Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Just in case you missed this post I did over at The Sweet Detail, this is the recipe I shared.


Double Chocolate Cupcakes

You'll need:

1/2 cup butter (room temp)

2 cups flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/3 cup milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup cocoa powder and 1/4 cup milk mixed together

topping

200g dark chocolate

100ml double cream 

sprinkles of choice

1. Cream the butter and then mix with the dry ingredients.

2. Gradually add a cup of the milk and when all that is mixed in mix in the rest of the milk, eggs and cocoa and milk mixture.

This is actually what your cocoa mix should look like!

3. When the mixture is all combined ladle it into cupcake cases.

4. Bake for twenty mins on 180 degrees C in a preheated oven.

5. For the topping melt the chocolate and cream together and leave to cool and thicken for twenty mins (this will also give time for the cupcakes to cool).

6. Frost to your hearts content and add sprinkles.

Just so you know, this will happen if you let your three year old help...

Enjoy at room temp (but store in fridge because of the cream).

Dreaming of you pillow cases

The last installment of 'what gifts I made for my brother's wedding'.

I cannot find where I saw these first, but it's on Pintrest here.

And I thought it would be really easy to make myself, now normally when I do this it really isn't. But thankfully this time it was as easy as it looks. I even have a little tutorial for you!

The pizza box is for any ink that tries to leak through (which it did with mine), then all you need is two pillow cases and a fabric pen.

On one draw two small clouds in the top right corner. I went over mine twice to make it nice and bold.

And on the other draw a large cloud (you'll need to move your pizza box/cardboard around a little).

And you're done! Told you it was simple! Just how I like it.

Perfect to go with the letter art.

If I get a chance to take a photo of all the cupcakes I'm making I will share some photos this weekend. And probably some of my very high wedges I got last night.

A little sneak peek!

Babble.com featured these pillowcases on their "25 Wedding Gifts that will save you a bundle"!

Too much information?

Making : Birthday cards, canvas with ripped up newspaper (a-la crap I've made), peas in a pod necklace, two top re-fashions - oh wait no there's four on the go, a gift for my dad's birthday tomorrow (yes I'm quite good at procrastinating!).


Cooking : I don't want to admit this but...

Please don't judge I've been out all day working hard (or bowling and eating pizza with the girls at church).

Drinking : Kiwi, apple and lime Innocent smoothie. LOVE!


Reading: Blogs. Real books don't have nearly enough pretty pictures any more.


Wanting: Some gorgeous new wedges for my brother's wedding. Like these:

(source)

Though my dress is pink so maybe...

(source)

I really am quite good at procrastinating.

Looking: At the back of my husband's head, and getting the odd glimpse of guns and gore (he's not a paid killer, he's playing computer games.)


Playing: Gerbil physics, seriously one of the only computer games I can play. But really addictive. 

Wasting: Space in my little house with many, many half finished projects.


Sewing: Maybe some scrapbook paper bunting for Izzy's room...as the canvas is for Ethan's now (even though Izzy Mod podged and ripped up most of the magazine scraps). 


Wishing: I could buy many, many pairs of wedges. Surely there should be some sort of allowance for heels when you're as 'vertically challenged' as me.


Enjoying: My new-to-me very comfy and totally mum cool gap cardi from my sister who lovingly sorted her wardrobe and let me have dibs. Oh to be 19 and have so much to spend on clothes.


Praying: That I don't look like this in real life.

I seriously look like my brother and I'm pretty sure my legs were at least a little longer than that...


So maybe also wishing for a better camera.


Waiting: The kids would sleep past 6am.


Liking: The letter art I made for my brother. (Mostly the fact that it turned out similar to what I had in my head!)

(here)

Wondering: Where to go for my fifth anniversary...a hotel away would be nice.


Loving: The Ben and Jerry's my husband bought and that couldn't fit in the freezer.

(source)

Hoping: I will still be able to move in the just-got-the-zip-up dress at the wedding next week...


Marvelling: That the volume on the shooter gun game hasn't woken the kids up. Though at least they would be blissfully unaware if Jack Bauer raided our house.


Needing: A foot rub.


Smelling: Au natural, as I just realised I haven't showered yet today. (Too much information?).


Wearing: Gap cardi, white tee (with dirt on of course), jeans and a stripey scarf. (Yes I know it's summer, and yes a stranger in the street already commented on how weird it was. I don't care. Scarfs make me look cool.)


Following: AGAAGG who first posted this quiz.


Noticing: My shoulder feels weird, is it possible to dislocate it without realising?


Knowing: The power station near me produces six percent of all the energy for the UK.


Thinking: Maybe I should be checking my kids for extra eyes...there are two other power stations close too...


Bookmarking: Or pinning?


       

All here.


Opening: My lesson manual the night before church. (I know 'tsk!')


Giggling: At the fact I was mistaken for being the same age as the 12 and 13 year old girls I was with today. Though the giggling probably didn't help with the whole 'I'm an actual adult' thing.


Feeling: Like I've been a little too honest...


I'd love to know what you're up to too, let me know! Or copy this like I did and tell me you did!

Personalised Letters Art

My brother is getting married next weekend, so along with agreeing to make about seventy or so cupcakes I made a few other things. Here's the first:

I totally ripped this off from here:

I LOVE this website. They have the most amazing ideas (that I can totally copy). And their prices aren't bad, I just am very cheap into making things personally because it means more :)


Here's how I did it. (Mostly I just did this by eye, you could be much more precise but I'm not nearly patient enough!)

First I did a start line in pencil using my letter stamps as height guides. I went up until it looked like the bottom and top margins were similar.

Like so.

I then measured for the first set of letters using my stamps as a guide. (The triangle ruler is my 'line')

Then continue...

Remembering to leave gaps for the 'mr and mrs (insert married name here)'.

Pop the names in your other colour. Rub out the pencil lines, when the ink is VERY dry. And you're ready to frame!

I'm really pleased with how it turned out, though I wish I'd used a blunter pencil, not a looks-like-a-pen pencil because if you look really close you can see the lines still.

But I still LOVE it!

It was quite simple, a little time consuming, but no longer than an hour for the letters part. I made the frame a while back here. 

I must admit that I was tempted to stamp in some rude words, and I nearly did 'poo' but forgot on the last 'o' when I got to it. Now it just says the name of a Teletubby. Gutted.

In other news, I'm playing around with the idea of having a few guest post-ers around the 2nd September. We're having our staycation then and would love to have some people showing off their projects and/or blogs while I'm 'away'. If you're interested please send me an email: rhiannon.parker2904@gmail.com 


Thanks!