Christmas Gift Ideas - My Wish List Or Your Wish List!

Today I've been looking for pretty Christmas gifts from Anthropologie I ♥ my finds and hope they tempt you to do some shopping. My favourite is the Rolling Peaks Gravy/Sauce boats, I think the black and white one is adorable and perfectly suits French style decor...oh and I love the monogrammed mugs, in fact, "light bulb flash"... that gives me an idea!

Click on the images for direct link back to products for further details.

I also couldn't resist these gorgeous items and simply have to have that Leopard belt, I think it would look perfect with a pair denims.

Love this Lace and Lines pullover....

Don't forget if you want to check out more details or order any of these items, the images are direct links to the product or you can go to Anthropologie and browse their store.  

Easy Christmas Truffles with a secret ingredient or two!

For today's countdown to Christmas, I'm sharing a simple truffle recipe that's so delicious and unbelievably simple to make.... so seriously yummy to the extent I have made two lots and munching on a truffle right this minute, as I type!  The main ingredient is Oreo Cookies...ahh but it doesn't end there, I have added a secret ingredient in the form of Cassis liqueur for that extra touch of Christmas Spirit, "pun not intended" :). The original recipe is from Chef in Training, a fab food blog. Hop over and visit, I have added a link after the recipe. The recipe below is from Chef in Training, however I have adapted it slightly by the addition of cranberries and a liqueur.

My dark chocolate attempt - yummy but not as pretty as the white ones below

 OREO TRUFFLES

Ingredients:

1 package Double Stuffed Oreo's (I couldn't find double stuffed so used Oreo Chocolate Cream 150g box. I bought two boxes and used a complete box and a quarter of the other box, mainly for the topping).

4 oz. cream cheese, softened ( I used  just over half a 225 gram box) 

Dipping chocolate (original recipe calls for white, I used white and dark as I find white chocolate a little sweet)

1/4 cup of chopped dried cranberries (not in original recipe but I thought might add some interesting texture when you bite into the truffle)....plus I had a lot left over after making  Rocky Road Bark.

1 tablespoon of any liqueur you like, I used Creme de Cassis which is a blackcurrant liqueur from Prenzel made in NZ from juicy ripe blackcurrants.  I don't drink alcohol myself but a little touch of this doesn't hurt and it is 100% natural. You could use rum or even a peppermint liqueur would work. The original recipe did not call for this addition.

Method:

Chop Oreo's up finely in a food processor.  Save some of the finely crushed Oreo's for garnish later and set it aside.  You don't need too much.

With hands or a spoon...(Chef in Training says... "I just think hands are faster"), mash softened cream cheese and crushed Oreo's until well combined. (I definitely found hands required here so hope you don't mind getting a bit mucky).

Roll into 1" balls and place on a wax covered cookie sheet. Put in freezer for 15 minutes.

While balls are in freezer, melt chocolate according to directions (I used a bowl over the top of a steamer)

Pull the Oreo Truffles out of freezer, and dip into chocolate.  Garnish with reserved Oreo crumbs before the chocolate sets up.


(I found it a little difficult to get the right time to sprinkle the crumbs so mine are a bit sparse.  If you look at Chef In Trainings site after you will see "perfect" little white truffles.


I froze my truffles in little plastic containers so I have some nibbles  for the unexpected guest.

Dip the chilled balls into the chocolate and sprinkle with the crushed biscuit. 

and for the snowball version....

White chocolate (Definitely more Christmas inspired)

You may also like to make some Rocky Road Bark,  another simple but delicious recipe I've featured. The Rocky Road Bark makes a nice gift. The truffles do need to be kept in the fridge, as I have said I have frozen mine and can take them out of the freezer and place in the fridge a few hours before I need them so great for unexpected guests.

Link to Chef in Training's original Oreo Truffles Recipe.


sharing with "Transformation  Thursday" at the Shabby Chic Cottage

Bedroom Makeover - French Cottage Look

Well, the sun finally showed its face Friday, I wanted to get the photos completed of my bedroom makeover so I dived in while the going was good. The light wasn't  perfect but without professional equipment or waiting till mid Summer,  I had to make the most of the natural light.  I easily took well over 150 shots (am I a pedantic perfectionist?), thank goodness for digital cameras! Although I have to repeat I am disappointed with the light.

Colours above are not quite true, the fabric for the Roman blind is more beige than grey.

The pair of weathered French shutters are from Yvonne Saunders Antiques.  Because they were only 500m wide I chose to have a space between to create better balance to the Queen size bed. Originally I was going to use an old door behind the bed but the bedroom is not large and I fell in love with the colour of the shutters. The great thing is if decide to change the look of the room, I can simply get the shutters stripped back to the natural wood.

All bed linen is Wallace Cotton the floral quilt and Euro pillows are Paridiso at Wallace Cotton.

The Paradiso quilt creates a cottage look to the room and compliments the shutters perfectly. If I'd wanted to give the illusion of more space, then I'd choose all white bedlinen with a little blue brought in with Euro pillows and scatter pillows. However, I have gone for a cosy, cottage look and Paradiso was perfect. 

I took advantage of the space between the shutters and hung a wall sconce for added interest.  However, I could have left it bare or added a pair of small vertically hung prints. Now looking at this photo it is a little out of kilter so I will have to move it a fraction.

The white seersucker duvet cover and pillowslips in cotton percale are  also Wallace Cotton.

The Roman blinds are beige and white linen.

White seersucker adds texture.

The Lamps are white washed with a natural beige linen shade that tone with the Roman blinds. 

I love the crackled candlestick holder, it reminds me of pretty birds eggs. The pretty cup and saucer are Royal Albert and part of a miss-matched collection of cups and saucers my mother gave me.  I saw a set recently very similar to this and it was $170 for a cup, saucer and plate!! Maybe I should be displaying it behind glass rather than drinking out of it.

These Gardenia heart shaped soaps came in their own little draw string bag. The antique silver sweet dish is a family heirloom and belonged to my grandmother.

These stainless steel tripod tables were originally purchased for my living room, however, they work well as bedside tables. Keeping it simple can sometimes prove best alongside a focal point such as the shutters.

The cross is a recent find in a lovely little shop called Distinctive Linens in St Heliers, Auckland. 

I love the black/grey weathered appearance of the cross, it compliments the shutters beautifully. I feel solid black would have been a little too harsh.

I bought this lovely little box to put beside my bed to drop my earrings in at night. I loved the french writing.  It was only NZ$12 from Romantique a NZ shop full of beautiful accessories and furniture from France.

The Before shot is prior to buying the house, a black and white theme with grey roller blinds. However the white walls and woodwork had a pink undertone which I wanted to do away with so I had the walls repainted 1/4 parchment and  the woodwork Alabaster both Resene colours.  I repositioned my own bed to face the smaller window.  The bedroom is actually wider than it appears in the first photo.




Addendum: March 2012
Since I originally posted my makeover, I have been thrilled to receive a "Rooms award" from Better Homes & Gardens.

PS....Makes note for a better camera for Christmas!
 and a helpful  hint...  if photos are taking a long time to load then download Google Chrome it's much faster than Internet Explorer and great to work with.