Feeling Christmassy in Melbourne

Hello :)

Merry Christmas!

It's now boxing day in Australia  but I thought I'd quickly share a few festive photos from when we were in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago. 

It was quite a short stop in Melbourne - we were only there for one night, but we had the morning to walk around before heading to the airport and on to Tasmania.

There were some beautiful Christmas lights and decorations around the city, and I really loved walking through Royal Arcade (where most of these photos were taken) as it was looking particularly festive. There was a really beautiful store there selling  Babushka dolls and Christmas baubles from Russia that were so beautiful! 

We had a lovely time just strolling around and feeling that festive, magical vibe, so I hope you enjoy these photos!

I hope you've had a really lovely Christmas!

Lots of Love

Lauren

xxx

Baking Gingerbread

There's just something so Christmassy and lovely about the smell of gingerbread baking in the oven. I made it for the first time last year, and it's a pretty simple recipe so I thought I'd take some photos this time and share it with you.

Gingerbread is perfect as a little home-made gift, or just to bring round if your'e visiting a friend. The recipe I used is from last years Kikki.K Christmas catalogue and is super yummy!

 (On a side note, Kikki.K has some great gift packs if you're Christmas shopping for stationery lovers!)

This recipe makes 60-70 cookies. I didn't read that part last year and decided to double the recipe... That was a big mistake - unless you want a crazy amount of gingerbread!

Ingredients

For the Gingerbread:

* 200g butter

*250ml golden syrup

*400g white sugar

*1 tbsp ground cloves

*1 tbsp ground ginger

*1 tbsp cinnamon

*250ml cream

*1 tbsp bicarbonate soda

*7-8 cups plain flour

For the Icing:

*2 large egg whites

*2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*3 cups icing sugar (sifted)

*food colouring

Method:

Gingerbread

*Note - you'll need to prepare the dough a day in advance

1. In a medium saucepan on low heat, melt the butter and combine the syrup, sugar, spices and cream.

2. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the bicarbonate soda and 7 cups of flour. Mix to combine ingredients into dough.

3. Leave the dough to rest in the fridge overnight

*I suggest taking the dough out of the fridge about 10 minutes before you plan to roll it out so it has time to warm up a bit (otherwise it's very hard to work with!)

4. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius

5. On a floured bench, work the mixture with your hands as you add the remaining flour. 

This is what the recipe said, but I basically just scooped out a chunk of dough from the bowl, added flour as needed and rolled it out as thin as I could. 

6. Cut out shapes using your cookie cutters and place on a tray lined with baking paper

I actually found it easier to roll out the dough, transfer it onto a piece of baking paper and roll it out again a bit more thinly. This way you don't have to transfer the cookies from the bench to the paper and risk decapitating the poor gingerbread man.

7. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown

8. Cool on a wire rack - Ensure the gingerbread is completely cool before you start icing them. 

Icing

1. Beat the egg whites with the lemon juice or vanilla extract until frothy

2. Add the sifted icing sugar and beat on low speed until all combined, smooth and shiny

3. Beat at high speed for about 5 minutes until stiff and glossy

4. Separate into bowls and add food colouring

5. Scoop into sealable sandwich bags, cut a tiny hole in one corner and pipe the designs onto the gingerbread. 

I made a mistake with the yellow and cute the hole a little too big so ended up with quite thick icing. Just experiment and you'll find the best way to manipulate it.

I hope you enjoyed!

Let me know if you give them a try!

Lauren

xxx

Christmas Gift Ideas - For Her #2

I know it's getting a little late, but I thought I would quickly put up my final Gift Guide post seeing as I'd already made the collage!  These suggestions are probably more for the slightly younger, girly-girl :)


Soap and Glory - The Righteous Butter and Hand Food
Available from Kit Cosmetics, I'm sure that any "girly-girl" would enjoy something from Soap and Glory. These two products have the most amazing smell, are really moisturising, and also come in mini sizes so would make great stocking stuffers or just a nice gift if you're looking for something small. 

"Bird cage noticeboard" from Typo
I actually bought this for myself a couple of weeks ago with the intention of using it to store necklaces and earrings. It's currently sitting propped up against the wall as I haven't had a chance to hang it up, but once I do I'm sure it will get a lot of use! I think it would make a really nice gift - something a little bit different and quirky.


A Cute Mug and Tea
A cute mug paired with some nice tea (or hot chocolate mix if they're not a tea lover) will always make a nice, useful gift. I particularly love to give T2 teas as presents because they have such an extensive selection (and they're packaged beautifully!). Myer has some really cute "Little Miss" mugs at the moment, and Typo has a nice selection too. 

A Nice Toiletries/Make-up Bag
Another cute but useful gift. There's not much more to say about it!

A Lush Gift Set
Lush does some really lovely gift sets over Christmas and if you're shopping for a beauty lover I don't think you could really go wrong with one of these. I would just say that you do need to know what kind of scents the person likes, as some of the lush scents are quite strong.

A Fluffy Blanket
I mentioned this in my last Gift Guide (For Him). A super soft, fluffy blanket is always nice. Probably more appropriate for those in the Northern hemisphere though, seeing as it's a little too warm here for blankets!

A Wall Print
This one is from Typo. Just be a little cautious with this one because you don't want to pick something that will clash with the rest of their decor! (I'd probably save this kind of gift for my sister because I know what she likes and what would go in her room). 

Anyway, that's it for now. You can click here for links to where you can find these things.  

Hope you enjoyed!

Lauren
xxx

Christmas Gift Ideas - For Him

Hello :)

Happy Sunday! Here is the second part of my little Gift Guide series, this time "For Him". Let's hop right in. 


An "Easy" Cook Book
For example: Jamie Oliver's "Ministry of Food", or "What's for Dinner?" by Curtis Stone.
Obviously this isn't going to be for everyone, but my parents gave Tom the Jamie Oliver book a few years ago, and he really loved it. It's full of simple but tasty recipes with step by step instructions that are really easy to follow. Great for someone who's just getting started with cooking or who just wants to cook a nice meal without too much fuss (and if you're lucky enough they might even decided to cook something for you! :p)

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (or Similar)
There's a whole range in this series (books to read, places to visit, songs to listen to, etc...) My Dad loves these kind of books, and he now has quite the collection. This one in particular would be great for the movie buff. 

Wallet
This wallet by Status Anxiety is super compact and slimline. Perfect for the minimalist. This was one of Tom's birthday presents this year and he seems to really like it!

Bow Tie
Not much to say about this one, again it depends on the person, but I think it would make a cute gift.

Shower Gel/Shaving Cream/Other Body Products
The Lush "Dirty" scented shower gel and shaving cream pictured here smells of spearmint and is so lovely and refreshing. Heaps of other brands have gift sets available if you're wanted to go along with this kind of present, but keep in mind that you probably don't want to get one of the sets with all the silly extras that will never be used. Keep it simple!

Super Soft Fluffy Blanket
Not something you'd usually think to give to a boy, but I've given this as a gift to two guys now and they both loved it! Just make sure it's in a "manly" colour and really soft and fluffy (I think that's part of the appeal).
Bed Bath and Table has some really nice ones, but I'm sure you can find these in pretty much any "Home" store.

Jo Malone Cologne
I wrote about this in my "For Her" gift guide, but Jo Malone also does some really lovely scents for men as well. Very luxurious and delicious! 

Beard Trimmer/Hair Clipper Set
I don't know a whole lot about these so not much to say, other than that this something my Dad wanted for Christmas, so you never know, maybe other Dad's out there would like this too? The one pictured is the Wahl Deluxe Corded Hair Clipper Gift Set and I picked it up from Myer. 

An Interesting Wall Print
Typo has some really cool and relatively inexpensive wall art available at the moment. 

A Belt
You can never really go wrong with a nice belt. There's tonnes of different styles to suit everyones taste, and it's something pretty safe that you can (almost) always be sure they will use. I've seen some great belts in French Connection and Country Road lately.

A Cute Mug and some Hot Chocolate Mix (or Tea/Coffee)
I'm giving this to one of my friends this year. I think the Mr Men mugs are so cute, and they're the kind of thing that will always come in handy. Myer has quite a large selection of Mr Men (and Little Miss) mugs this year, so you can choose one suitable for the person you're giving it to. Paired with some nice Tea and Koko Black Hot Chocolate Mix, I think it makes a nice gift. 

Anyway, hopefully this was somewhat helpful!

I hope you're having a great Sunday afternoon :)

Lots of Love
Lauren
xxx

There's also links to where you can find most things on my Polyvore page

Christmas Gift Ideas - For Her

Hello :)

I get a little overexcited when it comes to Christmas shopping and I wanted to share my excitement by putting together a little guide for gift ideas - one "For Her", and one "For Him". I've been meaning to write this post for a few weeks now, and seeing as I've just spent most of the evening wrapping Christmas presents, I thought this would be the perfect time to finally sit down and get it done. Hopefully this gives you a little inspiration if you're stuck for ideas!


Clarins Face and Body Gorgeous Getaways Set
 Clarins has a whole range of beautiful gifts sets available this year. It's one of those brands that has universal appeal - even my Mum who isn't into beauty products at all really loves Clarins. This set is perfect because it mostly contains the basics and nothing too "fussy" which she wouldn't use. I'm sure whoever is lucky enough to receive a Clarins gift set would really appreciate it.   

WillowTree Sculpture
 I've been fortunate enough to received a couple of these gorgeous hand painted sculptures as gifts from my parents. They're so beautiful in their simplicity, and each one represents an idea, (for example, the ones that I have are "Love" and "Happiness", and the sculpture in the picture above is "Abundance". I think they make lovely, meaningful gifts. Here's a little snipped from the website.  
The sculptures are rendered so as to suggest elegance, simplicity, peace and serenity. Forms reveal their expressions through body gestures only... a tilt of the head, placement of the hands, a turn of the body. Emotions are left to the viewer to discern, which makes them personal and powerful. Willow Tree is an understated line that speaks in a compelling way.

Photo Frames 
I personally love photo frames and this set of four frames from Kikki.K would make a lovely gift for someone who likes home decor. They'd look  great hung up as part of a gallery wall (which is on my list of "Things to do in my future house one day"). Another good place to look for frames is Country Road - they have a great selection!
For a really personal gift, you can't go past a beautiful framed photo of you and the person you're giving it to. (As you may be able to tell, I really like sentimental, meaningful gifts). 

Diary
For this one I think you really need to be close to the person you're giving it to, as they may very well have already picked up a diary by the time Christmas comes around. If you're sure they haven't, Kikki.K has some really cute (and functional) diaries.

A beautiful candle
There are so many different candles to choose from!  
The one in the picture above is from Country Road and has a lovely fresh, subtle fig scent. Other places/brands that have really nice candles include Tigerlily, Bed Bath and Table (my favourite is the Vanilla Bean Candle by Ecoya), and Archipelago which you can find at Kit Cosmetics in Myer.

Frankie Magazine Calendar
I'm giving this to my sister this year (I'm pretty sure she doesn't read my blog so hopefully it's safe to say that!) 
Frankie is her favourite magazine, and this Calendar has some beautiful prints which I thought that she could maybe save and frame one day. 

New York Cult Recipes Cook Book
Another gift I'm giving my Mum. My parents recently went on a trip to New York,  so I thought this book would be nice to add to her collection, and to remind her of her trip. It has some really tasty looking recipes that are a bit different to what you might find in a typical cook book.

Clarins Luscious Lips Christmas Gift Set
Another Clarins gift set. Now, I'm not a lipgloss fan (too sticky and troublesome), but I seriously love the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors. They feel so lovely and moisturising, smell (and taste) like vanillarly, chocolatey goodness, and add just a subtle natural shine. Perfection!

Jo Malone
I've become a little bit Jo Malone obsessed since discovering the brand when I was in London last year. Their scents are so beautiful and unique and would make for a very luxurious and special gift. I'm so happy there's now a Jo Malone Counter in David Jones! They have a whole range of products - Colognes, Candles, Bath products, and they package everything so beautifully. Fragrance can be a tricky thing to buy as a gift, but if you have a general idea of what the person likes, I don't think you can really go wrong with Jo Malone. 
They are expensive, but if you're looking to treat someone, this is where I would go.


Anyway, I hope this was helpful, and if not, hopefully you just enjoyed the pretty pictures! I love reading these kind of posts/watching gift guide videos, so this is just my little contribution! :)
If you go to my polyvore page, there are links to where you can find most of these things (although I'm not sure all the prices are exactly right). 

I hope you're having a lovely night! Part 2 "For Him" should be coming soon!

Lots of Love
Lauren
xxx