Scented Candles

I love lighting scented tealight candles in my rooms on weekends and in the evenings because it creates such a cosy ambiance while making the room smell yummy. After trying many different types of candles, I've settled on the ones from IKEA as my favourite because they have a strong and lasting scent. My favourites are the apple and berry varieties, and I've also bought some purple tealight holders to match my room!

Ontama Bukkake

One of my favourite cuisines is Japanese and one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Sydney would have to be Menya Mappen! Time and time again, I always order the same thing: Ontama Bukkake Cold Soba with a side serving of seaweed salad (wakame)! It's such a simple, light and healthy meal and always manages to fill me up - even without adding on any of the tempting tempura selections. Such a simple dish that I couldn't help looking up how to make it - so here's a variation of some recipes I found that will hopefully satisfy my cravings when I can't make it into town! (Wish me luck, I have yet to try this at home!)

Ingredients:

• Udon/Soba
• Egg
• Wedge of lemon
• Kakedashi soup: mirin, dashi, soy sauce
• Chopped spring onion
• Tempura flakes (Tenkasu)
• Seaweed salad (Wakame)

Method:

• Soup:
• Boil: 1 cup water + 1/3 cup of mirin + 1/3 cup of soy sauce + 1/2 sachet of dashi
• Soft boiled egg:
• Put the egg in a pot and add water to just cover the egg
• Turn the stove to max - once the water starts to boil, reduce to simmer for 3 minutes
• Remove from water
• Cook udon/ramen according to instructions
• Serve noodles in a bowl, pour in a few spoons of soup without covering noodles
• Crack in the egg, add lemon, seaweed, spring onions and tempura flakes and voila!

Walk In

After a long hiatus, I've decided to organise all the wonderful bits and pieces I've been hoarding over the past year!

First up, walk in wardrobes! It must almost certainly be every girl's dream to have one of these beautifully designed rooms in her house one day - as it is mine! Necessary features in my book? An ottoman, a window, and must be linked to the bathroom!

Laundry Room Ideas

Your laundry room doesn't have to be drab and boring, I think it's the perfect multi-use space for some extra storage and to house your hobbies. I would love a spacious laundry room with plenty of natural light, an organised storage system in pretty labelled boxes, and a workbench for gardening or fixing things. Here are some beautiful ideas that will be sure get you excited about your next load of washing...

Designer Watch: Rosa Clara

Through Polka Dot Bride, I stumbled upon Rosa Clara's 2012 Soft Collection and I fell in love with each and every one of the flowing romantic gowns that look absolutely heavenly! These dresses are what I've always envisioned my wedding dress to be like so I'm over the moon to have found this designer!

Island kitchens

I love searching for inspiration for my future dream kitchen. I would love one with lots of light, clean white cupboards, some with glass to display pretty kitchenware, and a large island bench perfect for cooking with friends and family for an alfresco dinner party. Chuck in a walk in pantry, stools for a bench top breakfast and a state of the art oven, gas stove top and fridge and you've got my favourite room in the house!

Playlist #1 - Memorable Movies

I've been listening to Richard Mercer's Love Song Dedications while driving at night recently and it made me think of starting a new blog series to keep a record of all the great songs that I hear on the radio and elsewhere. Tonight, after watching the end of Dirty Dancing on TV, the infamous dance scene between Johnny and Baby gave me the idea for the theme of my first song blog...

1. (I've had) the time of my life - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes [Dirty Dancing]
2. I will always love you - Whitney Houston [The Bodyguard]
3. Come what may - Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor [Moulin Rouge]
4. I don't wanna miss a thing - Aerosmith [Armageddon]
5. My heart will go on - Celine Dion [Titanic]
6. When you say nothing at all - Ronan Keating [Notting Hill]
7. Endless Love - Lionel Ritchie & Diana Ross [Endless Love]
8. Unchained melody - Righteous Brothers [Ghost]
9. Can you feel the love tonight - Elton John [The Lion King]
10. A whole new world - Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle [Aladdin]