Wednesday, 30 November 2011

How To make Floating candles

Floating Candles look so beautiful and are very easy to make. Perfect to add some extra twinkle to your Christmas parties or to give as a gift.
You will need


A heart shaped soap mould (these can be found online or in craft shops)
Soya wax
Wick string
Perfume oil
Red candle dye
Jug
Microwave
Something to stir your wax (I use an old chop stick)
Wooden skewers
A pretty cup
Cellophane
Ribbon


Step One
You don't need a lot of wax to make these so put about a quarter of  a jug of the soya wax in the microwave for approximately two minutes. Once melted add your red dye and perfume oil and mix
Step Two
Cut lengths of wick string approximately ten centimetres long and place them inside each of your moulds.

Step Three
Pour the wax into the moulds. use your skewers to centre the wicks

Step Four
Print out a tag and write what your candles are.

Step Five
Once set take out if the moulds and snip your wicks to length.
Put in your china cup and wrap in cellophane and ribbon.
Dim the Lights, Fill a bowl with water and let your floating candles scent the room and twinkle away







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All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog


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Tuesday, 29 November 2011

How To Make A Pamper Basket

I recently wrote a post about getting hand made gifts right. I was delighted at how positive people were about it and thought I would share with you one of the handmade gifts Ive created this year.

 This project illustrates beautifully how you can mix second hand finds with home made goodies as well as a few other carefully chosen items to create a unique and personal gift.I hope this post also shows how with a little time and pre planning you can give lovely presents which tread slightly lighter on the earth, don't contribute quite as much to the land fills and are quite thrifty in a chic way.
What I used.
This basket is for my mother in law (she doesn't read my blog so this wont be a spoiler) I wanted to create a lovely luxurious basket of goodies which she could use over and over again.Over the last few months I have collected or made the following items:
  • A wicker basket from a charity shop 
  • A beautiful silk pashmina from a vintage fair. The colour is fantastic and its so soft. I simply hand washed and pressed it and its perfect. My mother in law loves to go on trips to visit gardens and stately homes and this shawl is perfect for putting on when it gets chilly.Don't feel there is a stigma to gifting something which has been pre worn, if an item is in mint condition and is lovely it matters not a jot that you picked it up from a charity shop, jumble sale or attic fair. Always carefully wash and steam second hand items and spray with some scented linen water.
  • A blue toile de jouy china cup and saucer from a car boot sale (when gifting china always ensure it is chip free)
  • A Rose Petal Jam Jar candle. For details how to make this click here
  • A tin of beautiful tea in a lovely tea caddy

  • Some fabulous eye cream from the body shop which I purchased using a voucher code which gave me 40% off
  • A photograph of my daughter (well this is for a nan)

I lined the basket in pink tissue paper and carefully placed all the items in it.


I printed out a label and hand wrote what the basket contained.


I always think its nice to illustrate the purpose of a gift like this, whether its a food lovers hamper or a beauty basket a handwritten tag always looks great.
I then wrapped the basket in cellophane (not possibly the most environmentally friendly material but I know my mother in law is a good recycler so I hope you will let me off) and some ribbon.

The end result is a beautiful basket of goodies. All thoughtfully chosen or handmade and given with love.














Limited Edition Killer Curves Tee Shirts (including the brand new Curverella and the zombies design) Now On Sale



My brand new Killer Curve tee Shirts cost £13 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!




All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog


I love to read your comments. Im not always the quickest at replying to them but rest assured I read every one. For quick responses twitter and facebook are probably better.Thanks so much for checking in. It makes my day.

Monday, 28 November 2011

How To Have The Perfect Duvet Day

Its the season of goodwill, cold weather and perhaps a few sniffles. Occasionally it does us all good to take a duvet day. An unscheduled day off which isn't filled with chores, plans or commitments is a rare thing indeed and when I get a chance to have one here is how I make it extra special. I understand that by gathering these items together you could be accused of slightly pre planning your spontaneous duvet day but hey the end result is a day of luxurious laziness.


Clean Bedding
Its  a duvet day so the idea is to spend most of it in bed. Not necessarily sleeping (although a few old lady style dozes are essential) but just enjoying stretching out like a cat living in the moment. You must have clean bedding for this, it starts your duvet day with the right tone.I use Cath Kidstons Cherry Blossom Linen Spray when I iron my bedding. It infuses the sheets with such a lovely scent you just can't wait to get into bed.
Cuddle Up With cashmere
A luxurious duvet day is all about comfort and what better way to keep your toes warm than with a cashmere throw. My particular favourites are the wool and cashmere blankets by John Hanley for Liberty. As soft as a kitten you will feel like you are wrapped in a cloud as you lie doing absolutely nothing.
A Flask Of Tea
This being a duvet day you want to limit your need to be near domestic appliances as much as possible. This is where the good old flask comes into play. Fill it with a lovely black tea rather than having luke warm milky dishwater. Slice some lemon and put these on the edge of your china cup and voila you have the means for beautiful tea with a slice of lemon all through the afternoon.

My new flask is perfect for this and my choice of tea? Rose tea I think by Twinnings.

Magazines & Books
A duvet day requires lots of idly flicking through glossy magazines and reading trashy books. Forget high brow or self improvement its all about turning your brain off for a few hours and enjoying the emptiness in your brain box.My personal reading choices for a day of idleness go like this:
  • Vogue ( A pure fashion fix)
  • Heat (Gossip with no lasting meaning)
  • Grazia (Like a combination of the two)
  • Vintage Life (Best Mag in town)
  • Jackie Collins Lady Boss/Jilly Cooper Riders/Jacqueline Susann's Valley Of the dolls
A Mini Spa
A duvet day isn't the time for a full on pamper. Too many trips to the bathroom required. These are the beauty items I use on a duvet day which once applied can be left on.Perfectly in tune with my day of doing nothing but with the added bonus that I am spoiling myself which is after all what its all about.
Soap and Glory foot cream with pink socks.

Crabtree and Evelyn Gardeners hand cream for a good paw nourish

Garnier Caffeine Roll On to freshen up my under eyes
My i-Pod

I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I have a play list called "Duvet Day" it consists of dreamy relaxing stuff like Debussy,Joni Mitchell and Fleet Foxes. Plump up your pillows stick in your earphones and drift away. 





So those are my tips for a perfect duvet day. I hope Ive inspired you to occasionally jump off the hamster wheel and have a day of relaxation and self indulgence. You will feel amazing afterwards and the glow lasts for days.


Relax-You are worth it






   

Tuesday, 22 November 2011

Bakewell Tart Recipe



You may remember I featured my friend Yasmin from The Great British Bake Off's Christmas scones last week. This post was a huge hit with you guys and so staying with the GBBO theme here is a recipe by the lovely Holly Bell who you will recognise as one of the finalists from this years show.Take it away Holly.

This tart is an alternative Christmassy pudding you could serve to guests hot or cold. It’s very filling according to Mr B so he suggests you slice it very thinly. This tart is also a fine alternative offering to Father Christmas if you feel he might be a bit, well, bored of mince pies this year.

This is an enhanced and slightly messed about with version of my regular Bakewell and I know it’s not really a Bakewell, you can call it a frangipane tart instead if the improper use of Bakewell offends.
Makes 1 x 20ish cm tart with maybe some pastry scraps to bake separately and munch on.
For the pastry:
  • 250g plain flour
  • 50g icing sugar
  • 125g cold butter cut into cubes
  • 1 large egg
For the frangipane topping:
  • 150g soft butter
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 150g ground almonds
  • 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
  • 320g mince meat, that’s just shy of a regular jar – add the rest to ice-cream
  • Icing sugar – about 200g
  • The juice of one fresh lemon
  • The zest of one tangerine

  • First make the pastry. Whizz the flour and icing sugar in a food processor (this is my method of sieving) then add the cubes of cold butter and pulse until you have a fine breadcrumb appearance. I always open up the top of the food processor and have a dig about with a knife to make sure there are no lumps of fat hiding near the blade. Then tip the lot into a large bowl and the egg. No need to whisk the egg first.

Take a normal table knife and use to stir the pastry mix until it forms large blobby crumbs. Then use your hand to pull the mixture together. Don’t add water or milk or anything. As long as you’ve used a large egg there’s enough liquid to pull the pastry together. Don’t overwork the pastry – by this I mean don’t madly knead the pastry – just pull it together with your hands until you have a yellow mass, all the same colour and with no bits of flour etc hanging about.) Put the pastry into a plastic bag, wrap tightly and then put in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes – but I often leave it overnight. Lazy old pastry liking a rest and all that.

When you’re ready to bake the tart, roll the pastry out onto a floured work surface (this pastry is pretty well behaved and only needs a little flour for rolling) – I would roll to about 3mm thick as I like a good crust but roll as thick as you like. I can’t bear pastry thickness snobbery. Take your 20ish cm tart tin (mine is loose bottomed for easy removal later) and slip it under the pastry by pulling the pastry up from the work surface.  (Of course feel free to transfer the pastry to your tin whichever way you prefer but this is mine.) Push the pastry into the edges of the tin and into the sides then run a rolling pin over the top of the tin. A very quick and easy way to trim the pastry. Pop the tin into the freezer for 15 minutes, preheat the oven to Gas 4, with one shelf in the middle of the oven and make the frangipane whilst you’re waiting.
Take the soft butter and sugar and cream together using a handheld electric mixer/a wooden spoon/a freestanding mixer until lighter in colour than when you started and fluffy. Then take your eggs (and extra yolk) and whisk with a fork – then dribble into the creamed mixture a teaspoon at a time and beat after each addition. I use a freestanding mixer to make my frangipane as it’s so so much easier. Once all the egg has been incorporated then turn the mixer off and add the ground almonds. Then mix the lot with a metal spoon. You don’t need to be gentle but don’t beat the hell out of it either.
Take the pastry out of the freezer and spread a layer of mincemeat on the bottom of the pastry – about 5mm thick. Mine was hard to spread so I gave it a quick blast in the microwave to loosen it a little. Then spoon the frangipane over the top being sure to cover the mincemeat and reach the sides of the tart. If you are using a smaller tart tin you ‘ll find you have too much frangipane – don’t fill the tart all the way to the top of the pastry sides or it’ll spill out over the top during baking. This does not affect the taste in any way of course.
Pop in the oven on the middle shelf (not on a baking sheet please) and bake for 40ish minutes. You’re looking for a golden brown top and pastry that’s neither yellow looking nor dark brown. Watch it like a hawk for the last ten minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
To decorate, just take the lemon juice and add icing sugar until you have a good, thick consistency then grate tangerine zest into it. Stir well and ice your tart when it’s completely cool. (If you are impatient like me and ice when still warm be sure to put straight in the freezer or all the icing will run off the sides.)
A freezer bag is perfect for drizzling icing without getting an icing bag out. Place the bag over a pint glass with one corner pointing down, spoon the icing into it, squeeze into the corner, remove from glass and then snip a tiny bit of said corner off and away you go. Just make sure you snip near the tart to avoid decorating your work top.
I added white chocolate stars to my Bakewell too, because I thought Father Christmas would appreciate this extra festive gesture.













Limited Edition Killer Curves Tee Shirts (including the brand new Curverella and the zombies design) Now On Sale



My brand new Killer Curve tee Shirts cost £13 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!




All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog

I love to read your comments. Im not always the quickest at replying to them but rest assured I read every one. For quick responses twitter and facebook are probably better.Thanks so much for checking in. It makes my day.



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