Snowflakes in my hair.

Posted on February 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

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I love snow in the way only someone born in a sunny and humid climate can. I spent most of Saturday looking out the window anxiously, in the manner of a host waiting for an expected guest to arrive for a dinner party.

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{I took this from my kitchen window on Saturday night – that’s how excited I was. You get the idea.}

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really not keen on the cold months. But if there is fluffy, or even sludgy, white stuff on the ground, the cold endless grey of London’s Winter doesn’t seem quite so bad.

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Hello Mr Snowman.

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There’s the Mr at London Fields, clearly not dressed for the cold. No hat, no  gloves, and slip sliding around in his desert boots. I’m just as bad with the shoes, each year when it snows I have a total footwear dilemma.

It has been a very mild Winter so far, and I had convinced myself it would be Spring in no time. Judging by the weather forecast, I think it may be time to fork out for some Hunters…

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There really is nothing better on a snowy day than a brisk walk, a trip to the pub with friends, and a snowball fight.

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x C

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Posted in Rambles, Places to visit, Bits and pieces, East London

Tagged snow; east london, london fields, snowball fight, endless grey, mild winter, snowy day, desert boots

Sunday bake off: When I made a vegan wedding cake…

Posted on February 4, 2012 | 2 Comments

I will never understand people who say they don’t really like cake. I mean, really? What is not to like about gooey, sticky, double-chocolate fudge cake? Or light-as-air sponge cake dripping with passion fruit icing, layered with jam and cream?

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But then again, maybe it’s just me. Cake. I love cake. I think I like baking cakes even more than I like eating them. Now that the other half and I live on our own I have more space to bake. Away from the busy kitchen of my previous flat, filled with gin-drinking and wine-drinking, chatting, fabulous girls. Cakes are being baked far more frequently. I have space for several types of flour. And sugars. My Kitchenaid mixer is not packed away in its box and now has a permanent spot on the bench. Baking is good for the soul (if not so good for the hips).

It’s not even the taste that does it for me (don’t get me wrong I’ll always have at least one slice) – it’s the visual feast of cakes that I enjoy the most. Icing, berries, cream, little people toppers, mini bunting and then flowers on top. And cake plates and cake stands (which I don’t love as much as my sister but I still have more than I need). Then there’s cake forks and cake tins… I won’t go on. You see, I just really like cakes.

My old friends Louise and Dan got hitched at the end of last year in a lovely low key ceremony at Islington Town Hall. Guess who had volunteered to bake the wedding cake? Yip, me. (I took care of hair flowers and button holes too but that’s for another day).

I didn’t want a structured, iced to strict perfection wedding cakes like these. No, I like cakes to look baked, and although it sounds cheesey, that they have been baked with love. Not carved from polystyrene.

It was a very busy week and I hadn’t had enough time for a trial run. To make matters more complicated, several of the guests (and my best buddies) are vegan. So no cream, eggs or butter could be included. I’ve made quite a few vegan cakes before, but I wanted something special. Then I was told about this recipe for Raspberry Blackout cake. I adapted it slightly and baked it in two different circular cake tins so I could create tiers. The final touch was just lashings of vanilla icing and fresh raspberries.

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That’s me above putting on the finishing touches at their house after transporting it in pieces by taxi. Topped off with baby bunting I made earlier. And I’m pretty pleased to say not even crumb was left the next day.

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Image 1: Sweet Dee Design on Etsy
Image 2 & 4 by Luke
Image 3, iPhone pic by me.

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Posted in Baking, Cake, Food, Making stuff, Rambles, Sunday bake off

Tagged Baking, Cake, vegan, weddings

Oh hello there Winter…

Posted on February 1, 2012 | 2 Comments

…I was hoping you’d passed us by. Like everyone else in the UK, I’d been lulled into a false sense of security that Spring was on its way and that I’d be lolling in the garden sipping gin in no time. Sadly, I’ve had to dig out the mittens and wool tights again to keep away Jack Frost.

Despite the chill, I’ve been keeping myself motived to walk the four miles to work in the morning by trying out my new Christmas camera on the way, snapping whatever catches my eye and hopefully walking off the winter waistline in the process.

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Everyday I walk past Violet cakes with a heavy heart, knowing that I can’t just pop in for coffee and a slice of ginger and molasses cake (truly the best cake I have ever eaten and yes I would have it for breakfast). But how cosy does the little cafe look in this pic? Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

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This yellow beauty caught my eye as the ticket inspector checked its frosty windscreen. It’s such a daffodil yellow, and looks so cheerful (even with a thick layer of ice covering it).

I’m trying to take a couple of pics each morning, as I don’t have much time to spare (no time for dawdling otherwise I, a. get cold and b. am late to work). I’ll try and share them on here. I really appreciate the morning walk – it’s better than sitting on a crowded bus, surrounded by commuters, with coughs and runny noses, talking loudly on their mobile phones.

Fingers crossed I’ll get to take some snowy pics before this cold snap passes!

xxx C

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Posted in Rambles, Food, Places to visit, Bits and pieces

Tagged winter, photography, violet cakes, Wilton Way, walking, commuting, East London

Bits and pieces

Posted on January 29, 2012 | 3 Comments

A few things that are helping me chase away the January blues:

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1. Eating cake and buying ribbons at the lovely Ray Stitch on Essex Road. I really need to find a permanent home for my sewing machine.

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2. Reading about the gorgeous Alexa, while in bed with a cold.

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3. Listening to this guy, after seeing him play a smashing show at the Hackney Empire last Wednesday. (Sorry about the rubbish iPhone pic – it was dark).

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4. This is Mr Ukulele’s bike. I’m spending my days looking at lady bike’s on eBay, and hoping the perfect one will crop up just for me. It’s time I replaced my old one.

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5. Eating fancy mushrooms from Sporeboys at Broadway market. Reading and making yummy stews and soups my Christmas present cookbooks, this and this.

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6. Loving our new old writing bureau. It was old and scummy when we bought it from a nearby charity shop. It looks much better with several licks of paint. It’s nice to have another place to sit as sometimes we’re fighting for desk space. And it doubles as drawers in the bedroom, which we had been annoyingly living without.

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7. And which also doubles a sort-of dressing table for my pretty things. I’ll share a before and after of the bureau on here soon.

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8. Dreaming of drinking Blood Orange Gin Sparklers in my garden, when Spring has sprung.

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9. Being addicted to Instagram. Completely, utterly addicted actually.  You can find me by looking for @theteapotexplodes.

 

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10. And finally planning a city break to Paris in March. The Eurostar is super cheap this month and it’s a couple of years (far far too long) since I last went to the city of Serge Gainsbourg and Chanel. This was a tea party my sister and I had at the apartment we stayed in on my last visit. I’ve been looking up new places to go, away from the usual tourist trappings – any suggestions?

xxx

Pics all by me, except 4. by Luke and 8. from 101 Cookbooks.

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Posted in Bits and pieces, Food, Music, Rambles, Sewing, Thrifting

Tagged Bikes, Bonnie Prince Billy, fancy mushrooms, food, serge gainsbourg, writing bureau

It’s been a while…

Posted on September 15, 2011 | 1 Comment

Sometimes life just gets in the way of, well, all the good stuff. That and perhaps moving flats and starting a new job in the same week wasn’t such a bright idea. Without any time off work. Argh.

Aside from that, it’s only taken nearly two months since moving in to get the internets sorted as the previous sods who lived here didn’t pay their bills. But nothing to whinge about, our new flat rules so I thought I’d share a few pics now we’ve rediscovered all our stuff that has been hiding in boxes…

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The smallest tambourine

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China and books are battling for shelf space

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The ukes all lined up

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Much wine has been drunk whilst unpacking and arranging

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We've even managed to clear the garden and grow some greens

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Finding homes for all our things

There have been moments where I’ve felt like I’m drowning in a sea of forms over the last few months but hopefully, it’ll all be worth it. And as for the new job, it’s pretty good, incredibly busy and the people are great. That and apparently I’m a much nicer person now I don’t commute and get up at stupid-o’clock everyday. It’s amazing what an extra couple of hours of sleep does for your relationship/complexion/disposition.  How do you cope with moving/changing jobs and times of endless chaos?

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Posted in Rambles

Tagged changing jobs, home, moving, shelf space, starting a new job

Today I’m besotted with…

Posted on June 1, 2011 | 4 Comments

…this ASOS Salon prom dress in gem floral print. Oh the swishing one could do on the dance floor in that. Gorgeous.

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Photo: ASOS

ASOS have just added a few new frocks (want them all) to their Salon collection which launched earlier in the year.  And I have a bit of thing for brown floral at the moment and recently wore a Liberty lawn-esque (not sure if it actually is or not) dress of my mother’s from the 70′s to a wedding recently. The pussy bow and knee-length style is still just as fabulous as it was when she wore.  Thanks mum for keeping your dresses!

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Posted in Fabric, Fashion, Frock of the week, Frocks, Today I'm besotted with

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