Boxing Day Brunch

I can't believe it's 2015 in less than 12 hours! I swear the years are passing by quicker and quicker, life needs to sloooooow down! Anyway, I'm throwing it back a bit today to post Christmas times. It was my Sister's Birthday the day after and we were all treated with a delightful brunch as part of the celebrations. 

I'll have a croissant with my jar of Nutella please. 

Daisy's cakes - narcissism at it's finest.

What did you get up to that day?

"Enjoy the little things in life...for one day you'll look back and realise they were the big things." - Robert Brault

Lots of love,

Lily

Decorating the House for Christmas

Yes, I know that Christmas has been and gone, (although if we're being technical it's only day 4 of the 12 days of Christmas)and as much as that saddens me, I'm feeling positive about what the new year may bring. I hope you all had a lovely day eating lots of delicious food and spending time with loved ones! We like to keep our Christmas decorations up for as long as possible, usually into the new year, so here's a short post full of Christmassy shots before the decs get taken down!

"Use your smile to change the world but don't let the world change your smile." - Unknown

Lots of love,

Lily

DIYMAS: Rudolph Mallowpops

Not only are these Rudolph marshmallows adorable AND yummy, they are so easy to make as there is no cooking or baking involved! Yay all round!

You will need:

Marshmallows

Milk Chocolate 

Pretzels

Red Smarties

Black & White Icing

Lollipop sticks

Pop the lollipop sticks in the marshmallows whilst the chocolate is melting. Once your chocolate is melted, dip the marshmallows in to coat them. I added a tiny amount of cream to my chocolate for a thicker, more ganache like consistency. You don't want the chocolate   dripping everywhere whist setting!

As the chocolate is setting, (it's best to do this when the chocolate is squidgy to touch) stick on the pretzel antlers and smartie red nose. 

Tip - if you have any leftover chocolate, use it to coat the pretzels with sea salt for a delicious snack!

Once the chocolate is completely set, ice on the eyes to finish!

Have fun if you decide to make these! 

"Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more." - Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Lots of love,

Lily

D.I.Y-MAS: Winter Wonderland Lantern

Long time no speak! First we need to talk about the obvious. Hello new font! I'd been lusting after Courier for a while and decided today was the day to make the slight alteration!

Secondly, I'm so sorry for being the world's worst blogger throughout November. Two posts last month is frankly shocking. I've been so busy with school work lately and we all know that Christmas time calls for blogs so I'm looking forward to bombard you with festive posts as things begin to slow down. New font, new series 'D.I.Y-mas', new me. 

Christmas is the perfect season to get crafty and I wanted to make something that was quick, easy, affordable and a pretty decoration for the house. This Winter Wonderland lantern not only looks lovely in the daytime, but it looks especially beautiful at night as the snowflakes beam in the darkness. 

You will need:

- A mason jar (size is up to you, mine was medium to large)
- Mouldable fairy lights (preferably LED, just check that they are NON-FLAMMABLE)
- Silver glitter spray
- Iridescent snowflakes
- Confetti stars
- Polystyrene snowflakes
- Silver ribbon 
- Silver glitter (not photographed because nobody's perfect and I forgot)
- Any additional decorations such as bells and more ribbons 

(All can be found in your local crafts shop)

Start by evenly spraying the inside of the jar with the glitter spray.

Whilst it is still wet, add the iridescent snowflakes (if you cannot find these, anything sparkly or snow-like will do) and roll the jar until the flakes are stuck and the inside is covered.

Allow the jar to dry for 20-30 minutes and meanwhile sprinkle the polystyrene snowflakes with glitter. This is optional, as are all of the decorations inside of the jar - you can customise it to how you please.

Once the inside of the jar is roughly dry, shape the lights around it. These mouldable ones are great for this. 

When the lights are turned on, it creates this really pretty, almost like shattered glass effect.

Add the remaining decorations to the jar. These stars show up in the dark through any spaces and just add to the wonderland theme. 

 Finish by tieing a bow around the outside of the jar. I also removed these bells from an old Christmas decoration and wrapped them around as a final touch.

You'll be left with a magical, wintery lantern that makes for the perfect Christmas decoration or night lamp! This would also be a lovely, thoughtful gift for somebody. 

"Christmas isn't just a day. It's a frame of mind." - Valentine Davies

Lots of love,

Lily