Cookies from the dark side

Do you know the picture with the monster and the cookieplate and the text "Come to the dark side - we have cookies"

My sister and me bought buttons with this picture during our holidays and used them together with a button with the Grumposaur as sign-language. The Grumposaur button meant: "Let's get something to eat before I get grumpy!" as we both need to be feed regularely to be in a bearable mood. And the Cookies button meant: "Let's go to the next available Sainsbury to get some cookies!" We so love the chocolate chunk cookies from Sainsbury.

Today I felt like baking some chocolat chunk cookies and what should I say? They're not bad! The Sainsbury-ones are much better, but I think I'd also go to the dark side for these cookies. They're crisp outside and gooey inside.

For 10 cookies

100 g soft, unsalted butter
90 g sugar
1/2 egg
110 g self-raising flour
25 g dark chocolat chips
25 g caramel chips or white chocolat chips (I used caramel)

Beat butter, sugar and egg, then add the flour and in the end the chocolate. Form 10 little balls out of the mixture, flatten them and set them on a baking tray with perchament well aside from each other (they get at least twice as wide in the end)

Bake for 12-15 minutes at 190° - don't forget to preheat the oven first. Let cool on the backing tray and transfer to a wire rack for further cooling.

I know the picture isn't good but had to take it before I've eaten the cookies....

Why you shouldn't have cats....

Thursday morning, 10 o'clock... I come home from the hairdresser, completely relaxed - well, as relaxed as you can be after your hairdresser of 7 years told you that today is her last day and you'll have to find somebody else who does your hair... - When I opened the door, my little purring macho vanished into my bedroom. This is nothing unusual for him, he pretends to be supercool though he is rather a little pussy cat - what a good joke! - and when the door opens he shelters under the bed. You never know who comes in.... But todays behaviour went one step further.... He pressed his belly against the floor and tried to be invisible. Rather strange.... He was basically wearing a sign on his forehead with huge, red letters: "It wasn't me! Blame it on somebody else!"
When I came closer to the kitchen table I noticed why... Behind the table was a huge mess. Brown, white and green stuff on the floor.... No, this doesn't look like somebody had overturned the bowl with the dry food. On the floor were two plants from the windowsill, one of the potts smashed and soil all over the place.... So well, my little Mr Scaredy-Cat had all the reasons to act invisible. As I know perfectly well that it was him...
Needless to say that both cats vanished when they saw me opening the storage board not to take out their favorite toy but the hover....

So but why do people have cats? Well, look at the two of them... Answer enough to this question? It is only a week since they moved in here but I'd never ever want to give them back! Even if they smash my flower pots. .

 My little mouse

Mr Macho

A tea a day keeps... You happy during Christmas time

I'm a tea drinker - hence the name of this blog - and so are my bestie and my mum. So I decided that they need an advents calendar with teabags. My bestie got a red-green-gold one hanging on a long band while my mum who loves blue obviousely got a blue one with silver one in a box.

I know it is a bit too late now for this year but I post the tutorial nevertheless. If I remember I'll post it again next year in early November. And maybe somebody still needs a last minute idea. 

The bags are quite easy to make though cutting, folding and glueing takes some time. You'll need: gift wrapping paper (70*80 cm), 2 sheets of coloured crafting paper, star shaped stickers, gold or silver pen. For the box version: one small metal or cardboard box or a matching bowl or flower pot or whatever. For the hanging version: ribbon, cellotape
Tools: Scissors, ruler, pen, glue, set square

Cut the wrapping paper in 10*23 cm big pieces. Fold in the middle of the long side. Fold and glue 1 cm on each short side to the back and let the glue dry well. Fold 3.5 cm from the open side down so that the bag is 8*8 cm. Mark the middle of the open side and cut from there down to the folded line on each side. If you use paper that is white on one side make sure that there is no white visible when this triangle is folded down.
When you go for the hanging version cut gift ribbon in pieces, fold them in the middle and glue to the back of the bags with cellotape.
Fill the bags with tea and close them with a star shaped sticker. Cut the tags out of the coloured paper. I used cookie cutter for the motives, though you could also do it freehand or make a cardbord pattern. Write the numbers on the tags with a gold or silver pen.
For the hanging version: Cut holes into the tags, fix them to the gift band and hang all the bags on a long fabric band.
For the box version: Stick the tags to the bags with another sticker and fill them into your box.

 Step by step

 Sorry for the bad quality. Winter, artificial light, darkness and so on...

I don't think many people have 24 different teas at home... So three ways of getting so many tea bags.
1. Look out for sampler boxes. For example Twinings has boxes with 5 different "plain" or flavoured black tea (5 bags for every flavour, so you have something to try too) Health food stores also often have boxes with different herbal teas and if you don't have any tea at all, look out for tea advents calendars.
2. Ask friends to give you a teabag each of three or four different teas. If you ask a group of friends you'll soon have a lot different tea
3. Make teabags out of your loose tea. You can find a tutorial here

Like a cursed princess

A while ago I stitched this card for a friends birth day. It is not a classical bday card of course but I came across this design in one of my Cross Stitching Card Shop magazines when I was searching for a nice card for her. Stitching on dark Aida is quite a nice experience as it looks so neat and nice.

Feeling "home"

When I came home yesterday a huge parcel was waiting outside my door. First I wasn't even sure what I've ordered.... I ordered quite some Christmas presents these last days but thought that I've got all of them. Well, once I looked at the box a bit closer I obviousely remembered what it was. My Britshop-order. It is very hard to come upon British food in Switzerland. The English Book Shop (Orell Füssli) sells some things, but not much. And, as I discovered this week, Coop too, though only a very limited range (Marmite - yuk! - some crackers, tea, apple sauce, mint sauce, custard and some marmelade and cutneys)

Last week I decided to try out the Brit-Shop. Delivery charges are quite high, but well... If you order only once in a while it is ok. And they were very quick, I ordered on Sunday, payed by credit card and got it all on Wednesday. So I can higly recommend it!

So there is only one British thing I really miss... Pret à Manger... Well, and Boots... And Monsoon.... And Sainsburys chocolat chip chookies....

Christmas crackers (the fill-your-own ones) * Christmas cards (wasn't able to resist...) * Kettle Chips Mature Cheddar and Red Pepper * Walkers Salt & Vinegar * Coleman mustard powder

How to upgrade a High Street brand winter coat.

I bought my winter coat last year at C&A and really love it. I love the tweed, I love the wide collar and I love the belt. But when I had to fix some lose buttons  I decided that it needed a bit of an upgrade. So I spent a happy hour yesterday evening with my sewing box, trying to find ways how to decorate it a bit.

You need: Your winter coat. Two hairclips with flower. Ribbon. 1 plastic (or wood, or glass or whatever) pearl for each button. Sewing supplies like thread,  needles, pins, scissors

I bought some plastic pearls a while ago at the Christmas department of a furniture shop. I applied one to every button. I just sewed the button on and then as last step before securing the thread I sewed the pearl on. I guess it would also look great with a small button applied on top of the normal one.

The sleeves also had a button on it, which I think is quite useless. I removed the button, fixed the fabric with some stitches - quite easy on tweed as it is almost invisible. Good for somebody who isn't able to sew neat and nice... - and then fixed two hairclips with flower to the buttonholes.

As I was already on it I removed the belt loops which were only thick thread. I found some black ribbon and formed it to two loops about the size the original belt loops had. Then just sewed them back in place - I marked the place where the original loops were with a pin before I removed them so that I knew where to place the new ones. I did the same with the buttons - and put the belt back into them. Done.

 Sleeve before

 Sleeve and buttons afterwards

 The button loop before...

... and after

Sorry for the bad quality pictures, light was bad, I wasn't in the mood for testing and trying how to get better pictures, so I just took some while I worked and here they are.

Dior 677 Rose Flamboyant Blazing Pink

A while ago I told you about my beloved Dior Red Royality I bought in New York. Last week I used his little brother, the Rose Flamboyant for the first time in quite a while. I really like the colour, it is pink but not too pink, a fresh colour but not too much. Just the right thing to brighten up a dark and foggy autumn day. I wore it with a matt top coat, which I think makes bright colours much more elegant.