Merry Christmas!

I have been running around for the last few days trying to get everything ready for Christmas...


Almost finished!

Now I must dash to put the finishing touches on, but before I do...

Let me wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas!

xxx

Gluten free banana & chocolate star muffins

The lovely peeps at Musha Makes recently sent me a set of Tulip' Muffin Cases in a Grey star design that are part of the Tilda 'Winter Memories' Collection
So I decided to make gluten free banana & chocolate muffins sprinkled with white chocolate stars for Christmas mornings...


Gluten free banana & chocolate star muffins (makes 16 muffins)

Ingredients

• 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 220g caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 mashed banana
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 150g Gluten free plain flour
• 6 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 100g white chocolate stars

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat oven to 165C (fan assisted)
2. Line baking tray with cases
3. Cream butter, vanilla extract and sugar using an electric whisk till light and fluffy
4. Slowly whisk in eggs till well combined
5. Gradually add flour, cocoa powder, bicarb of soda and milk until well combined
6. Divide batter between the cases
7. Sprinkle with chocolate stars
8. Bake for about 15-20 mins until muffins bounce back when lightly pressed
9. Place on rack to cool
10. Sprinkle with chocolate stars and dust with icing sugar

Tips...
Butter should be soft enough to hold a thumbprint but still keep its shape.
Eggs should be at room temperature as cold eggs will be harder to keep from curdling.




Have a sweet day!

Gluten free Mint choc chip Christmas cupcakes

I was recently asked if I would like to review some of new online store, Just Bake's cupcake decorations. Ooh! Yes please! After much consideration I chose Antique white foil cupcake cases, White snowflake cupcake wrappers, Edible silver sequins and Pearl white edible silk. I was thinking I could decorate my cupcakes with mini peppermint cream pearl white Christmas trees, decorated with the edible silver sequins to match the snowflake and white cupcake wrappers I had chosen. So I decided to make choc chip cupcakes with a mint chocolate ganache icing to sit my iced Christmas trees on...



Gluten-free choc chip cupcakes (makes 12 cupcakes)

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 185g (1 1/4 cups) gluten-free self raising flour
• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
• 80ml (1/2 cup) milk
• 150g dark chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla essence

Cooking instructions

1. Heat oven to 170C (fan 150C)
2. Line baking tray with cases
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper
4. In a food mixer, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla essence and cocoa powder
5. Stir in sifted flour, chocolate chips and milk
6. Divide batter between the cases
7. Bake for about 25 mins until cakes bounce back when lightly pressed
8. Place on rack to cool

To decorate (for 12 cupcake sized cakes) Ingredients

• 142 ml Double cream
• 100g chopped Chocolate
• 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• Ready to roll icing
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• Sieved icing sugar
• Pearl white edible silk
• Edible silver sequins

Equipment

• Rolling pin
• Star cutters in different sizes

Instructions

1. Ganache: In a medium pan heat the cream and sugar until it is about to boil
2. Remove from the heat and pour over chopped chocolate and stir until chocolate has melted
3. Add 1/2 tsp peppermint extract and mix till you have a smooth consistency
4. Pour chocolate ganache over cooled cupcakes and leave to set
5. Add a few drops of peppermint extract to roll on icing.
6. Dust icing sugar onto a hard clean surface and roll out icing to 3mm thick.
7. Cut out 8 stars in different sizes, for each cake.
8. Layer up the stars, to form a tree.
9. Dust the top of the cakes with sieved icing sugar and place iced tree in the centre
10. Dust tips with edible silk using a damp brush
11. Sprinkle trees with edible sequins and glitter

For more beautiful cupcake decorations and cases check out Just Bake.

Have a sweet day!

Bombay Duck draw knobs and a Giveaway

The lovely peeps at Bombay Duck asked me if I would like to do another review so, I instantly decided I would love some knobs for my new dressing table that came with plain wooden knobs. Oh! the choices, after reviewing my guest room colour palette I decided to go for the Bon bon ceramic knobs in dove grey and lavender. I love them...





They also kindly sent me a Miss darcy teacup in Lavender that you will have seen in many of my pictures of my guest room alongside my Love Bird Cup in mint from Bombay duck...

Miss Darcy cup & saucer

So I am delighted to announce a giveaway of a set of 4 Miss Darcy teacups and saucers in assorted colours from Bombay Duck worth £52!



For a chance to win the set of 4 Miss Darcy teacups and saucers in assorted colours from Bombay Duck please visit Bombay Duck and leave a comment below letting me know what you hope Santa brings you from Bombay Duck. The giveaway ends on Thursday, 3rd January 2013 at 10pm (BST) and I will randomly select and announce a winner on Friday, January 4th.

To increase your chances of winning this fabulous prize, you can gain one additional entry for doing each of the following:

• tweeting about this giveaway
• blogging about it
• follow Torie Jayne via Google Friend Connect
• follow Torie Jayne on Twitter
• "Like" Torie Jayne on Facebook

For the first two, please leave a comment below with the link to your tweet or blog post.

The giveaway ends on Thursday, 3rd January 2013 at 10pm (BST), open to UK readers only.

Good luck and have a sweet day!

******* This Giveaway is now closed *******

Guest Room Wall art

From left to right: Vintage rolleiflex camera, , Roller Disco, BirdsReady to Party, Suitcases, Bumble bee illustration in violet, Mini swimwear, Honey Bee art, French vintage birdcage, We three Kings, Many and the Eaucalyptus trees, Time for a Drink

For the big expanse of wall in my Guest room, I felt I needed something big fo fill it! After weighing up my options I decided to go for a cluster of frames. I started by spray painting a wooden box frame lavender, adding a cork back to the inside of it that I painted white and pinned my mini swimwear to it. I then gathered up all the frames I had been collecting and spent a while sketching up some ideas of layouts. Once I had determined the layout of the picture frames I coloured in the frames on my sketches to ensure the balance of colour worked. I decided to keep the ornate frames from Urban Outfitters in there original colours and spray painted my wooden ones in mint and lavender. After sifting through my collection of gift cards and prints I pulled out the beautiful bird sketch from Blank Inside as it worked well with the mini swimsuits. The little French vintage birdcage print and Many and the Eaucalyptus trees that I had originally bought for my craft room looked nice too. I was then left with nine blank frames so I looked to Etsy where I found the adorable Honey Bee art and Bumble Bee illustrations that were in my Guest room colour palette! I also found the cute retro mini prints of cameras and suitcases from Diesel & Juice that I instantly fell in love with that I bought four for my guest room and four for my craft room!. Then I was down to five small frames that I needed prints for, four of which I found at the Spirit of Christmas fair from Ameila Blackett. Now I am down to one elusive print that I have not found yet!
Before hanging the frames on the wall I took them and the prints to my local framers where they cut all the mounts for me.
To get the spacing correct on the wall, I laid out the frames on a large piece of paper and once I had got them in the correct positions using a ruler and a protractor to make sure that they were straight and evenly spaced. I carefully traced round the frames on to the paper, then marked where all the screws would need to go so they would hang in the correct position. I then masking taped the traced frames to the wall in the exact position I wanted them, using a spirit level to make sure they were straight. With the paper still in place using a soft pencil I marked on the wall where the screws would need to go. Mr TJ then drilled the holes in the wall and fitted the raw plugs and screws...

Honey bee art by Little Bean Prints on Etsy

I was given Mini versions of my swimwear print designs as a leaving gift when I left my job designing swimwear.

We Three Kings by Ameila Blackett, Many and the Eaucalyptus trees by Holli

Roller Disco and Ready to Party by Amelia Blackett, Birds by Blank Inside Design

Honey bee art by Little Bean Prints on Etsy

Time for a Drink by Amelia Blackett

Have a sweet day!

More beaded hangers...

I decided to treat my guests to some new soft and fluffy towels which feature an attractive sculptured blossom design on in dove grey and duck egg from Laura Ashley. I tried hanging them on the back of the door in my guest room but they kept falling off! I thought about adding hanging loops but decided that some pretty beaded hangers would look better and there would be no chance of the towels falling on the floor!

For my hand beaded hanger tutorial click here.



Have a sweet day!

My Guest bedroom bed and tables

A couple of weeks back I showed you my designs for our guest room

"One thing was for sure, the double bed would have to sit below the window at the end of the room and could not have a foot board as you would more than likely have to get in to it from the base. So I chose the Scandinavia solid pine white double bed with slatted headboard, a mattress, double duvet, pair of pillows, white fitted sheets and a white pin tucked duvet cover.
I really wanted to provide bedside tables so my guests could keep a bottle of water, alarm clock, nik naks etc close to hand. But as the space was too tight I had to come up with something a little different! After much thought I opted for a pair of L shaped shelves I could hang on the wall either side of the bed. I would need to paint them white but I just loved there unusual shape and how much storage you could get out of them. I also loved the idea of them housing a pretty glass bottle of water in the long sections. So both guests would have there own bottles!"

The Scandinavia solid pine white double bed from Argos came flat packed but was super quick and easy to put together. I love how clean and simple it is and a perfect fit for my space. I also received a airsprung Tetbury memory double mattress, duvet, two pairs of pillows, Silent Night anti-allergy double mattress protector and the Minimalist White Double Bed duvet set which features subtle linear Pintuck detail which I think looks elegant and classical. My guests now have a super comfy bed to sleep in...

The L-shaped pair of beech finished wall-mounted shelving units also came flat packed. I assembled them together in two halves to start with, so that I could spray paint them white. Once I had spray painted them white I then finished assembling them together and gave them a finishing coat of paint.

Spray painted white and hung on the wall

Now I am finally ready for my guests!

Have a sweet day!

My Little Dane Lamp

I was in the process of designing my Guest room when I won the Loaf twitter competition!
Loaf is the new name for The Sleep Room that was started at the end of 2008 with one simple aim: to take the hassle and expense out of buying a bed. After great success they naturally branched out and started making things for other rooms in the house. So after deciding that there original name no longer fit with them selling selling sofas and kitchen tables as well as beds they became Loaf.

My prize was a beautiful grey lamp called "Little Dane".
"Based on a beautiful pair of vintage lamps we bought in Copenhagen. Handmade for us in a very special pottery company in Stoke-on-Trent. Looks wicked in both modern and more traditional interiors."
I was so delighted as I loved the look of the "Little Dane" and thought it would be perfect in my new guest room to provide lighting at the desk. When it arrived I instantly was smitten and adored everything about it including the vintage looking lovely woven twisted lead.



Have a sweet day!

Guest Bedroom mirror

I wanted to provide my guests with a mirror so when Dad was having a clear out and offered me a hexagonal wooden mirror. I immediately said "yes please!, is it ok if I spray it?" "It is yours now, you do what you want with it!" So after covering the glass in masking tape, I spray painted it in Montana gold spray paint in Crocus. I love it, and think it is a perfect match to all the geo prints I have used in my guest room!
here's how...


Spray painted Mirror Tools and Materials

• Wooden Mirror
• Masking tape
• Montana gold Spray paint in Crocus

Spray painted Mirror, How-to step by step




Simply mask off the glass, so it doesn't get covered in spray paint. Following the instructions on the spray paint, carefully spray the wooden mirror until you have an even coat of paint and the original colour of the mirror is no longer visible. Leave to dry.

Tips- I prefer to do several light coats so the paint does not drip and I get an even coat.




Have a sweet day!

Coca-Cola bottle vases

For some pretty vases for my guest room I just simple spray painted the inside of some re-production vintage style Coca-Cola bottles I bought from Selfridges, after drinking the coke of course!

I used Montana Gold spray paint in Crocus, malachite lite and Viola.



Have a sweet day!

My Guest room Stationery

One of my favourite top tips for designing a guest room was...
"Think about what you'd expect to find in a 5 star hotel"

Stationery!

For the pen & pencil pot I upcycled a tin can with some pretty patterned paper from Rie Elise Larsen. Tutorial here: Pretty pen pots. To jot down directions or notes I have provided a "love is in the air" paper pad I bought from TKMaxx and filled my bunny jars with washi tape, paperclips, eraser and packaging string. I couldn't find a mouse mat I liked so I designed one to match. For some Hotel chic I bought some paper and envelopes from Paperchase and hung them on the wall using a Command mini clip and one of my pretty bulldog clips. Now my guests have all the stationery they need to feel comfortable!

Mouse mat available here

pretty bulldog clips

Bunny jars

Have a sweet day!

My Guest Bedroom- Dressing table

Several weeks back I showed you my designs for our guest room

"I also wanted to provide my guests with a table that could be used for a laptop and some storage drawers so I chose the Scandinavia dressing table that matches the Scandinavia bed. I have bought a bright coloured Tolix chair to use at the table so my guests could use the dressing table stool as a luggage rack! "


The Scandinavia dressing table from Argos came flat packed and was easy to put together, but took some time as there are 8 drawers and a stool. As it was out of stock in white I ordered the pine version which I have painted white. I love how sturdy it is and how it matches the rest of the furniture. I changed the knobs to ceramic ones from Bombay Duck - more on that later!

Spray painted bottles, bunny jars

Stool used as luggage rack

To see all the before and after photos of my Guest bedroom check out my Facebook album, Guest bedroom- A Transformation.


Have a sweet day!

Patchwork cushions

The lovely peeps at new craft store Musha Makes sent me a "Winter Memories" fabric charm pack from Tilda. So I decided to make some sparkly patchwork cushions for my Christmas Decor. Here's how...

Patchwork cushion Tools and Materials

• Fabric charm pack- Winter memories
• Wadding
• Fabric for back of cushions
• Beaded trim/pom pom trim
• Embroidery thread
• Sequins
• Seed beads
• Needle
• Sewing thread

Patchwork cushion, How-to step by step



Pick 9 squares of fabric from the charm pack. Lay out squares to form a pleasing pattern.
Pin and stitch squares together in rows of three, taking 5mmm seam allowances. Press seam allowances open.
With seams matching, pin the three rows together.



Stitch the three rows together taking 5mm seam allowances. Press seam allowances open. Cut a rectangle 34cm x 34cm out of wadding and pin to back of patchwork square. Embroider bead or sequin the squares to your liking. Pin trim to right side of fabric 5mm in from every edge with the bottom of the trim facing the centre of the rectangle.
Cut two rectangles 34cm x 34cm for the back and press under and stitch a 1.5cm hem across one long edge of each back.
With right sides together, lay backs on top of front so hemmed edges overlap. Pin and stitch around outer edges. Turn right side out and press. Insert a 12 inch cushion pad.









Have a sweet day!