28 April 2009

Weekend


Of food!

I've not yet blogged about pizza, I don't think, and I should because everyone should try making pizza at home. Since making it myself we've never ordered a pizza again.

I use this Jamie Oliver recipe. The '00' flour is a must, it makes a perfect pizza which cooks quickly and comes out beautifully crisp. If you can find semolina flour then use this too, it makes it even better.

I don't like to put too many toppings on my pizza because it really doesn't need it.
This time I went for a combo, homemade pesto (another thing you won't ever buy again once you've made it yourself) and tomato sauce with mozarella on top and lots and lots of black pepper. I attempted to make it a bit healthier with some salad too, I try to do my bit in between the cheese and the dough.

On Saturday we went for a probably very unauthentic sushi at Itsu in London. We love the conveyor belt thing, as gimmicky as it is. Still, the fish was very fresh and I had my first taste of raw scallop. I didn't eat the flower by the way!

24 April 2009

Etsy Day


Today has been declared Etsy Day!

I am not as good as explaining it as this Storque article on Etsy - but today is for supporting handmade and the shop owners that make Etsy as successful as it is.

If you aren't acquianted with Etsy yet today is a great day take a look at some of the wonderful goodies on offer, you won't be disappointed! We love people who support handmade and keep our little ventures going. I am so pleased to have Etsy as a place to sell, I wouldn't be able to keep my hobby going without it - and I know that Etsy will keep growing in future which will help my business grow too!

I am offering Free Shipping on all my items in my Etsy shop today, to celebrate. I would love it if you would stop by and support my shop and the handmade movement.
(something Etsy coloured!)

Happy Etsy Day!

23 April 2009

Spring



It feels distinctly summery today, I think Spring is giving way. Its been a beautiful Spring so far, very text book. I am sure the summery weather will give way to rain soon but today it definitely feels like the start of a long summer. I am even wearing a skirt AND short sleeves - !!

xx

14 April 2009

Weekend


Apart from baking like there is no tomorrow we did actually do other things this weekend.
We had a lovely day in Suffolk yesterday which included a stop in my favourite village - Lavenham. I could very easily live here - there are several great pubs, a wonderful french restaurant, little independant shops and the best bit - an old fashioned sweet shop! If you ever get a chance to go Lavenham is a lovely place to go for a day out.

I have also been hard at work on the jewellery front, my Etsy shop is starting to look well stocked again. I am particularly pleased with my newest - Patches Earrings (first pair pictured below) - a new version of my Inkwell Earrings.

My Etsy shop will be filling up with lots more new goodies this week so keep checking back!

xx

11 April 2009

A long day baking...


It has been rainy today, dull and grey - so a perfect day to spend time in a warm kitchen baking goodies!

I made hot cross buns (or hot non cross buns as I like to call them, we didn't pipe crosses on to our buns, the recipe suggests Darwin fish but we couldn't manage that!) from a recipe I found on Gastronomy Domine (my first food blog find!) and potato and sour cream bread from my newest blog find - The Knead to Bread.

I've never baked my own hot cross buns before, and I have been missing out all this time! They take a while to make, because you need two long proves but they are worth it at the end. The house smells amazing even now, and they are so much softer and fresher than the supermarket version.

We had potato and sour cream bread rolls with chili con carne tonight. The rolls were great, I though they would be stodgy like I imagine potato bread to be, but they are light and fluffy. Again, they take a long time to make but they are worth it in the end. We have 12 rolls and a loaf too!


x

7 April 2009

little spring special..



Just to let you know I am running a Springtime / Easter special in my Etsy shop - 10% off all items until Friday 10th April.

You can pay as normal and I will refund the discount via paypal. Any other voucher codes or coupons can be used alongside this offer too!

I'll be listing some new items over the next couple of days, including the earrings above - of which I only have one pair!

6 April 2009

Handm@de Cambridge

I had a great day at Handm@de Cambridge last Saturday - we had lots of visitors and everyone's stalls looked fab! It was really nice to meet everyone and also get feedback on my jewellery. My simpler pieces such as my Two Lockets necklace seemed to be the most popular so I have my thinking cap on about new pieces that are simpler and ladylike - a lot of people said my jewellery was lady like!

For now I'll be having a well earned rest and getting back to updating my Etsy shop - I have some pieces from the fair to list, so look out for new things soon!


xx