Yes I am Still Alive!! Be Back Soon...

Me in the snow on Sunday

Wearing: Purple Jacket - Recycle Boutique, Grey Polarfleece - Shanton,

White T-shirt - Supre, Grey Nordic patterned tights - Columbine (Farmers), Black Skirt - Cotton On,

Boots - No 1 Shoes, Grey Beanie - The Warehouse

Hello Friends! I am still alive. I've been trapped in a snowy wonderland for a bit and haven't had a chance to take any outfit photos lately. I'm getting onto it though and will hopefully have some new posts up for you soon!!

Hi to all my new followers, I think I've checked out most of your blogs now, remind me if I haven't!

I've been working on a few changes to the layout of my blog too so hopefully I'll have that up soon.

Better go, I think my cheese rolls just exploded all over the sandwich press...bye!!

Cupcakes - Margarita Cupcakes

A comment was left on my Rhubarb Cupcakes post about margarita cupcakes - and I couldn't get them out of my head! I had some girly drinks last weekend and thought it would be a good chance to try these out. 

I used a plain cake mix that I can get from the Sugarcraft Guild I belong to, but you could just use a plain cupcake mix, like the recipe on my post above. I added a bit of tequila and some lime juice to the batter, as well as a pinch of flaky sea salt. The icing I used was the same as for the Rhubarb Cupcakes, with lime juice instead of lemon juice and a little bit of green food colouring. To finish them off I sprinkled a little bit more flaky sea salt over each one.

They were so tasty! It was really nice with the little bit of salt on top, it stopped them from being sickly and kind of broke through all the sweetness. 

We spent the night making traffic light drinks with Midori and  Grenadine - yum! My friend who wasn't drinking drove me home later and was happy to be paid in leftover cupcakes!

Are there any other flavours I should try out? These ones were so good! What's your favourite flavour? 

DIY Storage Solutions - Jewellery

I'm always after pretty, cheap ways to store things around my house, and these seemed perfect to store my jewellery. I found them at the Mosgiel Salvation Army a little while ago and they were a bargain at only a couple of dollars each! 

I use the little plate for my little earrings and the sugar bowl (I think that's what it is) for my larger, dangly ones. I keep seeing more of them at the store so I need to think of what else I could keep in them!

How do you store your jewellery? Do you hang up you necklaces, etc?

Outfit Post - Grey Days and Tutu's

 Grey Cardigan - Mosgiel Salvation Army, T-Shirt - Factory,  

Purple and Black Scarf - Unknown, Tulle Tutu Skirt - Recycle Boutique, Tights - Kmart,  

Boots - The Warehouse, 'Love' Ring - Lovisa

I took these photos outside my house last weekend, so they're a little bit old! I love this little house, it's a art deco townhouse. It's very compact which is great when you're trying to heat it and it has character and personality which I think every home needs! This is the view of the house once you emerge from the path through the trees before you get to the front door. It's so nice living hidden in the trees over looking the North End of Dunedin. 

This was my Saturday outfit for running some errands, including a visit to the local bakery for a cream donut, my weakness when it comes to bakeries!

I have had this tulle skirt for a while but haven't got around to photographing it until now. It's quite a fun skirt to wear and I always feel like a bit of a ballerina when I put it on! 

So many outfit posts include these boots. I do wear them all the time, and for the price I paid and the amount of wear they are getting I think they're holding up well!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. The bf made a quick weekend visit (I haven't seen him for 3 weeks) before heading to Invercargill to start his new job. I'll be going down in about 3 weeks, I've told my boss at work I'm leaving so it seems real now! Exciting times ahead!

Cake Decorating - Heart Cupcakes

A friend ordered these cupcakes the other day as she was leaving her job to start in a new position with the same company. She wanted chocolate flavoured cupcakes with a pretty coloured icing and girly decorations. 

I used a cake mix I can get through the Sugarcraft Guild for the cupcakes and a basic frosting recipe for the icing. They came out pretty good! She loved them which was great! With the money she paid me for them I purchased an ice cream scoop so all my cupcakes are the same size and some tiny little cutters in a variety of shapes (one being the little hearts on these cupcakes) I have decided any money I make from cake decorating should go towards new equipment, so I can update my already large collection and make even cooler decorations and cakes in the future!

These pictures will also be up on my Sequin Corner Cakes blog in the next few days. I hope I get to do more orders soon, it's so fun and I love getting feedback!

What do you think of the cupcakes? What simple decoration would be your favourite for a cupcake?

 

Recipe - Raspberry Turkish Delight

I mentioned on Twitter the other day I was having a craving for Turkish delight. The plan was to stop by my local kebab shop (which rates at no. 3 on my list of favourite kebab shops in Dunedin!) to pick some up on the way home. Unfortunately the girl on the counter told me they no longer sell it – what to do?!

I headed home and pulled out my iPhone and found this recipe. It didn’t seem too difficult, so I decided to give it a go. I made mine raspberry flavoured as I didn’t have rose water at home. (Although I keep meaning to buy it) I also halved the recipe so I didn't have so much!

It came out not too bad, but I would recommend using a candy thermometer to make sure you are following the recipe closely. That’s definitely on my “next purchase” list now!

Have you ever made Turkish delight? What’s your favourite candy or sweet to make? Mine is chocolate fudge – although I’m still on the hunt for the perfect recipe!

My 4th of July - Hershey's First Birthday!

 Hershey - 8 weeks

Hershey - 1 Year

Hi friends! Introducing you to my gorgeous puppy, Hershey. Today is her 1st Birthday, so of course a mini celebration was in order involving cake like things...unfortunately Hersh has a food allergy meaning she isn't supposed to eat anything except her dog biscuits, but she got a new toy to mark the day instead.

I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream icing, topped with a gingerbread dog bone covered in purple fondant to match her name tag she wears on her collar. 

I can't believe its been a year since I got her! There's been ups and downs, the time she ate the tv remote, the bf's playstation controller, ALL of our couch cushions, but of course there are always good times too! Plenty of cuddles, tug of war and exciting car trips where she "talks" the whole way because she is so excited...

I hope all my readers over in the USA have a great 4th of July!!

Do you guys have pets? What are their names? Are they well behaved?

Outfit Post - Blokes and Blue

Blue Cardigan - Unknown (Melbourne), Lace T-shirt - Mosgiel Salvation Army,

Grey Scarf - Postie Plus, Crochet Flower Pin - Shop on Taieri, Grey Silk Skirt - Shop on Taieri,

Black Boots - The Warehouse

I drove to my usual spot for some outfit shots today, but unfortunately the digger was actually going for once (see it stationary here!) so I headed out on to the country roads to find a new site. After about 15 minutes of driving around I came to the “Tairei Blokes Shed” I had driven past it before and thought it would be great as a background for outfit shots and today it even matched my cardigan!!

While it was a beautiful sunny day with hardly any clouds, there was a crisp wind meaning a bit of layering in the clothes department was needed. I felt like a bit of colour today, hence the cobalt blue cardigan and my matching crochet flower broach I picked up from the Shop on Taieri a while ago. I wore my grey cotton tights under my skirt and a white singlet under my new lace t-shirt (check it out here) to keep nice and warm.

I’m having so much fun layering all my clothes at the moment for warmth! It’s kind of nice to not have to wear a jacket inside at work and instead just wear an extra cardigan. Then I don’t get asked if I’m cold every 5 minutes!

Sorry I haven’t posted for a bit, I have no internet at home anymore so I’m going to stop off at my parents and cue up some posts to last for the next little while!

This weekend I might check out the Moxie Market at the Percolator Cafe on Friday night, followed by a look around the op-shops on Saturday and possibly some casual drinks with friends that night. Should be good!

Do you guys have any good layering tips for me for winter? What is your favourite winter
outfit combination?