Mmm. Chai tea. What’s not to love? On cold rainy days I get the urge to brew a big pot of chai tea and wear fluffy socks. Ya know? There are some amazing chai blends out there, but making your own can be really fun. It’s also easy, and you probably have one or two of the spices in your cupboard right now.

Traditionally, masala chai is made with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper and black tea blended with milk and honey. I like to add a bit more spice with nutmeg, star anise and sweeten it all with a touch of vanilla. It’s also traditionally brewed over a stove, but this blend is just perfect for a tea pot or press.

There isn’t any hard or fast rule when it comes to the proportion in which you use your spices, or even which ones you choose to use. If you’re not a big fan of cardamom, leave it out. I will say that with spices, the fresher, the better. But if you can’t find cinnamon quills or fresh ginger, use cinnamon powder or dried ginger powder. Add dried apple, orange peel or cranberries to make Christmas tea. Mmmm.

Masala Chai Blend

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons black tea

1 tablespoon ginger

2 teaspoons cardamom

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

the tiniest amount of star anise possible!

—

Mix it all up and add to a pot of freshy boiled water. Let steep for three to four minutes. Serve with warm milk and honey. You can scale up this recipe and keep it in an airtight jar, away form direct sunlight. If your willpower is strong enough, it should last for several months.

I like to start by breaking up a couple of cinnamon quills. You could use a mortar and pestle for this, but I’m tough and macho and like splitting them open with my fingers.

Add ginger. I’m making this masala mix to use later, so I decided to opt for dried ginger chips. You can use fresh ginger, or the powdered kind. Or, you know, whatever.

Cardamom smells lovely. You can use the whole pods, or the tiny black seeds inside. Grocery stores will sometimes sell both kinds. I like the pods because they’re a pretty shade of pistachio green.

Cloves can be overpowering, so beware of using too much.

Like cloves, star anise can be really overpowering. Break off bits of the star a piece at a time. A little goes a long way!

Grate your nutmeg using a microplane, or just use the powdered kind. It has such a spicy sweet smell.

I used a black tea that had bits of vanilla through it. Then I mixed up a big bowl and scooped it into cute paper bags to give away as gifts. Now my friends can have something warm to drink the next time it’s cold and rainy!

Are you a fan of masala chai?

Inspired by Luxirare, I thought I would try my hand at making my own vanilla extract. It’s very easy and works out to be so much cheaper than the stuff you buy in the supermarket. Even imitation vanilla extract is expensive these days.

I used 42 below vodka and Tahitian vanilla beans from the Natural Vanilla Store. Before you begin, make sure that you’re using clean utensils and that the jar for your extract is sterile. Elaine shares three very easy ways to sterilise your containers here.

The vanilla beans were sooo fragrant! After I opened the bag our whole apartment smelled amazing. I slit them open lengthways to allow the seeds to infuse more readily. I felt like a lecherous old lady with sticky and delicoius vanilla innards all over my hands. Yesss.

I used one vanilla bean for every 50ml of vodka and then added one more for good luck. Pour the vodka in, seal the jar and leave in a cupboard somewhere for four weeks.

 Wait a bit…

 …Four weeks later and you’re all done! Decant the extract into cute little bottles. It also makes a lovely gift!

Rosemary Salt is super easy to make and is sooo delicious. It is wonderful sprinkled over baked potatoes, popcorn, and I’m told, rubbed into roast meats.

Packed into small jars, it also makes a lovely gift that’s cheap and useful.

Rosemary Salt

1 cup fresh rosemary leaves

3 cups course rock salt

In a blender or food processor, blend the rosemary first, add the salt and blend briefly a second time. That’s it!

It is important to wash the dust and dirt off the rosemary before you begin. You don’t want any surprises ending up in your finished product! Give your bunches of rosemary a good rinse and leave to dry overnight.

When dry, strip the leaves off the twigs. To do this quickly and easily, hold the tip of twig and rub your thumb and forefinger downwards. Remove any woody pieces and any discoloured or dead leaves. Put the fresh leaves in a blender and blend for thirty seconds or so till ground to a workable powder.

You can keep the twigs; they make excellent skewers for vegetables or bits of lamb. You can also put them in a jar of apple cider vinegar and leave to macerate for a fortnight. Rosemary infused apple cider vinegar makes a lovely rinse for oily hair. It’s also amazing over hot chips ;-)

Add the salt to the blender and blend very briefly. Ten seconds or so should do it. Any longer and you will end up with salty rosemary flavoured dust. I like to stir in one cup of sea salt flakes after blending for a bit of texture. Decant into jars and enjoy. It’s that easy!

I’m one of those people that always leaves off buying a new calendar till halfway through November. Can you tell? Whilst trawling through Esty I found these totally adorable printable calendars. They’re super cheap and I bet they would make great last minute gifts for teachers or your office secret-santa. Twelve seemed like a good wholesome number, all things considered. So here are a dozen of my favourite creative printable calendars.

Read the rest of this entry »

Look at this purse. Isn’t it beautiful?! The cutest thing you’ve ever seen?!

I’ve been lusting after these gorgeous YSL mail purses for a couple of years now. It was something I would quietly file away in my mind as “purchase when loaded.” But I just can’t seem to justify the $400 that would makeit mine. There’s also the crushing realisation that this thing is made of leather. That’s right, dead cow.

I’ve been making a bit of an effort to control my lusts for, spending on, and cultivation of leather goods. But its pretty difficult in a world full of footwear and handbag fetishes. Part of me finds the glorification of the handbag kind of bizarre, and the other part of me wants desperately to own it. I’ve definitely got some cognitive dissonance going on! I still own a couple of pairs of leather shoes and one or two second hand leather handbags but I’m only human. I am making an effort to be a dilliget consumer.

Before you begin, you will need to assemble a few items. You can pick up most of these from the pharmacy, supermarket or places like Priceline for a reasonable price. Alternatively, you could scour department stores, or online for a manicure set, or a manicure and pedicure set. Some come with just the basic tools, while others include battery powered buffing tools & even powered drying stations for nails wet with polish! They aren’t necessary of course, & you can give yourself a perfect manicure at home with just the items I have listed here. For the recipes on the other hand you might need to brave the local health food store – or try the folks at Sydney Essential Oil Co.

What you’ll be needing:

Towels
Acetone or Nail Polish Remover
Alcohol or Sanitiser
Bowls
Warm Water
Emery Board or Nail File
Buffing Board
Nail Clippers or Scissors
Orange Stick or Cuticle Pusher
Square Tipped Brush
Nail Polish

Set up your space, ideally close to basin. Place the nail clippers & orange stick in a cup or mug with a small amount of alcohol poured into the bottom to disinfect & sanitise. When you’ve finished your manicure it’s important to remember to spray the emery board & the buffing board (& any other tools) with disinfectant and give them a wipe down. You & your hands a really important so don’t expose either to nasty bacteria & risk giving yourself an infection!

1. Clean Hands

First things first, remove old nail polish with nail polish remover or acetone, & some cotton balls. Personally, I don’t buy nail polish remover any more. I go to the hardware store & buy a big bottle of acetone, which is basically the primary ingredient in nail polish remover anyway. Some people find that it can be drying, but I haven’t had any problems so far – especially since I make a point of moisturising afterwards. It works out to be so much cheaper as well & there’s less packaging to deal with. Make sure your hands are clean & wet the cotton ball with a small amount of acetone & hold over the nail for a few seconds. Then wipe away the polish with one or two firm, slow strokes and move on to the next nail. Use the pointed end of the orange stick to clean out dirt from underneath the nail.

2. Exfoliate

Mud Cake Hand Scrub

30g Organic Coco Butter
30ml Organic Almond Oil
20ml Vegetable Glycerin
30g Organic Coco Powder
60g Raw Organic Sugar

Melt the coco butter in a bowl in the microwave. As coco butter is quite hard & can be stubborn, it’s best to try microwaving it for a minute at time until it has fully melted. Once the butter has melted, add the other ingredients & give it a good stir. I find its best to use while warm, as the mixture will thicken up as it cools. To use, place about a tablespoon of the mixture in the palm of one hand & rub both hands together, scrubbing the backs of the hands, in-between fingers, & up towards the nails. Coco butter moisturises, while the sugar exfoliates meaning this scrumptious scrub makes hands soft & lovely, but even better than that, it smells divine. Just like chocolate mud cake! Délicieux! Wash away the scrub with warm water & pat hands dry with a towel.

3. Clip & File

Now it’s time to clip and file our nails. I don’t usually cut or clip my nails unless they’re really uneven & I recommend you do the same. Excessive clipping or cutting can make the free edge of the nail weak & it can sometimes cause tearing or split nails. Take the nail file and slide it along the free edge of your nail from the out corner to the centre. Don’t file in a see-saw or back & forth motion, as this will also weaken the nail. Instead file in just the one direction, from corner to centre & then start again from the other side of the nail, first with the rough edge of the nail file & then with the smooth edge. The purpose of filing your nails is to smooth over & even out the free edge of the nail. The ideal shape for filed nails is a rounded square – this shape is least likely to break, split or chip. If you like, you can go over the edged of your filed nails with the rough side of the buffing board to really smooth them out.

4. Soak

Time to soak! Soaking your hands in warm water is a lovely relaxing treat, but is only necessary if you plan to push back your cuticles.

Gingerbread Nail Soak

50ml Organic Liquid Castile Soap
10ml Organic Apricot Kernel or Almond Oil
3 drops Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil
3 drops Ginger Essential Oil

Use a stirring rod or the handle of a spoon to gently stir the essential oils and apricot or almond oil into the castile soap, and store in a clean glass bottle. To use, mix between one and two tablespoons of the soak into a bowl filled with warm water & soak hands & nails for five to ten minutes to loosen cuticles. While cinnamon and ginger essential oils are good for improving circulation, they may irritate sensitive skin. However, you can easily substitute them for any other essential oils. I recommend lavender & geranium, or myrrh & vanilla, or even peppermint & lime! Got nuts and formulate your own! When your hands are done languishing in the warm water, take them out & pat dry with a towel.

5. Cuticles

Take the orange stick and use the flat end to gently push back the cuticles. This step isn’t necessary & its not something I do every time I give myself a manicure. Pushing back the cuticle gives your nail a neat & tidy look & makes nail polish application even, but if you’re not careful you run the risk of getting an infection. Especially if your cuticles are cracked, torn or bleeding. So be careful!

6. Buff

Buffing your nails smooths out the weak spots; ridges, cracks & chips. Smooth, buffed nails are less likely to break & your manicure will last longer. Take the buffing board & begin with the roughest edge. Use a little pressure & make small circular motions against the surface of the nail. Finish with a side to side motion & then use the finer edge of the board. The board I use is four sided, the sides are covered with buffing paper & each side uses a grade that is finer than the last. The first side is for removing ridges, the second for smoothing, the third for buffing & the last for polishing & adding shine. Don’t use the final side if you plan to apply nail polish as the polish tends to stick better to porous surfaces rather than glossy smooth ones.

7. Moisturise

Sweet Nut Hand Treatment

50g Honey
20ml Organic Macadamia Oil
20ml Organic Almond Oil
1 Vitamin E Capsule

Pour the honey into a bowl & warm in the microwave until runny. Gently stir in the macadamia & almond oils & then add the contents of the broken vitamin E capsule. Use while still warm by slathering the mixture all over your hands & then wrapping them up in a plastic bag followed by a hot towel. (Warm up your towels in the dryer, or by dampening them in a basin full of hot water) Then sit & relax! After five to ten minutes remove your hands & wash thoroughly in warm water. Honey is an excellent moisturiser & when mixed with the oils it is wonderful for soothing tired skin & leaving your hands soft & gorgeous!

8. Polish

Again like pushing back cuticles, applying polish is optional. Use a base coat or clear top coat first to seal the nail & prevent the coloured polish from leaving a stain. Très passé! Apply the polish in three even strokes, the first in the middle & then one either side. Stronger colours may need a second coat. Leave to dry & then apply a layer of top coat or clear nail polish for a lovely glossy look.

Keep your hands still for an hour or so to let the polish dry properly. You can use the time to read a magazine, watch your favourite film or chat with a friend.Voilà! You’re finished & your nails should look wonderful!

Tired of the ubiquitous (& tediously discreet) little black headphones that came with your walkman/discman/ipod/portable music device?  I know I am, & I don’t even have a walkman/discman/ipod/portable music device. Those white wires may have been cool in 2001, but not any more. They’re everywhere, they’re boring & they never match your outfit. Well my friends, I have the solution. Bling. Bling for your headphones. Bling for your head, really. Inspired by Nubby Twiglet‘s brief post featuring lime green headphones, I began to scour the internet for aesthetic advances in the magical world of headphones. I was a woman possessed, a woman on a mission. Oh boy & did I find some good ones, some bad ones & surprisingly, some really ugly ones!

1. First up are some pretty neat retrofitted headphones made by Molly Friedrich. Molly whipped up a brass & leather case cover so that her ipod would match her headphones. Sweet!

2. They have more charm than a pocket watch & are about as useful as a paperweight, because this next set of headphones don’t actually work. Still, with all those pretty brass cogs, at least they look nice, right?

3. The lime green headphones! So lime! So musical!

4. These next headphones were made with sculpting clay & a coat-hanger. Inspired by Ruby Gloom, these headphones feature cute little sculls & a frame made of ‘bones’.

5. In the middle sits Irene McGee & her blindingly fucia marabou trimmed headphones. Comes complete with a set of instructions for DIY….if you’re so inclined.

6. They glow! They pulse to your music! Perfect for twelve year old girls on scooters or pastel obsessed individuals.

7. These headphones are so extravagent, they’re somewhat ridiculous. Expect to pay as much as $80,000 USD for these diamond encrusted earphones.

8. More bling than the last set, but not nearly as expensive. These swarovski decorated headphones will only set you back $2500. Also available in pink…what about blue?

9. This last pair was handmade by the same Molly Friedrich from the first image. Here she shows you how to make your own retrofitted headphones.

I’m particularly liking skullcandy‘s G.I. headphones in grey. As far as I know they’re not available in Australia. Pitty. Though my search was for a set of headphones so beautiful they would make me cry, I think I would settle for a pair that pumped me music straight from a tree. How about you?

Found: Love Letter

I recently sent out the invitations for my twenty-first birthday party. Designing, making & mailing them was an intensive process. I’d forgotten how difficult it can be. But my mission left me thinking about how average invitations today can be. So I thought I might try my hand at writing about them.

Invitations are wonderful inventions. I used to save every single paper invite ever given to me, but in a fit of spring cleaning binned them all a long time ago. An invitation has purpose, firstly to let the reader know that you’re having a celebration or event of some kind, secondly to remind them of the time, date, place, etiquette & dress of the event & thirdly, to invite them. This last bit is important. When you read an invitation it should inspire you, you should feel invited, excited to attend & somewhat thrilled. An invitation should not give away all the details, but should whet the appetites of your potential guests, ensuring that curiosity drives them to attend. Gone are the days of drab Microsoft Publisher-inspired invites full of tawdry clip art & overzealous fonts. While publisher can be an wonderful tool for those into desktop publishing; please, stay away from the templates! There’s no one-stop formula for creating a really sensational invite, its more of an intuitive thing. But do not despair! Here are some lovely ideas that will get your imagination racing & have you reaching for the craft glue & scissors in no time!

1. Birthday Invitation 2. First Birthday Zoo Themed Invitations 3. Egg Invitation 4. Cupcake invitations 5. Birthday Invitation 6. John twardrous’ birthday invitations

1. Personalise!

Chances are, when you’re the one creating the invite, you’re also the one throwing the party. So let people know that it’s your party! Incorporate a photograph, or your signature, or something you love. There are bound to be certain, specific, things that will prompt your guests to think of you. Do you have flaming red hair for example? Are you a tennis nut? Is your favourite perfume Beautiful? Do you happen to make the best bowl of nachos this side of the hemisphere? If so, let your guests know the invite is from you by incorporating these cues into your invite.

Alternatively, if your throwing a themed party, weave your theme into the invite. This is important for creating that sense of curiosity I mentioned earlier. Get your guests excited by using the invite to suggest your theme & subtlety is nice. You don’t need your invite to list the entire itinerary or what kind of food you’ve prepared. Is your party a tea party? Could you incorporate tea into your invite? Scent (or even stain!) the paper with tea, create the invites with a tea-cup shaped die-cut, send the invite written on a packet of tea (blooming tea would be especially nice!), or send along one of these cute tea infusers. A clip art picture of teapot is just too drab – you & your guests are so much better than that!

2. Individualise!

Making one hundred invites that are all exactly the same & sending them out can be somewhat boring. Take the time to make your potential guests feel wanted! You don’t have to hand write every single one, but you could include a small handwritten note card in the envelope for example. “I hope to see you there!” or “Maybe we’ll get a chance to finally have that talk about kite-making!” Or go a bit further than that. Print copies of your favourite photos of you and your guests (assuming you know them well enough to have amassed photographs of previous fun!) and send your invites written on the back.

3. Accessorise!

Think outside the box when it comes to the construction & decoration of your invites. They needn’t be written on a bit of paper and stuffed into an envelope. Most surfaces can be written upon. Grab a pen (or brush, or printer, or stamp, or sticker) liberate your sense of creativity & go nuts! Write on cutlery, crockery, napkins, clothing, plastic or vinyl. If using paper, you’re not just limited to normal card stock either. Write on newspapers, photos, handmade paper or pages from an old book. I used to write amorous notes on the back of cheap over-sized playing cards and give them to boys at school….OK, just one boy, but you get the point! Next, consider the delivery of the actual message. Occasion, time, date & place. These are the four key things your guests need to know. You could stitch the details onto fabric (computerised sewing machines make stitching out words in thread very easy), write it backwards, upside down, in another language or in shapely text. For a murder mystery party you could write the words onto individual pieces of paper & seal them in a zip-lock bag labelled “evidence.” Make your guests work for the information!

I guess what I’m trying to point out is that into today’s world of text messages & e-mail & general computer based chatter; we rarely take the effort to communicate with the written word in a tactile manner. Invitations are a wonderful opportunity to communicate with people in creative ways. Receiving invites in the mail inspires childlike excitement & curiosity in us & you can capitalise on this. You have all the inspiration & the creativity you need – now go!

One trend seen on the runway recently was black. Somewhat Victorian, Lolita & neogoth, it seems black is back. Unless you have a clothing budget proportionate to price of a new home (you lucky girl if you do!), most of the lovely clothes on the runway will not make it into your closet. You can however borrow from these designs and use them as inspiration. Dammit, I know I am – these photos from the Alexander McQueen show just make me swoon! Here’s a rundown of the basic elements seen so far.

The Inspiration

Chanel

Lanvin & YSL

Balenciaga, Givenchy & Collette Dinnigan

Alexander McQueen

Andrew Gn

Images courtesy of Style.com

The Look

Several elements are recurring here, first up, the blouse & it’s all in the details. These Victorian inspired blouses begin with fabric covered buttons leading all the way up to a high collar, accented with simple & dainty lace, ribbon or ruffles all in black or white. That word again; simple. The look is somewhat androgynous & the feminine ribbon, ruffles & lace are merely accents. They shouldn’t shouldn’t steal the show! The blouses are accented with decorative cuffs, both the frilly kind & the simple over sized button-up kind.

Trousers are long, lean & high waisted. Also black, they taper at the ankles or are worn with a small boot-cut. A lot of emphasis is placed on the high waistline, so draw attention there with modest belts or buttons.

The coat. Military-esque styling lends these coats a structured style. Only the YLS coat is worn loosely or over sized, while the rest are tailored and fitted. The cuffs on the coat are designed so the the details on the sleeves of the blouse can show though, which lends everything a slightly Victorian look. Even if patterned, these coats are again, all black.

Skirts & dresses are high waisted & embellished with soft ruffles & pleats. Chanel opts for long, loose & flowing full-length skirts, whilst Alexander McQueen creates doll-like skirts ending just above, or just below the knee. Underskirts or pleats at the side provide volume & the whole thing is yes, you guessed it, black.

Make-up is pale & somewhat neutral (which I must confess is a blessing for little o’l anglo me!) The colour is of course black, but as for the placement, you have two options. Opt for black smokey, even batwing, eyes a la Lanvin & Balenciaga. Both Evan Rachel Wood & Amy Winehouse have been bringing black rimmed eyes back lately. The other option is to paint your lips with lashings of blood red, purple, or even black lipstick, the glossier the better. Their lips may be lovely, but don’t wear your bangs like the alien & eyeless YSL models or you’ll bump into things!

Make it yours

So you want it on a budget? I’d suggest investing in some good quality accessories & trying some DIY restructuring. A good place to start might be a pair of black tight-fitting gloves in satin, rubber, PVC (oh my!) or leather. Purchase some lengths of soft white linnen or silk & use them to make a cravat or wrist ties. You could replace the buttons on an old blouse with some fabric covered ones & add a bit Victorian flair by stitching on some premade ruffles or lace. For something more simple, wear a plain black skirt with black pumps or mary janes & a pair of white tights. Thrift stores are great places to pick a bargains. Keep a look out for useful items & remember, if the clothes you find are not black already, it’s very easy to dye them.

Extra Credit

• Check out these sets on Polyvore for more inspiration.
• Read Gala Darling’s article on Neogoth.
• Peruse what Popsugar has to say about black lips & dark eyes.
• As well as what Claire Coleman wrote at Mail Online.
  

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