It's just afternoon tea darling

Baking is something I have never been much good at but lately I have found myself wanting to master it. Today's adventure was scones, the quintessential British accompaniment to a classic afternoon tea. I am a great lover of these tastes treats so what more reason would I need to make them haha.

My lovely mum handed down some recipes to me and i would like to share one of those with you guys. Trust me my mums recipes have never failed me yet, not even at baking!!!!!

So for this recipe you will need:

• 225g Self raising flour
• 55g butter, softened
• 25g caster sugar
• 100g milk
• pinch of salt

1. Preheat your oven to 220 o C and grease a baking sheet.
2. In a bowl mix together the flour and salt. Add the butter and rub together with your hands so that it looks like bread crumbs. This is why it is important to use softened butter at room temperature as it makes it easier to mix.
3. Add the sugar and milk. Stir together until it makes a soft dough.
4. Turn onto a floured surface and knead very lightly.
5. Pat the dough out into a round about 2cm thick.
6. Use a cutter to stamp out your scones (if you have one, if not i found a glass works just fine). Place on your baking sheet.
7. Brush the tops with either a little butter or milk for a nice glaze on the top. Your scones should look little like this:
8. Bake for about 12-15 minutes untill golden brown and well risen.

I added a few sultanas to mine. There are loads of variations i will try now that these turned out so yummy!! I  think i will try the cheese ones!

Let me know if you try this recipe out for yourselves and how your scones turned out. Also whats your favorite addition to add to this recipe to make your favorite type of scones.

Hugs and Kisses

Ana

xxx

That's just how i roll.

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Victory rolls is one of those styles that any vintage gal must have in her repertoire, however they can be tricky to achieve sometimes. There are loads of tutorials on the old YouTube that offer some great tips on achieving the look from traditional 40's style to all out Rockabilly fabulousness.
As lean more to the traditional styling of victory rolls i wear mine on the smaller side. If your feeling adventurous feel free to backcomb those bad boys haha.

Here is my step by step guide to how i do my victory rolls. You will need the following:

First things first i find that this style works best (for most people) on second day hair, however my hair is thick and will hold at any time. If you have freshly washed hair pop a bit of hairspray on and brush through it to add some substance to the hair. So to tame my curly locks i have washed, blow dried and curled my hair with a curling iron and pinned it up to cool.

An alternative would be to leave your hair overnight like i have done here:

Once completely cooled, take out the pins and shake the curls loose. I prefer to have a side parting as i find it suits me better but if you like a center parting feel free to do so.

Separate a section from the top of your head to behind your ear on both sides and clip the rest of your hair at the back. These will be the sections that we will form our rolls.

Take one side and brush through the hair and add a little pomade or styling product, i use either good old brill cream or a wax based product for a little shine and hold. Starting at the bottom take two fingers and  begin to roll the ends of the hair around to form a loop.

Remove your fingers and continue to roll the hair upwards towards the scalp. Make sure you are pulling the hair taught as you roll so that the side doesn't sag down.

This tends to be the most tricky part of the style and what  has taken practice to get right. Don't give up on it if your struggling, roll the hair back down and start again and you will get it!!

Once you have the roll in place as you like it pin into place with a bobby pin through the center of the roll. I try to hide the bobby pins as best as i can as i think it makes for a more polished look. I usually use a couple of bobby pins to make sure the roll is secure and i feel confident it will stay in place when i go about my day.

Give it a good old spray with hairspray and smooth any fly aways.

Now do the same on the other side. Try to make the rolls about the same size and in the same position on the top of your head.

Hopefully the end result will look something like mine.

Now comes the fun part...the accessories!!! I love hair flowers and this hairstyle is made for them. You could go for a subtle, pinup style on the side by your ear

Or if your feeling adventurous and want to make a statement (lets face it, why wouldn't you?) add a full on bouquet haha.

I would love to know how your rolls turned out.

Hugs and Kisses

Ana

xxx

'Tis (almost) the season to be jolly!

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The Christmas season, ladies and gents, is almost upon us and with the shops hanging their decorations and supermarkets displaying all their delicious treats we must think about gifts for our loved ones. I love buying gifts for people but as i have got older i am finding myself bored with the samey gifts that you tend to buy and intent on finding fun things to surprise my nearest and dearest. Christmas is an extremely busy time for me as it is for everyone so i think its best to get started now and not find yourself scrambling on Christmas eve for your last few items. Trust me i have been there and done that and i am NEVER doing it again haha.

Personally i find that the gifts that make the biggest smiles Christmas morning are with a homemade touch that you cant find anywhere else and that are unique. This can come in many forms from a gift tag made especially with a friends name on it, something like this:

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Or a fully handmade, totally original item like this:

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It obviously depends on the confidence you have to make something your proud of and that someone who is special to you will cherish.  

This can also apply to your home decoration aswell. I, as most vintage girls, like a slightly mismatching but ultimately put together home. This is often due to the fact that i am always buying vintage bits and bobs and very rarely do you find a matching set of something haha. So you can tie in your love of vintage and crafts and make items that can be decorations for your home or others. I most certainly will turn my hand to some decoration this year.

If your a dab hand with a sewing machine how about some Christmas banners, an advent calender or even stockings like these:

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If your forte is in the kitchen how about some preserves, pickles or delicious treats for Christmas day:

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If your a crafty creature maybe you could make some gorgeous flower accessories or jewelry:

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I am so looking forward to getting started with my homemade Christmas treats and my special Christmas outfit. Let me know if you lovelies are making anything special for Christmas this year i would love to hear what you guys are up to.

Hugs and Kisses

Ana

xxx