New book on the block...

I am super excited as this amazing book came through the post today : Tiny homes: simple shelter (by Lloyd Kahn)
This book is full of permanent and temporary tiny homes and ideas on how to downsize. It is a recent edition and it is full of cozy areas and inspirational people. If you are into this movement this is a book for you. You will have seen some of the images in the book going viral on Pinterest. Here's a few ...

(Images taken from Tiny Homes, by Lloyd Kahn)

Wooden kitchens

A couple of years ago we decided to move our kitchen and redo the whole room up. We already had some wooden units and some favourite furniture and didn't want a clinical environment. I like bohemian interiors and items with character and I am not big on box standard items so these are some of the dream wooden kitchens I found for inspiration.

(all photos are from Pinterest)

Tiny homes ... inside

Containers used to make houses - Saved from Freecycle / Recycle Life (Pinterest)

Saved from this-little-house.tumblr.com (Pinterest)

Saved from cathousebeds.com (Pinterest)

This is my latest dream...getting a tiny home... I am no minimalist but there is something amazing in creating a house around your needs, as opposed to getting a house built a long time ago for different needs. I don't think I will ever be able to afford my own house plus we don't need a massive house. Anyway these houses can be so creative so take a look at how they might feel ...

Saved from tinyhousefor.us (Pinterest)

Red dress for all seasons

Latest sales purchase from asos. I love red and after all these years I didn't have one that I can wear all the time. I was really lucky when I found this number in the January sales! It is a simple shift with a Ziggy twist that can be work with a thermal in the winter and sans thermal in spring and summer!

ASOS Shift Dress in Colourblock with V-Detail

Winter version

What i wore - Denim

Ok so it is not a secret i like denim... think i overdid it but denim doesn't have to be scruffy.

Denim day 1

Denim day 2

Things to make with kids

This is what we made during a long winter day...

nest

a nest from sticks and bits and loads of glue!! 

Pancake day!

These were ours and this is the recipe we followed: taken from BBC food 
We tried them with lemon but my favourite is honey and cinnamon!

Ingredients

For the pancake mixture

• 110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
• 50g/2oz butter

To serve

• caster sugar
• lemon juice
• lemon wedges

Method

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.
2. Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.
3. Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you're using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It's also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate.
4. Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.
5. To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon.