THINGS TO DO TO FEEL AUTUMNAL

Hello everyone! For today's post i am back with another autumnal inspired post, more specifically to help anyone who is yet to get into that autumnal spirit. I am such a summer kind of girl, but i am also a sucker for this time of year and anything/everything autumn inspired from the scents to food/drinks and decor. With that in mind here is thirty things to do to help you feel autumnal this October...

1. light/buy your favourite autumn scented candles

Catch up on my the best budget autumn candles post: here

2. dig out your favourite cosy jumpers/knitwear or treat yourself to something new

3. switch out your summer nude lipstick for a warm brown nude

4. go for a walk in the park or a forest through crisp autumn leaves

5. switch your instagram theme from summer to autumn/winter photographs

6. do some halloween/autumnal diy

7. give yourself a manicure, painting your nails in a deep red/plum shade

8. pick up a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks

Not everyone loves PSL but you never know until you try it, i personally love them

9. make pumpkin/butternut squash soup

10. create a seasonal display on your fireplace

11. invest in a pair of thick cosy soaks, primark have some amazing pairs

12. diy or buy an autumnal flower/leaves wreath

13. donate some food/tins to your local church for harvest festival

14. switch out your regular tea for chai tea

15. make roasted veggies as a side dish for your dinner

16. shop around for a new winter coat or jacket

17. buy some halloween themed sweeties or food for guests/yourself

18. buy a pumpkin/pumpkins

19. carve one of the pumpkins you bought

20. watch some of your favourite autumnal/halloween movies

21. look out for the sunrise at this time of year, they are simply beautiful

22. go to an Oktoberfest event

23. visit an around the world market local to you

24. take a weekend away somewhere

25. bake some halloween treats or pumpkin bread

26. take a trip to a country estate or village in the countryside

27. add cinnamon to your regular porridge oats to make it seasonal

28. dig out a berry/vamp-y lip colour from time to time

29. go out for a Sunday roast to your favourite village pub

30. celebrate halloween

Catch up on my previous post: here

xo.

HALLOWEEN EYEBALL CUPCAKES

Hello everyone! If you read last Monday's post where i talked about pinterest halloween treats inspiration, then you will know that i was looking for some serious inspiration to create something fun/new to bake this Halloween. With that in mind and after shopping around to find some different Halloween inspired toppings other than sprinkles, i finally came up with this super cool yet creepy eyeball decorated cupcakes.

to make the cupcakes you will need: 

175g caster sugar

175g butter

150g self raising flour

25g coco powder

1tsp baking powder

3 eggs

12 cupcake cases

250g mascarpone cheese

2tbsp icing sugar

1/2tsp vanilla

red icing pen

eyeball jelly sweets

method:

First before you start on the cupcake mixture, you are going to want to pre-heat your oven to 180c/350f/gasmark4 and line the baking tin/s with the 12 cupcake cases. Taking a bowl/mixer, sift in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder before adding in the butter, sugar and eggs. Mix all of the ingredients together until well combined and a smooth-like consistency. Divide the mixture into your pre-lined cupcake cases (i went with these super cute halloween designed cases from Sainsbury's), filling each case around 2/3 full and bake in the oven for around 20-25 minutes or until springy to touch. Once out of the oven leave to cook completely before decorating with the mascarpone topping and design. To make the mascarpone topping, take the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla into a bowl/mixer and mix under well combined/smooth texture. Pipe or spoon on the mixture to the cooled cupcakes, this is going to be the "white part" of the eyeball. Taking your eyeball sweets (i picked mine up from poundland) and placing one in the centre of the topping of each cupcake. Then finally taking your red icing pen and roughly drawing "blood-shot" looking lines around the eyeballs for a spooky effect.

Catch up on my previous post HERE...

xo.

THINGS TO DO THIS AUTUMN

Hello everyone! I know we are over a month into Autumn now, but it is still only the beginning really as we still have a couple of weeks left until Halloween and then November after that. I have already done a handful of Autumnal inspired posts this year (which i will link at the end), with that being said i still think we have a room for one more. So for today's post i thought i would share with you some activities perfect for this Autumn.

1. stock up on your favourite autumnal scented candles.

2. make pumpkin or butternut squash soup.

3. go for a walk in the woods/forest, who doesn't love walking in autumn leaves?

4. make hot chocolate with marshmallows

5. bake some autumnal/halloween cupcakes or desserts.

6. switch up your lip colour to a deeper nude or berry/vampy shade.

7. make an autumnal wreath, with leaves/pine cones.

8. throw a halloween party.

9. invest in some fairy lights, to give your home a cosy vibe.

10. read a feel-good book.

11. decorate your house with autumnal decor.

12. visit a pumpkin patch farm.

13. carve/decorate a pumpkin.

14. bake an autumnal flavoured pie/cake, such as pumpkin or pecan.

15. go shopping for some things to update your autumnal wardrobe, with a scarf or boots.

16. visit a beer/farmers festival on a weekend.

17. take a weekend trip to the countryside, with friends, family or a loved one.

18. go to a bonfire/fireworks night.

19. cosy up with a blanket, binge watching your favourite movies/tv shows.

20. watch hocus pocus.

21. go on a ghost walk/scarefest night.

22. make your favourite winter comfort dinner.

23. have all your friends round, make popcorn and watch scary movies/rom-coms.

24. make smores, with biscuits and melted marshmallows.

25. listen to acoustic music, to me this gives a real autumnal/cosy vibe.

26. drink as many pumpkin spice lattes/autumnal drinks as you can.

27. visit a stately home.

28. treat yourself to an autumnal nail colour.

29. have a relaxing bath, with an autumnal scented bath bomb.

30. change up your instagram theme to autumnal themed photography.

Catch up on my previous autumn themed posts here:

makeup switch up for autumn / four simple ways to switch up your home for autumn / pinterest breakfast recipes i want to try this autumn / autumn candles: the best scents 

xo.

PINTEREST HALLOWEEN TREATS INSPIRATION

Hello everyone! So for today's post i am back with another Pinterest inspiration/recipes i want to try post, but this time things are getting a little spooky *inserts evil laugh here*. Halloween is just a couple of weeks away now and i always like to do some form of treat making, so i like any other time i took to Pinterest to look for inspiration and i just couldn't not share with you all some of the amazing creations/recipes that are on there.

halloween OREO candy bark

So i love love love candy bark/rocky road when it comes to a no-bake dessert and when i saw this Halloween themed OREO candy bark come up on my Pinterest feed, my eyes immediately lit up. The great thing about candy bark or a rocky road, is you can completely customise it however you want, whether you want it to look super scary/glory or light hearted and fun looking if you are catering to younger children.  

pumpkin cheesecake truffle mummies

For me these cheesecake truffle mummies look like the perfect treat for a Halloween party, whether that be for adults or children and the recipe also seems super simple. What i love about this recipe is not only the finished product is Halloween themed, but also the taste/flavour is also as it is pumpkin infused.

halloween OREO pops

When i saw these OREO pops i thought to myself, why have i never thought about doing this? Using OREOS on a stick and dipping/decorating them is literally as simple yet effective, as if it would be when you opt for a huge marshmallow. Personally i know i would prefer to eat an OREO pop and i will definitely be giving these a try out during or on Halloween itself.

halloween pumpkin/autumnal cake

This cake is another dessert that as soon as i saw it it, i was practically dribbling, i mean how amazing and moist does this cake look? Yes i just used the word moist, but it does! I actually did something a little similar last year, but in the form of cupcakes and they tasted amazing. You can check out that blog post, if you didn't catch it the first time here. 

frosted vegan pumpkin cookies

Sometimes i like to opt for the more healthy choice in the dessert area, which always ends up being a vegan/dairy or gluten free option. This pumpkin cookie recipe really caught my eye, as they look seriously indulgent without being and yet again it is pumpkin flavoured, which i love. If vegan/gluten-free desserts are more your thing, then i also did a blog post on amazing pumpkin brownies, which you can catch up on here.

halloween cauldron cupcakes

Finally we have a more on the fun/technical bake in the form of a cauldron designed cupcake, which looks amazing. This recipe is another one from a blog called apumpkinandaprincess.com and honestly there are so many amazing baking/dessert recipes on there as well as DIY's for Halloween, which i will be looking for more personally in the future. It will not be Halloween if there isn't some form of cupcake created in my house, so definitely stay tuned to find out what theme/design i decide to go for soon!

Catch up on my previous post HERE...

xo.

HALLOWEEN WEEK: THE HALLOWEEN TAG

Hey guys, i hope you are all having a great day whatever you are up to! So for today's post i had planned on doing some Halloween makeup ideas but i completely failed as i am just not great at doing that type of makeup and i didn't want to post something i wasn't happy with. I was browsing through twitter and discovered that someone had done a "Halloween Tag" blog post and thought i would give that a go in it's place for a little fun...

1. What is your favourite Halloween movie?

Hands down this has to be Hocus Pocus, it is such a classic film and i love me some Sarah Jessica Parker.

2. 1-10 how much do you enjoy Halloween?

Probably around 8, i really wish we went all out in England like in America but we don't.

3. What is your fondest Halloween memory?

Having my own last minute costume made when i was little out of a black bin bag and some paper stars, but it was my favourite thing.

4. Have you always been a Halloween lover?

Yes as fall is one of my favourite times of year, just all the pretty autumnal colours.

5. How do you get into the Halloween spirit?

Either watching Hocus Pocus, carving a pumpkin or baking cupcakes.

6. Favourite Halloween decorations?

It's got to be pumpkins, i mean that's a no brainer.

7. Favourite Halloween/Fall scent?

Yankee Candle either Ghostly Treats, Candy Corn or Fireside Treats.

8. Favourite Candy?

Candy Corn is the best thing ever, yet you can only get your hands on them in American style sweet shops in the UK which is so annoying!

9. Vampires or Zombies?

Vampires obviously, i love me some Damon Salvatore.

10. What is your weird/odd fear?

Spiders and all creepy crawlies, which isn't odd really i suppose.

11. Last but not least, do you believe in ghosts?

I kind of do and don't at the same time, if i ever saw one i would believe it!

I hope you liked this tag post and have a great weekend...

♥

HALLOWEEN WEEK: PAMPER EVENING

Hey guys, i hope you are all having a great day whatever you are up to! So for the second installment of "Halloween Week" i am going to be showing you more than likely the Halloween evening i will be having and my favourite things to do...

There is nothing better than a good pamper session by having a nice hot shower or bath using your favourite products. You could also treat yourself to your very own "Halloween Mask" aka a face mask, i am still obsessed with this one by No7 it's my holy grail! Why not go all out and light your favourite candle, i'm loving this Ghostly Treats one by Yankee Candle.

Once you are done in the bathroom and you've gotten yourself into your favourite pjs, make yourself your favourite hot chocolate and add marshmallows (why not it is Halloween after all). 

Last but not least it's time to relax and freak out by watching a horror movie or if you are like me and aren't into horror movies, just stick on your favourite TV show. I will most definitely be watching some Pretty Little Liars...

♥  

HALLOWEEN WEEK: CREEPY CUPCAKES

Hey guys, i hope you all had a great weekend and welcome to Halloween Week! For today's post i thought i would share with you these cool yet creepy cupcakes perfect for any Halloween party or just to recreate for fun. I also want to share with you a few cool ways you could decorate for this holiday in a very inexpensive way...

To make the cupcakes you will need:

175g Self Raising Flour (Sifted)

1 tsp Baking Powder (Sifted)

175g Caster Sugar

175g Soft Unsalted Butter or Light Baking Spread

3 Eggs (Whisked) 

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

12 Cupcake Cases

To make the frosting you will need:

250g Mascarpone Cheese

25g Icing Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Decorations of your choice 

Method:

First things first you are going to want to pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 4/180c or 350f and then line your cupcake tin with your paper cases. You are going to want to take your sifted flour and baking powder and place them in your mixing bowl, next you are going to want to add the caster sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and begin to mix them in your mixer. (Make sure you start your mixer on a slow speed and then gradually increase your speed) Mix until combined.

Next you are going to want to place your mixture into your pre lined cases allowing room to rise and then place them in the oven for 25 minutes. Once cooked and take them out of the oven and place on a cooling wrack to cool completely before decorating. Once cool you can begin decorating... 

So once the cupcakes have cooled you are going to want to make your topping. Take your mascarpone, caster sugar, vanilla extract and mix together until combined. Once the mixture is all combined you are going to either want to pipe the topping onto the cupcake or if you prefer just spoon on the topping and smooth with a knife. All that if left to do then is to decorate the cupcakes with a design of your choice.

Now here is a few cool yet inexpensive ways to decorate for Halloween...

Table Place Settings.

You can get hold of a lot of different items to dress your table for Halloween so easily like these ones i picked up from my local supermarket.  

Candles.

Candles are a great way to add to the whole Halloween/Spooky vibe, these Sampler candles from Yankee Candle are perfect as they come in their limited edition Halloween scents. These two scents are my particular favourites and they are so inexpensive at just over £1.

My mum got this ghost tea light holder which was just too cute not to show you all. 

♥

HALLOWEEN WEEK

Hey guys, i hope you are all having a great day whatever you are up to! So for today's post i wanted to give you a sneak peek of what is coming up next week on my blog. Seeing as Halloween is just around the corner, i thought i would share with you some different ideas/ways you could celebrate this particular holiday whether you are going to a party and don't know what costume to go as or even just a chilled night in at home. I am going to be uploading posts Monday, Wednesday and Friday as normal but all the posts will be Halloween related.

Enjoy your weekend and i will be back on Monday...

♥