Cupcakes for Madhatter!

Rain.. and sun and sun and rain.. impossible day to do anything out side..
Killing time between emailing all kind of possible emails and wanted to bake cupcakes.

I was using my Grandmothers recipe, easy to remember..

all you ever need..

I was using self raising flower, fine sugar, and eggs.

Pre heat your oven to 165c

3dl Eggs
3dl fine sugar
3dl self raising flower ( or normal)

First mix sugar and eggs. You may use mixer, I do it always by hand, just whip as long as it becomes light yellow, and very foamy.

Add Flower, if you don´t have self raising flower, normal one is ok too, fold it in to dough, DP NOT MIX.

I wanted to mix in nuts, chocolate, etc.. I was filling cupcake mold half, added touch of Blueberries for some, Nuts, what ever I wanted to fill them, and then filled cupcake mold a little more. Remember, you can not fill it totally full.. it will raise in oven, and need a little space to do that.

Ready  for  oven!

 Let them stay in the oven without opening the door ( like I did just to show you how well they raise)

They need space to raise...

Bake until nice golden brown. Be careful that you don´t burn them!

Ready for decoration

I am junkie when it comes to little detail.. not a surprise I assume..
I want my cupcakes to look like they are from Mad hatter tea party. I add a little color, decoration, and top everything with eatable glitter.. LOL 

My favorite one is small pearls.

My very first time.. I made Butter sugar, and colored it to nice deep pink hue.
I was using 120g butter and added icing sugar as long as I could mix it in.. I did not measure how much I ended up using it.. better not to know how much sugar there is.. I´ll tell you: A LOT!! 

I am mixing pink color in to butter sugar.

I filled dispenser with pink buttersugar, made little "flower" type of things on my cupkakes, added little sugar pearls, and topped with little blue and white sugar flowers.

I love them!

Tea, anyone?? Mad hatter is ready to party.

New cup of coffee and my treasures from fleemarkets

I am big lover of flee markets.

I have done souch a findings from there that not even my hubby always believe that "they really are from fleemarket"! This is firs summer for 10 years that I am not anywhere near Hietalahti market square to do my shoppings.. oh how I loved it.
I took Siiri ( the pooch) out in the morning when people where just coming to sell they treasures.. And surely I was always one of the first to be there.

I have found designer curtains, designer bags ( real ones, since fake I don´t touch), Antique silver cutlery,  Arabia coffee tableware that never came to production and was just made couple of series to see how it would be.. and many many other great things.. Our guestroom curtains are from Hietalahti, they are from Laura Ashley, Many of my candlesticks are from there.. as well as so much old lace, table clothes from Art Noveau era and ohh.... I must get to there.

Fleemarket findings..

I have been lucky enough to find some peaces that ended up being quite worthy, but treasures at fleemarket can be cheap, and funny.. like these tin can´s.. all having certain style.. and I love them.

These are always going to be my weak point...

Other thing I love is.. Icons, and religional pictures. I would rather call my self spiritual, than religional. But there is something on these pictures that particulary like a lot. Also Hindu god´s are beautifull why, can not tell you..  This Vergine of Monte Berice was waiting me like it was destined to be mine. To secure our life.. that is what it says in a text
" O Virgin of Mount Berico Bless This Family"
I feel like I might need to go to Monte berico just to visit there, so that I know Where our "Blessing" is coming from. 

My beautiful Virgin

I think it suites quite well to our red walls. 


It would be nice if people would use more these fleemarkets, since there is so much useful things that can have a second life in your home, and there is no need to buy everything new and shiny from shops. World is SO full of everything that I am sure that there is enough for all of us. So, go ahead, go to fleemarket,  be open minded, and you might leave home with treasures you made with bargain price. 


Good example was our lovely Kitchen curtains.. We where still studying and where very tight with money and I wanted to re new our kitchen a little, since looked so depressing and colorless. 
I found one certain fabric from Sandberg,  that I wanted to buy us, but ... ceiling height was 3.5m and if you want full-length curtains, they become so expensive that we would not have been able to afford them. 
So one morning I told Arto that I will go to fleemarket, he  made me promise that I will not buy hand bags.. LOL And I told him, I will go and see if I happen to find curtains to kitchen. 
After 30min. I thought I am dreaming.. there where my Sandberg Curtains, perfect length well 10cm too short but hey.. what can you ask more, 3 Curtains ready sewed and in mint condition. And Price.. 15€ per curtain.. ( Original Price for fabric was 48€ per meter and they would have cost 500 plus sewing.. too bloody expensive ). I was over the moon.  They cost 45€ and I was happy as Larry. 
Walking home humming and smiling. Next weekend I found two matching pillow cases (we had big and comfy chair in Kitchen so that someone can keep company for a cook ea. me )  and couple of weeks after I found tray from Sanders.. just to give example what can you find. 
So go and do your great findings, have a cup of coffee, and think what you need. If searching something particular, take pillow case etc. to compare colors with, and have fun! 

Our backyard starts to look more a garden..

Still plenty of ugly concrete to hide.. but anyway.. it looks quite nice.

So this is how we started it.. concreet, old junk and dead plants in couple of pot´s and those.. elephants..

This is photo of our back yard from property agency´s site.. not very nice..

Arto my hubby trying to tidy up a little..

This is how it is starting to look like! Still lot to do, but I think it is cute.

It looks much different these days.. but the concrete.. :o(

I just love sitting at our terass, looking at the river Thames, it´s boats, and tide.. and have my coffee in the morning.

My little flowers bring me so much joy!

I am already going through all nice Apple pie, apple jam etc. recipes, since.. there is going to be lot´s of apples. tree is actually growing on our neighbors side, but mostly hanging in our little garden, so they told us to use all the apples. They are LOVELY couple.

We are going to get Plenty of Apples.

Our herbs are growing so well that I have started to use them in cooking..
I did marvellous meatballs.

Serafiina´s herby meatballs.

500g Mince meat ( Beef)
3 chicken Eggs ( I always use organic if possible)
little handfull of dry crushed mushrooms ( replacing breadcrumbs)
3 tbs (Plenty) of Tandoor spices
plenty of fresh herbs: Koriander, chives, and  mint.
Tiny bit of salt

Mix all together, and just Format flattened ball from this dough and fry it on pan. 
( easier to fry if you flatten the shape a little) 

I eat it with plenty of cucumber, salad and sauce made from yogurt and mint. 

I love it, and so does my Hubby. 

I am big meatball fan!

P.S. Siiri the pooch got her version without Tandoor spices and she loved it too. 

Siiri my poodle goes funny

Our little adventure in London

We wanted to do something new, and decited to see Westminster abbey and some surroundings from London. As everyone has still royal wedding in they mind, it was nice to go there and feel the atmosphere.

Here are some photos of our Sunday adventure.

London eye, Red buss, and Big Ben.. all at ones.

Take a wild guess where are we going..?

Westminster Abbey had sunday service, and we took a part for that, just so see and feel the atmosphere. It was great experience.. and church was full. I sat just behind those seats where royal family sat at the wedding.

this is from royal wedding just to show you how beautiful it was.

This place is magica, but smaller than I thought.

Shop of  Westminster Abbey is selling official wedding books... I was tempted to buy my own copy, as well as official wedding program.

it is beautifull also from inside.

Surely I was little silly too..

Me.. no need to say more.

Parliament house is GRAND!

This I love.. We went ones, and view was breath taking.

London eye

This is not very poetical photo, but Finnish people know why I have put it here.. I found it fun

No need to say more.

I love it how London is using it´s little spots of empty space. Helsinki city planner should learn something from them, and take advantage of sea that is around as and create these kind of nice places.. PLEASE.

These littel houses where full of art.

 White Shed had this kind of thing on it´s wall, I have always liked Mosaic, but never truly try how to do it.. maybe one day..

I really like this one!

This was my very favourite.. I am big fan of anything that is kind of covered and you can only look inside.. like my auntie Marjatta´s Glass kabinet full of beutifull dishes..

You can look in from those little windows..

....And look what you find from inside!! Are they cute!!! I am BIG fan of Vintage swimwear, and I was just so so taken by these. These are just couple of them, to show you the feeling.

I would like to have every one of these..

It was nice day, we had late lunch at Wagamama, and left home to watch King´s Speech where.. Westminster Abbey ones again.

From Movie: King´s Speech.