Allsorts Part 2!

D O U B L E . C H O C O L A T E . B A I L E Y S . B U N N Y . M U F F I N S

YOU WILL NEED:

275 g Plain Flour

25g Cocoa Powder

3 Teaspoon's Baking Powder

150g Sugar

75g Butter (Melted)

150ml Bailey's

3 eggs (Beaten)Vanilla Essence

200g White Chocolate (Chopped)

200g Milk or Dark Chocolate (I used Cadbury's Wholenut)

Optional: 5 Hobnob biscuits, Pinch of Cinnamon, 

[★] Preheat Oven to 200C. Sift the Flour, Cocoa Powder & Baking Powder together in a bowl. Add the Sugar and stir together.

[★]  Add the Melted Butter, beaten Eggs, Vanilla Essence, Bailey's and Optional: Ingredients and mix together. Stir in the Chopped White Chocolate.

[★]  Spoon into cake cases (I made 15 with this recipe!) and bake for 18-20 minutes until well risen. 

[★] Melt the Brown Chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water and drizzle over the cooled cakes.

[★]  I drizzled some leftover White Chocolate over the Brown for contrast and added Mini Eggs and little rabbits I'd made from Ready-to-Roll white icing ^.^

M E R M A I D S !

I had a Splat day last week with Sue being away and took a break to adorn my sketchbook with some funky colours! I quite like the one above, and gave her opaque fins and suckers down the front of her tail to contrast with her rainbow hair and black eyes. She's probably the most tropical one that's jumped out of my head so far ^.^

A Selkie! She's plainer, chunkier and much less colourful than the Mermaids but is more good-natured, practical and modest.

An Orca Mermaid! I had Killer Whales and polar icebergs on the brain when I started her.

 

This one got scarier as I started colouring her in. 

She's a Plague Mermaid - lives in the Dark and see's nothing but the Future and can't speak to tell it. 

When I eventually (Ha-haaa!) finish the Romance Story I've been working on for three years, I'd like to illustrate each new Chapter with a full-page plate before the Story resumes.

E L I S S A B A T

I treated myself to an Elissabat a few weeks ago and only got the chance to unbox her properly last night. She is bloody gorgeous! It's lovely that Monster High have released Dolls already in their ambitions rather than not quite getting there yet, plus I've been waiting a while for a Gothic-Lolita styled one ;) If they release a Monster High Wrestler Doll, I'll be over the Moon :D

Shelf is getting a bit full again...no? ;)

S E S S I O N S . I N . T H E . S U N

Put together Twylla's outdoor run this morning and had her out for a few hours in the Sun this afternoon whilst I drew for a few hours. Gonna take some tunes out next time and maybe have a spare Bunny-sitter so I don't need to pack up everytime I need the loo - haha!

She doesn't look impressed, Bless her!

Phew - That's all for now!

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Phwoar - Allsorts!

M A D E . W I T H . L O V E

After the Happy Hamster Cupcakes I made last month in my Valentine's Day Cupcake haul, I wanted something a bit more challenging in my next Baking spree! I made this Yorkshire Terrier Birthday cake for Sue - the other half of Sukiwear - a few days ago modeled after her pet Yorkie cross - Bart!



A mooch online for 'Marzipan Dog' didn't bring up any of the shapes I wanted (Although there were a few awesome lifelike ones that made my piping bag droop in shame!), so I rolled up my sleeves, popped some Orange food coloring onto a handful of Marzipan and used my imagination!
I mixed a lot of icing sugar with a tiny bit of water and black food coloring to get the thick paste I wanted, and painted the back markings on with a clean paintbrush (Wiping it vigorously with kitchen roll to remove any loose bristles!) and the eyes are chocolate drops with the points facing inwards. I made Bart's green ball and placed it in the middle before decorating with cream and Smarties.



The actual cake is Devil's food with Cinnamon, a few drops of vanilla bean and two handfuls of muesli to keep things interesting, and has a chocolate butter-cream filling and coating.
Feedback was really good - I took a cheeky slice home and went halfies on it with my friend from work who says I should make a career of it - Haha! :)

C O L O U R . M E . H A P P Y

My Happy Scrapbook remains a constant enjoyment and a work in progress. I cut out all of my daft little illustrations, cut out and stick them in and do them up in the pages. The girl above is my newest one and is littered on the right amongst the mermaid and the cuddling girls I drew in biro a few years ago - I'm really diggin' drawing Goth Girls at the moment, and I'll be so chuffed when the book is full!

G O O D . M O R N I N G

This is one of the many feline friends I have around my Flat. I usually see them on my way home from a Nightshift. This one loves cuddles, she'll have a few minutes stroke from me, then rub up against a Post, and then roll around on her back for a bit on the path before going on her way.

Silly Kitty - She's such a sweetie! ♥

C H A R I T Y . S H O P . H A U L S

SCOPE: The Scope in Peterlee sells books at four Paperbacks for £1 or Two Hardbacks for £1. This is partially the reason my Monster High Dolls had to upgrade to their own space recently! All of the above are a 4-for-1 deal, and I got the Crimes & Criminals book to make up the 4 - I'll probably donate it back without having a flick through as I've read hundreds of books of the same nature. I'm making an effort this year to get through Classic Novels so we're starting with two Jane Austen ones :)
I actually had a copy of the Vagina Monologues from the now defunct Musiczone when I first started College but this was confiscated (and probably burned) along with my "Dip me in Chocolate and throw me to the Lesbians" Tee that I bought with my Paper route money for being 'Inappropriate' (There's a reason I don't talk about my Child/TeenageHood folks!)
It was wonderful flicking through the pages and questioning my feelings on it 10 years later and how they'd changed - maturity is a responsible and more empathetic perspective.
I can't believe someone actually gave away a copy of a Studio Ghibli film! I first saw 'Princess Mononoke' at Christmas just gone, and it was mine for a mere £1 :D

BHF: BHF is excellent for Bric-a-Brac, and I've had many an exciting find there over the years. Part of me questions whether they're all about image and quality, and scrutinize every donation bag they get - giving the faded worn jeans and the net curtains to the other shops.
Anyway, the Harry Potter book was a brilliant find - explaining the daft little Easter Eggs within the HP Series, giving out extra info about the fandom and explaining a good bit of behind-the-scenes information about myths, legends, histories, Latin derivatives and gives a nice literature understanding of the Series. It was only written halfway through the release of the entire Series, but nice nonetheless.
The Twits continues to be my favourite Roald Dahl book. I laughed out loud whilst reading it in Costa and startled astonished fellow patrons but I didn't care one bit ;)
I'm a bit late getting into Avril Lavigne - being greatly apposed to the popularity of her music at the time it came out, but I wanted "Under My Skin" after being impressed with "Let Go" which I bought down South at Christmas. I haven't listened to it properly all the way through yet, but I've always loved "Nobody's Home".
I really dig fans at the moment - must be a channeling an Inner Geisha!

PDSA: I got this sensibly-priced Claire's necklace (ie £1 instead of RRP: £4.50!) as it reminded me of the Smartie Cookies I made a while ago, and a good wodge of Indian Jingly bangles. I love the way they slide up and down your wrist and have that awesome tinkly sound :D

Phew! That's all for now ♥