Rockin with the Stars! - Discount code included!

Nope, I haven't turned into an international rock star in the past 11 days (although I do know a band that is *this* close to doing just that! Follow @theverdictlive on twitter for more info!) I'm talking about my new favourite candle from One Stop Pamper Shop!

I mentioned the fabulous One Stop Pamper Shop in one of my previous posts and I need to mention them again - they're amazing! Every single candle from this emporium of fragrance contains the highest level of scent possible, combining this with their prettiness and affordability, you have got some serious value for money going on!



Back to my latest favourite! Rockin with the Stars is a bright pink, sweet smelling candle that is so deliciously scented that you don't even need to light it to catch a whiff! I popped mine next to an open window and the summer breeze helped to disperse a sumptuous, sherbety scent around my living room! Once lit the fragrance soon made it's way around my entire flat! How fabulous is that?

Whilst the candle was burning, my fiancé came in from walking the dogs and stopped at the door looking a wee bit confused; "Did you go to Lush today?" He asked, walking straight into the bathroom.

"No, why?" I replied following him on his Fred Flinstone-esque tip toed, nose following travels around the flat.

"I can smell that soap you bought me, the incredibly manly bright pink sugary one." He says with a smile...

Turns out, Rockin with the Stars smells just like my fiancé's favourite soap from Lush! Result! This means that he won't moan that I've got a candle on he doesn't like!

On a side note: His favourite soap is not manly at all, it's a super-sweet vanilla and floral soap that's bright pink in colour - he refuses to buy it for himself because it's so girly! (don't tell him I told you)

If you like scented candles I implore you to visit One Stop Pamper Shop!! And if you're in the South-East why not pop into their fabulous new shop? Handmade High St is in Colchester and features not only the fragrant joys of One Stop but a beautiful array of other handmade loveliness from a variety of amazing UK artisans - Get down there!!

Oooooh! And check this out! The fabulous One Stop Pamper Shop has a sneaky little discount code for you to use too! use code AWESOME for 20% off for the next week! (starting June 29th) - go try Rockin With the Stars for yourself!

A change of pace

I think I might have to change the name of my blog.

What started out as a great plan with lots of ideas has fizzled out a little bit. This is due to many things but in essence, my mood has been too low to be truly creative and have the energy to make all the things that I want to make and to spend time making my home as beautiful as I'd like to.

Recently I've been visiting a few of my finance's friend's homes and it has depressed me no end seeing how beautiful their homes are. But that's not our fault. We've gone through so much and had to flee our home so we don't have the means to do what they've done. A lot of them have lived where they are for years and been together double the time we have been so it makes sense that they have 'grown up' and lovely homes, but I can't help a little bit of the green eyed monster being around.

I know things will get better. They have to get better.

I keep saying this to myself and I have to believe it: The hard time will make the good times better and the tough times will make us stronger as a couple and as a family when that time comes. If we can get through what we've been through in our lives so far then we can do anything we want to!

Instead of focusing on what I haven't got, I'd like to focus on what I do have - right now.

I have a wonderful fiancé who loves me just as much as I love him and I can't wait to become his wife (whenever we can manage to pull a wedding together).



I have my fantastic little Roofus, my playful boy who gives the best cuddles.



My amazingly beautiful Dakota, with her love of cuddles and her swishy little tail



And I have one slice of my delicious (and first ever) Victoria Sponge cake left in the fridge!



I might not have a lot - but what I do have is enough to make me smile today.


Now....what to rename this blog?

Bunting!

What a nightmare of a day I had yesterday!

I dragged my poor other half around no less than 8 shops and one market looking for some jubilee bunting - everywhere had sold out! And they reckon people are against the monarchy and don't care about the jubilee?

I was even laughed at by one of the assistants in one of the shops I went into 'we sold out of that the day it came in!' he said as he shuffled off to re-stock the crisps.

After three hours in town (and two horrible blisters later) I came home in a bit of a grump. I wanted to put ups some bunting!

So sod it...I made some!

Now it's not pretty bunting, but I should get some points for effort I think!

I cannot draw, sketch or colour for toffee. I just can't. But in my fit of need for tri-coloured Jubilee decorations I cracked out the crayons and started drawing!

And here are my bunting pieces!



Then I simply popped holes in each corner and strung them up on some wool.



No measuring, no faffing - just crayon drawn flags on card attached to wool. Sorted.

And you know what? I cannot see any other flags or bunting anywhere in my neighbourhood...so who the heck bought it all??

The Best Laid Plans...

Never turn out do they?!

Gah! With all the Jubilee preparations going on around me, I was planning on making a couple of different pieces of patriotic paraphernalia to decorate my home and try and get into the spirit of things; And of course show you all how to make them too (though in hindsight it would have probably been a little late - my bad).

But that isn't going to happen.

Why?

Because my stupid (expletive, expletive) printer has decided it doesn't want to work in colour any more, black and white is fine but you want to add some colour? Hells no! That just isn't going to happen.

Let's face it, black and white Queen's heads and union flags just aren't going to do the job are they?

Nah.

So that's my handmade Jubilee plans scuppered. Maybe. I'm off into town today to trawl the discount, pound saver type shops (there are about 6 within 5 minutes of each other where I live...not a good advert for the area really is it?) for something, anything red white and blue to make something out of...you never know, I may succeed yet!

Wish me luck!

(And I might just have to nip into ASDA for some party food too...yum)

Disney Turkey Leg!

OK, so that hard period of time appears to be letting up a wee bit, the sun is shining and my mood seems to be lightening too and staying that way...let's hope so anyway!

Those of you that follow me on twitter and instagram may have seen the hashtag #talesofhomesmoking a week or so ago...here's the story behind it!

Have you ever been to Walt Disney World in Florida? If you have, chances are you've seen children and adults alike walking around eating what looks like a dinosaur leg? Yes? Have you been one of those children or adults? I know I have been! (I will hunt out the picture for you some day)

Those amazing monstrosities of meat are called turkey legs and they are delicious! As well as that - they're pretty fun to eat too! You can channel your inner cave man, your inner pirate or your inner Henry VIII and get munching! The first time I ever had one I channelled my inner pirate - there were lots and lots of 'Ooaarrrgghhh's whilst eating it I can tell you!

So anyway, why am I going on about this Disney experience? Simple! Because my fiancé and I have been reminiscing about all of our holidays recently (we really need a holiday!) and turkey legs inevitably came up in conversation; I wondered if I could recreate one at home? That is, afterall, my aim at the moment - to create anything I can at home - so I thought I'd give it a go!

Off I popped to Sainsburys and lo and behold...turkey legs are only £1.61 each! Bargain! So I snapped one up and started my search for a Disney turkey leg recipe.

First things first, you have to put the leg in brine for 24 hours. The brine I used was 1 litre of water with 1/4 cup of salt and 1/8 a cup of brown sugar. Leave it in the fridge in this for 24 hours and Bob's your uncle! One brined turkey leg. Next step:

Uh-oh...

The little buggers are SMOKED! How did I not know this?

Crud. No home smoker in sight....Could I maybe....make one?

I remembered seeing Heston and the Baker Boys do it on a couple of Channel 4 cooking shows so maybe I could make my own home smoker?

YES! I can! And I did!

I found a tutorial on YouTube which basically advises you that you can use dry rice and tea to create smoked foods. You line a heave frying pan with foil, slap in the rice and tea and whack up the heat. Then you place the food to be smoked on a wrack on top of the pan and then seal with more foil and leave it to smoke!

Here's my *cough* home smoker...



Looks great right? No? No I didn't think so either but when the house started to smell like smoked kippers I thought I was on the right track!

Oh and I've left out the part where I used a wok at first and somehow managed to set fire to the oven...I digress - back to the smoking!

So 4 hours later...I've had to open every window in the flat and close the kitchen door. The flat STINKS of smoke and I was starting to get light headed about an hour in - if you do this you need ventilation! A few times I wanted to give up - the smell was choking me but every time I took a peak under the foil I just couldn't give in...it was working!

One smoked turkey leg...



Did it taste good? Can't tell you yet...now it needs to be roasted! (This is no mean feat this turkey leg malarky, they must work hard at Disney for those yummilicious treats!)

So the next day (this is day 3 of project At Home Disney Turkey Leg by the way) I roasted it! I covered it in foil again because I was worried about it drying out and roasted it on 180 for about 40 minutes (foil off for the last 10) and.....drum roll please....

One turkey leg!



Look at Roofus! He clearly felt hard done by that he had a bowl of dry food for dinner whilst me and the other half were eating this beauty!

And the verdict? Well, let's just say that we pretended to be pirates and put on a Disney film to celebrate - I made a real Disney Turkey Leg! Success!

However...there is a down side...

Look at my frying pan!



The non stick has burnt away, it actually bubbled over the side of the pan (it didn't get into the foil or rice so don't worry about poisoning!) and STUCK to the oven! We had to scrap it off of the oven :( So my cheap £1.61 turkey leg has cost me a £40 frying pan (my favourite pan I might add) so I don't think I'll be doing this again!

Apparently you can buy 'liquid smoke' which you put into the brine at the first stage and it creates the smoked flavour in meat and then you can just roast without the need to smoke....Maybe I should have done this first??

I don't think I've got the hang of this blogging malarky at all.

I've always thought of blogs as places for people to talk about whatever they want or need to, whenever they want or need to. Somewhere they can talk about things that excited them or things that make them cry, somewhere they can share happy times and sad times and perhaps show off some great ideas along the way.

So why, when I'm going through a particularly tough time, do I hide from my blog? Why don't I want to write anything down? I know from experience that writing things out can be as good as talking to someone you love about it - a great therapy and way to clear your brain. But I just can't bring myself to do it.

Why?

Because I'm scared someone will read it! How ridiculous! I'm scared that someone that knows me will read it and then either take offence because they're part of the problem or get upset because they didn't know there was something wrong and not know how to help (or because I didn't tell them in the first place).

I'm a creative person, I make different things when different moods take me (my house is never cleaner than when I'm angry!). A couple of days ago I was so sad that I spontaneously wrote a poem...a poem! I haven't done that since I was a hormonal teenager!

There is no where 'safe' for me to talk. So I've been hiding away and trying to cope on my own.

Well that isn't working.

I'm not entirely sure on the point of this. I needed to get something out without actually getting anything out. I guess now it's out.

Let's make this house a home! Part 3

Oooh I'm onto part three already! I have no idea how many parts there will be but it makes me happy that I'm continuing to make pretty things for our little flat to make it more 'ours'.

So this blog post is about a garland/bunting thingimawhatsit that I actually made a fair few weeks ago, but just haven't gotten around to blogging about yet!

I've seen lots of people making garlands made from old book pages which I simultaneously love and hate - I love the ideas of using passages from your favourite books, but I couldn't bring myself to destroy a book (or have someone else destroy a book) for the sake of something pretty. Nope. Just can't do it.

So I found this tutorial on making a heart garland from craft paper - woo!

Except...I don't have any craft paper. Drat! And the whole point of making things myself is to not spend too much money so I can't exactly go out and buy any can I?

So I needed to make a solution...ta-da! Light bulb moment! I printed off some pages of text (I don't know about copyright for things like this so they're random pages) and I tea bagged them!

Stop sniggering.

I used cold, soggy tea bags to give the paper a nice antiqued look :) Word of advise...drying on a clothes wrack worked brilliantly! AND the paper is stiffer when you've done this too!




I should have printed double sided text but I forgot so I folded each sheet in half and glued it together with my trusty Pritt Stick before slicing it up...



I got three slices out of each piece of paper and needed 7 in total for each heart - you do the math for the number of hearts you'd like :)



As the space that I wanted to hang my garland in is only small I chose to make four hearts - they're quite big! I strung them on some wool, but if you had some twine this would look much better.

Here's my finished garland :)



I'm rather chuffed with it!

I'm going to make some more of these with a couple of alterations to make them even better! I'm also thinking of making mini ones as Christmas tree decorations!

What do you think?