Inspired by the Anthropologie Sol Pompom Necklace

Anthropologie Sol Pompom Necklace

Inspired by my recent visits to the Anthropologie store in London and their terribly gorgeous yet very expensive ( over £250) Pompom necklace, I decided to embark on yet another DIY project. I looked around the Internet for ideas and found these two blogs that were really helpful- Artzy Creations and Small Good Things.  I followed the first one pretty closely so rather than repeating all the instructions, I'll let you check out these fabulous sites. Most items were purchased off eBay and it all cost me just under £20. I chose a bright happy green and fuchsia combination and they help compensate for the summer we never had! Happy jewellery making!

 

Jewellery Making Kit

Sewing the rhinestone chain on to the velvet ribbon

This is what it looked like from the back when I was done sewing

Close up of the necklace

Nearly finished. I'm sure I'll touch up a bit soon!

Scrumptious Crabapple Jelly

Crabapples!

I was, until today, a jelly-making virgin. The numerous crabapples in our allotment were begging to be transformed into something delicious. I'd already made a clafoutis last year which was bloody marvellous and so I thought I'd give jelly a go. I'd always been a bit wary of jelly making as I imagined it to be a complex task. I can now confirm that my old notion was far from true. Here is how you go about it.




Ingredients:

• Crabapples
• Caster Sugar
• Lemon juice
• Vanilla pod/ cloves/ cinnamon-optional

The oh-so-simple method!:

• Prepare the crabapples, cover them with water in a saucepan and cook for about 20-30 mins until completely soft and pulpy. Strain this overnight in a muslin cloth or jelly bag.
• The next day, weigh the quantity of crabapple and add an equal or slightly greater amount of caster sugar, juice of 1 lemon and cook until the mixture is boiling. Simmer and continue to let the mixture boil while skimming any froth.
• I added a vanilla pod to this boiling mixture. You could choose not to or perhaps try cloves or a cinnamon bark.
• Test if its ready to set  using a cold spoon, the same way you would test whilst jam making. It took me about 30 mins for a kilo of crabapples.
• Strain into jam jars and set in a fridge. It could take up to 24 hours to set although mine only took about 3!
• Happy jelly-making!

Straining the pulp mixture overnight

Strained juice

Finished product!

Quirky Home Decor Update!

 

Columbia Road Flower Market is a spectacular London treat on Sunday mornings. My recent visit to the market resulted in a late afternoon bargain. I bought four precious catci for £5. My idea was to find  little china cups to house them. A trip to the Market Deeping Antiques market resulted in five stunning Wedgewood and Royal Albert china vases for less than £2 each. Bargain! Here is my photo diary of  housing the beautiful cacti. Ann x

Cacti for sale at Columbia Road Flower Market

   

Cacti brought home and waiting to be glammed up

Cacti with their pot placed in vintage china for re-potting later in the year.

I love thee Anthropologie!

I missed going round the much raved Anthropologie store in Paris and so delighted to pass by the London one. I was down in the big smoke to see family from Toronto and it was a good opportunity to 'showcase' the City's offerings. I am so smitten by the place. It is what I aspire my home to look like- eclectic, quirky and colourful. I love the mix of uber cool fashion and funky home accessories. The website isn't half as good as the store but sadly I forgot to take pictures. So here are some of my favourites from the UK online store. And by the way, I love the necklaces but don't love all the prices so keep an eye out for a DIY Anthro inspired necklace on Made by Ann!

Wandering Columbia Road Flower Market

I was in Shoreditch last weekend catching up with family from Canada and I just had to take them to Columbia Road. It is one of my favourite places to spend Sunday mornings in London. You can find the market by following the trail of people leaving with huge flower bunches in brown paper bags and by the lovely scents that can be smelt from a fair distance. The market opens at about 8 AM and goes on it nearly 3PM. I found that some of the best bargains were found after 1PM when sellers are getting ready to pack up. Saying that, the flowers are very reasonably priced and there is so much to choose from. It is a sheer visual and olfactory delight and if you haven't already been, I'd thoroughly recommend a visit. Ann x