3 Easter Treats

HAPPY EASTER! 

I think Easter is my favourite time of year. The weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer and the daffodils are out. Its also an excuse to eat as much chocolate as you possibly can and to do some themed baking. I also enjoy giving out Easter presents and sharing what I have baked, it just makes me happy. All of this combined with four days off from work, what could be better. I may have to wear elasticated waists and baggy tops by Tuesday though. Here are some tasty treats to get you through the long weekend.

Easter Shaped Biscuits

I got the cookie cutters from Lakeland, they are really fun and perfect for easter.

Ingredients

200g Softened Butter

150g Caster Sugar

2 Large Egg Yolks

400g Plain Flour (plus extra for flouring)

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Essence

Just simply mix the ingredients together in a bowl, until you get a dough like mixture. Roll it out on a floury surface and cut out your shapes using the cookie cutters of your choice. I managed get about 30 biscuits out of the dough but it will depend on the size of your cutters. Bake them in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden.
Wait for them to cool down until you can decorate them. Mix together 200g of icing sugar and a little bit of water (the thicker the consistency the better). Separate the mixture into different bowls depending on how many colours you are wanting and put a tiny bit of gel food colouring in. I used 3 different colours, green, yellow and pink. I used the tiniest amount to get eastery pastel colours.
Put them in an icing bag and pipe them onto the biscuits.

Chocolate Easter Nests

It is tradition to make these, there are variations of this depending on your preference so feel free to adapt it but I have chosen to use

Ingredients

300g Cadbury Chocolate
Rice Krispies (I just poured them in until I was happy with the Rice krispie/chocolate ratio)
A bag of Cadburys Mini Eggs

These are so simple to make, if you aren't really into baking but need to make something for the occasion then these are for you. Just simply melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a bowl over a saucepan containing boiling water. Pour in the rise Krispies and distribute the mixture between the cake cases. Stick some mini eggs on top...and done. I love these so much even when it isn't Easter although I do get sad that mini eggs no longer exist until January. You can try using different chocolate or different cereals too, for example a dark chocolate or shredded wheat. Yummyyyyy!

Bunny Rabbit Cakes

Make a batch of plain cupcakes (or you can just buy some and decorate them.)

To decorate you will need:
125g butter
350g icing sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
a drop of water
Some Marshmallows (one for each cake)
Pink Sprinkles
25g melted Dark Chocolate

Mix together the butter, icing sugar, vanilla essence and water. Mix these together and spread on the cakes with a knife. Cut a marshmallow in half, coat in pink sprinkles (they will stick to the sticky centre) and put these on the top of the cake to act like cute bunny rabbit ears. Melt the dark chocolate and pop into a piping bag (or like I have a piping syringe.) Pipe on the eyes, nose and mouth. These are so adorable and not too difficult to achieve.

Happy baking and eating!

Dress Designing Inspiration

I am going to the races in July, I really want to make a dress for the occasion as it would be quite nice to have something unique and exactly as I wanted. I am just looking for inspiration at the minute for ideas and styles that I like.

This is such a me dress. The colour, the style and the lace. I know I would wear something like this an awful lot even on just a nice summers day. It's a bit too casual for somewhere like the races (only because I like to dress up as and when I feel like it.) Such a pretty dress costing £75 from Asos.

This is discounted at the minute from Miss Selfridge, it is £49 from £69...bargain. Something like this would be really simple to make. I think I would make the skirt slightly longer but I really like the style.

I absolutely love Coast and their occasion dresses. This is absolutely gorgeous, it is quite pricey though at £195. You can just tell it is well made with the best fabric. It is an investment buy but it is the kind of dress you will feel like a princess in.


MandM direct stocking Ted Baker is the best thong ever. I have my dad and brother to thank for this find, they love ordering from this website and have started to stock Ted Baker. This lovely dress only costs £35.99, it is limited stock but the prices are incredible although it won't be the latest collections.


 This is one of my faves, I think I would need a tan with the pale colour of the dress but I love it. It wouldn't be that difficult to make either I would just need to find pretty fabric. This is from Chi Chi London costing £59.99.

Tartan Skirt

I made this tartan skirt last month.I had some fabric left over from a dress I made so thought I would make a cute little skirt out of it. I bought some cheap fabric from Ebay to line it.

I used a simple a-line skirt pattern with two darts on each side, waistband, invisible side zip and a black lace trim to finish.

I styled the skirt with a plain white top tucked in, black tights. black block heel boots, a floppy hat and red lipstick. As it is still a bit chilly I would put on a leather jacket to keep warm. 

Things To Do When Your Feeling Down

It happens to the best of us, we all get days when we don't feel like our usual happy little selves. We're only human, it's ok to feel that way but there are some things we can do to make these times a little easier and cheer ourselves up.

Relaxing Bath
I have actually just done this myself before sitting down to write this (see picture above).  I lit some candles, took up a hot chocolate, put some nice bubble bath in and had a nice little chill out. I also took some chocolate. It instantly lifts your mood and makes you feel relaxed.

Listen to music
Listening to your favourite songs or something upbeat that you can have a dance to will instantly lift your mood. Concentrating on the song and singing along to it stops you from thinking anything negative.

Meditation
Having anxiety I have tried various meditation apps and meditations. My favourite apps are Calm and Headspace. Headspace only takes 10 minutes of your time, it brings you into the present moment and helps you to stop over thinking and see the positive in life. This app has helped me alot and I especially like the little animations. I tend to over think at times which is where meditation helps me, it also helps me to fall asleep.

Read a good book
I used to enjoy reading as a child but as an adult I haven't found the time but recently I have made the effort to get a couple of books and read them. It really helps to relax my mind and occupy it with something else.

Go for a walk
If there has been a day where I have been in the house or I am feeling quite anxious, I like to put my Ipod on and go for a walk. You don't have to walk miles but getting some fresh air will help to improve your mood.

Bake
I enjoy baking when I am feeling down, I like to make something I haven't made before or bake somebody a present.

Plan things to look forward to
This is a good one, it help you to realise that this negative feeling won't last and give you something to look forward to. Meet up with a friend and you can plan things together, it could be a shopping trip, a mini break or a trip to the theatre to see your favourite musical.

Write down how you feel
I like to keep a diary, I don't write in it every night but it helps me keep my feelings in check. Any negativity is let out of my head and onto the page. I draw little pictures and just write down all of my feelings whether they are good or bad.

Do something you enjoy doing
I am a full believer of doing what you love, this can be a hobby or just something you enjoy. You could also take up something new like learning a language or learning to play an instrument. Really get stuck into whatever it is and don't let anything stop you.

Most importantly don't be hard on yourself, pick out the positive things and remember that these feelings will pass. Think of them like a black rain cloud making way for the bright blue sunny sky.

February Favourites

Happy March...where did February go? I feel like I blinked and it came and went. I can almost feel spring time, so exciting. It has to be my favourite time of year, looking out at the stormy weather while writing this I think we could all do with a little bit of sun.

This Collection concealer is my absolute new favourite, in an instant it makes my face look refreshed and wide awake (even if I'm not feeling that way). Its long lasting and really easy to apply. I have the shade cool medium which is number 2.

I put this in my Superdrug haul but I have been loving this Toni and Guy salt spray, other brands kinda make the hair damp but don't create the same wave as this one. I was really impressed and it is my new handbag essential. The size is also appealing as it makes it so handy.

I have recently been noticing those pesky dark circles around my eye area so I thought I would try the Simple eye cream. I love anything by Simple especially as I have super sensitive skin. It feels nice and soothing under my eyes and I have noticed a slight difference.

My boyfriend bought me these candles for valentines day, I loved them so much I have just restocked and got a couple of different scents. My favourite is the mango and passion fruit scent (the orange one), I am on my second one of those. They are from Tesco and are only a pound each. Absolute bargain. 

I love baking anyway but I spent a lot of time baking last month. I think I made something different each week. Baking is my way of relaxing and de-stressing, I just put my music on and away I go. I also like to bake for other people and make them something as a present or just because I wanted to. My personal favourites are the Chocolate and Salted Caramel Shortbread I made and the Coffee Cupcakes. 

Mmm I have been really enjoying these...a little too much. I can eat the whole lot in one sitting, it doesn't help that they have been on offer which obviously has been encouraging me to buy more...silly Tesco.

Bit of a mixed bag of favourites but I wanted to finish with something that I watched last month. It's the Amy Winehouse documentary called Amy. I have wanted to watch this for a while so when it popped up on More 4 I was able to finally watch it. Such a sad tragic story that goes right from the start of her career up until the end. She was such a huge talent that seem to come so naturally and passionately. I can guarantee this will make you cry so get you hankeys at the ready.

The Brit Awards - The best dressed...and the worst

I have always loved watching the Brit Awards ever since I was a little girl, from the pretty dresses to the live performances I could sing and dance along to. I loved it all. Celebrities plan weeks in advance to make sure they look their best for a red carpet event, although I think some of the outfit choices may have been a little last minute.

The best dressed...

I don't think everyone could pull off this dress but Laura Whitmore looks stunning, I especially love those killer heels.


Your ever going to love or hate this look. I happen to absolutely love itt. It is quite similar to my own style, I can see why people wouldn't like this but I just really like the relaxed boho chic look.


Rihanna has a tendency to experiment with her style which I commend, this seems very understated forher however I do love this dress. It shows off her slim figure and I like the detail on it.


Such a simple yet pretty dress that Alexa chose. I love the velvet texture and it just looks really classy.

...And the worst

Jess Glynne has gone for a very 70's look with the flared trousers, platform shoes and big hair. It feels very pantomime to me, a matching twin set could have been much more flattering. I salute her for taking a risk and experimenting with her style.


I'm in the middle with this, I like the colour (obviously with it being my favourite) I think if the skirt at the front was to the knee I would really like this. She seems to pull this look off as others may not be so fortunate, the one thing letting it down however is the birds nest top knot.


I absolutely love Adele but this dress just doesn't do anything for her figure. There is far too much fabric, it looks too long and the ruffles are a little too much. I love the colour and the top section. The dress she wore while performing was a total different story, the fit and design was lovely and was more suited than this one.


Little Mix usually have their style on point but here it is such a miss match of outfits. The fitting is a little off and it all looks a bit 90's.  Loved loved loved their performance though...wow!


The dress on Kylie actually isn't that bad for me it's the accessories that let it down. The fedora hat and satin green shoes belong to other outfits.