Wednesday 25 April 2012

DIY Plate Stands

Look at this find from my charity shopping this week!  Beautiful glass candle sticks.


Which, with a little Pinterest inspired creativity can also be turned in to vintage looking plate stands!



Now I'm on the look out for larger plates to fit in with my 'harlequin' tea set, once I do, I'm just a sandwich plate and a tea pot away from a complete collection- any one for tea?

Freya May

Monday 23 April 2012

Apple Crumble Tastiness

Apple Crumble is one of my favourite puddings to make for one simple reason- its super simple!  And it doesn't hurt that Hubby loves it :D

What is also great, is that it can be made in small portions as well as a whole dish.  I often make two ramekins of crumble for just the two of us during the week.

Here is my fool-proof recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients
  • Apples (aprox 1.5 per person)
  • Sugar (or sweetener if you prefer)
  • Flour
  • Butter
  • Brown Sugar
Method

Cut up your apples, pop in a pan, with a cup of water and a table spoon of sugar/ sweetener.

Stew until soft.  Now, you have two choices, you can stew until the apples are just soft- how I prefer my crumble- or until you've got apple mush (also very yummy).  Obviously the second choice takes longer, so you'll need patience.

Once it's soft, about twenty minutes later, drain excess water and pop the apples into a ceramic dish.


For the topping on a pudding for 4-6 people use a cup and a half of flour and two heaped table spoons of butter, and rub them using your finger tips into the consistency of bread crumbs.  Then add a cup of brown sugar.  Pour this mixture on top of the apples and bake for 25 minutes.

If you like, add cinnamon into the mixture before pouring it on the apples- yummy!!!


Serve with custard or cream or ice-cream.  Like I said, easy, yummy and perfect for week day meals.




Freya May

Sunday 22 April 2012

Charity Shop Challenge Day 22!




Top (Monsoon/ Cancer Research UK)- £3, Cardigan (Primark/Hand me down)- Free, Jeans (GAP/Cancer  Research UK)- £4, Shoes (Loros)- £3
Total-£10

Happy Sunday all :D  Hope you've had a nice weekend, filled with family and fun.

We've had a nice day!  Been to a new church and got invited to dinner at a couples house.  It was quite an odd day actually, because the church service started at 330- totally out of our usual habits.  But the service was good, interesting.  It was a church grown from a student church, much of the congregation was students or ex students of Loughborough University, so definitely a demographic we felt we fit in to.

The extra time in the morning was nice too, odd, like I said, but nice.  Kinda used it for extra sleeping in, blogging stuff, playing with my pets.  Dave used it to get to the gym and get some work out of the way.  Productive, eh?

Freya May

Friday 20 April 2012

Charity Shop Challenge Day 20!




Top (Primark/ Sue Rider Care)- £2.50, Cardigan (Topshop/ Hand me down)- free, Necklace (hand me down)- free, Belt (Loros)- £1, Skirt (Topshop/ Cancer Research UK)- £3, Boots (Rocket Dog/ BHF)- £6

Total- £12.50

Sorry I'm being rubbish at keeping up my postings, like I said before, I enjoy being lazy in the evening and don't always get around to taking photos.  Please, rest assured that I am indeed wearing second hand clothes each day, however- I'm sure that worries you greatly ;)

Freya May

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Charity Shop Challenge Day 18!



Top (Dorothy Perkins/ Sue Rider Care)- £2.50, Cardigan (Peacocks/ Senses)- £2.75, Jeans (Dorothy Perkins/ Cancer Research UK)- £3, Shoes (Loros)- £3
Total- £11.25

Another day in which I just wanted to get in to my pyjamas when I got home from work, but, just for you, I resisted! And put jeans on instead :D

Really had quite a mad morning, and a lovely afternoon, so I guess it balanced out. 

And I've finished of the day with two of my favourite things- Baking and Bones.  Made some scones (yummy) and Bones is back on Sky (joy).   



Freya May

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Charity Shop Challenge Day 17!



Top (Select/ Sue Rider Care)-£2.50, Skirt (H&M/ Loros)- £3, Belt (hand me down)- Free, Bag (Primark/Hand me down)- Free, Shoes (New Look/hand me down)- Free.
Total- £5.50

To be perfectly honest, I'm actually not 'wearing' this outfit today, I've put it together, taken photos and gotten promptly into my pyjamas, see-


Much more comfortable and suitable to an evening lounging around my house putting of chores and watching Come Dine with Me.

Freya May

Spring Trend - Coloured Jeans



Left to Right
MOTO high wasted Kristen jeans- £40, MOTO high waste sobet Jamie jeans- £40, MOTO cyan Baxter jeans- £40/£25, MOTO rose supersoft skinny Leigh jeans- £38, MOTO Leigh supersoft skinny- £38, MOTO Leigh supersoft skinny- £38, MOTO coral Baxter jeans- £40  All Topshop

Yes, Topshop jeans are expensive, and, not having owned a pair, I can't speak of their quality or value for money.  But, I can attest for their prettyness! I think they're lovely and would happily own a pair in each colour!!

I'm loving coloured jeans at the moment.  It took me a while to get my head around styling them, but not I think they are perfect for brightening up the British spring time!  

Freya May

Monday 16 April 2012

Charity Shop Challenge Day 16!



Top (Monsoon/Cancer Research UK)-£4, Cardigan (H&M/hand me down)-Free, Shorts (cut from jeans)(Dorothy Perkins/ BHF)-£2.50, Boots (Rocket Dog/BHF)- £6
Total- £12.50

Back to work today-boo:( But, it wasn't a bad day really, nothing happened to make it special in any way, which I will always prefer to those really horrible days which come along every now and again.

I'm planning on starting a new craft project soon, but am feeling uninspired for ideas- any suggestions??
One thing I'm thinking about is a new jewellery stand, like these-

And I also need to make some more bunting at some point- I have all these triangles cut out and lengths and lengths of bias binding to use, so there really isn't an excuse.  

But I always like starting new projects, so ideas, please!

Freya May

Sunday 15 April 2012

Charity Shop Challenge Day 15!



Top (RiverIsland/ Sue Rider Care)- £2.50, Cardigan (Peacocks/ Senses)- £2.75, Skirt (Pied A Terre/Loros)- £3, Belt (Hand me down)- Free, Shoes (Newlook/ Hand me down)- Free.
Total- £8.25

Heloo, I must apologise for not posting an outfit yesterday, but, tbh, it wasn't an exciting one anyway, so don't feel like you missed out! (Jeans, t-shirt and jumper- pretty standard and cost about £7.50, not including shoes)

I've had quite a lovely day, but it has gone far to fast as lazy days often do.  I'm back at work tomorrow, and trying hard to be positive about it, it's not like I hate my job, but I've enjoyed time off with Dave so much!!!

But back I must go :)  Hope you've also had a nice Easter.

Freya May

Friday 13 April 2012

Charity Shop Challenge Day 13!



Top (Primark/Sue Rider Care)- £2.75, Cardi (Vintage)- £12, Jeans (GStar/Cancer Research UK)- £4
Total- £18.75

Back from Paris and right on up to Manchester to visit Emma!  It's non-stop for me this week.

After a super busy train ride, where someone stole my reserved seat, its been a lovely afternoon of charity shopping and hot chocolate, we're now sitting down to watch 'Dear John' with a bottle of wine- perfect!

Freya May 

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Paris in the Spring Time









3 Days in Paris, the definition of perfect?  I don't know, but I sure comes close.  We're three days of art, arcitecture, food and walking ahead of us.  Naturally, it is super important to look the part in this increadably stylish city, so I took great care planning my wardrobe.  This is a polyvore version (i.e. I have never paid £500 for a cardigan, but have a topshop version).  And it's almost exactly what I have packed.  Except I've taken comfortable boots instead of the shoes pictured.


Freya May
Source: polyvore.com via Freya on Pinterest

Sunday 8 April 2012

Side Table DIY

Hey, I picked up this table at the amazing second hand furniture shop just up the road from us for a bargain price of £5 because it was pretty badly scratched on the top.

I had been exploring inspiring blogs like this one and this one, full of projects taking unwanted, unloved furniture and giving it a second chance with just a lick of paint and some tlc.  So I decided I wanted a go!

This is the table, just as we started to sand it down, you can see the dark colour it was stained and the scratched on the top.


Totally needed a make over, right?

So, we sanded it down


Gave it a undercoat


And painted it the first coat of green, this is what it looked like now-







It still needs another coat of green, and then it's 'done', but I really want to work out a way to recreate this look-


But the 'glaze' that is used is only available in the USA, and I can't find the UK equivalent.  I just love how the glaze brings out the details of the piece, stops it looking 2D and flat. I plan on trying for a similar look using tinted varnish, working in small areas, very quickly.  And I'll let you know how that works out!

(I didn't intend on this being a 'how to' post, so if you want more information on repainting furniture please click on the links above)

Freya May

Charity Shop Challenge Day 8!




Cardigan (Primark/Hand me down)- Free, Blouse (Dorothy Perkins/Loros)- £3, Necklace and Belt (Hand me down)- Free, Skirt (Vintage/Loros)-£3.50, Shoes (Loros)- £3. Bag (Vintage)- £18
Total- £27.50

Happy Easter, y'all! Christ has risen, praise the Lord!

Hope you've had a wonderful day.  We've been to church, eaten lunch with David's family, been for a walk with my mum and David's family and been totally relaxed and happy.  

A perfect Easter Sunday.

Freya May 

Saturday 7 April 2012

Charity Shop Challenge Day 7!




Cardigan (Peacocks/ Senses)- £2.75, Dress (New Look/Oxfam)- £5.50, Belt (Loros)- £1, Shoes (Hand me down)- Free.
Total- £9.25

Hey, so, you'll probably see in that top picture one of our new pets on my shoulder.  That is Jack, one of our  rats.  I'm pretty sure the vast majority of you are a little grossed out by the idea of pet rats, but I'm here to tell you that, honestly, they've  had a lot of bad press and the truth is they are clean, intelligent animals.  I read once that Victorian ladies of leisure used to keep them as pets, and they would live within their crinolines.  

On a side note, we have had a really lovely afternoon!  Our friend Beth is off to Thailand on Monday to start life as a ESL teacher!  We went over to have an indoor barbecue and say good bye and good luck!

I was asked to make a cake for the occasion-


Yummy!  Three layers is totally the way forward!

I'm tired now, and have to be up to head into Leicester for church in the morning, so good night!

Freya May

Friday 6 April 2012

Charity Shop Challenge Day 6!



Top (Miss Selfridges/ hand me down)- Free, Cardigan (Primark/Hand me down)- Free, Bag (Vintage)- £18, Skirt (Primark/British Heart Foundation)- £3.50, Shoes (Next/Loros)- £3
Total- £24.50

Been into Leicester to watch the Hunger Games for the second time, I've never loved a story that's quite so hard to explain before.  Every time I get 'sacrificing children' or 'fight to the death' people don't want to know any more.  But it is so good! 

Anyway, this cinema trip was particularly amazing because we used the vouchers Dave was given for his birthday to up grade to the 'Directors Screening'- private bar, snacks delivered to your table, tables! Enough space to actually curl up, and the perfect balance between small number of seats and screen size. The luxurious cinema experience.  We've decided it makes the perfect birthday treat.

Freya May
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