Shoe Porn: Yellow River Island Loafers

I know last time I showed you some loafers you all got shouty. They remind you of school, and apparently this is bad. But look at these! These are not the kind of shoes you could wear at school. You'd get sent home with an angry note.

But my heart still loves the clumpy shoe and these yellow loafers are just lovely. Anything yellow is always a winner with me. River Island have come up trumps with turning a rather sensible shoe into something more interesting. I love the black leather touches, and the little metal trim is a cute detail. I think these could turn even the most avid loafer hater. They're £59.99 and you should be wearing them with preppy dresses or cropped trousers.

Wallpaper Wednesday: Catkin Collection Ribbon Paper

This ribbon wallpaper has whooshed right to the top of my wanty list. It's from the Catkin Collection and it's the perfect amount of bright and fun, but sensible. It's the stripes you see, I do love me a stripe. I also love the mix of ribbons as well. There's even a little bit of tartan in there!

They suggest that if you want more than one roll of the wallpaper you order all at once as they'll be from the same print batch and then they'll all match up. But, as a roll is £120 you might just want to stick to the one.

Still, pretty isn't it?

Design Porn: Crumpet & Skirt's Coquettish Cushions

Ever wanted a knowing look from another woman every time you sit down on the sofa? These lovely Crumpet & Skirt cushions are going to liven up your living space with their pretty little faces.

We've covered Crumpet and Skirt's pin-up wares before but these cushions are a great addition to their range. At £37, they're not the biggest bargain in the world, but they're machine washable on a cool setting and come with a duck feather pad (I *love* feather cushions).

Pretty, practical and luxurious? Yes please.

Sluttishly Easy: Real proper homemade custard

So hopefully you have already made yourself some Apple and Pear Crumble. Want to know how to make it taste even better? Well I'm going to share a recipe for real proper homemade custard with you! You definitely should give it a go - its really not that hard and I promise it will be well worth the effort! It will also taste just as good with any sponge pudding, crumble or whatever puddingy comfort food is currently taking your fancy!

By the way, I make no apology for the fact that this is full of cream and eggs, that's how proper custard is made!

Custard (makes about 300ml)

You will need:

• 1 vanilla pod or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 300ml double cream
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 25g caster sugar

Make It!

1. Pour the cream and vanilla into a pan and heat gently over a medium heat.

2. Whisk together the eggs, cornflour and sugar in a bowl. Once combined pour the hot cream into the egg mixture whisking constantly. Not forgetting to remove the vanilla if you used a pod!

3. Return the pan to the heat and continue to whisk until thicken.

Image from joyosity's Flickr photostream

Tea Towel Tuesday: Liberty Building

I don't think I'll ever get bored of looking at the Liberty building. Walking up to it is almost as exciting as going inside it. It's just beautiful. Granted, it's mock Tudor and not nearly as old as they'd have those tourists believe. But as long as it's that pretty, I don't care. And the stuff inside is always fun as well. Even if I can't really afford any of it.

But sometimes, they're not as expensive as you'd think. This Liberty tea towel actually comes in a pack of two (I wish the other one showed the back of the building, but alas, they're both the same) and you'll pay £13 for the set. I rather like these. I wish all buildings in London were this pretty.

Souper dooper: Cauliflower, broccoli & blue cheese soup

I really should be a member of cheeseaholics anonymous. I just can't get enough, and the stinkier the better. So on finding some sad little heads of broccoli and cauliflower in my fridge, I knew exactly what to do with them. Cheese can sex anything up. Fact.

Cauliflower and broccoli are pretty cheap vegetables and amazingly good for you, bursting with vitamin C to keep those colds away and with some pretty stonking anti-cancer properties too.

And I know blue cheese can be scary for some people (mould - ew!), but this recipe is quite subtle and the cheese doesn't overpower it, so do give it a go. If you really hate the idea you could always substitute some good, strong cheddar.

Cauliflower, broccoli & blue cheese soup (serves 2)

You'll need:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 300g cauliflower and/or broccoli, cut into florets
• 50g blue cheese, I used Blacksticks Blue, a yummy cheese from Lancashire

Make it!

• Cook the onion in the vegetable oil until soft but not coloured, about 5 minutes on a gentle heat.
• Add the potato chunks and the vegetable stock. Simmer the potatoes until soft, about 10 minutes.
• Add the cauliflower and/or broccoli florets. Simmer for a further 5 minutes until they are tender. You might find they poke out of the stock (depending on the size of your saucepan), in which case, put the lid on and they'll part simmer, part steam.
• Bung everything into the blender, along with the cheese. Whiz until smooth.
• Season to taste.
• Eat. Don't think about the mould.

Under a Fiver: Mushroom Sharpener

I'm not really one for cute stationery. I don't want my pens and pencils to look like they belong to a five year old. I want swirling fountain pens, swanky desks and inkwells and Smythson notebooks.

But I also really like things that look like the belong in Mario World. So, despite my best efforts, I find myself coveting this mushroom pencil sharpener from Cox & Cox. It sharpens at one end, and the cup is an eraser. The silliest and most fun £3 I'll spend this year.