Lisa Swift: Create

I have moved...

2011-08-15T21:23:00.001+01:00

Please find my new online home at www.lisaswift.co.uk.

(All my posts have moved with me too.)

Lisa x

Just to let you know...

2011-08-09T22:05:00.004+01:00

I am here. Just a little busy at the moment and enduring some free time with John whilst he is on holiday from work.

I am also working on a brand new blog. I have decided to move my blog back over to Wordpress. I have been busy designing and now John is helping me build it. After using blogger for a couple of years, I have decided that I want to do more with my blog and some of these things are much easier using Wordpress.

I will be back soon with lots of new content!

Lisa x

Dear Scrapbook (cont.)

2011-08-02T12:13:00.003+01:00

Following my post this morning, I used some of this stored up inspiration to produce my first digital scrapbook layout.

Digi Products used:
Michelle Underwood's That Was Yesterday Add On

This layout took me about 30 minutes to put together and I loved it! Why have I never tried this before?

Lisa x

Dear Scrapbook...

2011-08-02T09:10:00.002+01:00

I miss you!

Today I have a rare day off and for the last hour I have been visiting some blogs that I just don't usually have time to visit. These are blogs that I used to visit almost every week, gaining inspiration for my scrapbooking. Seeing new and exciting products on the market.

For the last 2 years, Altered Chic has been hugely time consuming. At first, working outside my normal day job. Then as we decided to open the shop, all my time was focused on creating new products, finding suppliers, planning new lines etc. etc.

My scrapbooks have hardly been touched in the last 18 months. In all honesty, I can say I have probably created less than 5 layouts in this time. Only 1 this year so far.

For a hobby that I love, for something that I want to leave for my children (one day), for something that I used to share with so many people (mostly online), I must do something to put this right.

Right now our upstairs is being completely overhauled. We are switching our rooms around to make our home work better for us. This currently leaves me without a craft room and all my supplies are in boxes.

Why do I always feel inspired when I'm unable to do anything about it?

Then I visited Ali Edwards blog. Again, someone who I used to use regularly to inspire projects and layouts. I found this post of her daughter's baby book (it is quite a long video but totally worth watching for inspiration). I love the way she mixes traditional scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking and collections of other memorabilia, and mixing up the sizes of her pages.

I've never seen the point of digital scrapbooking before. I have always been a traditional scrapbooker. This is kind of a 'duh!' moment for me because I design websites. I'm kind of a semi computer geek. I just never thought about actually printing out the digital layouts before. I have a very good quality A4 printer - this would be no problem for me. And some of the digital products out there are gorgeous! (Plus, cost effective!)

I will and always will love traditional scrapbooking. And as soon as I can get my supplies out of those boxes I will certainly be cutting up paper and making embellishments. But for now, whilst this just isn't possible, I'm going to invest some time in turning some of the hundreds of photographs I have into digital pages, ready to print out and place in my much loved albums.

Lisa x

New! Chalkboard Placemats & Coasters

2011-07-28T12:11:00.003+01:00

Our chalkboard range is expanding again and this time with something a little different.

Our brand new chalkboard placemats and coasters are a great addition to the table. We've used the coasters as an alternative for a placecard and the placemat has been used to show the guests what is on the menu for dinner.

Why not leave your guest a little personalised message for them to see when they take their seat at the table. Or leave the chalk on the table for children (and adults) too doodle on the mats between courses.

The chalkboard placemats and coasters will be available shortly on our website and in store.

Lisa x

To John...

2011-07-21T10:39:00.006+01:00

It has been seven years today since this boy asked me to be his girl. We've had adventures along the way but I can honestly say I am never happier than when I am with him.

This is for you...

Happy Anniversary
Love Lisa x

Getting ready for summer...

2011-07-14T21:05:00.002+01:00

It's almost time for the summer holidays and the Altered Chic shop has a summery new seaside themed window display.

Are you going somewhere nice on your holidays?

Lisa x

Finding the time...

2011-07-05T12:20:00.002+01:00

I actually managed to find some time last week to design and make some new products! These have been in my head for so long and it was so refreshing to make something new.

These pretty butterflies are a revamp of some I made last spring. Sold in sets of two, they are just little clips to make your day a little prettier.

These hearts are nothing new but I bought the lavender last summer and have only just found the time to use it! These simple lavender hearts smell gorgeous and are ideal for hanging on a coat hanger to make your clothes smell nice.

This week, I am trying to find the time to work on our Christmas lines. Yes, I am sat at work with the sun streaming through the window whilst thinking of holly, candy canes, snowflakes and icicles!

These products are currently available in our little shop in Chesterfield. I'll let you know when they will be available online.

Lisa x

Wedding Inspiration: Kate Moss

2011-07-02T10:25:00.004+01:00

I'm not one who usually pays any attention to celebrity weddings. They are usually way too over the top. But what suprised me this morning whilst reading the news was the wedding of Kate Moss and Jamie Hince.

(Image courtesy of Mail Online.)

She looked absolutely stunning - so down to earth, pretty and natural. Just like I want at my wedding.

I'm not one of those people who love being the centre of attention. Our wedding will be about our family. Not just about about John and I getting hitched. I have ideas for a small and simple, handmade wedding and I want my dress to reflect this. I want to look pretty but natural and I think Kate Moss has achieved this so well. I only hope I can do the same on my tiny budget.

Lisa x

Photoshop Actions

2011-07-01T19:28:00.004+01:00

I am in love with vintage style photographs!

I just had to get that statement out there. I love the look of photographs from the fifties, sixties and seventies. The grainy, over-contrasted and faded colours add such a whimsical look to photography. And I've been trying to create me own using photoshop actions.

Thanks to Lune Vintage, I found this fab lady who has made so many different actions and I've been playing around with some photos I took yesterday.

Edited using set 116 Soft Colours (creamy yellow).

Edited using set 123 - Retro (red orange).

Edited using set 134 - Colour Contrast (red fill).

Edited using 95 - Vintage (cream green/red fill).

What are your favourite actions?

Lisa x

I love the countryside

2011-06-29T21:36:00.007+01:00

Sundays are our day off. After working the other 6 days we try to go out and give ourselves something to look forwards to.

Luckily for us, Chatsworth Estate is right on our doorstep, and it is such a pretty place to go walking.

Chatsworth House is undergoing work and is all covered up but there were so many other places to use my camera...

Lisa x

From the garden...

2011-06-27T20:05:00.001+01:00

I love our delicate sweet peas -picked today.

Lisa x

Preloved: Wooden Chest

2011-06-25T10:40:00.004+01:00

One of my latest projects for the shop was this wooden chest. We bought it a couple of years ago from a car boot sale. It has been sat in the spare room ever since as I just didn't know what to do with it.

With our planned decorating at home, there wouldn't be room for it and there was an empty space in the shop that was crying out for a piece of furniture.

I forgot to take a photo before I sanded it. It was horrible gloss green colour.

It is now a pretty off white colour and a great home for all the handmade cushions in the shop.

Lisa x

Take a look around...

2011-06-22T23:09:00.002+01:00

I've been freshening up parts of my blog, slightly changing the header image, editing my pages and giving my sidebars a spring clean.

Check out my brand new Altered Chic banners. I would love it so much if you would consider adding one to your blog. Pretty please.

Lisa x

P.S. I'm working on lots of new content for the blog including inspirational posts, DIYs, a 'learn how to use my camera' series and lots more.

Race For Life

2011-06-19T17:22:00.002+01:00

This morning I took part in Chesterfield's Race for Life with all the ladies from Arcade Crafts. I want to thank every single person who donated. We raised over £270 between us for Cancer Research UK!

I can't wait till next year

Lisa x

I don't like to beg but...

2011-06-14T10:59:00.002+01:00

I'm taking part in the Chesterfield Race for Life on Sunday morning and I would love you if you would sponsor me and the ladies at Arcade Crafts (my previous day job).

Events like Race for Life are vital in funding Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work into preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer.

There are people in both John's and my family who have had cancer. It is a horrible thing to happen to anyone and something that we really do need to fight.

I know that times are tough right now and I am not asking for a lot. Every single penny counts and I really do mean that.

Myself, Alison, Claire, Margaret, Lynda and Lou would all be so grateful if you could share even the smallest amount.

You can sponsor us online on our fundraising page, or contact me directly at info@alteredchic.co.uk.

Thank you!

Lisa x

If you love handmade...

2011-06-13T14:08:00.005+01:00

As you all know I am a true lover of handmade (it may have something to do with the little shop I opened recently). I love trying out new crafts, browsing the blogs of crafty people and most of all collecting pretty magazines and books all about handmade.

This is why I may have squeeled a little when I saw the first copy of this magazine...

Mollie Makes is a fab new magazine which combines all my handmade loves into one monthly little package. It has crafty DIY's, features on handmade homes and craft studios and a free craft kit with each issue. We are only on issue two but I have already signed up for a subscription so as of July the postie will be dropping it through my door to make sure I don't miss out.

The free kit that came with issue two was this cute felt flower. I made the ribbon into a loop on the back and I'm adding a brooch pin so that I can attach it to whatever I want.

And if this hasn't tempted you, take a look at this video...

I suddenly want to move to Bath!

Lisa x

Would you believe it?

2011-06-10T18:02:00.000+01:00

I actually did some scrapbooking today!

It has been months and months since my last LO but I was totally inspired by our challenge on ECP: Challenges.

Today is a photo challenge and I loved the use of colour in the picture. While planning my LO I just saw my stash of ribbons and kind of ran with it. It's not the best photo of a LO I have ever taken but I was rushing to add it to the challenge post.

Lisa x

If only...

2011-06-09T09:49:00.001+01:00

... I could get John to agree to something like this on our wedding next year. This has to be the best wedding video I have ever seen!

Lisa x

We {Heart} It!

2011-06-08T16:29:00.002+01:00

Our heart chalkboards are now available with satin white or satin cream ribbon. We still have our usual selection of gingham ribbons available if they are more to your liking.

The new satin ribbons will look perfect at a wedding or to be given as a wedding gift.

You can find them on our website or in store.

Lisa x

Redecoration

2011-06-07T16:40:00.003+01:00

Now that I am working full time at the shop and most of my studio has moved to work, there is alot of free space at home. It is currently a huge mess upstairs but this year I plan to get it all organised starting with the bedroom.

We are going to move our bedroom to the larger front room which was previously used as the studio/office. We bought a dark wooden bed last year so our new colour scheme will need to work with dark furniture.

Here are a few examples I've found today...

I love the rich tones of this room, it gives it a luxorious feel.

This room feels so light and bright even though the bed is dark and quite overpowering.

This room is quite modern compared to the others. I love the crochet throw.

I love the muted background colour of this room.

This Safari styled room is so light and airy even with the dark furniture. The window is the new bedroom is North-facing meaning there is never much sunlight light so any colour scheme needs to be mostly quite light.

The photos I've found are all quite neutral in colour. I would love to find some examples with colour and dark furniture. If anyone knows of any, please share a link.

Lisa x

The Altered Chic Shop

2011-06-06T16:33:00.003+01:00

Yes, the shop opened just over a week ago. I'm still moving things, finding new products and generally working down a to-do list as long as my arm but the shop is looking pretty (if I do say so myself) and I love that people are loving our products.

Here are a few photos to share...

As I said, I am still looking for more products to add to the shop, so if you are a designer/maker and you think your products would suit the ranges we already stock, or if you think there is something that is missing from the shop. Please get in touch at info@alteredchic.co.uk.

Lisa x

Well Hello!

2011-06-02T14:34:00.002+01:00

As you can probably guess things have been super hectic around here the last month. We opened our little shop on Saturday and things are still pretty hectic making lots of new products and enjoying some well earned sleep! I will post much more about the shop and all it's new products over the new few weeks but in the meanwhile, you can find some photos on our Facebook page.

In other news, Deanne of Quirky Boots jazzed up our white letters with some pretty felt flowers and I knew I must share them with you all. Her felted products are so pretty - you must check them out.Lisa x

Opening Saturday 28th May

2011-05-09T10:06:00.001+01:00

Hope to see you there!

Lisa x

Summertime Gardens

2011-05-07T18:30:00.004+01:00

In the UK we've been enjoying some gorgeous weather over the last few weeks. Let's hope the weather continues to be nice without too many of the rain showers we've had today. So here are a few pictures whilst we dream of more summer days to laze in the sun...

(All photos coutesy of www.weheartit.com)

Enjoy the sun wherever you are!

Lisa x

Our Wedding: Save The Date

2011-05-03T21:50:00.002+01:00

As promised, here are our Save The Date cards. We finally finished them last week and are sending them out this week to our family and close friends.

We printed them onto natural fibre card. They were then placed in a handmade envelope with vintage sheet music, lace and a button trim. Names were typed using my vintage typewriter.

We wont be sending out full invited till later this year or early spring but we wanted to share the news with those important people in our life.

Lisa x

A Bank Holiday Weekend

2011-04-27T19:18:00.006+01:00

As well as busily making lots and lots of products ready for the shop opening, we managed to find some time to get out over the Easter weekend and enjoyed a lovely walk and picnic at Clumber Park.

One of our favourite parts of Clumber Park is the Kitchen Gardens. Full of lots of vegetables and trees in the most gorgeous of settings, it is such an inspiring place for any gardener.

The orchard full of blossom.

Even the drain covers in the greenhouse are pretty.

Rows of herbs and new trees line the centre path.

Looking through the stone arches.

I wish I had as many strawberry plants as there are here.

Looking up to the greenhouse from the main entrance.

Our garden is also coming along well with our tomato plants in the greenhouse and the beans, potatoes and shallots outside. I'll take some photos and write an update shortly.

Lisa x

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T10:40:00.003+01:00

(Image source: WeHeartIt.com)

I hope you are having a relaxing Easter weekend. I will be enjoying my Easter chocolate later whilst working hard to finish lots of new products that I hope to share with you next week.

Lisa x

Loving...

2011-04-16T09:00:00.000+01:00

...this song. I love all the songs by this talented lady.

Lisa x

ECP: Challenges

2011-04-15T21:09:00.003+01:00

There's a brand new challenge over at ECP: Challenges today. We're creating Easter projects - fluffy chicks, easter bunnies, daffodils and spring lambs. I love this time of year.

There is also a DT Call. We're looking for crafty people to join our team. You can find all the details over on the blog.

Lisa x

DIY: Crochet Headband

2011-04-15T09:32:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since I posted a DIY but I loved making this little headband and thought I'd share it with you all.

You will need:
Yarn or wool (I used some wool donated by my Nan)
A crochet hook (I used a 5mm)
Tape measure
Wool needle

To make the headband:

First you will need to measure you head where the headband will sit - over the top of your head and back behind your ears. My headband reaches just passed the bottom of my ears.

We will be using double stitch crochet to make our headband. There is a fab tutorial over on HeartHandmadeUK if you have never crocheted before.

First chain 9, then double crochet into the 4th chain from the hook (not counting the loop on the hook as a chain).

Double crochet into the remaining chains and turn your work.

Chain 3 and double crochet into the second double crochet of the previous row. Continue double crocheting along your work. Turn your work

Repeat the last step until your headband is the required length.

To create your ties:

You will need 2 ties.

Chain 6,double crochet into the 4th chain from the hook. Double crochet into the remaining 2 chains. Turn your work.

Chain 3, double crochet into the second stitch and double crochet into the final stitch. Turn your work.

Repeat the last step until your work is the required length. Crochet your second tie.

To complete your headband:

Using your wool needle and the same wool or yarn as your headband, attach the ties to the end of your headband. You can turn in and stitch the bottom corners to create a V shape and either end of your headband to attach your ties to if you wish.

There are many ways of making headbands but for me this is one of the easiest I have come across. I was able to crochet my headband in just a couple of hours and I'm still quite the beginner.

Lisa x

Back to basics...

2011-04-13T23:06:00.003+01:00

Card making is where my crafting began. Although my style is constantly changing, I always find comfort in making cards. And now I'm introducing a small range of stationery to Altered Chic.

The first items in my new range will be some simple yet pretty 'Happy Birthday' and 'Just to Say...' cards. I've been using my typewriter to make lots of greetings ready for a mass card making session tomorrow.

I love my vintage typewriter. I bought it a couple of years back at a car boot sale. I only paid a few pounds for it. It even had working ribbon in it!

Lisa x

A few thoughts...

2011-04-07T23:23:00.002+01:00

Here are a few random thoughts I had over the last day or so...

I am so happy that spring is finally here. January to March is usually so grey, miserable and wet and now the sun is beginning to shine, the garden is starting to grow again and life is so much more inspiring!

After reading this post on Elsie's blog, I started thinking about my own life and how much of a workaholic I am. I have decided that I need to make more of an effort to plan time off to spend with those I love, or just doing something I enjoy. I know this isn't going to be easy before the shop opens as I need to invest so much time to it. But I am going to make the effort. Even if it is just for a few hours.

I love sewing! It's been so long since I used my sewing machine to make something and I've loved it this week. I certainly want to spend more time on my sewing machine making pretty things.

I am someone who loves lists. Being able to cross something off a list makes me feel like I've accomplished something.

Lisa x

Inspiring Our Shop

2011-03-31T22:46:00.000+01:00

With around two months untill the new shop opens, I've been searching to decor inspiration to make it look just right.

Our style is a white background with pretty pastels to add colour, maybe with a little vintage thrown in.

Image Source: Decor8

Image Source: Phatsheep Textiles on Flickr

Image Source: Nice Things, Ramsgate on Flickr

Image Source: Blackheathens on Flickr

Moving to the new shop will mean most of our products will be made on site. That means I'm going to need lots of pretty and fuctional storage to make organising easier.

Image Source: House to Home

Image Source: ♥ Moje Zielone Wzgórze ♥ on Flickr

Image Source: Just Make Stuff on Flickr

Image Source: House to Home

Image Source: House to Home

Lisa x

Designer/Maker?

2011-03-31T18:39:00.004+01:00

If you make homewares or gifts and think you may have the right products for the new shop, please email me at info@alteredchic.co.uk.

Lisa x

Save The Date!

2011-03-30T10:19:00.002+01:00

John and I have set the date for our wedding! We will be getting married on Saturday 6th October 2012.

We decided to get married next year due to a number of reasons. We want to get married in the autumn so this year was really too soon what with opening the shop and everything. We want to give us enough time so that we wont be stressed with all the organisation and making various things for the big day. We are going to having a very handmade wedding.

Autumn is probably our favourite season. The colours are gorgeous - red... orange... gold... I can't wait to have our wedding photos under trees which will be full of rich coloured leaves. And what with my love for vintage, we pretty much have our theme covered.

So our next step is designing our Save The Date cards. Alot of our family don't live locally and rather than just ringing them to say 'we've booked our wedding', we'd like to give them something pretty to look.

So I've been looking round for inspiration. Here are a few that we like...

Both John and I love typography, so we really like this style of invite alot.

I love that this invite is quite simple in design. I love the rounded corners and I also love the envelope lining.

Another example of using typography, this time mixing a vintage look with modern fonts.

We love this drawing of a vintage camera, I'm thinking of creating my own vintage inspired drawings to use on all our stationery.

It is so hard trying to find something that is just right, afterall, we've got to love it for the next 18 months!

Lisa x

Things To Love

2011-03-25T14:55:00.004Z

Here are a few things I'm loving right now...

It's starting to get warmer and I'm loving the sunshine and pretty spring flowers.

This litle camera necklace is adorable.

I'm loving this song by Adele. This woman is so talented!

Formula 1 starts tomorrow. Go team McLaren!

Lisa x

(Photos courtesy of Heart Handmade, After Nine to Five & BBC Sports News)

Super Duper Exciting News!

2011-03-23T20:58:00.004Z

This has been kept a secret now for a few weeks and I'm so glad I can finally tell everyone...

Altered Chic is going to have a new home...

a bricks and mortar shop!

By the end of May, Altered Chic will be moving into part of the local craft shop - Arcade Crafts.

We will be stocking all our usual goodies as well as lots and lots of new ones.

This will be our new shop front...

As you can probably tell, I am so excited about this news. It has been a dream of mine from day one of my little indie business and now we actually get to make that dream come true.

We have so many ideas for our new little store and we will be sharing our journey with you.

You can find Arcade Crafts, the home of our new store, at 7 Falcon Yard, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S40 1PF.

Lisa x

Our Brand New Website!

2011-03-17T10:33:00.003Z

The brand new Altered Chic website is now online. There you can buy all our lovely products including some brand new products. There will also be more new products added every month!

I'd love to know what you'd think of the new design. It was designed by myself and features my own hand-drawn icons. The lovely John spent many an hour building it for me.

Lisa x

Pretty Mother's Day Bunting

2011-03-11T16:46:00.003Z

Ideal to hang from a shelf, across the mantlepiece or on the wall, this bunting is a pretty way to show your Mum your love, either at Mother's Day or for a birthday.

A set of nine flags strung onto two metres of satin cream ribbon. Each flag is painted in a pretty pastel shade (yellow, blue, pink & lilac). This shabby chic style bunting has the letters MUM cut from the centre three flags as well as two hearts.

The bunting is currently available to purchase from Notonthehighstreet.com and will shortly be available on our brand new website - coming very soon!
Lisa x

More New Products!

2011-03-08T19:25:00.004Z

I've been busy again this week with more new products available shortly, this time lots of pretty new designs for our Magnetic Note Holders...

Baby blue gingham, vintage roses, bright red spots, tiny polkadots, sunshine stripes & country red gingham, just to name a few.

Lisa x

Week 8: Mushroom & Spinach Lasagne

2011-03-01T21:49:00.004Z

Lasagne is one of my favourite dishes. I also love cooking it so I thought I'd mix it up a little by creating a vegetarian lasagne with spinach and mushroom.

This recipe can be found on the Good to Know website.

When reading the recipe I wasn't sure about using creme fraiche so instead I replaced it with a traditional white sauce.

The end result was delicious. Other mushroom and spinach lasagnes I had eaten in the past were made simply with a cream sauce. This one is made up of 3 layers - the creamy white sauce, the spinach and then the mushrooms cooked in a tomato sauce. The tomato made a lovely change and really added to the flavours of the spinach and mushrooms.

If you love Italian food, I would really recommend trying this dish.

Lisa x

New Product Alert!

2011-02-23T00:21:00.004Z

I've been working on a pretty new product for Altered Chic this week.

It hasn't been painted yet but here is a sneaky peek of our new bunting available shortly.

Lisa x

Week 7: West Country Apple Cake

2011-02-22T21:24:00.003Z

Anyone who knows me, even just a little, knows that I have a sweet tooth. I love cake, pretty much any cake but John doesn't have such a sweet tooth. He's not a huge fan of cake but when I bought an apple and cinnamon cake before Christmas he loved it. Ever since I've been looking for a really tasty apple cake recipe and I finally found one that worked really well and tasted delicious.
This recipe can be found on the Good Food website. I did however make some minor changes to the website's recipe.

Whilst adding the flour I added a teaspoon of cinnamon. Who doesn't like cinnamon with their apples? I also left off the last part of the recipe with the apple brandy - the cake was still delicious and I just don't own any apple brandy or calvados.

It wasn't a particuarly sweet cake, even with the caramalised apples, but this suited us. It made such a nice treat with a cup of tea.

Lisa x

Wedding Plans: Guest Book

2011-02-16T20:37:00.003Z

We've started thinking about plans for our wedding next Autumn. As you can probably tell I want a DIY wedding.

Our wedding will be on a budget and how could I not make so many pretty things for this special day in our lives. One of the things that I know will be really special is our Guest Book.

Family and friends are going to be a huge part of our wedding and I want us to be able to cherish every moment and having a guest book full of treasured messages and photographs to look back on is very important to us.

We'd been thinking about this for a few weeks but today I came across Lauren and James' wedding on Rock My Wedding. I love idea of our guests writing on vintage looking postcards. Our wedding will have a vintage theme with autumn colours so I thought this idea was just perfect.

I also love photo booths. Many people seem to be using them at their weddings and I think it's a great idea. I'll post about these at a later date once I've collected some more inspiration.

I can then put all the photographs and postcards into a book that we can keep along with our wedding photograph album. Two books that will contain lots of memories from the day.

A little forward planning...

2011-02-16T08:36:00.002Z

I know I have been MIA on my blog quite alot this year.

I thought that things would quieten down at Altered Chic after the Christmas rush... gladly (so gladly) I was wrong. I will have two new stockists in the next month or so.

As well as a brand new website to be launched shortly, we have are beginning to plan for the future of Altered Chic. Can I really say... plans for working full time at Altered Chic and plans of an actual bricks and mortar shop!

With all these exciting developments spinning round in my head, my blog has often been neglected. I hope you can forgive me for this as I try to prioritise some time to keep it going.

Lisa x

Week 5: Stuffed Cypriot Chicken & Greek Salad

2011-02-06T20:28:00.006Z

This week I decided on another recipe from Jamie's 30 Minute Meals.

Since given this book at Christmas I have tried four of the meals. I don't always make all the sides or desserts (as you'll soon see) but I've been able to make a homecooked meal in around 30 - 40 minutes. And after a day at work, to be able to make a delicious meal rather than throwing something unhealthy in the oven, it's great! I'd definitely recommend it. For those of you in the UK, I'd recommend watching some of the shows on 4OD too.

So this week I decided on the Stuffed Cypriot Chicken.

This is chicken stuffed with basil, sundried tomatoes, garlic, lemon and feta. It is served with cherry tomatoes on the vine, olives and asparagus cooked in garlic, rosemary and thyme as well as flatbreads coated in oregano and garlic. Jamies also serves this with a cabbage salad, St Clement's drink and vanilla ice cream float. I served the chicken, veg and flatbreads with a greek salad.

Greek Salad:

Ingredients: A mix of tomatoes (cherry, beef and salad), green peppers, cucumber, red onion, feta, fresh mint and dill, dried oregano, olive oil & red wine vinegar.

To make: Cut the larger tomatoes into wedges, add these and the cherry tomatoes into a large bowl. Slice the peppers, cucumber and onions and add these to the bowl. Chop a small handful of the mint and dill and add to the mix. Add a good tablespoon of olive oil and the same of red wine vinegar. Mix the salad in the dressing. Crumble the feta over the salad and add a teaspoon of oregano.

I love this Greek salad in the summer. It makes a great side dish at a BBQ.

The Stuffed Chicken was quite easy to make and the flavours in the filling were delicious. As was the veg. Although there was quite a lot of garlic used, it wasn't overpowering at all. I would recommend putting the flatbreads in the oven a little later than recommended though as ours were very crispy when they came out and a couple were slightly caught on the edges.

All in all, another great recipe from this book. It would make a great summer dish when having friends round.

Week 4: Cinnamon Beef Stew

2011-02-02T21:22:00.004Z

Ok, so I'm a little late reporting on last weeks recipe. Well a lot late but I promise this was cooked last Wednesday evening.

This week's recipe was taken from Tana Ramsay's book 'Homemade'.

I love rich winter food's like stew when it is cold outside and this one has to be one of my favourites. Made using braising steak, the flavours of the cinnamon, beef, red wine and tomato really add to that rustic flavour. It reminds me of Beef Stifado I had when in Greece.

Although the dish takes quite a long time to prepare and cook, I have to say it is certainly worth the effort. I marinated the beef in red wine for 90 minutes before cooking and it made the beef tender as well as giving it plenty of flavour.

I will definetly try other winter warmer dishes but this one is going to take some beating.

Lisa x

CHA Favourites...

2011-01-27T22:27:00.002Z

Crafting has taken a back seat in my life for the last 12 months or so since Altered Chic expanded onto NOTHS. Scrapbooking is still one of my favourite hobbies though and I always love seeing what new products are coming onto the market. This time of year is one of the busiest for new releases thanks to CHA. I thought I'd share some of my favourite new releases for 2011 with you all.

American Crafts have always had gorgeous scrapbook albums and this year is no different.

I love Crate Paper's Portrait Collection! I love the quirky mix of vintage and colour - a range that I would totally see myself using in my scrapbooking.

I also love Crafe Paper's Emma's Shoppe Collection. It reminds me so very much of Cath Kidston's style. A style which John can agree I am completely obsessed with at the moment.

I have only seen this image of the Sweet Threads collection by Basic Grey but already I'm hooked! Not only do I love Basic Grey but this is also sewing themed - what is there not to love?!

As always, Prima have lots of stunningly pretty new collections but I think that Sparkling Spring has to be my favourite. With it's pretty pastel colours it is just the collection for washing away all those winter blues. And just look at what you can create with it...

Now isn't this just one of the best dies you have ever seen?! Time Holtz has once again brought a brilliant range of Alterations dies to the craft market.

And how about these embossing folders to go with the dies? How long till these will be available in the UK?

Lisa x

Sewing, sewing, sewing...

2011-01-26T20:34:00.004Z

I've been really busy the last few weeks working on new products for Altered Chic. One of these products is our range of fabric noticecboards. Perviously available only at our craft fairs, these pretty fabric noticeboards will be available online shortly in a whole new range of fabrics.

We are also working on a whole new range of fabric products including bunting, cushions and artwork.

I'm really excited about our new fabric ranges. Textiles and sewing have always been a big part of my life. As a little girl I remember sewing clothes for my dolls on an old singer sewing machine my parents bought me for Christmas. Since then I've always loved sewing so being able to bring it into my plans for Altered Chic is a dream come true.

Lisa x

Week 3: Greek Moussaka

2011-01-21T20:02:00.004Z

Last night I cooked Greek Moussaka. Ever since our holiday in Greece in 2005 I've loved Greek food. One of my favourite being Mousakka. I've tried a few different recipes for Mousakka but I thought I'd give another one a try.

The recipe is on the Channel 4 Food website. I forgot to take a photo so here is the one from the website...

Although Moussaka takes quite a long time to prepare and cook, I think it is well worth the 2 hours of effort.

Not only that...it is delicious! You can taste all the flavours of the lamb, aubergine, cinnamon and oregano.

I would recommend serving it with a greek salad complete with plenty of feta.

Lisa x

Week 2: Special Asian Rice

2011-01-14T22:06:00.003Z

I found this recipe in the February 2011 Ideal Home magazine. It is actually called Best-Ever Special Asian Rice and I have to agree that not only is it easy to make, but it tastes delicious too!

It can be found on page 144.

It states that it takes around 25 minutes to cook. It actually took me around 45 minutes with prep time but still pretty quick for a weekday dinner. And the cost of ingredients wasn't too bad either.

1. Cook the rice to it's instructions. Drain and set to one side covered in a clean tea
towel.
2. Mix the chilli sauce, sesame oil and soy sauce and set aside. Heat a wok till smoking, cook the chicken in vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.
3. Add the green beans, peppers and a little water and stir-fry for 2 mins. Add the garlic, ginger and prawns and stir-fry for 2 mins.
4. Add the cooked rice, push to one side of the wok and add the eggs. Allow to scramble before mixing into the rice.
5. Add the chicken, spring onions and sauces back to the pan and stir until hot and cooked through. Serve with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

I followed the instructions with some minor changes. I used cooked prawns so I added them at the end with the chicken and spring onions. The only problem I had was that my rice had too much water as it was regular basmati rice. It was still yummy but I would definetly get easy-cook rice next time.

I would definetly recommend buying this issue of Ideal Home and trying this recipe. The other recipes look delicious too - Mushroom Risotto, Spicy Rice Patties and Hot-Smoked Salmon, Pea & Coriander Kedgeree.

Lisa x

Week 1: Tomato Soup, Croutons & Guacamole

2011-01-04T21:12:00.005Z

This week's recipe was taken from Jamie's 30 Minute Meals. If you have the book the recipe can be found on page 78.

The basic idea behind Jamie Oliver's book is that a homecooked meal can be made within 30 minutes - ideal for those who find it hard to make the time for cooking.

The meal actually included Prune puddings for dessert but as I can't actually stand prunes I swapped it for a bowl of ice-cream.

The soup and guacamole platter were pretty easy to make...

Roast your tomatoes in the oven with fresh red chilli and crushed garlic. Drizzle ciabatta chunks with olive oil and roast in the oven till crispy. Chop onions and cook in a pan with balsamic vinegar. Chop a handful of cherry tomatoes, some chilli and fresh coriander. Add your roasting tomatoes to the pan of onions. Chop avacado and add lime juice. Cut your vegetables into pieces for dipping. Blend your tomatoes with fresh basil and creme fraiche. Serve with your croutons.

I also added an extra dollop of creme fraiche and reduced the amount of chilli recommended as both the soup and guacomole were still quite fiery with the reduced measures.

The meal took around 40 minutes to make but as I'd never cooked this recipe before this was still a super quick dinner. And it was yummy! I would definetly recommend trying it.

Lisa x

NOTHS Sale!

2011-01-03T19:57:00.003Z

Our heart chalkboards are on sale at Notonthehighstreet.com.

Available in three sizes with a choice of pastel pink, pastel blue, country brown or country red gingham ribbons. You now save 10% off our regular price.

Our hearts are a pretty way of writing notes or sending messages with a traditional chalkboard and white chalk.

Lisa x

My 52 Week Recipe Challenge

2011-01-01T12:34:00.004Z

I love to cook.

This is why this year I am going to be undergoing a 52 week recipe challenge. Every week I am going to be searching recipe books, websites and blogs to find a recipe that I really want to try.

I'll cook or bake it and share my thoughts with you here on my blog. Hopefully pushing myself to make more time to spend in the kitchen.

Plus John thinks it's great that I'll be making yummy things for him to try!

I'd love it if you want to join me along the way - either trying the recipes yourself or trying your own and sharing them with us all.

I'll be back this week to share my first recipe.

Lisa x

Looking to the New Year

2010-12-30T12:47:00.003Z

Yes it's that time of year again where we take a long hard look at our life from the past year.

2010 has been full of ups and downs but looking into the the New Year I know that things will get better. I'm really hopeful that next year will be a great year. So here are my goals for 2011...

My number 1 goal is to lead a more balanced life. With Altered Chic taking off in a big way at the end of 2010, it took over our lives in the run up to Christmas. I really need to be able to find that balance between work and home - which is much more difficult when your business is at home!

I am a Libra and this whole balanced thing is supposed to be natural to me but it is something that I have always struggled with. But I will be taking the first step towards this from January - I am reducing my hours at work (only 3 days rather than 4) so that I can spend more time in the week on running the business and leave evenings and some weekends free to spend how I wish.

With all this spare time I really want to start drawing again. All through school, art was my thing. After leaving university during the first few months (where I was studying art and hating it), I took a step away from my drawing and I've never had the time or the will to want to pick up a pencil or paintbrush.

I also want to continue making our house into a beautiful home. The projects for 2011 are the living room and the stairs. I've already begun collecting furniture to renovate.

What are your goals for 2011?

Lisa x

DIY: Christmas Stars Garland

2010-12-16T22:17:00.005Z

I made these little star garlands to hang on the shelves in my kitchen and thought I'd share how to make them as they are so easy to make yet look so pretty.

Materials & Tools:
Vintage sheet music
Cream cardstock
Piece of scrap card
Thin red ribbon
Glue
Hole punch

How to:
1. Glue your sheet music onto the cream cardstock.
2. Draw out a star template onto the scrap card (or print one off your computer).
3. Draw and cut out stars from your sheet music, the number of stars you will need will depend on the length of garland you want to make.
4. Punch two holes in each star as shown in the picture. Thread your stars onto the red ribbon and hang your garland in your chosen place.

I told you it was simple.

Enjoy!
Lisa x

Where is my garden?

2010-11-30T22:19:00.005Z

We thought it was bad this morning when we woke up to 4 inches of snow on the ground. We don't really have much snow here in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Well that was until now. These were the pictures I took this morning from the kitchen window.

Well after going into work for a short day, it has not stopped snowing since 3pm this afternoon. The 4 inches of snow has now grown to at least 10 inches! Never have I ever seen so much snow on the ground! These are the pictures I took in my garden 20 minutes ago. Well it was my garden...

A friend of mine posted this online this morning and I think it pretty much sums up the day.

If anyone is waiting for a parcel to be delivered from me then I apologise. When I finally got to the post office this afternoon they were shut and I don't think they will be open tomorrow either as the weather forecast is predicting further heavy snow overnight and tomorrow.

December Daily

2010-11-24T17:06:00.003Z

As a scrapbooker at heart, I believe that special memories need to be recorded. Christmas is definetly one of those times for special memories.

A few years ago Ali Edwards inspired many with her December Daily album and she's been inspiring many others since.

This year I will be joining them. I'm going to make an album to store all this year's Christmas photos so I've been collecting inspiration for my album from others taking part in December Daily.

Lisa x

Giveaway Winner!

2010-11-09T11:23:00.003Z

Sorry it's taken so long. A winner has been randomly selected for the CSN Stores Voucher.

Liz congratulations!

If you could email info@alteredchic.co.uk we'll get your voucher to you.

Lisa x

Altered Chic now on Facebook!

2010-11-04T09:19:00.002Z

Yes, I have finally created a page for Altered Chic on Facebook! I'll be using the page to keep you all updated on new products, sneaky peeks and maybe even a giveaway or two!

Why not pop over and join in.

Lisa x

Natural Handmade Soaps

2010-10-29T22:22:00.003+01:00

The range of handmade soaps available on my website has been updated including some new additions.

Ylang Ylang & Orange - This soap has a warm, two-tone effect to complement the combination of sweet, heavy, sensual Ylang Ylang and the light freshness of Orange. Generous helpings of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and our wild-grown Shea Butter provide luxurious moisturising qualities.

Nettle & Mint - Nettles have long been used in herbal medicine for a variety of skin conditions. Home grown nettles harvested in late spring are combined with sprigs of mint to give a fresh herbal soap. As well as olive oil and shea butter, added avocado and castor oils give extra creamy smoothness while a touch of peppermint essential oil provides the fragrance.

Lemon, Mango & Ginger - This soap is really fresh and spicy, as well as being an excellent moisturising bar. There's plenty of Olive oil, moisturising Mango butter, Lemon and Ginger essential oils. To give the soap a little extra something special, also added is some finely chopped fresh root ginger. Infused Annatto seed gives it its golden colour.

Seaweed & Aloe Vera - Seaweed is full of essential minerals and is renowned as a skin revitaliser with healing, nourishing and detoxifying qualities. This soap contains kelp and carragheen, soothing and gentle organic aloe vera and a moisturising mix of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and wild-grown Shea Butter. The fresh ocean fragrance comes from a combination of Pine, Rosemary and Peppermint essential oils.

Also available...

Tea Tree,Peppermint & Patchouli; Double Mint & Poppyseed; Rosey Geranium & Ylang Ylang; Lavender & Rosemary; Citrus Burst; Lime & Patchouli; Spicy Orange; Soft Lemon.

Last day to enter!

2010-10-29T10:07:00.001+01:00

It's the last day to enter the giveaway from CSN Stores!

Read this post for details of how you can win a voucher to use at any of their online stores!

Lisa x

Hassop Station

2010-10-28T08:55:00.002+01:00

Yesterday we had a rare day off so thought we'd make the most of it and visit a pretty new cafe which opened not far from us.

Situated on the Monsal Trail, this old station building has been transformed inside and out. The beautiful building of The Hassop Station has many old features and with it's mis-matched tables and chairs, a great setting for the delicious food we ate. There is plenty of seating inside and out. I can't wait to experience a summers lunch sat overlooking the scenery of the Monsal Trail.

Alongside the cafe is a bookshop containing a wide selection of fiction, non-fiction and children's books. There is also a small section containing shabby chic gifts. There is also a selection of Christmas decorations and cards available at the moment.

After lunch, we went for a short walk along the Monsal Trail. The pretty colours of the autumn trees made an ideallic setting for an afternoon walk in the sunshine.

The tunnels on the Monsal trail are opening in the Spring too which means you'll be able to walk or cycle from Bakewell right through to Buxton.

If you're ever in the the Derbyshire area, I would definetly recommend a visit.

Lisa x

DIY: Easy Halloween Spider

2010-10-26T18:45:00.002+01:00

There's only a few days now before Halloween. This felt spider is so easy to make and would make the perfect addition to your Halloween decor.

Supplies:

Black felt
Black cord
2 White buttons
Black cotton
White ribbon
Toy stuffing
Needle
Scissors

Instructions:

1. Cut out two ovals from the black felt.

2. Onto one of the ovals, sew your buttons in place for the eyes.

3. Cut 8 pieces of cord for the legs. Pin your legs in place around the edge of the spider front. Your legs will need to be pinned so that the longer length of the legs is over th felt body. This will mean they are the right way round once your spider is turned through.

4. Pin your ribbon in place at the top of your body. Again, the length of ribbon will need to be ontop of the felt body.

5. Place the other felt body over the top so that the legs and ribbon are all inside - you will only see the ends poking out from the felt body. Sew around the edge leaving a small gap at the bottom.

6. Turn the spider through, your legs and ribbon should now be the right way. Stuff your spider and sew the bottom up.

Hang your spider in a spooky setting where everyone will see it.

Lisa x

Purple Love

2010-10-26T10:14:00.003+01:00

I'm in love with this colour at the moment. It's a perfect colour for autumn.

1. Living room 2. Pretty hearts 3. Stunning Wall 4. Stormy clouds
5. Polaroid 6. Purple Love 7. Dining room 8. Woodland walk
9. Perfect pout 10. Bag 11. Purple clothing 12. Cute phone
13. Cake pop 14. Bedroom 15. Sparkly eyes 16. Feature wall

What colours are inspiring you at the moment?

Lisa x

Our Special Autumn Day...

2010-10-18T21:13:00.002+01:00

John and I have decided that in two years, we will be getting married! We'll be getting married at the end of October so what better theme for our wedding than Autumn.

All the fiery rich reds, burnt oranges, chocolate browns and deep purples. I cannot wait to start creating! I have images in my head of falling leaves, raffia, conkers, acorns, berries, twigs, rich wool felt, gold accessories, cinnamon, apples and candles.

I've started collecting some photo inspirations. I thought I'd share them with you...

It's going to be so hard making those final decisions!

Lisa x

Giveaway from CSN!

2010-10-14T17:04:00.006+01:00

Remember that giveaway I did in July? Well the people of CSN are being generous and offering another £25 gift voucher to one of my lucky readers!

From wardrobes to pots and pans, lighting to wall art, CSN has everything for your home covered.

Just look at the things I came across that you could put your £25 voucher towards...

This Autumn Tree wall art would look gorgeous hung in any room of the house - perfect for this time of year.

This Children's Baking Set would make an ideal gift this Christmas.

Need a pretty bag to brighten up that shopping trip? Try this Polkadot Shopping Bag.

What about totally spoiling yourself with this Raspberry Kenwood Stand Mixer? I know this is certainly on my wish list!

Want to know how you can win that £25 gift voucher? Just leave a comment on this post - simple as that!

Or for extra chances to win become a follower, tweet about this giveaway, or blog about it. For every option you do, please leave a seperate comment on this post with a link to where you posted about it.

A winner will be drawn at random from all those who entered. Leave your comments here by 11:59pm (GMT) on Friday 29th October to enter!

DIY: Birthday Book

2010-10-10T13:24:00.002+01:00

Here's a pretty organisation project. Not only can you record all your friend and family birthdays on the calendar pages, each month is also an envelope for you to store cards in until you send them!

Supplies:
14 Brown envelopes (I used A5 but you could make a larger A4 one)
2 pieces of card (same size as your envelopes)
A4 paper
Patterned paper (I only used 1 double-sided sheet!)
Coordinating cardstock
Ribbons & braids
Paint
Tissue paper
Vintage Buttons
Border Punch
Bind It All machine & wires
Alphabet Stickers (+/or computer)
General craft tools and adhesives

The DIY:

Put your pieces of card inside two of your envelopes and seal - these will be your covers. For the other 12 envelopes, stick the tabs of the envelopes inside the envelope to create a pocket.

To create the paper flower - cut lots of circles from tissue paper. Using a circle paper punch will make this easier. Stick them all together in the centre and stick a vintage button on top. Crumple up all the layers of tissue paper to give your flower shape.

Decorate your front cover. Cut a piece of patterned paper and punch along the bottom edge using a decorative punch. Stick this in place on your cover. Add a piece of braid and a piece of ric-rac, your paper flower, more vintage buttons and your alphabet stickers.

Create a title for each pocket using a couple of pieces of patterned paper/cardstock, braid or ribbon and a title. These were printed on the computer, cut out, and a hand-drawn border added. You could use more alphabet sticker, stamps or rub-ons if you wish.

To make your calendars, cut pieces of white paper to fit your pockets. Hand draw a grid of 5 boxes across and 6 boxes down. For months with 31 days you wil need to split the bottom right box with a diagonal line. Write, stamp or stick on numbers for the days of the month.

Using your Bind-It-All, bind all your pages and covers together to create your book.

Lisa x

Listening to this week...

2010-10-09T18:52:00.001+01:00

The Pretty Reckless

Who are you listening to?

Lisa x

Autumn Inspiration...

2010-10-03T21:38:00.002+01:00

Some of the reasons why I love the autumn...

...the pretty autumn colours...

...pumpkins...

...squirrels hunting for nuts...

...walking in the leaves...

...conkers falling from the trees...

...fab wooly socks...

...warm and stylish knits...

...the season for homemade apple crumble.

Why do you love the autumn?

Lisa x

October? Really?

2010-09-30T19:49:00.004+01:00

I have no clue where this year has gone! It doesn't seem two minutes since we were welcoming Spring and now it's Autumn again. I'm not complaining much because I love the autumn. It's my favourite season. And it's not just because my birthday falls in the Autumn.

We celebrated my birthday last weekend. I'm now a whole year older -24 now! We spend the weekend with our family which we just don't get to do often enough. And look at what John bought for me - pretty flowers for our kitchen.

Don't birthdays always make you feel lucky for the people you have around you.

Lisa x

For the music lover...

2010-09-20T14:04:00.002+01:00

Take a look...

My Vintage Music Magnetic Note Holders have been selected for a musical feature on Notonthehigstreet.com.

At only £4.99 including p&p, these stylish holders are ideal to add to your fridge to hold your photos, notes, lists or children's artwork. Each pack contains a set of six magnetic note holders made with authentic vintage sheet music.

If music isn't for you, there are also Pink Gingham Magnetic Note Holders as well as brand new everyday and Christmas designs coming very soon!

Lisa x

Weddings: The Traditional Flower Company

2010-09-17T09:56:00.009+01:00

Whilst browsing for vintage wedding ideas I came across this little company based in Staffordshire - The Traditional Flower Company. Started by Sam Ellson, The Traditional Flower Company grow all their own flowers which are then handpicked and arranged.

With bridal bouquets from only £45, I think these are ideal for anyone, like myself, who would like a more traditional country-feel wedding rather than modern floral arrangements which are much more commonly seen in florists these days.

Take a look through their gallery to see many examples of their arrangements - many used in wedding settings. Here is a selection I liked to inspire you...

Lisa x

Halloween Cupcakes

2010-09-15T21:27:00.006+01:00

Anyone who knows me knows I have a sweet tooth. I also love pretty things - so I totally adore cupcakes!

I'm quite a novice at making my own though so I've been looking for inspiration to make some quirky Halloween cupcakes.

I'm thinking of a chocolate cupcake with an orange frosting, edible glitter, chocolate stars and Halloween themed sweets - oh so bad for you but really yummy! I'm open to suggestions if you have any more ideas.

Here are some ideas I've found for decorations...

Lisa x

Pretty Packaging: Inspirations

2010-09-06T23:05:00.002+01:00

I've been collecting photos of pretty packaging to inspire my own little packages from Altered Chic.

Enjoy!

Lisa x

Outdoor Photo Session

2010-08-29T22:17:00.004+01:00

The weather was lovely, bright and warm on friday so I took advantage and decided to photograph some of my brand new products outdoors for Altered Chic. I love taking photos with interesting backdrops. I thought I'd share this little peek into one of our new products - available soon!

The cats weren't being too helpful though. They kept interupting my photo shoot and walking into the shots. I decided to give them a bit of what they wanted (plus here's another sneaky peek)...

Lisa x

Pretty Packaging

2010-08-27T22:16:00.003+01:00

I came across this lady's pretty blog today and her post about her packaging. I've been thinking about making my shop packaging prettier recently.

It was covered as part of the Indie Biz class I was part of earlier this year but I've not had chance to go back and look at it since. I'm now collecting inspiration for my packaging.

At the moment all my products are wrapped in tissue paper, then either wrapped in bubble wrap or put in a box and then covered with brown parcel paper with the address handwritten on the front.

Ideas I've found to make prettier packaging:
- ribbon or twine
- thank you note
- postcard
- little free gift
- pin badge

I'm going to continue collecting ideas and photos and then decide which options work best for my little shop. If you have any ideas - let me know!

Lisa x

A new look...

2010-08-23T22:31:00.003+01:00

Our new website is taking alot more work than we originally thought to get everything working the way we want it to. So in the meantime, I've given Altered Chic's current website a new look with our prettier branding.

I'm also working hard getting ready to add lots more products to the website as well as designing and making brand new Halloween and Christmas products. I'll be showing sneaks over the coming weeks of these brand new products!

For now, go over and take a proper look at my pretty new look shop.

Lisa x

Goals...

2010-08-17T09:00:00.000+01:00

"What keeps me going is goals." - Mahummaad Ali

I saw this quote today and began thinking again about what I want from life. I've been doing alot of thinking about the future recently. I also read this post on Elsie's blog about goals for the rest of this year and decided it is exactly what I need right now.

Here are my 4 simple goals...

1. Reguarly spend more time creating just for me. Iim always making things for my business or because there's a birthday or other occasion. I love scrapbooking and I'm now trying to learn to crochet. I want to put more effort into making time for this in my life. 2. Keep a tidier and more organised home. Our home still needs lots of finishing touches - especially to get it more organised. I want to make a huge effort to get these completed to make our lives so much easier and less stressful. 3. Make more time for my camera. (And keep the batteries charged!) I do take my camera with me when we go out somewhere new, but I want to make more of an effort to photograph my daily life, record the everyday important things, the little things - not just the big things. 4. Begin my journal. I used to journal as a teenger almost every day for about 2 years. I now want to be able to use my journal to record my feelings and thoughts. And just things we've done, memories we have. I'll then be able to use it as a place to reference for my scrapbooking. Making journalling so much easier.

What are your 4 simple goals?

Lisa x

Greek Stifado

2010-08-16T21:04:00.003+01:00

This is one of my favourite meals and I thought I'd share it with you. We made this at the weekend with our home-grown shallots.

Ingredients (for 2 people):
400g Stewing beef
Plain flour
Salt & Pepper
10 Shallots
2 Cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Small bottle of red wine
2 tbsp Red wine vinegar
Cinnamon Stick
1 tsp Mixed spice
Tin of Chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp Tomato puree
200ml Beef stock

To make the Stifado:
1. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Lightly dust the stewing beef pieces in the flour mixture.
2. Fry the beef until sealed and place to one side. Pre-heat your oven to 160 deg C.
3. Add more oil to the pan and try the shallots gently until slightly browned and add the garlic.
4. Pour in the red wine. Add the cinnamon stick & mixed spice and heat until hot but not boiling.
5. Add the beef stock, tomato puree and tinned tomatoes and heat until it begins to boil.
6. Add the contents of the pan and your beef to a casserole dish.
5. Cover and cook for around 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. The beef should be really tender and the sauce should be nice and thick.
6. Serve with rice and bread.

Enjoy!
Lisa x

Listening to...

2010-08-12T11:08:00.005+01:00

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

A song really close to my heart right now...

Lisa x

Growing in our garden...

2010-08-09T21:11:00.007+01:00

We've been busy bees this year in our garden. We have lots of vegetables and some fruit. Some is doing really well, some not so well. Today we harvested some vegetables and I thought I'd get my camera out and record some of our first year's crop.

Here are some of the shallots and onions we've been growing. We pulled them up today to dry out in the workshop. Some of the shallots are huge! I see a big dish of Greek Stifado on the menu.

We tried to grow some beans this year again - they aren't ready yet but they are already much mroe successful than last years attempt. We have broad beans and dwarf beans growing. I think we'll have even more of these next year.

Our tomatoes just haven't grown. We had lots of flowers on the plants but they just didn't fruit. I don't know if it's something we did or just the plants themselves. John is investigating.

The lettuces, cabbages and cauliflowers were doing really well and then a herd of slugs and caterpillars moved in. We've now learnt our lesson and will be growing them under covers next year. It's a shame because they were doing so well.
We've had one courgette off our plant so far. It was so yummy. There's more growing and I can't wait to cook some roasted veg with them.

John also got hold of some sweetcorn from work. It's not something I've ever thought about growing but I'm glad we did as they are doing really well. I'm really looking forwards to eating the corn cooked with butter.

We even have some strawberries. We picked up some almost dead strawberry plants for 50p quite late on. They haven't done much but they are fruiting and hopefully soon we'll have enough strawberries ripening at the same time to bother serving them with some cream!

Last but not least our potatoes are going great! We dug up on of our plants today. We already had quite a few the other day for dinner but today we got a large bowl full. And there are still 3 more plants full of potatoes.

John is already planning what we'll be growing this year. We have some mistakes to learn from but for our first year of growing in our garden I don't think we're doing bad!

Lisa x

Tick Tock

2010-08-06T20:42:00.006+01:00

We're currently planning the redecoration of our living room. It's quite a long room with a chimney breast in middle on one wall. I'd love to find a nice big clock to sit on the wall.

Our colour scheme will be willow green and natural linens. Here are a few possibilities I've found so far...

24 inch Large Wall Clock from Klocktime

Eco-Retro Wall Clock from VectorCloud

Giant Sticker Station Clock by Brume

Custom Roman Numeral Clock Decal by Right on the Walls

Cuckoo Clock Decal by Right on the Walls

I'm so undecided about which I like best. Which do you like best? Do you have any more suggestions for me?

Lisa x

Catching Up...

2010-08-04T20:20:00.002+01:00

I've not been feeling too well recently which is the main reason for not being around online alot. I've now got the laptop out so I can try and catch up with everything in the online world.

We were at Cromford Steam Rally at the weekend. Despite the bad weather it was still a pretty good weekend. It was really cool to see all the vintage cars and steam vehicles. Though, with being on the stall I didn't have chance to get out with my camera.

Me and John are off work this week so we've decided to go out a bit and spend plenty of time relaxing before being back at work next week. We spent a nice day out yesterday at Castleton and will hopefully go out again tomorrow, weather permitting.

As well as exploring, over the next month or so we have lots going on at Altered Chic too. We're busy working on the new website and have lots of new products in the making. I'm hoping to start sharing photos and details over the next couple of weeks - stay tuned!

Lisa x

A Winner!

2010-07-21T18:44:00.003+01:00

I'm really sorry to those who entered my giveaway. I am here now though and a winner has been chose at random...

meeyeehere said...
Wow, that is simple!! I really could use a gift card to CSN!!! I love that place.

Congratulations! If you could email me at info@alteredchic.co.uk so that I can get your prize sent to you.

I'll also be back soon with an update on what has been going on around here.

Lisa x

Last Chance...

2010-07-13T22:30:00.002+01:00

...to enter the CSN Stores giveaway! See this post for details of how to enter.

You could win a £50 voucher to spend on items like...

this pretty teapot!
Or what about this house keeper's tidy to make cleaning pretty again.

Lisa x

Giveaway!

2010-07-07T20:58:00.006+01:00

I have a big suprise for you all today - CSN Stores are giving one of my lucky winners the chance to win a £50 gift voucher to use in one of their online stores!

From ceiling lights to pot and pans, desk chairs and bakeware, there are so many exciting products over their 6 UK websites.

What about these funky desk chairs? I'd love one to brighten up my craft room. Though I can't decide whether I like the transparent fuschia or the transparent orange best.

What about this gorgeous cupcake stand? I love the bright and summery floral design. This would look great as a table centrepiece to impress your guests! Plus the Victoria and Albert Museum is one of my favourite places in London - all those pretty fabrics!

Or what about injecting a little colour into your days out with this seaside rug. Who couldn't love the bright polkadot print? And even better - it's in the sale!

Want to know how you can win that £50 gift voucher? Just leave a comment in this post - simple as that!

Or for extra chances to win become a follower, tweet about this giveaway, or blog about it. For every option you do, please leave a seperate comment on this post with a link to where you posted about it.

A winner will be drawn at random from all those who entered. Leave your comments here by 11:59pm (GMT) on Wednesday 14th July to enter!

Cromford Steam Rally

2010-07-02T15:52:00.003+01:00

I have finalised the booking for Altered Chic to hold a stall at Cromford Steam Rally.

We will be there all weekend with our products - soy candles, handmade soaps, wooden letters, bunting, noticeboards and some new products not been seen before.

Cromford Steam Rally will be taking place on Saturday 31st July and Sunday 1st August from 9am till 5pm. For directions take a look at their website here.

It is the first outdoor stall I've have held. I have a whole pitch to fill and I'm really excited to create some exciting displays for all the new products!

Lisa x

Summer Makeover

2010-06-26T00:00:00.003+01:00

Time for a summer makeover here on my blog. Hope you like it! Have you seen the new logo for my store Altered Chic over on the left?

I've been loving the sun this week. Good old British sunshine! What with the World Cup and music festivals this week everyone seems to be in a summer mood.
We'll be celebrating or commiserating on Sunday afternoon after the England - Germany game. We're having a BBQ here at home. Fingers crossed the good weather holds up.

I'm also in the mood for some baking this weekend. I've been looking for yummy cupcake recipes. Something simple but will still look and taste great. Any suggestions?

I'm off to go watch some more Glastonbury music before going to bed : )

Lisa x

Images courtesy of weheartit.com

Learning to Crochet

2010-06-20T00:08:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since I really enjoyed putting a LO together but I loved playing around with a little colour this week for ECP: Challenges.

If you remember my post a while back, crochet is something I've been wanting to have a go at for months but I'd not had the chance to sit down. But this week I took a couple of hours out to learn a new skill and I actually managed to crochet the pretty little flower in the LO. Like I said in the journalling - I'm really proud to finish it. It's been ages since I took the time to learn something new.

If you have been wanting to try something new, learn a new skill, then this week make the time. I promise you will be very happy you did!

Lisa x

Today I am listening to...

2010-06-19T12:57:00.004+01:00

He's back. And on top form. It is the one and only Eminem!

Enjoy!

Lisa x

A quick sneak...

2010-06-17T18:43:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow is challenge day at ECP: Challenges. The brand new design team will be showcasing their first projects and I promise you - it's going to be great!

Here's a little sneaky peek of my layout...

Lisa x

Special Delivery

2010-06-17T14:33:00.002+01:00

Isn't this lady just brilliant?

The postman woke me up this morning. He was loudly pushing a parcel through the letterbox. He was bringing a parcel Debbie was suprising me with.

I love the designs over at Papertrey Ink but the shipping costs are huge. I'm so so happy that I finally own my own set of Papertry Ink stamps!

Lisa x

The summer ahead...

2010-06-14T23:18:00.003+01:00

This weekend has been one for making plans. Plans for the summer - yay!

We're making good use of the British summer (hopefully) and are going camping in August. We're not totally decided where yet.

We've also been looking and booking venues for Altered Chic to stand. Nothing confirmed yet but we should be able to release some dates shortly.

We've also been busy working on the new Altered Chic website. It's looking good! I can't wait to share it with you. I need a huge photo session to photograph all the products going online!

Lisa x

Photo source: www.weheartit.com

A weekend off!

2010-06-06T23:01:00.002+01:00

Saturday was John's birthday so we made the decision to have a few days off. No work, no uni, just us and our family.

Have you seen the nice weather we've been having in the UK? It's the kind of lovely sunny weather that you know wont last so you have to make the most if it. Which means... BBQ! We had both my parents and John's parents round for a BBQ at our house on Friday. 11 people! We've never had 11 people eating at the same time in our house before. Our house isn't so big so it will only happen at BBQs.
Saturday was spent relaxing and visiting Clumber Park. I did take my camera so I'll share some photos soon. Unknown to us it was 1940s weekend! Lots of people in costume, vintage cars and a Spitfire flyover. What a lovely suprise.

(Not my photo but wow what a spread! Image courtesy of www.weheartit.com)

Lisa x

A little sneak of the new look Altered Chic!

2010-05-31T22:27:00.003+01:00

Here is what I have been working on the last few weeks. Altered Chic is undergoing a makeover. It's going to be more fun, more colourful, much more to see and we're also going to be shipping worldwide!

Here are a couple of snippets of how the new website will look...

Lisa x

DT Call!

2010-05-16T10:59:00.002+01:00

We are looking for some new people to join our team at ECP: The Challenges!

Our fortnightly challenge blog has a range of challenges including colour assignments, sketches, themes and more!

We are not just a card making challenge blog. We love to mix things up and love everyone to join in where they can, whether you are a scrapbooker, make jewellery, are an altered artist, like to play with textiles, a painter or want to take part with some other form of art and crafts.

Take a look over on the blog for more details. The deadline is Sunday 30th May at 11:59pm (GMT) so there is plenty of time to get your entries in!

Lisa x

Pretty Colours

2010-05-10T22:40:00.002+01:00

Last week really didn't go plan.

I did manage to do some spring cleaning but most of it was downstairs in the kitchen - not in the studio.

I've also had some time to think the last couple of weeks about my business and where it is going. Indie Business has been a big kick up the bum. So has Notonthehighstreet.

I'm really starting to focus on where I want to go.

First thing, I need a new look - new branding. The current one is just too limiting for my products. Doesn't really suit all the pretty colours of my ranges and I want them to stand out as pretty things people will want in their homes.

Hence the new logo, website and labels I've been working on over the weekend. We're also creating a brand new online shop which will be so much easier to use. Prettier to look at and will also include some great new features!

I'll explain all when we are a little closer to being ready. And I'll be sharing a few sneak previews really soon.

In my world... it's little sister's birthday this weekend. We're going to be spending much of the weekend with family. I can't wait to be able to get my camera out for something other than product shoots and random photos!

We're also planning the introduction of craft classes in my day job. I'm really excited about this as I love sharing inspiration (see Easy Craft Projects) and getting to this this face to face will be great!

It's hard for me balancing all aspects of my life - not only my day job and my business. I'm working much harder on this and starting to feel alot more balanced. It makes for a much happier me.

Lisa x

Time for a spring clean...

2010-05-04T21:19:00.002+01:00

My studio has been looking unfinished and a mess since last year. I have had way too much on my plate and tidying up is always last on the to-do list.

I have just under 4 weeks until the next craft fair and I'm determined to give the studio a spring clean and make it look all pretty again.

To get myself inspired I've been looking for pretty craft room/studio pictures...

Elsie's old studio

I just love all those pretty bright colours in jars and the turquoise cutting mat. I'm in the middle of giving my business a 'sprig clean' too and adding some colour is high on the list.

Country Living

I love how fresh this craft room looks. I need a lot of storage for all my supplies and it would be nice to have some furniture to be able to hide the messy objects in. Maybe I need to go hunt some down on Ebay.

Singer Sewing Machine

I have a beautiful old Singer sewing machine. I just don't have anywhere to keep it right now so it's stored away. I think this must be something I need to solve!

SouleMama's Craft Room

Have you seen the colour of those walls?! They're gorgeous. I love the way everything 'pops' against them. I don't really have time to repaint but I think I'm going to put up lots of new artworks. I also love those fabric filled embroidery hoops hanging on the wall. I've seen them done before but grouped together they look extra pretty. Plus I have some nice fabrics I'd love to show off.

Central Workstation

I used to have my desk facing into the middle of the room. It used to be a bit messy with all the cables to my PC but if I could find a clever way to hide them - or even better, find somewhere else for my computer I'd love a central workdesk again. (My desk is currently tucked away in the corner and I don't get much natural light to it.)

Pretty Storage

I need to make my storage a little prettier. Most of it I bought around 5 years ago when I was getting ready to move to Edinburgh and money was very tight. Ikea was very 'in' at the time - especially those card boxes with the metal trims. I'm sure you know the ones. I have a few in different colours (collected from verious rooms in the house over time). I'm thinking, seeing as I can't afford new ones that I'll cover some of them with pretty papers. The same for the magazine files. I also have a pretty wire cupcake stand bought for my craft fair displays that I'm no longer using so I will have to make use of that too.

Wilna's Studio

I think this is my favourite studio/craft room. I love the freshness of it. She seems to have got everything just right. Again I think it helps that the awkward supplies can be kept out of sight. And who wouldn't want a chandlier in their craft room?!

If you have any other ideas for me to make my studio look prettier and more organised, or just some photos of craft rooms to share post them in the comments. I'd love to see them.

Lisa x