Friday, July 27, 2012

Sparkly, heart shaped biscuits ...


This is a easy recipe which I can guarantee the kids will love. Sparkly, heart shaped biscuits made my children happy as well as sequel with delight A real treat for when they have behaved nicely ;)


Iced Biscuits.

100g unsalted butter
100g golden caster sugar
1 large free range egg
275g plain flour (all purpose)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

400g icing sugar
3 - 4 tbsp water.
Edible glitter (optional)

Using your hand held electric whisk cream the sugar and butter together in a bowl until it starts to create peaks. After slowly beat in the egg until light and fluffy. Take the flour and gradually add along with the baking powder and salt. I find at this stage that it is best to blend in the dry ingredients with a spatula and then knead on a floured surface. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1cm. And then using a heart shaped cutter cut out the biscuits then transfer to a baking tray with baking paper. Bake the biscuits for just 10 - 12 minutes, until the biscuits are a light golden colour. Be careful though not to overcook the biscuits. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the icing, sift the icing sugar and stir in enough water to create a thickish paste. Add some to a pipe bag and carefully line the biscuits with a thin line of icing. Leave to dry and then adding a little more water to the paste make a thinner paste then  use this to cover the rest of the biscuit.

NOTE: for the adults I suggest that you brew some good quality coffee  to really enjoy these tasty biscuits at the end of a meal or even as a four o'clock treat !

Have a truly wonderful week. I will be absent this week as I am taking a well deserved rest. 

Love Chrissi x


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Wedding Wednesday ....

Flower girls. I have been thinking a lot about flower girls lately. Yes I am having some at our wedding next year, but the thing is I am struggling; struggling with the fact that I can't seem to find any nice dresses, why are they all so darn tacky ??

I've been on Oxford Street and Regent Street and in all the big shops here in London in an attempt to find something special for my girls, but there is nothing that just screams 'you gotta buy me, i'll look really cute and adorable'.  What I certainly don't want is a replica of the 'Big Fat Gypsy Wedding'. Lol...

I like airy and floaty dresses on girls. Chiffon is nice, satin is a big no no (for me anyway), lace is really adorable too.


(source: pinterest)

My next option is to start looking on etsy and other smaller, independent stores online which hopefully will offer something completely original yet sweet.

So I will let you all know if I discover any unique little boutiques !

Love Chrissi x

DO YOU KNOW OF ANY SWEET STORES ONLINE
PLEASE LET ME KNOW ? 

Monday, July 23, 2012

Inspiration Monday ...


Can I tell you a secret ?! Well actually there are two secrets ! Wow, I hear you say (or maybe not).


1. I am eating cake for breakfast with a nice cuppa tea. WHAT ! You heard me CAKE and it's freaking d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s ! Lol


2. My big secret, The Secret by Rhonda Bryne.



This book is remarkable and a real inspiration. I suggest that you get your hands on it and quick as it might just change not only the way you think, but your entire life. Now wouldn't that be fantastic ?!

It's a meditative book so there is a lot of time spent conjuring up happy and impressive images. The more you imagine your dreams coming true, and the more you believe and bring those dreams into your presence on both a physical and mental level, life will shift in just the right way to reveal all in front of your very eyes :)

Now don't think you can just sit back and daydream all day. You will have to put some effort into it, but if you work with a determined and positive attitude, believing you can do this or that, then you really will be able to.

Oh the powers of the mind ! 

Right now I am off out in the sunshine. Thank the Lord the sun has finally made it to the UK !! So yes I will be reading this book along with a good listen to Bliss on my mp3. HEAVEN !

Enjoy your Monday.

Love Chrissi x


Saturday, July 21, 2012

Home Inspiration ...

While I am happy with the way that our flat is turning out, I feel as if there is still a long way to go until I really feel at home and cosy with the space.

Pinterest provides me with a lot of inspiration.

Touches that I would like to make to our home are:

1. add a feature wall to the area behind our sofa. 

Make use of frames with pretty prints, like the one found here in the home of Crystal Gentilello.



2. Introduce more details to our rather plain (yet still beautiful) bathroom.

Purchase a fluffy bath mat, find a shower curtain similar to the colour of the curtains in this bathroom as well as get my hands on a silver waste bin (how cool is this bin?!). 


(source: dustjacketattic)


3. Add character to the chimney breast in our bedroom.

Source a wallpaper to add some interest in the bedroom. I love this pink floral paper, but a part of me thinks that my man won't appreciate it !


(source: homedit)

4. Make a headboard to protect the 'new' wallpaper to be.

This headboard is simply stunning. I love the fact that it is shiny, must be of velvet origin. I heart so much !


(source: pinterest)

5. I feel that our lounge floor requires a fluffy rug to snuggle up on in front of a nice roaring winter's fire, while sipping a glass of red wine from St Emilion oh heaven !

This smallish grey skin rug would certainly be ideal ! 


(source: homedit)


So those are the things that will keep me busy during the Summer holidays and no doubt well into Autumn. It's a tiring task sourcing stuff that fits exactly what you have in your minds eye, but in the end it is all well worth it.


I hope that you are all enjoying your weekend so far ? I feel much better after a fabulous lie-in this morning.


WHAT ARE YOU ALL UP TO ON THIS SUNNY WEEKEND?


Love Chrissi x

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Wedding Wednesday ... 


UPDATE: I chose my dress !



(source: cicilybridal)




Yes you heard right. Just over a week ago I headed back to my hometown and managed to leave with a wedding dress brought for our special day. Can you believe it ?! 

The little treasure trove located in the Midlands in a real must if you live in close proximity or rather i'd say travel a far to be surely stunned ! Cicily Bridal has so many gorgeous options; I am sure you will feel as overwhelmed and as excited as I was when trying on their dresses (yes i did do a happy little dance in the shop). Lol ...

I must say that the owner of the adorable boutique; Lisa, has impeccable taste when it comes to choosing dresses. There are a variety of fabulous choices to suit the needs of every bride.

I am sure this cute little place will have you glowing in no time !

NOTE: the above picture is not my dress, but it is one of the great choices they have to offer in their sale right now. So head on over there to check out the great deals ! 

What are you waiting for ?!

Love Chrissi x

Monday, July 16, 2012

Photo Shoot ... 




Yesterday I had a fun photo shoot with a friend who just so happens to be a great photographer; how lucky am I ! 

Whilst I am yet unable to share any of the photos that she took of me with you guys, today I would just like to apologise for my forthcoming absence. I am extremely tired and will need a couple of days to recover before I can get back into the swing of things with blogging.

I also want to learn how to edit photos properly to make them more pleasing to the eye for both myself and my readers. Hopefully, I'll learn that pretty soon and my blog might then start looking a little better ! 

I am so amateur at all of this ! 

Love Chrissi x


Thursday, July 12, 2012

Foody Friday (Wedding tasters) ...


I have been flicking through my pinterest boards and have noticed that my Wedding Board has really started to mount up. While this is a good thing I worry that perhaps I will later on forget about the stuff in there, despite their prettiness. Yes I am sad I choose foods because of their outward  appearance. Thing is though that's what makes me so special when it comes to organising parties; everything works well together, the food and the decoration.

So, as a result, I thought that it might be a good idea to start testing some of these recipes to see what works and what does not work, because seriously something really should taste as good as it looks otherwise it is so easy to be disappointed and that I do not want especially not at my wedding !

So in the upcoming weeks look forward to:

Bakers Royale - Valentine Cupcakes ...


(source: bakersroyale)

Sweet Heart Shaped Biscuits ...


(source: kariscooking)

White Chocolate Cupcakes ...


(source: notsohumble)


Signature Cocktails mojito, pimms and lemonade, lillet rose ...



These are but a few I have to test. But I need recipes and with it comes tasters too. So I will be inviting my friends around to taste a few of these so be prepared for those of you that live in London it might just be you - well lets hope ! Lol ...

DO YOU HAVE ANY COCKTAIL RECIPES YOU COULD SUGGEST ?! 

Love Chrissi x

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Wedding Wednesday ...


I feel so bad that while most brides are trying to lose weight to fit into their dream dresses I am working hard to put weight back on after being ill for quite sometime. I won't go into detail about this here because I don't feel you need to know, but what I can say is that I learnt a lot about health and losing weight over the years. 


(If you do want to hear about my previous battle then pop on over here).

Losing Weight - can be FUN !


And you don't have to sacrifice your social life at all. You just need to find a plan that's right for you !


For me I practice between 20 - 30 minutes of yoga a day and eat as wholesome as I possibly can. Oh yes I do have treats but I make them extra special and share them so I don't pig out! 


First things first though.


1. Take up a form of exercise.


a.  Yoga: it helps me to stay calm and relaxed as well ensuring that my body stays well toned.



(source: omshanti)


b. Hula-Hooping: apparently good for sliming the waist, hips and buttocks while toning the abdominal muscles.



(source: realsimple)


c. Skating: which is a fabulous aerobic workout that tones the lower body and leg muscles.



(source: tumblr)


d. Pole dancing: yes you read right ! Good for building upper body strength. It is also fantastic for confidence and will certainly boost your self esteem.



(source: pinterest)


These are just a few examples but there are a lot of different forms of exercise out there that can be fun and exciting and especially true if you do it with a close friend. My aunt loves Zumba with her friends and adores the buzz she gets from going to class each week.

So go on sign up for something different to get the rush !!

2. Juice. I am not just talking fresh fruit juices but also green juices. This is a great way to get your vitamin levels up and adding superfoods to these will help with your mineral levels also.

A couple of great recipes:

Green Smoothie.

2 cups of spinach
2 cups of frozen berries
2 bananas
1 cup of almond milk.

Spirulina Smoothie

1/2 teaspoon of spirulina
1 cup of spinach
1 banana
1 cup of strawberries
1/2 cup of oat milk



3. Eating healthy. Now I presume you got this one straight off, but don't let it put you off. Eating healthy doesn't mean that you have to miss out on all the nice foods that you enjoy, my only advice is that you eat fresh as much possible and by this I mean preparing your own food from scratch. No tv dinners and no take aways. Eat wholegrains, lots of fruit and vegetables, fish and lean meat. Whilst keeping red meat to a minimum and reduce the amount of cakes, crisps, candy and dairy in your diet. I don't suggest that you eliminate them entirely as that just leads to binging most of the time, but just make them a treat and if you crave sweet stuff or fatty foods just get more fruit in you and good fats like nuts and avocado. 


As a by product you will notice that your hair, skin and nails will start to shine and strengthen, your mind will become clearer and your suddenly find you have more energy !


4. Drink water. You should make sure that you drink plenty of water if you consume more fibre otherwise you may have problems going to the bathroom and you could cause your body to have intense intestinal cramps which believe me is really not nice (it can be very painful). 

And that's it ! If you want to make things tougher I could suggest more but I would recommend that you pop me an email and I can advise from there. Reason being is that I don't want to put lots into this post as it might put people off wanting to try these steps and then of course they miss out.


Too much is not a good thing, keep things simple and remember to make sure you exercise because you enjoy what you are doing otherwise it won't last long. And lastly prepare food with love and take a moment to be in the present.


ARE THEIR ANY LADIES OUT THERE THAT HAVE ANY OTHER TIPS FOR NEW BRIDES WANTING TO TONE UP ?

Love Chrissi x

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Inspirational Monday ...


(source: pinterest)

I have been thinking a lot about this lately. Without us knowing (or maybe some of us are aware) most individuals conform to what they believe so-called society expects of them. Why do they do this ? Because of the fear of being rejected and laughed at. My question is why would anyone want to do this to themselves when most of the time the outcome is similar to  depression ?

My advice is to be yourself. If you want to be different and original then so be it ! Stop caring too much what other people think of you. If you feel comfortable with the change and it makes your inner child smile and beam with joy then live that life. Believe me you will be better off for it and a whole lot happier !

This goes to brides and grooms as well. Your wedding day is YOURS and not your friends and families, so do what you feel happy doing and to a certain extent forget the rest !

Love Chrissi x

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Macaroons with raspberry Ice-cream ...


London is somewhat muggy as of late. Warmish but with awful unpredictable weather. Sitting solemnly and fed up with the likes of our so-called summer on a rainy Sunday morning I racked my brain for something that would keep me entertained for a wee while; Macaroons sprang to mind. 

With the Irresistible Macaroons recipe book collecting dust on my shelf I took it down and began to make macaroons but with a bit of a twist. Instead of using the usual filling I decided to try putting raspberry ice-cream on the inside. The result d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. Probably the best macaroon I have ever tried lol well maybe after Pierre Herme ! 

They were so fresh and sweet I was totally smitten by them. And wouldn't you agree they look just as good ?! The only downfall about making the macaroons was that they were time consuming but oh my goodness definitely worth it. 

The recipe I used was from the Irresistible Macaroons book which you can purchase here.

For the ice-cream I wanted to keep it nice and simple because I don't have an ice cream maker so I couldn't whip it properly. Boo hoo ! But alls well the blender worked just as well.


Homemade Raspberry Ice-cream.

400g Raspberries
400ml Condensed Milk
160ml Double Cream

Using a blender whiz up the raspberries to a juice. Don't worry about the seeds they add a nice crunch unless you would prefer to have the ice cream without them then strain the juice through a sieve then return to the blender and discard the seeds. Next add the condensed milk mix it all up and then lastly add the double cream and blend for the last time. Pour into a freezable tub and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours.

When the ice cream has frozen take it out and let it settle to room temperature for at least 5 minutes so that the ice cream is a little soft. Take a scoop and sandwich two half's of a macaroon together. Make a nice iced coffee or simply pour a glass of cold milk, sit back and enjoy !

I hope that you all have a truly wonderful weekend. I am off home to try on more wedding dresses wahoo !!

WHAT EXCITING THINGS DO YOU HAVE PLANNED ?

Love Chrissi x


Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Etsy for Wedding Decor ...


If you are looking for wedding decoration either on a budget or even wish to support individuals that want to make and sell their handmade goods then there is no better place to look than Etsy.com. There are some truly wonderful things on there.

You can find beautiful garlands:


(source: etsy)


(source: etsy)


(source: etsy)

Cute wedding cake toppers:


(source: etsy)


(source: etsy)


Wedding Signage to die for !


(source: etsy)


(source: etsy)


(source: etsy)


And there are also photo booth props to add a bit of interest and fun to a wedding:


(source: etsy)


(source: etsy)


I personally adore all especially the birdie cake topper; I would just buy these to have as ornaments in my home because I love them so much !

Of course there are many other things, but I can't list everything here. You can go as far and looking for an original wedding gown, rings, wedding favours, bridal accessories and much, much more. In fact the list is endless.

So if you are looking for something different, this is certainly the place to visit. 

Of course you could also use your imagination and source these in your wedding colours.

Have fun looking !

Love Chrissi x