Interior Design Adventure

Morning!

Sorry I've gone a little quiet… I'm studying to become a fully fledged interior designer, its something i studied when i was a college but never carried on as a business as i went down the fashion route for a while, so I'm super excited to be picking it up now as i feel i can really focus with mature understanding (did i just call myself mature? surely not!) …. it's something i've always "done" but i now feel i want to get qualified. Going back to school is so exciting and I can't wait to get involved helping clients and styling homes again!

This year (fingers crossed) is going to be a good ol' busy one….. My book nearly ready, I'm working with an incredible agent and by the end of the year I should have a chunk of qualifications under my belt so I'm taken super seriously in the world of design!!

Lastly I need to share a little bit of Tuesday excitement! One of my heroines Abigail Ahern is only going to be bringing out an amazing paint range!! HURRAH! It will be a small range of beautiful hues that you can't currently get anything close to or as good as on the market!! Ive always had to mix my own paint as I can never seem to find the right shade, so I'm super thrilled Abigail is bringing out her own range, I just know they are going to be divine! So I'm now waiting until she unveils her range in March to re paint the living room………….. I can hear Mr G cheering!

Happy Tuesday xx

Spicy Hangover eggs

So these aren't strictly to be saved for a good hangover, they make a great post sunday lunch supper. My children adore these too, I just opt for a little less spice.

Ingredients to make 4

8 Smoked bacon rashers
1/2 Chilli (more if you really want to heat it up)
4 tbsp Salsa
A handful of good Cheddar or Gruyere cheese, grated
4 eggs
Chopped chives
Salt and pepper

Method

Pre heat oven to 180/350 degrees

Chop the chilli removing seeds, add to the salsa and mix

Grease 4 compartments of a muffin tin, layer up each compartment with 2 rashers of bacon, then a good dollop of your salsa mix, add some grated cheese then crack an egg on top, finishing with a sprinkling of chives and a twist of salt and pepper.

Pop in the oven for 20 mins until the eggs aren't wobbly

ENJOY x

African print play pants

I've been making my children clothes for ages, I love the feeling I get when they are romping about in something I've made for them.

I stumbled across some pretty darn amazing fabric on line, African wax printed fabric and instantly fell HEAD OVER HEELS! I decided to make Arthur some play pants, harem style…easy to run around in and don't restrict any movement (was that a bad idea?!)….. and now have orders from Archie…. so better get cracking!

African wax print fabrics are made by printing the patterns in wax on the cloth and then dyeing the fabric. The fabric, which is 100% cotton soaks up the dye, excluding the portions whee the dye was applied. The wax is broken off by machine. Patterns are then printed on the fabric again with other colours.

I'm hugely into bold prints right now and have been using them in projects for my home and adore the vibrancy and playfulness they bring, so seeing my bouncy, happy, semi-feral children adorned in these is pretty fitting!

I hope you like them! xx

This weeks up cycle - cardigan lounge set for wee Bunny

This week has been the start of the real winter BRRRRRRRR'S, come 4:30pm the log burner is on at full blast and so are the cosy slacks.

For a while i've been searching for a super cosy, soft, quality and snuggly lounge set for the boys and especially little Arthur who has the most softest and sensitive skin, I did find a few, but I found was either £100 plus, utter dross or even worse, the unbreathable sweat inducing cheapo onsie's!

So I decided to make my own for them, starting today with a set for Bunny (Arthur). I found a wonderfuly soft and cosy cardigan in a charity shop, it was a ladies size 14, after a thorough launder  I rearranged the arms into trousers with an elastic waist and the front and back into a little cardigan with a blanket stitched neckline, hey presto Thursday's up cycle!

He seems to love it, I offered to change him for dinner and he point blank refused... so I'm guessing thumbs up all round!

I'm thinking of making a few more, starting with Archie's over the weekend, i have a super soft grey marl cashmere cardigan with his name written all over it!

Claire x

Visiting Padstow - Rick Stein's seafood restaurant and vintage treasure!

While on our travels in sunny Cornwall we took a day trip to Padstow, it was a little soggy but as always oh so worth it... if you ever get the chance to visit Padstow please please treat your self to a long lunch at Rick Stein's Seafood restaurant, i first visited The Seafood restaurant with my brother in-law a few years ago (he and i sharing a mutual love for seafood) we ordered 2 glasses of champagne and the "Fruits de mer", people around us sighed and "aaaaaaahed" thinking we where celebrating an engagement or anniversary...this was more then a little awkward seeing as i value him as close as a blood relative but it was worth the moment or two of blushing! Have you ever tasted the true taste of the ocean? A collection of freshly caught sea creatures arranged perfectly on ice in the form of a towering volcano! A party to my senses.... I will always remember that lunch as one of the best 2 hours spent eating amazing food and sipping bubbles in my life!

On our way home we passed a vintage warehouse called Goose shed, nearly causing Adam cardiac arrest as I screamed STOOOOOOOP he did a perfect emergency stop and off i skipped towards a magnificently arranged display of vintage architecture and home wares.

Set over 2 floors Goose shed is a haven for a vintage home ware lover (thats me!) There's quite a masculine and industrial feel about the shop and everything's extreamly tactile you do find yourself smoothing dresser tops, opening draws and turning taps on reclaimed bathroom sinks.
With so much of their time quite obviously spent over each item cleaning, restoring and shabby chic'ing the price does reflect accordingly....now......contrary to popular belief and possibly because i am on a TV show called Superscrimpers, I'm NOT cheap.....i don't buy something because its cheap and i don't scrimp on quality, if i have to pay the right price because something is worth it i will...and this collection by the Goose shed is one of those places where quality really shows its self and you will be damed if you can find anything like any of there wonderful pieces anywhere in an antique shop or online auction site for any less! I very nearly came home with a stunningly cute feather filled vintage sofa and if i'd won the roof box debate Adam and I had before we set off for St. Ives we would have lobbed all of our clothes up top and i'd be coming home with a beautiful new bottom rester.  Needless to say I didn't win and I didn't come home with a new amazingly comfortable and chic sofa....Darn!

Take a visit to Goose shed's website or if you're passing pop in, so worth a look and i'll certainly be visiting next time we head down to Cornwall....WITH a roof box.

Claire x

Our half term break in St Ives

We celebrated Archie's first half term in our most favourite place in the world, St Ives, we flock down to our not so secret little hidy whole every year,  Number 2 the saltings, a wonderful little converted Fish cellar on Porthmeor beach. We have gathered so many wonderful and happy memories over the years and hope to carry on doing so for as long as the little fish cellar will have us!

 

You will find us Gay's mostly larking somewhere along Porthmeor beach, with rosy wind slapped cheeks and wellies full to the brim with sand, sometimes possibly looking little vexed due to the children insisting on diving fully clothed head first into the sea.... But non the less we are terribly happy there....... Nothing a quick wash in the kitchen sink and a change of clothes can't fix!

If you ever get the chance to visit St Ives, and if you haven't I strongly recommend you give it a whirl, spend a day strolling along it's beautifully cobbled streets and popping in and out of its vast number of galleries and vintage shops, you wont be dissapointed.

THE place to eat and sip coffee in St Ives is at The hub, its super cool decor and ubre trendy staff attract an array of coffee and craft beer lovers, its major plus is that it's child and dog friendly too, we visit nearly every day for a pre beach coffee and cake boost (try their divine lemon drizzle cake) or a post windy walk late lunch, i can highly recommend their devilishly good baked eggs with possibly a side of beans and burned ends, and maybe a mug of chilli each for the smalls..... a must if visiting.

I always feel a little wave of sadness upon leaving St Ives but happy to know we will be back soon.

Until next time Porthmeor! x

Toffee apples

Autumn means to me, beautiful scenery, puffs of smoke leaping out of chimney tops, woolly jumpers, crunchy leaves, morning mist and my favourite treat....TOFFEE APPLES!

Seeing the first pile of toffee apples teetering high on a shop shelf means the season has finally changed...I tuck my bikini and flip flops safely to bed and drag out my hoards of knitwear.....Let the cold commence!

Making your own delicious toffee apples is super easy and can be knocked up in under an hour, pop then in a picnic hamper and you will be dearly thanked on long autumn walk they are also a great way to keep the older children going long after bed time on bonfire night!

For this recipe you will need a sugar thermometer, you can buy these from any good hardware store, cook shop or supermarket and cost between 5 and 10 pounds.

Ingredients

6-8 Apples Braeburn or Discovery work best

100g Golden caster sugar

120g Demerara sugar

25g Butter

100ml water

2 tbsp Golden syrup

1 tsp Cider vinegar

Method

Wash the apples thoroughly under very hot running water then dry with a clean towel.

Push a lolly stick or wooden kebab stick (sharp end removed) into the middle through the stalk end.

Line a baking sheet or a tray with parchment paper and lightly butter the surface of the paper.

Place a heavy bottomed pan, try and use a high sided pan if possible, over a low heat and tip in the golden caster sugar, the dermerara sugar and water, after the sugar has completely melted stir in the cider vinegar, golden syrup and butter. Pop the thermometer into the pan and bring the mixture to the boil and cook without stirring until it reaches 150 degrees celsius (hard cracking point) this will take a good 20 ish minuets but keep an eye on it, toffee burns really quickly if left.

Once you have reached 150 degrees celsius remove the pan from the heat and tilt the pan to one side. dip and swirl your apples until coated well then pop them on the baking sheet, allow to cool thoroughly before taking that first crunch!

To wrap them I simply cut squares out of some parchment paper and tied with a sandwich bag wire you could use a ribbon.

Enjoy! 

                                                                         Claire x x x