New Year's Eve & Happy 2013!!

Well, today is the 31st of December, and we tend to think back on the year we are leaving and reflect on the good and bad things. And we start with resolutions and wishes for the next year.

I'm fairly hopeful for 2013, and I'm fairly thankful for all the good things that 2012 had in stock for me. Not saying it didn't have bad things, cause it did, and things are not looking particularly rosy for the economy of my country or the people in it, but call it what you may, I still choose to look at the good things first and the bad ones... I just shoulder them and move on. 

That's gonna be probably my only resolution for the new year, to keep thinking positive, taking things the best I can and focusing to look on the bright side of things. Also, 2013 sounds like a good year for a big bloody change for me once and for all, so I hope I'll have scary but happy news for you guys this year!

I'm now gonna leave you with a few photos from this past year that reflect on the good part of it!

Gaurav and his friend Bhuvie, going Gangnam style underwater in Thailand

My first time attending a really big fat Indian wedding and wearing a saree! 

 My first trip to Ireland!

Guinness does taste better in Dublin! 

Wonders of the Ancient World: Newgrange! 

The good things of my job: awesome co-workers and patients that make it! 

And few things are better than the wedding of one of your best friends, and you being the photographer!

With these photos and happy memories, I wave goodbye to 2012 and will welcome tonight 2013 with my family and the 12 grapes to wish for strength and happiness for the next year! 

Happy New Year 2013!! ¡¡Feliz Año 2013!!

Friday Feature: Camamiel!

Well, my blogging hasn't really gone back into full force, but at least, I'm trying to update weekly, and hopefully I'll eventually get back into my 3 posts a week routine!

Today, the first of my days off at work for the holidays, I wanted to make a special Friday Feature! 

I might have mentioned Deb from On Cupcake Moon before, and how we have become taste twins, and how thanks to our common taste for awesome handmade goodies and shops we have connected and became great friends, and I actually can't wait to meet her in person (hopefully next year, twin!).

So, this year I wanted to make her a special Xmas gift, since I know we both love unique things, and after seeing her buying one of Camamiel's Xmas Angels, I thought that a fantastic gift would be a Camamiel mini-Deb! 

 Deb and her Camamiel's mini-Deb!

And we did it! We based the doll on a cartoon of herself that Deb draw, with her kitty, and Ana Camamiel did an absolutely astounding job making sure the doll was a faithful reproduction even to the Rocky The Zombie tee she's wearing!


And Deb absolutely loved it!! So, yeah, further proof that buying handmade is absolutely the best way to go for gift giving!!

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: Julian Bean!!

Hello everyone! Not keeping my promise as well as I should, but I'm finally back with a blog entry!

For today's Wearing Handmade Wednesday one of my besties since college and fellow nurse, Pilu, and featuring one of my very favourite artisans & crafters, Erin from Julian Bean!

I fell in love with this set a while back, and since Pilu's favourite colours is black, and this black and white set was just perfect! And Pilu absolutely loved it!

Buying handmade is always a guarantee of an unique gift, and one that will be loved by the recipient, and also, quite a wonderful experience, buying from an independent artisan that puts loads of love into their work! 

Support handmade and independent artisan and crafters!

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: ReLovePlanet!!

Hello everyone!

This week I'm having a few more days of than I've previously had, so that reflects back a bit on my motivation, and also on my blogging, luckily!

For this week's Wearing Handmade Wednesday I'm using a shot of me and the bf singing "Angels" by Robbie Williams at a bar's karaoke night!

My ReLovePlanet slouch top

I've talked about the amazing Biance and her ReLovePlan.et shop and blog before, but I just wanted to show off one of my fave tops from her, that has the perfect comfy, slouchy fit, but that also looks very nice dressed up to go out!

That's all for today folks, hopefully there are more entries coming this week!

Monday Munchies: Piwi's Tiramisu Cupcakes!

Hello everyone!

New Monday, new week and finally new blog entry and new recipe: Monday Munchies is back!

Quite a while back I shared the recipe of a Cottage Cheese Tiramisu that me and my mum found at our usual cooking magazine Cocina Fácil (Easy Cooking) that we modified a bit, and that everyone in the family totally adores! 

So it was only natural that I wanted to turn that recipe into cupcakes!

Piwi's Tiramisu Cupcakes

I opted for a basic vegan vanilla recipe for the base cupcake, since it'd be the most similar to the lady fingers taste.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup soy milk

- Pinch tumeric powder

- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

- 2 TBS constarch

- 3/4 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/3 cup sunflower oil

- 3/4 cup granulated/brown sugar

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Pre-heat oven at 350ºF/180ºC. Line tin with papers. Beat tumeric powder with milk, cook stirring often in medium-low heat till the milk starts simmering, about 2 to 3 minutes, when milk has yellow hue, remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.

Add vinegar to milk and whisk to curdle. Beat oil, sugar, extract and milk till foamy. Sift in flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until no large lump remains. Fill liners about 2/3. Bake 20 to 22 minutes.

Let the cupcakes cool for about 5 minutes in the tin, and then move them to a cooling rack to let them cool completely. Meanwhile make the chicory coffe and the cottage cheese cream.

Cottage Cheese Cream

Ingredients:

- 500 grams goat's cottage cheese

- 100 grams icing sugar

- 4 egg whites

- pinch of salt and drops lemon juice

Method:

Mix the goat's cheese with half the sugar till creamy. Beat egg whites on high speed with the salt and lemon juice, when soft peaks start forming add the rest of the icing sugar. Beat well, fold in with the cheese cream. Refrigerate till needed.

To assemble, make a hole in the cupcakes with an apple corer, soak the cupcakes with the chicory coffee (don't be shy!) and fill in with the cheese cream. Top with the cake topper and then pipe a dollop of cream. Sprinkle with Nesquik! Enjoy!

These were very much liked by my nephews and my co-workers, but on my first try, I was a bit sparse with the coffe soaking, so I'll be more indulgent next time!

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: RockerByeBaby!!

Well, yes... Hello everyone! The blog is still alive, sort of!

My motivation for blogging has been rather off as of late, and with a two weeks improptu trip to India and then many days on a row working to return the days my co-workers covered for me... I just didn't have the energy!

I will try to be more constant on the blogging, but really, I can't promise anything, except that I'll try! (Sorry Yoda).

So, here is Wearing Handmade Wednesday!

The bf with his new RBB blankie!

Earlier this year, my boyfriend's dog, Max, died, and since Max loved sleeping on the bf's RockerByeBaby blankie, G thought that Max deserved to be cremated in that same blankie. Fast forward a few months, and G was saying that he needed a new RBB blankie to face the cold months ahead, and he asked for an extra big throw blanket size, and Amber being as awesome as she is, did it! The bf still says it's a bit small, but of course, he's huge! Truth be told, it is the perfect excuse for me to steal his blankie! ;)

RockerByeBaby is a shop mostly for babies and kids, but she also has a special listing for a throw blanket size, so adults can enjoy the awesomeness of their blankies!

That's all for today, but hopefully I'll return soon, sometime this week, maybe?

Mark This Book Monday: Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst!

Hello everyone! Happy Monday!

I'm hoping I can update more often than just once a week, but sometimes work takes all little motivation I might have, and I end up just procastinating online and reading when I'm home and not at work.  Let's see how it goes this week, since I have a full week of work, but I'm hoping to have at least some photos to share with you all on Friday!

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, and let me introduce you to this week's Mark This Book Monday: a book about vampires called Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst. 

I have to say, what initially drew me to the book was the cover and the title, which as you might have guessed is a cheeky play with the title of the best selling book turned movie "Eat, Pray, Love" that I haven't read yet (I guess I will eventually get to it...). And then, I went on to read the Goodreads blurb and there's the mention of the unicorn... and I was sold! A book about vampires with unicorns and with a cheeky title, I just had to give it a read!

Before getting into the book itself I have to say my history with vampire books is rather recent. I have been all my childhood terribly afraid of vampires, and after encountering a man wearing what looked like a vampire cape once returning from my swimming classes when I was around 10, I refused to sleep with my window open even during summer for a few years... but being the headstrong little girl I was, I never told anyone of my fears, so I was never reassured of the fact that not only vampires wore capes during winters... Fast forward a few years, closer to the present day, and my first experience with a book about vampires "The Historian" by Elisabeth Kostova (that I will be recommending here too, cause what a book!) and somehow even though after finishing it I had a bit of a hard time falling asleep, it managed to get rid of my fear of vampires. Still, it was only last year that I read "Dracula" but of course, by then after quite a few episodes of True Blood, reading all the books of the Sourthen Vampires and watching quite a few movies about vampires (my favourite has to be Blade) it was not as scary as it would have been a few years back.

Also, after reading all the Sookie books, and quite a few Anita Blake ones and some others, I was quite ready for a different take on vampires, and Drink, Slay, Love succeeded brilliantly on giving you a different spin on the vampire lore! No, the vampires are not "vegan", yes, the main character is in high school, no they don't sparkle in the sun, they do burn like any good vampire would, and yes, there is a love story. But also, let's not forget, there are unicorns!

Meet Pearl, your typical remorseless born vampire, that loves power plays, handles vampire politics and can't stand the sun. Everything is vampire dandy for her until the night when she meet an unicorn, horn-through-her-heart first... after that she is different, mainly cause she discovers she can walk in the sun! Her family decides to take advantage of that irregularity and decide to send her to high school so she can provide easy food for the family. But Pearl is changing in ways that she dislikes and can't reveal to her Family, or risk being destroyed as a liability.

This is a fast read, and loads of fun, I kept on giggling and laughing aloud. It even has a Twilight themed prom... and let's not forget the unicorns! So, if you like vampires and are looking for something out of the ordinary or different, give this a chance, you'll probably love it!

Mark This Book Monday: Defiance by C.J. Redwine!

Welcome, welcome, welcome! To the start of a new week, to another Monday and to another edition of Mark This Book Monday!

Today I want to share with you all a book that I have been eagerly await since I first saw the cover and read the excerpt at Goodreads: Defiance by C.J. Redwine! Aside from recommendations, that's how I tend to pick up book, I see a cover I like, I grab it and read the excerpt, if it sounds intriguing enough, I pick it! The trouble of doing it in Goodreads is that sometimes the book you like is not out yet! That's exactly what happened with Defiance, and once the book was out, I had quite a fight to try and purchase it somewhere, just the epub file to read it on my android tablet... I have a huge rant about device-centric websites for books, and how that's simply beyond irritating for me, but I'll save it for some other day!

Now, onto the book itself! First compliment for this book? It got me out of my reading slump! I'm a huge bookworm, but as of late I had spent two weeks without reading any books, the previous week I had read one book to kill the 4 hours I had to wait at the train station in Valencia waiting for my AVE, and it was Saturday this week and I hadn't done any reading either! But, since I had bought Defiance on Friday before heading to work for night shift, as soon as I woke up, I decided to start reading it!

Let me tell you, it was a refreshing change from the paranormal books I had been reading as of late, no angels, no vampires, no nothing of the like! It's a fantasy mix with postapocalytpic/dystopian kinda book, and also quite unlike some of the previous female leads in other books, Rachel is not exactly your whiney teenager that you want to slap... She starts like a headstrong and rebellious girl, and ends up broken and looking for a way to live with herself, so it's quite a journey for her. The book switches between her point of view and Logans point of view, and like the characters themselves, they're different and balance each other out, complementing each other flaws and strenghts.

This is mostly a character driven plot and not a very happy book, things don't go as you want them to go, just as life itself tends to. The world of Defiance is one that progresses and we discover more of it as the characters show it to us, it's like they keep opening doors and drawing curtains for us to see. You get to know about the world as much as the characters themselves know, and you discover things as they do.

Defiance is the first book of a trilogy, and thankfully, although it leaves questions unanswered and many wounds unhealed, it doesn't end with a massive cliffhanger, cause frankly, I hate those! And they're particularly horrible when you have to wait for a full year to get the next book! According to Mrs Redwine herself, the next book will come out Fall 2013... 

So in the meantime, do check it out, and let me know what you think! 

Friday Feature: Trencadis, amazing mosaic art from Spain!

Hello everyone! Friday is here and with it finally a new edition of Friday Feature!


And today it's a very special one, cause the focus of today's Friday Feature is Trencadis, the shop of  a super talended crafter from Alicante, Spain!


You can't image how proud I am to share this wonderful shop with you all! Finding it cause an absolute strike of luck in an already fairly lucky day! I had found an unique photo album to turn into my friend's Wedding Guest Book on the first shop I looked, and as I was printing photos for it I remembered my mum had asked for some photos to be printed of the Indian Wedding batch, so I got a brainwave for her belated b-day present! I printed two photos she had loved when seeing them all, and then went on an Etsy search for some cute handmade frames...


And low and behold I stumbled into these really really gorgeous mosaic frames that I just fell in love with, so I went to check how much the shipping would be, thinking they'd be from a shop from the US, as usual, and what was my surprise when I saw they were shipped from Spain! Even more thinking that they'd be here in time to give them to my mum the following Monday!


Angeles, the crafter/owner of Trencadis was super nice and was pleasantly surprised to get a fellow Spaniard as a customer! Unfortunately the handmade culture is really not big in Spain, so it's hard for crafters to find customers, and for handmade lovers like myself, it's hard to find shops that are into handmade and not Made In China!


I left on Friday for Valencia and the beach to have a weekend of stress, merriment and fun at my bff's wedding, and Angeles shipped my frames priority that very same day, so come Monday the postman delivered these two beauties, super well packed and protected! So much, that I had to spend a good pair of minutes trying to figure out the best way to unpack them!

I cut the photos further to make sure they fit nicely and re-wrapped them for my mum. I gave them to my mum that evening after work and she absolutely loved them! Both frames are amazing, and the tile work & combination of colours is brilliant! My mum loved them so much she's already looked for a place for them in her bureau for now, until she can decide where to put them to show them off better!

The orange & gold one is my mum's fave, but I'm not sure if that's the frame's merit only, or the fact that she loves that photo of me has something to do with it...

And I have to say, the navy and green frame is my fave of these two, and I can say is not just for the photo, I love how the combo of colours work for this frame!

I'm absolutely in love with this shop, and I'm thinking of getting some frames for myself too! But there are more than just frames there, you can also find some gorgeous candle holders, belt buckles and even vases!


I highly highly recommend this shop, and I'm doubly happy to do so, supporting not just handmade, but also a Spanish crafter, so my dears, do check Trencadis Etsy shop!

Mark This Book Monday: The Night Circus by Erin Morngerstern!

Hello everyone!


It's been quite a while again without blogging time, but this summer heat and some going ons have really kept me in the mostly unmotivated sort of feel.

But today I've decided it's about time I get back to blogging and to recommending some books, cause I think the most abandoned feature over here has been the Mark This Book Monday!

And no, it is not due to a lack of reading on my part, I'm a bookworm through and through, and despite some odd lapses, like recently when I've spent two weeks without reading a single book, I go through at least two books a week, if not more...

So today, I wanna share with you a book I discovered thanks to Goodreads: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern!

I have to warn you though, this won't be a review as usual. I feel like even by trying to explain what the book is about will take away from the pleasure of reading the book, page by page unraveling its mysteries and the way it progresses. The way I found to avoid it was unintentional, but I remember seeing it on Goodreads, getting the eBook and then not reading it till like 2 months later.

I fell in love with this book. But unlike other books I love, this is not the kinda book you devour, it's the kinda book you love to enjoy and savour, much like a dessert you want to take your time with. This book is the story of a circus and of more than two main characters. The feel and atmosphere of the book and the circus is Victorian and somewhat Burtonesque, with the blacks and whites and the unexpected wonders that aren't really what they seem.

If you're thinking that it's a slow book, yes, it is, it's not a fast paced book that will leave your head spinning, but it's also the kinda book that will make you want to keep turning page after page, and will make you marvel at the complex world it builds.

My advice, grab a copy and prepare yourself to enjoy a world of wonders. Sit, relax and dive into the world of the Night Circus!

       

Saturday Song: The Wolf - Eddie Vedder

From the soundtrack of the "Into the Wild" movie, all done by Eddie Vedder and that I associate with the mountains, Jilling and my boyfriend, here is The Wolf, a short track, with a very definitively spiritual feel.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: A cover for my KitchenAid!

Hey everyone!

How's Wednesday going? Mine started a bit on the not so good side, but nothing that a paracetamol and some extra sleep couldn't deal with!

Today we're back with Wearing Handmade Wednesday, and this time is an awesome collaboration of two very talented ladies: Jamie of Warning Label Creations and Kylie of Fabulosly Fierce!

I wanted a cover for my KA, and I didn't want any of the old boring ones I'd already seen, so I decided to ask Jamie and see if she wanted to attempt making me a custom one, including some custom embroidery that Kylie would do, and it worked great! Embroidery panels on the side and cupcakes fabric, it's absolutely perfect!

It's practical, decorative and cute, and my Miss Marple KA couldn't be happier with her cover!

Saturday Song: The Drunk Scotsman!

Hello everyone!


This is a scheduled entry, cause right now I'm on my way to the cottage, to play with Chipi, enjoy the weekend off, read some, take some photos and recharge my batteries!


But, I wanted to leave ya'll with something to make you smile and sing, and to chug a beer or two (or what other berverage of choice you might have!). Salud!

Friday Photos: Getting ready for an Indian wedding or... how to wear a saree!

Hey it's Friday! And this week, even I have the weekend off!!

Since I'm feeling pretty tired after my 5 days & 1 one night shifts at work, I begged the boyfriend for some shots to share with you guys today, to celebrate that is Friday and I have days off!

I'm showing off some photos of the mehndi (henna designs) that I got done for Gaurav's friend's wedding. And also, a few shots on How To Wear A Saree!

I got the saree for Umi's wedding on my previous visit to India this year, and I choose this beautiful Bengali silk saree cause I simply fell in love with the fabric and the colour!


I have never worn a saree before, and obviously I have no bloody clue how to wrap myself in the yards of fabric! Also, two basics you need before putting on a saree are the petticoat skirt and blouse. Mention worthy: when I bought my saree I read in the tag the blouse was included, but when we were paying for it (I went saree shopping with Gaurav's mom) I still didn't see hair nor hide of the blouse... turns out it is part of the yards of fabric, and you cut it out and take it to a tailor so you get it made in your size!


On the day of the wedding I asked Varsha for help with putting on my saree, cause both Gaurav's mom & sister were staying at a different hotel than us, but as it happened she also had help, cause the bride's family had hired 3 people that worked at saree shops to help the guests with the saree wearing!

The shop lady did most of the job, but Varsha was the one to make sure I looked great with the saree! Also, she was wearing an absolutely amazing saree herself!

And tah dah! All ready to attend a Big Fat Indian Wedding!! And I have to say, I think I managed to handle the saree wearing, and dancing and all that pretty well!

Travelling Thursday: My first trip to Ireland: Dublin and Newgrange!!!

Hello everyone!

After a faily busy 5 days of work and quite a few emotionals ups and downs and a lot of unhappiness with my own country over the way they're handling the economy, the country, the stupid backwards laws the new goverment wants to pass and the fact that they won't give Gaurav a tourist visa to come this year...

So, to cheer myself up today before working night shift, I want to share with you all some photos of my trip to Ireland in March! I didn't go for St Patrick's Day, if you remember I was at my Wilton 1 intensive course. But I managed to exchange a few days and went to visit the Emerald Island with Joel, my elder nephew!

I've always felt drawn to Ireland for no particular or apparent reason, and after being there... I just can't wait to go back! We stayed at a small B&B quite in the middle of Dublin & the Temple Bar area itself! We had everything walking distance, and we enjoyed having early bird dinners and then some pints at the pubs with live music. I dragged my nephew to see Newgrange (which he actually enjoyed) and marvelled at the amount of daffodils you can find all over the roads, and loved seeing all the black faced sheep everywhere! And of course, Newgrange itself is just amazing!

Funny fact, late March, Ireland... and not a drop of rain! We had the sunniest days ever, and I left my sunglasses back in Spain expecting it to be cloudy and rainy every day!

 The view of the river Liffey from the bridge right outside our B&B

 Let's have some Guinness!

Joel had his first taste of Guinness during this trip, and he loved it! We also learnt how to properly throw yourself a pint, and we even had our own tap the last night when we went for a dinner with live music and Riverdancing at the Arlington Hotel!

 The Half Penny Bridge over the Liffey

 Spring time in Ireland, with gorgeous cherry trees!

Visiting Newgrange (or Brú Na Bóinne) was an absolutely fantastic experience. And I'm really glad I could do the tour for this, since I couldn't visit Tara Hill. Obviously, another reason to go back!

There's a lot of debate about what was the actual function of Newgrange, a passage toomb or an ancient temple, that predates both the Piramids and Stonehenge? Check out their website for more info on this superbly remarkable place: Newgrange.

And to say goodbye, let's say good morning to sweet Molly Malone, selling cockles and mussels in the streets of old Dublin by day, and who knows what else by night...

I can't wait to go back to the green old Ireland, even more with Gaurav, and I wouldn't be adverse to moving there one day either...

Friday Photos: Let me introduce you to Miss Chipi!

Hey there everyone!

Happy Friday! Even if my weekend has been during week days this week, and now I have 5 days 3 to 10 pm and a night shift on a row, I'm feeling a bit more motivated than I've been these previous weeks, despite the horrible heat we're having these past few days.

Today I wanna introduce you to Miss Chipi, my dad's new puppy! One of my dad's doggies, Linda, died recently, of very old age, and my brother got my dad a new puppy! She's a pharaoh warren hound, and she's an absolute sweetie! Also, a bit of minx! She loves playing, cuddling, treats and napping in my mum's mint beds in the garden!

Happy weekend!!

Monday Munchies: Wilton 1 Intensive and Cupcakes for St Patrick's Day!!

Hello everyone and Happy Monday!!

This a very belated blog entry! I was actually working on it (uploading all the photos when the debacle with the coffee and the laptop happened, back in March!) but I think it's high time I finally publish it!

On Saint Patrick's Day this year I attended the Intensive Wilton 1 Cake Decorating Course at La Tienda Americana. And I absolutely loved every minute of it!

The course, although it gives a lot of general basics on how to bake a cake, cut it and cover it, mostly deals with the use of the piping bag and different piping tips, to create all sort of amazing decorations solely using buttercream!

Loleta, our teacher is a certified Wilton instructor and an absolute prodigy of the piping bag, the things that woman can do!

On these courses you get a kit with a book, and materials necessary for it, which means a lot of quite awesome Wilton goodies! (I'm not a fan of Wilton cupcake liners, cause they're crap, there I said it, but the rest of the Wilton stuff is awesome!).

And since I spent the whooole day at the course, I didn't have any time to make some St Patrick's cupcakes, so I made them the next day!


I thought that for St Patrick's a must would be a recipe with Guinness, so using the vegan recipe for stout and chocolate cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, I used Guinness instead of the vegan stout suggested and then used the Bailey's buttercream recipe from Lola's Cupcakes book, except I used a little less icing sugar than recommended, it gets too gritty for my taste otherwise. And since it's St Patrick's, green cupcakes were a must, I went for a mix of the Green Tea cupcakes recipe from the Primrose Bakery and the vegan recipe from VCTOTW!


For the decorations I used sugarpaste/fondant and some awesome stencils I got from Coppergifts (another awesome place to get stencils is Designer Stencils) with some edible sparkly powders (Sugarflair and Wilton). It's a rather simple technique but you get some spectacular results!

Guinness & chocolate cupcake with Bailey's buttercream!

I sent all the cupcakes to the nephews, the liked the green tea ones enough (but they said they sort of tasted too healthy? My sis-in-law loved them though) but they ADORED the Guinness & Bailey's ones, go figure!

Oh, and I forgot to show you my diploma! Course 1 done & bagged! I learnt a lot, had a blast with my fellow students and got some awesome goodies!