Recipe: Pumpkin cupcakes with cloud frosting

I haven't posted a recipe in ages, but found this yum looking one, and thought it needed to be shared because a good cupcake recipe is like gold to a baker.
What I particularly love about this one is the icing or as the American's call it 'frosting,' and I am almost slightly reluctant to try this out because I can see myelf having a major O.D on the baking mixture before the poor cakes even make it to the oven.
Here is the recipe for "Pumpkin cupcakes with cloud frosting" as seen on the 'Always With Butter' blog.
Happy baking!

The Frock Exchange

Calling all Durban ladies that {like me} have a closet full of clothes, yet nothing to wear. 
If you'd like to fix this problem, read the invitation below for 'The Frock Exchange' that will be hosted this Saturday, the 31st of July at Plum Boutique Hotel.
Unfortunately I will be at a conference so I can't attend, but I'm sure the bloggersphere will be packed to the hilt with photos from the event once it has come and gone.
To everyone who is attending, enjoy, and I hope you bag yourself a pretty frock.

Cheers to the weekend

Glory hallelujah it's the freakin' weekend!

This weekend has all the makings of a great one.

Tonight I am having some of my favourite ladies over for a sleepover, and if you ask me, sleepovers are just as much fun {if not more}, now, then when I was an eight-year-old Spice Girls loving, pink wearing little girl. 

We have decided to have a So You Think You Can Dance and Flight of The Conchords marathon, whilst gorging on any fattening foods we can get our fingers on. 

Tomorrow I think we may do a spot of thrifting at the SPCA charity shop, and I need to look for some alternative craft supplies for some up coming craft projects that I have in mind.

I am also hanging for some saltwater, so will more than likely end things off with a surf and/or longboarding session at the reef.

In the midst of all this, I have got paperwork coming out of my ears for this silly US Visa that I am in the process of applying for. They practically want me to bring everything but the kitchen sink along with me to the interview (which is on monday *freakout*). I have to get months worth of bank statements, proof of residence and forms who's names are made up solely of numbers. Confusion alert.

I will feel like a monumental weight has been cast off my shoulders once this visa is in hand. Bring it. Let's do this thing.

Hope you all have a flippin' fantastic weekend yourselves.

 {For source of original image, click here}

Get your geek on with Pugly Pixel

 

The lovely Katrina from one of my top 10 favourite blogs of all time, Pugly Pixel, has decided to lend a helping hand to beginner bloggers around the world with her new blogging e-courses in which she is sharing her brilliant expertise, for free!

I do not profess to be an expert blogger, heck, not even close, but man am I having fun learning the art of web design and the techniques of blogging. I have had quite a few people approach me for blogging tips and advice, and now, thanks to the Pugly Pixel e-courses, I shall point these folk straight to this website. 

Katrina is an absolute whiz when it comes to all things web-related. Just go onto Pugly Pixel if you haven't already and you will see what all the fuss is about. She has a black belt in html, CSS and Photoshop, and has pages of video tutorials on her blog teaching the "not-quite-so-tech-savvy" bloggers how to go from strength to strength so that their blog can be the best possible representation of themselves.

I've finished up to lesson 2  of the 9 part e-course, and it has already been super helpful.

Watch this space and hopefully I will be able to use my new skills to tweak my blog, which is still under major construction and not quite looking the way I dream of it looking, but alas, 'tis a happy work-in-progress for me.

Click here to start the Pugly Pixel e-course. Enjoy yourself, and don't get too sucked in that you forget to do things like eat and sleep ; )

xoxo

Blog of the week: Cave In The Clouds

Blog of the week this week goes to creative mastermind and art journalling fanatic, Hannah of the blog 'Cave in the Clouds'. Click here to see a previous post I've done including some of her handiwork, or just click here to view her blog with your own two eyes.

Summer of Love - Handmade Journal

I am absolutely besotted with this handmade journal by creative mastermind Hannah behind the blog 'Cave In The Clouds.' She has created a 'Summer of Love' mini-book using an old Child Craft book with full-page illustrations as her base, and it freaks my brain to see how beautifully this project of hers has turned out. She has dedicated this art journal to documenting her life and times over the summer season, and it is already unfolding magnificently.

As you may have read in my previous posts, I am moving to America in just over a month's time, and have my mind set on creating a travel journal to take with  me and document my own adventures. Let's just say, I am now ridiculously inspired. When I went over to Australia last year I kept a travel journal and over the three months filled it with experiences, photos and all kinds of memorabilia such as bus passes, flyers, restaurant serviettes and clothing tags. I loved every second of the journal  making process, and every so often I will flip it open and smile as all the memories of an unforgettable trip come flooding back. 

For my California journal, I already have bucket-loads of ideas to incorporate, and stumbling across other art journaling fanatics like Hannah, always help to spur me on to greater ideas.

I'll be sure to post pics of my own journal once it's underway.

But while you wait, head over to 'Cave in the Clouds' and have a look at what miss Hannah is up to.

You don't know what you've got until it's {almost} gone

I will be leaving home in T-minus 7 weeks to relocate to California, and have been getting ridiculously sentimental as the reality of the trip has hit, and hit hard.

Don't get me wrong, on a scale of 1-10, my excitement levels are sitting somewhere around 20 at the moment, but on the flip side of the coin, I get a lump in my throat at the thought of everything and everyone that I wont be able to pack in my suitcase and take with me to this new land full of new adventures.

Leaving and cleaving is not for sissies. When you come from a home like mine, full of life, and lots of laughter thanks to two parents who will always be kids at heart, the idea of ever wanting leaving is just silly. I have always had a close relationship with my family {immediate and extended}, and family and home has always been a place of safety, of love and a peaceful haven, living alongside the best people I have ever known. I heard a quote once that said "what I love most about my home is the people I share it with," and this pretty much spells what home has been for me as I have grown from baby to child to teenager. My parents and my family have shaped the person that I am, and now they will watch me pack up and take the lessons I've learnt into this future that stands in front of me.

As much as I adore living at home, I have never felt so ready to jump out the nest and learn to fly on my own. Growing up is both a frightful and wonderful thing, and I have my incredible family to thank for standing behind me, teaching me all I know, and allowing me to follow my heart down the road leading to fulfilled dreams.

Sometimes the line that defines the difference between friends and family is so thin, that you can't tell where your friends end and where your family begins. I will be bidding farewell to the most incredible, hilarious, fun and flippin' fantastic group of friends that feel more like an extension of my family than a separate entity. These people, and this city in which I was born and bred, have taught me a thing or two about the definition of the word 'fun,' and in these past few months have rolled out the red carpet of unforgettable times that I'll most likely refer to as "the good old days" when I'm old and grey. So I'd just like to thank Durban and friends for making 'goodbye' that much harder, by being so darn amazing.

At this current moment, I am savoring what's left of Durban life as if it were the last bite of a favourite meal, and am soaking up the last of the good times like a sponge. I have a new found appreciation for my mom's home cooked meals, and not having to do my own laundry, because I soon won't have such luxuries.
Oh, the joys of growing older. 

Time For Tea

My beautiful cousin Justine turned 18 last week, so my aunt Cheryl and I joined forces to throw her what we hoped would be her most special birthday to date. And so it was.
Justine knew we had taken on the role of 'party planner' but had no idea exactly what we had up our sleeve. 
In the end it turned out to be a lovely morning tea with 12 of Justine's closest friends. We had lots of laughs, overdosed on sugary delights, and celebrated my cousin's life.


We decorated the table with vintage tea cups, pink roses, doilies with messages inscribed onto them, sweetie jars, and I also created a 'photo wall' by converting photos of Justine and her friends into polaroids. 
The main feature was the gorgeous cake accompanied by 12 cupcakes, all done by Lee McDonough of 'The Cake Specialist.' The macaroons were bought from The Macaroon Cafe on Florida Road and the sweetie jars from Mr Price home. 


I enjoyed organizing this party so much, that I am considering going into the business! It's so wonderfully creative and the ideas are endless. Oh, how I love being a girl.

You mean Interest? No, I mean Pinterest.

Pinterest, is in my definition 'crack for creative people,' and if there was one website I could make my home inside of, it would be this one.

What is it? Basically it's a bookmarking site whereby you can catologue your favourite things onto virtual pinboards, and follow other's with similar interests or should I say 'pinterests.'

The site allows you to add a 'pin' tool to your computer's bookmark bar, and when browsing other websites, you can extract photos/images that you like and add them onto one of your pinboards.

If you have never been onto Pinterest, before you read any further, please click here to get a dose of it for yourself. 

If you are already on Pinterest and have an account, you can check out my profile, and if you like what you see, hey, you can even follow me. (click here for my profile)

On the left hand side of my blog I've added a link to my Pinterest account which I update almost daily. It's endless fun. 

Join the revolution!

{a screen shot of my profile}

"mmmmmmm" is for "mmmmacaroons"

This week I have been running around like a chicken with no head trying to  annihilate items off my to-do list. Although it has been manic, I'd choose busyness over boredom any day!
One of the projects I have taken under my wing alongside my aunt, is the planning of my cousin's 18th birthday party. We are throwing her a vintage tea party with 12 of her closest friends, and I'm hoping to achieve the "oh my gosh, it's so beautiful, I'm speechless" effect when she walks in the door. 
We handmade her invitations which came out lovely (click here to view them), and are hoping the party will live up to this standard.
I am very excited about the macaroon part of the tea party, and yesterday I swung past 'The Macaroon Cafe' on Florida road that opened up a few months back to order an assortment of the delicious creations. 
I am picking them up tomorrow and they are going to add amazing splashes of colour to the table setting.


The party is happening on Thursday, so stay tuned for a follow up post with pictures from the big day. 
Until then, I have much to do in the craft department. I want to add quirky little bits and bobs to the table to make it a unique expression of my cousin's life, whilst also giving it a creative flair. Wish me luck!

I Love It - July

A pinch and a punch for the first of the month.

Here are all the things I'm lovin' this July...

Annihilating to-do lists. Party planning. Betting on horses. Blog revamping. Boyfriend blazers. Rainbows and fulfilled promises. Travel preparations. Cupcakes. Sleeping in multiple layers of clothing under multiple blankets. Soup. Savoring family time. Perth. Calgary. Jogging along the beach promenade. Knee-high socks. The colour grey. My new tote bag. The sound of a kick drum. Men's flannel shirts. Braais and beach concerts. Holidays. Having friends from afar back in town. The Head and the Heart. Records. Thursday night dance sessions. Glory and Grace. Butterflies of excitement. Watching Tv whilst engulfed in  an armchair. The Durban July. Spreading the love. Spectacles and collared shirts. California dreamin'. Wakaberry Frozen Yoghurt. Chinese fire drills. My Pugly Pixel subscription. Learning new skills. Skype sessions. Percussion instruments. Foster the People. Laughing with Jesus. Apple products. Nature walks. Photographs of familiar faces. Appreciating people, not merely things. Leading from the heart. Quality time spent with good books. Paradigm shifts. Melancholic melodies. Mr Price Pro. Moleskin Journals. Layer cakes. Ballito jammin'. Kangol 'Nirvana' nail-polish. Mr Darcy. Finally getting to watch 'The King's Speech.' People who have impeccable  grammar skills. Brown paper packages. Realizing how good I've got it. Mountain getaways. 2 months remaining. Captain Jack Sparrow. Gossip Girl re-runs. Driving an turbo engined vehicle. Deep, meaningful conversations with new friends. Spray-painting surfboards. Cloud formations. Winter lovin'.