Randomness by Petchy

My little balcony garden

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Fri, 25 May 2012 20:22:00 +0000

So we went from freezing cold to summer overnight. Mind you, calling it "summer" might be a slight exaggeration - but we have sun and can go out without thermals. In short sleeves, even. That's something. This kind of weather makes me want to stay outside all evening, especially with the it being daylight pretty much all night. I don't have a garden, sadly. (Unless you count the postage stamp sized lawn that I share with my neighbour and never use.) But I do have quite a large balcony.

So, the seeds we planted earlier are still growing. They've moved outside now, some into this miniature greenhouse, while others have to brave the elements. In the red basin I'm attempting to grow potatoes. That'll be interesting... In the miniature greenhouse I have lettuce, sugar snap peas, tomatoes and sunflowers. That tomato plant you see in the middle there is my little "cheat" - I bought it with tomatoes already on it. The mint and the parsley are from the garden centre too, but the chives were planted last spring and are thriving (or should I say chiving?) again for the second time.

I have also put some of the sugar snap peas in a large bucket outside the greenhouse, so I hope it's warm enough for them! Three of the tomato plant seedlings are still indoors, as are the carrots. I'm completely new to all of this gardening malarkey so I am really just experimenting to see what works best. I think I might sow some radishes too.

I am excited to see what plants, if any, will actually yield edible results...

You will never guess what this cake is made of!

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:18:00 +0000

Well, I think I died and went to chocolate heaven! This looks like any other totally indulgent choccy cake, right? Well, what would you say if I told you it is made of...

Beans. Yep, beans. It's sugar-, gluten- and dairy* free, high in proteins and low in carbs. And the best thing: you really would never guess it wasn't a "normal" cake. I can't take credit for the recipe, I'd never in a million years have thought of using beans in a cake. I stumbled across the recipe on a blog called Healthy Indulgencies, and was instantly intrigued. I had to try this! And so I did. I did make a few alterations though:

The original recipe called for black beans, but this being a small town in Norway - I couldn't find any. So I used brown beans instead, and it worked a treat. I also used a mixture of Sukrin (erythritol) and Tagatesse (tagatose) to sweeten the cake. Both are natural sweeteners. I find the Tagatesse takes away some of the aftertaste of the Sukrin, that's why I used a mixture. Next time I might try the new Sukrin+, which has stevia in it. Stevia was finally approved for human consumption in the EU and EEC last November, yay! Finally, I ended up doing a different type of frosting since I needed to use what I had on hand. So I ended up with a dark chocolate and orange version. Anyways, enough chit-chat. Here's (my slightly altered version of) the recipe:

CAKE:
1 can of brown beans
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter or Cocosa
175 ml Sukrin (erythritol)
50 ml Tagatesse (tagatose)
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 165°C / 325°F. Grease a 9"/23 cm cake tin.

Drain and rinse the beans, shake off excess water. Place beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla, and salt into blender. Blend on high until beans are completely liquified. Whisk together cocoa powder and baking powder. Beat butter with sweetener until light and fluffy. Add the remaining two eggs, beating for a minute after each addition. Pour bean batter into egg mixture and mix. Finally, stir in cocoa powder and water, and beat the batter on high for one minute, until smooth. Scrape the batter into the cake tin and smooth the top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. The cake is done with the top is rounded and firm to the touch. After 10 minutes, turn the cake out from the tin, and flip over again on to a cooling rack. Allow to cool until the cake reaches room temperature, then cover in plastic wrap or with cake dome and leave the cake to rest overnight. The creator of the original recipe promised his cake would not have even a hint of "beaniness" after letting it sit for eight hours - and she did not lie!

FROSTING:
80 g very dark chocolate (80%)
2 tablespoons orange juice
5 tablespoons butter or Cocosa

Melt the chocolate into the orange juice over a bain marie. When the chocolate has completely melted, take it off the heat and whisk in the butter/Cocosa. Place the pan into a bowl of ice cold water and continue whisking until the frosting thickens. Spread onto the cake.

Now, despite being sugar free, low carb etc... this probably isn't a cake you should eat in one sitting - so do try to retain some will-power here ;) That said - I doubt you'd be able to polish it off just like that either, as it is very rich!

*The cake is dairy free if you use Cocosa or another dairy free butter substitute.

Mostly monochrome

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:41:00 +0000

I was feelin' the monochrome mojo when I was post processing some shots from our little Sunday walk today. Here's a little peek into our immediate neighbourhood. Only a fifteen minute walk separates the first photo from the last.

I did say mostly monochrome!

One man's trash - another man's treasure

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:26:00 +0000

An old funnel, battered and worn. Some may say it's a piece of junk, but to me it's a gem. The dents and scratches make it even more charming. Of course it had to come home with us from the antique shop yesterday.

But not every item that finds its way into our humble abode is old. I don't live in a museum, after all - and I do appreciate the contrast between new items and vintage finds. So this lamp came home with us yesterday too.

Green things seem to be growing

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sat, 12 May 2012 18:13:00 +0000

I'm rather surprised I haven't managed to kill all the seedlings yet. Actually, they seem to be growing just fine! Let's see how long it lasts, shall we? For a not very green-fingered person, I reckon this is above all expectation so far, but hints and tips from more seasoned gardeners are much appreciated! Ok, so what have we got so far? Let's see... We have carrots growing in old milk cartons on the windowsill...

...and lettuce, sugar snap peas and tomatoes in the mini greenhouse on the dining table. The sugar snap peas in particular seem to be growing rapidly, while the tomatoes aren't in quite such a hurry. The sunflower seedlings have been relocated outdoors, and now reside in a nifty little balcony greenhouse I bought today. A bargain it was too, at NOK 199,- (around £20). Not many plants in there right now - hopefully that will change soon!

I have some potatoes sprouting too, and we're having a go at growing spuds in a big basin on the balcony. Should be fun! Also planning to get some gutters to grow the lettuce in on the wall - like they've done here.

Any other balcony-gardeners out there want to share ideas for what else can be grown in a small space? Clever ideas for growing things vertically perhaps? I've seen some people use old pallets for growing stuff in - that looks kinda cool!

Three days in Oslo

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sat, 05 May 2012 19:22:00 +0000

Two full days of inspiring seminars at Visuelt 2012. One pretty cool workshop with Hello Typo. Dinner at Yaya's - a rather tacky-cool Thai restaurant (No, seriously, it's kinda bizarre walking straight from the streets of Oslo into what seemed to be a miniature version of Thailand, complete with a real tuk-tuk, and a swedish waiter wearing shorts and flip-flops!). Wandering around the city, drinking lattes and peoplewatching, feeling all urban again. It kinda makes me miss city life... juuuust a little. And of course, I couldn't leave without doing a spot of shopping today, the third and final day of our stay. I headed for the shoe shops, having a new pair of Converse in mind. But then there were these...

Sumptious, soft leather shoes that whispered at me from the shelf: "Buy us! Buy us! Come on, you know you want us..." And so it was. My feet are in love. I also came home with this fun necklace from Monki, that I've been lusting after ever since seeing it on An-Magritt's blog a while back.

Me like. A lot. Even if it makes me a complete copycat!

So I'm back home, and though city life certainly has its perks - nothing beats home. Came back to see that the seeds we planted on Tuesday have started to sprout already, the cat is happy to be home and has draped herself leisurely on the sofa, and R somehow seems to have grown 10 cm in the space of just three days. Exactly as it should be, then.

Warning: very emotional parenting post!

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:50:00 +0000

In May 2006, I had a little boy who looked like this when he was sleeping:

Fast forward six years, to May 2012... and do you know what? He still looks just the same. When he is sleeping that is. Still my little baby, but at the same time not so much a baby anymore. Six years old, and growing more and more independent each day. I don't know what's been up with me this week, but I've been having so many really soppy, emotional, teary-eyed and lump-in-my-throat mothering-moments looking at my gorgeous R and thinking about how fast time flies. He'll start school in August! How did that happen? Who put the world on fast-forward?!

I look at him, and wonder how it is possible to love someone quite so much. I see a loving, intelligent, stubborn, cheeky, funny, caring, creative and independent little human being; and I feel so unbelievably lucky. I get to be this amazing creature's mum! Every day, I get to be the one he looks up to, even if he sometimes yells "I hate you!" in my face. It doesn't matter - I know he doesn't really hate me. We've had a rocky road at times. Life as a single mother to a very determined child isn't always smooth sailing. I know there will be more hurdles ahead, many more. But we'll deal with those as they appear - and boy is it worth it!

I see how his whole face lights up with love when he cuddles our cat. I see how he sticks up for and looks after his friends if someone treats them unfairly. I see his joy over playing football with his friends. I see his anger over not being allowed candy on a weekday, and the genuine happiness in his eyes when I bring him home a surprise little gift for no particular reason. I see his frustration if he can't do something he has set out to do, and the pride beaming from every cell of his body when I trust him enough to walk home from his friend's house all by himself - even if it means I have my heart in my throat all the time, until he has made it home safely. I see my little baby is not a baby anymore, and my mummy heart is filled to the brim with love, admiration, pride and emotion.

♥

Ah, what a blissful day...

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:40:00 +0000

A public holiday, and a very welcome day off indeed! We awoke to sunshine and a blank canvas ready to be filled with whatever activities we wanted. Started off by baking the no-knead bread (as featured in the previous post), proceeded to do two hours of heavy lifting which resulted in getting rid of a heck of a lot of junk from the store rooms (and a decent workout it was too!). After that, it was time to venture out to the only shop allowed to be open on Sundays and bank holidays (a brilliant example of random Norwegian legislation that): the garden centre. An hour and a painful swipe of the debit card later, we returned home laden with seeds and plants for the balcony. And this adorable miniature greenhouse!

How cute is that?! I've still not given up hope in the hunt for my green fingers, so we've sowed tomatoes, sugar snap peas and sunflowers today. And Indian Cress, but they went straight into a big flower pot outside. If I somehow manage to kill the seedlings, which isn't all that unlikely, this little greenhouse should work well for keeping houseplants safe from the cat's paws too - she loves to destroy plants, that kitty!

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting soil under my fingernails, drinking coffee with friends and heading out for footie practice with R. And now... a double episode of Grey's on telly - and a massive cup of peppermint tea. Not bad. Not bad at all!

Hope you all had a wonderful May Day - whether it's a public holiday in your country or not ♥

No-knead bread. One word: ah-mazing!

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:54:00 +0000

Totally carb-laden, yet so totally mouthwateringly worth it. This bread is slow food at its finest, taking a total of 14-20 hours to rise. Fear not though, time does the work for you so it's really a no-fuss kinda recipe. I've made it using the original recipe before, but today I wanted to try making it with fine wholewheat flour as opposed to ordinary flour. It worked just fine! Scroll down for the recipe.

Such an easy bread to make - you simply take 500 gr all-purpose or wholewheat flour, and place it in a bowl with ¼ teaspoon dried yeast and 1½ teaspoon of salt. Add 400 ml water and mix to form a sloppy dough. Cover with clingfilm and leave it for at least 12 hours. Then, spread a generous amount of flour onto a kitchen towel or a piece of baking parchment. Pour the dough out onto the floured surface, then pat it slightly. Fold it in on itself from all four sides (like they do in this video) face the overlapping side down, dust with flour, cover and leave it to rise for another 1-2 hours.

Place a cast iron pan (or pyrex dish etc - the important part is it has a lid) into the oven and preheat to 250 ℃. I used my beloved cast iron Le Creuset and it worked perfectly! Once the dough has finished rising and the oven and pot are scorching hot, quickly flip the dough into the pan so that the side that was facing down is now facing up. This is what will make the rustic looking cracked crust. There's no need to grease the pan. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid, turn the heat down to 220 ℃ and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely before cutting into it (unless you plan on eating the entire thing in one sitting!) - requires will-power, I know!

Result: an unbelievably airy loaf with the crispest crustiest crust you ever saw. Yum! Store wrapped in a dishtowel or in a cloth bag, as plastic will make the crust go all chewy and tough.

Pancakes cooked on an open fire

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:49:00 +0000

There's not much that can beat this. You know, everything tastes better cooked over an open fire. It's really not much of a job to prepare either - simply make the pancake batter at home and carry it with you in a bottle. A lightweight camping frying pan doesn't take up much space in your backpack, and I normally either use it directly on the campfire or build a little stand for it out of some rocks. Today we got lucky: someone had left behind a a BBQ rack, so we used that.

Bring some butter in a small container (or oil if you prefer) for frying, and a sugar/cinnamon mixture in a separate container for sprinkling them with once they're done - and you have a heavenly culinary experience ahead!

[This recipe has been tested and approved by two young lads, ages 5 and 6.]

I'm a tiger-mother; hear me rrroar!

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:16:00 +0000

I was so angry today. Really really pissed off. A bit like this:

That's pretty angry-looking, huh? Wanna know why? You might as well say "yes" since I am going to tell you regardless. Well, I went to pick R up after work today, only to find some imbeciles had stolen his scooter. From inside the pre-school building. Cheeky sods! R was devastated, he saved up for ages to buy that scooter and was so proud of it. My mummy-heart ached for him, and I was rather annoyed to say the least. I mean, what kind of eejit steals from a child?! Argh.

Thinking it might have been some random yobs, we ventured out to see if they had perhaps abandoned it by the road somwhere when they had tired of it. Well, guess what? We got lucky... Just as we were about to give up and go home, two lads barely into their teens pass us. One of them has R's scooter. It was clearly marked, so confronting them wasn't going to be very difficult. They went into a newsagent, and having double checked the scooter was indeed R's, we waited outside - ready to pounce on them when they emerged.

After initially talking to them in Norwegian, it soon became apparent that these were actually English kids. From "up Norf" somewhere, by the sounds of it. What are the odds, huh? Anyways, this is where being bilingual comes in pretty darn handy. Seamlessly switching to English, I confronted them.

- Is that scooter yours?
- Yeah, why?
- Then perhaps you'd be kind enough to tell me why it has my son's name on it?
- Errrrrr.... [they shuffle awkwardly]

Busted!

By this point I had been taken completely over by my inner tiger-mother instinct, and proceeded to give the yobs a serious verbal bashing. They looked pretty shell-shocked by the end of the ordeal (let's face it, they probably weren't expecting someone quite so proficient in English expletives) and muttered an apology before sheepishly fleeing with red faces and their tails well and truly between their legs. Hah! And so they should!

R and his mate watched with speechless awe while the whole scene unfolded. I now have one happy 6-year old who got his scooter back - and who now reckons I am the coolest, meanest, baddest mum there is. I'll enjoy that admiration while it lasts, which probably won't be long to be honest.

Umm, yeah. So I don't think they'll be nicking stuff from around here again anytime soon...

Rrrrroar!

Yellowness

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:20:00 +0000

There are no prettier flowers than the ones picked by a child, eagerly presented to you by a muddy hand, along with a smile that extends to every corner of the face and a generous portion of unconditional love. 100% free – yet worth more than anything money can buy. Priceless.

Basement treasure: not so new shelf

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:50:00 +0000

In one of my basement storerooms, the previous owner left behind an old shelf. I'm not even sure if it was originally a shelf or if someone at some point just saw those metal brackets and decided they'd work just fine as a shelf if they added some planks. I think probably the latter is true. Anyways... my first thought when I saw it was "Hm. That looks kinda cool in a shabby sort of way. I must find a use for that somewhere..."

Cue the attic room. Ta-daaa!

Yes, I know the photos aren't quite up to scratch. Sorry 'bout that. The card reader slot on my mac chewed up my memory card, and I've not gotten round to replacing it yet.

Domain expiry

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 10:20:00 +0000

Just a quick note for those of you using the url www.madebypetchy.com to access this blog. I have left this domain active since renaming my blog a while back, but will no longer be renewing this domain so from May it won't work anymore. Instead, please update your bookmarks to www.randomnessbypetchy.com.

If you subscribe to the RSS-feed this shouldn't make a difference to your subscription whatsoever. And if you don't already subscribe... why not click here to get new posts straight to your email or here to subscribe in a reader.

Have a nice day! ✿

God påske!

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:55:00 +0000

(That's Norwegian for happy easter in case you wondered.) I have a few spare minutes before we make a second attempt at getting to my parents' place, so just popping in to share a quick couple of pics of our "season tree", now suitably decorated with eggs.

Our "tree" is really just a branch, placed into a concrete base and painted white. We leave it out all year - sometimes just as it is, and other times with whatever seasonal decorations we find suitable. Little ceramic toadstool ornaments for xmas, eggs painted by R for easter, hama beads, flowers and other random things throughout the year.

Wishing you all a happy easter!

When things don't go quite according to plan...

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:55:00 +0000

...you make the most of plan B!

Plan A was to head off to spend easter at my parents' place this afternoon, along with my sister and her boyfriend who were due to arrive at the airport just in time for the express boat. But King Winter had other plans. It must be his idea of a belated April Fools; giving us all the snow we didn't get this winter - in one day. It's been a day of hefty blizzards. Result: closed airport, cancelled flights, cancelled express boat and closed roads.

Realising there was no way we were gonna get to my parents' place today, it was time to improvise a plan B. Off to the grocery shop we went, battling blizzards on our way. Very happy to have invested in thermals and GoreTex! You kinda need that if you want to live where we do. Having said that... the rapidly changing, dramatic weather is actually part of why I love living here.

So plan B is currently underway. It involves a lit fireplace, easter goodies, yummy home made lasagna, and my sis staying over. They've had quite the trek today, but should finally be making it here in a little while. Fingers crossed the weather eases off a little tomorrow!

Happy easter to you all - blizzards or not!

A tad chilly

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:09:00 +0000

Yeah. I guess that's a pretty accurate description for the ocean temperature here in western Norway on any random Sunday in March. Nonetheless: craziness vs. cold, 1-0!

So... anyone else do something crazy this weekend?

Sunshine, rain, wind, hail, sleet, snow...

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:49:00 +0000

All in one day. Within the space of a few hours actually... A lot can be said about the weather here, but it's certainly never boring - and I love it!

Days like these call for wool thermals, hot soup and a lit fireplace!

The results of this weekend's labour

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:09:00 +0000

Just a sneak preview, with rather low quality iPhone-photos. It's not quite there yet as you can see, but at least the walls are painted, and the new lamp and a new roman blind are up. The flat's previous owner had left behind an old desk, so I decided to put that in there for now. I quite like it, actually. The sofa is a 1990s sofabed with hideous colours, covered up with a fitted sheet for the time being.

I have yet to paint the second coat on the door, and I want to wallpaper one of the walls (just need to find a nice wallpeper first). And then of course there are finishing details, accessories and furnishings to add - but that will happen later. I'll probably just paint the door now and then leave it like this until it is time to put the staircase in.

Proper photos to come once it's all finished! Now, it's time for a shower and a well-earned chillax on the sofa for the rest of the evening.

Give a camera to a 6-year old...

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 08:31:00 +0000

...and you end up with funky abstract photos like these:

Top photo: Smears from greasy little fingers on the TV-screen. Bottom photo: The cat's whiskers.

It's a YES!

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:07:00 +0000

Directly above my living room is an attic room that belongs to my flat but that can currently only be accessed via the communal stairs and attic. Definitely not ideal, and it means the room doesn't get much use, other than for storing mess, mess and more mess. But... I've finally had the go-ahead I wanted: I have permission to install a staircase directly from my living room. Happy days! With that permission came the inspiration to freshen the room up a bit.

The walls and ceiling are in pretty bad shape (you can't really tell from the before-photo though) and could really have done with being completely stripped back and re-done. However, funds are limited at the moment - so I'll have to live with a less than perfect finish and make do with some filler and paint for now. Again, I'm favouring all white walls. The first coat went on this morning, and the second coat this afternoon. Tomorrow I'll be painting the door and the wood trimmings, hanging new curtains and a new lamp.

Once the staircase has been installed (this is the type of staircase I'm having put in - alternating tread stairs are clever and space-saving, allow comfortable ascents and descents in a considerably steeper pitch than a standard stair) I have plans to make built-in shelves along one entire wall under the eaves, to make use of space that would otherwise be pretty wasted. Storage is certainly one thing you can never get enough of!

For now, here's a before and WIP photo. Stay tuned for more!

How to: make doll trousers from old jeans

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 21:37:00 +0000

This fella here is Lambert. He was a present to R from my sister, and has followed R since birth. I anticipate he will be around for a good while yet.

He used to look like just a little plumper, fluffier and whiter - but his somewhat worn appearance is proof he's definitely much loved! (Where did the years go?! Look at my baby - and now he's six!!!)

My mother has, on R's request, knitted a jumper, a pair of socks and a hat for Lambert. Now it was my turn to make sure he had a pair of trousers too. These took minutes to make - I just grabbed a pair of R's worn out jeans with holes on the knees, and chopped off the bottom bit of the leg. These jeans already had elastic cuffs, but you could just pull elastic through the bottom hem if not.

Cut to desired length, then make one easy cut as shown. Turn inside out and stitch along the cut egde. Turn right side out again and turn the legs up to hide the raw edge. Done!

Three inspiring blogs to follow

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:46:00 +0000

Enjoyed a quiet hour this evening, going through unread items in Google Reader. Ah. So much inspiration - it needs to be shared! Can't post them all, but this evening's top three blogs are:

Seventy Tree // The blog of Kerry Layton, an illustrator living in North London. Love her style - and she has a shop too! I am lusting after this poster. And this one. And this one. And... and...

Kotipalapeli // It's in finnish. If you're not finnish you won't be able to understand a word (no, I don't speak finnish either) but that doesn't matter. The photos are inspiration enough.

An-Magritt // A wonderful lady I have had the pleasure of "knowing" online for a while. Wish I could meet her IRL at some point :) Creative, colourful, inspiring!

So, what are you waiting for? Go forth and be inspired! NB! All photos © of the respective blog owners.

It's all in the details

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:50:00 +0000

I went hunting for details with my trusty Nikon this morning. Fancy a little peek into our home? Come on in!

Details from the living room. Love how my sideboard turned out after I painted it white. On the coffee table are two scented candles that smell absolutely divine.

My Tandberg radio. The pride of the room!

A little corner for storing papers and mail before they're dealt with is a must. And the log actually has a practical purpose – it's a scratching post for the cat. My rocking chair is awaiting reupholstery and has a soft blanket over it for now. It's already been reupholstered once – and although it looks kinda cool, it's a bit busy for this smaller space.

I adore my retro footstool...

...and the chest of drawers in my hallway. I've jumped on the Dymo bandwagon as you can see.

My guitar also resides in the hallway. The note on the wall next to it reads: "I can't play the guitar". I wish I could, though.

A brief peek into the kitchen, where the windowsill holds nothing short of a miracle – I have never before managed to get an orchid to bloom for a 2nd time! Back in the hallway, we store our gloves, mittens and hats in this old wooden beer crate.

And we end the tour in my bedroom, where I am still totally in love with the wallpapered feature wall.

And, just because he's so insanely cute:

Thanks for stopping by Petchy's Palace – I hope you had a pleasant stay :)

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The one.

noreply@blogger.com (Solveig Petch) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:12:00 +0000

I've always found the idea of "signature scents" really silly. Variation, that's me! But I kinda met myself in the door the other day, when I experienced a near panic attack [no, of course I am not exaggerating at all...] after realising my bottle of CK One was almost empty. I realised, it's not just CK One. It's MY one.

Over the years, I have tried countless perfumes. Many nice ones, a few horrid ones, but I've always come back to this one. The one I was given a small bottle of as a x-mas present at some point in my teens. The one I have since bought a fair few bottles of. The one that smells just right. Fresh and clean, with a subtle punch – the smell of this perfume has followed me for years and brings back memories of many good times. This scent makes me happy. This scent is me.

Dear CK One: I can't promise you I'll never stray, There will without doubt be brief affairs with others. But I'll always come back to you!

Sigh. I've become one of "those people" - the signature scent people. I guess it could be worse! Must. Remember. To. Buy. A. New. Bottle. Tomorrow.

If you have a favourite scent, I'd love to hear what it is, and why!