Nougat Cheesecake

There's a hint of Autumn in the air, and I confess - I'm glad!

 My oven has been doing double duty these past few months, shifting between baking and acting as a "drying cupboard". Last week I was juggling between baking with it, using it to store fondant decorations, dry iced cookies, and keep cake lace away from the humidity. And then I threw this cheesecake into the mix - needing a longish baking time, and cooling time in the oven - on a particularly humid day…and oh, boy! The stress! Ok, not really. No lives were lost. Just a batch of cake lace. No biggie. 

So, the cheesecake: 

Nougat Chunk Cheesecake
Recipe by Tea, Cake and Create

Grease and line an 18cm square cake pan or a 29cm round springform pan.

Base
300g finely crushed biscuits - digestives, Marie biscuits, etc.
120g melted butter
100g chopped macadamia nuts or flaked almonds

Mix all the ingredients together and press into the base of the prepared tin.
Cover with cling wrap and place in the freezer for 30min.

Filling
Preheat the oven to 160'C

2x 250g tubs cream cheese at room temp.
160g caster sugar
250ml fresh cream (35-40% fat content)
4 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
200g nougat, cut into small chunks.


 Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth.
Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well in between additions.
Beat in the cream and vanilla extract.

Pour into the chilled base. Drop the chunks of nougat into the batter.

Bake in a water bath at 160'C for 60-70 minutes, or until just the centre of the cheesecake jiggles when gently shaken.
 Leave to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar.

Once cooled, refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Happy autumn!

xxM 

I'm Your Present Review!

Recently I ordered a necklace from I'm Your Present, an Etsy shop that has got quite a huge following! They specialise in really cute and interesting handmade clothing and accessories, and I was drawn to the Japanese street fashion aesthetic of a lot of it.

I decided to get myself one of their necklaces, a nautical one that is very collar-like. Here's their stock photo:

I really liked the look of the bronze chain and the subtly pastel colours of the necklace, and looked forward to receiving it.

It only took about a week or so arrive. Everything was wrapped up in pink tissue paper which I thought was adorable. Let's start with all the extras I got in my package:

Free dolphin earrings! I really wasn't expecting that. I also got a lollipop, a discount code for my next purchase, a cat sticker, and a postcard sized business card for the shop.

This is the underside of the card:

How sweet is that?! I thought that was a really simple but thoughtful gesture. So in terms of the packaging and personalised service, this shop definitely gets full marks.

Now, onto the actual necklace. Let me start off by saying that when I opened the little cardboard box it was in (carefully placed in fluffy protective padding) I was immediately surprised because I didn't expect the colours to be like this.

The actual colour of the chain is a rather gaudy gold, and the assorted charms are white rather than various shades of pastel. Now, I can totally understand editing the colours of photos. I do it all the time. But when it comes to representing the product you are selling, you have to be more careful. I don't think you should have to carefully read an item description when the photo should tell you what you need to know about the product, at least where the colours are concerned.

After deciding I still did rather like the necklace (I'm not a fan of bright gold at all but figured perhaps I could make this work) I incorporated it into a very basic coordinate for a quick trip to the bank.

It matches the gold details of my bag well, and there are other clothes I have (plain black tops especially) that I think will be complemented by it. Top marks for how nice it looks worn!

Here's a close up picture of me wearing it:

The colours in this picture came out a bit instagram-ish but it still hasn't affected the fact the necklace is clearly bright gold with white charms. The side of the mermaid charm you can see here came with weird grubby marks on it and I'm not sure what they are. I'm going to have to try to get them off somehow.

I do really like this necklace, and I think the charms are simply adorable. The construction is faultless, and I do like that it's a statement piece for sure. But I think it's important for stock photos to be accurate, and for any small imperfections with the parts to be clearly stated, so I'm Your Present loses some marks there for me. 

Would I order from them again? Yes! Their prices are very reasonable and as far as online shopping issues go, the ones I outlined in this post are pretty minor. I was impressed with the service, and I do believe I'm Your Present value their customers in a big way. I don't think I've ever received such a cute package before!

So, what do you guys think of the necklace? And have you ever received something that wasn't quite what you were expecting it to be? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for reading! ❤

Hey Chickadee Review: Pusheen!

Today I thought I would review the Pusheen merchandise I got in the post earlier this week.

I don't know about everyone else but I absolutely love Pusheen! I think people into kawaii stuff tend to love Hello Kitty (me included), but I always found her a little lacking in substance! Pusheen on the other hand has a lot more personality and is overall adorable. I use the moving stickers in my Facebook messages far too much...

Anyway, I decided to get myself the Pusheenicorn t-shirt, career pins, and pretty phone charm from Hey Chickadee.

Everything took about a week to get to me, and there was no nasty customs charge. Yes!

First off, the phone charm:

Eeek, it's so cute! I do wish it was double-sided though. As it is, the back is just plain black. Still, this charm adds some cuteness to my very boring plain black phone case. I love her little bow!

Onto the badges:

Again, super cute! They're a bit on the small side, but I was expecting this as the measurements are listed on the website. I can't wait to pin them to my clothes.

Finally, the t-shirt!

This picture shows the colour quite accurately-- moreso than the website which made it seem like it would be a standard baby pink. I'm actually glad it turned out to be a pale peachy pink colour, as I think the print looks much better against it. I really love this top!

Really naff worn picture (I'd just got out of bed) but oh well! I finally have something to go with the weird peachy pink tights that never seemed to quite match anything! I don't think they even match here but close enough!

Overall, I'm very happy with my order and would definitely use Hey Chickadee again.

I hope you enjoyed this review! Do you like Pusheen? Let me know in the comments ❤

Hillarys Blinds Country Retreat Crafting

Hello! Today, my post is an entry to the Hillary's Competition - I'm sure you've heard of it, but if not - here's a quick run down: Hillarys recently ran a competition in conjunction with their Country Retreat fabric collection.  The task was simple - to pick a pattern from the range [100cm x 100cm] and then craft, cut, stitch and blog a creation made from the fabric.

For me, deciding the fabric was easy - I chose 'Calluna' - a beautiful mix of colour and a pattern similar to brush strokes, 

with a confetti-like effect, spreading from the centre and becoming more and more dense to the edges.  

I really wanted to make the most of this pattern and made sure I incorporated it in to challenge:

I also decided to set myself some rules/challenges for this:

• To use as much of the fabric as possible.  This is a pretty major piece of fabric [1mx1m] and I was determined to make something that made the most of it.

• To challenge myself by making something completely from scratch.  No pattern, no prior experience, I really wanted to make the most of this opportunity by sewing something I'd never sewn before [this isn't really too hard as I sew very little, especially by machine].

• Make something substantial for the home.  As Hillary's is largely associated with blinds, curtains and interior furnishings, I decided to set myself the challenge of making something within the remit of interior furnishings.

After a little mull, my decided project was a result of my very small living space and huge lack of seating: Pedestals!

They could be used as seating, foot stools and tables - the perfect adaptable project.  Here's how I did it.

Creating my template:

To make the pedestals work for multiple uses, I had to come to a compromise on size vs. fabric and created a circular template for the seat/top of 30cm in diameter.  This would give me a large and sturdy top, would allow me to create two similar cuts of the fabric pattern and would also provide plenty of symmetrical fabric for the sides of two items.  As I created the template from scratch, I used the old school technique of a 15cm length of string tied to a pen to create the  template I needed on a cardboard box [I knew I saved them for something!]: 

It was also really handy for having something fairly substantial to test if the size was right before cutting the fabric.

Marking and Cutting the fabric:

When you are limited on the fabric available to you, this is by far the scariest stage.  If I cut the fabric incorrectly, I wasn’t going to be able to recover easily, so marking the fabric and working out template positions was key.  The first step in marking my fabric was with the alignment of the centre of the fabric pattern and organising how I could best reflect the confetti/cascading effect - creating the top from fabric cut from the centre where the pattern was a little more sparse:

Marking the centre of the fabric pattern, I folded it into quarter lengths.  This would allow me to cut two identical circles with very similar pattern ways.  To ensure the fabric didn’t move and misalign the patterns, once it was turned inside out, I pinned it in place and then positioned my circle template on the centre fold, with the centre of the template matching the marked centre of the fabric, before marking with tailors chalk the outline:

I then made the first and scariest cut, giving a good 3cm extra for the hem line:

Phew.  Next, on to the sides of the pedestals.  The fabric now had been cut, with two large 33cm holes in the centre, leaving fabric of 35cm in height and 1metre in length either side.  This was perfect for matching the pattern of the sides with the pedestal tops, a more sparse pattern towards the top, cascading to a heavier pattern at the bottom.  Marking the 35cm height across the sides and going back to GCSE Maths to work out the circumference (94.2cm) and therefore length required, I cut my two side panels either side of the remaining fabric:

Sewing the Pattern:

I now had the tops and sides of each pedestal cut and ready to pin and sew.  The fabric, although light, is easy to work with, but strong enough to withstand the need to stretch it slightly over some padding and with the circular shape that it will need to form around the top of the pedestals.  With a slightly longer 3cm hem, this allowed me to secure the fabric in place with plenty of machine work to ensure the seams were secure and as a result, strengthened.  I pinned in place slightly on a bias, so that the circular top would remain and then loosely hand sewed a running stitch to keep it in place.  No hiding from it, it was time to dust off the sewing machine:

I can’t tell you how slowly and carefully I ran this first piece through the machine at first, but after completing, removing the pins and seeing that the seams were tidy and fabric had not bunched, it gave me confidence to complete the second pedestal top a little quicker!  Once the top and side pieces were attached, I could secure the seam connecting the side panel together, creating the main column:

Details:

To tie the overall finish of the pedestals in with my sofa, I wanted a flush button top to the pedestals, so created my own 

with the leftover cuts of the fabric:

Foam Padding:

To keep a uniform and neat shape, I used foam padding for my pedestals.  Not something everyone necessarily has in storage, but something I inherited from an upholstery-project-gone-wrong and was perfect for this project.  I had been well advised that the easiest method of cutting foam is using a bread knife - which I can now confirm is true and very therapeutic.  Using the template I made for the pedestal top, I marked my required circle and set to cutting:

I needed four circles for each pedestal - to secure them in place and even out the shape they created, I added a round of wadding around the circumference.  A quick check of the shaping of the fabric with the foam, on to the home straight:

Creating the base:

To make the most of the fabric, I had to incorporate a different fabric mix to complete the base.  The base would have more wear, but would also be required to help stop the pedestals from moving around when used as a seat, footrest or table.  I used a thick and durable felt and I decided to create an overlap fastening, similar to a pillowcase.  This would allow the foam padding to be added/removed easily and wouldn’t change the shape of the fabric or pedestals.  To create the pattern for this, I used the same cardboard template as the pedestal top to create two semi circles, but added an additional length of 4cm to the second semi-circle to create the overlap:

To tidy the seams, I created a simple hem and to tie the fabric in to the base, I finished the opening hem with a pressed line of the Calluna fabric:

Finally, pinning and securing in place, I attached the bases to the sides and machine sewed in place:

Adding the foam padding, my pedestals were complete:

I really enjoyed making these and trying something from an idea, incorporating a fabric pattern, creating my own 
pattern, seeing it through and creating something pretty and functional for my flat:

...and in my attempt to use up as much of the fabric as possible, this is what was left:

....I think I can make myself a fabric flower brooch from that.

see you next time x

Do check out the Hillarys Page for more information :)

Rainbow Icing

So, I may have mentioned it before: I can become a little fixated on a theme.
Fondant rainbow, rainbow decorations, rainbow cookies, rainbow jelly, rainbow candy, rainbow party favors and of course rainbow cupcakes - which is what I'll share with you now.
The one thing I didn't do was rainbow layers for the cake. I just can't bring myself to put that many "e-numbers" into children's tummies. So, I went with chocolate mud-cake instead. Much healthier!!

; )

Any-hoo... This is the way I do multi-tone / rainbow icing swirls:


Smooth a dollop of icing onto a strip of cling wrap.

Roll the icing up into a sausage.

Just pretend that this icing is blue and the same as the one above and that I didn't forget to take a picture of that step with the blue icing….ok?!

Repeat with the other colours.

Place the "sausages" together and feed the twisted ends of the cling-wrap through the icing nozzle.
It can be tricky to do this with a closed star piping tip if it is already in a piping bag, so pull all the twists through the nozzle,

then put the nozzle and sausages into an piping bag.

Snip the twists off, then withdraw the sausages slightly so that the cling wrap is no longer in the tip of the nozzle.
Squeeze the bag until all three colours come out together, then ice the cupcakes.

So, it takes a little prep, but it's a really simple and neat way to do it. And anything that is neat and clean always a big selling point in the chaos of my kitchen!

Happy decorating!

xxM