Round up of Christmas Treats

What a splendid Christmas we have had. We spent lots of time celebrating and partying with family and then rushed back to work on the 27th. This weekend we've finally found some time to unwind and have some of that quiet Christmas time that feels so special. The city is incredibly quiet, the trains are empty, no queues for anything....bliss! :)

I was a super lucky lady to receive some lovely gifts over the festive season. In particular there were a few treats that we gave and received that I'd love to share with you:

'No Bears' - McKinley and Rudge

This was a little gift for our gorgeous little niece Isabella. It's a beautiful book illustrated by one clever young lady, Leila Rudge. She's absconded to a far away land with my little brother and is living the dream down under. We miss them dearly, but Ozland clearly agrees with her as she's produced the cutest illustrations for this book 'No Bears', that has absolutely no bears in it (or does it?!). If you know of any youngsters that also are adverse to bears, or if you're just a big kid yourself then you can get your very own copy here! And to see more wonderful illustrations from Miss Rudge check out her blog here.

The Monster spread! ©Leilarudge 

No bears party illustration ©Leilarudge 

We also made some delicious chocolate truffles to indulge in over the holidays. We found a fab recipe on the BBC good food website and got creative with flavours. We made one batch in a Chrismassy chilli flavour by adding a generous pinch of chilli flakes, a smaller pinch of cinnamon and some cloves in the cream (we fished the cloves out before adding to the chocolate!). Then we made a second batch with a good glug of Cointreau and the zest of a couple of clematines. This was the firm favourite, but the chilli ones left a lovely warming sensation once the truffle had melted away, perfect for cold winter days!! I fashioned up some simple cellophane bags and rustic ties and labels to complete the package.

Yummy chocolate truffles!

Pretty labels made with card, ribbon and festive washi tape

These are the simplest things in the world to make - there's literally only three ingredients. We made an incredible mess whilst rolling them out, but all part of the fun, and by the end they looked almost good enough to eat!!