Shop My Stash Sunday - Something old, Something New this Christmas

Yesterday the postman dropped my subscription of Cardmaking and Papercraft through the door, so when I opened it and saw the free gift was a Christmas pack which had 6 A5 papers in I thought I would try to use these up before they go into my mass of loose papers, never to see the light of day again!

I used two of the papers to create today's cards and combined them with things from my stash rather than the matching stamps and embossing folder.

As Christmas cards go, last weeks were quite bright as I used a lot of warm tones, so this week I gravitated to the cooler tones, so I picked out a couple of blue sheets from the pack.

And here is what I came up with:

Products Used:

• Cardmaking and Papercraft A5 papers (2014)
• White Lace - The works (2014)
• Cardmaking and Papercraft festive charms (2013)
• Dark blue card - My stash 
• Chipboard sentiment - Cardmaking and Papercraft (2012)
• Outline Stickers - Baker Ross/ Yellow Moon (2005)
• Gold Stickles
• wooden Pieces - Hobbycraft christmas collection (2013)

Hannah x 

Money Saving Monday! - Film Lovers Favourite

What's better than a big bag of popcorn and a film. Now don't get me wrong snuggling on the sofa with a film, snacks/takeaway and a candle cannot be beaten. But what about that new film you are dying to see? This is where our new best friend comes in. A Cineworld Unlimited Card.

Image sourced from cineworld website.

James loves seeing films in the cinema as they come out and I must say I have become slightly converted too and with the unlimited card I would argue this actually makes going out to see films cheaper than staying in, obviously depending on how often you go. 

For £16.40 a month you get to go to an unlimited amount of films, hence the card's name. But on top of that you get 10% off your food and drinks and the longer you have the card the better deals you get. 

Cineworld is known as the cheaper of the two cinemas in my area and an adult ticket typically costs £7.97 before 5pm and £9.14 after if booked online through an account. If you buy your ticket at the cinema or do not want to create and account the ticket are 10% more expensive. This means if you see two films in a month you have already saved using your card.

Whats the catch? I hear you all ask, well the biggest catch is that the minimum is 12 month contract. However I know I make more of an effort to see films because of the card. Also I've found overall money is saved even if I go once one month, because I normally find the month after we go three or four times, and sometimes you're better off looking at the grand scheme for money saving. 

Now this is the bit that really excites me, coupons! Cineworld email out coupons all the time, which also do not exclude weekend visits, however they have your name on them so they cannot be transferred. So on Saturday I got a free regular drink and popcorn! and James has had one for free drinks in the past too. 

So if your into watching films or like going out for a date night without the big cost I would recommend giving the Cineworld Unlimited card a go!

Hannah x

Shop My Stash Sunday - It's That Time Again...

Yes that's right it's the time of year where all of us crafters have to start thinking about Christmas! In particular all the christmas crafts we have to get through before we reach the busy festive period!

Seeing as though it's a long bank holiday weekend I decided this would be the time to finally start thinking about my Christmas crafts, I've even have started to plan what I need to bake and table place cards!

Like Normal this weeks shop my stash includes many freebies I have received throughout the years from my Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine which I've not got round to using for one reason or another.

Paper pads are my favourite thing to buy so I made all these designs focus on using patterned paper as the focal point, in hope I may actually use up my first paper pad! Wishful thinking never hurt anyway!

Applogises for the slight fuzz to the images, my camera's been playing up but I thought it was still worth sharing this week!

So this is what I have come up with this week:

Products Used and Date Purchased

• A5 card bases - various sources
• Berry Merry By Jennifer Ellory paper pad - Cardmaking and Papercraft gift (2011/12?)
• Vintage Christmas charms - Cardmaking and Papercraft gift (2013)
• Buttons - My stash button jar
• Wooden embellishments - Hobbycraft's Christmas collection (2013)
• Martha Stewart 'Rings' border punch (2009?)
• Ribbons - My stash ribbon box (tend to be from gifts or flowers)
• Merry Christmas Outline Stickers - Yellow Moon/ Baker Ross Catalogue (2005) 

Hannah x

Dessert for Breakfast? DS Brioche Loaf

Brioche is something I have never had before so when my Mum brought me the DS gluten free Brioche loaf I was not too sure what to do with it, so I decided to have it for breakfast!

This loaf was very sweet as I assume a regular brioche is, this syrupy like sweetness actually makes the cake like bread very moist, which was a complete surprise to me, as we all know dryness and dry texture is normally the aspect that lets a gluten free product down.

I served mine toasted to give it a little crispy crunch and would either eat it straight off the grill or I added some raspberry jam or some Nutella and banana. This made the sweet loaf into an almost dessert for breakfast!

This product is only available in Tesco currently and is £3 a loaf, so average price for a gluten free loaf, the slices are quite small but the flavour is great so I don't mind the compromise too much.

Pros:

• Unusual product to find gluten free.
• The loaf is incredibly moist.
• The taste is lovely and sweet but not over sickly. 
• The product did not go off before I finished it.

Cons:

• £3 is quite a lot for a small loaf, but as the taste is good I can overlook this slightly.
• Tesco are the only stockiest, I order mine online, this way you get more variation.

Overall I would buy this product again but it is not something I would buy regularly, as firstly I think I would get sick of it if I ate it all the time but also the cost plays a part in this, as it's on more of the expensive end of the bread based products as it is quite small in size compared to other £3 loaves. Nevertheless I would 100% recommend it if you wanted a sweet treat as it is delicious, just a little pricey!

Hannah x

Shop my Stash Sunday! - Hunkydory Cut Outs

This week I realised I was actually running out of cards as there has been so many reasons to give cards out!

I wanted to make a few cards quick as I was very limited on time. Typically I would stamp images but since being on a mission to be less of a hoarder and more of a user I have been digging out things I do not typically use for one reason or another. So this lead me to to look though my card toppers.

I have a love hate relationship with card toppers, I know they are fast and easy but sometimes I feel they are a lazy and unimaginative way to make cards, particularly for me as I do not make cards bigger than folded A5 or 5x5 so by the time I have stuck the topper on there is no room for anything else.

Nevertheless I receive them as free gifts from time to time from Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine and it would be a shame for them to go to waste as they do produce beautiful cards and gives more space for other craft items in my stash!

All the items I used on these cards (excluding the card base) is from a taster pack which came free a few months ago in Cardmaking and Papercraft. The pack is by Hunkydory and features card toppers and A4 paper selection so I purely just used these to create some simple cards.


If you are interested in these papers and toppers, the collection is the Floral Enchantment.

Sorry about the lighting, the weather is awful and my light box is at work!

Hannah x

What I Ate Wednesday - Eating out at Beefeater

I often speak of products which I have brought or made but I have yet to speak about eating out (other than lunch), and as we all know eating out is not always so easy.

Today I want to talk about Beefeater, We have dozens of Beefeaters around us, which are owned by Whitbread so I assume Table Table and Brewers Fayre will be very similar as I believe both of these are part of the Whitbread Family as well!

Beefeater is where I feel the safest when eating out to date, they have more options than most restaurants and you know what to expect!

What I tend to eat:

Starters:

• Tomato Soup (excluding the bread)
• Prawn Cocktail (excluding the bread and sauce) 

Mains:

• Steaks 
• Paprika Chicken
• Plain Chicken 
• Salads

Dessert:

• Lemon Sundaes 

The allergy advice used to be really easy to find, however it is now a nightmare since the change of their website design, so you can find a copy of the information HERE

Staff are also very helpful, for example many burgers it's only the bun that is a gluten product and Sundaes sometimes have brownie etc which when you ask they will be more than happy to adjust or offer an alternative, opening up more options!

To date I have not been unwell at a Beefeater (other than times it was my own fault) so I feel that their chefs are very careful which makes me much more comfortable and relaxed as I know contamination risk is very very low. 

Overal I feel that Beefeater is a good option, particularly if you are out where you don't know the area  as you can guarantee its a safe option. Also the staff never make you feel like you are being awkward when you ask them to taylor a dish to your needs and for this alone Beefeater makes me very happy!

If you have places you enjoy eating out, I'd love to know!

Hannah x

Money Saving Monday! - A recent shopping trip 95% Saving

A couple of weeks ago I went on a coupon shop and never had time to write a post on it but the day has come, unfortunately I also didn't get around to taking some pictures before eating everything so a collage will have to do, Sorry!

The first shop I went to was Pets At Home, I had a coupon for £1 off cat food which was soon to expire so I picked up some treats by Wagg, these treats are soft crunchy treats (if that makes sense?). One of my cats has very little teeth so this is perfect for her! They were £1 which means they were completely free!

I then went to Tesco, I picked up the Innocent Veg Pot which Was half price to £1.95 and I had a £2 off coupon. I also brought a two bags of gluten free bagels which were £2.30 but I had a £1 coupon for each from the Free From Show! I also had a £2.11 price promise.

My Price Break Down:

• Wagg Prrr's Treats - Free
• Inncocent Veg Pot - 5p overage
• Udis Gluten Free Bagels x 2 - 2.60 
• Tesco £2.11Price Promise

Total for shopping after coupons: 44p

That means I got a retail price of £9.50 for 44p after coupons and offers that is a 95% saving!

Hannah x

Foodie Friday - Udis Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

I used to bake every Wednesday but since going gluten free I find baking a bit more tricky as things do not always work out as planed, mainly things not rising as I would expect them to. So I have been looking a packet mixes in the hope that I will see what I'm doing wrong and hopefully I can learn to bake a good cake!

I baked these about two weeks ago now but I made sure to take plenty of pictures as I went along!

Here is how to bake the cookies:

Step One:
Put the mix, egg and butter in the bowl and mix until a breadcrumb texture.

Step Two:
Add The Honey and vanilla essence and incorporate

Step three:

Roll into balls and place on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.

And here is the result!

I shared these between my family who do not eat gluten free and they loved them! They said they couldn't tell much of a difference, just they were slightly more crumbly. 

I actually didn't enjoy them very much but I think that could be down to my error of using quite a strong honey that is not as sweet as typical honey. I think they needed some extra sweetness but other than that they have turned out much better than anything else I have baked!

Next time I think I will try doing a cake!

Hannah x

Foodie Friday - Udis Chocolate Chip Bagels

These are a new one to me this week! I have had bagels, both mainstream and gluten free but I have never seen them with chocolate chips, is that just me?

Whilst hunting down bagels in my local Tesco I had to pick up this pack up as well as a plain flavour!

I wasn't 100% sure how to eat these so I ate them as I would with a normal bagel, toasted for breakfast with a good helping of butter. I only toast the inside side of a bagel, its just the way I always like them!

The flavour of these bagels actually reminded me of a pain au chocolat, I think that was because it was packed full of melty chocolate chips. I really enjoyed it as I was concerned that there wouldn't be too many chips, so I was really pleased! It did not seem at all dry or crumbly, the texture was perfect for a bagel, regardless of being gluten free or not.

The combination of the crisp toasted bagel and soft gooey chocolate chips was the perfect juxtaposition particularly as the bread is quite sweet and the chocolate is rich. There was a good mix of complimentary flavours and textures.

Pros:

• Tons of chocolate chips! who doesn't love chocolate!
• The flavour and texture is comparable to a mainstream bagel.
• They are £2.30 a pack but there is plenty of coupons floating around for them.

Cons:

• I went to three supermarkets before I found them, but my large Tesco never lets me down, so I would recommend trying them if you can't find them!

Hannah x