Jikana Damaru

Strawberry dolly mix cupcakes

Strawberry dolly mix cupcakes (makes 12 muffin size cakes)

Ingredients
125g (4.5 ounces) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon (1/6 ounces) vanilla extract
150g (5.2 ounces) caster sugar
2 eggs
150g (5.2 ounces) self-raising flour
150g (5.2 ounces) dried strawberries
60ml (2 fluid ounces) semi-skimmed milk
2 tbsp strawberry jam

Cooking instructions

Preheat oven to 160-180 deg C (325-350 deg F).
Line muffin tray with paper cases.
Beat flour, butter, eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until the mixture turns a pale colour.
Stir in the strawberries and strawberry jam and mix thoroughly.
Divide mixture among cases.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Place cakes on a wire rack to cool.

Decorating the cakes

Fill piping bag with vanilla butter frosting and pipe in peaks on top of the cakes.
Place 3 Dolly Mix on top.

Pattern cupcake cases come part of a cupcake kit from Chronicle Books.

Have a great weekend!

~ White and Bright ~

White and bright - they way I want my new home to be. Here is a wonderful white, bright, light home - lots of big windows, white walls, glass and striking features. Love it!

Images: Architectural Digest

Amy Butler

All images from amybutlerdesign.com

Amy Butler does the most beautiful printed fabrics for both interior and fashion use. I love the mix of colours and the way the collections all coordinate together; there is a kind of seventies retro cool to them.

You should check out her website for the most beautiful inspiring photos of what you can make with her fabrics. Not keen on sewing? Then check out Etsy for some beautiful handmade products you can buy.

Jelly roll of Daisy Chain Fabric on Etsy

Jelly roll of Daisy Chain Fabric Collection from Imagine Fabric on Etsy

~ Four Generations ~

What a lovely day we had today - the girls and I went to my mums so that Indiana could meet her Great Grandmother for the first time.

Here were are - all four generations of girls - how wonderful to have so many generations here. My grandmother will be 90 in November, she has 4 children, 9 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and next month will welcome her first great great grandchild.

Amazing!!

Candy Jars

The jars in my first pic are coffee jars from Douwe Egberts. The footed apothecary jar in my second and third pic is from Belle Epoque.

I love jars of candy, from the ones in old fashioned sweet shops to footed apothecary jars. So imagine my delight when a friend of mine showed me a pic of the Juicy Couture table in Selfridges which was covered in candy-filled jars, as an idea for her wedding. I thought "I'll help you!".

Candy jars in Ralph Lauren in Hong Kong, photo taken by Torie Jayne

I'd also seen some candy jars in the window of Ralph Lauren in Hong Kong back in April (see above), so I started to search around to see what I could find.

In my search I came across the delightful pics above from Amy Atlas. You definitely should check out her website for the most beautiful candy tables, in an array of colours and themes, for weddings, birthdays and more.

It seems that the glass jars are a lot easier to get hold of stateside than here in the UK. However, I did find a great store called Chefs that ships all over the world and they do the lovely glass pedestal candy jars in varying heights above.

Candy Jars by Torie Jayne on Polyvore.com

For my US readers who want to buy some glass jars please check out the above Candy Jars set in Polyvore for a selection of the candy jars I found in all shapes/sizes and prices.

For some good places to buy coloured sweets in the UK/USA take a look at my recent post: Old fashioned candy.

~ Monday house update ~

Progress on the house has been fantastic.

We now have the first coat of paint on the exterior walls and while I love the colours I have chosen I am starting to think that maybe I should have made the main part of the house the feature colour the white should be the feature wall! I need to make a decision this week but there is something that is just not right!

On the inside the painter has put up some samples of wall colours - I have decided to go with Dulus Lexicon for my walls as this is a really white white. For the kitchen splash back and feature wall I am looking at Dulux Toffee Fingers. In the photo below it is the last colour on the right.

Timber floors are in and they look great.

And we finally have a staircase - no more ladder climbing which makes life so much easier.

White on White

This week on Flickr Faves Sunday, I bring you a white on white story. I chose white on white as it has been a big fashion trend this summer and one that is set to continue. I love the peacefulness of white on white. Check back soon for some more of the most inspirational photographers on Flickr.

Some beautiful shots from my Flickr favourites (from left to right):

I love the intricate cold heart from Sommerfugel
The beautiful cup handle in back to white VI from Weird Melancholy.
The shell chandelier in A little light... from Snowdrops.
The string balls in waiting ... from Among the hedgerows.
The perfume bottle with bird from Sunshine Syrie
The delicate detail on the plate in back to white VII from Weird Melancholy.
The detail of the embroderie anglaise in a woman can never be too fine while she is all in white ... ~ jane austen from Among the hedgerows
The delicate cutwork in Recycled Memories from The Curious Nomad.
The lighting in the white painting from nic*nilla.