DIY invitation ideas.

November 23, 2016November 22, 20162 Comments

When we got married one of the most unnecessary expenses were the wedding invitations. Fair enough if you want to spend a lot of money on your invitations but there are a lot of cute ideas out there that can help you make your own. Bare in mind that making your own invitations can be time consuming but it also allows you and your husband to spend a lot of time together if you do this as a couple. In addition spending lots of money on wedding invitations might be worth it, but lots of other occasions also call for invitations and its not always worth spending too much on invitations when you can rather spend it on food or other decorations.

Message in a Bottle

This is one of the cutest ideas I’ve seen. All you need is small little glass bottles and you can decorate them by throwing anything from sand to feathers in there with the invitation. Remember to attach the invitation to some string or ribbon so that it’s easy to remove from the bottle.

Boxed ideas

Another idea that I thought was really nice were the invitation boxes. You can fold a little box or use something like matchstick boxes and decorate them according to your theme, with the little invitation inside.

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Stencils

Using stencils is an easy method that could still make your invitations look elegant. The only drawback I have experienced is that when your fingers get some of the paint on it, you can stain your invitation, which could become frustrating.

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Click on the links if you’re interested in how these were made.

Using interesting materials

Other easily accessible materials are also a great idea, for example using doilies or paint.

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If you decide to make your own invitations, I hope some if these ideas have inspired you!!!

Bern’s Carrot Cake

November 22, 2016November 21, 20167 Comments

I just love Carrot Cake, I always have and always will. Since its my birthday this coming weekend I decided that I want a carrot cake for my birthday. Its kind of a tradition. Ever since I’ve been married my mother-in-law would bake me a cake for my birthday, and she always makes whatever I want. Since we are so far from them this year I would have to make my own birthday cake. I found the recipe for the cake on Bern’s Bakes. I made the cake before my birthday to test it out, so that when I make it for my birthday it will be perfect.

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs (room temperature)
2 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4-1/2 to 5 cups finely shredded carrots
3/4 cup of canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup pecans (optional)
1/2 cup of golden or red raisins (optional)

Full Instruction’s on Bern’s Bakes

For the frosting I also used Bern’s Cream cheese Frosting. Its easy to make and tastes great. All you need is icing sugar, some butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract.

I made a few alteration to the recipe, for instance I used walnuts instead of pecans because we can’t find pecans here in Korea. I also used brown sugar because its all I had in my home and thirdly I used 2 teaspoons of cinnamon because I love the taste.

My Birthday Cake was amazingly soft and moist. I’ll be making it once again this weekend.

My 5 favorite online clothing stores – at the moment.

November 21, 2016November 21, 2016Leave a comment

Ever since I’ve been in Korea, I’ve become more and more reliant on Online Clothing shops. As you know by now, Korea doesn’t freely carry average western sizes in all their stores and therefore you have to either travel very far to get something that fits you or shop online.

I’ve only really started following people on Instagram this year and found a few lovely fashion bloggers whose style I really like. Through their choices I have learned of quite a few websites I’ve never even knew existed.

Showpo

Showpo is an Australian brand. I think the reason why I like it so much is because all their outfits looks so summery. There are a lot of dresses that I would love to get from them but some of them won’t be acceptable here in Korea. One of the main reasons is that its not really proper to show your cleavage here. They have only just started showing their shoulders.

Lulu’s

Lulu’s are actually really cheap and their shipping is really fast especially considering that I’m in Korea. Although their prices are cheap the garment quality is really good. If there is one thing I hate, its when I have to buy a $40 dress that looks and feels like it should be $10.

Littlelace

They are a little more pricier than the other shops but their dresses are cute an feminine.

Hellomollyfashion.

They have cute little dresses and play-suits. I also love the soft colors.

NastyGal

I really love nasty gal although their outfits are more for dinners or clubbing and not really daytime outfits. I have bought some clothing and even some underwear here before but the shipping takes a little long.

Which online shops do you line?

Friday night dinner Dagwood

November 18, 2016November 17, 2016Leave a comment

When I was a child my dad use to buy us Dagwood’s at the sports-club every Friday night. Later he started creating his own Dagwood’s at home. Sometimes adding bacon or a home made relish. Dagwood’s always remind me of those days.

Yesterday was our 9 year wedding anniversary and since we’re going to Seoul this weekend we decided not to go to dinner yesterday but rather save it until the weekend. Since it is still a special day, we decided to have some home-made Dagwood’s, so off we went to the store to buy some minced beef.

Homemade Dagwood (serves 4)

For the beef Patty

100 gram minced beef
1 egg
1 slice of bread
1 Large onion
paprika
salt
pepper
Italian herbs

For the Dagwood

4 mince patties
8 slices of bread
4 eggs
2 avocado’s
2 tbs sour-cream
1 large tomato
slices cheese (enough for 4 servings)

First you have to start with the Patties if you’re making them yourself. Beat one egg and break one slice of bread into small pieces. Mix the two together and add the salt pepper, paprika and Italian herbs.

Chop up 1/2 an onion. Add your mince and onion to the bread mixture.

Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal parts and roll them into 4 balls. I keep them in the ball form until after they are cooked but you can press down on them with a spoon to make them flatter. Grease an oven pan and place them on the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

While they were going in the oven, you can start with your ‘guacamole mixture’. I used 2 avo’s and 2 tablespoons of sour cream mixed with some salt and pepper.

You can then proceed to fry the eggs and the rest of the onion. Slice the cheese so that you have enough for 4 servings. Slice the tomato. Spread butter on one side of the bread and fry it,face down, in a non-stick pan until golden brown.

After the mince-balls are done, press them down with a spoon so that they are more patty shaped. They might break apart but this allows the cheese to melt into them.

Assemble your Dagwood and put it back into the oven for a further 5 minutes so that the cheese can melt. Remove from the oven and serve.

Viola!!!

Its quick delicious and easy to make. It takes around 35 minutes to make 4 yummy Dagwood’s.

5 Wonderful Cheese Platter ideas.

November 17, 2016November 15, 2016Leave a comment

I have always found cheese platters to be one of the easiest and effective appetisers to use for a party. The ingredients are mostly store bought and doesn’t need much prep time. In addition with a mix of fruits, cheese, meats and crackers, there is something for everyone.

The cheese-ball

When serving crackers with your cheese platter, the cheeseball is one of my favourites. You can add some spices, honey and even fruits to give it zing