Dairy, Egg and Nut free Cup Cakes

My wonderfully positive and 'never to be beaten by a challenge' Mother made these tastey dairy, egg and nut free cup cakes for my daughters Birthday party and it was my job to decorate them (the best bit). I was thrilled with the results and they tasted absolutely delicious, the children were fighting for more. This sweet success was all due to the receipe we used from a yummy little cook book I found called Vegan Cup Cakes take Over The World. Written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (love those double barrels), this clever book takes you through the 'science' of cup cake baking. Watch out all you 'allergy Mums' the world of dairy & egg free cups cakes will never taste the same again once you've tried these recipes. What a relief,

Sweet Sorry...

What's the best way to to say sorry to Mummy when you've been just a little bit naughty? Present her with a gorgeous little pin cushion you made all by yourself of course...

Oh how lovely! All is forgiven.

Fish for supper

Our local fish and chip shop recently offered to make it's customers a special bouillabaisse stock. I can hear you foodies out there gasp in shock! Yes, we're extremely lucky to live in an area with a fish and chip shop run by a French man who offers the most delicious chips plus lightly grilled fish and cos cous on the menu. This is definitely not your regular battered sausage and curry dip joint! No, no, no, this is very much fish and chips for the connoisseur! Of course we loved this creative twist on the norm, and where very quick indeed to place our order. Later that week my husband came back laden with the rich golden bouillabaisse stock which made the most superb fish soup imaginable. The best part is we still had enough left to freeze, so next time I need to really impress someone I know what I'm cooking!

Another Giant Baby Block

This time the theme was Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes and fortunately baby was born as I was in the middle of making it so I quickly changed the design to incorporate a classic pink check.

Living in a shoe box!

We live in a rather small house and I often complain " oh, it's just like living in a shoe box!".

I stumbled across this little scene the other day - my children had decided to make a cosy shoe box house for their dolls, complete with en suite, lap top and phone. Note the cooker tucked away in the corner too. What joy to be children with such rich imaginations, I find it totally inspiring.

Hmm, it's food for thought, perhaps our home isn't so small after all...

Fabulous kitchen, wonderful craft cupboard...

Those of you who know me well will know I'm a huge fan of 'craft cuboards' in the home. I'm convinced that that the best way to motivate and inspire children to be creative and self motivated is to give them access to the tools they need to make things when ever the mood strikes. A really effective way to do this is to give them their own dedicated space and call it the 'craft cuboard'. It does mean you run the risk of having pencils, paper and half finished drawings everywhere you look but the plus side is your children will feel totally independent and can can make or draw whatever takes their fancy.
 

I went to a friends house the other day and was really impressed with her beautiful vintage and retro inspired kitchen (Rustic Retro? have we coined a new phrase?). Her black white and chrome colour scheme makes a striking combination. As an added touch she's featured a huge wooden dresser and other gorgeous wooden furniture all painted in white and I cheered when I noticed in the middle of her kitchen  a small cupboard stuffed full of crafty things. That's my girl!

Gigantic baby block!

My husbands cousin had a baby and I was invited to my first baby shower in Australia. I had no idea what to expect and of course had the added challenge of finding a gift to take. Whilst pondering over my options I stumbled across a pattern in a magazine for a baby block. "How sweet" I thought, I can make a little baby block and personalise it with the family name (they hadn't chosen a name and they didn't know if it was a boy or girl). I had some fabulous Sesame Street fabric I'd found in a thrift shop whilst rummaging and decided to team it together with a lilac and blue pin stripe fleece. I don't ever follow patterns as I usually come up with my own designs but on this occasion I followed the pattern to the letter. The result was very funny, half way through I realised to my amusement that the instructions were wrong and my little baby block was actually going to be gigantic. Someone had got the measurements wrong and now I was left with this huge baby block which needed masses of stuffing to make plump. The end result was a happy accident and received with great admiration and thanks. As for the baby shower it was a luxurious pampering session for ladies with great food, champagne and company. Yes I whole heartedly approve of this Australian tradition, long may it continue!