How to Tie a Plaited Scarf Necklace

I recently started working at Joules and now I know how to fold things properly, how to sell a pair of socks, and of course how to tie scarves in new ways. This is a simple and cute way to tie a scarf for when you're sick of just wrapping it around your neck until you get it to a length where it won't dangle into things. This is perfect to wear both day and night and is sure to get you many compliments.

You'll need a lightweight scarf such as this one from Joules. I love the bright pink colour and monochrome floral. I'm definitely not a pink girl but I'm so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and bought this scarf as it is so summery and instantly brightens up any outfit.


.




















You want to start by wrapping the scarf around your neck and tying a simple knot. You should easily be able to take the scarf off over your head but you want the ends to be long enough to get a substantial plait. Take the scarf off, retaining its size. 
 Arrange the ends of the scarf so that you have three 'strands' like so. Then begin plaiting, passing the ends of the scarf through the loop so it doesn't become tangled. If you don't know how to plait, you could follow this tutorial.
Keep plaiting around the loop until you almost run out of scarf. Use these end pieces to tie a simple knot which will keep the braid from unravelling.

You can then pull and stretch your braid until you get your desired look. I like to push my knot along to make my necklace slightly bigger and I pull at the braid to plump it up a bit. When you are happy with your necklace slip it over your head. 
You could mix it up a bit by leaving the ends longer and perhaps tying a bow or leaving some parts unplaited and securing them with a knot. I know that I will be wearing these scarf necklaces all through spring and summer. I would love to see your versions on instagram or pinterest. 

Love Rhiannon x

Butternut Squash Macaroni Cheese

After a rollercoaster couple of months I am back at home with much more free time. This means that I've been doing lots of cooking and baking and I am currently planning my next sewing project. I've been trying to experiment with my cooking, finding alternatives to make my favourite meals healthier and yummier. Macaroni cheese is my ultimate comfort food. Here is a healthier version replacing most of the cheese and milk with butternut squash whilst still being incredibly creamy and rich. It serves 6-8 people depending on how hungry you are and you can adjust the amount of pasta to get your desired sauce to pasta ratio.


To make this macaroni cheese you will need:
  • 500 g macaroni
  • 1.5 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion
  • 1250 g butternut squash
  • 1.75 litres vegetable stock
  • 250 ml milk
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 100 g grated cheese (any strong tasting cheese will due)
  • parsley
  • salt and pepper
  • a few pieces of stale bread








Start by cooking your macaroni according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and set aside. Whilst the macaroni is cooking, cut the onion into thin rings. Heat the butter in a frying pan. Add the onion rings.







Sautee for about 20 minutes until caramelised.















Remove the skin and seeds from your butternut squash and cut into small cubes. Heat the vegetable stock in a large pan. Add the cubes of butternut squash and cook for around 5 minutes until soft. Pour out 200 ml of the stock and set aside.













Puree the squash. Add the onions, milk and left-over stock. Blend until smooth and add salt and pepper to taste. I also added a pinch of paprika to give it a bit of a kick but you could add whichever spices you prefer.














Blitz the bread until you get breadcrumbs. These breadcrumbs are completely optional but I love the texture they bring to the dish. Also, we always seem to get odd crusts of stale bread in the bottom of our breadbin which would otherwise be thrown away.












Mix the sauce with the pasta and add the cheese, reserve some of the cheese for the topping. Preheat the oven to around 180 C. Add the parsley and mix well.







Top the macaroni cheese with the breadcrumbs and the rest of the cheese. Place in the oven until the cheese has melted and is turning golden. This should only take a few minutes.










Plate up your macaroni cheese. We had ours with a selection of fresh vegetables.









This is such a quick, easy and healthy alternative to the super cheesy macaroni cheese we are all used to. It would be perfect for a midweek family meal or as a student dinner if you kept the sauce in the fridge and simply made fresh macaroni whenever you wanted a nice filling meal. I hope you enjoyed making this. I would love to see your pictures in the comments or on instagram.

Love Rhiannon x

Vegan and Sugarfree Layered Blueberry 'Cheesecake'

I'm always experimenting with vegan and especially sugar-free baking- blogs such as Deliciously Ella and My New Roots are my main inspiration. I had a pack of silken tofu which needed using up so I created this recipe for a layered blueberry 'cheesecake' topped with a blueberry and chia seed jam. The silken tofu gives it texture but the coconut milk and frozen blueberries gives it its delicious flavour.


Soak 1 1/2 cups raw cashews in water overnight. 



Blueberry and Chia Seed Jam
  • 3 cups of blueberries- I used frozen.
  • 3-4 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  1. Bring blueberries and maple syrup to the boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer for around 5 minutes. Mash the blueberries slightly. You want some texture so leave some whole.
  2. Stir in chia seeds and continue simmering until it thickens and becomes jam-like.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.


To make the base:
  • 1/2 cup raw almonds
  • 2 cups oats
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • approx 1 1/2 tablespoons of water
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 C. Grease an 8-10 inch tart or cake tin. I used a push-pan. Cut a circle of greaseproof paper to line the base of your tin.
  2. Process the almonds in a food processor until they resemble crumbs. Add oats, cinnamon and salt and process again until it resembles coarse sand. Add oil, maple syrup and water and process once more until you get a dough.
  3. Press into the base of your pan. Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until turning golden-brown. Leave to cool.

To make the topping:
  • The soaked cashews, drained.
  • 1 cup silken tofu
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup agave nectar/ maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fresh/frozen blueberries
  1. Turn down the oven to 175 C
  2. Blitz the cashews until you get a thick paste. Add the remaining ingredients apart from the blueberries and process again until smooth- don't worry if it seems quite grainy at this point.
  3. Pour half of this mixture on top of the base. Then process the remaining mixture with the blueberries- adding a few more blueberries if you want a darker colour. Pour this lilac mixture on top of the white mixture. Bake for around 40 mins until you get a slight wobble but an inserted skewer remains clean. Leave to cool. I put mine in the fridge for about an hour.

Top the cheesecake with the blueberry and chia seed jam and leave to set. Top with fresh blueberries before serving and enjoy.

Refashion: Men's Shirt into Skirt

I love refashioning things- I've made dresses from scarves, cardigans from jumpers and skirts from dresses. I kept seeing all these men's shirt refashions on Pinterest and when my mum gave me a stack of my dad's old shirts I knew that I had to try one. I refashioned this shirt into a skirt.


I chose this GAP gingham shirt with strange green stains on it. I knew that I wanted to make a skirt which still resembled a shirt. I started by chopping off the sleeves and the back yoke.


The pocket was in the wrong place to incorporate it into the design so I unpicked it.


I then cut along from the bottom of the sleeves all the way around.


I measured around my waist and then cut a waistline from the top scrap material. I kept the shirt buttoned up and then cut so that a button would be centred on my waistband. I ended up with two waistband pieces of length waist measurement plus 1 inch and width of two inches. 



From the sleeves I cut two equally sized pieces. I also cut two pieces of fusible interfacing. I attached the two outer pieces right sides together along with the lining and sewed along the edges with 1/2 inch seam allowance to create a long strip. I did the same with the pieces cut from the sleeves and then pinned the two strips together and sewed along the edge leaving the ends open.


I then turned this strip inside out and pressed along the edges well. The openings were then slip-stitched closed. I edge stitched along the edge of the waistband.


I folded and pinned some pleats in the main body of the skirt so that it was the same length as the waistband. I then sewed along the top to secure the pleats. I pinned the waistband and the skirt right sides together and sewed along the top. 






I slip stitched the seam down, pressed and cut off any loose threads.


I'm really happy with how this skirt turned out. I wear it with a black crop-top, ankle-boots, and my faux-leather jacket.  I hope this has inspired you to refashion some of your old clothes and give them new life.

Love Rhiannon x

Summer Pimms Cake

I've been a bit late in publishing this blog post because I've been on holiday and now summer feels like it has ended. It is a really light and refreshing cake, perfect for eating at a summer barbecue with a glass of Pimms.


 All the wet fruit and jam I added made the frosting rather runny so I wouldn't advise making this as a 'showstopper' cake unless you don't add the fruit.

When I was making this cake I started off making two layers but then they came out so thin that I had to make a third layer which is why in my picture below there are only 2 eggs .

To make the cake you will need:

  • 180g of softened butter
  • 180g caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 270g of flour
  • 4 tsp of lemon rind
  • 45 ml of Pimms








Start by greasing and lining three cake tins. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Then, by hand or using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy.










Then add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition. Add a tablespoon of flour with the final egg to prevent curdling. Add the lemon zest and beat well.






Add a quarter of the Pimms followed by a quarter of the flour. Fold in. Keep folding in the Pimms and flour gradually like this until everything is well combined. Divide between the three tins and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and an inserted skewer remains clean. Set aside to cool.






To make the frosting you will need:

  • A handful of fresh mint leaves. I picked mine from my garden.
  • Approximately a 2 inch long piece of cucumber.
  • 120g butter
  • 240g icing sugar
  • 30 ml Pimms
  • A couple of tablespoons of strawberry jam







Start by blitzing the mint and cucumber in a food processor, add the Pimms. You want chunks of cucumber in order to get the flavour. Beat the icing sugar and butter together until smooth. Add the cucumber, mint and Pimms and beat until fully combined. Add more Pimms, cucumber, mint to taste.











Assemble the cake by sandwiching jam and buttercream between the cakes. Top with more buttercream and fresh fruit and mint. Enjoy!









Love Rhiannon x
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)