feast your eyes on these lovely goods!

1 //  2 // 3 // 4

Hello there everybody!

How are we all doing?

Sorry it's been a while since we said hello (I've been busy behind the scenes with my other work) but I've been on an internet browse again, and came across some really lovely things.  And, I thought it was about time I shared another cheery post with you.

So here it is.

1 // Check out this cool biscuit notepad!  From one of my favourite shops Future and Found.

2 // Founds this cool online shop with the coolest triangle necklaces.  I have a thing about triangle patterns at the moment so these caught my eye. The colours are especially fab!

3 //  On the theme of food-shaped notepads coincidently, in the same shop as above, they sell these Ice Cream Sandwich notepads!

4 // I went into one of my favourite shops, Paperchase the other day and they have so much great new stock - I spent so long looking at it all - and this new munch bunch range is great fun, just look at this recipe book!  It's perfect for all the torn out recipes from magazines and scribbled down notes I have - finally they'll be nice and organised in here.

See you again soon for more foodie chatter and fun!

Angie xx

Loads of things I really like

I haven't done a Kitchen Crushes post for a long time. So here it is!

The nights must be drawing in and getting colder because I'm finding myself doing an Internet-shopping-surf-sessh of an evening all of a sudden again.

(Left to Right)

1 // I really need a cool lunch box for the office. All mine are boring. This will do nicely! It's by Happy Jackson.

2 // And if you were an 80's child like me, you'll find a big smile appears on your face when you see this My Little Pony mug.

3 // I have so many bags full of Random Crap. When I came across this one also by Happy Jackson, I knew it would be great for all my ...well, random crap!

4 // And last but not least - I've saved the BEST till last. You know I drink a lot of coffee, right? Well, I also get a lot of takeaways and I was thinking recently about the amount of cardboard cups I use and got guilty about it as it's so wasteful. So I stumbled on 'KeepCup' the resuable takeaway coffee cup!! Sooo brilliant. And, get this, I designed this Coffee Keep Cup myself! You can customise your own too, right here!

1 // Possibly the coolest house?  Well this one in Buenos Aires I found via Remodelista.  And I really want to serve some kind of 'food truck' food from this serving hatch!

2 // And yep, I found this new book, The Truck Food Cookbook detailing some of the coolest food truck recipes in town!

Perfect Picnic Ideas!

Totally inspired by the sunshine, tennis (new Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray! Yay!) and picnic season, this post is a bunch of lovely picnic ideas for you.  First up there's a delicious Bacon and Courgette Slice (which is the best picnic food ever as it's even more delicious cold!).


Yum!  Here you go...

And as a big thank you to all my lovely readers  - You can all Download the FREE recipe card for these Bacon and Courgette Gluten Free Slices here!

Then, there's my new obsession; Five Valley's Cordial's - take it from me, these cordials are incredible, and a great thirst quencer in this weather.  You can use them as a mixer to drinks, or just mix with sparkling water for a refreshing summer drink.  Absolutely delicious and super chic too with flavours like Pomegranate and Rose and Lemon and Mint.  You could also make a refreshing 'Mocktail'- give it a try!  Being a local brand and company makes them extra special too #buylocal :)

And I couldn't help myself, but I went on a bit of an internet shopping spree!  Here's some more picnic inspiration that I'm currently coveting.  Lovely colours about this season!

Top left >  A fab designed Stelton glass water bottle - There's so much in the press at the moment about the nasty chemicals you can ingest through plastic water bottles, so this one will not only be fab for the environment, but it's made from a super natural material and doesn't leach anything into the water.  The snug sleeve keeps drinks super cool too!  Put your Pomegranate and Rose cordial in this and take it to the office.  I do!

Top right >  Pop your picnic in this Oily Rag bag form John Lewis, currently on sale too at the bargain price of under £30!  Yes, and it looks like Catch Kidson too!  Win win!

Bottom left > OMG an Orla Kiely picnic plastic tumbler glass? NO way!

Bottom right > Yes it's time to get those pasty white legs out - put your shorts on, these cute pink 3/4 length ones from Banana Republic are perfect and just long enough to hide the cellulite 'bits' you want to cover! Yay!

Soak up that sunshine folks and see you again soon!

Kitchen Crushes - Beyonce special!

Thank you to Nordic Leaves Blogger for sharing her beautiful kitchen!

Hey everyone!  I hope you all had lovely Bank Holiday weekends.  Now it's a 4 day week - and that's kind of cool too!

Just wanted to share with you a few of my kitchen crushes this week.  Some really lovely coloured goodies for you as always and an extra special recipe from Beyonce herself!

This first B.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l kitchen is Edina's over at the super-stylish Nordic Leaves blog.  I absolutely love the SMEG fridge, don't you?  What a great colour!  And check out the Andy Warhol framed quote on the wall.  I love her style and choice of colours so much -  I could really imagine just sitting down in this kitchen, reading a paper and munching on some of my gluten free banana bread I made last week (I will share the recipe soon I promise, I want to share it with you all because it's possibly my favourite gluten free cake recipe to date!)  - Thank you Edina for sharing your stunning kitchen!  Edina's blog is also equally cool so check it out!

I really love Andy Warhol quotes, so when I saw this poster in the Nordic Leaves kitchen I loved it, and then I came across these awesome Andy quote pencils from Urban Outfitters.  SO cool!

Also stumbled across this very cleverly designed recipe notebook from ETSY seller ohNOrachio.  I really need a new notebook for all my recipes!  I've just come to the end of another and am currently writing on the back!!

And lastly, this adorable picnic basket and tableware from good old BHS (British Home Stores)  which is my absolute steal of the week for only £25!

And how could I forget this extra special recipe from Beyonce herself?!

Beyonce recently shared her dinner menu for her tour on the internet and on it was a Sweet Potato and Coconut soup!  I was so excited because I've been making this soup for a few years and it's so quick, delicious, healthy and awesome!  So here's the one I use.  Make it tonight, it's lick-your-lips-able-delicious!

A few of my favourite things

Here's a few of my favourite things right now!

(Left to right, top to bottom...)

1. Shiny.  LOVE these pumps, don't you?  They're from ASDA and a real steal at £12! I dare say that space-age is coming back into fashion, no?  Maybe we'll all be wearing tin-foil trousers again soon, in the style of 1990.  Maybe even shell suits will make a new appearance.  Can you imagine?! ;)

2.  Herb pots!  I am really trying to motivate myself to plant some herbs in some pots on my window sill.  I don't have a garden to make a veggie patch or anything like that you see (although my best friend Karen, who lives on the beautiful south coast, told me recently she's planted a veg patch and I can't wait to see it and maybe try some of her produce! How exciting is that?!)  If you have a veggie patch and live close to Gloucestershire, then please let me know as I'd love to cook up something tasty from it.  There's nothing like home grown veg, it tastes so amazing.  So anyway, I saw these herb pots on the Minted Blog and thought they looked so cute.  I'd probably plant 3 pots of my favourite herbs, Basil, Coriander and Mint.  I put them in everything, makes food so flavoursome, try it!

3. Cute.  This T-shirt is just such a hoot (haha!)  I love it because I wear similar glasses -  I'm on the look out for a new pair of specs actually, but that's another story!  (This tee is from ASOS.com)

4. I really love these tumbler glasses.  They're from Marks and Spencer's Home.  I'd love to pour a glass of summertime Pimms in these (with some mint from my herb pots, if I grow any, of course!).

Extras...

A few other things that caught my eye during a swift internet surfing spree this week was this article, five tips for dining out if you're eating gluten free.  Great advice, check it out.

And I love this rendition of Bruno Mars's track from Bridget Mendler on Youtube here (I keep listening to it over and over, she has such a beautiful voice).

And talking of favourite things... did someone mention there was another Bank Holiday coming around soon?

See you soon!

Kitchen Crushes - Bazaar Style

You know, I am a little bit obsessed with looking at pretty kitchens and dining tables.  Some people love shoes and handbags; I love a colourful, bright kitchen, a good Belfast sink and a driftwood dining table.  Maybe it’s the cook in me - the kitchen is really my home office.

One of my favourite books and interior stylists (for my kitchen crushes) is Selina Lake.  Her books Pretty Pastel Style and Homespun Style are my favourite interior styling flicks and now I’ve discovered another, Bazaar Style!  I’m going to need another bookcase for all these books!

On the Bank Holiday weekend, I went to a few car boot sales and vintage fairs -  I just love browsing brick-a-brack and finding really beautiful pre-loved pieces I can re-love! Don’t you?

So Bazaar Style is about decorating with market and vintage finds and so much more – In this book stylist Selina and writer Joanna Simmons show you how vibrant rooms furnished with intriguing pieces from different eras and cultures, mixed with vintage and retro influences, inspired by a French brocante or Moroccan bazaar can really spice up your interior spaces.  It’s really a beamingly colouful book, which has made me think of hot sunny afternoons with some alfresco dining and delicious Moroccan inspired food.

These are just a few of my favourite eye candy pieces from the book.

There’s so many more beautiful rooms to flick though!

Bazaar Style by Selina Lake is published by Ryland Peters & Small and is available from www.rylandpeters.com

Pretty inspired by pastel kitchens

Hey everyone! It’s that time of the week where I daydream about pretty kitchens that I wish were my own.  So, imagine my excitement when I came across Interior Stylist Selina Lake and her candy coloured, vintage and retro style inspired rooms recently!

I really wish this was my kitchen.  Look at the Belfast sink! (You know how much I’d love a Belfast sink like that!)  The pops of pretty pastel colours just make me want to get into that kitchen and bake something special.  And I’d invite you all over, of course!

And look at these dining room tables – the colours, the styling, the vintage feel… Wow.  Really inspirational!  You wouldn’t want to eat out ever again!

Selina has just launched her colorful new book, Pretty Pastel Style, and the photography in it is beautiful  (these photos are a selection of my favourites from the book).  It’s full of ideas on how to use a pastel palette, with handmade, vintage, modern, simple and retro styles.  Definitely what I need to style my new place - you know how I said I’m still trying to work out where to put everything!

She is already a best-selling author with three previous books, Bazaar Style, Romantic Style and Homespun Style all enjoying great success.  Interiors and style blogging queen Holly Becker at Decor8 blog is a big fan and I can totally see why.  You just want to hop right into the photographs and hang out in Selina’s beautiful rooms with her!

I absolutely love this retro pink coffee machine (you know how much I love good coffee too!)  I can almost smell the espresso.  Fancy a cup?

And check out this cheesecake.  I would need a serious amount of willpower not to indulge in that pretty pink thing!

If, like me, you find this cheesecake pretty inspiring - I found this gluten free cheesecake recipe on one of my favourite vegetarian foodie sites Green Kitchen Stories.  Go try it, it’s incredible (and almost healthy).

Pretty Pastel Style by Selina Lake is published by Ryland Peters & Small and is available from www.rylandpeters.com

Midweek Muse

Need a bit of a mid-week pick-me-up?  Then feast your eyes on these gorgeous bowls that I found in Cath Kidson.

I recently moved into a new apartment and I have to admit I've been here 2 weeks and still haven't unpacked properly.  I just can't decide where to put everything!  But it is very exciting having such a 'blank canvas' of space and just letting your imagination go wild as to what it will look like.  I can really see lots of pastels in this new place, I want it to be as colourful as possible to remind me of the colours I desperately miss in Australia.

I have found a lovely new tea room not too far from me though which does an amazingly good coffee and has an art gallery up stairs. It's the Lavender Bakehouse in Chalford. I popped in recently and this pretty china tea cup caught me eye!

If you like pretty pastels then check back tomorrow where I'll have something else I'm certain you will love ♥

This week's kitchen fancies...

I fancy a lot of things;  Orlando Bloom, Ice lollies on the beach,  Sunshine... (if anyone finds where the British Spring went please give it a nudge...we miss it!)  And I really fancy going on a camping trip   to my favourite place, St Ives this summer too.

But apart from all that, I currently have a bit of a kitchen crush on these lovely items this week!  Don't you just love the colours?

1.  Motief sweaters are still all the rage gang! Remember those cute christmas sweaters we all wore (you know you were one of them!) well, they're back for the Spring and Summer with this cute little Puffin jumper from Joules!  Don't you just LOVE him!!

2.  While I was looking on the Joules website, I also came across their home and garden section (go and look if you want to be inspired!)  and saw these darn pretty cake tins.  Perfect for a picnic, don't you think?!

3.  I've recently moved house (you'd laugh at the current place for my TV which is an upturned storage box! It's actually quite cool!) for the first time in a long time I have my own place again and it's SO lovely to be able to have a kitchen that I can leave things out and not discover somebody else has eaten the leftovers! My new kitchen is tiny and small but perfectly formed - a bit like this one in the picture which is from the House to Home website, but without that lovely duel belfast sink!

4.  Below is a lovely freebie for you all I found via ZU blog!  Yes, April is here, so this freebie will help you organise your month with lots of lovely recipes, things to do with friends and reminders!  I love it!  I just had to share it with you all! You can download it here.

This is a lovely printable from http://zugalerie.blogspot.fr/ :)

Enjoy your weekends!  Have fun and I'll see you back bright and early on Monday with a special blog guest post all the way from Gautamela!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @dishesundressed and Facebook where I send you lots more goodies throughout the week!!  See you there :D

My new discoveries in the kitchen

Here's my top kitchen crushes this week.....

Yellow! The  daffodils are out, the sun is shining, chicks are chirping.  Now we just need a bit of warmth and we're set!  I know Spring isn't far away and I think yellow is definitely my colour this Easter!

Left to right, top to bottom....

1. Spring shirts! LOVE this shirt from Boden.  I also love the yellow beetle car too but I don't think Boden ship these ;)  The shirt is a definite staple piece this spring and I love wearing shirts!

2. Coasters!  Yep, I always need a good coaster because I am always spilling my drinks and they make terrible marks everywhere!  These are from Laura Ashley.  There's also matching placemats :)

3. Picnic time!!  Oh my goodness I'm getting excited about the spring now - picnics, camping, or is it 'glamping' nowdays?  Whatever, a nice glass of wine, a nice packed lunch, a picnic rug and some sunshine.  Perfect.  Just perfect!  This picnic rug is from John Lewis, made of wool and just £15.00.

4. A new beauty wonder-cream! Oh my goodness I love it when I make a new beauty discovery!  Balmology balms are blended from natural plant oils and free from preservatives, emulsifiers, fragrance and fillers -  I have fallen in love with their Comfort Balm (made with calendula and camomile - smells incredible) and has made my hands and dry skin magically soft and radiant.  Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream used to be the winner in wonder-balms but I think Balmology's Comfort Balm might be the beauty wonder-cream of the future.  I can see all the celebrities having this balm as their little secret handbag staple.  You can only buy online at the moment here - but it's just a matter of time before this balm goes global!

Have a lovely Easter break everybody!!