North Norfok Extravaganza

Well last weekend was all about the parties, this weekend was a complete cultural contrast. My fabulous Devonian friends popped over for a visit to my little home by the sea. We did a North Norfolk tour of hidden gems.

We popped into Big Blue Sky in Wells, great for unusual gifts. Stiffkey Post Office Stores which is the cutest cool P.O. ever. Their coffee & cupcakes are a must and it’s lovely to relax there surrounded by interiors & recipe books that get the creativity flowing.

Wiveton Farm Café near Blakeney which does the best food ever and has views of endless rolling Norfolk landscape ending up with the deepest blue sea.

Not content with just the 3 stops, we decided to shoehorn a flying visit to East Ruston gorgeous gardens. Sooooo worth a visit, the gardens are a-mazing! www.e-ruston-oldvicaragegardens.co.uk

Cupcake Update x

This weekend was the big cupcake sale for charity Nelson's Journey. Mummy Butterfly baked a stupendous 350 cupcakes, which was incredible news until it dawned in that split second that T& I would be decorating all of them!!! If I ever see a box of icing sugar again i might cry!! I was telling Caroline that I don't know how she does it for a living. That said; the first 100 were fun!!!

Big thanks to the NJ girls who sold many many cupcakes at the Gala Day at the Norfolk Showground.

Huge thanks to M who very kindly took loads to work to sell to her lovely colleagues. Thanks to all at NCC who supported & purchased.

Well this is becoming a bit of an Oscar acceptance speech ... but thanks to my Mummy and to T and baby butterfly for baking & decorating skills. I also think I found my vocation in piping ha ha 1 in 5 chocolate buttercream topped were pretty well done if I do say so myself he :)

Well last night I went to one of my favourite venues, Cinema City in Norwich. Unusually I wasn’t there for the fabulous food or the screening of something cultured (ok so a girl can pretend J). I was there to see my friend Jess Morgan perform. She has the most beautiful voice, we think she’s a similar sound to Katie Melua but with more style. The clever girl writes her own material too. There are music clips on her website which are really worth checking out. He sound is kind of dreamy folk style. It’s lovely to hear & really relaxing.

http://www.jessmorgan.co.uk/

Oh and to keep in the vein of fashion, vintage jewellery & cupcakes..... I was wearing a beautiful vintage layered chain necklace, sporting a high necked animal print top and eating the Cinema City homemade carrot cake whilst listening. Heaven for all the senses xx he he

Photo by Andi Sapey

Gossip Girl XOXO

You know I love it!

I have a new addiction. It's easy to spot my weakness. It all started many years ago with Sex & the City. Carrie Bradshaw's eclectic fashion was sooo up my street and living in Camden at the time and hanging out with fashionistas, creative types and male models (oooh they were the days!) it was all so us.

Recently after extensive re-viewing of the entire SATC DVD collection and somewhat exhausting it, I decided it was time to look for something else to occupy those odd gloomy evenings…. Miracles come in disk sized packages. Lipstick Jungle arrived in the post!

What more can you ask for in a series??? Gorgeous women I fabulous fashions and in powerful roles. Men so hot I can’t decide who my favourite is, although Kirby Atwood makes me drool (I know it’s wrong to admit this!).

Sooo after watching LJ twice I decided to source more of this Darren Star styled TV. I have Cashmere Mafia as yet unwatched, as I have been hooked by Gossip Girl!

Ok so as usual I’m way behind the times, but since I don’t have a TV I feel I have a valid excuse.

The appeal of GG is the same as always. The lure of the gorgeous cast, fab fashion (loving the twist on the uniforms – I wish I had been this creative at school, our uniform was so stiff) and a fast moving storyline. I find myself just sneaking in another episode when I should be going to bed, or getting ready to go out…. Do they do patches to wean me off these addictive American series??

XOXO

Cupcake Recipes Required

Well I usually prefer to treat myself to other peoples scrummy cupcakes, but this time I have signed myself up for making them to sell. Not just a small batch either, I'm aiming to make & decorate about 250!!! Well when I say me - I have been using my persuasive charms (and the promise of some champagne cocktails after decorating) to get a mini workforce together!! Mummy Butterfly is on board & so is my brother's girlfriend who is a great cook. I have friends staying that weekend and may have to get them to help too - is that wrong??!

Anyway the reason for so many cupcakes is that I am newly recruited onto the event's team for a fabulous charity Nelson's Journey http://www.nelsonsjourney.org.uk/ which helps support children who have experienced the death of a significant person such as a parent or sibling.

Being keen to impress I though cupcakes would be a nice idea, I now need to plan my military cake decorating operation around working and my fabulous friends staying!!

If anyone has any great recipes or decorating ideas please let me know, I did find a picture of cupcakes with lavender on top & lilac coloured icing yummy. I will post some piccies so you can grade us!

The event is Gala Day at the Norfolk Showground, Norwich on Sunday 6^th September, all are very welcome xx

Pimms Jelly

I promised to post this ages ago - sorry.

Serves 4-6 Ready in 3 hours.

300g Strawberries trimmed & sliced

4 leaves gelatine or Jelly crystals for vegis

100ml Pimm’s No.1

425ml lemonade

One. Divide the strawberries between 4 glasses.

Two. Cut gelatine into small pieces & put into a small bowl with 4tbsp cold water. Leave to soak for 10 mins. Heat a small pan containing a little water & stand the bowl of gelatine in it until it has completely dissolved.

Three. In a large jug, mix the Pimm’s & lemonade, pour into the strawberry filled glasses and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.

For Vegi jelly version; leave out step 2 and make up a pack of Jelly crystals (Asda do these) using 150ml boiling water. Add to 100ml Pimm’s and 250ml lemonade in step 3.

For all you creative and collecting people I think this would look better in vintage mixed matched glasses, especially nice in those champagne bowl shaped glasses. Enjoy xx

Loving the car boot sales

I think I may have become a little addicted to car boot sales. I used to love my Sunday morning lay-ins, but now I find myself getting up at 7 (shock horror) to pop to the local CB! Well last Sunday was my favourite so far, it was so good I was late for setting up at the Craft & Farmer’s market oops!

I bought loads of fabulous sparkly jewellery to take apart & make new. My friends call me a magpie, guess this photo proves it! These pieces are just fine as they are & will be a lovely feature for any Vintage fairs – unless I decide to keep them myself he he.

I also found this tea & coffee set. It’s sending my untrained eye mixed messages. The wooden handles are quite Art Deco styled but the rest is in my opinion either 50’s, 60’s or 70’S!!!! I think I should stick to jewellery!!! J Anyway I thought it was a great design & once I clean the teapot properly I shall decide if I should keep it or find a better home for the set.

I'm off to another one tomorrow & hoping to find some scrumdiddlyumptious things xx