I painted my nails white in the hope that it would not look like I had got a bit happy with the Tipex; In a word: fail. So, rather than remove it I had a play around with colour. In the absence of toothpicks or some other pointed instrument I used a drinking straw that I'd cut in to a point to haphazardly -for want of a better word- blop the various colours all over my finger nails. I quite liked the textured effect, though this disappeared when I applied the top coat. I've been using the CND Vinylux topcoat for a while now. I'm not sure if you're technically supposed to use it over standard polish but I think it works great. Experiment = success.

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Prawn Risotto

I'm on a mission to make a risotto that doesn't taste like wallpaper paste and is approaching the seafood risotto I swoon over at Prezzo. So far I've had little luck but I've sort of realised where I'm going wrong. Wine. You need glugs upon glugs of it. Cheese. The more the merrier. And finally, butter. Chuck it in like you're baking a cake. So a tasty risotto isn't always the healthiest option, but it sure is filling and goes a long way. Here's what you'll need:

Olive Oil

Butter

Garlic 

Onion

Courgette

Cherry Tomatoes

Peas

Lemon Juice

Stock

Chili Flakes

Prawns

Salt and Pepper

Risotto Rice

White Wine

Herbs (I used basil and coriander)

Cheese (I used cheddar but parmesan is best)

I've never been one to measure out precise quantities or follow a particular method, and once you start cooking like this you grow in confidence and soon enough you'll be chucking in ingredients Jamie Oliver style. Experimenting is always the best way. Many an evening I will begin by putting olive oil, garlic and onion in a saucepan then see where the contents of my fridge takes me. If you're a little more nervous there are tons of tutorials/recipes to guide you through the basics. 

 It's still not Prezzo but it's definitely getting there...

Tile Makeover

When we moved in to our flat I there wasn't much about the place I didn't like. But there was one thing that made me cringe at the thought - the tiles. The obvious problem with renting is you can't do much to make the place your own. Hammer a few nails in the walls to stick photos up at the cost of your deposit is pretty much it. I thought all hope was lost until I discovered tile stickers on eBay. They're relatively cheap, easy to remove, and they're a great temporary quick fix. I went for grey because I hoped it would compliment the largely neutral tone of the kitchen/lounge/dining room (yes -our flat is pretty much two rooms). The tiles are easy to apply and the whole kitchen probably took an hour. The only downsides are that: a) I ran out of stickers b) the air bubbles that were supposed to disappear within days are still there weeks later, and c) I still haven't got round to buying the 10 extra stickers I need! So here's what it looks like before and after:

Kitchen Worktop

Gradually, I've been trying to neaten things up in the flat. It's good when a place feels and looks lived in but it's also good when people don't think you live in a dump. My aim is to move things about a bit and free up some space by sorting out cluttered corners. Corner No.2 after the sofa was the kitchen counter...

Before

After

Summer Cake

For my friend's mum's birthday I made this simple but effective cake. I love a nice tall cake with simple icing and flowers on top. I added a touch of yellow to this meringue based butter-cream and pinned some roses in at the top. As a finishing touch I sprinkled some edible glitter onto the centre of the cake.

Dinner Time

I've been trying to be healthy all my life and have recently been making a solid effort by stocking up the fridge regularly with tasty healthy treats. Even though I love cooking up more complex home-cooked goodies, sometimes it's nice to just go back to basics. Last week I made some chicken drumsticks and a mixed salad. It's super easy: just whack the drumsticks in the oven and pour over some olive oil, shake on some fajita mix and squirt on some BBQ sauce. Then chop up whatever greens and veggies you have. My favourite addition is fresh coriander for a tangy fresh salad.