Thrifty But Glam

So a few weeks ago I stumbled across glitter wine glasses and mugs (read my diy here ) I have been wanting to transform a wine glass since I spotted the original pinterest posts, but didn't want to do the stereotypical covered wine glass. The Wizard of Oz is one of my favourite films, and after posting about it on my shop page  I realized that I wasn't alone.  When I posted our latest paper cut , things went a bit crazy! Inspired by the obvious interest, I went back to pinterest and found this I was smitten!  I had found a wine glass design that would do my new craft justice! So following the same steps as the mug tutorial, I covered stem and base in ruby red glitter, and used my silhouette cameo to add a Dorothy vinyl decal and an adorable gingham bow.  I am so in love with the results! <3 Depending on how well my facebook fans receive the pics, I am hoping to do a glass for each of the main characters!  I can'...

So I made a vow this year to do more crafts that were for me, rather than geared towards selling in the shop.  When I cam across this picture on pinterest, my heart literally swooned <3 courtesy of whitehouseblackshutters blog It is pointless, something only a gal would understand, but I needed one! The blog mentions that in order to make the glitter mug dishwasher safe, you need to use Martha Stewart Decoupage glue - what followed was an epic weekend long search to find a supplier in the UK I was frustrated beyond belief, and about to bite the bullet and import it from the US (to hell with the import tax, I NEEDED it!) when I stumbled across a site called emerald crafts  and they had one bottle left in stock.  It was mine! So once it arrived, I gathered up all my supplies and set to work! Rubbing Alcohol / Surgical Spirit Mug Masking Tape Brush Glitter Rub down your mug with the surgical spirit and make sure it is dry before ap...

So I was bought this awesome Christmas present by my little sister I was genuinely touched, not only did she put a lot of thought into it, but the actual nail polish colours are beautiful! I've never heard of the brand creative colour before, and was quite intrigued to try it out. I am impressed!  The pigment colour was fantastic and it was really easy to apply.  The picture above is metallic blue layered with black and silver glitter.  Unlike most metallic colours, the blue only needed one coat!  Admittedly if I wasn't layering with the glitter I may have done two coats as when I held my nails up to the light it was a little patchy in places. The brush was standard, no frills, but easy to use.  My only complaints were that the glitter varnish got quite gloopy towards the end of my second hand (the bottle was open for less than 8 minutes), and the thin layers took forever to dry!  Seriously I was having to wait between 10-15 minutes unt...

If you haven't read it yet, I would recommend that you seek out part one of the review, that can be found here . Firstly the more observant of you will notice that this post is almost 7 months late!  In fact I thought my hopes of a follow up were dashed when I accidentally manged to delete all the photographs I had taken for part two.  If it wasn't for a reader asking about the follow up, it may have never made it into print!  Now waffling aside, I must make an apology.  As the original photographs are lost forever, I have had to scour my facebook page for photographs that were taken around about the time I did the second application and some more recent photographs for you to compare with.  These photographs are not the best, but they should help highlight the subtle changes in shade. I should start by saying that I was thoroughly unimpressed with the second application.  My hair was only slightly lighter and despite rinsing for almost an hour, it da...

I would like to wish all my readers a very Happy New Year! :) This week I have been getting really excited about the prospect of new starts, of saying goodbye to the old and a big HELLO to the new, and of putting the past behind me! It is no secret that 2013 was not a good year for me and my family.  We had a family bereavement, a failed business, hospitalization, severe ill health, finance worries and another year of us not realizing our dream of Parenthood.  In fact, to sum up 2013 in one word, it would have to be; dire. However for all the bad things that have happened, I count my blessings for all that I do have.  I always try to learn from my mistakes, and I genuinely feel that for all the struggles I am a better person. So this year will hopefully see me taking a more relaxed approach to life - I'm not superwoman and it's about time I stopped trying to become her. 2014 is the year to make memories - to stop looking to the future, and instead to focus o...

Some of you may remember that I over-hauled Nigella's frangipane mince pie recipe a few weeks ago, well I had already made these bad boys and stuck them in the freezer ready for Christmas.  Now they are defrosted and nearly gone  I thought I better share the recipe with you. This recipe is perfect for those with littlies that like to feel they are helping to bake, as there is very little cooking involved - the majority is weighing and mixing :) As with all my borrowed recipes, this involves a few tweaks to make it personal to me :) Baking isn't about rigid directions, it's about adaption, experimentation and most importantly having fun! Ingredients 250g dark chocolate 150g milk chocolate 175g salted butter at room temperature 4 tbl spoons golden syrup 125g amaretti biscuits 75g chocolate cookies 150g hazlenuts 150g glace cherries 125g mini marshmallows Method Chop the chocolate into small chunks and place in a pan with the butter and ...

Now regular readers will know that I have a gluten free version of this recipe here , but I somehow forgot to share the original recipe, so after a lovely family member requested it, I figured it was time to write it up :)  I whipped one of these up for a family gathering over Christmas, and have fallen in love with it all over again! Equipment Food processor with blade attachment - for turning the biscuits into crumbs, you can use a freezer bag and rolling pin, but I prefer this way 20cm spring form tin - you can go larger or even a bit smaller, but ideally it should be spring form as removing the pie from the tin otherwise will be a nightmare Microwave - for melting the butter Mixing bowl Electric whisk - good luck if you decide to whip cream by hand Pestle - for pressing the biscuits into the tin, clean fingers or the back of a spoon can also be used Spoon Knife and Chopping board Hob and Pot Ingredients 1 405g tin of condensed milk (for those ...