Rainbow Butterfly Cakes

Rainbow Butterfly Cakes

Today I had had enough of bloody tracerouting! My coursework’s in on Thursday, I’m not really behind, so I thought bugger it! I’ll surprise Mike with some lovely butterfly cakes!

And to be honest, butterfly cakes are a little childish. So I thought I’d “mature” them a bit and to me, nothing says grown-up and sophisticated quite like rainbows and glitter!

Last summer for a friend’s birthday I attempted this cake. And it came out pretty well to be honest! (see below)

But that beast, tidying included, took about 6 hours. And I didn’t have six hours. I had an hour. So I scaled it all down and made rainbow cupcakes instead!

I used the exact about of cake mix as the woman did above, so it seems pretty pointless me repeating it and telling you how to do it when it was her idea to begin with and she tells you perfectly well! But I didn’t use her icing. Her icing is amazing and I use it on the real cake but there’s not enough time in the day to stuff a mushroom, let alone make that icing! So I did mine with handfuls of icing sugar and butter and some clementine juice until it tasted right. (It looked awful but tasted fine.)

So here we are. I got my food dyes at Hobby Craft but I’m sure you can do it cheaper than that! Make these :] they’re lovely.

I swirled them up a bit here to make them a bit more psychedelic.

I cut the tops off pretty badly. That could be due to me having all the grace of a hippo or my knife. Which was a bit big, I admit. (I did cut myself but I doubt I’ll have the finger removed…)

(That crappy photo was just to try and show you the glitter!)

If you make these, please take photos! :] x

Folksy Friday - Money!

While at University the other day, one of my friends walked in and proclaimed “Gosh Kat! Don’t you look tired!”. Now, although I wasn’t offended by him, I do find the statement “you look tired” a little offensive, in a “don’t sugar the pill; you mean I look like shit” kind of way.

I will also point out that in our little group, it’s me, and around 8 boys. (We don’t have an abundance of females on a computer science course.) Not one could understand why I thought it was a bit rude, and they all argued that I tell them they look tired all the time. “But that’s different!” I argued. And I was called sexist.

And yes, it is sexist. But I don’t care :] So in tongue-in-cheek way, I’m doing a sexist Folksy Friday! As I'm female, I must obviously love money and since I’m a little short of time (and time is money) and money makes the world go round, what better choice?

P.S I’d just like to add this was all in jest at University and I am strongly against prejudices of all kinds! :] x

Folksy Friday- Orchid Care

When I lived at home, my mum had (well, still has to be frank) what can only be called an addiction; orchids. She has around 30 in her conservatory and being entirely honest I just thought she was going a bit mad. Yes, they are beautiful when they flower. Yes, they do flower for long periods of time. But the rest of the year they’re some mildly ugly leaves and a couple of twigs. No attraction there!

But the second I moved out, my inner domestic side flared! I say flared, it was like Blackpool illuminations. I did not give two hoots we were in a flat; we were going to be growing our own food! So I left B&Q armed to the gills with pots and seeds and plants and all sorts! We had rosemary and basil and mint and sage and tomatoes and pea pods and roses and daisies! And yes, even an orchid!

But systematically, it’s just all fallen apart. The tomatoes and peas were looking hopeful in the office! We had one ripe tomato and a few pea pods, and then I noticed the spiders. OK they were the size of pinheads, but there were (no lie) thousands of them! So they went straight to my parents. (we did eat a few pea pods and a single tomato though, and they were lovely!)

The rosemary was overtaking the kitchen window ledge. The sage was dying. Can’t possibly kill mint, can you not? Yes you can. Then the roses got the spiders; straight to my mother in law's! (Not really “mother in law” but close enough for jazz!)

So now we’re down to a Venus fly trap (not mine….) a basil plant (we have to regularly replace. We did have a long-lasting basil plant but it got about two feet high, then suddenly died….) and some orchids.

Yes! I caved! We have 8! Two are still flowering from November 2009 (!) when we moved in.

The strangest is this hanging triffid thing which is hideous, I agree, but when it flowers it gets massive purpley-blue flowers for around 8 weeks and it’s stunning :]

But this morning, while trying to care for one, that’s been growing buds for weeks and weeks, I snapped it. :[ clean off.

That’s said orchid, that should have buds. (Ignore the dying daffodils to the right and then enormous thing that I have no idea what it is, to the left. Both presents.)

And these are said buds.

And I did cry just a little bit. So in honour of me maiming my beloved plants, here is an orchid Folksy Friday!

x

Valentine’s Adventures

Happy Valentine’s Day, one and all! I trust you all had a lovely day/weekend?

I thought I would put up a quick blog (well I intend it to be a quick blog, but as I browse my pictures I can feel it growing…sorry!) about my lovely Valentine’s Day!

It was my third Valentine’s with my partner, Mike, (in fact, my third ever being in a relationship!) and the previous two we’ve spent in Devon.

My great aunt Win’s (now 88) husband’s (Ron, who unfortunately is dead) parents had a little cottage in Lympstone; a wee village just outside Exmouth. And ever since there have been various family cottages and what not there. (I spent pretty much every weekend there when I was growing up.) So the past two years, we were down there!

But alas, this year it was on a Monday. So to compromise, we went this weekend! And had a lovely weekend of shopping and beach combing on (a very windy!) Lympstone beach.

(That’s me practising my knitting :] )

And for today, I secretly cleaned the house (including doing the washing up! (for the first and last time ever….)) and made him steak and chips and chocolate mousse :]

(This may not sound an elaborate meal, but I can assure you that it is. The chips take over 3 hours to make. Thanks for that, Mr Blumenthal!)

And it was very much an “Aileen Clarke” Valentine’s Day, as both of our presents to each other were her felt pictures :]

Mine was this “Wee Chubby Coo” that, apparently, “I didn’t bloody shut up about!” (Worked then!)

And his, was a picture of us on a picnic in Devon last summer (When we were lucky enough for dad to have a lapse in tenants in our cottage :] )

This beautiful picture was created by (the very patient!) Aileen. I presented her with some of my pictures, more in hope than expectation, and I was bowled away by just how bloody good it is!

Oh, and I got flowers and the Lion King! ;]

So that’s my gushing over with! Back to bitter old me :]

Well, after watching the Lion King with chocolate mousse! (Sitting at the table is all very well and good, but couches are so much more comfortable….)

Please do share you adventures, too!

P.S How many Folksy items did you spot? I saw at least five. I really do have a problem….

“Why Don’t You Flutter By and Bee Mine? ;] ” Folksy Friday

I know! I can hear you all gagging while reading the title…I just feel obligated to do cheesy themes at this time of year, and I wanted to avoid the cliché!

Also, I know many people will feature red items, or heart shaped items etc and I wanted a variety! So I shoved aside my bitterness, took a deep breath, and came up with the cheesiest title that I could think of, and still relate to lovely Folksy items!

I must try and point out, though, that I am not actually propositioning for people to come and be my Valentine. I have a Valentine and he is more than adequate! (I do love you very much, really, dear :])

So here we are! Enjoy the lovely items and mock my naff blog, and I hope it’s not too sickly to stomach :] x