Bright Easter!

I've been saving this super cute rabbit chocolate that my mum bought me last Easter - he was far too nice and colourful to eat! Anyway, now that Easter is almost upon us, and it is Bright Week I thought I would dust him off and take a picture of him. I wonder if the chocolate inside is still good to eat?

Bright Week + Julia Pott

I feel super lucky this week to have been chosen by ace blogger Concrete and Honey to take part in Bright Week - a celebration of all things bright and colourful. I thought I would celebrate by posting this amazing print from illustrator / animator genius Julia Pott. You can buy Powerlifting Team as an A3 print currently for only $20 from her Etsy store. I know what you're thinking though... brighter? I'll see what I can do!

Tea At 3

Nom nom nom - look at all those wonderful cakes! Yes, they can be yours! This was the selection delivered to me last Friday at The National Dining Rooms, which are part of The National Gallery. Afternoon tea is available from 3pm, and currently costs £14.50, which is well worth it if you fancy an indulgent afternoon of cake eating! My only complaint (if I have to have one) was that the breakfast tea wasn't up to my high standards. The waiter told us that it was made by Peyton and Byrne, but it looked suspiciously like a PG Tips pyramid bag... very odd, but a lovely one-off all the same!

1p For A Bansky? Seriously?

I went to a 1 pence auction \ raffle for a Banksy print yesterday in London after seeing it mentioned on Notcot. Needless to say I didn't win the aforementioned print, but I did enjoy some free Brahma beer! Yus free indeed! They also had a human beatbox in which was excellent - I'm sure there will be some video up online at some point as they appeared to be videoing anything and everything. The event was to promote a street art dealer called Artichoke Ltd - check out their site to see some of the work they are selling (including signed prints for 1p).

Northern Delights - Toad In The Hole!

So this is a classic Yorkshire dish that we knocked up the other day - there are loads of ways to make this, but here is my take on it that will help you produce a fine feast (pictured above)...

Ingredients:

6\8 Chipolata sausages - from your local butcher (not the supermarket)

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

3 tbsp olive oil

115g (4oz) plain flour

4 medium eggs

1/2 pint of milk

A pinch of dried thyme

A pinch of pepper

Instructions:

- Make the Yorkshire pudding batter by mixing the flour and eggs together. Once it starts to form a dough, add the milk in a couple of stages whisking the mixture as you go until it looks nice and smooth. Add the pepper and thyme, give it another whisk, and put the mixture to one side.

- Preheat the over to 220c, and place the Yorkshire pudding tin with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in each pudding hole(?) (I'm using one that makes 4 puddings) in there to warm up.

- Brown the sausages in a pan (with 1 tbsp olive oil), so they look nice and golden. Remove from the heat, and mix the mustard in with them.

- Remove the pudding tin from the oven, and place 1 1/2 - 2 chipolatas in each pudding hole. Pour the pudding mixture of the top of the sausages, making sure the mixture doesn't go over the top.

- Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the puddings are risen and golden.

Nom nom nom... A delicious dinner for two. Enjoy!

Wax Lyrical

I love the smell of wax crayons - it reminds me of all those hours of colouring in when I was little. I saw this amazing artwork today - by artist Christian Faur. Made from lots of wax crayons sticking upright, to form a kind of pixel painting. There are a few to see if you link through to his site - I can just imagine the smell from looking at them!

Summer Is Coming

What's going on at M & S? Sometimes (and usually when you aren't expecting it) they come out with a classic! I love these new aviator sunglasses from the Autograph range - I actually found them in The Guardian's best buy accessories for men. Will they suit me is a different conversation, but I like them none the less. This must have summer accessory will set you back £29.50.

Hi. Bye. Bear

I really like it when designers mix a bit of traditional and contemporary together - which is why I adore this humourous design created by graphic design mastermind Will Staehle (also known as lonewolfblacksheep). Check out his portfolio on the amazing design:related site or his LWBS web site.

Mr Squirrel Pays a Visit

We had a visitor today! I heard something running around on our extension roof, so I ran upstairs to take a look - luckily my camera was handy! Anyway, Mr Squirrel reminded me of something I bought on Etsy a while ago from the States, and I thought you might like to have a look... This vintage ceramic baby squirrel, with a missing foot set me back a total of $8, and I think he is ace!

We Are Brainstorm

I'm loving the fact that there are lots of amazing illustrators and designers around at the moment that are selling wonderful prints of their work at affordable prices. I've just bought 'Henry the Hoot' from design wonder kids We Are Brainstorm. He is going to look grand in our house (once I finish painting the walls!). They have lots of different designs - in case Henry isn't your cup of tea. Go buy, and support amazing young talent!

Guerrilla Knitting

Now this is an excellent idea! I just found this article on the Guardian web site about guerrilla knitting (also known as yarn bombing). The idea is that you take all your scraps of wool from old projects, and whip something up with them to then adorn everyday objects in the normally wool free real world. You can read more about it and see some pictures on Knitta Please - a website dedicated to guerrilla knitting. This is definitely for all those people who gave up on guerrilla gardening because it wasn't instant enough. Go have some fun!

Behind The Bones

This is a photo from a series taken by Justine Cooper in the scientific collections of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The photo shows Cretaceous bones wrapped in newspaper and tied with string - untouched since their original unearthing 100 years ago. To create the series Cooper had an all access pass - even picking locks in places to get into storage where keys had been misplaced. There is a great interview and some wonderful photos, giving some insight into the work of natural history museums around the world.

Coeur De Pirate - Pretty!

A french speaking lovely, the mention of pirates and no Johnny Depp... For now at least. This is the super cute video for Montreal based singer / pianist Coeur De Pirate, also known as 18 year old Béatrice Martin. I have to admit that I'm obsessed with this song - I hope you like it too!

Deer Hat Hangers

Look at these super cute and super bright deer hat hangers created by US artist \ designer David Wiseman. His wall hangings are also amazing - check them out on his site. Some of his work is also available to buy from the r20thcentury store.