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

Olympic Fever...

Ok, so the Olympics have finally arrived in Great Britain, and following Friday nights opening ceremony, I couldn't be more proud to be British.  The amazing music, the beautiful lights, colours and dancers, and the outstanding finale with the lighting of the olympic cauldron...every single part was a spectacle in itself, and completely quintessentially british!

I must say however, with all the excitement, my boyfriend Sam and I were a little disappointed that we missed out on tickets to the many events, through all our applications over the last few months...*major sad face* :(

So yesterday...As everyone crammed into central London to take their seats onlooking the various sports taking place, Sam and I headed for the Kent countryside with a blanket and picnic basket, to make the most of the little bit of sun we are currently being blessed with.  I couldn't quite resist keeping to the team GB colour coding though...and was rocking out my red, white and blue, in my gorgeous new summer skirt...

I paired the skirt with a plain white vest, and some subtle striped pumps...This was a complete bargain outfit...the skirt was a steal at just £5 from Primark, and the shoes I bought in the New Look sale for just £7.

It was a beautiful setting for a Summer picnic, and we had a lovely day chilling in the country whilst avoiding the hustle and bustle of London city centre!

How have you been supporting your teams so far in the Olympics? Do you have tickets to any of the games this year??

x ♥ x

White Chocolate Layer Cake...

Well, we have been so very lucky to have this short spell of warm summery weather in London this past week, and I for one have definitely been making the most of it, with BBQ's and trips to the beach.

My little sister Eleanor is a big lover of baking, and is slowly building up quite a repertoire of delicious yummy cakes, and last weekend was the best so far.  Together we made a gorgeous white chocolate cake to take to a Summer evening dinner party, and I thought I would share it with you...

White Chocolate Layer Cake

As the weather is doing it's best to hold out for us this weekend, with only a few light showers forecast, here's a delicious recipe for a gorgeous creamy white chocolate sponge.

To make yours, all you will need is:

225g Unsalted Butter 

225g Butter Milk

330g Plain Flour

450g Caster Sugar
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 tsp Cream of Tartar

4 tsp Vanilla Extract

6 Egg Whites

For the Filling and Topping:
75g Unsalted Butter, softend
350g White Chocolate
675g Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
750g Icing Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

And to Decorate:
50g White Chocolate, Grated to make small shavings
50g Milk Chocolate, Grated to make small shavings
A couple of Strawberries to garnish

Step 1.

Preheat your oven to gas 4 (180C/350F).  Grease and line 3 baking tins the same shape and size (you can always bake your cakes one at a time if you do not have 3 the same).
Sift the flour along with the bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl.

Step 2.

In a separate mixing bowl, soften the butter and then mix in 330g of the sugar until you reach a soft, fluffy consistency.  Add in the flour, a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk, mixing well continuously.  Add in the vanilla extract.

Step 3.

Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until foamy, add the cream of tartar, and whisk again until the mixture forms soft peaks.  Slowly mix in the remaining 120g of sugar until stiff.

Step 4.

Gradually fold your egg whites in with the rest of your cake mixture until all ingredients have combined.  Divide the mixture evenly between your 3 cake tins and place them on the middle shelf of your oven for 30-35 minutes.
Once cooked through, leave to cool for several minutes in tins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 5. 

To make your filling and topping, break up the chocolate and melt in a ban-marie over a pot of simmering water, remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.

Step 6.
Whisk in the cream cheese, vanilla extract, and butter into the melted chocolate (preferably with an electric whisk) until smooth.  Sift in the icing sugar and whisk again until smooth and thick.

Step 7.
Sandwich your 3 cakes together, layering a generous helping of your white chocolate filling between each sponge and then pur the remaining mixture over the top, spreading out to the edges.  Sprinkle over your grated white and milk chocolate shavings, and decorate with strawberries.

It's a real treat of a cake, so best saved for special occasions with all that chocolate goodness :)

The recipe was one that we adapted slightly from the 'Cake Decorating' Magazine collection, which is a fabulous little collection of recipe's, tricks and tips for baking, and with each edition they send you some lovely little tools and accessories to help with creating some delightful baked goodies.

To find out more about the 'Cake Decorating' magazine, or to subscribe, you can find all the information you need on their website which can be found here.

Good luck with yours, and Happy Baking!!!

x ♥ x

Flamingoing Mad...

As a lover of all things PINK, it's only natural that the Flamingo is one of my favourite animals.  So when I saw this shirtdress, I just had to have it...

I spotted it in Vero Moda about 3 months ago now, but at just under £40, it was still a little too steep for my budget, and I really had to restrain myself from buying it...but was sure to go and have a look every time I was in town, just to enjoy its beauty :) 

Luckily for me...I went in last week and the dress was on sale at just £15, and my boyfriend Sam treated me to it...now it's all mine...and this is how I wore it this weekend... 

Making the most of the sunny weekend we had...
Sitting in the garden in the sunshine!

 

I paired the dress with an old vintage satchel and a pair of pinky brogues with ankle socks...I loved the look and it made me feel really summery on our first real weekend of summer!

Since falling in love with this dress, I have slowly started to notice Flamingo prints everywhere...So for your Flamingo fix...here are some of my favourites...

As a lover of vibrant print, obviously I do favour the prints, however I do also feel that the statement flamingo graphic also works really well and can add a huge amount of impact to a statement piece!

Here's where you can find them...

1. Dorothy Perkins Print Midi Dress

2. Rachel Riley Halter Dress

3. Bold Print Lamp Shade 

4. Marks and Spencer Statement Swimsuit

5. Primark Funglasses

6. Next Print Shopper

7. River Island Jacket

What do you think of my favourite new addition to my wardrobe? and what prints are you all for at the moment? 

x ♥ x

Some More Nail Art...

As promised, I have tried out some more designs with my new nail polish of choice.  My fantastic Nail Art pens, which I have previously used here.  

(Please excuse the poor photo quality, I didn't have my camera with me and had to shoot these on my phone)

I thought I would go for a slightly more subtle design this time round as I have a job interview tomorrow, and feel an elegant design would look clean and smart and overall make a better impression on any prospective employers.
I started by cleaning my nails completely, and removing my cuticles. I filed down the tips so that all my nails were an even length.

Then, using my white fine tip Nail Art polish, I drew a white line along the top of each nail to give a professional looking french manicure design.  Once the tips had dried, I painted a clear top coat over the whole nail to give it a glossy coat.

I finished with a couple of gems on my thumb nails just to add that extra bit of sparkle.

I love the finished design, it looks professionally done, and was a really easy look to create, perfect for interview nails...not too in-your-face...yet smart and effective.

Get your Nail Art pens here and let me know how you get on.

x ♥ x

What a Result...

As many of you may know,  the Twee and Cakes Book all started as part of my Final Major Project for  my degree at university.  This morning (well last night) at exactly 8 minutes past midnight I received my final grade...and am very pleased to say that all my hard work has finally paid off and I've earned myself a rather agreeable 2:1.

This is the final collection of work I handed in, all branding the Twee and Cakes logo, including the finished book, and a portfolio of my favourite images.

This little sneak-peek shows the introduction page to my bunting making activity...one of my favourite pages in the book...it's bright and colourful and the photography is just beautiful.

I am still desperately trying to get the book published, and am hoping that soon enough, someone will love the look of the book, see that there's a huge gap in the market for something as unique as this, and want to make 1000's of them...until then...here's a sneaky look at some of the images that didn't make it into the book (Well, I don't want to give too much away do I?!)...

Let me know what you think, If you're a keen crafter like I am...maybe this is the type of craft book that's missing from your bookshelf!!

P.S. Make sure you're keeping an eye out on Tatty Tulip's blog...as she will be doing a review of the book shortly, and will be able to give you a real (unbiased) idea of what she thinks of the book.

x ♥ x

Experimenting with Nail Art...

I have one of the biggest collections of nail varnishes, and am a real sucker for a Barry M, every time they bring out a new shade...but, thanks to my very un-steady hands, I'm just not creative enough with my designs and can never get them to look how I want, even using the fine liner nail varnishes...So when I found these fantastic Nail Art pens, I thought I'd give them a go...

 

They work as a 3-in-1, with a standard brush to paint the whole nail, a small pot of gems to decorate, and a very fine pen like nib to draw and design on the nail...and I actually found them really easy to use...

I started by covering the whole nail with a mixture of my two chosen colours...

...And then drew on a relatively simple heart design for my first attempt...

I am really pleased with how they have turned out...they were very easy to use, even with my un-steady hands and have made me feel a lot more confident with trying out different designs with lots more colours!

The one bad thing I will say about them, is that the nail varnish itself isn't the best for covering the whole nail, so maybe use the pens with a different nail polish background...that way your pens will last longer too :)

There are tons of places to get these pens, but for the best variety, I would go directly to the brands website which can be found here!

How do you get on with designing your nails? Let me know if you have any more techniques for getting those perfect lines on your nails!

x ♥ x