The best birthday cards are always edible

What do you mean you can't eat cards?

Of course you can.
Here is probably the coolest card/birthday gift ever.

All you need:
lots of chocolate
sweets
a big sheet of paper
and chewing gum

Assemble like in the picture:


"Dad! Please don't snicker
But I was in a time Crunchie
Organising your Birthday Gift!
Since I've quit my job I've been
Living on buttons; otherwise I would
rent you a private Aero -plane
For one of your Turkish Holidays, or
Maybe even an Orbit around the
Galaxy! But for now I am just
Your Smartie Pants Daughter! I seem
To get More Nuts every year, but you
Continue to be a true Golden oldie!
Enjoy taking Time Out to eat this card!
                                Love                  "

Or else you can phrase it like this, if you've never had a job.

"Daddy! Sorry but I was in a time
Crunch organising your Birthday
gift! I have no job otherwise I would
wispa off on a private, fancy
Aero -plane for one of your
Turkish Holidays, or maybe even an
Orbit around Mars or
around the Galaxy. But for
now, I'm just your smartie pants
daughter. You're a Golden oldie,
the best Dad I could ask for. You're
a Starburst! Happy Birthday!
Enjoy your card. Love           "

Personally, I like the second one best; better choice of sweets..... ^_^

x

"We'll paint the sun onto the sky"

An inspiring quote from my Art teacher. She has said it a few times during times the world looked dull and bleak. I'm happy to confirm that I won't actually have to this. The sun has already greeted me with summer holidays today!

To celebrate my freedom, here are a few pictures from one of my favourite sites: weheartit.ie



 






Have a great summer!
x

The Liebster Blog Award

I think it's about time I got around to doing this. I've been super busy studying for summer tests, that it's been hard to keep up to date. I have tests all this week and then I will finally be free!

 

Anyway....

I want to say a big thank you to Daria and Hermione for nominating me for the Liebster award.

 

The Rules:

~answer 11 questions

~give 11 facts

~nominate 11 bloggers

~ask 11 questions

 

...I'm starting to think this should have been called the eleven award...

Hermione's Questions

What is your favourite musical/play? Miss Saigon
Books or Movies? I love them both.
Are you an HP fan? eh.... yes.... what kinda question is that.! XD
Favourite thing to be doing on a weekend? lie on the grass watching the clouds
What's your guilty pleasure? hmm... knitting?
Longest book you've ever read? Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Hot beach or freezing snow? freezing snow
Favourite superhero? spider man
Play any instruments? yes, piano, guitar, tin whistle and recorder. Oh and I can do the cup song
Where are you as you answer this? on the couch in the front room
Dark, milk, or white chocolate? milk is my favourite but I love them all.

Daria's Questions
1. Where are your top three places to travel? London, New York and Rome
2. Who is your favourite Disney princess (or character)? Belle or Mulan, I love Alice too
3. Do you believe in anything supernatural? no
4. Who is your favourite author? I don't necessarily have a favourite, I think it's the book that counts.
5. If you could choose one junk food to be magically turned healthy, what would it be? chocolate cake.... or taytos
6. If you could live in a world from a book, which would you choose? harry potter's
7. What are your pet peeves? when people skip ques
8. What is your dream job? to be an artist who owns a tea-library and decorates books
9. What is your favourite accent? English/Scottish
10. Sweet, salty, or savoury? sweet
11. Why did you start blogging? honestly?... to improve my English.... and also out of boredom

I'm going to skip the fact part, there's plenty of information about me in the about me page and I did a post recently with 25 facts about me so....

I nominate
Ruby
Scarlett
Helena
Sophie
Ginger
Juliet
Sunny
July
Shakira
Kirthi
Emily

The Questions
~If you were to be deserted on an island with the choice of three things, what would they be?
~Describe your dream house
~What is your favourite movie?
~ Do you have any weird habits, fears. talents?
~What language can you speak?
~On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you right now?
~Where's is your favourite place to be?
~How old are you?
~Do you have a routine for blogging or do you just write whenever something interesting is on your mind?
~Any siblings?
~Choose your favourite name.

Enjoy

x

 

The Night Circus ........ CAKE

I have created a cake inspired by the book the Night Circus. So whadya think?

I admit it does not look very professional but I think the taste makes up for that. It is supposed to be the circus tent with black and white stripes but the black turned out a little bit greyish. I blame my mediocre equipment. I don't even have an electric whisk (I had to hand cream the butter and sugar together - my arms are aching!)

 

For the Base ~ vanilla cake

you will need:

- 220g butter

220g caster sugar

4 eggs

tsp vanilla extract

280g plain flour + raising agent

 

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar.

2.Add eggs, one by one.

3 Add vanilla.

4. Fold in flour.

5. Bake in an oven at 160*C for approx. 45 mins, until skewer come out clean. (tin~ circular cake/ cheesecake tin)

 

For the tent part ~ chocolate cake

you will need

150g dark chocolate

125g butter

150g caster sugar

3 eggs

55g plain flour

 

Method

1. Melt butter and chocolate together

2. Add in the sugar

3. Stir in beaten eggs

4. Fold in flour.

5. Bake in 165*C oven for approx. 40 mins. (tin ~ 2 sandwich tins)

 

Putting it all together

Cover base with chocolate fudge icing (as above) and somehow cut the chocolate cake into a tent shape and plonk it on top of the chocolate covered vanilla cake. You can put more fudge icing between  the tent layers.

Cover cake with white roll out icing strips. Make sure to get them to the top of the tent, leaving a gap in between each one. Fill in the gap with black roll out icing. Make a flag, if you wish and prop it on top. With red icing write The Night Circus. And viola!

 

 

 



Happy Baking!

x 



 

Being Bookish

If any of you remember when my blog first started, it was all about books. Just books, book reviews, and more books. And look now. When was the last time I posted a book review? Well Marian, explain yourself! Cause it isn't for lack of reading more like sheer laziness (or even forgetfulness).
So today I have comprised a bookish post with a few books!
And because I read some of these almost 8 months ago, they will be short little reviews.

The Help


"You is kind, you is smart, you is important."
These words are the famous and brilliant words of Ms Aibileen Clark, the protagonist of this book. The Help by Kathryn Stockett, portrays the life of three extraordinary women, who take their world by storm with the simple but powerful publishing of a book; Help. It contains the stories from maids/ the help in white households who share their hardships but also their happy memories. It is an enjoyable, memorable book with a few tears, laughs and some of Minny's pie along the way. 
8/10








Room
This is a book about a boy; Jack, who is five and has only ever lived in one room. This is because his mother was kidnapped. The book details the story from the perspective of Jack, as he learns about this strange world outside of room. I didn't think it was a great book. The story line was very predictable and also incredibly disturbing.
7/10







The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
I should point out that I was forced to read this for school and that my English teacher appears to worship Huck Finn so I do feel the need to find some faults in this 13 year old character. Well the only thing I can think of is that he is a typical boy, always up for adventures and exaggerates everything, but that changes throughout the book. Huck Finn is a boy, living along the Mississippi, when he runs away, not sure why (maybe it's due to his alcoholic father wanting his son's money - and where did he get that money?) and he bumps into Jim a black slave whom he had know with his time at Miss Watson's. So they set off on this adventure along the river...... encountering lots of dilemmas and telling a few white lies... I think you get the gist. It also is a very racist book, with no restraint on  racist words or even recognising that it was wrong to treat blacks like that. But that was as Ms Dilane would say "the product of the times". Language is hard to understand too.
7/10

The Grass is Singing
Yet another school book. Except this one made Huck Finn look like Harry Potter. It was SOO DEPRESSING!! Basically it is about a white woman from Africa who lives in a club, a house full of girls, and then overhears her so-called-friends talking about her and whether or not she will ever marry. So soon enough she meets Dick and marries him. Off they go to live on his farm as poor people and from then on it goes downhill. Actually it tells you the story line in the first chapter. The woman is killed by her maid; Moses. Yeah, so I told you the whole story within that paragraph. You're all very welcome, and should thank me for saving you from reading such a terrible book.
4/10



The Perks Of Being A Wallflower.
I loved this book, right from the start. I know I've heard a lot of bloggers not liking the beginning but I was so fascinated with Charlie and his odd way of thinking. I even started to think like him for a while. Ultimately, it is about the teenager Charlie, who makes some friends and gets to experience life. He cries, laughs, gets high, kisses girls, kisses guys, makes mixed tapes, read, writes and makes infinite memories. A remarkable book. 10/10

Happy Reading

x

I will get my vengeance!

It all began when the skies opened and the rain poured down. This was no mist or a passing shower but more like a thunder storm. I clasped my feeble umbrella and held it over me in an attempt to keep at least my head dry. It was a typical morning; me waiting for the bus, rain lashing and once again transportation late! There was what seamed like a river gushing down the road in front of me. A few cars passed, keeping there distance from the "almighty river". But then one car thought," no. Why bother? Lets just drive through it!"
I let out a scream as a tsunami engulfed me.

And that was just one of the many morning that I have been DROWNED BY CARS! At least some have the decency to avoid the water. Then why can't they all?? Well??
GURRRRR......
But whoever you are, you driving-car-into-water-splashing-poor-Marian-infuriate, know that I have your reg number. Mr. 131!!! By the way 80km an hour is over the speed limit on country roads!!!!

Anyway to my main point. Drivers should take more care and respect people who don't have the privilege to be in the warm comfort of cars. So be a nice person and don't drown the school girl on your way to work. She may well be your boss someday.

x

25 facts about me

1. I am a Gemini.
2. I love watching advertisements. Sometimes I'll just put on a DVD to watch the ads at the start.
3. I have a huge phobia of blood. I almost fainted last Wednesday when my blood pressure was taken.
4. I can play the piano, guitar, recorder and tin whistle (although not people consider it an instrument any more)
5. I am a country girl so naturally we have cows.
6. I made my own mask for a masquerade ball last week.
7. I am obsessed with Grey's Anatomy. (which is a bit weird considering my aversion to hospitals)
8. When I was really young I had four imaginary friends.
9. My imaginary friends were called Molly, Jack, Lucy and Sam. (anyone read Sunny Street in school?)
10. I once got through to an all Ireland art competition.
11. There is a forest right across the road from me. The first time I went in there was two weeks ago. I found a river....
12. I think I'd like to be a graphic designer when "I grow up".
13. Besides the Ireland, the only place I've been to is Spain (but that is all about to change...!)
14. I have really big feet. ..... and hands.
15. My lucky number is 8.
16. The movie that makes me cry the most is Tarzan.
17. I rarely tie up my hair in school.
18. I like my school uniform.
19. The Coronas are my favourite band.
20. I cannot click my fingers, roll my tongue or blow bubble gum. What is wrong with me??
21. I'm afraid of lightening.
22. I always drink tea, everyday.
23. I don't have a boyfriend.
24. Probably because I go to an all girls school.
25. My first four name all begin with M.

x

Spring into Summer

The summer has finally arrived (well sorta)! We are no longer in the awakening spring but the glorious season that is summer. For once, the sun is glistening, merrily in the sky and even though I am still labouring away in school from dawn till dusk, I somehow feel chirpier.
You may well be aware that I rarely have never posted about trends, beauty etc. But some revelation has come over me and I have decided to share with you some fashion bits and bobs that have caught my eye. After all I am a girl and I do like to shop (yikes, I'm being very stereotypical).

Black Asymmetric Chiffon Skirt

cream lace dress

Cosmic shorts  New Look

 


x