Oreo cupcakes

A weekend for me means the excuse to try new recipes. If I try baking something new on a weekday I just get really frustrated if it goes wrong. At least on a weekend you can chuck away the ruining batch, tweak your recipe & try again.

Today I baked some Oreo cupcakes. Dead easy. Just use your favourite chocolate cupcake recipe, whip up some vanilla butter icing, break up some oreo cookies (try not to eat them all before this part. I nearly failed...) and then gently fold them into the butter icing mixture. Yummy. Goes perfectly with a nice cup of tea :)

Romantic Moderns

I thought it would be nice to share a book that I'm reading - and absolutely loving - at the moment. If you like the whole 1930s/40s period then you have to get this book. Firstly, it's beautiful & as fickle as that sounds, a beautiful book is something to be treasured. The text is broken up with lots of images from books, architecture, paintings... It really brings the words to life. Secondly, it spans literature, architecture, art... So many topics & written about in such an accessible way.

If you invest, let me know! - Louise x

A few Etsy treasures

Clockwise from top: Vintage red polka dot blouse, Coffee heart tea towel, Crochet collar & Spirits in my bottle garden print

Seeing as I'm currently squirrelling away my pennies for our new bathroom & kitchen, I thought I'd share my favourite finds on Etsy - in the hope that they will find a good home & stop tempting me with their awesomeness ;)

Greta's home

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I pretty much want to jump into Greta's home. I love everything about it - the colours, the fact that it is so homely & don't get me even started on that kitchen. That is the dream.

At the moment my brain's pretty much preoccupied about working with a friend on a new project. I'm excited but also a little nervous... It's always risky working with a friend, but we lived together for 2 years so at least we know each other inside out. It's a fun project though so once it gets going I'll be sure to let you know!

Hope you have a lovely week - Louise x

In love with this styling

All from asos. Isn't it so inspiring? So many great ideas to try out.

This month, I've been...

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Reading... Auntie Mame: An Irreverant Escapade by Patrick Dennis. Such a fun book. A young boy goes to live with his lovely & incredibly eccentric Auntie Mame after his father passes away & it follows their relationship. I was immediately hooked. I challenge anyone to not want to be Auntie Mame after reading it.

Watching... 30 Rock, Season 2. How did I not discover this show earlier. Seriously, it is so good.

Wearing... thick, oversized, wollen jumpers, skinnies & my (badly worn) brogues. Yes, I am dressing like a 40 year old man (apart from the lipstick). But in my defence it is freeeezing!

Buying... pretty tumblers & bowls (mine are in a mustard yellow - my obsession with this colour continues) from Anthropologie & some animal print flats from Topshop

Eating... a lot of cake, especially these cupcakes & this Moroccan chicken dish. My Mum made it for us on Christmas Eve & I've been rustling it up on a weekend ever since. The only change to the recipe that I'd recommend is to just add the 1 tsp of cinnoman & 1 tbsp of the honey, otherwise it can be a little bit too sweet.

Listening to... Doncamatic, Gorillaz featuring Daley (what a voice) & rather randomly, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by those Monty Python Boys.

Dreaming... of seeing Arcade Fire in Hyde Park this June (I must buy tickets) & of our trip to Monte Carlo to watch the tennis in April. So much to look forward to!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend - Louise x

Perfection

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These photos pretty much sum up how I would love our flat to look after the redecoration. We're going with white walls but we really want nice big splashes of colour. I don't know about you, but I need colour around me - it instantly makes me happy!