{Shop} The Makery

I wish I lived closer to Bath because I would love to visit The Makery. This shop/workshop/party place looks amazing. I have been wondering for some time how come there is no crafty place for kids parties in the UK... well now I've found them. If you live in Bath have you ever been ???
From making sock monsters to jewelry, I am quite sure my children would love a party there!

There is also an enormous choice of adult workshops like how to revamp furniture... totally my kind of place !!!

They sell very cute supplies in their online store and I have just today received this adorable spool holder that I had ordered. I can't wait to put it up. I am having a little craft room tidy at the moment so there will probably be more on this later !

{Pin of the week} Gumdrop crab and fish cupcakes

How cute are these little cupcakes from The Decorated Cookie ??? So cute and perfect for a summer party.

{Feature week} Tiramisu

Tiramisu has got to be one of the best dessert on Earth !!! This recipe is fantastic and the tutorial will show you how to get the pretty layers.

{Feature week} A wine and cheese tasting evening

Last fall we had a French wine and cheese  tasting evening with some friends. We used a board painted with blackboard paint and drew a map of France, highlighting the French wine regions.

More picture in the original post here

{Feature week} LOVE felt sign

I so enjoy having this little LOVE felt sign on the wall, above my desk. Makes me smile every time I see it.

{Feature week} Pimm's Cupcakes

Today's feature is one of my all time favourite cupcake recipes: Pimm's Cup"tails"
For grown up only !!!

Follow the link for the recipe.

{Feature week} Baby memory box

All children are finally off on their summer holidays here in the UK and I am looking forward to a few relaxed weeks with no school run or after-school clubs !

This week I will be taking a little break from blogging to enjoy some quality time with my children. The weather is supposed to get better this week (at last !) so we are hoping to finally have picnics in the park and spend some time outside.
I think it is the perfect occasion to feature some older projects that you might have missed if you started following recently.

I will be posting a link everyday, featuring some of my favourite crafts and recipes.
Have fun and I’ll be back next week with new exciting projects.

This first craft is a baby memory box. It contains priceless keepsakes such my daughter's hospital card and wrist band. See the original post here

{Pin of the Week} Monster chairs

This is the best party decoration idea I have seen in a while: Monster Chairs, I love them !!!

Make sure you visit Spaceships and Laserbeams to see all the pictures from this awsome Monster Party on a budget.

{Giveaway} Last day to enter

This is the last day to enter this fantastic Giveaway sponsored by Pipii !!!
Head over to the Giveaway Post for your chance to win a complete Ice Cream Party Pack !!!

And don't forget, from now until the end of september, enjoy a 10% discount when you shop online at Pipii  !

{Recipe} Basic chocolate cookies

These cookies are the perfect base for decorate cookies because they are crisp and keep their shape well when baking.

BASIC CHOCOLATE COOKIES
Recipe adapted from Cake Chic by Peggy Porschen

{Ingredients}
200g soft butter

200g caster sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

350g plain flour

50g cocoa powder

{Instructions}

Cream the soft butter, sugar and cocoa in an electric mixer (paddle attachment) until well mixed. Stop when it just starts to look creamy. If the dough is overwork, the cookies will tend to spread during baking.

Beat in the egg until well combined.

Add the flour and mix on low speed until the dough forms.
If the weather is warm, you may want to wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes. 

Roll and use cookie cutters to create shapes.

Place the shapes on a tray lined with baking paper and chill for about 30 minutes.

Bake at 180 degrees C for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on size.

The cookies should spring back up when pressed gently.

Other flavours you might want to try:
Vanilla sugar cookies
Lemon cookies

{Craft} Wire netting frame Earrings holder

I am loving all the wire netting frames on Pinterest right now and so I have decided to make my own !

Last week I went to buy some wire netting and realized I had to purchase a whole roll of it, so I can now make as many frames as I like, I doubt I will ever go through that roll !!!

Anyway, the original project is a big frame and I am still working on it, but while I was at it, I remembered this small picture frame that I don't like so much. The white distress look does not make photographs stand out and I stopped using it a while back. I figured this little frame could do with a new lease of life !
So here it is, rejuvenated !!!

Since it is not going to hold anything heavy, I simply cut the wire netting to size and hot glued it at the back. As I read several comments about the clipped wires making marks on walls, I decided to cover the back with ribbon.
I embellished with scraps of fabric and a little LOVE wooden button.

{Book} Kara's Party Ideas cover reveal and pre-order !

This is such a great year for party books ! After Amy Atlas’ Sweet Designs and Laure Faraggi’s Les Sweet Tables, the next highly expected book this year is Kara's Party Ideas !

I love Kara’s work (see some of her own parties here and here) and judging by the cover of her new book, we're in for a serious treat !!! I cannot wait to get my hands on it !!!

Kara's Party Ideas is a vibrant handbook filled with a wide variety of party themes, plus tips and tricks for a truly spectacular soiree, no matter what the occasion! Party blogger and style expert Kara Allen offers you all the inspiration you need to turn your special moments into unforgettable memories.

The book also includes a CD containing printable invites and party decor to go along with many of the party themes !

Here is a little sneak peak for you !!

The book, published by Cedar Fort, is now available for pre-sale on Amazon and will be released on 9 October.

{Pin of the week} Kitchen art by Lucile's Kitchen

This week I wanted to share with you this stunning Lemon Pie kitchen art by the very talented Lucile Prache.
Find Lucile's art in her Etsy shop, Lucile's Kitchen.

{Giveaway} A perfect Ice Cream Party with Pipii !

Are you ready for a fantastic giveaway ? Pipii, the Home of ideas and creative inspirations for any kind of party & celebration, is offering you the chance to win an amazing pack full of goodies to create the perfect Ice Cream party !

One lucky reader will win all these products !!!

1 Ice cream Van paper cup set 

1 pack of mixed pastel straws 

1 pack of 10 white paper cups 

Truly scrumptious canapé flags 

Pink polkadot serviettes

Multicoloured Square honeycomb garland

Plain pale pink and blue paper bags 

and Bakers twine to match !

This pack has a RRP value of around £40 !!!

All you have to do is enter through the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.

Competition open to UK residents only.

Pipii has always been my one stop shop for pretty party supplies here in the UK. This is the place I go for paper straws, baker's twine and wooden cutlery. So I am very excited by this giveaway (wish I could win it myself !!!)

Head over to Pipii to order you party supplies and from now until the end of September enjoy a fantastic 10% discount !

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This prize of this giveaway is offered by Pipii. I have not been paid to host this giveaway and all opinions are my own.

{Ballerina Party} Ballerina Mannequin

I noticed several of these jewelry holder mannequins in recent Ballet party features and I knew this was going to be the perfect decoration for my daughter's party.
Noemie was very excited when I told her she could help me, and she made sure everything was done the way she wanted: a bow at the back, the tutu with 4 layers (!) and a little bead necklace !!!

I found the mannequin at Sainsbury's last week ! £7 well spent !!!

I stitched 4 strips of tulle at the top and tied them at the mannequin's waist. The ribbon gives a nice finish and masks the thread.

How do you like it ???

{Printable} Teacher Thank you notes

Well for most pupils in the UK, the school year is nearly over. I can’t believe my little girl has finished her first year already !!!

Time then for the traditional gifts to the teachers and assistants. If you are looking for cute cards or labels to make your packaging more personal, then here are a few free printables I found for you:

Get this gorgeous printable card over at the Cottage Industrialist :

I just love those cute little Thank you tags from It is what it is

Teacher Appreciation Cards at Bloom Designs

{Cookies} Olympic Medal Cookie Tutorial

Today you will find me at Ucreate where I am sharing the tutorial to make these Olympic Medal Cookies !

The Award is a free printable from Communication4all

Linky Parties

{Pin of the week} Potted Chocolate-mint puddings

I absolutely love the presentation of those potted chocolate mint puddings from Martha Stewart

Like the children gardening party theme ? Then visit The TomKat Studio for fantastic inspiration.

{Craft} Pin the cherry on the ice-cream

I am having a lot of fun creating all the games for the Ice cream party. 

Here is my latest: a pin the cherry on the Ice Cream game

I just cut the shapes in cardstock, glued them on a sheet of paper and laminated.

The cherries are just circles of red cardstock with a little piece of fabric glued on. I will use blue tac to make them stick.

I couldn't stop there so I added a decorated peg to hold the cherries (!!!) and a sign glued on a paper doily.

{Craft} Ice cream party games

 I really want to give this party a summer fete theme so I have been planning some very traditional games to entertain our little guests. There will be an egg and spoon race, a bean bag toss game and this very cute homemade Knock the cans over !

I just painted the cans and decorated them with paper doilies, bakers twine and some printed papers.

 Linky Parties