Magical Menagerie

A couple of weeks ago we discovered some seriously quirky little cardboard animals. They were sitting in the window of the Rare Rabbit shop in Arundel. A beautiful shop it is, full of lovely things, so it never takes much to be enticed in. 

10 minutes later we were leaving with a box of our very own.

They have been designed by Japanese graphic designer and children's book illustrator Junzo Terada. He creates playful characters in colourful, vintage patterns.

The Magical Menagerie is a collection of 20 animals. The shapes are all punched out ready to go, it's simply a case of slotting them together. 

Each animal comes with a cute envelope, so you can give them away as little gifts too.

Ultimately designed for kids.......but aren't we all big kids at heart?!!

Needless to say a very happy afternoon was spent making some of these for the house. My favourite has to be the elephant.....who I have named Nellie....

....and who comes with a mousey friend.

I'm also loving some of his other book illustrations......

Amazon has a good selection of his books and animal ornaments if you're interested.

Happy making! 

May in pics...

.....hola all! 

Yes its been a while, but I intend to get back on the blogging bandwaggon.

Its been a busy month, hence my absence, but to get back in the swing of things, heres a little pic run down of the month so far.

Its been a month of lazy Sunday morning wanders in Arundel, enjoying the back garden, pretty flowers, handmade paper flowers, a few cheeky drinks, saying goodbye to a work colleague with beautiful cupcakes, planting some veggie seeds, saying hello to pesky snails and Jack the neighbours cat, and finally recycling some kitchen tile offcuts and using them to decorate some garden pots - mosaic style!

Happy Easter All....

 Enjoy the day!

 Image by Nina Kemives @ http://life-pixels.tumblr.com/

Good Friday fun...

What better way to start the Easter weekend than with a soul boosting wander across the South Downs.

Its was a beautifully sunny morning, if a little chilly round the edges, and it certainly cleared those cobwebs away.

Today we discovered the beauty of the hills behind North Lancing. 

Great views, sheltered sun traps nestled between hay bales, fields of yellow, and lots of birdsong....

View down to Shoreham Airport

Looking over Lancing and on to Worthing

 Field of Yellow

Sunny yellows and bright blues

Happy Good Friday All!

Folksy finds.......Sunny Yellows

Happy Mothers Day to my mum, and to all the mums out there. Hope you are all enjoying a lovely relaxing day.

Unfortunately the sun seems to be hiding. In a bid to encourage him out from his hiding place, here's a little collection of beautiful sunny yellow finds from Folksy.

Enjoy...

Hair Clips - Little Bird Blue

Felt Flower Brooch - Sew Perfectly You

Button Brooch - Girl With Beads

Scandi Flower Cushion - Bread and Jam

Crochet Flower - Myfanwy's Appliques

Linocut Heart Card - We Are Mountain

Pear Print Cushion - Thirtyfive Flowers

Ceramic Star Pendant - SillyRice

 

Cake Days....

So i've managed to find time to do a little baking recently.

I do like to bake.

I like starting with basic ingredients, and creating something beautiful and delicious. Although I do find it slightly stressful at times. I constantly check to see if its looking ok, I worry that its not cooking properly, and when it finally comes out I worry that its overcooked and dry!

Which is why i rarely deviate from my trusty Hummingbird Baking book. And the 'never fails' chocolate or vanilla sponge.

I decided this time round to try something different. 

Firstly I made a lovely Strawberry and Lemon Yoghurt cake. A little bit time consuming to prepare (and the purchase of a Bundt tin), but goodness was it worth it. 

I found the recipe here... www.aspicyperspective.com
(image above also from there)

Its a very moist cake thanks to the yoghurt and strawberries, but more than that, its absolutely delicious. So much so that I have made another since. 

Definitely not the healthiest of cake, but for a treat or special occasion then go ahead!

My next bakey moment was an Amaretto cake. A relatively 'easy to make' sponge cake and also quite tasty, kind of like a bakewell.

And with a little boozy icing to top it off I think its a winner.

See recipe here from website chow.com

This is mine.....

As you can see I used my newly purchased Bundt pan again, although this recipe produces a loaf. A loaf tin would be better as mine had a funny shaped bottom!

We had some of this cake leftover a few days later. So I heated up a couple of slices in the microwave, added a few glugs of Ameretto to the warm sponge, and topped with hot custard....I would highly recommend! 

I now aim to bake something from my new 'Love, Bake, Nourish' book by Amber Rose. Its packed with cake recipes for 'healthier' fruit based cakes......pics to follow!

Happy weekend all, and happy baking...xx

Week in pic's

Ok, so it's slightly more than a week, but whose counting?

Its been busy, which explains my absence.....along with much germ fighting. But I guess its that time of year.

So its two weeks of.....beautiful Hastings old Town and all its charm.....

 

 

......a bit of garden pruning....

 

 

.......yummy Kinder chocs for me.......  

 

........gorgeous Lilys......

 

.....beach walking...

  

 

......white wine spritzers......

 

 

......SUN!!......  

 

.....and sangria...

  

 

.....lush!

And what a beautiful weekend it is. Hope everyone is enjoying the sun......Happy Weekending All...xx