WHAT I'M READING.

I'm trying to get back in the habit of reading more. I've been digging out some old favourites as well searching out some new reads and I thought I'd share a few of them here.

First up, the old favourite: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke.

I can't believe it's been nearly ten years since I first read this book. Considering I carried this copy around with me for the whole summer it's in surprisingly good condition. I should probably warn you that this is not a small book. It's also not a book you should do any skipping ahead in. It's set in early nineteenth century England and is full of magic, fairies, darkness and war. It's currently being filmed by the BBC as a tv series and I can't wait.

Currently reading: The Vintage Tea Party Year, Angel Adoree.

This is a beautiful book. Each section has a theme, New Year's Eve, Children's Tea Party, A Hen Party, A Wedding Party, etc. It's packed full of recipes, cocktails, hairstyles, party decorations and invitations you can photocopy and use. Both the illustrations and photography are stunning so even if you're not planning a party any time soon I would recommend this book just to look through. It's a joy to read.

Future read: The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt.

This book seems to be everywhere at the moment and I've heard so many good things about it. I loved both The Secret History and The Little Friend so I've got high hopes for this one as well. I'm sure I'm going to love it.

What are you reading? Any recommendations?

Please note the above links are affiliate links. This means that if you purchase through them I receive a small commission.

LOVELY LINKS.

Here's this weeks lovely links.

An Easy Marbling Tutorial that has me almost convinced to give it a go.

This Flower Crown is the perfect summer accessory.

Weaving inspiration on Poppytalk.

Stunning paper relief sculptures. As impressive as they are beautiful.

How clever is this Tea Towel Beach Bag?

A beautiful Paper Flower Bouquet on Design Sponge.

The healthy and the not-so healthy. They both look delicious... well, ok, maybe I'm leaning a little bit more to the second one but I still want to eat them both.

I'd live in this place in a heartbeat even if it is 'small, but charming.'

And finally thanks to Oh The Lovely Things for including me in their friday diy round-up.

Have a fantastic weekend everybody.

THINGS I'VE MADE FROM THINGS I'VE PINNED - CREAMY GARLIC MUSHROOM PASTA.

Hi, welcome to a new feature I'm going to call 'Things I've made from things I've pinned.' I'm going to try and make something I've pinned or found on Pinterest once a month, maybe twice if I can and share it here on the blog. Sometimes it'll be recipes like this one and other times it'll craft projects or diy's.

First up is this Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta. It took me around 30 minutes to make and that was with me stopping to take photos along the way so I'm going to call this a quick meal. The original recipe used dill instead of parsley and a bit more cream but I just used what I already had in. It was pretty tasty. I'll definitely be making this again.

Ingredients needed to make your own Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta (serves 4):

225g mushrooms

225g pasta

1 medium onion

2 cloves of garlic

125 ml chicken stock

240 ml double cream

Parsley

Olive oil

And salt and pepper.

1. First add your pasta to a pan of boiling water and cook until al dente.

2. Chop up your mushrooms. I used shiitake but you could use whatever you have to hand.

3. Next chop up your onion and mince your garlic.

3. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in your pan. Add your mushrooms, onion and garlic and cook until golden brown (about 5mins).

4. Add your chicken stock, cream and some chopped parsley to the pan. Simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Drain your pasta (remember to keep a little of your pasta water behind to add later). Combine with your creamy garlic mushroom mixture. If your sauce is too thick add a little of the pasta water you kept behind to loosen it.

6. Sprinkle on some freshly chopped parsley and serve.

(Recipe adapted from here.)

What about you? Are you on Pinterest? What things have you pinned and made?

You can find more of pins over here or if you just want to check out my food board click here.

AROUND HERE.

A trip to Ikea.

Complete with meatballs for lunch.

Practicing handwritten typography after reading these tips.

Magic evening light through the living room window.

Trying my hand at weaving using this tutorial.

Spending far too much time watching House of Cards and playing around editing photos with apps. I made this one using Studio, A Beautiful Mess App, Rhonna Designs and PicsArt.