Lets Make: Lemon + Coconut Cake

Spring blooms are blossoming, the birds are chirping, the sun is rising earlier each morning and I am so happy! 

I love Spring and the excitement it brings that warmer weather is on the way and the beach will once again become a part of everyday life! 

With all the warm weather and excitement, I thought I would share with you today a Lemon + Coconut Cake as the perfect way to celebrate Spring. 

There seems to be an abundance of lemons in store lately, so I thought why not make this delicious cake?

Lets Make: a DIY Felt Ball Garland

A special friend is due to have a baby any day now. 

A little baby girl is to make my dear friends parents for the first time. Already parents to two gorgeous fur babies (below!) this little bub is going to be so loved and protected by her bigger fur siblings. Below is a photo the couple shared when announcing their pregnancy. So sweet isn't it?

Feather Love

source

It is no secret - I love feathers.

I love making my handmade dreamcatchers, individually selecting the feathers and looping them through leather to create a one of a kind look. I have dreamcatchers, feathers and even my DIY African Juju hat scattered around my home. I am crazy for feathers. They are so beautiful, each one so unique, a different shape or colour.

Recently Bec from Pinch Me Beautiful featured me over on her blog here and it was then we both realised our love for feathers - as she too incorporates them into her handmade weaving creations. It got me thinking about using feathers to decorate in your home, so today I am sharing with you some ideas if you too want to jump on the feather bandwagon and bring some texture and interest into your home.

For the Sweet Tooths: Raw Caramel Slice

Three is a sweet tooth in our household and it's not me.

I am more of a brie and cracker or chip and dip kinda girl. The sweet tooth in our house is my Hubby. His favourite sweet is caramel slice. I just can't bring myself however to make a sugary sweet caramel slice, it's just too sweet for my taste.  I figure if I am the one making it then I have to enjoy it too, so I opted for a raw refined sugar free option and came across this Donna Hay recipe. It's full of cacao, nuts, dates and coconut oil which is more me. I hope you will try it, it truly is delicious and trust me you can trick a sweet tooth into believing its the real deal caramel slice as its gooey, rich and leaves you licking your fingers wanting more!

Orange + Poppyseed No Bake Cake

I am always after a healthy sugar free lunchbox snack that is quick and easy to whip up. My go to place is Wholefood Simply, I love Bianca's recipes and they are as she states - whole food simply. 

I tend to spend Sunday evenings cooking and prepping food for the week ahead. Last Sunday I had a lamb roast in the oven, so I didn't want to make anything that needed to be baked. I then came across this easy 5 ingredient no bake cake. I cut it into squares and popped it in Hubby's lunchbox - no added sugar, real oranges and simple coconut makes it a wholesome treat. I have been buying so many oranges lately, they must be at their prime in season as they are so big and juicy and Aussie grown which I love. So this recipe was so jam packed full of orange goodness and flavour it was a hit!

I thought you might like the recipe too? You can see it here on Wholefood Simply.

No Bake Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

• 4 cups desiccated coconut
• 12 medjool dates, seeds removed
• zest of two oranges
• juice of one orange
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds

||. Line a loaf tin with baking paper overhanging the sides. Mine measures 19.5cm x 9.5cm.

||. Place the ingredients except for the poppy seeds into your food processor. Blend at high speed until the mixture is completely broken down, well combined and sticking together.

||. Add the poppy seeds and mix to combine.

||. Press the mixture firmly into your prepared tin and place in the fridge for several hours to set. I served ours after approximately three hours in the fridge.
||. Note – depending on the strength of your processor and the juiciness or your oranges you may need to add the juice of the second orange also.

I enjoyed the slice for afternoon tea with a cacao choc mint smoothie - you can see my yummy smoothie recipe here.

DO YOU HAVE A 'GO TO' PLACE FOR YOUR RECIPES?

What lunchbox snacks do you make? Are you someone who preps and meal plans or cooks more spontaneously?

Follow Glamour Coastal Living:

 INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // PINTEREST // SHOP

Recipe: Delicious & Healthy Banana, Coconut + Goji Berry Bread

I am a morning person, I love getting up and seeing the sun rise, hear the birds singing and be the first one up in my house. It's refreshing to wake early and feel like you are not missing any part of the day! 

As much as I am a morning person though, I cannot stand breakfast. I have a real love hate relationship with it. Although I am hungry (I wake starving, I have a super fast metabolism!) I dislike breakfast foods. The only thing that I haven't yet tired of it a crunchy granola or museli, with yoghurt and fruit. This is my staple breakfast meal, although I do need a bit of spontaneity and am always looking for breakfast inspiration. I came across a recipe here for a healthy banana bread - one free from gluten, dairy and refined sugars which I love. 

It's perfect fresh or slightly toasted with butter and today on this gloriously lazy Sunday morning, this is what I will be indulging in....

Top Deck Slice

Ever get the three o'clock sugar craving but don't want to indulge in anything too naughty? If you want to whip up something sweet, then this recipe is for you. The recipe credit is from Wholefood Simply and Bianca's interpretation of a topdeck is brilliant. If you are a coconut lover like me, then this recipe will get you a tad excited...

It's a little rustic, not so perfect, but oh so delicious 

It's Party Time: Palm Fronds + Pink

Palm Fronds + Pink + Pineapples = fun!

I came across this fabulously styled dinner party by Studio DIY and had to share it with you all today!

I love the idea of the balloon centrepiece, as it adds height and interest to the table, but is very practical being above eye height so you can still see the person across from you!

Want to recreate this look?

Shades of Blue - Shibori

Shades of blue, texture + patterns. 

A look I am loving at the moment is Shibori.

It's a Japanese technique, that is binding, stitching, wrapping or folding cotton cloth to make amazing patterns and shapes. It is a look that is growing in popularity in interiors and homewares and I am loving this look in shades of blue.

DIY African Juju Hat

A few weeks ago I bought a new lounge. The new lounge meant that I had a new desire to redo the living room. Although we have renovated our home, the lounge/living area was not an area we had done much to other than paint, install new blinds and flooring. I was not in love with. It is an area that I spend alot of time and I wanted to love it. My new lounge was grey, so I started pinning lots of grey inspiration and wrote this post about 50 shades of grey. I also mentioned that I had an obsession with African juju hats and really wanted to try a DIY attempt. I found them to be $400 - $600 in stores and worked out doing a DIY lookalike would cost a fraction of the cost. So I spent a month talking about it alot, convincing Hubby that a pile of feathers stuck together on the wall would look great in our new living room redo and then went about buying the feathers. They arrived in the post one Friday afternoon, then on the Saturday morning I woke to rain and no sunshine. It was a perfect excuse to stay indoors and do some DIY crafts.

Easy + Delicious Mango Ice Cream

If you have seen me at the supermarket or fruit stalls lately you will see my stockpiling mangoes. They have to be my favourite fruit and the best bit of Summer. I am always sad when summer ends and along with the mangoes, so does the sunshine and beach days!

I look like a mango hoarder at the moment. 

My freezer is chock-a-block full and I keep eyeing them off at the shops and putting more in my trolley. I love mango in my green smoothies and even making ice cream. Yes ice cream. Sounds difficult doesn't it? Well believe me its not, no fancy ice cream maker or gadgets required for this yummy recipe. Just a food processor and some icy pole molds. I picked mine up from Kmart for $2 and it holds six icy poles- win!

No bake Chocolate Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake

If you like Ferrero Rochers, chocolate and cheesecake then you are going to LOVE this recipe! I know once you have seen this image you are going to be scrolling down for the recipe. Let me tell you, it was amazingly good. I may have overeaten and had to lay on my back with my jean button undone...but that is okay, it must mean that I enjoyed it! 

February Fourteen

Valentines Day ideas for your Love & the Little Loves in your life.

My wedding anniversary is February 18th, so Valentines Day for me is usually me making a cake or something sweet to say 'I love you', we don't worry about cards and gifts. For me, its just a gesture to say I love and appreciate you. Our anniversary is a time for gifts and sweet messages in a card.

What do you usually do for Valentines Day? Is it something you celebrate? 

Here are some easy ideas, if you want to make an 'I love you' gesture. 

Perfect for your partner of little ones...

Make a cake. Who doesn't love cake? Any excuse for a cake and telling someone I love you is a good one I think!

{source}

Date, Coconut + Caramel Energy Balls

I have never been a caramel kinda girl. But when the caramel gooeyness is made from Medjool dates and lots of other healthy ingredients then I am in!

My Coastal Rustic Christmas Table setting - Featured on She Loves To Make

I wanted to do something different this year for Christmas. I didn't feel like getting the tinsel and baubles out and having a traditional Christmas tree. So I made one instead! Living by the coast, I let nature inspire Christmas this year and created a driftwood Christmas tree. Using driftwood collected from my local beach and then adding my DIY clay tag ornaments and seashells something special was created. 

To match in with the coastal theme, I thought a rustic coastal Christmas table setting would be ideal to match. So I added my coastal touch and was thrilled with how it turned out, just click here to see for yourself. 

Did you opt for a traditional Christmas tree this year? What colour theme have you gone for? Have you thought about how you are going to style your Christmas table setting this year? Leave me a comment below, I'd love to know how you are celebrating this year. 

Isn't Christmas sneaking up fast? Enjoy the festive period with your loved ones and friends. I hope its magical and filled with many happy memories.

Follow Glamour Coastal Living:

 INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // PINTEREST // SHOP

Christmas DIY Mutorial: Making Snowflake Ornaments

Today we are doing something different on Glamour Coastal Living - a special guest post! The lovely Yen from Blue Bird Green is sharing a Christmas DIY tutorial. Yen lives and blogs in Sydney and you can always find her covering DIY crafts, fashion tips and lifestyle inspiration on her blog.

Welcome Yen!

Hello!

My name is Yen and I write a blog called She Loves to Make it’s all about craftiness and happiness. Ashlea and I found each other through our passion for blogging and have been online friends for a while now.  We decided it was time to collaborate so I’m very happy to be writing for you today.

How to create a Coastal feel in your home

Want your home to have a beachy vibe? Read on...

When I think of a coastal home, I am drawn to crisp whites, texture, timber, natural fibres, woven rugs, rattan, beach combing finds and lots of layers! Today I am going to be sharing with you some simple ideas on how to make your home feel coastal and homely. For me, my home is a touch of coastal, glam and natural. I love the feel of white and timber, paired with garden and beach combing finds. For me, a clutter free home with a simple colour palette makes me feel relaxed and I like being able to add certain coastal elements for a beachy feel.

Here are some ways you can achieve a coastal feel in your home,

Whitewash timber
Do you have an old piece of timber furniture or timber in your home that needs updating? Why not try a light whitewash paint effect. It is a cheap and easy way to update without having to buy new! I have achieved the whitewash effect on two side tables, you can see tutorials here and here.

Easy Clay DIY Christmas Decorations or Gift Tags

Have you put your Christmas tree up yet?? I certainly have! I always look forward to the 1st of December, putting cheesy carols on and detangling rows of lights and baubles. This year was a little different however. I instead borrowed Hubby's drill and sat in the garage drilling holes through driftwood I had found and made my own Christmas tree. Then, to top it off, I made my own decorations. Yep this Christmas is all DIY! If you want to join in and make some DIY tree ornaments or perhaps even gift tags for those beautifully wrapped presents, then follow along. It is super easy and all you need is patience (the clay takes three days to dry!).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My bathroom renovation & the inspiration

{source}

Have you been following along here and on Instagram with my bathroom renovation progress? The most talked about room of my house? We have hit some hurdles along the way, but are on the home stretch now! 

As I type, the tiler is busy cutting tiles and grouting the floor tiles. The plumber is scheduled to come and install the toilet today (hurrah after two weeks!!).

We had a few little setbacks that have pushed the timeframe way out. We thought we would be enjoying our new bathroom by now! Firstly, the tapware we chose was on backorder and there was none available in SEQLD. The bathroom was already gutted and at this point we were waiting for the plumber to install the new plumbing and fixtures so the tiler could commence. We lost two days waiting for the tapware to arrive. We attempted plan B, Hubby drove to several tapware suppliers one day when I was at work. I received endless photos of tapware on my phone that day, but none measured up, so I thought we would wait it out for our ordered ones to arrive. I am glad I did though, as they are stunning. No regrets there!

Our bathroom renovation - the most talked about room of our house!

Have you been wondering where I have been all week? Haven't seen a blog post in a while? You may have been following over on Instagram that we are currently renovating our bathroom. For those lucky enough to have two bathrooms in their house, renovating a bathroom is probably no big deal. But for us, this is our one and only bathroom which means its a long two week renovation project...

We kicked off last Tuesday and started the demolition, and with a few setbacks (isn't that what renovations are all about?!) we are currently up to water proofing. The tiling is expected to kick off from there tomorrow and then we are on the home stretch and hopefully will be able to shower and toilet by the weekend. It is a project we have wanted to do since we bought the house two years ago, but have procrastinated on a little, knowing having no bathroom isn't easy. We decided to wait until the weather was warmer so we could shower in the pool each day. On a plus note, its great the pool has been getting lots of use!!

Our bathroom is one of the most talked about rooms of our house. Not because its beautiful, spacious or dazzling. No, none of those. Its the bath that attracts all of the attention. Here's why...