Kitchen Clickalong....

The OH and I have participated in few of Allegra McEvedy's kitchen clickalongs on the Guardian website. It's kind of a no-brainer that it would appeal to me, lover of food and recipe books! What makes these particularly interesting is the unknown element. You don't see the recipe as a whole so it is very different from following a recipe in a book....but it's also lots of fun.

Allegra also focuses on seasonal food and tends to use a lot of fresh produce which is great. Last night's was one of the best yet, especially because it was the first in our lovely new kitchen which has a breakfast bar counter perfect for the person on calling-out-the-instructions-from-the-laptop duty...which the OH did fabulously while also managing to make some amazing fresh raspberry and chambord based cocktails (more on them later as I think they are deserving of their own post!). We made English quiche of new season garlic, asparagus and new potatoes with lemon curd pots for pudding. I managed to use pretty much every utensil and container in the kitchen....but the end results were absolutely delicious! For anyone interested in cooking, I suggest you keep an eye out for the next one and join in....

Make do and mend....

So the OH and I have just moved into a new house.....and without gushing (I only do that to my family and friends....a lot) I am just in love with it. We are only renting so are not in the business of making huge decor/refurbishing changes.....but we are planning on being there for a while so we are making it our own.....slowly but surely.

One of the projects I want to do in the fairly forseeable future is 'upcycle' our aged billy bookcases, of which there are 5 now in the open plan lounge/dining room area. They are currently tired-looking pine and the plan is to paint them white and wallpaper the inner back panel.

This is not a new and original idea by any means, it's been done to great effect here on design sponge and there are a number of sites that give step-by-step instructions. I think it's going to look great and to be honest, if it doesn't, we can always get some new bookcases as the ones we have at the moment are not in the prime of their lives so I'm not afraid of 'ruining' them. But I would always rather reuse what we have already, especially when doing that can mean you end up with something a little bit more original and personal than something straight from the shop.

I have ordered the wallpaper already (see below....I love it) and hopefully once that arrives I can get started so will post pics in the next few weeks.

Beauty Review: Yes To Carrots Body Lotion and Eye Contour Cream

Yes To Carrots is a US-based skincare range now available in the UK. I have been using the 'C is Smooth - Body Moisturising Lotion' and 'Eye can C Clearly Now - Eye Contour Cream' for several weeks and although I wouldn't say they have astounded me they are good overall products.

The body lotion is non-greasy which is good. The only thing I don't like is that it just seems to disappear so I have to apply quite a lot before I feel like it's had an effect. I do like the fresh, 'baby lotion' smell as it doesn't interfere with my perfume.

The eye cream moisturises my under eye area effectively but unfortunately didn't do anything for dark circles or puffiness. So it's a nice product but not a miracle worker....it does however come in a very large jar compared to most eye products so will last for a long time and is good value for money.

The range uses Beta-Carotene from fruits and vegetables and minerals from the Dead Sea. Products do not contain parabens, phthalates and are not tested on animals. The 'Yes To' company state that they try to use as high a natural and organic content as possible....but this does vary from product to product, so it's best to do a bit of research and check the ingredient list for each one if you have particular concerns. The company aims to donate over 5% of profits towards the 'Yes To Carrots' Seed Fund, a US non-profit organisation which provides grants to schools and communities to help them build gardens and promote healthy nutrition. Visit http://www.yestocarrots.com/. for more information about the company and specific products.