Thrifty But Glam

Now it isn't exactly a secret that I have a love for Alice in Wonderland , and seeing as it is my shops most popular item, it would appear I am not the only one! After several hours of painstakingly detailed digital colouring I have managed to create this; I know I'm biased, but I absolutely love it!  I have a feeling that it will be the first of many in this series :) Here are the other Alice in Wonderland items in my shop; To celebrate the launch of our latest Alice in Wonderland print , I decided to create a treasury filled with beautiful handmade Alice in Wonderland items from other Etsy sellers, it can be found here .

Wimbledon may be over, but the nations love for Strawberries and Cream is still running high!  These gorgeous cupcakes contain the two most loved Summer ingredients and have a secret jammy surprise - easy to make and sure to go down a storm! Ingredients - Makes 12 Cupcakes 115g Caster Sugar 115g Self Raising Flour 115g Margarine (or butter) 2 Medium Eggs 1.5 teaspoons vanilla essence Strawberry Jam 284ml Double or Whipping Cream 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 50g Sieved Icing Sugar 6 Strawberries to decorate Equipment Apple Corer Syringe / Plunger Icing Set 12 Cupcake Wrappers Ice Cream Scoop Electric Whisk Metal Cupcake Tin Scales Sieve Wooden Spoon Mixing Bowl Directions Preheat the oven to 170 °  celsius In a bowl measure out 115g margarine - this should be at room temperature.  If like me you've forgotten to take it out of the fridge early, nuke the measured amount in the microwave (high setting) for 10 seco...

I have made several refferences to Bridget Jones on my blog.  As regular readers will know, I often think of myself as the Bridget Jones of the Infertility World. Where Bridget can look at any food item and tell you how many calories it contains, I can tell you whether it has a neutral, positive or negative effect of fertility and whether it should be consumed pre or post ovulation.  Bridget has a flat strewn with relationship and self help books, mine is littered with books on fertility and various guides to achieving the (seemingly impossible) goal of a baby.  While Bridget battles an increasing deluge of friends becoming Smug Marrieds, I'm beginning to despair as my friends become Smug Mothers. Bridget wasn't created for my generation - in-fact if Bridget was an actual person, she would only be a year younger than my Mother!  When she was first 'born' I was only 10 - men, booze and fags were probably the furthest thing from my mind ;) I am rather abashed to adm...

Apologies to regular readers, I know I have been somewhat lax recently but I have a really good reason - no really it is a good one! We have the first craft fair of the Summer lined up for this weekend (Sunday 7th July) and in a bid to not be running around like a loon at the last minute under-prepared, I have been snowed under with making and assembly for the last few weeks. In my head it would be easy; grab some shop stock, cobble together some signs and I would be ready.  Sadly this was not the case, two weeks later and I am still spending every waking moment rushing about.  What I predict will take just an hour or two seems to be stretching into 4 or 5!  I have learnt that I grossly miscalculate time predictions, thank goodness I started well in advance. So here is a photo of our first mock set up - proof that I have indeed been busy! There are about 14 papercuts that have been made just for this show - along with a dozen or so ones that will be sold unf...