The Grand Re-opening!

Today is the Grand Re-opening of my Etsy shop!!

I have one beautiful item for sale - A string of union flag bunting, but I will be adding new items to my shop daily so keep your eyes peeled and check back soon to see what I will be adding.

I first opened my shop way back in March 2010 selling a variety of handmade items and vintage ornaments.
I have a large collection of vintage music sheet, maps, books and comics so started making items out of this including bunting, confetti, badges and garlands,

I also got into selling really cute vintage ceramic ornaments like these beauties:

As I developed my products I found that fabric bunting was also popular and I enjoyed making it so I have decided to continue selling the bunting and focusing on this for now (though I really hope to start including vintage ornaments in my collection again because they are so fun.)

So I really hope you will visit back soon to see my new products.

Stay tuned!

7 Days of Vegan Breakfasts - Scrambled Tofu on toast

Recently on Facebook I asked my friends to ask me anything about veganism, and one person asked "How many years of practise does it take to get used to the taste of tofu?" I trumped their jovial sarcasm with an equally droll response of  "what taste?"

It's true, tofu has a bit of a bad reputation, but it is unfounded because tofu has the remarkable property of being able to easily adopt and marry the flavours added to it, meaning you can make it taste delicious.

In honesty I haven't been that adventurous with my use of tofu but there is one breakfast choice that  is hard to replace with a vegan alternative in many recipes - the egg, however, my one escapade into tofu use has yielded delicious results in the form of scrambled tofu, which when flavoured appropriately, makes a delicious scrambled egg alternative.

Scrambled tofu is great if you prefer a savory breakfast option rather than sweet (I usually go for sweet for breakfast, so happily this also makes a great lunch option)

It has that unmistakable eggy wobble, and a very similar colour, the taste is achieved by a mixture of spices and a pinch of salt.

I served mine with potato cakes and vitalite today because I like to mix things up every now and again and switching bread for potato cakes is about as exciting as it gets round here. 

So I used half a pack of Cauldron Original Tofu for this recipe, I cooked it in a cast iron skillet with some vitalite spread.  I seasoned it with:

• 1/2 tsp medium curry powder
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder,
• 1/4 tsp turmeric.
• A pinch of pepper,
• A pinch of salt. 

I literally just tip the tofu in, stir it around with a spatula and then add the flavorings. I served it with a good dollop of tomato ketchup as I would with scrambled egg. 

A delicious breakfast high in protein, it contains all eight essential amino acids, and is also high in calcium, iron and a variety of micronutrients. It is thought to protect us from many cancers and heart disease, it's free from saturated fat, contains almost no cholesterol and is low in salt. (A diet high in these things can lead to cancer and heart disease).

So, I dare you, try some tofu and dispel your own myths about it, it CAN be tasty, it IS nutritious and is a great way to start the day without harming any animals in the process. Yey!

A Day to Myself

Yesterday my husband took our boys to his parents for the day, this only the second time I have spent a day without them since my first was born, and let me tell you it was much needed.
I had a wonderful long lie in, then had pancakes in the garden reading a magazine, followed by an Epsom salt bath and hair wash.
I then started a cleaning mission. I know what you are thinking, what was I doing cleaning on my "day off"? I have been wanting to get the kitchen sorted for ages, it was getting grimy and there were bits and pieces everywhere.  Is it just me that gets little bits and bobs lying around?  Screws, batteries, blunt pencils, broken bits of plastic waiting for their host; I had lots so I re-homed or disposed of them all, put a stereo in the loft that wasn't sparking joy (will do another post soon about objects sparking joy or not and tidying generally) took down some tired looking children's art work and scrubbed all the walls.
It felt soooo good.  So good in fact that I decided to photograph its splendour and share it with you!

So here it is in all it's tiny glory.  Yes it's a very small kitchen, and we still have the original units installed in the 80's when the house was built. (That means it's almost back in fashion! Practically vintage.)

To the right of the door is this notice board which is just the cupboard door with wadding and fabric covering it. It's still a bit messy looking because there are some paper bits that need dealing with, but it's much better than it was before with bits dropping off all over the place.

This is my little space in the kitchen that I really like, housing a few of my possessions that really spark joy.  Some cake tins, crockery, glassware and recipe books. I love my hen crock (meant for holding eggs) my grandma had one that was similar, when I saw this one in a charity shop I had to have it.  Now it reminds me of her whenever I look at it.

This is the control room of my house, I have my calendar and wall planner on the right hand wall.  I haven't used the wall planner much but I like the visual reminder of how far through the year we are and how much longer I have left to achieve my annual goals. 

So there you have it, my little kitchen, maybe one day I will do a post on the living room, but right now it is waaaay too messy to be made public.  Happy Summer holidays everyone!