I'm back! And IKEA

Hi there,
I'm back! Anyway, I thought I would just tell you how cool IKEA is. Here are some reasons that I thought I would share with you:
1. The furniture is amazing.
2. Well-priced.
3.They have lovely example rooms and houses which you can literally walk through to get inspired.
4. They have a delicious restaurant with great Swedish food.
5. Most stuff is made in Europe.
6. They also have a cafe.
7. Food is really good and amazingly priced.
8. They have a play area for children.

Comment and add to my list!
Bel x

Hiiiii

Hi guys,
bella here
sorry i havent posted in a while
i have been so busy
xmas around the corner, school holidays, parties, friends

i dont think bel is very interested in the blog anymore
but with your help we can make it better than ever
xoxoxoxoxoxo
bella

Christmas desserts...

hi guys,
i want to show you some of my favorite Christmas desserts. I love to cook, especially bake and i am quite good at it and i have a few ideas up my sleeve for Christmas day.


idea one:
Pavlova cake with mixed berries and whipped cream
you will need 1 cup of caster sugar (no substitution for other sugar)
4 egg whites 
cream that is ideal for whipping 
mixed berries (frozen is fine)
apple juice


1. pre heat the oven to 120 degrees fan force
2. separate the egg whites and put them into a bowl
3. plug in the electric mixer and beat until they are so stif that when you turn the bowl upside down the mix doesn't move. this is how you can tell if you have the right consitency (you will see soft peaks) 
4. process takes 4-5
5. slowly add the sugar bit by bit until the mix is stiff and smooth
6.divide the mix into to equal portions
7. on baking paper outline a circular shape about 20cm in diameter 
8. create two of these as guides for the Pavlova base
9. smooth it out until it is about 2 cm thick and leave some peaks
10. bake for 45- 1 hour
11. whip the cream and spread it onto of the Pavlova base
12. sandwich the two bases together and on top place more whipped cream
13. heat the berries in a sauce pan and add a little apple juice and sugar
14. let it cool and pour on top of Pavlova




idea two:
modern twist for a Christmas dessert in the summer heat
dessert puff pastry
brown sugar
red apples (you'll need around 6)


1. pre heat over to 200 degrees
2. let the frozen puff pastry thaw out for 5-7 mins
3. cut each sheet into quarters or if you want smaller 6ths
4. cut very very thin slices of apple and place four on each slice
5. each on will overlap the next apple slice
6. sprinkle some brown sugar on top
7. bake for 15-20
8. serve with double thick cream.

Christmas Decorations

Hey sorry guys I haven't posted in while I've been super busy but I've come back with an interesting new topic: decorating your house for Christmas. Here are my awesome tips:

• Be unique with your decorations. On your tree, try to avoid multiple of the exact same baubles - different decorations make the tree more interesting.



• Be creative! Instead of buying a shop wreath for your front door - make one yourself! Gather small branches together and tie them in a circular shape with a pretty ribbon - you can't go wrong!



• Don't overdo the decorating - you want a nice subtle look for your house - you don't want your living room looking like Santa's Kingdom. :)



• A bit of tinsel can go a long way - my fave colour for tinsel is probably silver.

And now...a really great idea that my mum and I have used for the past few years...every year, buy 1-3 beautiful Christmas decorations. Feel free to splurge becasue you're only buying a couple really nice unique decorations that will set your tree apart from the others. Don't buy a pack of decorations - this just looks common and rids the unique look. Various boutiques and warehouse shops often have such lovely distinctive ornaments. This year my mum and I bought this beauty:

I love the intricate patterns on this decoration.
Thats it for this post - I hope you like the ideas and use them in your own home!
Post soon
Bel xxx

The best websites for Christmas shopping

Hey Guys,
These are the best websites to get the best stuff on for Christmas and to get great bargains on. These websites are 100% guaranteed and have really fast delivery.


1. E bay: great second hand and brand new and a low cost  (very safe)
2. Sports-girl online: have online offers and discounts
3. Dr Jays: American website, so cheap on great brands (shoes for $40 dollars that were $250) massive savings.
4. Amazon: have everything you want, great books.
5. Surf Stitch: best surf brands, shipping withing a day and really cheap
6. Deals Direct: great things, very cheap, great for watches, BBQ, lifestyle products
7. Oz sale: Australia's biggest online fashion retailer


You can also look on the Westfield websites and clothing websites to get gift ideas. You can also see what is popular this year.
Online shopping is great, fast and easy and is cheap for Christmas
Westfield has also put out a free magazine to give you presentation ideas, special discounts and recipes

.

My top ten for christmas...

Following on from Bell’s gift ideas for Christmas I thought I would give a hand-

For Your Mum-
- I really recommend some cute pajamas from places like Peter Alexander
- A lovely tote bag from country road
- There is an amazing shop called Aesop (soaps, hand creams, organic beauty products NOT MAKEUP)
- Vouchers a nice for your mum to her favorite shops (maybe put some thought into it though)
- make a gift basket with a bit of everything (some Aesop products, body shop, a couple of vouchers, lollies)
- A new pair of sunglasses or a new wallet (mimco, country road, witchery)
- A nice diary or notebook is great

For Your Dad-
- Depending on how tech savvy your dad is a new i Pod or camera could be a good idea
- Some nice 3/4 shorts from shops like industry, G-Star RAW, country road.
- Some nice business shirts or tee shirts
- Country road do great towels, a new design every year
- Some cool undies or socks
- A great book to read (my dad likes biography's on influential men, and I know others may be into other genres)

For A Little one-
- Cotton on kids do really cute things like dress ups, shoes, clothes.
- A stuffed toy (even make your own at build-a-bear workshop)
- PLAY DOUGH you’re never too old for play dough
- A toy kitchen 
- A cute little bikini
- A nice hat or shirt for a boy
- A back pack
- Space hoppers

For An older teen girl-
- Something nice from Mecca cosmetics
- A cute top from cotton on or sports girl
- A lovely book
- A wallet or bag
- A new phone
- A voucher
- Nail polish
- A bag filled with little nick-knacks

For An Older teen boy-
- IPod touch
- Xbox or Xbox games
- A cool watch 
- Some awesome board shorts (billabong, rip curl, quicksilver)
- A cool hat
- Sunnies or a towel

For a pet-
- A new collar
- A personalised name tag
- A new food bowl
- Some toys

For a baby-
- Some bonds playsuits
- A lovely blanket (even try knitting one)
- Some really cute socks
- A little hat
- Tee shirts
- Little pajamas

For a Grandma-
- Some nice perfume
- A little bag
- Something home made
- A magazine subscription
- A nice baking/cook book

For your best friend-
- A really cool necklace
- Something both of you share (something more than a BFF necklace)
- A great book
- A gimmick 
- A D.S game
- Some swimmers
 
Kris Cringle-
- Some cool pens
- A nice Christmas ornament
- A pencil case
- Lots of lollies
- A cool bag
- A writing set
- REMEMBER NOT TO SPEND OVER $25 ON A KRIS KRINGLE

Book review - Pancakes, pikelets, crepes and waffles

I am an absolute fanatic about all things pancake! The other day I was shopping at a Christmas warehouse the other day with my mum and I was delighted to find this amazing cooking book: Pancakes, pikelets, crepes and waffles!

Its a really great book because its packed with delicious recipes - both sweet and savoury with great photographs of every recipe. I have not tried any of the recipes yet, but just one look at the picture makes my mouth water. I plan to try a recipe tomorrow (Fridays are pancakes days for me!)

Here are some of the sweet recipes that I love the sound of:

• Swedish oatmeal pancakes with apple sauce




• Lemon and banana pancakes




• Bluebery pancakes




• Crepes with sugar, lemon and cream




• Sour cream waffles with hazelnut butter and raspberries




• Hot buttered caramel waffles




• Apple and buttermilk pikelets with cinnamon sugar

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh! Yum!

These meals will satisfy anyone!

Because I bought this cool book at a warehouse, I got it for only $7.00 but you'll have to do a little research on where else it can be bought. I know that this book can be bought online but I am unsure of the price. It has 112 pages and is A4 size. I strongly reccomend it - its great to get you in the mood for some holiday cooking!