Valentines Day - A Little Something For Everyone

February is among us and without a flash, into every shop that you walk, your surrounded by a sea of fluffy stuffed animals holding hearts, and red lingerie at every angle. For some of us, it's a special day for us to spend with our other half and for some its the complete opposite. A day that we dread, being single on valentines can only make us feel more lonely, which no one needs. Fear not, here are my ideas to keep Valentines day fun for everyone, no matter who you are with, or not with for that matter. 

**Outfit  Skirt - River Island, Shirt - H&M, Boots - River Island **

All Loved up 

Sometimes all you need, is to spend some quality time together. Forget the fancy presents and a la carte menu's, where half the time you can't even read the menu. These things aren't what builds a strong relationship. If you have the money, fabulous, if you don't i have you covered. 

• A Home cooked Meal, can never go down wrong. Unless you burn it of course and then if that's the case, the only thing left to do is to head on over to JustEat.co.uk *chuckles.* But seriously, take a simple menu or even her/his favourite meal and get to work in the kitchen. Throw in a couple of candles and a chocolate fondue for desert, and you are on to a winner my friend. 
• Give your other half a Voucher, entitling them to something you know they want to do with you, have been talking about for ages, or simply something you know that normally you just wouldn't do for them. Have they been wanting to see a snooker game for ages, or a girly soppy film at the cinema that personally you couldn't think of anything worse? Then use this time of year to show the other one just how much you care. 
• Forget Easter egg hunts, how about a valentines hunt. Something fun and silly, that costs next to nothing to prepare. You could make the prizes as simple as a picture of you both, or their favourite chocolate for good measure. The thoughtfulness behind it and time dedicated to it, will be much appreciated.  

Sassy and Single 

As much as this is a time for loved up couples to get all soppy and fancy over one another, utilize this time as a singleton to have fun or celebrate the other loved ones in your life.  Your friends and family.

• Use Valentines day as an excuse to get together with your friends and have a girly night in, pink pj's, heart shaped chocolates, and cute captioned cards, celebrate your friendships in style. You don't have to have a boyfriend/girlfriend to be loved...oh no, sometimes there is nothing better then a friend who has been through everything with you, tears chuckles and more. 
• Treat yourself, you can love yourself right?! Of course. Use the money you would spend on someone else, to treat yourself this Valentines. A bunch of your favourite flowers, aftershave or even a set of sexy underwear (which is more for us then for them i say), and you will be feeling a lot brighter then you did before. 

Something Cute For Everyone 

• This final little idea, is something for everybody. Get your mum and dad involved, your sister/brothers, friends, whoever is with you on valentines day, and have a fort evening. I read recently about a celebrity wedding where it was all built round the idea of the first date, which was building a fort, and well what could be cuter. Gather together all of the blankets, fairy lights and snacks and build yourself the coolest fort you ever did see. If you head over to Pinterest i promise you, you'll find endless ideas and inspiration.

So there you have it, some little cute ideas for valentines this year. What ever you choose to do, or  whoever you choose to spend it with, i hope you share the love and get festive.

Thanks for reading my lovelies x

kick those January blues - 'Night in' inspiration

It's official. It's wet, windy, cold and miserable, January is right on track for being one of those months you just want to curl up in a ball on the sofa and eat your body weight in food. Those January blues that everyone talks about are in full swing, with no money and no motivation to do anything. But! There is always a solution, and we can even enjoy those weekends in, scared to leave your house in less than your dressing gown. 

So, today I thought I would talk through a couple of 'night in' suggestions for you and your friends, or even you and your partner, keeping it cosy and cute this winter. 

Fondue evening 

So me and my best friend were meant to go out on Friday night, but by the time she arrived and we had settled on the sofa with a cup of tea, we weren't going anywhere. Our reasoning you ask? The cold. So instead we got our bums to Tesco and picked up all the ingredients to have a chocolate fondue, with the added luxury of a bottle of prosecco. It was perfect and right up both our streets. We got together; marshmallows, strawberries, pretzels and plenty of Cadburys. What a feast. What's more with a few glasses of bubbly and a music channel in the background, we bought the night club to the comfort of our living room...oh and let's not forget our killer outfits...(I mean pyjamas.) 

Cheese and wine night in

So while we are on the subject of food it would be rude not to mention, the main love in my life, cheese. And yes I know it's just been Christmas and every one I know may be on a diet...but one night of feasting can't hurt surely!? 

Gather together some cheeses, grapes and wine and be those sophisticated ladies (or men) you always knew you were. Your stomach will be satisfied and so will you. 

Spa Evening

As your not venturing out of the house it's only right that you prepare yourself for when you do finally hit the town again. So what perfect time then to pamper you and your friends. Start off by doing face masks and seeing how long you can keep a straight face before you both end up in stitches. Once your skin is feeling like a baby's bottom add your favourite skin care routine to the mix, by the time you wake up you'll feel like a brand new person. You can also do foot spas, and paint your nails. A little pick me up in January can sometimes be just what you need. 

Disney movie night

Now last but not least and it has to be my favourite for obvious reasons, but get everyone together and throw yourself into the Disney princess life. I've been meaning to do this for ages with the girls, but we still haven't got round to it. What better place to be, then in a movie full of princes, singing, dancing and talking animals? 

Grab some snacks of course, in my opinion cupcakes and cocktails work best for this occasion. Sit back and revel in the world of

Disney. 

I hope you like my few suggestions to help kick those January blues with a fun packed night in. Let me know if you try any of them out. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

Christmas Science Afternoon tea @ The Ampersand Hotel

So its Christmas time, and its the one time of the year that eating all kinds of unhealthy food and stuffing your face is socially acceptable in all ways. This means one thing and one thing only, especially for a afternoon tea junkie like myself, its time to hit the best themed tea in town. After having seen a friend of mine already try and test this particular afternoon tea, i knew it had to be done. Myself and my Friend Mayumi, booked ourselves a table at the Christmas science afternoon tea at the Ampersand hotel. Normally its just Science themed however this festive time of year means they put on a special Christmas menu. For starters its important to mention how beautiful this hotel is. Its located right next to the South Kensington station, so its super easy to get too. The hotel was decorated with lots of lights and cute Christmas decorations, and when having afternoon tea, you are seated in the Drawing rooms, which has gorgeous decor, A good thing to note is that we booked during the week via, Afternoontea.co.uk which meant we received a glass of Moet on the house. Already things were on the up. After already consuming lots of bubbles we were given a choice of tea. I went for the classic Ampersand Breakfast tea, while May went for the Peppermint tea, both were enjoyed immensely. Stupidly i hadn't eaten that day, so by the time the food turned up i was ravenous, but it really was so scrummy. We were given a three tiered plate stacked full of food. The first tier was savoury followed by a plate of scones, and then a further plate of sweet treats. Not only did it taste amazing, it looked amazing too, and once the waiter had poured the white ice into the the little plate at the top, we had a plate of smoking science goodness. 

* The gorgeous tea station*

We tucked into the first plate which consisted of Smoked salmon blinis, Crayfish and asparagus on toasted bread, Goats cheese and pumpkin quiche and finally a roast beef bagel with horse radish (which really did have a spicy kick). After demolishing it all, me and may were both decided that our favourite were the blinis and crayfish, they were miniature sized so perfect little mouthfuls but so so flavoursome and delicious. 

Next we tucked into our plate full of scones, we had two each, so it was quite a mountain to get through, we ended up only having one each. I went for the plain one, and may had the cranberry and white chocolate selection. Not only were they both still warm, but both super delicious and not dry in the slightest. 

Last but not least we had the sweet tier to get through and this really was a mixture of all sorts. I was already quite full at this point, so i tried to get through as much as possible, but didn't manage to try it all. The plate consisted of a Christmas tree biscuit, Vanilla mousse with cranberry baubles, Spiced apple juice in test tubes, Salted caramel and chocolate tree brownies, and mini Christmas cakes with snowflake toppers. WOW right!! I didn't make it to the end as Christmas fruit cake isn't a favourite of mine anyway, however the show stopper for me on this plate was the salted caramel brownie, it was so yummy, rich and full of flavour. Neither of us were that sure on the mousse, it was quite an odd texture and the added cranberry's just weren't my cup of tea, but all in all what a scrummy little plate of goodness. 

* May fully respecting the tiny test tube of apple goodness *

Its safe to say we were so stuffed at this point we could barely speak, we were however given a little box of Christmas fossils hidden under a blanket of white chocolate snow. May had lots of fun with this, if shes reading she will know what i'm talking about haha! But it was a nice added extra to fit in further with the science theme. We both agreed that the savoury plate was by far our favourite. Every option was gorgeous in its own way in textures and flavours. I'd safely say i would love to return in the new year to do the classic science tea, which I've heard involves Rocket ships and dinosaurs, *squeals in delight*

I hope you have enjoyed this little insight to our Christmas science themed tea, its still available till the 27th of December, however it will be back to the classic tea after that which I've heard is just as good. Head on over to there website and check it out here. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

The Christmas tag, And Our first Christmas tree

So originally this post was meant to be all about our first Christmas tree, and a small decoration haul. However i thought i would mix it up a little bit and make it a bit more interesting for you guys by doing the christmas tag. Perfect if you are little nosey like me, or just love to talk Christmas. So lets get right into it shall we.

1. What is your favourite Christmas tradition? A lot of our family Christmas traditions have come and gone over the years, especially with age and getting older. However my favourite has to be, every Christmas eve evening, all gathering round the Christmas tree and picking a small present from under the tree to open early. Our mum most likely picked the presents she wanted us to open, and more often then not, there would be a theme. It was always something cute and fun, just to get us super excited for Christmas morning. I remember once me and my brother both getting Christmas pj's for Christmas eve, so that we were suited and booted for Christmas in the morning.

2. Where do you spend Christmas? I have always spent Christmas at home, or at my mum's. This year is no different even though i don't live at home anymore. It tends to be me, my brother, mum and anyone else who wants to join throughout the day. But i think its very important to spend Christmas day with your loved ones, no matter who or where they are. Plus i couldn't spend it without my little cat Fred, animals always make Christmas even more extra special.

3. What is your favourite Christmas song? Without a doubt it has to be 'All i want for Christmas' by Mariah Carey. Either that or the entire Christmas Michael Buble CD which i could easily listen to on repeat for hours.

4. Tinsel or Garland? Neither. When it comes to decorations, i am all about the lights and the baubles. I honestly hate tinsel and just think it looks cheap and nasty. My mum has definitely made me a Christmas decoration snob over the years *laughs* so i like them too look classy or cute.

5. Who are you most excited to see this Christmas? Fred. As i mentioned before i don't live at home anymore and i miss my little cat on a daily basis. Living in an apartment, means it just isn't ideal for pets, so any time spent with my little freddie is precious.

6. Do you own any Christmas jumpers? yes i do. I own one Christmas jumper from Asos a couple of years ago, and its super cute. Its quite subtle for a Christmas jumper, with little reindeer's on it. Keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram for it (amyrowleyy), as i'm sure it will be on there soon.

7. What is the one Christmas food you cannot live without? This really is a hard one, as the food around this time of year is one of the best parts to Christmas. I think i will go with the classic tin of Quality street that without, It just wouldn't be Christmas. In particular the pink country fudge and gold toffee penny which are my absolute faves!

8. Peppermint or Gingerbread? Gingerbread. but only because of the scent. I don't actually like the taste of gingerbread, but when it comes to building a Gingerbread House i am the first to volunteer. I am also obsessed with the Gingerbread Zoella handcream, called hungry hands. It makes me want to eat my hands, its so yummy.

9. What have you asked for this Christmas? A camera. I really want to improve my photo quality on my blog and maybe even make videos eventually, so a camera is the only thing I want this christmas. Fingers crossed.

10. If you could be any christmas movie character, who would you be? oooooh this is a difficult one. I think i would choose to be the little girl in the polar express. I think i would make the best animated character, and they just get to go on such a magical adventure that i know i would enjoy.

So there you have it. My mini Christmas tag and a little insight into my Christmas time each year. Hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading my lovelies x

Chocolate Fudge Mini Bonfire Cupcakes

Bonfire night is soon going to be upon as, and to celebrate the evening of fireworks, sparklers and toasted marshmallows i thought i would share with you a quick, fun and easy way to make mini bonfire cupcakes. These are perfect if you are throwing a little firework party at your own place, or even a good treat with a cuppa for when your return from seeing a display. So lets quit the rambling and get onto the recipe. 

Ingredients you will need:

120g self raising flour

120g caster sugar 

120g Butter 

2 medium sized eggs 

A splash of Vanilla extract

For the icing:

1 tub of Betty Crockers Chocolate fudge icing

45g butter 

90g icing sugar 

Orange food colouring

6 Flakes

Gold sprinkles (optional)

1. First preheat the oven to 180 Degrees. Take the first three ingredients and mix together in a bowl until you have want looks like a crumby texture. Then take the two eggs and slowly add to the mixture being careful not to curdle the mixture. 

2. When all thoroughly mixed add a splash of vanilla extract for some flavour. Once this is evenly spread into the mixture, carefully spoon the mixture in to the cupcake tin as evenly as possible.

3. Pop into the oven for around 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a cooling rack.

4. For the orange fire icing, take both the butter and the icing sugar and mix together until you get a creamy texture, add both a little bit of vanilla extract and some orange Food colouring until you are happy with the shade of orange. 

5. Once the cakes have cooled, take your Chocolate fudge icing and carefully spread onto the top of each cupcake, creating a base for your Flakes (wood). Take the flakes and cut them evenly into four pieces. You will need around three pieces of flake for each bonfire. Balance them onto each other and stick them into the fudge icing to create a mini bonfire effect. Repeat this for each cupcake.

6. You can then take your orange icing and create flames by using a star shaped nozzle and piping bag. Sporadically squeeze small amounts of icing around the flakes to create little flames, and again repeat to each cupcake. Then to finish Sprinkle some gold sprinkles on top. 

And there you have it, little bonfire cupcakes, super quick and easy but really cute at the same time. Oh and not to mention yummy too! Hope you enjoyed this little food post from me and your all having a great week. I am hopefully going to see some fireworks this weekend, wrap up in my jumpers and scarves for a cozy night outside. Whatever your up to this bonfire night, make sure its a great one! 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

5 Last minute Halloween ideas

Halloween is fast approaching and i know i still don't have any plans. What with working all weekend and just getting back from a little break i haven't really had much time to think about it. So i thought i would put together a little post to help myself and any others who are in the same boat. Read on to hear all about my five suggestions, to make a last minute plan into a spooktastic Halloween.

1. My first suggestion is to get a couple of friends together, get yourself too Tesco or Asda and stock up on all those scary treats that are flooding the shops at the moment. Cakes, sweets, chocolate, crisps all in crazy colours, shapes and flavours. Just go mad! Get yourself a bottle of wine or two and head back to one persons house/flat and get curled up on the sofa. You could either rent some dvd's, head over to Netflix or just scroll the TV channels to find all the scary movies that will be on and a have a movie marathon. It's fun, warm and cheap, which is always a bonus. If you and all your friends are scaredy cats, watch the nightmare before Christmas and Hocus Pocus, old classics for this time of year and not at all too scary to watch.

2. My next pick is along the same lines, but if you fancy getting out the house for a bit its perfect. Go to the cinema to see the scariest film possible. Top yourself up with popcorn and a hot chocolate, and take a loved one with you for moral support haha! Again it dosent break the bank and is a very easy way to get in the Halloween spirit without all the madness and dressing up if that just isn't very you. 

3. My third idea is probably my favourite and this is too have a baking and cooking day or evening with a bestie. Scroll pinterest for the best Halloween treats and tricks out there and bake up a storm in the kitchen. There are so many ideas floating around Facebook at the moment too. This way you can make the treats and keep it Halloween themed too. You could always ask a couple more friends round in the evening to share the treats with and maybe play some games and drink some wine. 

One of the treats i tried were these baked peppers stuffed with couscous in the shapes of pumpkins. Super cute and yummy and great for a savoury option.  

4. Number four is to get yourself out and about and have a good night out with some friends. It doesn't matter if you haven't got the best costume, use your makeup bag to do some weird and wonderful creations on your face and cut up an old tshirt or dress. Head to some local bars and have a little dance and a couple of drinks. I promise you, you will have fun and you wont't feel stupid as everyone else will look as silly or as scary as one another. 

5. My fifth and final idea would be to throw a last minute halloween party at your house. Asda has everything you will need to make your house or flat the scary and creepy destination it needs to be. Get everyone to dress up, you can even choose a theme if you want too. You can go as crazy or as simple as you want to. Get cocktail making ingredients at the ready and make a little cocktail making station perfect for all the guests. You could also do some really funny and easy games. Apple bobbing a proper oldie, and buy a ton of toilet roll and see who can make their partner into a mummy the quickest. These games will be even more fun when you have had a couple to drink and whats better they take no time or effort to make them. Just be prepared for the tidying and the hangover the day after haha! I'm sure it will be worth it!!

So there you have my five little suggestions for this Halloween, it may just be some scary movies on Netflix and some scary cupcakes for me, but i'm happy with that. Whatever you are up to this weekend and this Halloween i hope you have a fantastic spooky one!

Thanks for reading my lovelies x

A little break in bruges, Five must do's and some tips and tricks along the way

It was that time of year again, a week off with no plans just empty days that needed filling. Me and Rhys like getting time off in September, the summer is still lingering and school years have started, meaning better prices for our purses and quieter cities, restaurants and just generally everything. Last year we went to Rhodes in Greece, but this year i decided i wanted a little exploring break, no bikinis no sun cream, just great scenery, great company and a little bit of history. When we found our deal on Secret escapes, we decided Bruges, in Belgium looked like a great place to go exploring. For any of you that don't know, secret escapes is a great website with great deals from full on holidays, city breaks or even just a night in hotel, all with a discount, no matter how small, every little helps as Tesco say.  So we packed our little suitcases and bundled into the car on Monday, heading straight for the euro tunnel. We had such a lovely couple of days and instead of just telling you about it, i thought i would make it a little more informative by telling you 5 musts when in the city and some little tips in case you wish to explore the city yourself. Obviously all filled out with copious amount of pictures, taken by one snap happy tourist (Moi).

1. First thing that's a must and pretty much a given wherever you go, is simply to just explore and go wild. There are so many little cute streets and monuments, hidden in every corner of the city. Perfect for any budding photographers or just wannabes like myself *chuckles*. You can rent a bike and cycle around the city, take a horse and carriage ride, yep that's a thing, and although it is expensive at 50 euro a pop, you can get 4 of you in so once this price is divided it doesn't seem so bad. Or like us you can keep it simple, old fashioned and of course free and explore the city by foot. We did so much walking on our trip, which was great for me as walking is one of my favourite things to do and even better we were spoilt by the weather so it meant we got to soak up the last of the lingering summer weather that seems to be about at the moment. I think its good to get lost (we did plenty of times) and just have fun with it, sometimes not having a plan or a route to stick to, just works.

 

2. The next thing you must do, is take a boat trip along the canal. The canal is quite a big part to Bruges, which is why it is often referred to as the Venice of the north. It quite reminds me of Cambridge, with the bikes everywhere and the canal running through the city, so if you have ever been you will know what i'm going on about. Anyway, you can pick the boats up from several spots along the canal, they are about 8 Euro per person and last approximately 35 minutes. Its a great way to give your little legs a rest, well in my case anyway, and to sit back and relax while taking in the scenery. Our tour guide, also provided us with little fun facts about the city and the houses and buildings we passed, which was quite interesting and fun. Again get your camera out and take some snaps, as you get some great views.

3. The third thing, is quite simply to eat a waffle. As simple as it is, you won't regret it and its just a must have while in Belgium, after all they are famous for there waffles, chocolate and fries, what a perfect combination. You can pick one up at any cafe, or restaurant. In my opinion its better to take one away as its quite a bit cheaper and more enjoyable, balancing on the little paper plate while trying not to spill it everywhere *chuckles*. Rhys is in no way a sweet person, pancakes and waffles are always a no go, however even he delved in and he wasn't complaining. I had mine with cappuccino flavoured ice cream, Rhys stuck with traditional vanilla, but if you prefer a fruit topping, or whipped cream and chocolate sauce, lets put it this way the possibilities are endless.

4. The fourth Must do is to head up the Belfort in the market square and be prepared for some views. For any of you that don't enjoy heights this isn't for you, but if you like them then this is perfect. It is 366 steps up to the top of the tower, a little climb and quite steep too but well worth it. I would recommend shoes with a good grip as the steps were a little slippery and maybe don't wear a skirt like silly old me, where anyone behind you has a glorious sight as you climb on up. Once at the top you can look out onto the entire city and if you wait for it to hit half past or on the hour the bells will ring and its quite something. It's just quite an enjoyable experience and well worth the climb.

5. The fifth and final must do is to head to a museum of your choice and just have a laugh. There are plenty to choose from, either a fries museum, a history museum, even a diamond museum. Or as we chose, typically,  the chocolate museum. Its rather small and dated, but interesting and funny nonetheless and its always fun to learn things you never knew. If i went again i would probably head to the history museum just to learn a little more about the history of the city and the culture surrounding it.

So those were my five must do's while in Bruges, now for a couple of tips when staying there or visiting the city. My most recommended tip when staying in Bruges is to head to your local supermarket and stock up on drinks and snacks. We found out very quickly that all the drinks and food can be ridiculously priced. We had two sandwiches and two drinks in one place and the bill came to 37 Euros! Yes really! The drinks are all at least 3 euro even for water and the sizes you are given are tiny. When taking your boyfriend that needs constant supply of food and drink, the trip can get very spendy very quickly. We also found the selection of food wasn't great either, a lot of fish and mussels and if that's not something your fond of the menus can get very tiring easily. The rather large selection of  Italian restaurants hanging around seemed to be our saving grace.

My next tip is to take some comfy shoes and be prepared to walk. The city is full of windy cobbled streets, quite uneven and everything is quite widely spread, so after walking from place to place you would have already walked a couple of miles, just on one outing. It is definitely not a heels place and its very casual as well so you don't need to look flash while exploring which is always a bonus. It definitely seemed to be very much a daytime place, the evenings were very quiet and its not from what we saw a crazy night out. However if you were to go on a weekend....well who knows!

My last tip is if you have a working car, and like me your not a huge fan of flying if you don't have to. Just use the euro tunnel. I was a bit skeptical at first, Rhys and i drove around on our last trip and that was a nightmare at times, but honestly with this drive you really can't go wrong. It is literally one straight road from Calais in France, to Belgium Bruges, with only 10 minutes of roads after this leading you into the city. For once i wasn't feeling like i wanted to close my eyes and pray, but enjoy what was around me *laughs*. 

Anyway so there you have it. A little insight into my trip away this week, some must do's and a few little tips just in case. We honestly had a lovely time and it was just what we needed. I feel we saw as much as we wanted to in three days, but maybe one day i would go back for the Christmas markets as i have heard they are wonderful. Hope you enjoyed reading about my little break in Bruges and have all had a lovely weekend. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

Autumnal Acorn Biscuits

Now i know what your thinking...its not autumnal enough to be making acorn biscuits, the sun is still shining strong and don't even get me started on the heat. However i disagree, you can never be too autumnal and at the ready for the upcoming months and these are the perfect way to ease you in gently. These little biscuits are so super simple to make and good fun too. Myself and my friend Emily (her blog is here) decided it was time to once again get our baking heads on and create some autumnal treats. With the old favourite the bake off currently flooding our TV screens every Wednesday, i feel even more creative then usual. Who else sits there and once its finished gets that itch to bake!? So lets get into the recipe. 

Ingredients you will need :

150g Plain flour (extra for dusting)

50g Caster sugar

100g softened butter

A few drops of vanilla essence

1 Egg

For decoration:

Milk Chocolate

White Chocolate

chocolate sprinkles

Equipment you will Need

Acorn cookie cutter (link here)

Rolling pin

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees, and line a baking tray with grease proof paper.

2. Take the caster sugar and flour and mix together, then add the butter and use your hands to mix it in and form a crumbly mixture. 

3. Lightly beat the egg in a bowl and a few drops of Vanilla essence, then add slowly to your mixture folding it in with a wooden spoon.

4. Once the egg is mixed in you will see a soft dough form, take this and place it on a surface dusted in flour. 

5. Cover your rolling pin in a dusting of flour also and roll out your dough until it is approximately 1 inch think. Take your cookie cutter and gently cut out your acorn shaped biscuits, laying them into the baking tray. You should be able to get about 10 biscuits out of the dough. 

6. Pop in the oven for 10 mins until a little golden and then remove from the oven and leave to cool. 

For the icing:

1. Take your milk chocolate and melt it in a bowl above a hot pan of water on the hob. Take a piping bag and fill it with chocolate, cutting a very small nozzle at the end. 

2. Pipe the chocolate over the entire surface of the biscuit as evenly as possible. Use a spoon to even out and spread if needs be. Repeat this process to all biscuits.

4. Take your chocolate sprinkles and tap on to the top of the acorn wear the little acorn hat would be. Shake off any excess when dry. 

5. For added character, take some melted chocolate, and add a small line to your acorn, to create the image of a re flexion. 

There you have it, cute and yummy acorn shaped biscuits, that any squirrel would be proud of. While engrossed in the baking madness of today, Emily and i also created some cinnamon apple shaped cupcakes. Head over to her blog for the recipe and some more autumnal baking inspiration. Link here. 

Hope you enjoyed reading today's post and have a go at making some yourself.

Thanks for reading my lovelies x

Brunch @ Home

I am a big fan of brunch and breakfast, especially on a day off. I feel like its one of those meals we can forget about on a day to day basis, when we are rushing out the door with a piece of toast or banana in our hand. I know i for one am one of these people, which is why when i find i have the morning to myself and i'm not rushing to be somewhere, its nice to have fun with it. Now obviously the first thing that pops into my mind is lets go out for brunch, however i have found recently you can have just as nice food and just as much fun at home. Grab your kids or partner and drag them into the kitchen to create your perfect brunch options. Another perk of doing it at home, if you find like me your rota isn't so in sync with everyone else, brunch for one is so much better this way. The comfort of your own sofa and the company of the TV, is the perfect mix. Any way enough rambling you say and get to the food, well read on and ill show you a couple of my favourites.

Pancakes - Of course i couldn't talk about brunch and not mention at least one type of pancakes. Now normally i'm always a crepe style Pancake kind of girl. They are so super quick and easy to make, and it is near enough impossible to get them wrong. However recently i have tried to make the American style pancakes, slightly thicker and more dense. They take a little bit longer but boy they are worth it. Pair them with some mixed berries and a drizzle of syrup and you have a winner.

Ingredients

3 large eggs

115g plain flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

140ml milk

pinch of salt 

Butter for cooking

(to decorate)

Mixed berries

Golden syrup

Sprinkle of icing sugar

Recipe 

1. To start with separate your eggs. Yolk in one bowl and white in another. Take the yolks and add the flour, baking powder and milk to the mixture. Fold it all in together until it forms a thick batter.

2. Then take the egg whites, place a pinch of salt in there and mix together until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter until it is all thoroughly mixed in. 

3. Heat your hob to a medium temperature and place a non stick frying pan on it to preheat. Pop a knob of butter in to the pan and wait until melted. Then take a teaspoon or two of batter and place into the middle of the pan. 

 4. Fry until air bubbles in the pancake show, then flip and cook the same on the other side. Repeat this process until all the mixture has been used. 

5. For toppings take a handful of mixed berries, sprinkle them on top and a little bit of icing sugar too. Take your syrup and add as much as you like to make them super sweet and yummy.

Avocado bagel - Now this next one is so simple it doesn't even need a recipe. For any of you that love avocado, this is perfect. Instead of toast i like to take a bagel, and pop it in the toaster. While this is cooking, i take my Avocado and once taken from its shell mash it in a bowl with a pinch of salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon. 

Once the Bagel is toasted and warm, with a tiny bit of butter, take the avocado and spread evenly. It might look like a mess but it sure doesn't taste like one. If you know you have to be somewhere but still want to enjoy your breakfast, this is the one for you. 

Smoothies - Last but not least, is the option for a breakfast smoothie. These work just as well when your on the go as you can easily take this with you, when in a rush. I however like to have my Smoothie in a cute little jar, with a striped straw just for fun. Now with Smoothies obviously any flavour or ingredients can be mixed together of your choice. This option is purely just one i have been enjoying recently. 

You will need:

1 banana 

Handful of blueberries

Handful of strawberries 

Handful of Raspberries

200ml Coconut water 

Little bit of ice

After chopping into pieces where necessary, take all of the ingredients and place into the mixer. Mix until smooth and pour into your chosen cup. Literally how simple, easy and quick. I promise you, you wont be disappointed, and whats even better is how super healthy these are. If you struggle to eat enough fruit or veg in the day this is a perfect way to sneak 1 or 2 of your five a day into your diet. 

So there you have it. Brunch @ home. These are just a couple of ideas to get you started but i am always trying new ones, so i'm sure brunch @ home 2.0 wont be far away. Hope you enjoyed reading and if you try any of these please do let me know. Whats your favourite brunch?

Thanks for reading my lovelies x

August Roundup

Can we actually believe that august is practically over and we are near enough in September!? I know i can't. This month in the UK has been a weird one we have had super heat and windy weather all in the same week, it's felt like summer for everyone else but to be honest i work in a very air conned work place, so most of the time I've still been in thick tights and a cardigan. Nonetheless i wanted to share with you some of  my favourites this month. Style faves, beauty, food and a couple of randoms thrown in there too. 

Style - let's start with my favourite style pieces of this month. First off my new denim skirt that you would have seen in my last style post. It's a staple piece to anyone's wardrobe and i had honestly been on the hunt for one for ages. They were either too short, or too flared, and with a denim skirt you definitely have to get it right for your shape. The one i purchased was a sale piece from Topshop, it was £18 pounds and because of that i was even more chuffed. You could honestly style this piece with nearly everything, it's perfect all year round and i can't wait to start wearing it in the colder months with chunky knits and ankle boots (not excited for autumn one bit *smirks.*)

The next favourite piece in my wardrobe has to be this white sheer pajama style blouse. I have worn it a couple times and really love it. It is super comfortable, can be dressed up or down and looks great with ripped denim and some little heels. It is from ASOS and comes in black too i believe, which is very tempting for work as this would be perfectly acceptable and still trendy for the workplace.

Beauty - Next up to ramble on about is my favourite beauty products of this month. I haven't got many but the two that i love are definitely winners in my eyes. The first is a new eyeliner. I kept having the same issue with every drugstore eyeliner i was buying, in that it was never truly black and within a couple of hours just looked like a big grey smudge on top of my eyelid. After reading ton's of reviews and a couple of videos, i decided i wanted to try the Guerlain liquid eyeliner. Wow i wasn't disappointed. I generally look forward to putting my eyeliner on each morning with this bad boy in my make up bag. It glides on really easily and the colour is a true black that lasts all day. If you were having the same issue i was then maybe look into this little beauty. 

My other beauty favourite is my MAC Mineralise  skinfinish in soft and gentle. A great highlighter that has been giving my cheekbones the gleam that it needs to get through a 8 hour shift. I just like to swirl my brush into it and whack it on all the places the sun would hit and i am good to go. It is a beautiful colour and a proper MAC cult product. 

Food - Now lets talk food. The one thing i have been obsessing over this month has to be anything kinder! You might have seen my kinder bueno cupcakes that i made a couple of weeks ago ( blogpost here), well since then i cannot get enough of kinder. Kinder chocolate, kinder bueno, Happy hippos. you name it, I've been eating it. If you have had a hard day at work or just craving something a little naughty get your bum down to Tesco and pick up a kinder bueno. I promise you, your day will get that little bit better. 

Random - So even though this month all i feel as if i have done is worked. The time i have had off i have spent it with the right people. I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend off with my friend kit, who visited from Brighton, we did everything girly, and a had a little wiggle on a night out which was greatly needed. I also spent a great day baking and making smoothies with another friend which was super fun and we definitely had a good old giggle while doing so. 

 My last favourite of the month was right at the beginning of the month and feels like a while ago now, but it was my day in London with a great friend. We spent the day exploring London and booked in at the Cutter and Squidge cafe for Hello Kitty afternoon tea. To read all about it i wrote a blog post with loads of pictures so go take a read here.

So there you have it. August is pretty much done and dusted and onto the next month. I wonder what September will have in store, a week off to look forward too and some mini changes that's for sure. 

Hope you enjoyed reading, to follow me on day to day basis please head over to my Instagram page @amyrowleyy to see more. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

Kinder Bueno Cupcakes

So it was that time again, where i was craving cake and decided i needed to get my but in to the kitchen and cook up a storm. This time i had lots of help with my great friend Emily Ferris, (link to her blog is here! check it out for everything travel and food related.) So this time i thought to myself what could be better then your favourite chocolate bar in a cupcake option?!? Nothing i know right. 

So follow these simple steps to make some super yummy Kinder Bueno Cupcakes, and enjoy. 

Ingredients

Batter

100g butter

125g caster sugar

125g self-raising flour

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons milk

 A splash of vanilla extract

4 small bars of kinder chocolate, melted 

Icing

100g butter

200g icing sugar

1 tablespoon Nutella

A tablespoon of milk

3 Kinder bueno bars, for decoration

Splash of vanilla extract

1. First preheat your oven to 160 degrees (fan)

2. Next take the flour, caster sugar and butter and place them into a mixing bowl. Then mix all three ingredients together with an electric whisk or mixer. Do this until the ingredients looked thoroughly mixed. 

3. Then take both eggs and the milk and mix them together in a measuring jug. While the mixer is still spinning add this to the mixture slowly bit by bit, making sure it doesn't curdle. Once this is all added, take a splash of vanilla extract and mix that in too. 

4. Take the kinder chocolate and place it in a bowl on top of a saucepan of boiling water. Stir it till it is all melted and then mix the melted chocolate into the cake mixture slowly till you have a ripple marble effect.

5. Spoon the mixture evenly into a cake or muffin tray until you have used up all the mixture.

6. Place your cakes into the oven and leave for 20 minutes until golden brown

7. Once cooked take out of the oven and place onto a cooling tray, ready for the icing. 

8. Now for the icing, first mix the icing sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Add a teaspoon of milk and a splash of vanilla extract as your mixing it. 

9. When the mixture is a smooth consistency add a tablespoon of Nutella and again mix slowly till you get a slight marbled effect.

10. Spoon the icing into a piping bag and distribute the icing evenly among the cakes.

11. Now just for effect and extra yummyness, we added white chocolate stars and a piece of kinder bueno to each cupcake, just to finish it off.

There you have it, kinder bueno cupcakes, easy and so yummy. I hope you enjoyed this recipe and give it a go yourself. To see any more pictures of sweet treats or fashion or beauty pictures please go and follow my Instagram page @amyrowleyy

Thanks for reading my lovelies x