Galaxy Chocolate Cupcakes

Hello everybody! 

Help! I've caught the Great British Bake Off fever! I have had no choice but to have some fun baking cupcakes this afternoon. I cannot bear another Wednesday evening watching the Bake Off drooling over all the yummy cakes, bread and cookies with nothing to eat for myself! 

After work I quickly popped into the supermarket and bought some ingredients before i came home to make some delicious vanilla and galaxy chocolate cupcakes. 

I wanted to make enough cupcakes to feed me and my families needs while watching the Bake Off, so I decided to make enough for 16 cakes. 

 

For this recipe you will need:

4oz of unsalted butter

4oz of self raising flour

4oz of  caster sugar

3 eggs

Vanilla extract 

Sharing (haha) bar of galaxy chocolate 200g

Pink shimmer sugar for the topping (optional, obviously)

How to make:

In a large mixing bowl, put in all the sugar and butter,

It is easier if you soften the butter before hand for mixing. I didn't use an electric mixer as i can't be bothered to wash all the little bits up, but it works just as well hand mixing or electric mixing. 

Mix well until the ingrediants are light and fluffy,

The mix will have gone lighter in colour and be easier to mix once ready

Add in one egg at a time after mixing with a little bit of the flour with each egg

Add in any remaining flour you have left. 

Add about a half a teaspoon of vanilla extract

Mix till all the ingreatiants are well blended 

 Lay out 16 cupcake/muffin cases on a baking tray. 

Add about 1 tablespoon of the mix to each cupcake. 

 Bake the cupcakes in the oven at 160  for a fan assisted oven or 180 for a 'normal' oven for 20-25 minutes. 

Your cupcake should now be golden brown, big and bouncy. 

You can test if your cupcakes are cooked by sticking a skewer into the center of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean, the cupcakes are ready! If not, put the cupcakes back in for 5 minutes at a time to ensure you don't burn them. 

For the topping:

Break up into squares and melt the galaxy chocolate  (if you don't like galaxy use dairy milk or any other chocolate) in a bowl over the hob. I do this by putting some water into a saucepan and putting a glass bowl with the chocoalte in over the top. Don't leave the chocolate alone as you don't want to burn it. Stir it occasionally while the chocoalte melts. 

Once the chocoalte has melted, teaspoon the chococlate onto the tops of the now cool cupcakes and spread to the edges. I added some pink shimmer glitter on the top too. You could add a cherry, or anything that takes your fancy to finish the cakes off. 

Now all there is left to do, is to enjoy eating your scrummy cakes!!

Alice 

xx

Wedding Ideas!

Hello everyone!

If you have read the title of this blog post, you may be thinking that i have some very exciting news..! Well, I'm pleased to say that you are right! I'm ENGAGED!! I am so very happy, I have all of the most wonderful feelings!

So, since I'm getting married and it's all I can think about, I thought I would share a a blog post on all the ideas I have had to maybe give a little wedding inspiration for others. And if you aren't getting married...well it's never to early to start planning!

So first things first, I would love to share with you my engagement ring! Of course the picture never does a beautiful ring justice but here it is!

 

Its a vintage preloved ring which meant that we got a lot of diamond for our money! I would so recommend getting preloved if your are looking for a ring. It comes with its own little story and journey, and its a nice feeling to think you are making it feel loved all over again! 

I think i am at a lovely stage of the wedding planning process. We have our venue booked and guest list almost sorted (phew!! worst.part.ever) so now i can focus on all the lovely little details like the table decorations, flowers, favours, etc, etc. I am sitting here smiling just thinking about it ! 

SO, here a are few ideas i have thought would make a wedding a little bit unique! 

1. Flat shoes for tired feet!

Every lady knows there is a constant battle between comfort and looking good. Do i wear the amazing high heel that makes my legs look never-ending ? Or do I go for the lower, I know I will last in these kind of shoes...?!
Well, i thought that it would be a pretty cool idea to give the ladies that decide on looks over comfort, the opportunity to relieve her aching feet for the evening.
So, i am going to have basket full of flip flops tied up in a cute little bow in the ladies bathroom. I think that it will make things a little more unique and i am sure i will be the best friend of lots of aching feet!

I managed to find a picture on Google of exactly the kind of thing I'm looking to do. I love the

 way this lady has labelled the basket 'Dancing Shoes'. I think i may have to steal that idea!

2. Homemade favours

When my sister and brother got married (obviously not together) they both had homemade favours and everybody enjoyed them so much, i knew it was that i wanted at my wedding. My sister had a brilliant idea of giving everyone a photo in a frame summing up the reason they are at the wedding. Whether it was just a lovely photo of the guest and the bride, or a big family photo, it was a really lovely touch and made it feel very personal. It is defiantly a gift the guests will keep! 

For the favours at my brother's wedding, they made homemade sloe gin in cute little bottles. It was amazing! They went and picked the sloe berries together and took a photo of themselves doing so which they stuck on the side of the bottle. It was so lovely and of course everyone remembered to take it home! And for the non drinkers or children, they filled the bottles with  small sweets.

The idea i have for my own wedding favour is homemade jam. I thought that i could get some lovely small jars and make a label up saying something like 'Spread the love' and 'Jam packed with love'. Here is a picture of what i am looking to do.

3. Wedding games

Weddings are long events so it is always great to have an activity that all the guests can get involved in. At my brothers wedding, they set up an adult treasure hunt in the garden to find various little bottles of alcohol. It was so much fun and people still talk about it now. If you didn't want to use alcohol , you could use sweets or little gifts :)

You could also have a little quiz all about the bride and groom after the wedding breakfast. People can work with their table and the winning team could have a free drink or you could buy a small gift already prepared.

So there are just a few of the ideas i have had to make wedding a little more unique. I am sure that as time goes on i will post more wedding themed posts! If you have any ideas that make a wedding that little bit more special, i would LOVE to hear it!!

Thanks for visiting :)

Alice 

xx

Zoella's Girl Online Book Review

Hello!



If you have seen my previous post, you will know that I have got Zoe Sugg's Girl Online Book. I've just finished reading it, and I loved it so much, I felt that I needed to give it a little review on here!

 

You know when you've read a good book when you start thinking about the characters in day to day life as if they are real people you know (after you've finished the book!) That's what I am like with Girl Online.

 

When I first got it, I have to admit I was a tiny bit unsure whether I was going to get on with it as I was under the impression it was aimed more at the teenager generation. However, the mature subject of writing about dealing with panic attacks and how Zoe has approached it was so refreshing! You can tell that she is writing it as someone who suffers from panic attacks herself as it was so accurate and didn't pretend to know what she was talking about.

 

It was great reading how Penny (the main character) grew throughout the book and seeing her journey to become a stronger woman. It really leaves you feeling empowered. There was just the right amount of friendship, romance and family life that made the book exciting, heart warming, motivating and relatable.

 

I am a true girly girl when it comes to books so I love reading a good romance and this story ticked that box, big time! It literally filled me with joy with a huge smile plastered over my face. I know this might sound a bit weird, but the book was just so satisfying! I didn't finish the book feeling like I needed more information, or that certain parts of the story needed more detail. It was exactly what I wanted and was able to shut the book feeling content and satisfied. I don't want to tell you the ending for those of you who haven't read it, but it was just right!

 

This book is a real page turner, the kind that keeps you up till past 2.00am desperate to find out more!

 

Have you read Girl Online? What are your thoughts?

Got any book recommendations for me?

 

Cheerio!

xx

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2015 to be Favourites

Hello!

 

I know the year has only just begun, but I thought I would share with you some of my for sure to be favourites of 2015 as I'm already loving them and it's only 6 days in! I haven't done a favourites post as yet, so it was really fun picking out bits and bobs that I am really enjoying at the moment. So without further ado, I present to you my to be 2015 favourites!

 

First up, I have the US TV series 'New Girl'. I absolutely love this programme. The only show I can liken it to is Friends, and I am obsessed with Friends: it's my all time favourite TV programme! New Girl never fails to make me laugh out loud and will always cheer me up. I am watching at least two episodes every night at the moment with my boyfriend which is a really nice thing to do together after a long day apart at work! Especially as it's winter and its nice to cosy up on the sofa. If you want to find a comedy that will not fail to make you laugh, this is the one for you! If you have seen it, isn't Schmidt just the best!?? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a necklace that I love wearing at the moment. I got it for Christmas so not entirely sure where it is from, but know you can get very similar ones in normal high street stores.  Its so simple it literally goes with anything and can glam up any plain outfit with the sparkly stones that line the circle. I don't usually wear gold, but thought that this looked so elegant I couldn't resist loving it. I am certain this will be a key piece of jewellery for me in 2015! 

 

 

 

 

Now although this isn't exactly a product you can buy, but I wanted to share it with you because its such a cute, thoughtful gift idea. For Christmas, my best friend made me a little keepsake of 52 reasons why we are best chummys. She wrote them on a deck of playing cards by sticking bits of paper over the middle of each card and binded them all together. This is something I will keep close to me throughout 2015 to flick through when I'm feeling a little sad. Its bound to cheer me right up!! This is a great idea to give to someone special that is thoughtful and low in cost!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up I have Bobbie Brown's Long-wear eye liner. I have been using this so much recently! Its gel based and is applied very easily with an eyeliner brush. It's so soft to apply and gives you great control if you wanted to a more detailed style. It lasts a really long time, and even longer if a primer base is applied. This is a product that I will always be reaching for in 2015!

 

 

 

 

Take That's album! Need I say more?? This is TT's first album since going as a three piece and I think they have never sounded better. Every single song is brilliant, with not one feeling like an "album filler". It has the perfect combination of upbeat and slower songs each one just as catchy. I could listen to it over and over again, which is why I am certain this is going to be a 2015 favourite!

 

 

 

 

Keeping with the music theme, I have the McBusted album on my list! Now, I'm not going to lie, I'm a McFly girl and always have been (a true GD some may say) which is why I love this album. Anything involving McFly will be on my favourites list and I'm excited to have it for 2015. I feel like I don't really need to explain why this album is great, just listen and the music will tell you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have another necklace that I am really loving at the moment and has made me favourites list. Just like the necklace before, it goes with everything and adds a touch of "coolness" (could I be any less cool saying that..?) to your outfit. It has a very long adjustable chain so you can wear it with so many different style tops/dresses. I feel like it won't really go out of fashion which is why I'm happy to have it as a 2015 to be favourites list! Plus Holly Willoughby has a very similar necklace and I love her!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I'm sure a lot of you have probably read this book, but OMG! Its just great! I literally stayed up till around 2.00am last night because I couldn't put it down. I am around 3/4 of the way through and can't wait till bed time so I can finish it! It has the perfect amount of romance and friendship in it making the book relatable, exciting and heart warming. I am so happy I have this book and I am sure I  will read it for the second time in 2015!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My final favourite to be of 2015 is my camera. Now I couldn't really take a picture of my camera because that would be a little bit difficult to do, so instead to represent my camera, I have a few pictures I have taken out my bedroom window. This year I wanted to take more pictures, so I think I've done well so far! Even if we are only 6 days in...hope you like them! (Spot the only star in the sky!)

 

 

 

Links to products:

Top Shop Double Coin necklace  

New Girl series 1-3

Zoella's Girl Online

Mcbusted album

Take That album

Bobbie Brown eyeliner

 

Have you got any for sure to be 2015 favourites?

 

 

Cheerio

x

Hello 2015!

Hello!

I can't believe its 2015! (the year 'Back to the Future' went to the future!) Other than the fact I've started my new year with a rotten cold and I sit here not being able to get any air up my nose, I feel that this year is going to be a good one - I love writing the number 5!  Its been a little while since I last updated my blog and a lot has happened since then. My brother got married and had the most beautiful wedding ever and I started a new job, so i've been pretty busy!

I thought that I would start the year as I mean to go on, so a blog update was the way forward! Of course the main topic around at the moment is new year resolutions! There is something about the whole new years resolutions thing that feels very temporary. You set yourself all these great new goals with all the best intensions that the majority of the time will fade away after the first 2/3 months. I have a theory that its because we put ourselves under too much pressure with them, and they begin to almost feel like homework.

This year, I wanted to set myself a new years resolution of taking more photos (I got a new camera for Christmas) and investing more time on my little corner of the internet that I like to call my blog. But I felt like if I did this, it would start to feel more like a chore than anything else. So I've decided to call it 'My New Hobbies of 2015 that I Will Not Feel Guilty if I Don't Do Every Week'. It might just be a tiny bit of a long title, but i'd prefer not to categorise it with the same new years resolution chore of 'I will eat not chocolate this year!' (which is the most impossible task) and puts a little less pressure on me!

So hopefully if my plan works, you will be seeing my little blog updated more often with some pretty pictures I have taken with my camera! And if that doesn't happen, I wont feel guilty because I have categorised it under a great, but very long, title!

Other hobbies/challenges that I would like to do this year are:

Read more books

Eat healthy

Go to Disneyland

Go on holiday

Watch the complete 'Gossip Girl' boxset

Be more understanding

Worry less

Make the most of my weekends

Go to the cinema more

Go on more walks

Take my camera with me everywhere (its always the moments when you don't have your camera that the best photo opportunities arise)

Have you got any new 2015 hobbies that you would like to start? How do you find keeping to your new years resolutions? Got any tips?

Cheerio! x

Spookily Easy Pumpkin Carving

Hello!

With the autumnal season in full swing it means only one thing: Halloween! Although I have never really celebrated Halloween, when the shops are filled with bundles of pumpkins, I can never resist buying a few to have some carving fun. 

I have always been envious of the people who are masters in the art of carving pumpkins producing elaborate designs, while I am creating the standard triangular eyed, zig-zag mouthed monster that never ends up looking remotely scary. So this year I decided to be a little bit clever (some may say cheat) and see if I could use a template to carve my pumpkin. Believe it or not it actually worked, so I would like to show you how I did it so that we can all be masters of pumpkin carving, if you aren't already one... 

This is what I needed to be able to carve my pumpkin. As you can see I managed to find a cat themed template! Just wonderful!

Before I start to cut my pumpkin, I will always draw a circle around the top as a guideline for the hole that allows you to gut the pumpkin. Its so much easier than doing it free hand and brilliant for us perfectionists! 

 

 

This is the worst part of the pumpkin carving for me! I hate the smell, texture and mess it makes! Plus is pretty hard work scraping all the flesh from the edges (this sounds awful!) 

 Once you have got past getting all the insides of the pumpkin out, you will be able to stand back and receive lots of satisfaction from creating a lovely clean pumpkin! And now the fun part begins! 

When I went on the Internet, I was surprised at how many templates for pumpkins there are! You will literally have hundreds of great free designs to choose from to be able to impress all your friends and family!

 This part is a little fiddly and is easier if you have another pair of hands to help with sticking the template to the side of your pumpkin. To stick my template I just used sellotape and a lot of patience.

 

Once you have your template in place, you need to score the pumpkin with a knife around the guidelines. You dont need to worry about pushing your knife all the way through at this stage as you will be able to take the template off the pumpkin after and see the lines you have created with the kinfe. Once you have done that, you can push the knife all the way through, cutting your design out and leaving you will a beautiful, detalied pumpkin! No more boring pumpkins!

Here is the finished result of my pumpkin. I am actually very happy with it! 

Although I don't have a halloween party to show this off, I think it makes a really cute candle holder perfect for autumn and dark evenings. 

Have fun craving your pumkins! 

Cheerio!

x

London and Handmade Goodies

Hello!

A couple of weeks ago I went along to my sister in law's (to be) hen party in London. I love the hussle and bussle of London, there is always something going on around every corner. One minute you are in the mist of all the west end theatre shows and overly cool bars, and the next you are slap bang in the middle of China! (Chinatown counts right!?)  But I have to say, I do prefer the more laid back lifestyle of Kent with both the sea and countryside on your doorstep. Plus it means that going to places like London can always feel a bit special.

On our hen adventure, we stopped off at a very cute craft workshop where we all made a very cute sock animals (yes I said sock!) I was a little terrified at the thought of having to create something that involved sewing, but it was much easier than I expected! The whole creation only included one sock, a little felt for eyes and ears and nose, some thread and of course stuffing! It was so simple that I am thinking about creating more sock based animals.

Unsurprisingly, I decided to make a cat and this is my attempt. Its not perfect, and i like to think that its not meant to be. It has that handmade feel about it! I think they are so cute, and if I do decided to  make more, they could be given as gifts for little ones! They are super soft and would look just adorable cuddled up in a pram with a baby! 

When we arrived at the craft workshop, it had been set up so cute, with quirky tea cups and glorious centre pieces that held a selection of scrummy cakes;I just had to take a picture of it before we ruined it while creating our masterpieces. 

Going on a craft workshop as part of hen party is an activity i would definitely recommend! Hen parties often mean you don't know everyone in the group, so doing an activity like this really breaks the ice. It also gets you ready for your night out so you can really let loose and enjoy yourself!

Keeping with the handmade theme, at the weekend my sister and I went to an amazing paint your own pottery coffee house. I have been to paint your own pottery a few times and absolutely loved it so i knew that this would be right up my street. It provides you with hours of fun, literally! We spent a good 2 hours deciding what our pottery design would be. We had both chosen to paint plates, and since the Christmas season is just around the corner, we decided to put the two togehter and make Christmas plates! There was so much to choose from! From the paint colours, to stencils we could use. We opted to use stenclis because the thought of doing the whole design freehand was far too stressful!

What makes this better, is that it only cost £8.50 per person. In total we stayed for around 4 hours and was well worth the money! Below are the finished products, and I have to say I am pretty impressed!

While we were blissfully painting away, we were brought tea and cake, which made the experience 10 times more exciting. It was a perfect way to spend a weekend with my sister! Have you ever been to a craft workshop or paint your own pottery? Isn't it amazing!? 

Cheerio! 

x