It may seem like I’ve been slacking off, but have been sick lately. So here is a wrap up of the last two weeks, all for the price of one!

I spent a lot of time sitting in bed, drinking tea and scribbling in my journal. Oh, and eating oranges.

My ghost chair arrived. Isn’t it lovely?! It proudly sits in front of my dressing table in the bedroom and it makes getting ready every morning extra special.

We had an afternoon tea to celebrate three birthdays and to welcome one new person into our great big family.

I made tiramisu cupcakes! They were tiny and delicious.

When not sleeping off this head-cold, I’ve been painting and drawing in our spare room.

I indulged with a Lush Big Blue Bath Ballistic. It turned my bath water the most amazing shade of blue. I felt like a mermaid floating in lime scented deliciousness.

I made a delicious raspberry fizz with fresh berries and soda water. The umbrella makes it officially awesome.

Extra things that make me happy: it almost being warm enough to swim, re-colouring my hair, chair tea syrup (so quick and easy), shoes compliments, beaded bracelets, long Sunday lunches, three (!) trips for ice-cream, springtime, surrealist postcards, Mr K trying to teach me CSS, pancakes, Brotherhood of the Wolf, fixing my flickr problems and crinkly doonas.

What made your week snap crackle and pop?

Siri says some weird things.

Could this be the creepiest Halloween costume ever?

Ever wanted your boobs to look like they’re from the forties?

Jardim Botanico – 15-06-2008 | 05

Solanah shows off her petticoat collection in How to Wear a Petticoat.

How cute is Tami of My Moving Finger Writes? She shares the most amazing hair tutorial I have ever seen.

I’ve been bitten by the Downton Abbey bug. Suzzanne Morrison sums up how I feel about the whole thing pretty accurately:

“This is the happiest day of my life,” I said to Kate. We were on episode 7. Night was falling. I could actually feel my entire backside growing into the couch.

“Seriously,” Kate said. “The greatest.” She caught a bit of drool with the back of her hand. “My wedding was nice, though.”

“Mine, too,” I said. “It’s a tie.”

DIY animal toy planters and DIY tiny animal candle holders.

I’ve been spending a lot of time lurking on Rookie lately and I’ve really enjoyed the witchy-articles! Three amazing reads: The Season of the Witch, Your Teen Witch BFF and Literally the Best Thing Ever: Famous Goth Kids.

You ever looked at someone’s noes and thought “gee, that noes really looks like Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”? Yeah, these people have too.

Teacup| Into Every Life, A Little Bokeh Must Fall (a creative commons freebie)

Some of my favourites from Feminist Ryan Gosling.

Gemma Seager asks what is “Vintage” anyway?

How about this week, I take my sartorial inspiration in the form of Ulyana Sergeenko and Catwoman.

The funny things people say in Libraries…

These hand whittled hair sticks are made of… well… sticks! Such an adorable idea and cheap to boot.

Eden Gallanter talks about The Tango, The Qark, and the Allegory of Love on Coilhouse:

One of his most acclaimed (and disdained) paintings, The Allegory of Love,depicts Venus and Cupid in one another’s arms, surreptitiously in the act of stealing the other’s most prized possession.  They are both vulnerable and risking everything, making love and making war, a perpetual cycle without end.

You Are Beautiful

I must admit, I find The Happiness Project a little twee sometimes, but this post Be Happier: Wake Up Early really resonated with me. My phone set itself to daylight savings time two weeks ago and as a result I woke up an hour earlier than usual. It was the most peaceful weekday morning I have had in a long time.

How Blade Runner Predicted Future Fashion.

Two delicious cocktails made with Jameson Irish Whiskey.

1. The silver threads of my tasbih, 2. The Rope, 3. Web and drops, 4. strings

• No Impact Man (always a pleasure!) shares a story from the Talmud that prompted me to think about our interconnection & taking responsibility.

• Also via No Impact Man is this New York Times piece by Al Gore which make for some interesting reading.

• This photo set is awesome. ‘Nuff said.

• Would you like to snack on a candied scorpion? Sprinkle some pearl dust onto your ice-cream? How about a champagne-flavoured lollipop embellished with flakes of gold? These & more can be found at Edible. Definitely not for the feint of heart!

• I recently found Tina Su’s blog Think Simple Now & I think its awesome! Her article Dealing with Difficult People is definitely worth a look.

• Sleeveface always manages to give me a bit of chuckle. Described as “one or more persons obscuring or augmenting any part of their body or bodies with record sleeve(s) causing an illusion” you can’t say no, & now they have a book!

• ideeli gives away free stuff!

• Sonja asks; did you unwillingly support the wrong candidate in the American election this year?

• I’ve been rethinking my approach to fitness lately. Anti-gravity yoga looks fun doesn’t it?!

• Also from Elastic Waist is this Holiday Survival Kit! Hilarity abounds!

• I wish I had a home like this!

• If you need some consoling after a break up, why not try the R.I.P scented candle from Greece is for Lovers? It promises instant redemption & pleasant scents to burn away your blues. It is of course, too good to be true, but why not give it go?

My brother & I had a hankering for pancakes, so I whipped some up & we devoured every single one. Just like the Walrus & the Carpenter in Alice in Wonderland! Those poor tasty pancakes! Would you like some of your own? I’m sure you do, so here’s the recipe.

Bella’s Tasty Pancakes

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

pinch of salt

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder & salt into a large bowl. Crack the eggs & add to the bowl with the milk & whisk vigorously! Let the mixture sit for about half an hour to let the eggs & the baking powder react. Whisk again & then cook in a frying pan (or proper pancake pan if you can afford one!) over a medium heat. Serve with all things delicious & share with a good friend. Makes about eight pancakes.

This is in my opinion, the best pancake recipe I have come across. I don’t like recipes that make you add melted butter, because the whole thing separates and gets messy & I don’t like recipes that make you wait a whole hour while the batter sits! I like my pancakes with raspberries & maple syrup. How do you like yours?

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