Guinness Truffles for Christmas

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I love Guinness  truffles. How great to have some of these Chocolate Guinness Truffles around for the holidays. Make a lot. There won't be any left over! These really do taste like Guinness, and Guinness goes so well with Chocolate!

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS TRUFFLES

Ingredients
3/4 cup Guinness
1 pound dark chocolate  (65-75% cacao), chopped
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Cocoa

Directions
Melt chocolate in top of double boiler or saucepan over another saucepan with simmering water.
Gradually stir in cream.
Gradually add Guinness, stirring gently to blend.
Cover and chill overnight.
Shape mixture into 3/4 inch balls, using about tablespoon for each.
Roll in cocoa (or roll in red and green decorating sugar for Christmas)


Happy Holidays!

Chocolate Reflections: Food Holidays, Chocolate and Me

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As the year comes to an end, I once again reflect on this blog. I posted this a few years ago, but I think it still sums up my intentions in blogging about chocolate every day.Many years ago I read The Five Year Sentence by Booker Prize winner Bernice Rubens. In it a woman who works in a sweets (candy) factory is preparing for her last day of work. She’s cleaned her house, and she’s checked the oven. Everything is ready for her return from the day when with nothing left to do in her life, she will return home and turn on the gas. Fate intervenes, and she is given a 5 year diary as a retirement gift. It’s as if she’s been given  ‘a five year sentence’. She feels she has an obligation to write an entry each day. The novel takes some imaginative turns, and Bernice Rubens, a quirky writer, should be sought out and read.
Sometimes I feel like the woman in The Five Year Sentence…not the suicide bit… but being given a ‘purpose’ to do what I do. When I started this blog DyingforChocolate.com, I followed a similar thought process, and although I do posts with chocolate reviews, chocolate news and recipes as they strike me, a lot of the time I post recipes that coincide with the Food Holiday of the Day. They’re at the top of my ‘Diary’.
Surprisingly every day is some sort of Food Holiday (See The Nibble). Even if some Food Holidays aren’t specifically chocolate food holidays, just about everything goes well with chocolate, so I post a chocolate recipe! The big holidays are easy: Christmas, Easter, Passover, Halloween…lots of chocolate, but there are some very esoteric food holidays, such as:
Chocolate Covered Insect Day (October 14): Chocolate Scorpions (not for the faint of heart)
National Cocoa Day (December 12): Recipe Round up from Mexican to Peppermint
National Espresso Day (November 24): Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans
California Strawberry Day (March 21): Strawberry Extra-Chocolately Brownies
White Chocolate Day (September 23): White Chocolate Cheesecake
National Pecan Day (April 14): Chocolate Pecan Pie
Be sure and search DyingforChocolate.com for more Food Holidays and easy chocolate recipes.
As well as writing chocolate posts to fit a particular holiday, I do something similar on my mystery blog, Mystery Fanfare. On Mystery Fanfare, along with posts about the mystery world in general, I am drawn to dates and holidays and make extensive lists of titles that fit the holidays. Have a look at my Christmas Crime Novels list that is so big this year that I divided it into 5 posts. I’ve also posted Halloween Mysteries, Memorial Day Mysteries, Father’s Day Mysteries, Mother's Day Crime Fiction and lots of other holidays.  I also post Chocolate Recipes on those days.
I suppose I’m still in school with the teacher giving me a topic to use as a springboard, or as in Bernice Rubens’ novel, a day in a diary to fill in. I’m so lucky to write about my passions chocolate and crime fiction! This isn’t to say I don’t stray a bit with reviews and recipes off list, but for the most part I find it fun to fulfill the day and holiday… in mystery and in chocolate.
So, you might say my whole life is about mystery and chocolate. How sweet it is!Next Holiday: New Year's! Watch for New Year's Eve Champagne Truffles and New Year's Crime Fiction on my blogs! 

Champagne Truffles: Ring in the New Year

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December 31 is National Champagne Day. A Perfect Food Holiday for New Year's Eve. I do a lot of wine/champagne chocolate pairing events with my company TeamBuilding Unlimited, and we often have trivia quizzes. How many bubbles in a bottle of champagne? 49 million to 250 million! Now, that's a lot of bubbles.

You won't have any bubbles in these Champagne Truffles for New Year's Eve, but you will taste the Champagne.. and the Cognac. I post this recipe every year for New Year's Eve because it's my favorite easy Champagne Truffle recipe. This recipe uses more champagne than most Champagne Truffle recipes, and the Cognac adds zip. If you're in a pinch, you can use a different type of sugar or cocoa to coat the truffles. The sanding sugar, though, gives it a festive New Year's Eve look!

Martha Stewart's Champagne Truffles
Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Champagne
1 tablespoon Cognac
Coarse sanding sugar, for rolling

Directions
1. Bring cream to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Immediately pour hot cream over chocolate in medium bowl; stir until smooth. Stir in Champagne and Cognac. Refrigerate until chocolate mixture is firm enough to roll into balls, about 1 hour. (or more!!)
2. Using small melon baller or ice-cream scoop, form 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in coarse sanding sugar and transfer to rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate truffles at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days before serving.

You can also use unsweetened cocoa or confectioner's sugar if you don't have sanding sugar. This recipe was in Martha Stewart's wedding section, so the sparkly white sugar looks great for weddings and holidays, but cocoa tastes just as good.. just different.

What Is Sanding Sugar?
Sanding sugar is large crystal sugar used as edible decoration that will not dissolve when subjected to heat. Also called pearl sugar or decorating sugar, sanding sugar adds "sparkle" to cookies, baked goods and candies. The sparkling affect is achieved because the sugar crystal grains are large and reflect light. You can order Sanding Sugar online or buy it in cake decorating departments. I get mine at Michael's.

Photo: Martha Stewart website

New Year's Resolution Cake: Chocolate Clock Cake

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Have you made any New Year's Resolutions? This Retro advertisement from 1952 begins, "Here's a resolution you can make from this minute on..." This Ad is 60 years old.. but the recipe, if not the Dexo, is still fun. I love this Chocolate Clock Cake! Perfect for the New Year!

Dexo was a brand of hydrogenated vegetable shortening similar to Crisco: "Blendable, dependable and thrifty."

 

And in case you want to know more about Dexo, check out this 1940s Ad:

Chocolate Train: World's Longest Chocolate Structure

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Here's one for Chocolate and Train Enthusiasts: A detailed steam-powered train--the World's Longest Chocolate Structure made of 2755 pounds of Belgian chocolate and 111.5 feet in length. This was made by Maltese master chocolatier Andrew Farrugia and unveiled at Brussels Chocolate Week!

Farrugia spent more than 700 hours on the sculpture. He decided to create the chocolate train after visiting the Belgian Chocolate Festival in Bruge last year.

"I had this idea for a while, and I said what do you think if we do this realization of a long chocolate train, you know, because a train you can make it as long as you like," Farrugia said. "Actually it was going to be much smaller than it was, but I kept on adding another wagon, and another wagon, and it's the size it is today."

The train's components include seven wagons modeled after modern Belgian trains. The remaining trains recall Belgium's older train wagons including one with a bar and restaurant.

Most of the structure was constructed in Farrugia's home country, but the world record almost wasn't -- many pieces were damaged in transit to Brussels. Farrugia managed to reconstruct the trouble spots in time for the train's debut.

Guinness officials said they measured the train and ensured no materials other than chocolate were used in its construction before certifying it as the record holder in the new longest chocolate structure category.

Sources: UPI, Huffington Post

Mocha {or Just Coffee} Granola

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Before we get into this yummy Mocha Granola, I'd like to put first things first and say ... happy new year, everybody!  I hope that 2013 brings you a year full of health and happiness.

And now, can I just tell you how much of this granola I make every week?  A triple batch.  That's about 15 cups.  15 cups!  That's a lot of granola.  Why do I make so much, you ask? ...... Well, because it's the hubby's absolute favorite.  Absolute favorite breakfast.  Absolute favorite snack.  Absolute favorite dessert.  Yes, he even eats a big ol' bowl full as his dessert.  When my husband decides he likes something, let me just say, he eats it a lot.

He and I do, however, have a difference of opinion when it comes to this granola.
See, I like it {Mocha} ... with chocolate.  Mini chocolate chips, to be exact.  I mean seriously, everything's better with chocolate right?  
Well, not according to the hubby.  He likes it {Just Coffee}.  No chocolate involved.  That's just one place where he and I have to agree to disagree.
So given that I make about 15 cups of this stuff every week, I'm really glad it's so easy to make.  And I think homemade granola is so much better than the store-bought stuff, especially since you can totally tweak the ingredients to be the combination you want.
For this version,  just mix up some old-fashioned oats with slivered almonds, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and coconut ... or whatever add-ins you want.  (Remember?  That's the beauty of homemade granola!)  The sweet of the coconut is super delicious with the flavor of the coffee in this granola ... kinda like putting a spoonful of sugar in your coffee cup.

When making granola, I like to use a big spatula to stir my ingredients ... I think it works way easier than a spoon does to mix everything together.


Then dissolve some dry instant coffee granules in a bit of hot water, and add a touch of vanilla extract.


Once the coffee granules are dissolved, combine the coffee mixture with canola oil and pour it in with the oat mixture.


Next you'll add some honey, stir everything all together real well, and then spread the granola out on parchment-lined baking sheets.  The parchment is important ... it'll make your clean-up much easier.  If you don't have parchment, line the pans with aluminum foil and spray the foil lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake the granola up for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.


Now, if you're making my hubby's {Just Coffee} version ... stop there.  See?  No chocolate!



If you're making my {Mocha} version ... add in a little of the most delectable food there is on Earth - CHOCOLATE!  Mmmmmmm.  Chocolate chips.

And then enjoy.  For breakfast.  For snack.  Or, in hubby's case, even for dessert.

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Mocha {or Just Coffee} Granola
Source:  A Tracey original

3 c. old-fashioned oats
1/2 c. wheat germ
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 tsp. salt
3 T. dry instant coffee granules
3 T. hot water
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. canola oil
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips (omit if making the {just coffee} version)


In a large bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, coconut, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, and salt.

Combine dry instant coffee granules, hot water, and vanilla; stir to dissolve the coffee granules.  Measure the canola oil in a measuring cup; add the coffee mixture and stir to combine.  Pour the oil and coffee mixture over the oat mixture; mix together until oats are evenly coated.  Pour in the honey and mix until all ingredients are well combined.

Spread granola mixture onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes.

Let cool completely. Stir in mini chocolate chips if you're making the {mocha} version.  Store tightly covered.

Enjoy!



This post is linked with Tuesday Tutorials.

Frankenscientists announce mutant GMO cows to produce hormone-induced 'engineered' milk for human babies

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Tuesday, October 02, 2012 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...)

(NaturalNews) The world of genetic engineering has fallen even further into the surreal with the announcement that New Zealand "scientists" have unveiled a genetically modified mutant cloned cow which they say produces a reduced-allergen milk for consumption by human babies. This is being reported by the BBC and elsewhere.

Horrifyingly, these Frankenscientists cloned a cow and then altered the embryo using RNA interference. After gestation, the mutant GMO cow was born without a tail! But these scientists say that's no problem, and that the mutation of having no tail couldn't possibly be related to anything they did with the cow's DNA.

I'm not making this up. This is the insanity of the quack science world in which we now live.

Milk causes allergies primarily because of pasteurization

The entire project is a fool's errand to begin with since the reason most humans are allergic to cow's milk is because of pasteurization which destroys lactase enzymes. RAW MILK is far easier to digest, but of course raw milk has been all but criminalized in America, where the FDA along with Ventura County and LA County in California actually stage armed raids on raw milk distribution centers and throw people in jail. James Stewart, for example, remains in jail this very day for the "crime" of being involved in raw milk. Sign the petition HERE to demand freedom for James.

So while criminalizing fresh milk and pushing an inferior, dead, pasteurized milk that causes allergies in those who drink it, the corrupt food system in America is almost certain to embrace mutant genetically modified cloned cow's milk and call it "safe" for infants!

Never mind the fact that the genetically altered milk produced by this cow had "double the concentrations of caseins," as The Guardian is reporting.

Oh, and by the way, the milk being produced by this mutant, cloned, tail-less GMO cow is of course 100% driven by artificial hormones! As the BBC reports:

"It has not yet become pregnant and produced milk normally so the scientists used hormones to jump-start milk production."

How to make a mutant GM cow and tell your friends you're a mad scientist

This story gets even more disturbing. Take a look at how this cow was produced! According to The Guardian:

To make Daisy [the cow], scientists took a cow skin cell and genetically modified it to produce molecules that block the manufacture of BLG protein. The nucleus of this cell was then transferred into a cow egg that had its own nucleus removed.

The reconstituted egg was grown in the lab until it formed what is called a blastocyst, a ball of around 100 cells, and then transplanted into the womb of a foster cow.

The cloning technique is not efficient. Of around 100 blastocysts the scientists implanted into cows, more than half of the pregnancies failed early on, and only one live calf, Daisy, was born.

And even that calf was a mutant calf, born without a tail, rendering the whole thing a horrifying example of genetic mutilation.

STOP the genetic mutilation of animals and humans

These outrageous experiments on animals are rightly called "genetic mutilation." These animals are being mutilated. Ninety-nine percent of them DIE before they're even born, and the ones that somehow manage to be born are mutants.

This research is a dangerous journey into the horrors of "unanticipated consequences." And to think... these Frankenscientists want human babies to drink this milk! It must be great for babies!

So let me get this straight: It's illegal in America to milk a cow, sell that fresh milk to a neighbor and have their baby drink fresh milk with all the digestive enzymes intact. But it's perfectly acceptable in our world to engineer mutant cloned genetically modified cows to produce hormone-induced, artificially-engineered milk that will be fed en masse to human babies?

What's wrong with this picture?

Humanity is risking a genetic apocalypse

This has got to stop, friends. The mad GMO scientists are operating in gross violation of natural law. They are playing genetic roulette with Mother Nature. They're fumbling in the dark with dangerous tools, like children with suitcase nukes and a happy red button that seems inviting to just push and see what happens.

Our modern-day human civilization has neither the ethical foundation nor the wisdom to pursue such technologies. Altering the digital code for the expression of life is not something to be pursued under the crude selfishness of corporate greed, nor the wild fantasies of naive scientists who relish in playing "what if" experiments with all remaining life on our planet.

These experiments on animals -- and crops -- are worse than foolish. They are inherently evil... even demented. Just because we know how to alter DNA doesn't mean we have the wisdom to understand the consequences of doing so. Yet in the race for the next biological profit machine -- a cow, a crop, or even a pharmaceutical -- caution is thrown out the window and replaced by pure mindless greed.

With the GM crops, the GM wheat that alters human liver function, the GM corn that causes cancer tumors, the GM cows and the GM seeds being carelessly strewn about, we are risking a genetic apocalypse that could destroy humanity in a cosmic blink of an eye.

No one knows what happens when the genetic engineering of mutant chimera animals get unleashed across the land. Nobody really knows the long-term effects of genetic pollution. Nobody even knows the long-term effects of humans eating GM crops!

So it's all a grand, malicious, conceited genetic experiment being carried out on us all: our bodies, our children, our lands, our animals, our crops and our planet.

The GM "scientists" are risking EVERYTHING. And they do so blindly, while mutilating animals and calling it "progress."

It is disgusting. It is an abomination. I pray for the sake of humanity that all genetic engineering activity in our planet is halted by any means necessary.

We are floating through space, my friends, on a blue ball of water inhabited by fools who call themselves "scientists."

They risk everything. And there is no backup plan.

Spread the word. SHARE this story. STOP the genetic mutilation of animals. HALT GMO crops and save our planet from the risk of total disaster.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/037396_GM_cows_clones_milk_production.html#ixzz2AdfliF5t

Karina's gluten-free pancakes recipe

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I just ground up millet, buckwheat, and almonds into flour for homemade gluten-free pancakes tomorrow! The batch smells so good! I'm going to try this recipe but with almond or coconut milk, not soy. I used my BlendTec blender for the millet and my coffee grinder for the buckwheat and almonds. I think the buckwheat would probably work fine in the BlendTec too.Miriam

karina's gluten-free pancakes recipe

Since going gluten-free in 2001, I've tried all most of the gluten-free pancake mixes out there. And I found them less than inspiring. So I tried making my own g-free flour blends. And most attempts were good. But not blog-worthy. The one exception was my fall centric Pumpkin Pancakes. They were lovely.

But today I wanted a wanted a pancake that didn't taste like pumpkin. A pancake recipe suitable for Sundays year round. A pancake reminiscent of my pre-celiac days. Light and flavorful, not too heavy. Not too thick. Just. You know. Perfect.

And this combo worked. Like a charm. Magic happens.

Dry ingredients:

1 3/4 cups sorghum, millet or brown rice flour*
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Wet ingredients:

1 cup soy milk (or milk of choice)
1 cup water
2 organic free-range eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons organic coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey or raw agave nectar 
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions: 

Heat a griddle on medium-high heat. If your griddle requires greasing, do that now.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add in the wet ingredients. Beat well to incorporate. Your batter should be silky and smooth. Not too thick.

Test the griddle by shaking a drop of water on it. If it pops and sizzles, your griddle is hot enough.

Using a ladle, pour a scoop of pancake batter on to the heated griddle. Repeat for as many pancakes as you can fit at one go.

When tiny bubbles have formed in the batter, carefully flip the pancakes with a thin flexible spatula. Cook a minute or two until firm- but don't over cook. Overcooking pancakes makes them tough.

To keep warm- or eat immediately?

The truth is- gluten-free pancakes are best eaten straight off the griddle- while hot and tender. If you keep these warm in the oven they may toughen a bit.

If the batter thickens as it stands, add a little more liquid to thin it.

Serve with vegan butter and warm maple syrup.

Serves 4.

Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com


http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2011/08/karinas-gluten-free-pancakes.html

Red Lentil dish recipe

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Got this from my friend Stephanie. Can't wait to try it!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 sweet onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced (I used 3 large one's last night)
28 oz Chicken or Vegetable broth
1 (14-1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes
1-1/4 cup red lentils, rinsed
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp basil
salt to taste

Directions:
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion & garlic, saute 6 minutes or until onion is tender. Add broth & 5 other ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, simmer uncovered and stir occasionally for 30 minutes. Stir in basil & salt.

Great over Basmati rice too!

12 in '12

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This year, I'm joining a host of fellow food bloggers in coming up with my 12 in '12 list-- the 12 dishes I most want to make in the next 12 months. Some of these are just a general idea, and some are specific to one particular recipe I've been dying to try.

1. Sourdough Bread
2. Nutella Swirl Bread
3. Hot Cross Buns
4. Tamales
5. Buffalo Chicken Dip
6. Ribs
7. Cherry Pie
8. Gelato
9. Jalapeno Mac & Cheese
10. Rum Cake
11. New York Cheesecake
12. Cornbread

Do you have a 12 in '12 list?

Kale & Apple Salad with Honey

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Whew!  Don't know about you, but I ate way too much sugar over the holidays.  I'm definitely feeling the need for some veggie-ness in my life right about now.

Enter ... our newest favorite salad green - kale.  Mark loves kale so much I swear I could make him a huge kale salad every day without him getting tired of it.  And I love the way kale is more 'sturdy' than lettuce, giving a little more heft than the typical green salad.

But that 'sturdiness' can also be problem ... a too-chewy problem.  Ahhhhhhh, but I've learned a secret ...

... a fabulously fantastic secret about preparing kale in a salad.  That makes it much more tender.  Want to know what it is?

Massage!

Yes, massage.  With your hands.

Just like us, kale loves a little massage to loosen it up.

My best friend shared this little secret with me (she learned it from eatingwell.com).    And by golly, it works!

You put your kale in big ol' bowl, add a little olive oil and whatever acid you're using (I usually use fresh lemon juice), and then massage away!  Sure, you get your hands all messy.  But that's what soap and water's for, right?  I now apply this massaging technique any time I make a salad with kale.  And totally don't mind getting my hands all olive oily.

Like when I make this Kale & Apple Salad with Honey, which is now our absolute favorite kale salad.  (Though I do put the honey in after the massage ... 'cause there are limits to the mess my hands are willing to take on.)


The chunks of freshly-diced apple, the sweetness of a bit of honey, and the crunch of a sprinkling of sunflower seeds complement the kale beautifully.
So if you've been wondering how to make your fabulous kale salads even better, give 'em a little massage.  You'll be pleasantly surprised at the result!  Oily hands and all.
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Kale & Apple Salad with HoneySource:  A Tracey original

• 1 bunch kale
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/8 c. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 unpeeled apple, diced
• 2 T. honey
• 1/4 c. sunflower seeds (or chopped walnuts)

Wash kale well and pat dry.  Strip kale leaves from the stems, discarding stems; tear leaves into small pieces and place in a large salad bowl.  Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  With your hands, firmly squeeze and massage the kale leaves for about 20 to 30 seconds to tenderize the greens.  (Yes, you'll get your hands all messy ... but the resulting texture of the kale is so totally worth it!)
Add diced apple, tossing to combine.  Add honey, tossing well to combine.  Sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
Enjoy!   

Candice's Roll-Out Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

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This recipe is from Candice, one of the winners of the Vegan Lunch Box Contest. These healthy cookies contain powdered soy milk (available at health food stores), rolled oats, wholewheat flour, wheat germ, almonds, and flax seeds. "They aren't very sweet," Candice says. "I mostly make them to have a fun activity to do with my 3 1/2 year old son."

Thanks for sharing it with us, too, Candice!

makes 5-6 dozen cookies (or 4 if you use big shapes)

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup mixture of the following: flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and almond slivers (I actually pre-mix a container of this along with rolled oats that I use in all kind of recipes involving oatmeal. When I make these cookies, I do 1 cup of regular rolled oats and 1 cup of my special "medley")
1 cup powdered soy milk
½ cup water
2 ¼ - 2 ½ wheat flour (finely ground)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325º.

Cream together vegetable oil and brown sugar. Add the oats, seed-nut mixture, powdered soy milk, and water, and beat well.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold into creamed mixture and mix well. You are supposed to chill the dough but I don't have any trouble working with it immediately.

Sprinkle flour on a surface and roll out the dough (since this is a vegan recipe, and therefore not dangerous to eat raw, the whole reason I adapted this recipe was so that my almost 4-year-old son could help me roll it out and use cookie cutters. He is always dying to help me do things in the kitchen! Using the sifter is fun, too!)

Cut out shapes from rolled dough (about 1/4 inch thick) and place on baking sheets. Put the sheets in the oven as soon as they are filled. Bake about 10-15 minutes.

Vintage Brownie 'Cresta' Camera

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Hello Friends, I'm so excited to share with you some photos today of my newest edition to my camera collection. Isn't it a sweetheart. I volunteer at the charity shop and was talking about how I love cameras and this one came in. As they knew how much I loved them they saved it especially for me, it was a bargain!As you can see I love it!It's a vintage Brownie 'Cresta' camera by kodak which comes with a very rare flash light! I was in amazement when I saw it. I even got some film to use in the camera, I'm so excited.On another note I have recently been asked if I will start blogging photo tips.So I would like to hear from you what photography tips you would like me to blog about. It could be- Tips on how to take better portrait pictures of people-Inspiration for photo shoots- My favourite Picture editing sites / software-My camera collection- Basic tips on taking pictures- Tips on being creative with props / making props
I have lots of ideas already on how to use light, space and lade-da, but I would love to hear from you! It can be anything to do with photography, cameras and the more the better!Anyway sorry this was a short post, but tomorrow I have a sweet tutorial to share with you! Much Love, Becky ox.{Credit to my mum for taking these photos of me}

Sketchbook: Night Owl' & Button Designs

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          Recently in my sketchbook I've been doing drawings of animals, such as owls and         rabbits with a naive look and interesting characterisations. I love owls and gave them feathers for wings and had fun adding character to them. I hope you like them as much as I do.        I drew a quick sketch of a camera inspired by my Brownie 'Cresta' camera and the sketch below was inspired by my little bunny snowbell we used to have.         These pictures are some of the pages and ideas / designs for my ceramic buttons for when I was doing my coursework. As I've moved schools I no longer do ceramics which was one of the subjects I loved most and was doing a course in. You can see, here, here and here about my ceramics and finished outcomes + tutorial.  I explored, patterns textures, shapes, techniques when doing ceramics and it was great fun. Never mind, one day I will do it again. Much Love, Becky ox.

I've Moved To A New Blog

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Hey guys I've moved! It's sad to leave this blog but I looking forward to starting a new one called A Dainty Fawn Blog. Thanks for all your support, comments and thank you to my lovely followers. I haven't blogged on my new blog yet but I shall in a couple of days, I already have some cool posts lined up.I will leave this blog up for anyone who wants to look at it but here is the link to my new blog:  http://adaintyfawn.blogspot.co.uk Thank you, I have learnt a lot and have experienced a lot with this blog and I've hoped you've enjoyed it! :)Bye my Yellow Buttercups, Becs x