Make your own simmering Potpourri!

As we approach Autumn and the weather gets chillier, it's nice to feel warm and cosy! We've found a great activity to get in the mood for the season.

Firstly, think about some of your favorite scents during autumn, whether it be fresh apples, oranges or cinnamon. With these, you can easily make your very own delightful simmering Potpourri!

Here's a sample recipe to make a lovely blend of fragrances:

- the peel of one orange 
- one thinly sliced apple

- 2 large cinnamon sticks 

- 1 tablespoon of cloves 

- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract 

- 1 tablespoon of almond extract 

- 1.5 cups of water plus plenty more for refill 

Simply mix together your chosen ingredients to a saucepan with some water and simmer throughout the day, spreading a lovely seasonal scent through your home. You can reuse the mix for three days, storing it in the fridge in the meantime!

You can also make a dried Potpourri to display all the colours and textures of the ingredients. Mix together some dried fruit, cinnamon sticks and pine cones (maybe go on a family nature walk with the kids to pick the best ones!) and add a splash of essential oils. It's then ready to sit in a bowl or jar as a decoration and for you to enjoy the heavenly smells!

Have you made your own Potpourri? We'd love to hear your recipes!

www.ellieellie.co.uk

Father's Day- Where do you start?

Father's Day is swiftly coming up on the hard shoulder- blink and it'll be here (it's the 16th June for any of those out the loop!) We've put together a little inspiration for you all, whether you are looking for a card, token gift or maybe something cool for his home. We've got it covered.

GIFTS FOR THE HOME

If he's in to his music he'll love this piece of artwork. Each piece is made to order at our Sussex based HQ on beautiful vintage music sheets. You can personalise them with a lyric from his favourite song, making it

a totally unique talking point for his home! Why not add one of our beautiful reclaimed wood frames t'boot? Each frame is totally individual and handmade in Kent- just the ticket to add that finishing touch!

Ellie Ellie's Personalised Music Lyric Artwork make a perfect gift for Father's Day!

Let's face it Scrabble is the root of a lot of family fun. Over the years millions of families have spent an afternoon battling it out for triple word scores. If your Dad is into his board games these Giant Letter Wall Tiles make a fantastic and and innovative gift! You can buy each tile individually, so you can be as creative as you like! We love the idea of having the family surname in the hallway, but you could also go for room names e.g 'Games Room' or 'Office' or even a word that reminds you of a comical inside joke to put a smile on his face!

Ellie Ellie's Giant Letter Tiles are a great way of adding some nostalgic charm to a home

These genius cork boards are all handmade from recycled wine and champagne corks and are a perfect gift for the Dad who likes a tipple and  loves being organized..or who could do with learning to be! Each board is totally individual and are mounted inside an A3 reclaimed wood frame. Great for pinning photos, letters or not-so-subtle reminders!

Ellie Ellie's Recycled Cork Board is a great addition to any study or kitchen! He'll have no excuse for forgetting now!

THE TOKEN GIFT

Okay, so you don't want to go the whole hog. Just a little something to show you remembered? No problem. A keyring is such a good gift idea, not only is it useful but with a little help from us you can now personalise them with something that will not only look cool, but will be priceless in sentimental value too! Each one is double sided, meaning you can now add two personalised map locations. The personalisation ideas are endless - how about where his children (or grandchildren)were born? World is your oyster. 

Ellie Ellie's Personalised Map Location keyrings are perfect for the globetrotting Dad!

New in this season at Ellie Ellie are a house keyring to our collection, perfect to show their hometowns!

Ellie Ellie's super hero cufflinks have been a huge hit. Each pair is individually made from original comic books. Cosmopolitan magazine favourited them last year for the working chap and they make great Father's Day gifts for any vintage comic lover! 

Ellie Ellie doesn't just do Batman cufflinks, head over to the website for Superman, Spiderman and even Where's Wally cufflinks!

CARDS

Our cards all have a great retro feel to them, we use old school Polaroid-style photos which we then mount onto recycled card. We've also launched a new service whereby we can personalise the inside the card and send it direct to your Dad! Easy, peasy and totally hassle free.

You can add a personal message inside any of Ellie Ellie's cards an choose to have them sent straight to your recipient!

Easter Cake Recipe- Sweet, cheap, easy and guaranteed to slap a few smiles on a few faces.

Easter eggs?! Esshhhh, Cliché.

I think we can do a little bit better then a mass produced Easter egg this year guys! We’d like to share with you an age old recipe...maybe one of the best recipes of all time.  The humble Chocolate Cornflake Cake, Easter style!

So easy to make they’d be a great afternoon activity with the kids, or if you’re feeling particularly charitable why not make them for your partner in crime? Definitely win you some brownie points (pun alert).

Our recipe allows for 12 little cakes- they’ll take you about 30 minutes to make (2 minutes to eat) and don’t even require any baking! Brilliant!

Ingredients

    225g plain chocolate, broken into pieces
    2 tbsp golden syrup
    50g  butter
    75g cornflakes

    36 mini chocolate eggs (or a few packets, to you and me!)

Grab yourself a cupcake tray and pop in your cake cases. The chocolate then needs to be melted in a bowl, along with the golden syrup and butter over a pan of gently simmering water, (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water otherwise all hell will break lose). Stir the mixture until silky smooth. Take off the heat and then begin to softly fold in your cornflakes until all the cereal is nicely coated in the mixture!

 Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases and then add about 3 chocolate eggs into the centre of each. Pop in the fridge for about an hour until they are completely set and VOILA! The yummiest scrummiest (if not easiest) little treats around!

 Great idea if you're purse is a bit light but you still fancy spreading some Easter love.  Share them with friends, family or even office pals (chocolate smells suspiciously like a ticket to your boss's good book to us!)

Crafty Coasters

We found a great crafty present idea on Apartmenttherapy.com to add a unique and quirky look to your table! Just take a couple of slices of birch from a craft or flower shop, and trace your design through some carbon paper onto the wood. Paint or colour in however you fancy, and you have the perfect personal coaster for guests at a party, or something lovely for the home to make for the coming of Mother’s Day!

To keep your decorations looking perfect for longer, simply paint over or spray with some varnish.

Not quite as crafty but you still want something personal and from the heart? Ellie Ellie has just launched their NEW Personalised Map Paperweight, which you can personalise with any town or city from around the world. Handmade in Ellie Ellie's Sussex based HQ, each one is totally unique for the individual. Gorgeously nostalgic and useful! What more could you want? 

 If however, you're one step ahead of the game and have already got Mother's Day on the brain, why not try one of these..

A gorgeous chunk of silver plated, memory hinting awesomeness! A timeless piece to be treasured. Personalisation is up to you, world is your oyster! How about the location of a fantastic family holiday, or where her children were born? Go for it, she'll love it. Check it out, here.