Craft #004 - Bottles

Some may say (and when I say some I mean Simon) that I am a hoarder, that is incorrect I just have a lot of things with sentimental value.  I like to keep things because they remind me of a certain point or person in my life that made me happy. One of these objects I like to keep are bottles; we have 5 in total and they all remind me of a special time from me and Simons first valentines day to the London Olympics’ 2012 themed coke bottles.

Until now they have sat on top of our bookshelf doing nothing and catching dust. This is until I saw this blog post from I SPY DIY it really inspired me to make our bottles a feature instead of a dust catcher.

These are the things you will need for the craft:

Bottles (how ever many you wish)

Spray Paint

Flowers (I went for fake flowers as I am not great at keeping flowers alive)

 Fake flowers, very pretty colours.

Sentimental bottles not hoarding!

How:

1. This is a very easy craft to achieve; the first step is to make sure the bottles are clean on the inside and out. You have to scrub the labels off from the outside and make sure there is nothing left, as this will show once you have spray painted it.

2. Once the bottles are dry it is time to spray paint. Make sure that you do this section outside and that there is nothing around you that you could possibly get paint on. Hold the bottle at one end at arms length and spray the other end.

3. Let this dry for a couple of hours. Once it is dry you can hold the end you have just painted and spray the other end, doing it this way makes sure you don’t get any fingerprints on your hard work. When spray painting the open end of the bottle spray a little just inside the bottle so the inside can get a light coating.

4. Repeat these steps until you are happy with the coating of the bottle.

Spray painting in the garden

Then ta-da it’s done, a quick and simple craft that can make a dust catching bottle a feature of the room.

 

I hope you enjoy trying out this craft as mush as I did.

Cupcake Wars!

I love cake! Who doesn’t but I can safely say that I am not a very good baker. My Pup and Simon both love to bake, all types of things from simple fairy cakes to complicated plaited bread.

The only way I seem to be able to make a good cupcake is if I am handing someone the ingredients, which doesn’t count or a good old packet mix. This got me thinking it is cheaper to buy a packet mix, easier to make for the non-baker type like me but are they just as tasty? So I decided I would do a test, I would make a packet mix of Red Velvet Cupcakes and Simon would make from scratch some Red Velvet Cupcakes so that we could see what would be tastier.

Lets start with Simons made from scratch Red Velvet cupcakes:

What you need:

Additional equipment, large mixing bowl, wooden spoon, small mixing bowl, cup, measuring jug, wooden spoon and 16 cupcake cases

Instructions:

Step 1.

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 (350 degrees F / 175 degrees C).

Step 2.

In the mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt and cocoa butter.

Step 3.

In a separate bowl add the butter and beat until soft. Add the sugar to this bowl and beat till light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time beating thoroughly after each addition. Finally add the Vanilla extract to this bowl and beat till it is all combined.

Step 4.

In the measuring jug whisk the buttermilk with the red food colouring. Slowly mixing as you go add this to the flour mixture. Once this is combined add the butter mixture to the flour mixture.

Step 5.

In a cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow this to fizz for a bit then add it to the cake batter.

Step 6.

Now add the mixture to the cupcake cases. The cupcakes should take 15-20 minutes, so sit back relax while your good work is baking. Once the time is up or you can stick a toothpick in the middle of the cupcake and it comes out clean it is time to rest them, do this for at least 10 minutes.

So that was how to make Red Velvet cupcakes from scratch, seems easy right?? Yes for those who can bake I was completely flustered whilst Simon was baking this recipe but don’t you worry you non-bakers it is time for the Red Velvet cupcake mix!

Danni’s Red Velvet Cupcake mix:

What you need:

Additional equipment: Mixing Bowl, Wooden spoon

Instructions:

Follow the box, EASY!

Verdict:

As you can see by the image Simon’s cupcake looks a little redder but is tiny in comparison to my packet mix cupcake. The taste is as different as their appearance; mine tasted of chocolate but was very bland where Simon’s was filled with flavour.

I think we can safely say that making a cupcake from scratch is better than a packet mix. They may not look as perfect as a packet mix but they make it up in flavour. If you can bake I am super jealous as I am sure your cupcakes taste and look good, I am going to start trying to perfect my cupcakes, watch this space! 

Throwback Thursday

As today is July 4^th I thought this week’s Throwback Thursday would pay tribute to the USA. Simon and I went to USA in the summer of 2010. We started in Miami which was amazingly hot, then moved to Orlando, which is my heaven. We ended in New York, an incredible city. Here are a few shots from the Holiday; I am sure in the future I will tell you more about our USA adventure.

I loved all the Art Deco building in Miami

 Harry Potter World was an absolute dream

 Disney world is my favorite place on Earth, it is the most magical place!

 

 The shows at Seaworld are incredible 

 Obviously going to photograph the Elephant Bum

 View from the top of the Empire State Building, what a view!

 New York is incredible at night it is London on steroids.

Simon and I loved America and we cannot wait to go back and visit more states - it is an incredible country with so many things to explore. So this Throwback Thursday is dedicated to you America: HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!! 

Introducing Clio...

This time last week was the first full day of being a dog owner. I have never been a dog owner before so it was a little scary. Growing up I had pets, I had a fish, hamster, guinea pig and rabbit but we never had a dog or cat and I didn't know anyone who had a dog or cat. 

When I was younger I had an encounter with a giant black poodle. I remember the poodle being massive but it probably wasn't. The "GIANT" black poodle got excited about my ponytail whilst I was scooting around the park. I know now that all he wanted to do was play but back then he was jumping up and trying to bite my hair which absolutely terrified me. Because of this incident I have been a little scared of dogs. They can be in the room but as soon as they jump up or bark at me I got scared. 

Simon was the first person I met that had both a dog and cat this scared me at first. This is until I met his dog she was called Mabel she didn't do anything, she slept, she got up, moved to a warmer spot then slept, all day! The cat Jess we have a mutual agreement she doesn't come near me as she knows she will not get any attention. After living with Simon for a couple of years sadly Mabel died, Simon's family were really upset and I understood why I just couldn't feel it myself.    

Then last month they decided as a family to get a new dog, so last week we ventured down to Battersea Dogs Home to have a look around. I never thought we would walk in and walk out on the same day with a dog but we did. Her name is Clio.

Clio is a 8 month stray dog taken in by Battersea, they do not know what breed she is, she looks like a mix of loads of different breeds, she is a packet of skittles! The staff at Battersea told us Clio was a shy dog who got scared easily, who needed time to adjust and space to be on her own. This was the perfect dog for our household.

When we brought Clio home she was very excited about everything she ran around and sniffed everything in her path, quite quickly she became used to us and her surroundings.I have quickly found a bond with Clio and now understand why people fall in love with dogs.

As she is still only young she only knows how to sit by command but we are slowly teaching her new tricks and commands. I will let you all know how the journey goes and hopefully my love for her will keep on growing. 

Throwback Thursday!

Many bloggers do 'Throwback Thursday's' and I love the idea of it, sharing with the world an old memory or photo. Things that make you who you are today.

So this is my first ever Throwback Thursday and I thought I would show you an oldie.

 

This is me trying on my Secondary School Uniform for the first time. I made the best friends anyone can make at secondary school and can defiantly say that some of my favourite memories have happened whilst being at school, no regrets!

 

Abbi's Top Tips - The Great Gatsby Eye

Seeing as The Great Gatsby cam out last month, Danni and I thought it would be a good idea to do a 20's inspired eye make-up tutorial. It's a great look that will last the ages. This is how we achieved it. 

1. Apply concealer to the eyelid to help the eye shadow stay on the lid.

2. Decide whether you are going to go for a black or blue theme for the eyes. Using the darkest tone of eyeshadow and put it as close to the eyelashes.

3. Shade in a lighter colour that matches the tone of the dark colour. Shade this all the way up to the brow.

 

4. Using an eyeliner pencil or pen, draw around the eye on both the bottom and top, this is to help enhance the eye. 
 

5. Splash on layers of mascara or false lashes to help finish the look.

 

 That's all it takes, 5 easy steps to get a great 20's themed eye make-up. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to be shown how to do.

Happy Fathers Day

As most of you probably know yesterday was no ordinary Sunday it was in fact Father’s Day. I thought this would then be a great time to declare to the world that I HAVE THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD!!

Growing up I looked up to my dad (literally…so funny) as all little girls do. I hung on every word my dad said and believed every word that ever came out of his mouth, unfortunately for me my dad told me quite a few porkies growing up. What this meant for me was that I would go into school the next day and tell everyone in my class what my dad had told me and they would all laugh. The biggest lie my dad ever told me was that his grey hair was strawberry blonde, the arguments I used to get in with people about the colour of my dad’s hair was ridiculous. Despite figuring out at 13 that my dad lied to me constantly I still believe everything he tells me. 

Everyone says constantly that I look like my mum and I do we are twins but my personality is entirely my dad. Sometimes we can clash heads but only because we are a both too stubborn to back down and admit defeat, but then the two of us against the world would be undefeatable. 

I am so lucky to have a dad that supports me through all my choices in life. Every step along the way my dad has been there to help in any way possible and it makes me happy that I can give him a call anytime of the day to ask a “stupid” question (Dad I burnt my fingers… Dad what does this kind of bulb mean… Dad I’m lost) 

So Pup I just want to publically say thank you for everything you have ever done for me and that I am so happy that you are my Dad and I only have to share you with 2 other people. You are my dad, my friend and my role model. Thank you! 

I love you twice xx