Wheat free, Sugar Free, Super Healthy Banana Bread!

Now that I am working from home, I am feeling the need for something to snack on. And I like cake, but I also like to eat healthily. Actually, one of the benefits of working from home is that there isn't a constant supply of doughnuts and cookies being brought in, which I then feel is my duty to eat!

Anywho, my solution to this snacking problem? Banana bread! A super healthy banana bread at that!  I have found recently that the foods we go through quickest are bananas and eggs. They can be used in pretty much anything can't they!? Chris has even been known to throw a banana in a curry! (I did not approve.) You may remember my Banana pancakes post which used solely bananas and eggs! Well here I have another recipe combining our two favourite ingredients.

I adapted the recipe from this blog. I really loved the idea it uses of adding cacao nibs, but I discovered that the pack I bought over a year ago had been polished off by Chris (how dare he!). So I opted for raisins instead.  

This recipe uses no sugar, is wheat free, and requires almost no butter! It can actually be completely butter free if you desire! So it's pretty darn healthy, and it tastes great too. You can find the full recipe here, but below are the ingredients I used for my version.

Ingredients;

1 cup wheat free flour blend
1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil (I used half and half to get the best of both worlds!)
3 mashed bananas
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
A good handful of raisins.

What is your favourite healthy snack?

Laura xXx

Happy Blog Birthday!

One year ago today I wrote my very first blog post, and I am so glad I did!

It has been such a great adventure so far. I have learnt new things, made new friends and found new interests by becoming a part of the blogging community.

I want to say thank you to every one of you that reads my blog, and especially to those who find the time to comment. I still get excited when I get an email notifying me that I have a new one! It is amazing to think that people actually read my ramblings! But I am very happy that you do!

It is so interesting to look back on my old posts and see how my interests have changed and well as how my writing style and photography skills have developed. I thought I would pick out a few of my favourite ever posts to share with you today.

Here's to another year of fun times blogging!

DIY Tutorial - Iphone Stand

My dream came true! I got a VW Campervan!

Konad Nail Art

Holiday Snaps and Misadventures

The biggest adventure in Pip the campervan yet

Colourful Chocolate

Aztec Nails

How I asked my Bridesmaids the big question

DIY Tutorial Kindle Case and Stand

Outfit Post - Collars and Colours

Satchel Revamp

Laura xXx

Anniversaries, Unaniversaries and Flowers!

Yesterday (friday) marked exactly 1 year until Chris and I tie the knot! It was also my parents wedding anniversary. So to celebrate I went to stay with them for a couple of days to discuss weddings, while Chris set off for a fun day at Thorpe Park with his mates.

First on the wedding planning agenda was flowers! We thought we would check out which ones are in bloom at this time of year, as we will mostly be using flowers we can collect from around the village in the arrangements and bouquets.

We went to visit one of my Mum's neighbours, Susan, who knows her stuff when it comes to gardening! She let us wander around her garden taking pictures and getting inspired. Apparently this is the time of year when blue and purple flowers like to come out to play. I didn't know that the flowers bloom in groups of colour, but apparently that is a thing!

I'm not very good with flower names, although I do know the one above is lavender. The one below is technically known as "MASSIVE daisy". There's also a pansy and a lily thrown in down there somewhere I believe. Leave a comment if you know what any of the others are called, I'd love to know.

Look what else I found in Susan's garden. It's a succulent goldmine! This is definitely inspiring me to add a few of these cheeky chappies into my bouquet! However, I think this would make it very difficult to part with with it when I have to do the obligatory bouquet toss!

Anyway, the wedding planning went very well. As well as flowers we covered food, drink, timing, decoration and dresses!

I will leave you with a little froggy my Dad showed me, apparently he lives in their garden, underneath the outdoor tap. Cute!

I hope you are all having a lovely bank holiday weekend!

Laura xXx

Etsy Craft Party!

photosource design by ONR

If you have stopped by OhNoRachio's blog today you will have seen that she is organising an etsy craft party on the 20th June!

I am super excited about this! I am looking forward to hanging out with the girls I have met at previous blogger meets again, as well as meeting lots of new creative people!

I am planning on opening my own etsy shop in the near future, hopefully before the 20th June. But more on that later. 

If you live in or near Southampton and would like to come let us know! Just hop over to Rachel's blog and leave her a comment showing your interest and she will get you a proper invite.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Laura xXx

Getting organised with a Blog Organiser!

I have discovered that I am happiest when I am most organised. Unfortunately I've been rather disorganised lately, especially with this here blog!

I currently have about 5 different note pads containing all my ideas, brainstorms, to do lists, notes and goodness knows what else! I'm sure I have a lot of really useful information in them, but finding it is going to be virtually impossible. Today I am solving this problem!

A little while ago I saw another blogger reveal her blog planner. Unfortunately I have since completely forgotten who this was (another reason I need an organiser), so if this looks familiar please let me know who I can credit the original idea to.

Anyway, instead of just keeping ideas in a book, this clever blogger had decided to use an A5 ring binder. This way pages can be inserted or removed and it will still remain tidy! If there is a topic I have forgotten I can add it at a later date. Hurrah!

Now A5 ring binders seem to be a little difficult to track down. However, I finally found one at trusty Paperchase. You can find it here. I also decided to buy a pack of coloured card, as well as a pack of note paper, which is meant for a recipe book. I would actually recommend buying this lined paper instead as it is cheaper.

Of course, the outside of the organiser is very important. I decorated it using a white gel pen and (you will never guess) pretty coloured nail varnish!

You might recognise the font, it is my favourite and features in the original Wrapped Up In Rainbows logo. I copied each letter from here. You can download it for free too.

Inside I have decided on 5 categories.

Initial Ideas - For me to write down brief ideas as they come to me

Ideas - For when I want to fully draft my ideas

Notes - When I see good blogging advice in books I am reading or on another blog

To Do... - A growing list of all the things I want to do to make my blog as good as it can be

Brainstorms - I like to brainstorm my ideas once a week so this is a good place to keep track of them

Sketches - If i have an idea that I can't quite put into words, this is where I will squiggle it out

How do you organise all of your ideas?

Laura xXx

DIY Jumping Clay Space Invaders

In my Crafty Creatives box last month I received some Jumping Clay. I had never heard of this before and was unsure what to do with it until I saw Claireabellemakes post, where Claire used a button mould to make little clay buttons.

You may remember a while ago I made some chocolates using a space invader ice cube tray. Well, I decided to get that back out and make some cute little space invaders that I can keep!

It was a pretty simple process as you can imagine. The two little tester packs I had made exactly 4 space invaders. The clay itself is quite interesting, it's a lot lighter than any other clay I have used before, and it does bounce if you drop it! At the moment they are sitting happily in my office, but I am quite tempted to turn one of them into a brooch. What would you do with them? 

Laura xXx

A New Start, A New Office!

Yesterday was my first day being self employed. Yippee!  I am now working with Chris full time on our business The Band Boutique. We provide awesome (even if I do say so myself) bands and musicians for weddings and other events. So come and check us out if you need entertainment for your big day. 

Anywho, currently our office is also our bedroom, dining room, and lounge, so it is quite choc a bloc with stuff! I spent most of sunday arranging my new little area. It was tiring work but I was very happy with the end result. What do you think? 

My office supplies were initially looking rather dull. I had a red in tray and a silver post holder thingy. They were not very inspiring, so I decided to do my usual trick of getting out the old Plasti-kote paint and making them pretty colours!

Much better don't you think? I'm actually excited to start work now just so I can sit at my desk.  It's not quite finished yet though, I'm sure there's a few more things I can do to perk it up even more.

Laura xXx