for the ladies

 

Ladies! How fab is this super cool bike basket? Made by 25 year old San Fran designer, Feris Elmasu, the single piece of bent wood is made by hand for each order. Topped with five layers of nylon strechy straps, this thing can carry anything. Including a six pack of beer! So awesome.

Check it out here and seen (again) via Cup of Jo.

oh so pretty

I always think it's the detail that makes the difference and I can't fault the detail of these subtle nails. Use them for pretty pictures or to hang jewellery you want to display, the elegant triangle would be the perfect touch on any wall.

Equilateral nails aviailable here and seen originally via A Cup of Jo.

shoes with spikes

Hello kids! How was your weekend. I spent mine working on my final paper (which I finally submitted this morning) and catching up with friends.

In a breif rest period, I came across these killer shoes and thought they would be perfect for a spring splurge. I can picture wearing them with black 7/8 length trousers for a modern take on 50's fashion. Aren't they fab?

Adena shoe by Sam Edelman available here.

make them roar

Happy Friday friends! It is so nice to have a short week and I'm home today working on a school project. A cold, grey day like this is perfect for studying...but also makes me yearn for a fluffy companion. I've been wanting a cat for about four years now, the husband has resolutely said no, but that hasn't made me give up my quest to convince him!

For all you lucky people who already have a feline friend, check out this super stylish blog and website totally dedicated to your cat's needs. Make Them Roar is a cool collection of cat furniture, cat products, toys - anything really related to cats! The site has been set up by a friend of mine and I love her amazing finds, especially the upcycled cat bed and the stylish cat grass.

You can find Make Them Roar on Facebook and Twitter. Have a great weekend! If you do have a cat, give it an extra cuddle for me. : )

kopenhaven

Today I thought I'd share some highlights from our trip to Copenhagen. It was my first time to this beautiful city and even though it was oh so cold (I'd suggest visiting a bit later in the year!), the husband and I had a great time. 

KPH is known for two things - its spectacular food and its classic Danish design. I'm pleased to confirm that both reputations are totally deserved. From bars and restaurants, to interiors shops, everything is beautiful to look at and delicious to eat!

To hear more about our trip follow the jump.

hackney hear

Technology is so cool. For those local to East London, or those thinking about wandering through my lovely neighboorhood, check out this very cool app from Hackney Hear. The app is free to download, and once it's installed you can wander around the streets of London Fields and Broadway Market listening to stories from Iain Sinclair, poems by Shane Solanki and secrets shared by local residents.

The app is activated by GPS location so you can stand still to hear a story that interests you or move on to hear something new. Isn't this a great way to explore a neighboorhood? I think it would be perfect for a first date!

Download Hackney Hear from iTunes here.

wantist

Hello friends! I hope you all had a lovely long Easter weekend. Copenhagen was super fun and I'll be posting some pictures of our trip later this week.

As we are moving into the silly season - what I call the crazy busy summer months full of weddings and birthdays - I was super excited about finding the Wantist. This website is perfect for gift giving, offering what they call a 'curated collection' of gifts. Have a play around, I love what comes up when searching for something quirky for someone sophisticated. Who'd of thought?!

Wanted found here. 

copenhagen

The husband and I are off to Copenhagen tomorrow for the long Easter break. I'm so excited, it is one of the last places on my European cities list I have yet to visit!

We plan to make this trip a gastronomic adventure, the husband has already booked dinner here on Friday night and here on Saturday, don't they look amazing?

I can't wait to spend our lazy days cycling around exploring the city, checking out museums and enjoying some much needed time together. Have you been to Copenhagen? I would love to hear your recommendations.

Have a wonderful Easter break!

(photo from Conde Nast Traveler)

a little bit of ballet

Deep breath. Friends, I have signed up for a ballet class. Starting late April, I will be spending an hour and a bit every Thursday reacquainting myself with pose, posture and elegance. Like most little girls, I spent years of my youth in ballet classes and I am really excited to see how much (or how little) I remember. Tight, leotards and ballet slippers...here I come!

Beginners Ballet Course at City Academy available here.

(photo from Goggle's LIFE photo achieve)

making cheese

I'm a cheese freak. What can I say. And to make my own mozzarella sounds like a dream come true. So behold friends, a step by step guide to handmade, oozy, creamy, delicious mozzarella. There are quite a few steps involved, so this isn't for the faint hearted. But I am strong. I will persevere. I will make cheese.

Food 52 recipe can be found here.

(photo by Food 52)

dirty southern bbq

Happy Monday kids! Is it weird to start the day with pictures of a meaty BBQ? I hope not. These are from our Dirty-Southern-BBQ we had on Saturday. It was ridiculous. Homemade buffalo wings, slow cooked beef brisket, pork spare-ribs, my family's famous potato salad and corn on the cob...not to mention dessert. It was a little bit out of control. I love the first BBQ of the season and this was fantastic. I hope you had a good weekend too!

PS - all the recipe's used have been passed down from my family, except for the buffalo wings which I found here, and I don't think I have had anything so tasty!

(photos from my good friend Marisa Leaf)

fish hotel

Quirky or cool? I came across this fish hotel and couldn't decide if I thought it was amazing?! Or hilarious. Perhaps a little bit of both.

Fish Hotel available here.

e5 bake house

 

 

Call me clueless, but I don't know how to make bread. It seems like it should be so simple, just a few ingredents, a lovely warm kitchen and lots of time and presto! an amazing loaf of freshly baked delcisouness.

Enter the E5 Bake House - a farily new addition to east London - this bakery established itself in the arches at London Fields and has quickly become one of my favourite hangouts. And recently, I discovered they are now offering bread making classes! Running on Saturdays from 11am until about 5:30pm, the class teaches you how to bake four different types of bread, all using the E5's famous wild sourdough and teaches you how to make and maintain a 'mother' for your own bread.

They are fully booked through May, but I'm on the wait list and come fall, you can bet that I will be a master bread maker.

E5 Bake House, Arch 395, Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH

roasted pineapple deliciousness

We are cooking a southern BBQ for some friends this weekend and I've been looking around for a dessert recipe. I was going to go for something traditional like a key lime or lemon meringue pie but came across this mouth-watering recipe for roasted pineapple. Doesn't it look delicious? The best part about this recipe is it is super quick and easy to make. It might just become a new household favourite.

Roasted Pineapple with Honey and Pistachios recipe found here.

easter + egg = hunt time

Happy Monday friends!I can't believe how quickly this year has gone - can you believe it's almost April? I love spring time, the clocks went back yesterday, I've started cycling to work again and we have a long bank holiday to look forward to in just a few weeks.

In honour of the upcoming Easter break, I wanted to share this adorable Egg Hunt! It's been running across London for the last few weeks and is put on by the fabulous Faberge company. There are over 200 eggs hidden across London - you can pick up maps here - and each one has a special keyword that you can text in once you've found it. Each time you text you are entered to win the grand prize - The Diamond Jubilee Egg which is valued at over £100k!

I think this Easter Egg hunt will be the perfect way to spend next Saturday and a great way to see the city.

More information is available here. Happy hunting!

restaurant review: ceviche

In the midst of buzzing Soho, Ceviche opens its doors and welcomes you. Stepping inside, you are immediately taken with the bright colours on each wall, the people laughing and talking and the background music playing melodic beats. The husband and I checked out this new restaurant before my trip to the US and as soon as we stepped inside knew we were in for a good night.

Ceviche is already known for two things, firstly their ceviche and secondly their Pisco bar, apparently the first in London. I am happy to report, that this vibrant restaurant does both these things exceedingly well. The menu is tapas sized which I love as it means you get to try more of everything - and try most of everything we did!

The Don Ceviche, beautifully marinated chunks of Seabass served in an amarillo chilli tigers milk with lime and and red onion is a classic with the fish melting in your mouth whilst fresh lime and zingy chilli mingles in every bite.

The Sakura Maru is the opposite, subtly flavoured with soy and mirin, thin slices of rich, fatty salmon is cut with just a hint of lime.

We also tried a selection of their anticuchos or grilled skewers. Grilled octopus was smokey and tender served with a 'lick the bottom of the bowl' olive sauce. And the husband managed to persuade me to try the beef heart - and yes it is actually heart - marinated in chilli sauce and thinly sliced before being grilled on the skewers it was delicious!

Cocktails were exceptional and at between £6-£8 a pop worth the price. The Pisco Sour was perfect, a wonderfully balanced Pisco, sugar syrup and lime concoction topped with just the right amount of bitters. But the Soho...wowzers. By far my favourite, this mix of chilli infused Pisco, elderflower, cucumber, lime and black pepper was both surprising and refreshing. It was so good it was hard not to gulp it back.

I can't see how this restaurant won't immediately be popular in London, it's fresh and different and most importantly, very, very good. You can book a table in the back (yay!) but also sit at the bar up front. Definitely a place to check out.

Ceviche, 17 Firth Street, London W1D 4RG

a little bit dark + a little bit pretty

There is something about bright and sunny spring days that make me think of tea parties and cakes. And this stunning and subversive china would make the perfect party piece!

I love the idea of having the girls over for a lazy Saturday afternoon sipping on our tea and chatting happily over cakes whilst discussing the merits of having a cheetah and skeleton on our china.  These pieces were created by UK artist Ali Miller, and I think she captures perfectly the spirit of British eccentricities. You can check out her other work here.

custard filled cornbread

Having just come back from the states, I've had a resurgence of cravings for my favourite classic American dishes. 

Chilli and cornbread, the perfect homemade cheeseburger, a delicious grilled cheese sandwich and cup of rich tomato soup, all these dishes remind me of home. 

This recipe I found on delicious food blog Lottie + Doof takes a classic recipe and improves on it with a warm, oozy custard cream baked into the middle. So good! And serving with warmed maple syrup? Yum.

Custard filled cornbread recipe available here.

time for tea

mint detox

white peony

Good morning friends. I don't know about you, but after our busy weekend I woke up this morning in desperate need of a good (read strong!) cup of tea.

And that reminded me of a fabulous new company I've recently been introduced too! Tea Horse is run by lovely group of people obsessed with tasty tea. Their concept is unique, sign up for their Tea Horse taster boxes and each month you will receive a perfectly edited selection of tea (each month is themed) with enough tea to make 30 perfect cups. I think this is a great way to try a wide variety of exotic teas, and I love the beautiful full leaves pictured above.

This month the focus is on tea and health. I think I might have to sign up for a box and test it out!

You can sign up for their taster boxes here.

happy friday

Happy Friday friends! Hope you have all had a lovely week. I went to see Men in Motion at Sadler's Well last night, a stunning collection of 5 short acts all performed by some of the best male balerina's in the world today. It's only on for a short time, but I would recommend checking it out for the men alone!

Tickets are available here.

Enjoy the weekend! x

carrot cake cupcakes

I am taking a few days off to recover from Colorado and found a fairly old stash of carrots on our fridge. Thankfully, I've also had this amazing recipe saved which will make use of those old carrots. It is an inside-out carrot cake cupcake, with a delicious, oozy, creamy center. So YUM, I am going to be making these bad boys today!

Inside out carrot cake recipe available here.

how about a cuff

I love that ear cuffs are getting loads of press for spring. This monkey style is super cool. I think it would look amazing with a cropped hair cut...I am always tempted to cut my hair off, maybe this cuff will finally make me do it!

Monkey Ear Cuff available here.

colorado

Happy Tuesday friends! I am just back from a long weekend in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where I threw my best friends bachelorette party. It was an excellent weekend, with great friends, lots of laughs, copious amounts of drinking and two gorgeous days on the mountain. Apart from a cold and a little jet lag, I feel great! Hope you enjoyed the weekend too.

lost in motion

There is something beautiful about the human body in dance. This short dance is absolutely stunning. A surreal way to start at Thursday.

black, white & beautiful

I can't get enough of the clean lines a black and white interior give. I love this scandinavian home, the stunning wooden floors and the strong black and white colour scheme mixed with the flashes of green provided by the plants. It is  going on my own flat inspiration board immediately.

Flat found on the fabulous Design Attractor.

happy homemaker

How beautiful are these aprons? I love the cut and colour of the gorgeous sash ribbon. Can't you just imagine baking at home in a lovely dress protected by this stunning apron? Jus like a housewife in the 1950s! I love it.

Rollings of Cinnamon Apron available at Natural History 

wanderlust

Happy Monday kids. So you all know, my love of all things letterpress continues unabated.

Wanderlust print available on Etsy.