Rainy Day Reads

I’ve been wanting to do a fun little tag for a while, because I think it’s a fun way to go over a few of the books you’ve read. So I found this tag on Tumblr and thought it looked like fun. I found the tag here , but I don’t know who created the original.  The only rule seems to be that you can’t use the same book twice! So here it goes… One quote:  “It’s against the rules of humanity to believe there is nothing we can do”. From "Finnikin of the Rock" by Melina Marchetta Two OTPs:  SPOILER ALERTS!!  Katniss/Peeta from "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins and "Lucas/Jacqueline" from Easy by Tammara Webber Three series:  His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling (Obviously!) The Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater (so exited for The Raven King to come out soon!) Four authors:  Jane Austen Erich Maria Remarque Charles Dickens Jean M. Auel (absolutely loved the Earth’s Children serie...

Now I don’t do a lot of DIY, as evidenced by this blog! But once in a while I get the urge to make something. And the other day I decided to make this little tea light candle holder. It’s easy, cute and inexpensive, so I thought I would share it here.   Really there is not much to it, but I felt so proud of myself for completing it that I wanted to share!  You need: A small glass jar Glue A brush for the glue Strips of paper or fabric (if you use paper make sure it’s quite thin, as this will be easier to work with) Now you just put some glue on the side of the jar and stick your strips of paper or fabric down. Brush glue on again to make sure it really sticks and continue until the jar is completely covered. Bend the strips under the bottom of the jar and glue them down. At the top of the jar cut the strips to just above the opening and then bend them into the jar and glue them down. Let it dry and you’re done!! Easy peasy!  ...

I’m not great in the kitchen, so I wouldn’t say something is easy if it really isn’t. But I just made these chocolates, and it took me maybe 20 minutes. It is very simple, only uses a few ingredients and is fun to do with bigger kids. It includes a bain marie to melt the chocolate, so if there are any smaller kids involved, they can roll the marzipan balls and decorate them after they have been dipped in chocolate.   You will need:  Marzipan Chocolate Sprinkles of your choice. I used toasted coconut flakes, chopped almonds and sea salt,but you can use any sort of sprinkles you want. Colored sprinkles, licorice powder, dried edible flowers, any sort of nuts, anything you want really.  Roll the marzipan into small balls. You can make them any size you like, but I like to keep mine small for a good chocolate to marzipan ratio. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie (a bowl over a pan of boiling water) and carefully roll the balls in this until they are covered i...

There is something quite cozy about homemade decorations. I like the mix and match of all the colors and textures, the slightly wonky decorations the kids have made, the old family heirlooms mixed with the new and funky decorations bought from the shops.  When the Christmas themed magazines come out with the “color scheme” for this year’s Christmas I must confess I roll my eyes a bit. I don’t go in for Christmas having a color scheme. I mix all the colors and while that might be a bit messy, I think it’s cozy. The carefully curated set of baubles in the perfect color combination just makes me feel like I’m living in a magazine picture and I am afraid to touch anything.  Granted the color coordinated Christmas trees look great! I think they are really pretty, but they are just not for me. I feel like the pressure of creating and adhering to a color scheme just adds to the pressure and expense of Christmas, and I don’t need that! So I am all about the homemade decoratio...