Lavender Cup Cakes.. they taste divine.

I have been travelling quite a bit whole summer and finally.. I have time to bake and be at home a little.

I baked Lavender Cupcakes just while a go, and as so many of my friends have requested me to write down who to make them..  I mus do it now.

First of all you need:

115g Caster Sugar
115g Softened butter ( not totally loose, but soft)
2 Eggs, beaten
2 tbs finaly chopped Lavender Flowers
1tbs Vanilla Sugar
175g Self raising flour ( if you don´t have just add baking soda in portion)

1) Chop Lavender Flowers!

Smaller you get them, better!

This gives you 10-14 cupcakes depending on size of your cake cases.

Ikea has amazing little cake cases!

"Cream" Butter and caster sugar together until they are  pale and fluffy.
Gradually beat in the eggs, Stirr in Lavender, vanilla sugar and Carefully fold in the Flour.
Doug should be quite stiff. I am using dough dispenser to get dough nicely to small cake cases..

I like it!

..if you want to keep little of this shape on your cupcake put it in to freezer for good 10min. and then bake. Only if you don´t want to do icing.

Cute!

Cupcakes are ready when they are golden color, and sponge bounce back when pressed lightly.

I do my icing like this:

50g Softened butter ( I use salted one because salt add´s a nice taste)
...and I mix and whip icing sugar in to butter as long as it has nice and steady texture. I have never measured how much it actually is!
I love pink in cupcakes so I add a little pink coor to my icing.. actually do 2 different shades of pink to make it look like flower inthe end..  I put them in to dispenser so that I have lighter stripe of icing on 2 sides put first, and then I fill rest with dark pink icing.

Like this.. I wish I had add little more light pink.. Even to 3 different spots!

Then start from middle and circulate dispenser so that you get nice rose shape!

Enjoy your result!

I love these.. might need to do  more!!! This dough you can use to any other cupcakes! Just add Blueberries, rasberies, or anything you really wish with dough!!

DREAMING

My dreams about little houses have gone through so many stages that it makse me almost laugh...

i found tiny texas houses, and oh mine.. they are just what I have always dreamed of.
Tiny, pretty, cheap to build, vintage look, modern building, very limited Garbo foot print, and  Cheap to heat, since little.. and also easy to extend if later on fel like you anyway need more space.
What more can you ask.
I have always admire old wooden houses with lace like wooden the window frame, window decoration, roof List´s, and pastel colors.. oh.. mine mine mine.. 
Behind this brilliant idea is Jay Shafer, author of The Small House Book where he is telling how to build tiny houses.. there comes the name Tine Texas Houses.

I love the idea, where you can use window frames from old houses, that are ripped part, doors, etc. those old beautiful features gives houses "that unique touch" that makes them so special.
You can order house, fully build, or you can build it by your self.
These house have been build 99% from waist material. 
Look at this beauty below..

Bilding inside has benefits.. whole structure stays dry..

Out on the woods..

House can be transfered to where ever.. very nice..

I really like the idea of using old material to make new.
I wonder how would this work in Finland?
Would be fun to find a group of same minded people, and start a little village, houses like this, so that it would stay looking "tiny" and very welcoming.
Here are couple of photos of Tiny Texas Houses for you to admire.. and page where you can find more is here: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses/

There are so many beautiful components that are left overs.. when old houses are renovated, that I think that is is shame if this kind of salvation would be put to bin.. But again.. building house like this you can use all that you can get to your hands.. I love this. I am looking world with new eyes and I see building material everywhere..

I think I am going to go to bath now, to dream of my perfect little house.. Mine would be Jugend grey with white window frames, or Lavendel blue with white window frames..

Nice style.. I would like it to my little house.. But another color..

..and inside I would love to have a Victorian cast iron fireplace..  or even little Stove like this: (little bigger and more decorated would do fine..)

This would give heat enough for small house..

Now... Bath.. and more dreams..

I HAVE GONE MAD about beach hut´s

I am literally gone mad about thought of having beach hut.

Pefect location would be one where you can go by train, carry little stuff in bag with you and enjoy sun and sea, let the dog run out free, go for canoe trips to the sea, using tide, collecting shells from the beach, sleeping nap, reading book, enjoying sea view, breathing salty sea wind, and letting my hair down. I know my better half loves sea as well, it makes me happy to think how much he loves swimming ( he must be half fish) and kayaking. Oh it would be match made in heaven, us in little hut on a beach. I would cook us simple lunches and we could spend nights on a deserted beach. I love it.

I try to collect here something that would be my dream place.. Not an easy task to do, since I like in so many styles, but having something like that, i think I would like to keep it simple. White would be great, but does it get really dirty..?

 Here are some inspirational photos..

Out side Beach hut.

Our dog Siiri would love this.

I would like hut to be wide enough to accomodate 120cm wide bed, or then make a sofa bed, that would work if wanting to stay over for a  night. And It would be lovely if it would be raised so that it would be safe from tide and there would be storage space underneath.

This looks very much like my perfect little house.

Only storage under the house.. and it would be nearly perfect.

Or this ones.. look... Oh. I could close curtains, let dog go in and out, close little gate for her to be safe, and curl up for nap with my hubby..

These are adorable.

From inside, this would be my perfect style.. Surely there is not much space but you get the idea what I would like to do. Our home is so full of colors ( red walls .. well you have seen it) That it would be great to keep everything just very plain in colors.

I really like this combination of white and duck egg blue.. and floor.

Ideal Kitchen corner.. surely in small size, but style.. oh how I love it. Beach hut is like real house in mini size.

I specially like this sink. I think this is from Ikea?

This is also nice, it is so light, and frsh. but.. also with "my dream kitchen".

I love these light wooden floors, and this type of wall´s.

My big favourite has always been wooden floors specially painted white, or light.. In this photo below, I specially like wooden worktops, and vintage feeling. it goes so well all together. Something like this would be pretty in smaller scale in hut. And maybe it would be possible to add little sink in to this type of work unit that stands in a middle of the picture?? Open Shelving is also nice, in small place it gives space, but then you need to have pretty dishes if you leave them to be seen..

Pretty!

Oh I love this idea, but I wonder how to use it in small cottage.. mean hut.. notvery good, but love it anyway. Colors are perfect.

Sleeping in hut.
My dream Hut would be high enough that we could build in a tiny sleeping loft. It would leave space for other things, and it would be nice place to sleep if wanting to sleep in cottage.. I must find out how it really is. In some areas you are aloud to stay in a hut also during the night, but in some, you can´t, and this, depending on area.

But.. Take a look at this.. very pretty. It is from fabulous blog http://morningpassages.com

Not very nautical, but I love it, perfect for it´s place, and oh I would feel like Alice in Wonderland in there. 

I love it..

Front of the hut.

This type of a rusty bench would be lovely. Old luggage works well for storing.

I can already see us eating breakfa at our tiny terass..

One need´s to have dreams..

Summer, and my dream: Beach hut!

We drove to seaside yesterday with my hubby. it was stormy and rainy day, but because of it.. beaches where empty and beautiful.
We found huge shells ( I love them) And Crabs bade holes on a sand.. it was just so beautiful, and I felt my self happier that I have been for weeks.. I have always loved sea, and what made me such and impression was my dear better half. he loved it also, Very much..
Oh i wish we could buy a little beach hut some day.
I just thought that if we would spend more time in there and not always travel somewhere else.. our carbo foot print would be actually tolerable, and living in little hut, would be just charming. There are those ones where you can stay over night, and, those ones you can be only during the daytime.
I would love one where you would have simple little bed, and tine corner to cook and spend time. Sleep, and read books on a beach, and smell the salty air of northern sea.

Here are some beautiful ones I have found.. take look.

I so see my self enjoying summer in these kind of little houses..

Big enought to fit in all you need..

I love all these colors..

 Very nice indeed..

Some cottages in Dorset..

Tse two are already quite small.. But very cute.

Pretty cute I would say.

Oh my good I think I am dreaming.. look at this pink one!!! It is in Suffolk UK.

i would make matching cupcaks and serve tea in Mad hatter style.. and then take a afternoon nap.. I am sure I would have beautiful dreams in this house.. Pink house, too cute.. I love it.

These ones below and above are.. hmm.. Lovely.

My place, my dreams.. Oh pink house, in perfect location, train station in less than 500m away, and beach where you can keep Siiri the pooch off from lead, and nice neighbours, and very low price.. where are you..

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.