Ideas: A Lazy Weekend

So there is nothing better than having your days off at the end of the week to enjoy yourself, relax, indulge and experience new things. I see as Fridays and Saturdays as my days for getting out of the house and doing fun things and Sundays as my relaxed day. Lately my Saturdays have been my chilled day as I haven't been feeling too good and so when it gets to Sunday I feel like I need to do something.

Dont get me wrong, its still a chilled out day but sometimes I just can't handle sitting around all day as I feel like I'm wasting my life away, so I've put a list together of little things you can do on your day off that make it a little bit more interesting.

1/ Making snacks ready for a film or a TV marathon
So sometimes there is nothing better than getting cosy in your dressing gown and sitting down with some treats to watch a film or catching up on your favourite shows. Instead of buying in some snacks full of bad things why not make your own? This will help you accomplish something in the day and also help to improve your cooking skills.

Now I'm a little addicted to popcorn at the moment and it can be such a simple thing to make. Buy some popcorn kernels, add half a cup to a saucepan with some coconut oil or butter, put a lid on and watch them pop away. All you need to do it make sure you shake the pot now and then so non of them get stuck to the bottom and add your flavourings. You can just add sugar and a pinch of salt or if your feeling extra naughty drizzle some chocolate over the top! yum!

Another thing that is really easy to make are cookies! I always whip these up on random occasions as they take less than 20 minutes and taste a lot better than the ones you find in the supermarket. You can try my 'Chocolate Tea' flavoured ones here or just change the recipe and miss out the tea leaves and mix in chocolate chunks instead or if your feeling health conscious you can try this 'Coconut Tart'

Tea flavoured cookies dipped in chocolate 

Gluten-Free coconut bites (tart)

2/ Yoga
I've done yoga here and there over the past few years but I haven't really stuck to it but when I do take part in a class or follow a yoga video I feel so much better in myself. Yoga helps you to reflect on the positives in your life and get rid of all the negative vibes that are dragging you down. Its also a form of exercise which releases good endorphins which will make you feel better anyway.

So in the comfort of your own home grab a mat or blanket, turn on youtube and either follow a session from your laptop or connect it to your TV with a HDMI cable. No one will have to judge you but you will feel much better for it when you are finished.

3/ Plan a weekend away with your loved ones
So todays the day when you really don't want to do anything so why not take the time to plan a little break away? Everyone needs some 'me' time or just a moment to get away from the stresses of everyday life and enjoy what is around you. I done this the other weekend and now I have something to plan and look forward to.

Me and Nick have planned a 2 day getaway in Graffham, West Sussex in a cute little flat that we found on Air BnB. Its set in a little town where we can go for walks, have lunches at a local pub and enjoy the quiet life of the countryside. Its going to be a great time for us to spend some quality time together and really enjoy each other company without worries about the daily chores we need to get done. There are hundreds of places on Air BnB you can check out and you can get a lot of them for a great price and in locations that hotels dont offer you.

Source: Air BnB 

I am already dreaming of staying in a log cabin in the heart of Scotland where there is a hot tub and beautiful scenery around us, I mean, how dreamy does that sound? So grab a notebook and start a Whats App group and get your next trip planned. It doesn't have to be expensive like a holiday abroad but you can have just as much fun because its about the company you keep, not where you keep it.

4/ Write a letter
The world we are living in right now is becoming more of a digital one as the months go by. Gone are the days when we need to make a effort to talk to someone by either travelling to their house for a catchup or writing a letter and telling them about your day, all it takes is a quick facebook message or a text and thats it. The only thing with this is that the communication is short and sweet and not really meaningful.

Now we all love a bit of stationary and what better excuse than to buy your own writing set? There are lots of beautiful ones out there so head down to your nearest Paperchase or purchase one online and get writing! Here are a few of my favourites:

Source: Paperchase Art Deco Set (left) & Paperchase Parisian Set (right)

Source: Etsy Writing kit with box

 5/ Go to a Car Boot

If your a pinterest fanatic like most of us then you are going to love a good car boot sale. There are always little gems hidden away which would make the perfect DIY project. Buy an unwanted chair or bedside table, sand it down and re paint it. Spray an old ornament or lamp stand copper. All done for pennies but way more satisfying than finding something triple the price in a shop. 

Give your area a good google for some car boots and head down one weekend. You will be surprised what you can find when you have a good nose around. 

I hope you have enjoyed this post and I have inspired you to do something different with your day!

I will add a few more things when I get the time so watch this space. 

Enjoy your lazy day no matter what you do.

Love Khrissie x

DIY: Candle Making

I love a good bit of DIY, especially searching for it on blogs and pinning my favourite things on Pinterest. I constantly dream of a home I can own where I spend my free time making things for it, blogging about it and just living the life near a beach somewhere, without a care in the world. This for the foreseeable future is just a dream but I can start improving my DIY skills on the way so when the time comes, I am ready.

I found a Groupon voucher for a candle making class a few months ago and jumped at the chance. Candles are one of my favourite things, I buy them quite a lot and they never last too long but thats because I buy the cheaper ones. I wish I had the budget to invest in a more expensive candle but I can't right now so making them is the next best thing.

The company 'Midas touch crafts' is one which is run by a mother and daughter, all non profit as the proceeds which aren't used for the materials and hiring of the venue are put straight back into a charity. For this class we made one cupcake size candle (a slightly bigger size than a tea light) as it needed to set in 3 hours plus some different techniques for decorating candles. This was a great beginners class as you learnt all of the history of candles and the basics of putting one together. Me and my housemate had a wonderful time learning these skills and came away with a lot of knowledge about candles and the process in which to make them. Naz herself was a great teacher and had a lovely personality which made everyone feel at ease. If you want to attend one of her classes (as she has lots of different ones too um hmm..how to make bath bombs, yes!) so check her website out.

So to make a basic cupcake candle you will need (links attached):
Glass containers
Container Wax (soy is better as it uses less chemicals but use paraffin for practising as its cheaper)
Pre-waxed wicks with tabs
Thermometer
Glue dots or Glue gun 
Pyrex pouring jug (glass)
Fragrance Oil

If you want to decorate the inside of your glass you will need:
Sprinkles or confetti
Mod Podge
Paint Brush

To make the candle you first of all need to stick your wick down in the centre of the container. You can either use a glue dot or a glue gun if you have one. You then need to take your mod podge and glue all around the inside of the container without glueing the bottom, as this can make your wick move. Then take your sprinkles or confetti and place them onto the glue, however you like and allow to set.

While this is setting, pour some of your container wax into your jug and put it into the microwave for 30 seconds. Take out and stir and put it back in for another 30 seconds. This is when you should test the temperature of your wax and make sure its at 65 degrees (make sure its no higher before you pour it into the container because if it reaches near to 100 degrees it then becomes dangerous and you will have to throw it away).

This is then when you can add in your essential oils. Remember you only need a few drops as it is highly concentrated. The reason you should use essential oils is because thats the best way to get the longevity of fragrance each time you burn your candle. Have you ever noticed your candle only smells for the first time you burn it? Thats because a fragrance block has been used, which you can find in a lot of the cheaper candles.

You can then leave it to set, either in a cool room or the fridge (make sure it cools a bit before you put it in the fridge so there's no risk of the glass shattering) as this will cut down some time. It is as simple as that and pretty fun too!

These are the basics you need for candle making. You can mix up fragrance oils for different smells and get as experimental as you like. You can also colour your wax with candle dyes if you want a certain look for your candles or to match the colour to the smell (red/berry) etc. Crayola crayons are also brilliant for this as they are already coloured so a lot of the hard work is done for you.

You can also decorate your candles in numerous ways if you make them in votive moulds. These are moulds that you can take the candle out of afterwards so they are free standing. As an example we had a go at adding glitter to ours in whatever way we decided. I opted for an over the top christmas look and covered the whole thing! Use some mod podge as a base and layer the glitter over the top.

I hope you have enjoyed this little candle DIY tutorial. If you dont want to buy all the items separately and give this a go you can either sign up to a candle making class to see if you like it first or buy a starters kit which will give you most of the tools you need except the thermometer and jug.

If you have any questions just leave them down below and I will get right back to you!
Happy making!
Love Khrissie x

Baking | Graveyard Cupcakes

Halloween is only a few days away so why not bake some tasty treats for your friends and family, or even yourself if your feeling a bit peckish. I wanted to create something which was super quick and easy where you didn't need too many ingredients. I have for you some halloween haunted graveyards.

You will need: 1 pack of chocolate cupcake mix / 1 Egg / 125g Butter / Pack of Oreos / A pack of icing pens / Halloween sprinkles / Piping bag or knife

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
Sift the chocolate mix into a large bowl to get rid of any lumps

 Step 2: Add in one egg and 2 tablespoons of water

Step 3: Once mixed well, pour into the cupcakes cases and place in the centre of the oven between 10-15 minutes until bouncy to the touch.

Step 4: While the cakes are in the oven mix the icing sugar together with the butter until a smooth and creamy consistency is formed. Melt the chocolate chunks in a pan of hot water (leaving the chunks the bag) then add to the mixture and stir well.

Step 5: Get the cakes out the oven and allow to completely cool. Once cooled you can top them with the icing. Dont worry about it looking too neat as the chocolate is acting as mud for our graveyard.

Step 6: Take an Oreo and cut of the sides to look like a gravestone. The Oreos will crack but that all adds to the effect of an old weathered gravestone. Then place into the centre of the cupcake.

Step 7: To make the gravestone look a little more realistic, use some green icing pens to create some grass around the base.

Step 8: If you have some green sprinkles or some bats or ghosts add these around the graveyard too. This adds some texture to the cake as well as some spooky atmosphere (I got mine from Lidl) & there you have it, a spooky graveyard cupcake. I think it works well as it has received good feedback from the people eating them.

Step 9: For some spooky extras you can crumble the Oreos to look like soil, add blood (red icing) to the tops of the gravestones or even make eyes, using some white buttons for the whites of the eyes.
This would make for a great centrepiece at a halloween party.

I hope you have enjoyed this simple and quick recipe for Halloween.
Do let me know if you have a go yourself or if you create your own recipes.

Happy Halloween!
Love Khrissie x