Yellow and White

I love the colour yellow, but personally its not my first choice of colour to decorate my home.
However, these pics show some really great decor which I love and thought I should put up for you all to appreciate.

would so love to be there right now!

love this idea.

White and Blue

W is for Wool

I’ve just been in Canberra (Australia’s capital city) for a few days, and shew, was it freezing. Winter is creeping in fast, time to get those winter woolies out.

I’ve been learning to knit and its such a great thing to do while watching T.V and knit yourself some winter accessories at the same time.

How to knit this lovely soft flowy scarf:

Cast on 40 stitches (using 4.5mm needles).

Always knit the first 2 stitches and the last 2 stitches for every row. The pattern given is for the 36 stitches in between those knit stitches.

Row 1 – knit

Row 2 – purl

Row 3 – (k2 tog)3x ; (yo k1)6x ; (k2 tog)6x ; 

          (yo k1)6x ; (k2 tog)3x

                    Row 4 – purl

Repeat those 4 rows until you have your desired length.

How to knit fingerless gloves:

   1.  Cast on between 24-34 stitches (depending on the size of your hands) and leave a tail at the end.
2.Knit between 8 and 15 rows of 2x2 rib stitch (depending how long you want it) (knit 2 stitches, purl 2 stitches).
3.Knit 24 rows in stockinette stitch, alternating between a knit row and a purl row etc. ending in a purl row.
4.Knit 6 rows in ribbed stitch again.
5. Cast off and leave a tail at the end. Tie a knot.
6. Fold it lengthways – inside out. 
7. Stitch along the side to close it up using the tails on either       end but leave a hole for your thumb.
8. Try it on to see if it fits right then tie the knots.
9. Finally, turn it the right way round and there are your fingerless gloves.
You can also find tutorials on the internet which will help a lot.

Its also a good idea to keep your knitting and sewing kit neatly stored away so you always know where to find things and I love this idea for storing your stuff, you can do it with buttons and any little things that easily get lost.

Tea Time

I love having tea parties and its something I don’t do often enough. Its so great getting all your girlfriends together to chat over some lovely fresh baked goodies and of course, TEA!

And the most fun part of all is setting up and decorating. Here are some very stylish ways of decorating for a tea party. 

And you can even use stuff you have lying around your house to decorate too. A Great way to recycle empty glass bottles is to wash them and use as a vase. They make for a great table centre piece. It also looks quite effective to  attach some string around the top of the bottle and  make sure its secure then hang them from the ceiling.

Lemon Yoghurt Cupcakes:

Makes

10

Ingredients

         125g unsalted butter, softened

         125g caster sugar

         3 eggs, separated

         1 tbs finely grated lemon zest

         2 tbs lemon juice, plus extra dash (2 tsp) lemon juice

         180g plain flour

         1 tsp baking powder

         200g natural yoghurt

         1/3 cup (55g) icing sugar

         100g mixed berries or 1 tbs lemon zest, to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Set 10 paper muffin cases in a large muffin tray.

2. Beat butter and sugar with electric beaters until pale and fluffy. Add yolks,one at a time, beating well. Beat in zest and juice.

3. Sift flour and baking powder together. Fold into mix, alternating with yoghurt.

4. Whisk eggwhites in a clean bowl to firm peaks, then fold into mix. Fill cases.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Mix icing sugar with a little extra juice to make a thick icing. Spread on cakes, add berries and leave to set

Hot Chocolate Mousse:

Ingredients (serves 4)

         1 x 200g pkt milk chocolate with hazelnuts,coarsely         chopped         

         3 eggs, at room temperature, separated

         125ml (1/2 cup) thickened cream

         55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar

         Icing sugar, to dust

         Candy canes, to serve

Method

1.    Place chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water). Stir with a metal spoon until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. Stir in the egg yolks.

2.    Use an electric beater to beat the cream in a bowl until firm peaks form. Use a metal spoon to fold half the cream into the chocolate mixture. Repeat with remaining cream.

3.    Use a clean electric beater to beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating until the mixture is thick and glossy.

4.    Fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture. Spoon into four 250ml (1-cup) capacity serving cups. Cover and place in the fridge for 6 hours or until set.

Dust with icing sugar and serve with candy canes.

 And of course its mothers day  on Sunday and if you dont know what to do for her, why not have a little tea party. Happy mothers day to all moms and a special one to my mother and mother-in-law. You’re the best moms ever, love you lots.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!