post-Christmas cupcakes

OK, hands up: who's feeling the consequences of Christmas with stodgy, bloated stomachs and the desire to detox for the new year? It's natural, it's common, it's understandable yet why deprive yourself of yummy food when you know, deep down, that's the last thing you want to do. Well these poppy seed and lemon cupcakes are a healthy alternative that still have the appearance of being indulging but are filled with fresh lemons- a successful component in detox dieting because of the ability to break down the build up of toxins in the body while contributing to short term weight loss. Result ;-)

You will need...

1 lemon
50g wholemeal flour,
2 table spoons of poppy seeds,
50g butter,

1 egg,
50g sultanas

What to do...

• mix the butter with the sugar in a bowl and then beat in the egg. 
• Squeeze the juice out of a lemon and pour into the bowl of ingredients
• combine the poppy seeds and then fold in the flour
• mix in the sultanas and then spoon the mixture into cake cases.
• bake for approximately twenty minutes at 180 degrees.
• I then juiced a second lemon and lightly spread it on top for extra flavour and a shinier finish but this is entirely optional.

26th December.

I may be eighteen but I still get as excited about Christmas as I did when I was six, hence the cheesy picture in front of the tree and presents yesterday morning. I hope you all had a lovely day. Mine was a bit odd due to the absence of two family members (my sister and her boyfriend were away) but apart from that we did the usual of taking it in turns opening presents, lounging about in front of the television, eating scrumptious food, more television, and a game of scrabble to finish the day (total hipsters). Below are some photos ♥

gloves, incenses from The White Company for my bedroom, Gucci Premiere perfume, Cath Kidston cake stand, Tara Stiles yoga dvds, Karl t-shirt, fake snow, mini Christmas pudding with cream, annual game of bowling which took place today.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas filled with happiness and fun
Lots of love,
Francesca and Seb the rabbit
xoxo

I'm wearing a handmade headband made by myself using a plain headband, felt stars, glue and lots and lots of glitter and Seb's wearing his very own Christmas hat (awwww). I now leave you with the super cute items from Charlotte Olympia's Christmas collection with heals that jingle like Santa's sleigh and a clutch good enough to eat. It's always enjoyable when designer's get into the festive spirit and Charlotte has done so perfectly!

Francesca's Christmas

There are many guides scattered around the blogosphere about Christmas shopping so what makes mine so different? Well I see it more as a gathering of what I'd have in my life to make the period that little bit more special, rather than recommending the perfect gifts for friends and family (because, let's all be honest, it is nice to spoil yourself a little bit too) So here it is: short, simple and full of fun! Also, I apologise for the layout but I am so ridiculously bad at technology that this was the best way I could edit it in order for it to be read clearly. (It's taken from a scrapbook of mine and when I scanned it on to my computer the text was too small)

walking in a winter wonderland

I present you with my fairly unfocused photos of Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland courtesy of cramped proxemics and my Samsung Galaxy S2. Yes, if there's one place in the UK that allows you to escape to the magical surroundings of snow-filled Christmas festivities then it's central London. All joking aside, it was a fun Saturday afternoon with my brother and if you exchange the masses of people with snow then you could maybe be mistaken for wondering through a Lapland village. I say that because of the cosy cabin-like stools  selling gifts, handmade crafts, sweets, mulled wine and hot cider, their structure reminiscent of those found in a true winter's scene. With that in mind though, nothing beats the enchanting appearance of the South Bank at night (final picture below) with the lighting seeming even prettier this time of the year.

Keeping with the theme, who is yet to see blonde beauty Kate Bosworth performing Winter Wonderland exclusively for Topshop? The single is available to buy on Itunes now but in the meantime you could always watch the short clip below and leave the soothing vocals guide you into a peaceful daydream.

Let's bake! Fruit cake cupcakes

It's the most wonderful time of the year sang Andy Williams and he couldn't have been more correct. Festive food is just one of the pleasures of December and I'm not talking about Turkey and all things meaty (hi, Veggies!) It's only around now that I can snack away on a whole chocolate orange and feel guilt-free, or munch on Ferrero Rochers (especially the coconut ones. yum) because my mother refuses to buy chocolates like that any other time of the year. And, of course, fruit cake! My grandma always used to make the best fruit cake but that was a while ago and since then Lakeland's have always been a pleasant alternative. Right now though I decided to combine the delight of both Christmas cake and cupcakes with these simple-to-bake lovelies. The photos above were taken during the process of making them so I hope you have find the final result (placed next to home-made mince pies) more appetising to the eye. Scroll down for the recipe. Enjoy!! ♥

63g butter,

50g brown sugar,

1tsp grated orange,

1 egg,

250g dried mixed fruit,

50ml orange juice,

38g plain flour,

38g self-raising flour,

1/2 tsp mixed spice,

decoration: regal icing, glace cherries, dried apricot, raisins, green food colouring

• preheat the oven to 170 then begin by beating the butter, sugar and orange peel together in a bowl
• once creamy, add the egg and beat in
• pour in the dried fruit, walnuts and orange juice and then, once mixed, stir in the flour and mixed spice
• divide into cupcake cases and place in the oven for 30 minutes
• When ready and your kitchen is smelling delicious, leave to cool and begin with the decorations.
• Roll out the icing (I brought some ready made) and then cut out circles to place on top
  You can then do whatever you fancy but I attempted holly (using a cherry cut in half and food-coloured icing) and Rudolph (using a cherry cut in half, raisins and dried apricot)
• Then finally and most importantly, take a bite and enjoy the taste of Christmas

christmas trees and snowflakes

A short-winded post this Sunday evening as I share with you some of my latest festive accessories. All bits and bobs are from The Bead Gallery, a shop in my home town that's made for all your beading needs. With the bracelet, I was foolish enough to not buy the right amount of red and green beads so, like all totally creative people do (har har), I improvised. Does it look stupid? I think it looks kind of stupid. Oh well, let's call it 'quirky'. I hope you are all had a fabulous weekend!! x

On the playlist

 HAIM Don't Save Me 

Ms Mr Hurricane

Caggie Dunlop and Billy Lockett Beneath Your Beautiful

sequins and stars.

Wow, who is this female I can sort of see in these photographs? Yes, I know. It's been ages since I've last produced a blog post with me actually in it but literally nothing has happened in my life worth blogging about! Yesterday Tasnim and I spent the day traipsing around shops before meeting up with some of our besties for an Italian meal. I brought some presents and some earrings, ate my first mince pie of December and fell in love with the Lego store. Tasnim brought a beautiful outfit for the evening, ate a not-so-hot 'hot chocolate' cupcake and fell in love with the Disney store. (just in case you can't tell, we are eighteen years of age)

Every year, a new festive customisation takes place. Last year it was a top with a penguin in a Christmas hat and the year before it was a snowman cardigan. This year it's the turn of the denim shirt and, unlike the previous years, I decided to do something a little more subtle. I added my own Christmasy twist to the much-seen collar tips, using red sequined fabric, and sewed on the mini felt stars after spotting them in Paperchase and thinking 'hey, these may come in handy!' At first glance though, they do kind of look like cat paws in the middle. hmm...