Thursday, 9 April 2020

Have a blessed Easter

As the world's health crisis feels like it's never going to end, I want to wish you all a blessed and safe Easter; I hope you're encouraged by this song I love.
I know it will be a difficult time for many who have had to cancel travel plans, or are simply unable to meet and celebrate with their favourite people, so sending lots of virtual hugs too.


"The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." Matthew 28:5-6 (NIV).

Tuesday, 7 April 2020

6 Easter Food and Decor Ideas

Easter has got to be one of my most favourite times of year, with a four day long weekend to especially remember and celebrate God's saving grace.
Although we're travelling this Easter, the Two Cheeky Monkeys family usually spends Easter weekend celebrating with our friends and loved ones.
Here are 6 ideas to help you with your Easter celebrations this coming weekend!

Wreaths are a fun way to add a seasonal touch to your home.

Celebrate your Christian faith with this free printable.

Perfect as guest placecards or to display a seasonal word.

Feed them in rustic Italian style with this Easter pie.

Serve your guests with a luscious edible wreath!

You can't have a celebration without gorgeous drinks to serve your guests.

Thursday, 2 April 2020

DIY Chandelier Earrings

Chandelier-style earrings will never go out of fashion and look great with both casual and more dressy outfits.  And this super lightweight and sparkly pair are so easy to put together yourself, they will glam up any outfit you team them with!

chandelier earring tutorial diy earrings

I went with a bluish-multicoloured plus silver-plated metal theme, but feel free to go with your favourite colours.  You can use any style of round or teardrop-shaped chandelier finding for these earrings, and you can also swap the imperial crystal beads I used for Swarovski crystal or Czech firepolish beads.

Follow along for the full DIY!

Supplies
- silver-plated headpins
- 2 x silver-plated fishhook earwires
- 8 x imperial crystal oval beads (4x6 mm size)
- 2 x imperial crystal oval beads (6x8 mm size)
- jewellery pliers

chandelier earring tutorial diy earrings jewelry jewellery

STEP 1
Gather all your materials, making sure that you have one headpin for each bead as well as round nose pliers, chain nose pliers and headpin cutters (or an all in one tool).

chandelier earring tutorial diy earrings jewelry jewellery

STEP 2
Thread each bead onto a headpin.  Cut off excess pin, leaving approximately 1 cm of spare metal.  Create a bead dangle with each bead and headpin, but DON'T close the loop just yet.

chandelier earring tutorial diy earrings jewelry jewellery

STEP 3
Attach one large bead dangle to the central loop (or space in my case) of the chandelier finding and close the loop.  Attach the smaller bead dangles to the remaining loops on your chandelier.  Repeat with the other earring.

chandelier earring tutorial diy earrings jewelry jewellery

STEP 4
Attach one fishhook earwire to the top of each chandelier, and that's it, you've got yourself a pair of swishy and sparkly earrings that will brighten your day, quite literally!

chandelier earring tutorial diy earrings jewelry jewellery

Tuesday, 17 March 2020

6 pancake recipes to try this St Patrick's day

Whether you love to cook pancakes for special days such as Shrove Tuesday, St Patrick's day, or on weekends "just because", you'll love this roundup of 6 pancake recipes.
With gluten free, basic no fail, low carb and more, there's a recipe for almost anyone - enjoy!

basic pancake recipe no fail
1. If you've never made pancakes before, this basic recipe will become your "go to", fail-proof recipe.

green pancakes st patrick's day
2. Celebrate St Patrick's day with fun, green pancakes.

banana oatmeal pancakes
3. Banana and oatmeal pancakes are a great way to get more fruit and fibre into your diet while still treating yourself.

gluten free pancake recipe
4. Coeliacs can enjoy pancakes too, with this easy recipe.

vegan pancake recipe
5. Pancakes are such a versatile food that you can even adapt the recipe to create a delicious, vegan pancake.

keto low carb pancake recipe
6. And if you've jumped on the low carb or keto diet bandwagons, you don't have to miss out on pancakes either!

Thursday, 12 March 2020

7 St Patrick's Day Desserts

Do you love celebrating holidays with fun holiday-themed desserts? With St Patrick's day just around the corner, you'll love these dessert ideas, and they don't all involve green food dye!

 1. Guinness chocolate puddings make an indulgent dessert for the grownups.

 2. Go for something a little more rustic with this Irish apple cake and custard.

 3. A St Patrick's day parfait perfect for those who must have a green dessert!

 4. These "pot of gold" cupcakes are perfect for little (and big!) kids.

 5. Another one for the adults, an Irish coffee cake with luscious Irish cream liqueur icing.

6. You can't go wrong with Lucky Charms ice cream sandwiches!

7. Finish off a fun night with Irish cream mousse.

Tuesday, 10 March 2020

The scales of justice

I was recently commissioned to create a uniqe art work to be given as a gift to a lawyer.  The brief (as it were)?  To design and produce quirky dictionary page art featuring the famed "scales of justice" that is so often featured at law courts and in other legal settings.

image scales of justice wall art lawyer gift balance vintage dictionary page domum vindemia

My customer and I ended up selecting a vintage illustration of a set of balance scales, the kind of thing that would have once been used in apothecaries or old-fashioned post offices.  This was then printed onto a dictionary page defining the word "justice", and finished off with a black framing mat.
I love the look of this whimsical but also regal-looking art print, and I hope its new owner will hang it pride of place in their law office!

Tuesday, 3 March 2020

Launching our bookish Autumn/Winter range for 2020!

Book lovers, I am so excited to launching our much anticipated 2020 Autumn/Winter range for Two Cheeky Monkeys!
I've added two brand new designs to our popular bookworm range - so without further ado, here's a little look.

tassel necklace quote jewellry jewelry jane austen pride and prejudice anne of green gables lm montgomery

The first new design is a fun, and on trend, tassel necklace featuring two of our most popular quotes.  Perfect for Jane Austen and Anne of Green Gables fans, please leave me comments of other quotes you would like to see added to the range!

bookish jewelry jewellery to kill a mockingbird atticus finch jane austen pride and prejudice mr darcy elizabeth bennet

Our second design is a cute set of bookish rings, small but sturdy enough to wear to all your activities.
There are currently four variations to this design - would you like to see more?