Not Long Now...!!!

Not long now until our biggest party EVER - the wedding! Cor, it's really coming round quickly, I'll be an old ball and chain before you know it. Being a homemade wedding (of course) we've been spending every spare minute sawing, painting, concreting, drilling and sewing. We've been lucky enough to have lots of friends and family wanting to get involved too and so we've had many a craft night at our place. And for the unlucky, more dedicated few, there have been craft days/weekends (sneak preview below). Thanks to everyone who has baked, folded, glued and cut and we CANNOT wait to see all the folks we love and adore in one place on one day. Exciting :)

 

 

 

 

 

Garden Bar Gets Spruced Up

Its that time of year again when we tidy up our gardens and fall back in love with our outdoor spaces. Sadly, we neglected the decking area around our garden shed bar before the winter hit (turns out value treated decking only resists weather for about a month) so we were worried that all our hard work had been spoiled by the thick green algae and stains that had formed over the depths of winter. Step in this mighty product and with a bit of hard scrubbing the decking came back to life (like amazingly new looking - can highly recommend), ready for a lick of decking stain. We plumped with grey to complete our swanky wine bar look.

 

 

So now the famed Le Bar Jardin is open once again for business. We're just waiting for my folks to return from France. As our main stockist, we rely on them for our source of happiness in the form of wine. You can read here about how we created a bar in our back garden from a rather smart shed. Everybody should have their own bar in the garden, what a welcome sight at the end of a long hard day at work. Cheers to that!

 

 

 

 

 

Crikey! We have an Allotment!

Ok, alright. We are fully aware that a caravan, a model railway and now an allotment, firmly puts us in the middle aged bracket. But come on, what's not to love? Maturity rocks! Imagine BBQing you own corn on the cobs. And picking your own raspberries for pudding. Fresh lettuce every day. Cut flowers every week. Cherry tomatoes coming out of your ears. Yep, that's a bath tub in the photo. Concentrate please.

Unfortunately, the other half's reaction to the news that we were firstly top of the waiting list and then subsequently picking up an allotment 2 weeks later, is not clean enough to type here, but he has a point what with working full time with a wedding to organise for this summer. I think I'm winning him round by assuring him it won't be toooooo much hard work and only growing easy fruit and veg (think fruit bushes and runner beans) and by throwing in some parsnips to keep him happy. Despite his grumbling he is good fun and we've planned BBQs each evening we work down there. Now the race is on to get everything in the ground. Just need to buy a fork first. And a hoe. D'oh.

Crafty DIY : Homemade Gift Idea

Today, I confess, this is not my idea or indeed my DIY, but a friends. When Rosemary and her husband recently turned up for dinner at ours, they presented us with a lovely bag of goodies, not from Hotel Chocolat, actually more exciting as inside were a selection of homemade goodies to eat. I am sharing this with you today as the thought and presentation was so lovely that I felt the idea was well worth sharing.

To impress your friends and family at the next dinner date, wrap some homemade chocolates (use a chocolate mould or perhaps try a variation of these Rocky Chunks) in a clear cellophane bag and simply tie with a little ribbon. In addition, you could always make your favourite baked goods and wrap them in doilies and keep them airtight tucked inside a plastic tupperware container, like the sort you may save from those exciting take aways. It was so lovely to receive such a treat that I'm now thinking up what we could make as gifts for others. Perhaps some of these Chocolate Crater Cakes or some marshmallow hearts or healthy nutty truffles. So sweet, thanks Rosemary!

Crafty DIY : Creating a Cosy Space

During the conversion of the garage, I was fortunate enough to negotiate a slither of space at the back to call my own, lovingly referred to as my 'small, redundant area'. Previously, it had been loaded with boxes ready for crafting, books longing for shelves and I'm ashamed to admit, the odd grubby box of gardening stuff which had yet to find a home.

It was not exactly inviting to work out here, even though we had made a purpose built desk. If only I had remembered to take 'before' photos, but you get the picture. I'm sure everyone has a dumping ground in their home? One morning, with a spurt of energy, I decided enough was enough and I bagged up anything not being used and crammed it into the attic. Ok, I see what you're saying, now I will only have to clear that out eventually, but hey, out of sight, out of mind.

My point is, that regardless of how small a space you have, you can always cosy it up. This very small space in our garage, only accessible through a half sized doorway, has now become a pretty cosy crafting/writing den, although we're still fond of the title small redundant area. Whether you have a corner in your house, a nook under your stairs, a shed for one solitary spade or an attic going to waste, it's amazing what you can do to create another (albeit twee) living area. The best bit about this space? As usual, it cost nothing. Look around your house for bits and pieces that have been forgotten, are getting dusty or aren't used and give them a new purpose. Check out your attic for forgotten finds such as old frames, paintings, baskets, rugs and lamps.

 

 

For this cosy den, I rehomed the old Ikea chair from the spare room which was only used for putting luggage on. I found the lamps, footstool, cushions and framed photos stored in the attic from the move. The containers I collected from around the house. The mirror was salvaged from the garden. The fairy lights balls were hidden away in a corner. The baskets were unearthed from the mountains of crafting supplies and the rug dots? Well, have you stored any old carpet offcuts over the years? Now's the time to dig those bad boys out and cut out your chosen shapes. When I get a few spare minutes, I'll finish the edges with wool to tidy them up, but this is a very easy way to add a little fun to a small space.

You could always add a portable DVD player, some books, an old speaker system, a kettle and some teabags, a blanket, some plants, an old sheet for a tippee, a toy box, comfy beanbags, a deck of cards, a secret chocolate stash, cheery bunting, a mini fridge stocked with wine. Wine...

 

 

 

Cut Flowers Inspiration

Blogs are awesome for inspiration, but it's still a treat to open a book and explore the contents as delight after delight is teasingly revealed after each turn of the page. Recently I have tapped up the library for a selection of flower arranging books (I know - anyone would think I'm middle aged, wait a minute, I've been crafting since I was a kid so I may have been middle aged for a good 20 years already). With the wedding looming (crikey, only 3 months to go!), these images really made me want to spend the whole budget on flowers. I thought I would share my favourites here with you - the books are beautifully laid out with fun step-by-steps, a worthy investment if you cannot find them at your local library. Images are taken from the very talented:

• Vic Brotherson - Vintage Flowers
• Paula Pryke - Flowers Every Day
• Jane Packer - Flower Course

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe : Dairy Free Strawberry Ice Cream

This is scrummy. Don't get me wrong, I love normal ice cream too but its not massively healthy. Can mint choc chip count as part of your five a day? No? Oh well. Enter coconut milk. Although slightly high on the calorific side, it is far healthier for you and I get super excited about eating fresh ice cream straight from the ice cream maker, so I've been experimenting with flavours. This is so easy to make and tastes so fresh.

You will need just three ingredients - 15 strawberries (fresh or frozen), a can of coconut milk and a little drop of maple syrup or honey to taste. Pop all the ingredients into your ice cream maker and carry on doing your thing. Did you just make ice cream? I'm not sure. It's that quick! If you don't have an ice cream maker, simply blend the ingredients and freeze, whisking the mixture up every couple of hours. This ice cream is best served slightly defrosted. Delicious!