Literature Bracelet Launch

With Mother's Day (for Australians, US peeps and various European nationalities) due to be celebrated at the start of May, I am finally ready to launch my new and expanded literature bracelet range!  This new range features old favourite, Pride and Prejudice, as well as Anne of Green Gables and To Kill a Mockingbird.  I will also be adding other literary works to the range as well as a sheet music bracelet (even though it's not actually literature).  Which one would your mum love to own this mother's day?

We're Back!!!

Yes, yes, yes the Two Cheeky Monkeys family is back from gallivanting around Japan!  My brain is too tired to put it all into words just now, especially as this turned out to be a semi-disastrous trip with illness and seriously cramped shared accomodation.

In the mean time, I'll leave you with a photo of us all happy and not too sick, enjoying the sakura (cherry blossom) viewing at Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo.  Hopefully I'll have the energy to share more photos and travelling tips with you over the next few weeks.

Things I Love: Backpacks

Yes, I own a lot of bags, and yes, my family do refer to me as "the bag lady".  But I think there is no denying how funky, quirky or beautiful these backpacks are.  And, of course, they're extremely useful so you have to own at least one, right?  ;)

1. Red leather backpack

2. Greek fabric and tassels

3. Screenprinted Tardis

4. Hmong owl

5. Fractal mini backpack

6. Crochet fox

Literature Bracelets

Some of you may remember the first range of Pride and Prejudice literature bracelets I started making for Two Cheeky Monkeys back in mid-2013.  Well, the simple elegance and quirkiness of these text-based bracelets proved to be popular and have since travelled to various locations around the world.

For those of you who missed out on the first incarnation of my literature bracelets, never fear!  I am currently in the process of not only designing more P&P bracelets, but will also be adding Jane Eyre, Anne of Green Gables and To Kill a Mockingbird to the range.  There are a few other famous novels I might add to the range too, but that will depend on the demand for them.  Which other stories would you love to see embodied in a bracelet?

One Pot Pasta Meals

I am, admittedly, a bit behind the eight ball when it comes to the one pot pasta meal phenomenom, but wow, am I loving it!  With a number of after school activities and other night-time committments, it is wonderful to have an easy to cook meal which can be thrown together at the last minute.  Here are a list of one pot pasta meals I am currently loving.

One pot spicy chicken riggies

One pot cheesy sausage pasta

One pot zucchini and leek pasta

One pan pasta

Crazy for chillies

I grew up with a chilli fiend for a mum and a dad who, while not a chilli extremist himself, enjoyed eating spicy food too.  In fact, my first memory of eating chilli was as a five year old asking my dad for a taste of his fish curry!  My dad's love of gardening and his quest to supply my mum with hot chillies on a regular basis led to him growing his own chilli plants, giving away any which my mum deemed not to be hot enough.

Sadly, my dad has since passed, but Mr Cheeky Monkeys has now taken on the mantle of "chilli grower" in the family.  The photo above is just a sample of the chillies he is currently cultivating, some grown from seed and some from very small seedlings he bought.  Of course, he grows some of the hottest chillies to be found in the world, including the rocoto, habenero and scorpion varieties.  So tell me, are you a fan of chillies and spicy food?

Happy Easter 2015

As the Two Cheeky Monkeys family continues to enjoy our getaway for a family member's wedding, I want to wish you all a blessed and beautiful Easter break.  May it be a wonderful time for you to enjoy the company of friends and family, ponder on the meaning of Easter and grab some R&R over the long weekend holiday.

"...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

Image sources:

1.  Totally Crosses

2. Ryens Marketplace