Worldwide Wardrobe 2013 Competition.

I thought I would enter the Worldwide Wardrobe competition TravelSupermarket.com are currently running as I love planning dream outfits and putting all of the different pieces together, especially when it's all done through the internet and you don't have to drain the bank even slightly. It's much nicer.

TravelSupermarket have launched an incredible competition which, combines a love of travel with a love of fashion and they have challenged fashion bloggers to put together five outfits to wear in five different destinations enjoying various activities, with a budget of £200 per outfit.  Each category winner will win a dream trip to the destination their outfit was inspired by, plus £200 to buy the outfit. You can enter all five categories, or just one or two, it's entirely up to you how you want to challenge yourself.

The activities and destinations are:

• sightseeing in Paris
• clubbing in Ibiza
• shopping in London
• cocktails in New York
• partying at a Full Moon party in Thailand.

I have decided to enter the two categories; sightseeing in Paris and cocktails in New York as Paris and New York are my two dream locations and I have never been to either of them before so, I would be over the moon if I got the chance to go.

Outfit One: Cocktails in New York.

Vicky Lilac Dress- £65: Jones and Jones. Lilac Rose Headband- £20: Crown and Glory. Nude Peep Toe Heels- £34.99: Missguided. Embroidered Clutch- £45: Accessorize. Black Multi-Glitter Nail Paint- £2.99: Barry M. Geisha Charm Bracelets- £8: Accessorize.

Total Cost = £175.98

 

As I mentioned, I absolutely adore New York and for the last five years it has been my dream to go. It just looks so exciting and sophisticated and stunning with all the bright lights of the city. I also love getting dressed up and having girly cocktails however, I realise I am 19 which, although is fine to drink cocktails here, I know you have to be 21 in America so, I'm not sure what would happen there. I thought I would still enter though as I would love to just go to New York for any reason.  I went with a very pretty, girly outfit which, I thought would be perfect for cocktails and I chose this gorgeous, dainty, feminine Vicky dress from jones and jones which, I thought would be the perfect little cocktail dress as it just looks so glamorous and expensive. I went with a pastel theme as I love the pastel trend at the moment and I also love the pretty lace detailing and lilac colour of this dress. I thought it would work perfectly with this beautiful lilac rose crown from Crown and Glory in your hair to be a bit different and to turn a few heads like Carrie Bradshaw would. Then I thought I would add some more sophisticated accessories to suit the New York location with this gorgeous embellished clutch from Accessorize, pop on these elegant Nude Peep toe heels from Missguided, paint the nails black and slip on this cute, fun, quirky  geisha charm bracelet from Accessorize.

 

Outfit Two: Sightseeing in Paris.

  

 

Felt Boater: £20 - ASOS. Parisian Black Pinafore Dress: £22.99- New Look.

Vero Moda Stripe Top: £12.50- ASOS. Round Black Sunglasses: £1.79- Ebay. Arabel Cut Out Studded Boots: £90 - Topshop. Beach Shack Nail Varnish: £5- Topshop. Bicycle Ring: £3.99- Ebay. Mustard Polka Dot Satchel: £19.99 - Daisy Street. Winnie The Pooh Disney Couture Necklace: £20 - Ebay.

 

Total Cost = £196.26

 

Sightseeing in Paris is another dream of mine. I would love to walk the nostalgic and beautiful streets of Paris popping in all of the little vintage clothes shops and amazing French patisseries and I thought this little outfit would be perfect to do just that in. I went with this really cute and great value little black pinafore dress from New Look which, is very appropriately called the Parisian Black Pinafore dress. I then paired it with this lovely French style striped top from ASOS; again perfect for Paris, as well as this lovely boater hat from ASOS too. Pop these amazing, chunky, studded cut out boots from Topshop on your feet and accessorise with these super cheap and quirky round sunglasses from ebay, this  adorable Winnie the Pooh umbrella necklace by Disney Couture and this cute, antique, French style bicycle ring. Finally, add a nice splash of summery colour to this monochrome outfit with some vibrant yellow nails and this lovely, cute and girly polka dot satchel from Daisy Street and you are good to go and explore the streets of Paris. 

I hope you enjoyed looking at my outfits and have fun making your own. The closing date for entries is 5th June 2013 so you have plenty of time to get your entries in and make sure to check out everyone else's ideas using the hashtag #worldwidewardrobe on Twitter!

 

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x 

Mini Egg and Bacon Tarts with Polenta and Pesto Roasted Peppers.

 

I made this recipe a fair few weeks ago now but, I completely forgot to post about it until now. I really enjoyed it at the time as it was very different to any of the meals I've ever made before and I always think it's nice to try new things. The roasted red peppers with polenta, pesto and halloumi were absolutely gorgeous and really flavourful and the mini egg and bacon tarts were really tasty and cute. It did take quite a bit of time to prepare everything and to get everything ready but, it was definitely worth it as it all tasted delicious in the end. The peppers actually didn't take long to prepare at all and so if you are a fan of polenta, pesto, red peppers and/or halloumi then I would definitely recommend giving these peppers a try as they are quick, tasty and a really unique little side dish that could accompany so many different things from pizza to quiche or chicken to sausages. Whatever you like. I am in love with halloumi and pesto at the moment so they were particularly great for me as well. I then served them alongside my little egg and bacon tarts (a vegetarian version for me ofcourse and real bacon for the family)  and they went together great. The slight sweetness from the peppers went perfectly with the savoury flavour from the tarts.

 

I will admit though that the preparing of the tarts didn't go too well initially :/. I didn't really feel like putting greaseproof paper and baking beans in the bottom of each individual little pastry case and so  I decided to just pop them straight in the oven without the baking beans and thought, what could possibly go wrong? Well, apparently the whole tart goes wrong. The pastry sinks and collapses and goes all soggy and although, I already knew this was likely to happen for some reason I thought, ten minutes in the oven... I'm sure they'll be fine. They weren't. Me and mum were there trying to stretch the hot pastry; burning our hands and just so you know, it doesn't work anyway. And then we decided to squash some raw pastry into the holes and cracks and risk the oven again and at that point the cases weren't looking too professional but, once the filling was added I think they actually worked out quite nicely so, it all worked out in the end. I think they look really sweet and I love the cheerful little yellow egg yolk perched on top.

 

If you decide to make these little tarts yourself, and I really hope I haven't put you off as they are really yummy and quirky, don't be lazy like me and use some baking beans :P... or don't I guess, it seems it all works out in the end anyway. I really enjoyed them served warm with the peppers but, it is also suggested to eat them as picnic food with ketchup and I think that sounds really yummy. If you do decide to give this recipe a go or to just try the peppers or the tarts I hope you really enjoy them!

 

Recipe

 

For the mini egg and bacon tarts- makes 6

 

375g packet of ready-rolled shortcrust pastry

8 rashers bacon (or veggie bacon)

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. chopped sage

75ml single cream

1 egg, beaten

6 egg yolks, separated (the whites can be used to make meringues or frozen and used later).

 

For the pesto polenta peppers- serves 4

 

2 tbsp. olive oil

1-2 tbsp. pesto

1x 500g pack ready-made polenta, cut into medium cubes

1 large red onion, cut into wedges

4 pointed red peppers, halved and deseeded

1x 225g pack lighter halloumi, sliced

handful of fresh basil leaves to serve.

 

Method

 

To make the egg and bacon tarts-

 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. On a lightly floured surface roll the pastry sheet out until it is a few centimetres larger all around. Trim the edges, cut into 6 even squares, then use each square to line each hollow in a large, 6-hole muffin tin, or 6 individual ramekins. Don't worry if the corners stick up or look untidy. Chill for 20 minutes.

  

2. Line each pastry cup with a square of non-stick baking paper and fill with baking beans or dried pulses. Bake for 10 minutes then carefully remove the paper and beans and return to he oven for a further 5 minutes, until the pastry is just golden.

3. Meanwhile, lay 6 bacon rashers on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside.

 

4. Chop the remaining 2 rashers of bacon and gently fry with the onion in the olive oil for 10 minutes, until the onion has softened but not coloured. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sage, cream and beaten egg. Season.

 

5. Tuck a bacon rasher into each pastry cup, curling it around to fit. Divide the onion-and-cream mixture between the tarts and place one whole egg yolk in each. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the bacon rashers are just brown. Set aside to cool for a few minutes before turning out.

 

 

To make the pesto polenta peppers-

 

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and pesto together until well combined. Put the polenta and red onion in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with half the pesto mixture. Toss until well coated.

 

2. Scatter the polenta and onion on a baking tray. Nestle the pepper halves on the baking tray and brush each with the remaining pesto mixture. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes and then top the peppers with the halloumi slices and cook for a further 10 minutes until golden.

 

3. Finally, scatter over the basil leaves to serve.

 

Now enjoy!

 

 

 

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x

Heaven Can Wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dungarees - Topshop via ebay, being sold here on ebay, similar here.

Stripey Top - H&M, similar here.

Tights- Tesco.

Black Brogues- Dorothy Perkins.

Bowler Hat - Ebay.

 

Yesterday, I wore this outfit as I thought it was nice for Spring and perfect for the sunshine. I love the dungaree trend at the moment and I really want this pair of paisley print dungarees from Motel which, I also featured in my Passion for fashion 2 Money Supermarket.com entry. I just love how cute and versatile dungarees are. This pair of dungarees are a bit big for me as I could only find them in a size 12 on ebay but, it doesn't really matter and I love the acid wash/ distressed style of them and the little buttons at the front. They are very sweet and I really like them paired with my stripey top as well. It gives me a bit of a French essence which, will be perfect for my trip to France in the summer. I love this stripey top too; I've had it for about 3 years now and I adore it and wear it all the time. It just goes great with everything. Everyone should have some stripey tops in their wardrobe, I love them. I kind of wish I'd popped my converse on with the outfit now as I never wear these brogues and they don't really show up in the pictures either but, nevermind. I never wear my bowler hat either but, I definitely need to start wearing it as it's really sweet and I think it's a great accessory which, just adds a little something extra, fun and quirky to an outfit and livens plainer outfits up a bit.

 

Well, the time has just reached 1.20 am. Yes, that's in the morning! and I cannot believe I am still up :O. I am unbelievably tired though so, I am now heading off to snuggle up in my nice cosy bed and to enjoy the fact that my electric blanket has been on 3 for the last 2 hours. Can't wait! I'm such an old woman but, I couldn't live without me leccy blanket! It's incredible and my bed will now feel like a furnace. Perfect. Do enjoy this song by We The Kings though. Heaven Can Wait is probably my favourite song by them as it's just really upbeat and catchy and the lyrics are so adorable and sweet and make me smile. I hope you enjoy it too!

 

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x

 

Planetary (GO!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

T-shirt - Ebay

Leggings - New Look

Cardigan - Topshop

Brogues - Peacocks

Head scarf - Ebay

Satchel - Ebay

 

 

I love love love My Chemical Romance and I am absolutely beyond devastated that they have now broken up as they have been my favourite band ever since I was 10 years old when I turned on Kerrang to find the incredible I'm Not Okay (I Promise) video playing. I have also been in love with Frank Iero ever since seeing him jump out of that locker in that exact same video and when he said those two words 'Trust me' in his sexy American accent I was certain he was the man I would one day marry. (Yeah, I know, you're apparently very optimistic when you're ten :/.) I just feel really sad now that they are no longer together and I was completely shocked as well as I'm sure I read in Kerrang magazine that they were working on a new album.  I was absolutely obsessed with them from the ages of 12 to 16 especially and they were all I ever listened to all day long. I had posters everywhere, my My Chem t-shirt on constantly and I still truly believed I would marry Frank Iero despite the 12 year age gap. God knows what I would have done if they had broken up then; balled my eyes out definitely.

 

It still really upsets me now though as they are so unique and there is no other band like them. They’ve never had a song I didn’t like and Gerard Way is just a complete genius and absolutely adorable when he bops around the stage. My favourite song by My Chem is Summertime but, I pretty much adore every other song they have ever written, including Planetary (GO!) from the Danger Days album. It's such a cool and different song and really up-beat and fun. I loved the whole Danger Days album and thought it was really quirky and different and I just wish there were more albums to come but, they’ve given me four 'fucking awesome' (as Gerard would say) albums to get me by and so thankyou My Chem for being so incredible and maybe one day they will get back together and I will make sure I'm first in line to see them.

 

Yesterday I popped on my My Chem Killjoys t-shirt which, I love. I love the retro, comic style and it's really bright and fun to just throw on with some leggings. I got it in a Men's large as that's the only size that was left but, luckily I don't think it looks too ridiculously big on me. I  was worried it would look a bit like a nightie but, I just think it's nice and oversized and comfy. The t-shirt reminds me a bit of the Iron Man t-shirt currently being sold in Topshop with its bright colours and comic book style and I would really like that t-shirt too as I just love throwing on a cool, statement t-shirt with some jeans or leggings. Casual days are the best. I also popped on my old Pink knit cardigan from Topshop and my brogues to add a more girly edge to the outfit and finally I put my hair up and tied my red polka dot head scarf around it to again add a more pretty, girly element to the outfit. I rarely wear head scarfs or head bands as I always struggle to make them look right but, as my hair looked like a lion mane yesterday I thought it best to try and tame it by tying it up and then I wrapped the head scarf around it as I thought the red went well with the red MCR lettering on my t-shirt and I quite like how it turned out. A slight rockabilly, retro, 50s vibe.

 

It's still absolutely freezing but, it's lovely that the sun has finally come out so, I feel like I should get outside and go and enjoy it while, it's here. The last few days have been lovely as my Auntie, her partner and my cousins Alfie and Hugo are down so, we've been to the beach a couple of times (still heavily wrapped up in layers and layers of clothes ofcourse) and had a yummy Toffee and Hazlenut Roskilly's ice cream and a really good Hot Chocolate with a cream and a flake at Kynance. Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the park which, I think I enjoyed more than the boys. The zip wire is so fun! I also spent the afternoon bouncing on the trampoline with my nephew Charlie and then I helped him draw chalk pictures on the pavement in the garden. Kids have all the fun! Anyway, I will leave you now to enjoy the sun and I hope you have a lovely day! Enjoy Planetary (GO!)!

 

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x

Tuesday Tunes.

 

Song of the week: Christina Perri- A Thousand Years.

This song is absolutely beautiful and the lyrics are so romantic and really stunning. I love it. I am a big fan of Christina Perri and her Lovestrong album is incredible. I just find her really different to any other female solo artist out there which is nice and I also love her style and tattoos too. I love rock and punk music but, sometimes I find it really nice to listen to some soft, mellow music too as it really makes you happy and feel good and Christina Perri's music does just that. She's an amazing song writer and Jar Of Hearts is obviously a brilliant song but, I also love Bang Bang Bang, Miles and Distance in particular on the Lovestrong album but, I have also fallen in love with A Thousand Years now and I hope you do too. Now all I need is the fairy-tale romance to go with this lovely song. Enjoy!

 

Thankyou for listening!

Love Courts x

Friday I'm In Love With...

I thought I would start a new weekly blog post called Friday I'm In Love With... where I can share all the things I am loving each week whether it be music, clothes, food, films or whatever. The title of the blog post obviously comes from the incredible song by The Cure; Friday I'm In Love which, you can listen to below as it is an amazing song.

 

 

I am big fan of The Cure and have been since my Mum introduced me to them a couple of years ago. Thanks Mum! I also got to see them at Reading festival last year and they were amazing. I love Robert Smith. He's so charmingly odd and his songs are quirky, unusual and brilliant. My personal favourite song by The Cure is Cut Here; it's just really emotional and sweet and beautifully written.

 

On to the things I love this week. First, The Middle. It is such a good program. I love it and laugh all the time at it. I recently noticed that they were repeating all the previous series of it on Sky 1, showing two episodes a day at 5 o'clock and because I'd never really seen it before I thought I'd give it a watch. Sue and Brick are just hilarious and I have just a bit of a crush on Axl (Charlie McDermott).

 

 

This week I am also in love with New Girl! I'm so happy it's back! It just makes me so happy to watch and it's so funny. I love Jess and Zoey Deschanel; she's so pretty and has an amazing quirky style. I really want Nick and Jess to be together as they are adorable together and perfect for each other, and Cece and Schmidt too. I've always found Nick really attractive too but, in the last episode I was actually loving Schmidt more. Not so much when he was all sweaty and greasy spinning the fire balls but, before that. Okay well not at the very beginning either in his bin bag diaper but, after that he was very good looking :P. Why am I attracted to everyone?

This week I'm also loving All Time Low. Their new album; Don't Panic is amazing and I can't stop listening to it. My favourite songs are The Reckless and the Brave, The Irony of Choking On a Lifesaver, Somewhere In Neverland, Backseat Serenade and If These Sheets Were States but, I love every song on the album. Once again Alex Gaskarth is rather pretty to look at too.

On to food which, is always an important part of my week. This week I am head over heels in love with Ben&Jerry's Peanut Butter Me Up Ice Cream. Oh my god! Possibly thee best thing I have ever ever tasted. I adore anything peanut butter but, peanut butter and vanilla ice cream with jam and peanut butter cup pieces, drool. That is heaven. At the moment it's only £3 in Tesco so, make sure you get some! I'll definitely be stocking up.

 

Also, this week has been full of room decoration for me which, with painting each wall about 7 times hasn't been my most favourite time ever but, now that it is finished I am really happy with it. It's very girly and I'm looking forward to getting a few items and some little trinkets to make it all vintage and pretty. So, this week I am loving room decorating. I have just ordered a gorgeous bed from Very and now I really want some fairy lights to wrap around it. Everywhere in the room is cream and very simple so, I would like to jazz it up a bit in some places with a bit of colour like with these Rattan fairy lights from ebay, maybe put some colourful bunting around the room too.
 

 

The final thing I am loving this week is a film I watched last night with my Dad called; Midnight In Paris with Owen Wilson. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a really sweet film. If you love anything vintage and nostalgic and French you should definitely watch it. It's just a nice, simple, feel good movie and I love that all these famous Artists and Authors just keep popping up like Picasso, Salvador Dali and Ernest Hemingway. I'm not even that knowledgeable on any of them but, I still found it really exciting. I have always thought it would be incredible to experience some era's in the past like the 1920s or the 1950s. Everything was just so different then. All the women dressing up every day in beautiful dresses with their hair and make-up done. It was just so glamorous and I love it! Obviously I love today as there is so much more available to us now in terms of everything really; healthcare, technology, opportunities but, still just to experience the 1920s would be amazing. Paris also looks absolutely stunning, I would love to go there. Maybe this cupcake bakery in New York could now be becoming a little French Patisserie in Paris. One can dream. 

 

 

 

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes.

 

Do you ever find that some things are just too sweet, sickly and chocolaty? Yeah, no me neither! These cupcakes are gorgeous! I use Hayley Tamaddon's (an actress who used to be in my beloved Emmerdale and who also won Dancing on Ice) chocolate fudge cake recipe from the Celebrity Britain's Best Dish. It is the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted and so, rich and moist! The trick is to include sour cream in your chocolate cake recipe, it makes perfect chocolate cake and somehow, and I don't really know why, but, it makes a gorgeous light, moist sponge and enhances the chocolate flavour. Thank you sour cream!

 

I decided to convert her cake recipe into cupcakes though so, I filled them with her rich chocolate ganache topping and then topped them with her sweet, sugary chocolate coffee fudge cream filling. I then scattered over some tiny fudge pieces as I thought it would look quite cute. I bought these tiny fudge pieces from Sainsbury's for I think it was £1.39 which, is quite expensive really so feel free to buy proper fudge and then just crumble it up or chop it up into tiny pieces as I would imagine that would work out cheaper. I was just a bit lazy but then after making three different components to make this one lovely cupcake I think that can be forgiven.

 

If you are a chocolate lover like myself and have the time then please give them a go as they are so yummy and if you do try them I hope you enjoy them!

 

Recipe - makes 12 cupcakes

 

Chocolate Cake

110g (4oz) butter at room temperature
220g (8oz) dark brown sugar
2 eggs
165g (6oz) self raising flour
55g (2oz) cocoa
½  tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
140ml (1/4pint) sour cream

Chocolate Ganache Filling

200g (7oz) dark chocolate
140ml (1/4 pint) double cream
1 tbsp cocoa powder

Chocolate Coffee Fudge Frosting

 (5oz) Butter, at room temperature
165g (6oz) icing sugar
½ tsp ground coffee beans
Few drops vanilla essence
2tbsp cocoa powder
 

 

 

Method

 

Oven – 180°c.
You will need 1x 12 hole cupcake tray.

 

Place 12 cake cases in he cupcake tin.

 

For the cake, cream together the butter and sugar using an electric whisk. Gradually beat in the eggs. Add the sour cream. Sieve together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Fold in to the mixture.

 

Divide the mixture between the cake cases and bake for 15 minutes or until risen and just firm to touch. 

 

For the ganache filling, warm the milk on a low temperature until hot. Remove rom the heat and add the broken up chocolate stirring constantly until melted. Make the cocoa into a paste by adding hot water. Add the cocoa to the melted chocolate and leave to cool.

 

Meanwhile, make the frosting. Sieve icing sugar, coffee and cocoa into a bowl. Add butter and mix together until creamy. Add a few drops of vanilla essence. (If you don't like coffee flavours then just leave it out as the frosting still tastes lovely without.)

 

Once the cakes are cooled, dig out a hole from each cupcake using an apple corer

 

Put 2 tsps. chocolate ganache filling in each.

 

 

Put 2 tsps. of the frosting on top of each and use a pallet knife to smooth over and decorate with the fudge pieces.

 

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x