A Day At The Lake Part 2

Saturday afternoon we were lucky enough to dodge the rain showers and bask in glorious sunshine at the cultural Rudyard Lake arts festival "A day at the lake".

As mentioned in my previous post, A Day At The Lake is a weekend celebrating 100 years at Rudyard Lake, Staffordshire.

As soon as we arrived we were greeted by the sight of a gigantic retro style helter skelter, swing boats and children (and even a few adults) having a go at hula hooping.  As we carried on past the lake the mister spotted a real ale bar converted out of the back of a vintage van and couldn't resist a cheeky pint of chocolate stout, whilst I headed straight to the street food area.  Here I was spoilt for choice and if you're a big foodie like I am, could have quite happily spent the whole day grazing.  From paella to hog roast, pizza to crepes, to hot dogs, toast and popcorn!  There's something for all ages.

After lunch we headed up to the treacle market, which had traveled over from Macclesfield.  The marquee was filled with stalls selling locally produced artisan goods and vintage homeware.  I'd like to give a special mention to Bonkers Clutterbucks and their unique, intricate dioramas.  If you get a chance please check out their page

After the Treacle Market we grabbed a coffee and took in some of the performances.  The jugglers and a live performance from Gaby Young & Other Animals were our favourite acts and judging by reactions certainly put a smile on everyone's faces.  Unfortunately we didn't get to see the tightrope walk act but we heard it was very good!

All in all we really enjoyed the day.  If you're planning on visiting the event I would recommend you check the timetable in case there's a particular act you'd like to see.  We would have really liked to have seen the tightrope walk but we'd just missed it by an hour and the next show wasn't for another four hours.  Also it's worth noting that although this is an outdoor event dogs are not permitted.  As dog owners ourselves we found this a little disappointing, however with large crowds and lots of small children we can see why the decision was made.  If you're planning on visiting we hope you enjoy A Day At The Lake as much as we did and we've got our fingers crossed the sun makes an appearance,

A Day At The Lake

A Day At The Lake is is a major outdoor event 30 April – 2 May 2016 taking place at Rudyard Lake, (near Leek on the Cheshire / Staffordshire border).

What used to be known as a cultural destination back in the late 1800s up to 20,000 day trippers would descend upon Rudyard Lake to take in the spectacular outdoor arts of the age.  

Now a sleepy beauty spot Rudyard Lake was once known as “the Blackpool of the Potteries”  and “the Geneva of the UK” and was one of the first examples of mass daytripping to rural beauty spots in the UK.  We're lucky enough to live just a 5 minute drive from Rudyard Lake and had no idea it was such a popular tourist destination of that time.

A Day At The Lake will include the recreation of the famous “African Blondin” tightrope walk (drawing huge crowds just 30 years after the abolition of slavery) and mark the other feats that took place there including Captain Webb’s aquatic fete, fresh from swimming the channel. It was on a trip to this beauty spot that Kipling’s parents met and took inspiration for their future son’s name. 

It is the first event of this scale to be held at the lake for over 100 years and as a regular visitor to the lake I'm pretty excited about what's on offer

From dry land synchronised swimmers, tightrope walkers across the lake, real life mermaids, helter skelters and swingboats, street food, brass bands, story telling, row boats and upping sticks from Macclesfield, is the fantastic treacle market featuring crafts and vintage finds. There really is something for everyone and is set to be a great event for all the family.

So if you live in the area or even fancy a daytrip out this bank holiday weekend, a visit to the historic Rudyard Lake will be well worth a visit.

For more information about what's on visit A Day At The Lake and why not purchase your tickets online whilst you're there.

What are you up to this bank holiday weekend? Are you planning a daytrip somewhere or thinking of visiting Rudyard Lake?  I would love to hear what you have planned.

 

Make Supermarket Flowers Look Gift Ready

There's nothing wrong with buying flowers from the supermarket.  There's often a wide choice, they're guaranteed to last a while and usually come with plant food, which is a bonus BUT their biggest let down is the cellophane wrapping and those ugly giant stickers normally plastered all over them.

If you were giving these flowers to someone as a small gift re-wrapping them can definitely give them a bit more wow factor, not to mention they add that personal touch.

Start by removing the cellophane wrapping and any elastic bands that were keeping them together.  Rearrange them into one bunch and once you're happy with the arrangement reuse one of the elastic bands to keep them in place.  

Wrap the flowers in your chosen paper at a diagonal.  I've chosen brown parcel paper as I always have some to hand  but you could even use tissue paper.  On this occasion I've held the paper in place with some coloured twine but you can use any ribbon, string or even lace that you may have lying around the house.

Overall I think the look is quick and easy to create yet effective and makes your gift a little bit special.  You could even go one step further and hand print a design onto the paper.

Jar of Love

Well in case you've been living in a cave this past week you may have noticed Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  No sooner have the retail store elves packed away the Christmas decorations and gifts they've hijacked Cupid and replaced them with chocolates, cards and roses.  Yep here come the retail giants rubbing their hands in glee as we dash out to spend a fortune on items that have nearly doubled in price.

Don't get me wrong, I love Valentine's Day and who doesn't enjoy receiving presents and being showered with love? It seems just as we're getting over the expense of Christmas, we're pressured into buying gifts and going out for expensive meals when we might not normally chose to do so. There's nothing wrong with romance and showing your loved one how much you care but this doesn't have to be confined to one day of the year and it doesn't have to cost the earth!

Sometimes a well thought out present can be more than  meaningful than an expensive bunch of roses.  If you're looking for something a little different why not try making your present?

If you're stuck for ideas how about a jar filled with handwritten scrolls listing all the things you love about your partner? It will certainly put a smile on their face as they unravel each scroll and read all the lovely ways you appreciate them and will last longer than a bunch of roses!

What are you doing this Valentine's Day?  Will you go all out with expensive gifts or maybe you boycott the whole thing?  What's the most romantic thing you've ever done for Valentine's Day?  Let me know, I'd love to hear.

Baby Brain: Is it really a thing?

Baby brain, is it really a thing? Before I was pregnant I'd joke with my other pregnant friends if they'd forgotten something or were having a bit of a thick moment, that they had the mythical baby brain

Now that I'm pregnant the joke's on me because I'm certain I'm suffering from a serious case of it!

I can't tell you how many times I've had to be reminded of conversations I simply can't remember, or gone upstairs to get something but can't remember what.  Once I made a cup of tea with cream instead of milk and sprayed deodorant under my arms after I'd put my top on!

Forgetfulness and confusion seems to be a running theme throughout this pregnancy and it appears I'm not alone with one mum I know comparing her memory to a fish!

So does baby brain actually really exist?  After a quick google search the medical jury's out.  Apparently there isn't enough supporting evidence that baby brain is an actual medical condition, with studies showing we did just as well as non-expecting women in various tests.  However other studies show that a woman's brain changes during pregnancy in order to for them to be more in tune with their baby's needs after giving birth.  Surely that's got to have some kind of effect on us.

So I guess whether baby brain medically exists or not, I know for certain I'm not quite as focused and switched on as usual.  When you're preparing for the arrival of something so small and fragile that will turn your entire world upside down is it any wonder?

So what do you think? Does baby brain exist?

Tinker and Stitch

Our lovely little town, Leek, is bursting with independent shops, bars and cafes.  In fact it's so good it came runner up in The Telegraph high street awards in 2014, which was kind of a big deal.  Over the years the town has really transformed itself and most of this is down to local business owners pulling together, arranging events and putting Leek back on the map.

One of the key events was the introduction of a new market on the first Sunday of every month.  A Makers & Artisans market bursting with over 30 stalls of locally produced food and crafts.  An opportunity to purchase something unique and original which hasn't been mass produced, not to mention an excellent way for new designers to showcase their goods.

I try and pop along each month as there's always something new to be found and as usual I wasn't disappointed.

A stall which really caught my eye was the curiously quirky Tinker & Stitch.  Specialising in handmade apparel for little tinkers, shop owner Sarah Williams decided to start making baby clothes after having her little girl earlier this year.  If you love a rainbow print, cloud, star, fox or unicorn, YES I SAID UNICORN then Tinker and Stitch's bright clothes are perfect for your babes.   The clothes are super soft and I love the fact they're made from bright quirky fabric.  In fact I kinda wished she did them in adult sizes too.

I can't wait until our baby is born and I can start buying cute stuff like this.  Have you got a favourite shop for children's clothes?

Bloggers Challenge

What do you do when you're suffering from a bout of bloggers block?  As  you know I took a year off because life was, well just getting a little bit crazy.  When I finally did get the time I needed to return to blogging I actually found it hard to get into the swing of things.  I kept thinking of / seeing / doing / wearing things that would make great posts yet couldn't quite bring myself to sit down and write them!

When I saw Rosalilium was challenging us to Write Every Day In November (BEDN) I took it as a sign!  It was the kick up the backside I needed to help me get back my blogging mojo but could I really write a post every day?  I only used to post once a week, twice at a push, thirty posts in thirty days is no easy feat but I like the idea of a challenge.  The whole idea of BEDN is to help those bloggers who may be stuck in a rut, or want to connect with other likeminded bloggers.  Topics are set for each day if you're stuck or you can write whatever you fancy.

So here I am on Day 5 feeling pretty proud that I've blogged more this week than I have in some months. It's not too late to take part in the challenge so if you fancy signing up just head over to Rosalilium's page and add your name to the google doc

Are you taking part in BEDN or have you taken part in a similar blogging challenge?

Life Through A Lens

The topic for today's BEDN (that's Blog Every Day in November incase you didn't know) is photography.  What I love most about photography is the way you see the world differently.  It's amazing how much more you appreciate things when looking through a viewfinder.  The deep teal of victorian tiles, a close up of a flower, a skyline you may not necessarily have notice before. 

One of my favourite photos I've taken is of my son, around 4 years ago.  We were on holiday, the sun was going down and he was sitting on a rock looking out to sea.  Although I couldn't see his face, his body language looked relaxed like he was deep in thought.  I love the redness in the sky and the gentle waves lapping at the shore.  This whole photo gives me a sense of calm

Are you a keen photographer?  What's your proudest photo?

Wedding Photography: Should You Invest?

Weddings, as you can probably imagine can be pretty expensive.  Even with the strongest will in the world it's easy to see how a budget can spiral out of control.  Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life and you want it to be perfect.  Lets be realistic though, things are never going to be perfect, there's always something that will go wrong and as long as it's nothing too major, when it comes to the big day you won't even notice, or care!!

I loved every aspect of our wedding but one of the most important things to me was that we all had a good time.  Lets face it my guests wont really care whether the flowers co-ordinate with the bridesmaids dresses, how many hours I spent decorating jars or if my tiara had the right amount of sparkle. They care about watching two people they're pretty fond of making that commitment to each other. Secondly they care about what the food's like and how much alcohol is on the table and thirdly they want to have some fun!  Don't forget your guests are spending 8 hours of their time helping you celebrate. I often hear people saying 'it's your day, have it the way you want it' and to a certain extent I agree but remember it's not just about you! Your guests need to have a good time too.

The next most important thing to me is wedding photography.  If you only spend your money on one thing please, please, please choose a good photographer.  I've lost count of the times I've heard people say they're not too fussed about a photographer, or 'a family member's offered to take them for free'. If that's the case at the very least check out their work first. Just because someone has a dslr doesn't mean they know how to use it!  Can they take photos without chopping peoples heads off or giving them evil red eye? Do they know how to compose a photo, make sure it's in focus and avoid random strangers or fire exit signs in the background?  These are things you wont even notice on the day but you'll spot them as soon as you look at your photos.

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life.  You spend days, weeks, months even years planning it.  Do you think you'll be able to remember every minute of your day? You wont trust me, it goes by in a blink of an eye.  Think you'll be able to remember all of it after 20 years? Not a chance!  Sure you'll be able to remember some aspects but not from start to finish.  Having a decent, professional photographer capturing your day means nothing will be missed.

My husband wasn't too keen on spending a lot of money on a decent photographer, he thought the money would be better spent elsewhere but it was the only thing I put my foot down about.  In fact, I will openly admit he unleashed a bridezilla demon bride-to-be that I didn't know existed.  I may have even whispered the words "If we don't have a decent wedding photographer then there will be no wedding".  Yep, like I said, a total bridezilla on the subject.  Eight weeks after we got married and sat down to look at our photos James will openly admit it was the best thing we did.  They don't just capture you, they capture your friends and family and all the things you didn't see because you were so busy talking to everyone.  They capture a special day that will never happen again.  Looking at your photos helps bring back the memories and re-live that experience in a small way.

 

I'd like to credit these photos to Steve Bridgwood Photography and thank him for being such a massive part of our day.  When he went home that night, after an eleven hour shift, his work wasn't done.  He had hours of checking through hundreds of photos, finding the best ones and editing them. Wedding photographers really don't get enough credit for all their hard work on the day and after.  

So if you unsure whether to spend a large amount of your wedding budget on a decent wedding photographer, ask yourself this.  In ten years time what will your flower arrangements look like? How many times will you have worn your wedding dress? Was that 20 minute journey in a classic car that memorable? What I'm trying to say is your wedding photos will last lifetime.  They're all you have left of your special day, apart from each other I hope.

Leek and Potato Soup

For those of you who don't know me that well I'll let you into a not so secret, secret...I'm a terrible cook! Which I have to say is pretty frustrating when you're a real foodie like me.  It's not for the want of trying either.  I really do put the effort in but somehow the end product doesn't end up tasting or looking quite so, er desirable.

I really don't get it.  I always follow the recipe step by step. Take for example the chocolate cake I made in August.  I followed that recipe WORD FOR WORD and this was the end result! Shocking I know!

In my defence I would just like to say that a) the recipe didn't explain how much mixture to put in the tin and b) how the heck do you get the icing to stick to the cake without destroying half of it in the process!? On a positive note the cake actually tasted really nice and the five people who tried it lived to see another day.

And then there was the time I made pavlova. Note I said pavlova and not pizza as the below photo would lead you to believe.

Seriously , I have more chance of becoming a quantum physicist than I do a master chef.  However, just occasionally miracles do happen when I'm in the kitchen and it seems only fair to share my culinary delights with those of you also lacking skills in the kitchen department.  I know you're out there, show your faces!

As winter's approaching there's nothing a nicer than a warm hearty soup.  My favourite has to be Leek and Potato soup and it's got to be the easiest soup to make, in the world!!  Obviously I haven't put this to the test, if there are easier soups to make please feel free to comment below.

Leek and potato soup literally has 3 - 4 ingredients, 5 if you include seasoning,  Is that technically an ingredient? Who knows, lets not ponder! When I make soup I always think it's nice to make a big batch so we can get a few lunches from it, you could even freeze some of it.  So bear in mind these quantities are very generous!

8 leeks

7 small / medium potatoes

1 garlic clove

Vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

Cut off the stringy white end of the leek, peel a couple of layers off, then cut off the dark green part and throw away.  It feels like you've cut your leek in half and thrown it away, which seems like a waste but as far as I'm aware there's nothing else you do with that end of the leek!  Again feel free to enlighten me, as we all know I'm no expert!  

Slice the leeks around 2cm thick. Peel and chop the potatoes into quarters or smaller.  Remember, the smaller they are the quicker they'll soften.  Try to keep them roughly the same size so they cook through at the same time.  Add some oil to a big saucepan, throw in the the leeks and potatoes, add a crushed garlic clove and some salt and pepper, put the lid on the pot and leave to sweat on a low heat. I always fret that the veg will stick to the pan, so I keep going back to give them a good stir.  

After about 15 / 20 minutes I add some boiling water with a stock cube so that the veg really begins to boil down.  Then just leave this simmering on a low heat until the leeks and potatoes have completely softened.  Once you're happy the veg has completely cooked through, take off the heat and use a handheld blender to liquidise the soup.  Add water depending on how thick or thin you like your soup.

So in a nutshell, peel and chop your veg, chuck in a pan to sweat, add some stock, boil down, liquidise and that's it! Easy as pie, except that's a ridiculous comment because making pastry is not easy to do, at least not for me anyway! They should change it to 'easy as eating pie'. That I can do!

So, are you a terrible cook?  Do recipes baffle you?  Have you got an easy recipe you'd like to share if so I'd love to hear from you! 

Taking A Year Off

Ever feel like life is crashing down on top of you and there's no spare time to even breathe or think straight? That was pretty much me last year.  Busy working for two very different companies which seemed to keep on expanding, whilst trying to plan a wedding and have a life, was like juggling without any hands.  Eventually something had to give and as much as I enjoyed blogging a part of me was beginning to resent it.  I had all these things I wanted to share but didn't have the time, not to mention every post I wrote seemed to be sponsored in some way.  I guess I became a bit disillusioned with it all and blogging was beginning to feel like a chore, if you know what I mean?  I guess that's when I knew it was time to have a break.

Too much of this...

And trying to plan this ...

Meant basically I felt like this...

Having some time away from my blog gave me the space I needed to concentrate on work and enjoy wedding planning.  I was able to focus more on what was going on in my life instead of blogging about it and it definitely took the pressure off.  Lets face it, there's only so much we can do and we're all guilty of taking on too much.  Just lately though I've realised I've missed putting my thoughts down on "paper", reading other blogs etc.  I'm glad I took the time out, I feel more refreshed and now love my little old blog again.  Oh and with this little one on the way now is definitely a good time to catch up on some parent blogs

So how have you all been?  What's been going on in your world.  Have you ever felt like taking a step back and can you recommend any good parent and baby blogs?

Sure As Eggs

Lately we've been trying to eat more healthily.  We've been eating a lot more salad, grilled fish etc and also tried to cut down on carbs, which I have to say I'm finding difficult!  Potatoes, rice, pasta, bread etc have for me, always been an essential part of every meal on a daily basis! Trying to cut them out has been really difficult!  We've also started trying to eat more eggs. They're packed with protein, full of nutrition and amazingly versatile and to be honest we don't eat enough of them. In fact according to British Lion Eggs the limit on egg consumption has now been lifted as it's known the cholesterol they contain doesn't not have a significant effect on blood cholesterol.  

We were recently sent this Severin EK3157 Egg Boiler, which was handy as we all know I'm pants in the kitchen! This electric egg boiler seemed like the foolproof way to achieve hard or soft boiled eggs and if I can work this little baby anyone can!

The electric egg boiler is pretty small and able to cook up to six eggs at a time with just one small container of water.  Add the eggs, water and then set the timer to the required setting and leave it to do it's thing.  It'll let you know when it's ready by beeping continuously.

The first egg I tried was on a medium setting which seemed to come out quite firm with a soft, but not runny, yolk 

I tried cooking another egg on the lowest setting and this resulted in a much runnier yolk.  Perfect for dippy egg and soldiers, except no carbs means no soldiers!

Whilst on the British Lions Egg website I noticed their sister site packed with 100s of recipes.  I actually can't believe how many different meals you can make with eggs! In fact, I can't believe how versatile the simple omelette is!  I'll definitely be trying out the carb free omelette fajitas and Liz McClarnon's Thai style stuffed omelette! Visit omelette recipes to see exactly what I'm on about and tell me which is your favourite!

*Sponsored post.

The World Of Coco Design

Don't you just love it when you stumble across something new? This week I've discovered Oxfordshire / Stratford based company Coco Design. 

With over 10 years in the interior design industry they decided to hang up their hard hats and create a home collection inspired by urban and rural settings. Their chosen colour palette means their collection will be at home almost anywhere. 

Spring Chickens

Boulevard 

Their collection is painstakingly created through a 3-stage process of sketches, hand cut stencils and finally hand painted with recycled emulsions. Nothing goes to waste. One of the many things I like about this company! Although this is a relatively precise process, each piece is unique with visible brush strokes an additional and intentional feature 

Do you own any handcrafted, unique artwork?

Upcycle Furniture With Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I've wanted to try Annie Sloan chalk paint for ages. If you haven't heard about this miracle paint here's a brief description from their website. 

1. Chalk Paint® is the BEST paint for painting furniture by a long way 

2. No need to prime or prepare 

3. Extremely low VOC so it is good for the environment 

4. You can use it on any surface, indoors and out (the outside of our shop was painted in it -- perfect!) 

5. You can use the paint by diluting it with water to make a wash to show the wood grain 

6. The colours are mixed intelligently and the website shows how you can adapt your colours for your use 

7. It's a girls' paint, but boys can use it too 

8. It's flexible so you can be creative and change your mind 

9. It allows your walls to breathe so it is perfect for cottage walls 

10. You can use it as an impasto (thickly) - leave the lid off to thicken 

11. We've been making it since 1990 so it's tried and tested 

The deciding point for me had to be No.2. No need to prime or prepare? Hmmm I was a little sceptical about that statement but with so many people raving about this product I was willing to put my doubts aside. For those of you who have ever painted furniture you'll know how much time goes into preparing and priming! It's a lot of effort to say the least! 

I already had a project in mind. This 6 drawer chest of drawers which I'd picked up recently from a second hand shop. Although I quite liked the wood stain it was scratched and the colour didn't really go with the grey and purple tones in our bedroom.

Before

After carefully removing the handles I set to work using a soft brush. The paint goes on thickly but a little really goes a long way. Handy considering the £18 price tag for a 1 litre tin. As recommended by the stockist we watered down the second coat before applying, which makes it a lot smoother to apply. 

There are lots of finishes you can go for. Shabby chic, two tone, rustic, crackle effect, etc but in all honesty I prefer a smooth block colour finish to my furniture. After allowing the paint to dry I rubbed in some clear wax. This protects the paintwork and adds a slight sheen to the overall finish - Note - the paintwork was touch dry in around 30 minutes but I waited until the following day before rubbing clear wax into the drawers.

Annie Sloan - Paloma - Clear wax

I love these original handles

My overall thoughts?

I have to say, I'm really pleased with the effect and although the paint was expensive I've still got well over 3/4 left in the tin! Not bad considering there are endless uses with this paint. With that in mind I decided to give a cheap terracotta plastic pot a coat.

However, if you are looking for the exact colour in the tin I would recommend giving your furniture a quick once over with a primer or some white-ish paint.  It goes without saying that the colour underneath is bound to change the overall shade you end up with.  If the shade isn't quite right don't worry, you can easily mix it with any other Annie Sloan paint to achieve the right shade.

Would I use this paint again?
Most definitely! I love how versatile this paint is. You can water it down, mix it and literally paint any surface with it.  It dries so quickly without any stickiness and hardly smells compared to other paints.  The only problem I have with this paint is deciding which colour to get next!

Have you tried Annie Sloan Chalk Paint? Have you got a project in mind you're about to work on? I'd love to see what you're working on.  You can tweet a photo of your project to me at @agirliknow

Contemporary Lamp Giveaway

It's giveaway time!  Everyone knows lighting is key to any room. There's nothing that can ruin the tone of your room more than a stark ceiling light; or worse, lighting so dim you feel as if you've reverted back to candlelight! To overcome this I'm a big fan of lamps.  There's an abundance of them in our home.  In fact, come to think of it there's four in our living room and I'm contemplating a fifth! You see great lighting can complete your room and set the scene or as some would say, 'um-bi-uhnce'.

Some of us aren't fortunate to have floods of natural light within our home which is where clever and decorative lighting comes to the rescue.  Choosing the right lamp will complete your overall design scheme, just like the right pair of shoes would complete your outfit.

I've teamed up with Out There Interiors and giving away this large, white, contemporary table lamp to one lucky reader of A Girl I Know.  This bold lamp will certainly make a statement in any hallway or lounge.  In fact I'm a little bit jealous that I can't enter the giveaway myself!

If you haven't heard of Out There Interiors I would definitely recommend you take a look.  Known for their quirky and quality assured designs, I love how they describe themselves as 'furniture people - not arrogant people'  In fact I'm slightly obsessed with this Fuschia Pink French Chest of Drawers. Which would make a great feature in any room!

Anyway, back to the giveaway in question! To be in with a chance of winning this oversized lamp worth £140 just enter via the rafflecopter form below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway