Give it a Go...

The lovely Amanda over at 'Tatty Tulip' has been working hard on some of the activities from my Twee and Cakes book...This week she has been trying her hand at cake baking and has made the 'Easter Indulgance' cake...To see how she got on and for her views on the recipe, take a look at the blog post which can be found here.

x ♥ x

Have a Little National Trust...

This year my boyfriend Sam and I have taken out National Trust memberships...they're great, at just £25 for under 25's for an annual pass or £53 for over 25's, this gets you into countless properties across the UK, which can often cost up to £11 and sometimes more for a single entry.  

National Trust Properties are great for family days out in the sunshine, and with many being surrounded by beautiful grounds, they can make such calming and peaceful settings for summer picnics.  Since joining at the beginning of the rather questionable Summer we have experienced here in the UK, Sam and I have managed to really make the most of our memberships, and had plenty of days out, even if it was just for the enjoyment of having a picnic without the fear of having a football kicked swiftly in our direction, as is often the case when picnicking in our local park.

National Trust is not just for the Summer....Many properties and grounds hold special events for Halloween and Christmas and will always put on activities over the school holidays for children, families, and the young at heart.

For more information and to sign up for your membership for the coming year, visit their website Here.

I must admit however, my favourite part from every visit, has been the obligatory visit to the Gift Shop, and during the recent end-of-summer-sales, I am really happy with the few bits I have picked up...

This set of 3 vintage style cake tins I just had to have...I love to bake (as you may know by now) and I aslo love anything that looks like it has survived a good few years of wear and tear.  At just £11 down from £22 = absolute bargain!!!

This adorable duckling doorstop is something I have had my eye on for quite sometime this year, but have been holding off from buying...until I saw it at £17.50 in the sale, and I just couldn't help myself....I have named her Penelope, and she has taken pride of place sat by our living room door!

You can find yours online here.

To shop National Trust...take a flick though their website here.

x ♥ x

Hunt for a Mascot...

If your missing the excitement of 'Olympic Fever' and can't quite hold out for the start of the Paralympics next week, why not this weekend for some cheap fun in London with the family, take a stroll around town in search of Wenlock and Mandeville, our much loved Olympic Mascots!  Here's the ones I found while out and about in town this last weekend...

For your guide and Map on where to find these decorative characters, visit the Mayor of London Website.

Happy Hunting

x ♥ x

Testing the Waters...

As a real scrimper when it comes to, well, anything and everything really, I do LOVE a good bargain, and even more, I love free-bees!  So when I found out about 'Whats in My Handbag' I was very excited indeed!! The website offers multiple opportunities to trial all sorts of hair, make-up and beauty products completely free of charge, so I signed myself up.  The first of my little pressies arrived in the post the other day, and it came in the shape of Yves Saint Laurent 'Shocking' false effect mascara...

The Mascara went on really well, and I am really pleased with the effect it gives your eyelashes.  I do have very thin bottom lashes, and found that as the mascara was such good quality, it went on a little too heavy, maybe it needs a little brushing down with a clean mascara brush after, just to tone it down that little bit.  Close up they do look a little clumpy, but as I have such thin lashes, I need to build up my mascara on them in this way, so that from a distance they can make an impact.

Be sure to sign up for your free trials here and let me know what goodies you receive.

x ♥ x

American Slaw...

Following on from my post on Wednesday this week, yesterday I was still feeling a little down at just the general idea that this year, I will NOT be spending the next two months travelling around America...So to cheer myself and Sam up, last night we decided to have an American feast night!!

Food was such a HUGE part of our travels, and oh my god...In America they know how to serve up a good meal. 

 My boyfriend Sam unfortunately suffers from a number of food allergies (among others), and this really limits us to where we can eat when we're eating out in the UK...We found that at first, we stuck to the mainstream chains, and visited a lot of Hard Rock and Rainforest Cafes, but we were made to feel so safe with the food and service we received, we found ourselves becoming more and more comfortable with the idea of branching out and trying local, smaller restaurants, which was lovely to be able to do.

One food that featured with almost every meal we had, was a large helping of Slaw (coleslaw to us brits) on the side of every dish...So with our American feast, we decided to make an attempt at making our own...and here's how we did it...

American Slaw

All you we need for yours:

3 medium sized Carrots

1/2 White Cabbage

1 large White Onion

4 heaped tbsp Mayonaise

1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar

1 tbsp Wholegrain Mustard

Handfull of Dried Cranberries

Salt and Pepper to taste

(obviously this isn't a traditional American Slaw recipe, but we did the best we could with the ingredients we could get our hands on in the UK - and it tasted spot on!)

Step 1.

Start by peeling and thickly grating the carrots and onion, thinly slice the cabbage, and mix together in a large mixing bowl.

Step 2.

Salt and Pepper the vegetables and mix together.  Pour in the white wine vinegar and using your fingers, mix in with the mayonaise, and mustard. 

Step 3.

Finish with a sprinkling of cranberries, to add that extra sweetness to your slaw!

Served up on the side of a half rack of BBQ ribs, BBQ chicken wings, battered onion rings, and potato wedges...YUM!

What reminds you of your favourite holidays?  and to my American readers...what do you think of our recipe? Let me know if you have any suggestions of other great US recipe tricks :)

x ♥ x

A Trip to Remember Forever...

I'm feeling a little sorry for myself today...As exactly one year ago today, my boyfriend Sam and I were  somewhere across the Atlantic Ocean, flying into Washington DC for the start of the trip of a lifetime where we spent 2 months on a road trip travelling down the east coast of the US...and I'm so wishing we were back there right now ready to do it all again!

Instead, I have the next best thing...I thought I could share with you, my loyal readers, some of the amazing memories we made on our trip...
Starting with a map showing you the route we took and all the beautiful places we visited...

We saw so many different things during our trip, each place we visited was so different and so special in it's own right, I LOVED Atlantic City, it was such a fun place to be with a real buzz, and on the other hand, Savannah was definitely the most beautiful of all our stops...but of course my favourite of all was Disney World...need I say more?!

As a first timer to the states, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect...I loved every single part of it, from the places to the food, to the people...it was amazing and I can't wait to go back...SOON!

Until then, here's a small snippet of the 1000's of photographs we took during our trip away...

Sam at the White House

The 'Love' sign in Philly

Playing mini golf in Atlantic City

The pier in Wildwood

On the ferry heading to Ocean City

The 'carcycle' in Virginia Beach

On the lazy river at our hotel in
Myrtle Beach

On the beach on Hilton Head Island

The steeple from Forest Gump in
Savannah

Sam in the pool at our hotel in
Jacksonville

Playing some more mini golf in
Daytona Beach

Sam getting drenched at Busch
Gardens

The view from our room in Universal

The parade at Animal Kingdom in
Disney

At the pool in Singer Island

My crab legs at Hooters in
Fort Lauderdale

At the pool at our last stop in Miami

In total we drove 1798 miles in 7 weeks...This took us through 10 different states of America, and some of the most extraordinary places and sights we could possibly imagine.  We stayed in 17 different places, from scary roadside motels in 1950's style seaside towns, to gorgeous beach front apartments in southern Florida, with each place bringing new and exciting adventures to our travels...Each part of this trip was utterly magical and something we will remember forever!

To make sure I can keep the memories of this trip safe, I glued every leaflet, ticket, room key card, postcard, and even our mini golf score cards we picked up along the way into this scrapbook,  and I think I'll spend the afternoon having a flick through these memories, reminding myself of how lucky I am to have such an amazing boyfriend to take me to all these beautiful places...maybe that will cheer me up a little :)

What special trips have you been on this year? Have you been to any of the places we visited? What do you think of them??

x ♥ x