Spiced chai latte

This has to be my most favourite hot drink of the moment! And yes I'm afraid I'm cheating for now as I'm a little short of time to make it from scratch, so I'm using Drink Me Chai. I will get round to making my own though as you can't beat having a go even just to satisfy you're own curiosity!

I may have to even try the 'cheat' recipe for spiced gingerbread latte and add a shot of gingerbread syrup (you can get it from Amazon!) into the mix for the festive season too! Ooo enjoyed all toasty by a fire, wrapped up in a snuggly blanket hey?! love! x
Do you have a favourite 'warming' drink?

Handmade Journal part 1

Well as promised these are the first spread of pages in my unique handmade journal

It's always the details that are so much more interesting it seems and can even be the beginnings of other ideas, who knows where they may lead...

It is so good to play and experiment x

Vintage album journal

Well finally, here it is, the photos of my completed journal using one of my old charity shop find albums. I have loved making this journal and plan to make some more to use and sell as well. Who doesn't like starting a new sketchbopk/journal? You've just got to remember not to be scared by that first blank page as well as the fact that this is your own personal place to experiment and play in. Nothing is wrong here, it's all experimentation and for your benefit. Who cares if no-one else likes it hey?!

all stitched and glued by my own fair hand

glorious spine!

worn corners that could probably tell a thousand tales. new pages waiting to be experimented upon

Now the fun of making the journal has started, it continues with 'playing' in it. So I'll be showing you the pages as I 'journal' so you can be nosey(!) and share in my play. Things will not be perfect and each page won't be a master piece, far from it. I love seeing what people are doing in their sketchbooks and journals, perhaps even more than seeing a 'finished' product/item.

Do you journal or use a sketchbook? if you've shared photos etc. on your blog, leave me a link in the comments and I'll drop by for a nosey!! x

Pink lemonade

One of the weekends I spent visiting my sister this year we tasted some lovely pink lemonade at Moksha. A cafe we have visited quite often for a drink and a sweet treat. I loved the idea of pink lemonade and so looked for a recipe to make my own at home. I've yet to try this (it may be something my sister and I make together, we love cooking/making in the kitchen with the radio on!); but here's the recipe if you'd like to try it yourself.

Ingredients.

300g caster sugar

1 1/2 lemons, sliced

1 orange, sliced

3x 170g/6oz punnets raspberries

ice and fresh mint to serve, optional

Place all the ingredients in a a large saucepan and pour over 350ml of cold water. Bring to the boil, stirring often, then leave to cool. Pour through a sieve, pressing down with a spoon to extract all the juices. The syrup can then be stored in the fridge for up to a week. To serve, pour a little into a glass and top up with sparkling or still water, ice and mint.

(Recipe courtesy of BBC Good Food).

Have you made pink lemonade before?

Renegade Craft Fair London

So, book and magazine in hand I set off on the train Sunday to London, to meet up with my sister to go to Renegade Craft Fair. It was fab! Full of inspiring people and their creative work. Lots to see and tempt the pocket!

Image courtesy of Renegade Craft Fair

There were so many talented and creative individuals to be seen. Here are a few purchases I made

earrings by Lovely Pigeon

print by Drew Morrison

necklace by Ladybird Likes

There were so many gorgeous things to buy but alas we could not buy everything! Here are a few other artists/crafters that we loved:

I am acrylic

Kayleigh O'Mara

Debbie Greenaway

Mellybee

The cat in the shoe

to name a few!

If you want to see all the artists and links to their websites then check out the Renegade Craft Fair site itself x

Paper garlands

I love garlands and enjoy making them as well. Way back when I was at art college I used to have a small washing line with inspiration pieces pegged to it, so to me a garland is almost an extension of that. Having something decorative strung about your space.

I've seen a lot of different people make simple paper circle garlands, so thought I would whip up a few myself.

old music paper + self patterned waxy paper + thread = pretty musical garlands. I think they work best when there are a few strings draped about together.
Have you made any?

Cucumber agua fresca

Making anything is rewarding, that feeling of having created something, achieving the goal that you set out to. So, beautiful cook book in hand (I'm a sucker for good photos!), page bookmarked, my sister and I decided that we wanted to have a go at making this lovely refreshing drink; which was to accompany the tasty chilli and slaw that we were having for tea (all homemade of course!) that weekend.

Ingredients.
4 English cucumbers
1/2 green chilli, finely chopped
juice of 5 limes
4 tablespoons agave syrup
1 litre of water
handful of mint leaves, plus extra to garnish
pinch of salt
Whiz all the ingredients in a blender; then strain through a fine sieve lined with muslin. Pour into glasses and serve with plenty of ice and mint!
(Recipe from Wahaca Mexican food at home by Thomasina Miers)
Now since making this drink - and it was v lovely indeed - I have actually located agave syrup on the sugar isle in the *big* supermarkets; we didn't have any this particular weekend and so substituted with maple syrup which actually worked fine. We also didn't have a fine sieve and had totally forgotten the muslin - so used a clean old pair of tights stretched over a colander!!! now there's creativeness in the kitchen for you, and two people determined to make these drinks! x

Handmade wedding ideas

I've been asked to help out with a friends wedding, contributing to the making of bits and pieces for it. It's going to be a lovely day (not until next year though, so plenty of time for the making!) and one which they are making very unique to them; which for me is how all weddings should be. So I am armed with a small list of 'makes' to do and am in fact making a few samples so she can see and choose the 'look' that she likes the best. (Next 'wedding meeting' is in November - samples to be complete by then!)

Image courtesy of Alice in Wedding Land

Image courtesy of The Creative Boom

Image courtesy of Green Wedding Shoes

I've even created a board on pinterest where I've been madly pinning away handmade and quirky items/ideas and creative individual elements that people have had at their weddings. It is such a big market these days - Weddings - that you are pretty much spoilt for choice as to ideas and items to achieve the perfect vision for your day.

Do you have any ideas or good resources for handmade weddings?

Where do you find inspiration?

I am looking forward to this week as I only have a 2 day week at the 'day job' (such joy!) and therefore I have finally been able to plan in a nice chunk of creative time for myself to play, experiment and just get back into things a bit more. It got me thinking as to where people look for inspiration or where they chance upon it without looking for it. It seems pretty limitless to me the places that people find inspiration.

I love finding mine in the natural environment around us, so many colours, textures and marks to be found. Inspiration can always be found hidden in the garden!

 

I love the colour combinations you can find, the shapes, patterns, lines and textures. I'm going to use the photos above for inspiration this week, using the shapes that I see, the colours, the lines, all evolving into something more abstract perhaps than a literal representation of what is seen.

So what fires your inspiration and creative imagination? Where do you look for it/find it?

Tea and cake

Brighton. Visiting my sister. Out having tea and cake. Purchasing new little friends - Pookis no less, Ernie and Norris from The Big Forest x