you for weeks and weeks. I don’t know what came over me, you know when you just get so overwhelmed with things that some things you let slide. Well, unfortunately I let blogging slip. Woopsie. But on the bright side I feel fresh as a daisy and ready to get right back to it.

So what exactly have I been up to while away from here? Have you seen on Instagram and Twitter? I’m loving taking quick snaps of my day. Like this one above from when I went and had a little undocumented holiday (I love than the old fashioned propellers on the plane and the style of the photo makes it look like it’s from the golden age of air travel). Are you on instagram? Let me know.

March’s Object of Desire

Emma — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:16:56 +0000

This month I am yearning and lusting after a Kindle. Oh how I would love to get my grubby little hands on one. This obsession has only recently taken hold. It goes back to last week, when it was one of those lazy, grey weekends where we were absolutely wiped and fed up of the daily drag and had resolved to spend the weekend just vegging out and hanging around the flat. That was when the urge to read took over. I’ve been meaning to get back in the habit again. I LOVE reading books and getting lost in the stories. When I was younger we would go out to live in the countryside for the summer. We would live in a little house, without a TV (gasp!), mobile phone signal (no landline phone even) and just one radio station. I would plow through the books (I swear I read every sweet valley twins/high book going). I miss that.

So last week, while browsing on Amazon, I decided to try and give the Kindle App a try. Do you know how many free books there are out there? And not just the classics – you can get all sorts of modern writing for free too. Amazon keeps a bestsellers list of both paid for and free books which you can look at broken down into each genre. Even if you do feel like splashing the cash, you can get some great books for bargain prices (like under £1). Awesome! You can read these books on your smart phone, or tablet. I’ve been using my iPhone and occasionally the iPad.

Between last Sunday and today I’d gotten through 9 books (& currently reading ‘One Day‘)! I’m addicted. I read during my lunch break, on the journey home, while waiting in line, while I have 5 minutes in the morning, in the bath, before bed – just as often as I can. And you know, it has actually really improved my mood. It is proving to be a real Spring pick-me-up.

So what I now really want – a Kindle

Chocolate Roulade

Emma — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 20:53:49 +0000

Well here begins the baking for my Baking 2012. Eep! I’m excited. I have a top ten list of my dream bakes to learn how to do this year. And here I’m starting off with roulade. It’s awesome. Did you know you basically only need eggs and sugar? Perfect for when you’re out of butter (that’s me all the time), so in facts it is a perfect store cupboard bake. I started off with Mary Berry’s Ultimate Chocolate Roulade. What better way than to start with a recipe from the queen of baking right?

It was such a simple recipe and everything went absolutely swimmingly except until I went to roll up my roulade. It totally stuck to the baking parchment. Groan! Oh well, I just used the baker’s cover up – icing sugar. Also I developed my own filling. Instead of using the orange zest in the recipe, I added a splash of toffee vodka to the whipped cream filling. And yum! Chocolate, toffee, boozy loveliness.

But I don’t think this is roulades ticked off my list just yet. I’m going to solve this sticking problem with the next one fingers crossed.

All Loved Up

Emma — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:26:55 +0000

Well, the Day is here. The day where you are pressured into trying to show that you and your other half are more head over heals, maldy in love than the couple sitting at the next table for dinner. Not us. We do a very casual Valentines days. Today, work, tonight, pizza and a bottle of wine. Lovely. But the real icing on the cake was my present. The boy got me my very first pair of Toms. Woop woop. They are the Ash Canvas Toms and I’m so eager for warm weather to arrive to get wearing them. I live in converse and vans so I think toms will fit right into my fashion life. And people seem to be very committed to toms and their love for them so they much be good. They certainly are comfy so far. But if you are looking for some special themed toms check out these - Valentines Toms. Happy Love Day all!

In Preparation for Tomorrow

Emma — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:55:15 +0000

Have you asked your special someone yet? The clock is ticking…

February’s Object of Desire

Emma — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:48:26 +0000

OK so this month’s Object of Desire is a little bit of a cheat. Normally I pick things that I’m dreaming of purchasing only the price tag and/or my lack of money prevents me from purchasing. But this month, I’ve been utterly seduced and have succumbed to purchasing this item (yippee for me!). To be fair this has been a very long time coming. I have been wanting a name necklace for forever. I had one when I was little but I don’t remember what happened to it. I have been despe personalise rately begging the boy to buy me one for years. But, he is absolutely against the idea. Over here (in the UK), they don’t have a good rap and are not associated with the classiest of people (that is putting it kindly and mildly). So him being so against them put a little seed of doubt in my mind and so I never had the guts to follow through and buy one for myself.

Well that was until I came across this beauty. And I had to have one. The necklaces are custom made with whatever saying/name you want on them to them and they are made in my favourite city in the world, the wonderful Seattle. OOoohhh! I can’t wait to get mine! Have a look around the maker Foamy Wader’s Etsy Shop, for all her other lovely jewelry (I also love her kissing couple necklace). Go look!

Also, I am keeping up with my Project 2012 goals and have put my first new Etsy listing of 2012 up, these cute Grey Knitted Shoe Clips. Bring on the next 11 months!

A Baking Ambition

Emma — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:26:26 +0000

I am still so enthusiastic about baking since watching the Great British Bake Off and all the amazing challenges and everything I still had to learn about. At the time I wanted so badly to join in at home but it was just too much to do every week on top of daily life. So, instead, this year as part of Project 2012 I’m preparing my own top wish list of baked goods.

Eclairs – I will conquer choux pastry.
Swiss Roll/Roulade – These are definitely a skill and make so impressive easy bakes (I hope) – Chocolate Roulade
Creme Brulee - Bliss. I may get very fat working my way through this list
Tart au Citron – In the Summer this is just the best dessert. Take your chocolate stuffed cakes and puddings, I will choose this every time
Lemon/Lime Meringue Pie – I LOVE these. I first fell in love with them living in the States (they are big there, and not so here) but I haven’t managed to have one since coming home. Boo.
Scones – Don’t get me wrong, I have made many a batch of scones but none ever have that lovely lightness of cafe bought ones. Where am I going wrong?
Shortbread – Well I do live in Scotland.
Cake decorations (chocolate swirls, sugar baskets and things) – In order to step up my cakes and cupcakes.
Traditional Christmas Cake – Make in October and feed it with booze ’til Christmas and then cover in marzipan and royal icing. A mammoth job but I’m willing.
Tortillas – I’ve never had anything but shop bought tortillas. I imagine fresh they are just awesome. They can’t be that hard, right?

Wish me luck. And don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about it!

Pimp my Cupcake with Burnt Butter Cupcakes

Emma — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 10:00:02 +0000

It’s time for another Nigella Lawson Recipe, following on from last week. I forgot how fool proof her recipes are. If you have never given them a try, I would really recommend it. So, onto baking Burnt Butter Brown Sugar Cupcakes (from How to be a Domestic Goddess, you can find a similar recipe here at Cakestorm). I picked the recipe because it sounded so different that your standard vanilla or chocolate. So onto the baking. I have to admit I was incredibly lazy and just whizzed most of the ingredients in the food processor (It’s bliss! So easy). The cupcakes turned out really well and this lovely dark golden to the outside and caramel coloured inside. When it came to the icing, I didn’t use the golden icing sugar listed and used just regular icing sugar but I thick they turned out just fine. And to give them that final flourish I used Gold Shimmer Spray to bling them up (to pimp my cupcakes really). And they look so bling with their gold shimmer and yellow icing. I definately have to try them for a special occasion. The cupcakes taste? Lovely, sweet and nutty (thats the burnt butter) and light. Yum.

Mocha Cupcakes

Emma — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 10:53:17 +0000

The other day I was rooting through my baking cupboards and my cookbooks to try and find a recipe the contained the ingredients from my very limited larder. I love going out with a shopping list for all the different aspects of the next spectacular cake I’m dreaming of but there are an awful lot of days when I just feel the urge to bake without leaving the cosy confines of the apartment. So, while flicking through my recipe stash I came accross Nigella Lawson‘s ‘Espresso Cupcakes’ (from ‘How to be a Domestic Goddess.’ You can get a adaptation of the recipe from Cate’s World Kitchen here). I love coffee, and I love chocolate. Perfect. So I set off.

They were, as any cupcake recipe is, so simple to make. I opted out of Nigella’s suggested icing as I had a taste for some nice coffee buttercream (unfortunately I added a little too much coffee and the butter and liquid separated. darn, noted for next time). But overall they were delicious. They even appealed to the ‘non-coffee drinking but chocolate loving’ boy. Success. So with this, it is back to baking my way through 2012.

Project 2012

Emma — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:50:40 +0000

It’s that time again – time to set down in ~~stone~~ cyberspace my resolutions for the year. Listed below are my 12 for 2012. These are the most pressing resolutions and life ambitions that I think I can manage to train myself into this year. Some are most definately easier than others, but that is the idea. They can’t all be Everest style missions otherwise I would never be able to complete them. This way I can tick off the easy ones on lazy days and on days when I’m feeling like I can take anything on – well they are the days for epic events. Bring it on.

Read a book a month – OK so this isn’t so ambitious but it is so easy to slip out of the habit of reading regularly. So this is just to get me back in the habit again.
Get myself an iPhone – I’ve wanted one for so long but money is very tight and they are very expensive, therefore no iPhone for me. But hopefully some savvy saving will get me there this year - Done! Hooray! (picture my jumping up and down and squealing. I LOVE my iPhone). And now I can log more about my life via Twitter and Instagram (I’m addicted!).
Do 2 hours of yoga a week – must tone up! – Through my new fitness burst I just stepped back on the scales after a three year absence. I’ve put on ONE STONE. YIPES! Definitely going to try to keep to this.
Post a new listing in my Etsy Shop every month – This one will be tough but I’m up for the challenge. I really want to develop my Etsy Shop much more. Oooh, I have so many ideas floating around my head. I’d better get to it - In the process up putting up new items, See Januarys
Save, Save, Save – Last year I did really well but getting a job, I managed to clear my debts and save a few hundred pounds. This year I want to be even better. Can I triple the amount I’ve saved already? Here’s hoping - This is proving very difficult post Christmas
Take better photographs – One of the downsides of always being on Pinterest is that I see so many stunning and beautiful photographs. It puts me to shame sometimes. I will try harder! - Do Instagram photos count?
Get through my 2012 baking bucket list
Get to 50 Etsy sales – hopefully this will come as I spend more time updating and developing new items for the shop.
Get 200 Pinterest followers (currently 75) and 60 Twitter followers (currently 36) – This would be a great achievement. I still can’t believe that people follow me at all – I’m delighted that people seem to agree with my picks and want to follow my movements on both.
Visit a new country – I love to travel and life is too short to stay in one place, especially when there are so many places and things to see
Purge myself of craft supplies – I am a sucker for crafty supplies – wool, beads, fancy paper, ribbon – you name it I have it and still want more of it. But this is fast taking up the whole apartment. I am going to try and use the supplies I have rather than buy more. Promise, promise, promise.
Do something epic!!! – a must do this year