Friday? Again? Does that not seem a little odd to you? It all goes by so quickly.

A project that is still ongoing is my Easter table. I bought these great wooden birdhouses from the rather fabulous Hobbycraft. They were unfinished when I picked them up so I gave them a couple of coats of a bog standard white emulsion paint.

They do need some more finishing off and smoothing around the edges but I’m rather tempted to leave them plain white and not even add any further embellishments.

If I can help myself.

Except perhaps a bird or two.

Well they are birdhouses after all.

Needless to say this project is ongoing.

I’ve got four fruit trees in pots outside my back door in an area officially called the Container Garden. Earlier this month Robert and I began to plant these trees out in the back garden but for various reasons we have decided to leave them in these large pots until they go dormant again next Winter. What is great about having them right under our noses at this time is that they are all starting to produce their blossom. And I’m a bit fascinated with it.

I remember when I was little how my parents used a paint collection in our house that was all based on blossom. Apple Blossom Green, Cherry Blossom Pink etc. They were all different shades of the softest white which I loved and may go some way to explaining why I feel the need to paint everything I see white. Haven’t moved on to painting the children just yet but that’s probably because I have been unable to find a brush to get in to all their nooks and crannies not because I don’t want to!!

We bought a Quince tree last Winter as a twig. Put it in a large pot and last Autumn we got two fabulous tasting Quince’s from it. I cooked one of them in a Moroccan Lamb dish that I made and was mightily impressed by the difference that this fantastically tasty fruit made to my cooking. I get off on discoveries like that.

This year we’re hoping for even more fruit as I want to make jam with it. Cheese and Quince is a favourite supper of ours and I will be honored if you’d let me share with you when the time comes.

I’m going to go now. There is something in the air here right now and I’ve got a feeling that my whole world is about to be turned upside down. In a good way, yes, in a good way, but also in a ‘I have to be brave and remain cool’ way too.

What time are you allowed to crack open a bottle on a Friday in a way that doesn’t make you look like you may developing a problem? Is there a time? What if it’s bubbly, can you start earlier then???

I mean people have Champagne breakfasts all the time don’t they???

Hello?

* oh dear *

I love you and thank you so much for reading this week. * said in a small voice as I’m trying to be brave *

See you Monday.

Cherry x

Click here for my Easter Table Part One

Click here for my Easter Table Part Two

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When you are hosting an event where gifts from your guests are very likely, it is always nice to be able to send them away with a small gift in return.

With this in mind, I decided that for my baby shower I would make some favor bags for my guests.

We used some clear plastic gift bags measuring 21 x 9cm with a base (gusset) measuring 5cm. We filled the bags with a selection of retro sweets that I hoped my guests would recognise and love to nibble once again.

I designed the label for the favor bags myself using a photo I had taken and adding text over the top of it. I then printed the labels out on card to make them more sturdy, I also designed the size of the label so that it was just slightly wider than the width of the bags as this made the overall appearance of the favor bags look neater. My tags measured 15.5 x 10.5cm

The writing on the tag was positioned a third of the way down, so the top of the tag could be folded over the top of the bag.

The bags were then securely sealed with a couple of staples at the back of the the bags.

The sweets went down very well, especially with the children who attended my shower.

A fun way to show your appreciation of your guests.

I placed my favor bags on a large table in the sitting room, and then moved them to a table closer to the front door when my guests started to leave.

Have a great day peeps.

Love Cherry

x

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Preparation started with balloons. Lots of balloons…. everywhere!

We moved furniture out and began to set tables.

Tiny buckets set up ready for tiny posies.

And I worked on setting up the favor table…..

……but not before blowing up more balloons with Cathy…….

…….or checking that my bump was still there. No point in having a baby shower if there’s no bump.

We hung banners made from a brand new design I’ve been working on…

….and my Dad came over for the day to fix a gate on to the entrance to the paddock. The bunnies are out in force now and they’ll soon be eating my homegrown lettuces if I don’t keep them out!

I got some help lifting the tables from my car, using my bump as an excuse to take pictures instead of doing any lifting….

…and instead settled myself inside to work on getting the flowers cut and in to vases.

Every kind of decoration and appropriate accessory was wrenched from the cupboard just in case it was needed…..

….as were husbands. My brother- in-law was ecstatic about the fact that he was needed to hold the piping bag. He said something about it making him feel very manly and even more virile than usual.

Many, many, many cup cakes were iced using the fattest icing nozzle we had in the house.

And fresh salads were placed on the tables.

Sandwiches and wraps, small enough for tiny hands and adults alike were set out ….

…… and soon enough at least one of the rooms was finished.

Before long the guests began to arrive. Truly made an entrance with two balloons that set off her Liberty print dress wonderfully.

Folk started to wander through eventually and we all began to eat, drink and be merry as the afternoon progressed.

Daisy was spotted with a little hand reaching up for something nice to eat but Mummy was there to ensure that she didn’t end up wearing the table!

We were given the largest amount of thoughtful gifts and Robert and I found ourselves on the receiving end of extraordinary generosity.

Here we are, Robert the Husband and Fatty his wife. Fatty got to sit down for a lot of the afternoon as things took a turn last week and suddenly I’m very low and very heavy.

This was the news that I had at the end of last week. On Wednesday evening I felt awful. I got very hot and very red and went to bed feeling terrible. I woke up the next morning and it appears as if I have ‘dropped’. In baby terms this means that the twins have moved down and are now sitting lower. When I say lower I actually mean RIGHT IN MY PELVIS AND ON TOP OF MY BLADDER but that’s me being purely technical.

Suddenly there was more space between my chest and the top of my bump but decidedly less space between the bottom of my bump and my feet. So, I guess they are getting themselves ready. It could still be weeks before we meet The Meatballs but I’m comforted to know that things are progressing. I was starting to think that I’d need my maternity pillow for ever and ever and ever!

Well, it’s 04.48 in the morning and I’ve been awake since two am and at my desk since three am. I didn’t think that it would be impossible to sleep when one was this tired but apparently it is. The birds began about twenty minutes ago and the little girl Meatball has just woken up and is starting her morning Pilates routine.

So, I’m going to sign off, waddle down the hall and aim to swallow a huge amount of Gaviscon before breakfast.

I’ve never had a baby shower before and I speak for Robert and I when I say that we had the most amazing day. People are so kind and so generous and we have a lovely, lovely group of friends that were so willing to give up a Saturday afternoon to spend it with us and celebrate. Thank you so much!

This coming week here at Cherry Menlove is fun. I have some downloads, some brand new recipes and if you are planning or thinking about planning a baby shower then I just may be able to help.

See you tomorrow.

Lots of love,
Cherry xoxox
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Welcome to Friday and welcome to St. George’s Day here in the UK. It’s a beautiful day already in West Sussex and the weekend is set to be warmer than it has been so far this year. My condolences to all the runners taking part in the London Marathon, I know you like a bit of a chill to run in. Just make sure you have plenty of fluids.

The only place that Robert and I will be running to, will be the garden centre for charcoal as we are test driving our brand new grill this weekend. If I could describe the depth of my excitement with regards to this event appropriately I would but I don’t think this is possible online. It would simply involve lots of shaking and then me exhausting myself so I had to go to bed wheezing. Attractive picture.

So, on to today’s makeover………

Last summer I bought this artists table from an antiques dealer in a really lovely town near to me. I got it for a fiver and considered that a great deal as it is so handy to have side tables of all shapes and sizes. And especially handy to have them suitable and pretty enough to use outside. In its original state it wouldn’t have looked too great so I bought it with a makeover in mind.

We gave it three coats of a good quality white undercoat.

We then taped over the slats that made up the top of the table allowing us to fill in the colour. We painted the red slats first.

If you are ever working on a table such as this then don’t get too hung up on the paint job. It can be hard to get very neat lines as you will be working in a small space and you’re not a professional decorator (at least I don’t think you are!!)

Do what you can to keep it neat and forgive yourself the rest.

We allowed the red stripes to dry before moving on to doing the blue ones and then finished off with the white stripes.

The base of the table was also painted with a good quality white top coat. To finish it all off and make it look ‘Summertime Super’

It’s also rather patriotic looking with its red, white and blue stripes. Not strictly correct for St. George’s day but my country has given me sunshine this week so I’m dedicating this table to its generosity.

Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend.

Thank you all for reading and contributing in the way that you do.

If you are not sure how you can contribute then please follow me on Twitter and join my Facebook fan page (all the links are below). We’re STILL working on a brand new ‘Community’ section for this site and I’ll keep you posted on that.

WELCOME to the weekend!

Lots of love,

Cherry xoxox

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Easter preparations are continuing here at the house and it’s given me the chance to get focused at my desk and begin work on some new paper designs.  This egg shaped bunting reading “Happy Easter” is my latest piece and is currently hanging above the AGA.

Each letter was printed out on to A4 card and then cut out in to egg shapes using the coloured border as a guide.

All I needed to do then was to pop two small holes in to the top of each egg and thread some ribbon through them. When the egg shaped letters had been threaded on to the ribbon I spaced them out equally but left a slightly larger space between the two words to make it easier to read.

I used pink gingham to thread as it’s so ‘Eastery’

Although this bunting won’t be on display in the house for very long it will be easy to fold it up neatly, pack it flat and store it away for next year.

I hope you like this work in progress. There are several designs for all sorts of goodies floating about at the moment and along with the spring bulbs and the babies in my belly all sorts of things are hatching and growing.

Spring, I love it because it brings so many new adventures in to our lives.

Robert the Husband and I have a scan today which means we get to see The Meatballs. This is always nice and we only have two more official scans scheduled before the birth. Has that come around fast or what??????

It has now I look back on it, although there is still a certain amount of growing to be done by the two of them and room is getting scarce in there.

I’ll fill you you all in tomorrow with the latest entry in my Twin Pregnancy Diary, until then have a wonderful Wednesday.

Cherry xoxox

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With Easter fast approaching I thought I’d show you, in bite sized chunks, what I’m doing in my home to get ready for this delicious looking celebration. I say delicious looking because I really love the colours that are about at this time of year. I have some hyacinths coming up in my garden that are a very similar colour to the pink in the picture above. And the willow tree by the pond is finally getting its lime green hue before it bursts forth with the green it will keep for the rest of the Spring and Summer.

With that in mind, and because my family are coming for lunch on Easter Monday, I have decided to work on an Easter table that incorporates the colours that occur naturally at this time. And over the next few days I’ll take you through exactly how I’ve done it.

Today I’m showing off the place settings that I’ve made.

A very simple idea and something that anybody can do and to great effect as well!

• Starting with white crockery – always a cracking place to start as food looks great on it
• Adding a side plate in a colour that sits brilliantly within the overall effect that one is aiming for. In this case Powder Blue in colour
• Placing a tiny basket on to the side plate filled with something, anything, that will give a clue as to what is in store for the guests you have invited. I’ve filled my baskets with Quails eggs as one of the dishes on the menu contains them. You could of course fill the baskets with chocolate eggs or another tiny gift.

• The basket itself has been trimmed with a simple but bold flower and finishes it off well.

But how do the guests know where they are sitting? There is nothing wrong with having traditional place setting cards on display but these decorated tags are just as effective.

• Taking a simple parcel tag, decorate it with a vintage Easter image
• Add a tie to the top as the string they come threaded with is nothing short of ugly
• Write the name of the guest on to the back of the tag

Here’s another one. Using yellow in the shade of the plate (yellow is a SUPER Easter colour) and of course Bunnies have to appear at some point, so I’ve popped one on to the place tag.

Bunnies are appearing everywhere around these parts. Most notably at the sides of the country roads surrounding my house. If you are a bunny and you live near my house I’d like to give you two pieces of advice.

1. Please stay away from my raised beds as the peas and the salad have now been planted and if I see any of you near them, nibbling them as they grow, I can’t be responsible for my actions. Although I think the rabbit proof fencing my brother recently installed will keep the furry (and undeniably cute) brats out. I’ll show you how it all looks in a couple of days. I’m very excited about this area of the garden and intend to live in it ALL SUMMER LONG with my two new babies.
2. My second piece of advice for the bunnies is this – If you hang out at the side of the road then please don’t leap out in front of my car. As I don’t want to kill myself or another driver coming the opposite way then I will absolutely have to keep driving in a straight line and will invariably squash you. I have never killed anything on the roads, to my knowledge, although I was in the car when a deer ran out and hit the windscreen as Robert drove us out to get some supper. But if I had to kill a bunny, and a very tiny one, at this stage in my pregnancy I really don’t think I would ever get over the grief of it all. Grey’s Anatomy should officially be made illegal for all pregnant women to watch as even when all the cast are happy and getting along it sends me down the route of “OMG, life is just so astounding, look at the beauty of it all” and the ‘Sofa Sobbing’ begins in earnest.

Speaking of Sofa Sobbing, I’ll be back tomorrow with the latest installment of my Pregnancy Diary…………………..FUN!

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It’s Mothering Sunday this weekend in the UK and I’ve put together a gift bundle that may inspire you to wrap your gift to Mum a little differently this year. The usual thing to give on a day such as this is a gift of sorts, a card and some flowers. But you can wrap the whole thing up in to one delicious bundle if the mood takes you.

Books are a great gift to give to anybody as they last a long time and can bring great enjoyment. If you decide to give vintage Beatrix Potter or the latest ‘Chick Lit’ then tie the book bundle up in some ribbon instead of covering the whole thing in wrapping paper.

Then tie a large parcel tag to the top of the book bundle. I decorated my tag with buttons that I sewed on by hand, a tiny brooch that covered the hole at the top of the tag and painted on some simple blue daisies and the word ‘Mum’

A Mother’s Day gift wouldn’t be the same without some flowers. If the gift you give is small in size you can slip a simple posy in to the ribbon at the top. I love posies. They are lovely to work with and simply hold in your hand. Wrap ribbon tightly around the stems of the flowers and secure with a pin. This way you can slip them under the ribbon easily.

You can then present your gift bundle to your mum or leave it on her pillow to find all by herself.

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Have a lovely weekend. Robert the Husband and I are doing some random ‘Baby Prep’ this weekend. We’ve had to get a another car, bye-bye Mini, and there are some bits and bobs to sort out for that. I’ve got some staking to do in the paddock and we’re also raiding my sister’s loft for all of her baby clothes.

Lovely times, these. Quite calm, still quiet and Robert and I are still able to work to our own timetable. Mmmmm, looking forward to seeing how next year’s Mother’s Day post will differ from this one.

Lots of love

Cherry xoxo

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It’s Oscar weekend. I love the Oscars. I would sit up late at night as a kid and watch them and then when I was at drama school my classmates and I would discuss the winners with such passion the morning after as we waited for classes to start. I remember being so passionate about who I thought should win and when they didn’t I was distraught for the rest of the day. Such was my passion for films, film making and performances.

So, if you’re having friends over to watch the event on the television I have a free download for you to add to their popcorn!

Click the photo above or this link here and you’ll be taken to a download that you can print out on to card.

• Cut out the four Oscars
• Add them to buckets of popcorn,
• Tie them to bowls of chips
• Give them out to loved ones as tokens and a testament to the fact that you love and adore them more than your favourite movie star.

Being preggers means that I will be celebrating with paper buckets overflowing with popcorn and not silver buckets overflowing with ice and champers.

But that’s OK, Oscar season will roll around again before I know it!

And besides, I LOVE popcorn and have absolutely gone off booze. So this bodes well for a fun time.

One of my favourite films is Forrest Gump. I loved its simple story but loved even more the epic proportions it was told within. It made the character of Forrest even more believable and even more like somebody it would be beneficial knowing. The bit at the end where he sits and waits ALL DAY LONG for his boy to come home from school gets me every time. That and the fact that I watched this movie for the first time in a cinema in Burbank, California.

Good times!!

Glam times!!

And we all need a bit of glam from time to time. Even if it is experienced vicariously through the television!

Hello World!

I’m not an obsessive when it comes to statistics. I don’t look at them that often to be honest as I go by the principle that if you build it they will come. But I do have a great website stats tool. As well as telling me how many visitors I get also tells me exactly where they visit from.

I was absolutely bowled over when I saw where some of you reside. So, in true ‘Oscar Style’ I’d like to say a GIANT “Hello” to the following places…….

Russia, China, Mongolia, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Turkey, UAE, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Egypt, Algeria & Japan.

And this isn’t an exhaustive list.

The Internet is often criticized for making the world too small, eliminating real human contact and making it all too easy for people to commit cowardly acts. This may be the case but when you get an email from Pakistan with someone telling you they like what you do it makes your day……week even. Thank you for reading. May we continue to create ‘the stuff of life’ that you all enjoy reading about!

Lots of love for a truly glamorous weekend and don’t forget to pop back on Monday. On Monday I’ll be showing you how to make the most adorable gift for Mother’s Day. It really is the prettiest present and super easy to make.

Cherry & the Gang!

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Bright colourful corners are so welcome in my house right now and for the past week I’ve walked past this table and it’s cheered me up no end. Not only can I smell the candy and the sweets wafting up but it’s so cheery that I cant help but be cheered by it.

Creating a table or a display like this one is great if you have a birthday, a wedding or an event in this month that you want to make a bit special. The Favor Bags from the other day are quick to make and so is the rest of the table.

We created the tree by using branches of Hazel and a variety of Pussy Willow. It was placed in to a rather appropriate red polka dot pitcher and the branches were stuck in to a piece of oasis at the bottom.

We sewed together some very simple stuffed felt hearts to dangle from the trees. These types of hearts are very lightweight and hang from the tree without pulling the branches down. This type of decoration are also great for Christmas trees.

Let’s move on to the candy!

I found some great retro style lollipops in a shop nearby and knew they’d be right for my table. They were popped in to a hobnail milk glass vase to lighten the table up a touch.

I used my old trick of placing a liqueur glass on to an upended espresso bowl and filled it with chocolate filled hearts. This idea would make great individual table settings if you were hosting a supper. Add a name tag and you’re all set.

Another way of presenting sweets and chocolates is to almost fill a glass or dish with shredded tissue paper and place bon-bon’s on top of the paper so that they appear as if they’re spilling out over the top.

More sweeties hanging from the hazel branches. I remember these well from being a kid. I’d make my sweetie necklace last for days as I liked to accessorize from an early age.

Another rather cute idea is to use bud vases for smaller lollipops. Just remember to add some oasis/florists foam to the bottom of the vase if you’re having trouble making them stand up straight.

And here we have the first of my gifts to you today. I’ve designed four Valentine’s Gift tags and you can download them for free.

This is the first one. A simple message.

A very sweet tag to tie to a gift.

A boy tag. I believe they print out a little bluer than the picture is allowing you to see.

A simple tag.

These four tags can be printed out as many times as you like on to white card. I used various pairs of scissors to create the edges but you can just as easily use regular scissors.

Click the picture of the tags and this will take you to the .pdf download for them.

Have a rockin’ weekend love bugs. Get up to lots of mischief, glug glasses of Prosecco and eat all the soft cheese, seafood and carpaccio you like. And then I’ll live vicariously through you all!

Love, Cx
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I’ve decided to create a table full of all things things ‘Valentine’s Day’ and I’ll show you everything that it contains over the next couple of days. But today is the day of these super simple candy favor bags with a Valentine trim.

I have used clear cellophane bags to hold various bon-bon’s, chocolate covered almonds…….oh and more bon-bon’s. Valentine’s Day screams bon-bon’s to me and part of me wishes I’d filled the bags right to the very top.

I filled the bags with the candy, turned them over a few times at the top and held the bag closed using a clasp made from a strip of scrap booking paper and a paperclip with a felt heart stuck on to the front of it. You could also use wrapping paper, card or even a strip of wallpaper as the trim. And feel free to embellish the felt heart with a wee button should the mood take you.

I think the attraction of these paper clasps is that each one can be individual depending on the paper and the colour of the hearts. This, in turn, makes the table you present them on look like an explosion of colour has taken place and is very bright and welcoming. Especially in February when it can still be dark at times.

I only made four of theses favor bags but seeing as they only took about five minutes each to put together it’s possible to make many more and not feel like you’ve wasted a day. So, depending on how many guests you have coming to an event you may be hosting or even just attending get filling those bags. And of course these bags can be adapted to fit MYRIAD events not just Valentine’s Day. Changing the colours is all you have to think about.

Have fun, love bugs!

Cx

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This February we’re starting our Valentine’s celebrations early and have had a rather sweet and tasty start by making these fondant fancies. These cakes are so nice to receive as a gift or a favor and don’t have to be made only on Valentine’s Day. They are also perfect for Baby showers, Weddings and all types of party.

- I used a mixer for my cake mix but this can also be mixed by hand.

- Pre-heat your oven to 200c / 400f

- Click here for a weight conversion chart

For the cakes and fondant topping

• Start by creaming the butter and sugar together
• Add the flour, eggs, vanilla essence and splash of milk (if necessary and the mixture is a bit dry) and mix together until all the ingredients are combined and the mixture is light and fluffy with no lumps

• Grease your square baking tin and pour the cake mixture in
• Put the tin onto a low shelf in the oven and bake for around 55-60 minutes
• Check the cake regularly and when you can insert a knife into the middle of the cake and it comes out clean the cake is baked
• Once the cake has been removed from the oven allow it to cool completely before removing it from the tin

• Place the cooled cake onto a chopping board and using a long sharp knife cut the cake into small squares
• I cut the lines on my cake so I ended up with 20 squares in total but you may prefer to cut your lines closer together so you end up with more squares. If you’ve found that the top of the cake has baked unevenly then slice the top of the cake off using a long, sharp knife.
• In your mixer combine the butter, icing sugar and food colouring – we used a light pink

• Using a pallet knife spread the butter icing over each of the individual cake squares.
• Take your sugar paste and using a rolling pin and a light dusting of flour roll the paste out until it is about 2 mm thick.

• Then use a sharp knife to cut out little square tops for your cake squares and these will sit on top of the butter icing. By using the thin layer of sugar paste on top of your cakes will help to keep the top neat and flat when you start to cover them in the fondant icing. You may also use marzipan.
• We found our fondant icing from a baking supplier online by searching for it, we then followed the instructions for making it on the packet. But no matter what fondant icing you use when you are heating it up never let it boil or else it will lose its distinctive shine. Heat gently. Get a feel for the fondant. Lift it out of the pan and see if the consistency will allow you to drizzle it over the cakes and cover them sufficiently.
• We separated the cakes into two batches; ten of the cakes would be coloured red and ten of the cakes would be coloured pink using a paste colouring
• We added a poppy red food colouring to our first batch of fondant and a very pale rose pink food coloring for our second batch.

• We found that the best way to cover the individual cakes as evenly as possible was to stick a fork into the underside of the cake and hold it over the bowl of fondant and then drizzle the fondant onto the cake with a spoon until it is covered.
• We then placed the individually covered cakes onto a wire rack (with a tray underneath to catch any drips) and allowed them to dry.

Note: This can be a very messy process, so don’t be too hard on yourself if the fondant doesn’t sit perfectly smooth on your cakes! This is one where practice definitely makes perfect.

• Make sure that the fondant is fully dry and hardened before you try to move them from the wire rack.

Click here to follow my How-To for the rose decoration cake-toppers

Not wanting to stick solely to the traditional bright red palette of Valentine’s Day I found some delicious Tiffany blue boxes that fit my fondant fancies perfectly. Each one could be an individual gift if I wanted.

The pink and white cakes I can imagine being used at a wedding. As individual favors or as one part of the main cake itself.

Serve with ranunculus and you’ll have created a sweet sight of something that’s nothing more than a delight to make, look at and then scoff!

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The right gift can occasionally be hard to think of. Especially after Christmas when you’re all spent out and the last thing you want to think about is buying more presents for people. But the fact is that folk are born in every month of the year and in my family we have a number of celebrations in the month of January and February. Also there is Valentines Day and Easter right around the corner, so gift ideas are always handy to have ready to call upon.

This soap dish gift idea is simple enough and came about when I stumbled across a wonderful homemade soap shop in Austria. Soaps of all shapes, sizes, textures, recipes and scents filled the shop and every one of them looked good enough to eat. I’d tell you about the shop assistants getting drunk in the middle of the day on Champagne but that’s another story and it was New Year’s Eve after all!

I bought an armful of soaps with the intention of giving them as gifts but wanted something a little bit more special to arrange them on to. I wanted the recipient to have something to keep long after the soaps had been washed down the plug hole and mini cake stands always come in super handy for entertaining.

I wrapped the soaps in clear wrapping and hand tied them with a mixture of wired ribbon and ric-rac.

I’d found some delicious wired butterflies in a craft shop and have been using them all over the place recently. Adding touches like this makes the gift a great deal more unique and changes it from ‘soaps on a plate’ to something a little more special.

These types of birds (above) can also be found online or in any good craft stores. Pop one in to the soaps and have it peeking out. Just another nice touch and these types of materials don’t cost the earth and help you to give almost extravagant looking gifts. Extravagant in detail and I for one love to get gifts like this.

Handmade soap that lasts and lasts.

And makes a long hot soak in the tub all the more luxurious.

Perhaps I’ll keep this soap dish and make another one!

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A couple of great announcements!

I now have a Facebook Fan page!
It has taken me far too long to get this up and running but finally here it is. It’s open for anybody to join and check in on what’s happening. Having a page like this makes much more sense than opening up my personal Facebook page as it’s becoming harder and harder for me to connect with my personal and long lost friends. Of course I’m not removing the personal page just yet but I would encourage you to move across to the new page as all the same info AND MORE will now appear over there.

here’s the link! Do pop on over and join as I have no friends over there yet and look like a saddo!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cherry-Menlove/254275097647?ref=ts

And the winners are…….

During December we had quite a few competition giveaways. Thank you to everyone who entered our Advent Competitions, we had an amazing response from you all but unfortunately not everyone could win! Well done to our lucky winners picked at random.

And the winners are……

Alexandra Tighe who won the fantastic Little Fashion Gallery vouchers.

Rebecca Marshall, pictured here with her son, from Leigh-on-Sea who won the Aromatherapy Associates ‘Rose Renew Facial’ and also a ‘Rose Indulgent Gift Set’ all from The Method Spa at Home House in London.

Karen Roe from Croydon who won the beautiful necklace from Xi Designs.

Belinda Dervish from Worcester who won the first of our beautiful Stilton Hampers

…. and to Kate Harper from Kingussie who won the second Stilton Hamper.

Amanda Steele from Sheffield who won Jamie Oliver’s book ‘Jamie’s America’ and finally to Katherine Krogulec from Nottingham who won the Kenwood Multi Pro Food Mixer .

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The snow has gone (for the time being), the sky is brighter and what’s that??? The nights are drawing out by a few minutes each day! This means that inspiration is flooding in and far be it from me to stop it so I look forward to showing you all of my current projects over the next four or five weeks.

I was preparing a small Winter lunch for four people the other day and wanted something other than large plates to put the food on to. It was a light meal that would be suitable for eating whilst talking and one that wouldn’t leave the guests feeling too heavy afterward.

I gathered up several of the wooden chopping boards and bread boards that I own and placed all of the food on to them for them to act as servers.

Wanting to create different levels and heights to show the food off I used espresso bowls….

…and even candlesticks to raise the boards up.

Ah, and a cake stand or two.

We had a simple salad.

Lots of Winter fruits that included pomegranate seeds served in measuring spoons.

The boards served me and the foods well.

I placed cooled Parmesan crisps alongside other cheeses, figs and olives. My guests could see the food clearly and it was easy to get to and pick from so I wasn’t too surprised when most of it went.

I also placed a whole bunch of fresh coriander on to one of the boards. Mainly for decoration but also to see if anybody would pick from the bunch of fresh herb and add it to their plates. They did. So I can clearly see many more bunches of fresh herbs in my ‘entertaining future”

Have a wonderful day and don’t forget my current giveaway, details below. Today is a busy day that sees me starting to prepare my series on Breakfasts, sowing some seeds ready  for the Summer and prepping the fabric for a quilt I’m starting to make. It’s a huge quilt so there is a lot of fabric to cut. It’s a good job it’s still pretty miserable outside as I’m more than contented to be holed up and working from beside the warmth of my radiator. Gotta keep the meatballs warm!

Cherry x


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It’s the eternal question? Do we have Turkey for Thanksgiving/Christmas or something else? Some folks, my Dad for instance, would never let us hear the end of it if we served anything other than Turkey on Christmas Day.

A fictional conversation now takes place…

“Do you remember when you served that other thing on Christmas Day, Chel?”

“What OTHER THING, Dad?”

“You know, the thing that wasn’t Turkey”

“Goose?”

“Is that what it was??? I had the shock of my life. Never before had I had a Christmas without a Turkey and to be honest Chel, it troubled me a little”

“There, there, you’re talking in your sleep again. Toddle off back to the armchair like a good Dada and I’ll get your tartan blanket. Is that dribble?”

Others are not as bothered. They’ll try Duck, Goose, Ham or Beef. So the recipe I’m featuring here today is either an alternative to Turkey or a dish that you can serve on another day such as Boxing Day or New Years Day. It’s still festive, still allows you to carve at the table and is still tasty and mightily filling.

This sized joint will certainly feed eight adults. You will find a weight conversion chart here if needed

• Place your joint in to a snugly fitting pan

• Pour two litres of Cider in to the pan

• Then add the rest of the simmering ingredients
• Bring the pan to the boil
• Lower the heat and allow to simmer with the lid on for 2 hours
• Turn the joint upside down after one hour
• Keep cider topped up during this process keeping as much of the joint immersed in water as possible

• After 2 hours simmering, with the lid on, remove the joint from the pan and place on to a chopping board or suitable surface
• Remove the string if it has any
• Taking a sharp knife slice off the layer of fat
• Discard both the fat and the cooking liquid

• Score the top of the joint diagonally making pretty  diamond shapes that remind you of Kanye West’s sweaters
• Drizzle olive oil over it and rub this in to the joint
• In a pestle and mortar grind up the rub ingredients (see red ingredients box) and smear them all over the top and ends of the joint
• Place the joint in the oven for twenty minutes at 200c

Serve with roasted veg….

Mashed potato with heaps of black pepper…

..and a table adorned with berries, lights, candles, wine and those you love ….don’t put actual people on the table as humans are not commonly used as table decoration.

I placed a cosy blanket on the back of each chair to try and induce a sense of being in a ski lodge. Don’t ask me why but these little touches are the things that guests LOVE. The blankets are all inexpensive fleecy numbers and make hard backed chairs a darn site more comfortable.

I can’t explain the ski lodge thing further I’m afraid except for the fact that my Mum and I were having a convo yesterday while watching Deck the Halls on Sky Movies. We were saying how much we’d love to spend Christmas at the Ahwahnee and dreaming of how lovely it would be. Here’s my mini version of what I think it would be like. And all I had to do was pop to Ikea for some blankets!

Yay!

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How to Make Homemade Truffles

Truffles are another thing that I’d put off making because I thought they were difficult. NOT SO! And the great things is that if you use the quantities laid out in this recipe you’ll have truffles coming out of your ears. These truffles not only taste scrumptious but make really awesome homemade Christmas gifts.

I have friends that are great  lovers of both milk and dark chocolate so I decided to make a batch of milk chocolate truffles and a batch of dark chocolate truffles. This way everyone is happy!

Please Click Here For A Simple Weight Conversion Chart

Each batch makes 36 truffles

For the dark chocolate batch-

• Break the 400g of dark chocolate up into smallish pieces and place into a large mixing bowl
• Heat 300ml of double cream and three tablespoons of Cointreau in a saucepan on a medium heat until it bubbles slightly and is clearly hot!
• Remove the pan from the heat and pour the contents over the broken chocolate pieces in the mixing bowl
• Allow the chocolate pieces to melt into the hot cream mixture for a couple of minutes
• Gently whisk together the cream and melted chocolate until smooth and shiny
• Allow to cool completely
• Cover the bowl with cling-film and chill the ganache (the correct term for the chocolate mixture) in the fridge overnight

Use exactly the same process for the milk chocolate truffles but add 3 tablespoons of Amaretto to the cream instead of  Cointreau

The next day…

• Ground your hazelnuts into very small pieces and transfer into a small bowl
• You can chop them using a sharp knife but I used a pestle and mortar as I found it quicker
• Then sift your cocoa into a small bowl
• Take the ganache from the fridge and remove the cling film covering
• Using a melon scoop or teaspoon take a small amount of the ganache from the bowl and roll onto a small ball in the palm of your hands

Note: The ganache will slowly start to melt once removed from the fridge so you will need to roll the truffle balls as quickly as possible

• Take the truffle ball and roll it around in the chopped hazelnuts
• When the truffle is totally coved in the hazelnuts place into a petite four case
• Repeat this until until all the ganache is used up, remembering to alternate between dipping the truffle balls in the hazelnuts and in the cocoa
• When all the truffles balls are rolled and covered and placed into their petite four cases, place onto a large tray and chill in the fridge for two hours

After two hours the truffles are ready to eat. Yum!

If you are giving away your truffles as gifts think about placing them in some pretty boxes decorated with a big bow. Any chocolate loving friend will love to receive these as a gift this Christmas.

Tip: These truffles are also a great homemade gift if you want to give something a little more personal this year to the likes of your child’s teacher or to your postman

All of these Christmassy ideas are added to the site early to give you as much of a choice as possible when it comes to choosing which projects you’ll opt for. I know you can’t do them all as you have lives to lead and jobs to do. But this is my job. To give you as much information and inspiration as I can possibly conjure up in order to make your Christmas as peachy as possible.

Pick and choose. That’s what it’s all here for.

lots of love

Cherry xox

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So, in light of yesterday’s revelation I thought that it may be a good idea to put my money where my mouth is and really explore all there is to do within the lazy, hazy days of Autumn and pottering about in general, all the while maintaining my slower pace of course. The simples that mean so much and enrich the soul and where better to start than with apple bobbing. We can still buy some wonderful Bramley apples around here and they make a really good size for bobbing with. An enamel tub, a patchwork rug and some apples are all that’s needed. And if the all the participants get given a toffee apple on a stick at the end of it all then it makes the wet sweater worthwhile.

Having a good kick-about!

There is nothing like letting off a bit of steam with a good leaf kicking. We have so many leaves to rake up and put in to piles but what fun it is to be able to fling oneself through the piles and watch as the leaves fly high in to the air and float back down again on to our heads. This is especially precious when played with kids. We did just this with the twins the other day and they LOVED it. They picked up armfuls of leaves and were both in total awe of these things that were on the ground one minute and are now on their heads! Kids are amazing before they really know what’s going on, don’t you think? Before the need for things outweighs the joy of being.

This is something I’ve been looking forward to.
We’ve had our logs delivered.
The Log Man (as he called himself on the phone, no disrespect here) delivered half a load to us last night. He warned me that he can’t deliver any more after the first week in December so either we get some more or keep an eye on the quantities we burn.  But what I like  about this is that we get to stack them up at the side of the house. You know those lovely pictures of alpine homes set in to the  mountains, they always have huge amounts of perfectly cut logs outside them. We saw so many of them on a ski trip and I remember marveling at the neatness of the stacking. Certainly not saying that I’ll be able to replicate this wonder but I’m looking forward to doing a job that is so rustic and so outdoorsy and so in keeping with the all pervading autumnal atmosphere.  Some of them may even need chopping! Woo Hoo!

“Christina, bring me the axe”
*if anyone can name that film I’ll give you an imaginary lolly-pop*

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Halloween is a great time of year, especially for children. Trick or treating, dressing up, apple bobbing, carving pumpkins… it’s all so much fun for the small ones. But let’s be realistic, not all towns, cities and villages are as safe as we would like to think when it comes to allowing our children out to trick or treat. So it got me thinking about how it would be nice to create an area in my garden, or indeed in any garden, where children could trick or treat in a totally safe environment.

My nieces are not quite two yet but they are incredibly inquisitive and love being outdoors. They love touching things and investigating all the little areas in the garden. Although they do not understand the idea of Halloween just yet, creating a trick or treat area in the garden is a safe and fun way to get younger children involved.

I felt that the perfect place in my garden for something spooky was this pathway, lined with pumpkins and lights and leading to some treats.

To make a giant treat bag I glued felt letters that I’d cut out to spell “Treats”  on to a hessian sack that I’d picked up at the garden centre. It was then filled with all manner of very sugary things (well it IS Halloween after all).

I lit the surrounding trees with some outdoor lights and added colourful paper chains.

I used a pathway that existed in my garden but this set-up can be created anywhere. On the grass, on the driveway, in the front garden, in the back garden or even in a neighbours garden if you don’t have one (remember to ask them first though!)

I can almost guarantee that as soon as the kids see what you have created for them they will love it.

This trick or treat pathway will be put to great use this Halloween as the children of family and friend’s have been invited over to trick or treat in the garden whilst the parents can relax with a beverage safe in the knowledge that the children are perfectly safe and having great fun.

But if you’re not exactly brimming with children of various shapes, sizes and ages this idea can certainly be modified for the adults.

Swap the hot chocolate and marshmallows for hot chocolate and Irish liqueur. Serve baked potatoes with the spiciest chili you can handle and put scary movies into the trick or treat sack and see what comes out first!

Just remember…….

…… after watching the movies you may not want to walk home alone!

Woo Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!

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This I like.

Seasonal colour.

Berries picked from around the garden and hedgerows.

Yellow, red, green and deep blue.

Plonked in a jam jar that used to contain pasta sauce or jam and tied with odd lengths of ribbon that had been sitting in the drawer.

I use this idea on my tables all the time so if you’re reading this and muttering “she’s done this before” you’d be most correct.

But the colours, the foliage and the materials have changed with the seasons.

Where once there were roses and sweet peas now there are berries.

Of course some berries are not edible so don’t eat anything that you are not sure about. But the real warning in this post comes in the form of ‘berry drop’. If you have carpets or tablecloths that you love and try to keep as clean as possible beware of berry drop. And if you do happen to tread a berry into the carpet with your feet…..my sincere condolences.

I’ll be back a wee bit later on and I’ll prepare you now for what is to come…let’s just say it’s started.

But if you like that kind of thing you’ll be super happy.

Cherry xo

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Fig, Pear and Walnut Salad Recipe with Lunch Under The Tree

I have filed this article in the Entertaining & Celebrations section of the site as well as the Food & Recipes section. There’s no one coming over, no event going on, it is simply lunch under a tree. The tablecloth is a piece of fabric hauled from the remnants bin in a local fabric shop, thread hanging from the edges. The chair was dragged from the hallway as it was dry enough to be used in the garden and it was the best bit of dragging I ever did.

Just in case I felt like staying there until dusk I took two of my favourite blankets with me. Simple white blankets that I buy in bulk every time I go to that well known Swedish store with a name that rhymes with Mykea.

And then there was lunch. A GORGEOUS mix of fats in the cheese, oil in the walnuts and sweetness from the figs and crispiness from the pear. Couple with peppery rocket (arugula) and you have, on a plate, my favourite thing to eat right now on a sunny day in September.

• Empty the salad leaves onto a plate
• Crumble the blue cheese over the leaves
• Cut the fig into quarters and place the opened fig quarters around the plate
• Quarter the pear, slice thinly and add to the salad

• Chop the walnuts and then sprinkle on top of the salad
• Finish off with a very small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Simple, easy, delicious!

Enjoy!

Ah, I almost forgot…..

My second favourite thing to eat right now is rosemary focaccia bread. I have a chunk of this with my salad. Warmed in the oven before tearing a hunk off and scoffing almost all of it before I even make it underneath the tree.

Robert the Husband sums these kind of days up so well. He describes them as “college days in the movies”

You know those films that invariably feature an ivy league university with term starting in the Autumn/Fall?  The kids run around the campus with books under their arms and a woolen scarf as their only way of keeping the new breeze out. They have a feel that makes its way through the screen and in to the room. It’s a little like that around here right now. I’ve even started knitting the scarf!

So true, so true.

Let me just say at this point a HUGE welcome to all my new readers. The Internet is AWESOME for stumbling across new things and people and it would appear that those of you finding this site are staying a while and then COMING BACK again for another visit. May you all be truly blessed. Life is not perfect but it is certainly interesting and I’m truly looking forward to experiencing it all with you guys.

Lots of love,

Cherry xo

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I still have a glut, a glut I tell you, of sweet peas. This comes from picking them almost daily and not letting the seed pods develop for too long. They have kept my vases filled for weeks, grown very tall and created a wall of sweet peas along one side of the fence. This is something I was aiming for but had never tried. And although they are starting to look a little tired now I’m so proud of them and intend on doing it all over again next year in the paddock. The whole world will become a tangle of Sweet Peas if I have my way.

This coming weekend is a three day weekend in England.
BLISS!
I get to see my husband for more than twenty minutes in the evening before I skulk off to bed (not good at late nights) and it also means that we get to have a wee gathering of family and friends before we all head in to the months of autumn. This is the last three day weekend until BOXING DAY, so we’re making the most of it.

With this in mind I decided to use some of my glut of sweet peas (glut I tell you) to make a wreath to hang on the gate for our gathering this weekend.

Take some florists wire and fashion it in to a wreath-like shape.
Securing the ends well and making sure that no sharp bits are sticking out by twisting the ends around the wreath.

Cover the ugly looking wire by tying strips of fabric around it. This is an awesome way to use some of your scraps up.
The scraps I used were about 2 cm’s wide and approx 12 cm’s in length.

When you have finished covering the wire wreath it should look someyhing like this.

Cut some more strips of fabric, same length as before, as you’ll be using these to tie the flowers to the wreath.

Fold a strip in half lengthways.

Tie it loosely around the wire, leaving a gap.
Poke the flower stem through the gap and tighten the tie around the stem, securing the flower in place.

When you have covered the wire wreath in flowers it should look something like this.

Cut off any long flower stems or loose bits of fabric as this neatens it up a little.

I fastened my wreath to the garden gate with some more florists wire.

It’s not a heavy wreath so this wire worked out well.

I’m pleased with it. It’s a celebratory decoration and one that reminds me of an awesome summer in the garden.

Of course you don’t have to put the wreath on to the gate……. you could wear it on your head.

And look as ridiculous as I for the WHOLE day!

See you later on with another corner from my home.

Lots of love,
Cherry xo
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