HOMEMADE SCONES & RASPBERRY JAM

1 JUNE 2014

Happy June everyone! And what a beautiful start to the summer today has been. With the sun shining and flavours of summer in the air, we felt like indulging in something delicious and quintessentially British. A quick scout around our fridge uncovered a punnet of raspberries, and with it came my inspiration for a home-made cream tea of raspberry jam and freshly baked scones.

This was a double-team effort by myself and my boy. Whilst I tackled the jam, he donned his apron and got baking! As recipes go, I definitely got the better end of the deal with the jam as scones are notoriously difficult to perfect. Good job my boy is good at baking because these scones were delicious - well done baby!

Fancy your own summer cream tea? Have a look at the recipes we followed from the Women's Institute and Paul Hollywood. Simply follow the links and enjoy.

HANDMADE STATEMENT COLLAR

11 MARCH 2014

So, I saw a post on fellow craft blog Design Sponge to make your own DIY statement necklace. A sucker for anything shiny and crafty, I naturally couldn't wait to make my own.

A few months ago I bought some vintage Rhinestones from a lovely lady called Anne at Pretty Vintage Rhinestones. This online Aladdin's Cave is a craft-lovers paradise - the perfect place to find that obscure something you're looking for but just can't find anywhere! Anne was the first person I thought of to help me with my craft project, and as always she didn't disappoint.

To make my statement collar I glued my hand-selected rhinestones to a piece of felt, cut around it closely with scissors, and stitched to a length of satin cord which I had doubled over and twisted together. I sewed a button to one end of the cord for fastening.

Ignoring the rhinestone that dropped off on my desk this morning (nothing a little dab of glue couldn't fix!), I would say that the first outing of my handmade statement collar was a success! White shirts and pastel colours are a match made in heaven. Let me know what you think.

INSPIRING WORDS

23 FEBRUARY 2013

It's been a difficult week for me. I've heard before how stressful buying a house can be, but I never really believed anyone until now. 

In case you hadn't guessed, my boyfriend (Tom) and I are looking to buy our first house. We are first time buyers, desperate to find that perfect house and get ourselves on the property ladder before interest rates go up and property prices rise beyond our budget. The last few weeks have been a never-ending emotional roller-coaster of house viewings and stressful financial decisions. 

After a disappointing viewing early in the week, Thursday came with the promise of perfection - a project house, under budget, and in a near-perfect location. We left our viewing with visions of what we would do to the place and eager to make an offer. I rang as soon as I could the following day, only to find that an offer had been made and accepted by an investor. We were gutted.

Anyway, with a free weekend ahead of me, I had the chance to take stock and snap myself out of my miserable 'nothing ever goes right for me' stupor. So, I decided to do this the only way I know how; by getting creative.

With some encouraging words from friends and family, I have begun to realise that my impatience to nest has been getting the better of me. Despite the fact that things feel miserable right now, I know that another 'perfect' house will come along soon enough - I just need to be patient. So, I thought I needed some inspiration to wake up to in the mornings. I found an old frame and a piece of vellum, and painted that word on it in the hope that it will remind me that good things come to those who wait.

GINGERBREAD RECIPE

19 DECEMBER

So, the gingerbread house I made went down pretty well. So well in fact that I want to share the recipe with you so you can all enjoy some homemade treats this Christmas! I've written the recipe on my recipes page which you can see here. Let me know if you try it and how you get on. Happy baking!

LOVE | Hannah

MY FIRST SALE

8 NOVEMBER 2013

A little while ago I started an Etsy shop for Chantilly Press to sell off some off some of things I've crafted over the last few months. There's only so many paper flowers one house can take! Last week, I made my first sale! Here's the white and green rose that I handcrafted for the lovely Carol in Middlesex...

 To see what's on offer in my Etsy shop, ChantillyPress, follow this link: 

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ChantillyPress

LOVE | Hannah

SUITCASES

3 NOVEMBER 2013

I've been rooting through my old photos this afternoon, and came across these little gems. I found a couple of vintage suitcases on eBay and saw an opportunity to flex my up-cycling muscles. I love a little design project, and so took to lining them with a gorgeous paisley print fabric. These are perfect for using as storage or as a quirky side-table in a bedroom or living room. Cute.

LOVE | Hannah