friday fancies - loving chambray!

It's time to link up with the lovely Long Distance Loving again and create a Friday fancies of the week! 

The theme this week is chambray, a fabric which I love and is great for spring and summer.  It looks fantastic paired with pastel colours or neutrals, leaving endless possibilities for creating a variety of outfits!

Here's my look of the week - a floaty chambray sleeveless top with a pair of skinny jeans to balance out any proportions.  I've also chosen a pair of gladiator sandals, another trend which is still popular this summer.

A summer chambray outfit! by peanuts-pearls featuring chain jewelry

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.  Mine will mostly consist of sorting a few wedding bits out and hopefully picking the bridesmaid dresses, exciting!

xx

recipe: buckwheat blinis for brunch!

I adore going out for brunch with my friends or family.  I usually stick to my two favourite options - either pancakes with fruit or smoked salmon with a muffin topped with hollandaise sauce (yum!) 

So when I discovered this simple recipe by Sophie Dahl, combining two of favourite options I knew I just had to attempt this at home!

Buckwheat blinis with scrambled egg and smoked salmon

Ingredients

For the blinis

• 85g/3oz buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 150ml/5fl oz full-fat milk
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 70g/2½oz cheddar cheese, grated
• small handful chopped fresh chives
• 2 free-range egg whites
• pinch salt
• knob of unsalted butter

For the scrambled eggs

• 4 free range or organic eggs (plus 2 free-range egg yolks)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• knob of unsalted butter

To serve

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
• 250g/9oz smoked salmon
• 1 lemon cut into wedges

Preparation method

1. For the blinis, mix together the buckwheat flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper and the milk to make a smooth batter.
2. Add the mustard powder, cheddar and chives and mix until well combined.
3. In a seperate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.
   
   Gradually fold the whisked egg whites into the batter mixture using a metal spoon.
4. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium high heat, and spoon large tablespoons of the batter into the pan to make medium sized pancakes, about 10cm/4in in diameter.
5. Fry the blinis, in batches, for 2-3 minutes until small bubbles appear on the surface and the underside looks cooked. Turn the blinis over and cook on the other side for a further 1-2 minutes, or until golden-brown. Keep warm.
6. Repeat until all of the mixture is used up.
7. For the scrambled eggs, whisk the eggs in a bowl, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat, then pour in the eggs, stirring a little to break the eggs up slightly as they set. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and set the eggs aside to finish cooking for a further 1-2 minutes.
9. To serve, place two blinis onto each of four serving plates, spoon on the scrambled eggs, and sprinkle over the chopped chives. Arrange the smoked salmon on the side, and finish with the lemon wedges

                                                                 and enjoy with fresh juice!

                                                       What do you love having for brunch?

                                                                               xx

my instagram life

Well the weather finally changed for us in Wales this weekend - blue skies, the sun was shining - it was perfect!  It was exactly the weather we needed after a horrible rainy April.

I spent the last few days relaxing with my fiance Tony, catching up with family and sorting out a few more things for the wedding. 

Here are some little pics I took on my phone and I wanted to share:

                                      (instagram name: angie_peanuts_pearls)


     ~ meet Charlie, the cat who pops into our office now and again for a cuddle!

                                          ~ starting a new book

                                       ~ you can't beat fresh strawberries for breakfast!

                                         ~  relaxing in the my garden = bliss

                                          ~  my new wedge shoes from Tesco

                                  ~ trying to catch up on Grey's Anatomy, I've missed so much!

xx

friday fancies: colour crush

Today I'm linking up with the brilliant Long Distance Loving for Friday Fancies!  I've always been a fan of these posts so really wanted to join in on the fun. 

Colour blocking and colour clashing is still a huge trend on the high street.  Personally, I'm not quite brave enough to wear a colour combination that clashes.  I tend to be drawn towards a more relaxed and classic style of clothes, and I'm not sure I could pull off two very strong colours worn together!

However, one combination I absolutely love together is purple and peach! 

colour crush by peanuts-pearls featuring amethyst earrings

The strong purple colour goes very well with the toned down peach.  If you're too scared to wear a strong purple and neon pink together (like me!) then this is a great alternative option.

Another way to combine two of your favourite clashing colours is to wear a dress in the more toned down colour, and then accessorise with the vibrant, stronger colour. 

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

                                                                               xx



my instragram life

Sorry for the lack of post yesterday - I was enjoying a lovely bank holiday weekend, and also very tired after celebrating my friend's hen weekend in London!

It really was a fun weekend though, here's some pictures I wanted to share

                                    (instragram name: angie_peanuts_pearls)


                                                          ~ waiting for my train

                                                            ~ hello London!

                              ~  my lovely hotel room, we stayed in the Royal Garden Hotel

                                                     ~ very elegant afternoon tea

                                 
                                                ~  delicious sandwiches and cakes!

                                                     ~  having food with friends

                                      
                                                              ~  good times!

                         
                                                       ~  phew, home time!

Did everyone else have a good weekend?

xx

April favourites

Happy Friday everyone!

It's a bank holiday weekend here in the UK, so I'm looking forward to an extra day off on Monday.  I'm also off to London tomorrow to celebrate with my friend on her hen weekend, and I can't wait!

In the meantime, there have been so many great fashion and make up looks during April, that I thought I'd look back and share my favourites...

~  favourite event: Coachella.  Here's Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looking drop dead gorgeous   
  

~  favourite candid style: Lauren Conrad arriving at an airport

~ favourite make up look: Scarlett Johansson at the UK premiere of Avengers

~ favourite glamorous look: Emily Blunt at the premiere of The Five Year Engagement

~  favourite couple style: Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson (these two are adorable!)

                                               
            *( pics via Just Jared, Zimbio, Celebtopia, Celebrity Paradise)                                  

                                                    
                                               Have a good weekend everyone!

                                                                          xx

Wedding Wednesday!

It's time for another Wedding Wednesday post!  This time it's not about potential ideas for my wedding - it's about the perfect dress to wear as a wedding guest!

My friend is getting married in June, so I'm currently looking for a lovely new outfit to wear from the high street.

Here are a few I've found and wanted to share and get some opinions!

*  This gorgeous blue dress is from one of my favourite shops - Mango.  Retailing at £44.99, it is definitely well within my budget and would mean I would have more money to spend on new shoes and a bag - bonus!

*  Next is this mint dress from Warehouse at £52.  I just love the mesh top detail and the longer train at the back.  This is also on trend with all the pastel colours in the shops right now.

*  My next option is this coral one shoulder dress from Coast.  This is £150, but would last in my wardrobe for years to come so definitely an investment piece.  If i'm ever stuck for a glamorous outfit to wear to a special occasion, then Coast is always a good option! 

* Another one from Coast at £135, the flower details on this dress is so floaty and feminine I just fell in love!

*  This polka dot midi dress from ASOS is also on my radar.  Another bargain at only £40, this really stands out for me because of the pencil skirt length, and would look great with a pair of red shoes to make it pop!

                      
                                     Which ones do you love? Any other shops worth looking at?

xx