Candy Corn

Happy Halloween! I have been knee deep in DIY this week so only managed to squeeze in one Halloween treat...

When I lived in New York I discovered candy corn and loved it! It can be bought in the UK but only from stores that specialize in American candy. So this year I decided to make my own in colours to match my Halloween theme of pink, black & white. As well as the traditional triangle shape I also made a few pumpkins, bones, skulls and roses.

Candy Corn (makes about 80 pieces)

Ingredients
280g icing sugar ( confectioners sugar)
225g caster sugar
20g (1/4 cup) dry powdered milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
242g (3/4 cup) glucose syrup or golden syrup (corn syrup)
76g (1/3 cup ) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Hot pink food colouring
Black food colouring

Cooking instructions

1. Place icing sugar, powdered milk and salt in a separate bowl and set to one side.
   
2. Place caster sugar, syrup and butter into a heavy based saucepan and bring to boil over high heat continually stirring.
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook for a further 5 mins.
4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla essence.
5. Add powdered milk mixture to saucepan and stir till combined. Leave till mixture is warm to the touch
   
6. Separate mixture into three bowls
7. Add pink food colouring to one portion of dough and knead till colour is even.
8. Add black food colouring to one portion of dough and knead till colour is even.
9. Roll each piece into a thin rope.
10. Push the three ropes together to create a long rectangle.
11. Gently press them together with a rolling pin.
12. Cut into small triangle pieces and in your fingers roll into desired shape.
13. Leave to dry for one hour on sheets of baking paper.
14. Store in an airtight container, in layers separated with baking paper.
    

To make the tiny roses I used my rose mould from Nabby

Happy Halloween!

My guest room- before, during and now

Now: New cream carpets,windows painted white with new chrome fittings, cream wooden blinds from Ikea, walls painted in beige white from Crown

Now: New skirting painted in brilliant white eggshell, radiator painted white, new door painted white

Now: New coving painted in brilliant white eggshell, ceilings painted white, light fitting from Alders

During: New skirting, everything given a white undercoat

During: Walls re-plastered and patched

During: old cupboards removed, stairs extended across room

Before: Dark, dirty narrow entrance

Before: Purple walls with silver stencil stars, silver radiator, purple carpet, purple door

Before: old entrance with painted glass panel above door

As some of you may know, we bought our house a few years back and it was in a right state: from the ugly exterior to the old, decrepit kitchen and nondescript garden! Over the past few years we have been transforming our house and there is not a hint of what it used to look like left.
When we bought our house it had one dirty old bathroom downstairs that we transformed into a cloakroom and laundry room. Which you can read more about here and here.

Therefore we wanted to transform one of the single bedrooms upstairs into our new bathroom, we had a choice of two single bedrooms to choose from. We went for the bedroom that looked out on to the neighbours white wall as the other single room has great views of the garden and overlooks a leafy green park. But the original entrance to the single bedroom was at the end of the hallway round a dark corner that was riddled with cupboard doors which made the entrance to the other double bedroom very dark and narrow. So we knocked down the wall that had the old entrance to the bathroom in it and changed the entrance to be in the hallway near our master bedroom. At the same time we also decided to get rid of the three cupboards that made the said entrance to the guest room really narrow and dark. We then rebuilt the wall in a straight line and extended the guest bedroom to include part of the old hallway, which has made it much brighter and more welcoming. At the weekend we got the room carpeted so today I wanted to share with you what it looked like before, during and now. Later this week I will be sharing with you my designs for the furniture layout and deco for the room.

Floor plan before and now

To see all the before, during and now pictures of our house check out my Facebook albums

Have a sweet day!

Bakerella's Halloween cake pops

This week on Flickr Faves Sunday, I bring you some Halloween cake pops from the Queen of cake pops Bakerella. To see more of Bakerella's gorgeous cake pops check out her blog, Bakerella.

Some beautiful shots from my Flickr favourites:

• Black Cat Cake Pops
• Pumpkin Pops
• Skull Cake Pops
• Mummy Cake Pops

Have a sweet day!

Shopbop $100 giveaway winner

My contest ended yesterday and I just picked a winner using random.org and I am delighted to announce the winner of the Shopbop $100 giveaway is...

Shelley, who is loving the Marc Jacob mouse flats from Shopbop .

Congratulations Shelley, you will receive a $100 store credit to Shopbop.

Thank you to all of you sweets that entered, to my loyal followers and new friends.

Have a sweet day!

Daisy Park

Pip Studio 32cm plate

Essenza Elementi duvet set

Today on shops i love I wanted to share with you one of my lovely sponsors Daisy Park.
Daisy Park is run by Emma Paisey and was launched in 2007 born out of a desire to make internet shopping fun and personal. Based in rural and beautiful North Devon, they are inspired by simple design and love the shabby chic country style. Daisy Park sells a host of gorgeous labels including a massive selection of one of my favourite brands, Pip Studio. Everything is organized by easy to navigate categories and brands which makes finding a gift for yourself or others a dream. You can see why this beautiful store has one so many awards!


Have a sweet day!

Diary Date - The Spirit of Christmas

Jane Means

Cedarlia

I love Gorgeous

The Festive Dresser

Pure Lana

With the festive season fast approaching, there are plenty of wonderful events going on around the country to inspire and delight so first up in my diary is The Sprit of Christmas

The Spirit of Christmas Fair in association with House & Garden is London’s exclusive shopping experience, packed full with exquisite, unique gifts and treats you will rarely find on the high street. With over 650 companies carefully hand-picked for their quality and originality, firm festive favourites combine with irresistible debutante brands from the worlds of interiors, fashion, food, gifts and lifestyle. Taking place 30th October-4th November against the stunning backdrop of Kensington’s London Olympia, it provides the most discerning of shoppers the chance to shop, dine and socialise in style.

The Sprit of Christmas has plenty of attractions like the House and Garden Workshop with interactive sessions from champagne tasting, floral decorations, to table trends and Christmas recipes from renowned chefs. In the Food Hall you have the opportunity to taste and buy the country’s finest produce including full English country cheddar cheeses, smoked salmon, Christmas puddings to fine chocolates, wines and champagnes. I for one am really looking forward to it and of course will be sharing all my highlights here...

If you want to be inspired and delighted you can still buy tickets here

Have a sweet day!

Sweet Estelle's

This week on "Wonderful World of Etsy" I wanted to share with you all the fabulous hot pink and black and white baking supplies from Sweet Estelle's. My kind of perfect for Halloween!

Sweet Estelle's Baking Supply sells cupcake liners, cupcake toppers and picks, striped and polka dot paper straws, bakers twine and goody bags, pastry tips, gel paste food colorings, flavoring oils, sanding sugars and sprinkles, cookie cutters, cupcake kits, pastry boxes and more. Whether you're looking for the perfect gift for your favorite baker, supplies for your next party or event, or just a little something to make everyday baked goods more fun, you'll find everything you're looking for at Sweet Estelle's !

Have a sweet day!

Halloween recipes

Blackberry cupcakes, Halloween cake, Maple & apple cupcakes, Leopard print cake pops, Candy apples, Skull candy

Halloween is less than a week away and I have been so busy with my house renovations I haven't done a thing except buy some Halloween cupcake wrappers! How are you Halloween preparations going?

Have a sweet day!

Butterfly Lane

Sequinned cushion in pewter

Sequinned throw in pewter

Glass bird cake stand

Ceramic owls

Glass Christmas Tree jar

Today on shops i love I wanted to share with you a new shop I recently discovered when the lovely Nikki tweeted me about her shop Butterfly Lane.
Butterfly Lane is an online boutique selling glamorous, individual, homely and timeless elegant country living accessories. I am coveting the gorgeous sparkly pewter sequinned throw and cushion because every gal needs a touch of glamour in their life...

"Whether you are looking for decorative accessories for your home, a gift for a loved one or just simply a treat for yourself, Butterfly Lane offers plenty of accessories to fill your home with! From the elegant and classic to the contemporary and glamorous. We have something to make your home feel unique. We strive to source the most wonderful products from around the world, so we will have something that you will love. Whether it be timeless, elegant pieces or quirky designs that you desire, here at Butterfly Lane we pride ourselves on the variety of beautiful things which are available on our website 24 hours a day."


Have a sweet day!

One upon a time

Last week I had the pleasure of attending Laura Ashley's quintessential British "One upon a time" bloggers' party where they were toasting 1 year on their blog with previews of their home & fashion gift ranges, refreshments and treats from Angel Adoree's Vintage Patisserie, and a live acoustic set by the mesmerising Liz Lawrence.

The party was held in their design studio on the Kings Road and had been beautifully decorated with a decadent woodland feel. There were jam jars and small crystal bowls filled with cranberry and deep red flowers, all manner of especially made wooden woodland creatures, and smatterings of metal leaves to highlight the forest feel and their interiors this season. For Christmas I loved the pretty glass bird cage decorations that feature two turtle doves inside and the bell jar decoration that contains a white deer and features pretty glitter snowflake patterns on the outside.

It was a lovely party and it was great to meet the creative team behind their fab blog. Oh, and I was lucky enough to pick a sweet set of three little ceramic LED lit birds from their "wish tree"!

Thank you Laura Ashley for a great party and for inspiring us with your seasonal treasures!




Have a sweet day!

Lace Tablecloths

Source 1, 2, 3, 4

Hi, I hope you all had a sweet weekend! We ordered our new carpet for upstairs, which means we are ever closer to finishing our house. I promise to share pictures soon...

Ever since I saw the H&M Autumn/Winter interior collections I have been pining over their gorgeous lace tablecloths and runners. Then I saw Hans Blomquists photography of the lace table runners for H&M all styled up for Christmas with lots of sparkly sequins and loved how decadent it looked. I might need to get one for Christmas?!?

Have a sweet day!

Chocolate by Genevie giveaway

Yipee! I have another great giveaway for you. A gold box of 40 handmade* chocolates from Chocolate by Genevie worth £36.95, open to UK readers.



Chocolate by Genevie is run by Genevie who lives in Edinburgh and has recently opened an online chocolate shop. All of the chocs are handmade* using the best ingredients she can find and all of the boxes are hand finished with silk and ribbon - no two boxes of chocolates are exactly the same and this is just how she want it to be. Chocolate making started off initially as a hobby but as more requests for delicious chocolates increased she opened an online shop. Her partner Kevin, her Mum and 1 year old son Luke help her with various parts of the production. Mum does the ribbons & boxes, Kevin made the website and updates this and little Luke likes to taste the chocolate! It's a very small family venture that keeps them busy.

So if you are looking for a great handmade* gift of chocolates that are yummy and unique. Chocolate by Genevie is the place to go!

My beautifully packaged box of Chocolates by Genevie did not last more than a few minutes as all my guests tucked in to a chocolate, exclaiming how delicious they were! My favourite was the white truffle, a white chocolate textured outer shell filled with smooth creamy vanilla ganache.

To enter, please visit Chocolate by Genevie's gallery of chocolates and then leave a comment below this post letting me know what your favourite chocolate would be. The giveaway ends on Saturday, November 10th 2012 at 10pm (BST) and I will randomly select and announce a winner on Sunday, November 11th.

To increase your chances of winning this fabulous prize, you can gain one additional entry for doing each of the following:

• tweeting about this giveaway
• blogging about it
• follow Torie Jayne via Google Friend Connect
• follow Torie Jayne on Twitter
• "Like" Torie Jayne on Facebook

For the first two, please leave a comment below with the link to your tweet or blog post.

This giveaway is open to UK readers only.

Good luck and have a sweet day!

*Update: Since writing this post I have found out that the chocolates are made in Belgium.
From Genevie's site: We have tasted and tested many chocolates from around the world and finally found a small Belgian supplier who makes chocolates that are just divine – all of our chocolates are produced in Belgium by chocolatiers who excel in the art of chocolate. We are a small family business dedicated to sourcing and supplying chocolate that is second to none. Every one of our chocolate products is exclusive to the website – you will never see any of our products in shops or sold on other sites

******* This Giveaway is now closed *******

Gluten free raspberry cream sprinkles cake

The lovely peeps at Bombay Duck recently sent me the Icing on the Cake Spotty Cake Slice and Knife Set that comes in a lovely candy pink and white striped gift box. The cake slice and knife are so pretty that it was only fitting that I made a pretty pink cake to use them on!
I decided to make a vanilla cake batter with pink sprinkles in it so my new cake slice and knife would reveal a pretty surprise! The cake was quite a dense cake so it definitely needed a light filling and frosting. So I made a sumptuous whipped fresh cream raspberry frosting and filling that I piped on with a star nozzle. I then decorated the top with white sprinkles, pink candy dots and a light dusting of pink glitter...



Gluten free vanilla cake batter with sprinkles (makes two 9" cakes)

Ingredients

• 225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 395g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
• 330g gluten free self raising flour
• 354ml buttermilk
• 2 tbsp pink sugar strands (sprinkles)

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160C (fan assisted)
2. Lightly butter two 9" cake tins and line with greaseproof paper, butter paper
3. In a food mixer on high beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy
4. Beat in eggs and egg yolks one at a time to butter mix, beating well after each addition
5. Beat in vanilla extract
6. Gradually add flour and buttermilk alternating between the two, beating slowly between each addition until just combined. Scrape down bowl as needed.
7. Stir in sprinkles
8. Divide batter between the tins
9. Tap firmly on surface to remove air bubbles, and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon
10. Bake for about 30 mins until cakes are golden and bounce back when lightly pressed
11. Place on rack to cool

Tips...
Butter should be soft enough to hold a thumbprint but still keep its shape.
Eggs should be at room temperature as cold eggs will be harder to keep from curdling.
To check your cake is cooked insert a toothpick/skewer in the center, If it comes up with some wet batter or stickiness on it, the cake needs to bake some more.

Raspberry cream
Ingredients

• Double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• Fresh raspberries

Method

1. Puree raspberries in a blender and set to one side
2. Using an electric mixer whisk cream and icing sugar until the mixture starts to thicken
3. Slowly whisk in raspberries till soft peaks form

Raspberry cream sprinkles cake
You will need

• Two 9" vanilla sprinkles cakes
• Raspberry cream
• White sugar strands (sprinkles)
• Pink candy dots
• Edible pink glitter

To decorate

1. Place one cooled cake on serving plate or cake stand
2. Using a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, pipe stars of raspberry cream so the top of the entire cake is covered
3. Carefully place second cake on top, and gently press down so it lays flat
4. Using a spatula spread a thin layer of raspberry cream on the top of the cake
5. Starting at the base of the tiered cakes, pipe stars of raspberry cream in rows till entire sides of the cake are covered
6. Pipe a row of stars round the edge of top of cake
7. Sprinkle top with white sugar strands,candy dots and pink glitter

Have a sweet day!