To date, built-in closets under the stairs have moved from the category of exotic to the category of common everyday furniture. Manufacturing custom cabinets under the stairs is possible for any staircase space. This is an excellent opportunity to produce comfortable furniture of unusual shapes and sizes.

What kind of cabinets are under the stairs?

The usual built in understair wardrobes is the most common. It blends well with the hallway or hallway. In such a staircase closet is convenient to store things and outerwear for walking, as well as shoes, tools, and old junk. If you have a built-in staircase closet with glass doors, it is most likely located in the living room. It would be a great place to keep old books, vases, or expensive crockery. Usually, such cabinets are ordered for private collections.

The cabinet under the stairs with drawers

The most often ordered ladder closet with drawers is a great solution to store work tools, various documents, small items, and materials for hobbies. Making such a cabinet to order is very inexpensive since the design usually does not require refinement and exclusive design. Cabinets and drawers are perfectly hidden under the stairs, extremely roomy, deep, and equipped with a sliding mechanism, with which the extension is simple and comfortable.

Features of the placement of built-in cabinets under the stairs

There are several basic nuances:

• The marching staircase designs can be straight and have a swivel p-shaped or g-shaped shape, this makes them the easiest and most convenient to combine with different types of cabinets.
• In the design of spiral staircases, more compact models are most often used, in the form of a drawer, dresser or storage shelves.
• For a monolithic and large staircase, design is better to choose less bulky cabinets, made in light shades.
• It is desirable that the material, design, and color solution of the storage system, be combined with the design of the inter-floor stairwell.

Types of cabinets at the bottom of the stairs

These products have several design options.

Built-in open cabinet.

Visually does not clutter the room, gives it space, and gives practicality and grooming. This model assumes an open arrangement of items, so it needs constant care and a full row of shelves and hangers.

The closet compartment

Coupe design, due to the presence of sliding doors, is a particularly good option in case of the need to save space or a limited approach to the stairwell.

With pull-out drawers.

The perfect solution for shallow stairwells with plenty of depth. Drawers are available in various shapes and widths.

With hinged doors.

Swing-type structures, placed under the stairs, are considered the best option for a spacious room. Similar models with flaps, quite often are equipped in the hallway and complete them with a mirror, shoe baskets, and other systems for storing clothes.

Combination cabinets.

These models, which have open and closed sections, are a very interesting design solution. Modules with doors, provide storage for clothes, and on the open shelves, there are beautiful vases, figurines, flowers, and other decor. If there is enough interior space, a TV set is installed in the niche of the closet.

Shelves under the stairs

Quite an original design option is open shelves under the stairs. They are suitable for placing a variety of things and are distinguished by a simple design, the assembly of which can be carried out with your own hands.

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Retractable sections can have both horizontal and vertical designs. Each individual structural element moves due to the roller wheels, which do not leave any mechanical damage to the flooring. These roomy pull-out modules suggest storage of bulky items, belongings, sports equipment, or even household appliances for cleaning.

Filling the space under the stairs

The space under the stairs, can be decorated with a variety of storage systems, such as:

1. For clothes and shoes.
2. A bookcase.
3. For storing kitchen utensils.
4. Household items.
5. Decorative elements.

The closet under the stairs in the apartment

A built-in closet or combined design creates a unified complex with the internal staircase of the house or apartment. Non-standard solutions play a role in the formation of design and provide convenience to homeowners. Original interior items allow you to: rationally use the space of the staircase niche; free the room from unnecessary bulky furniture; divide the room into separate zones, comfortably place large things and small objects; maintain order; create a complete individual image of the room. Built under the stairs cabinets and shelves are successfully used in the city’s multi-level apartments, multi-story private houses, and cottages. With their own hands make simple versions of open cabinets and some closed models. Modern furniture manufacturing companies are ready to take orders of any complexity, after careful measurement to design furniture in exact accordance with the wishes of the client. Built-in closets – built-in closets to order, custom cabinets –  https://urbanwardrobes.co.uk/services/sliding-wardrobes

Ideas for a closet under the stairs in a private home

Stairs leading to the second floor in a country cottage can be placed along the wall or in the center of the room, have a straight form or have a design with a certain spread. In the interior of a private home, under the stairwell, there are a variety of storage systems, such as a pantry, a glass showcase with lighting for collectible wine bottles, a small library, a dressing room, and others.

At the cottage, the space under the stairs is often occupied by special stands, a neat cabinet, or shelves for jars with jam or other preserves.

If the height of the steps is sufficient, podrestnichnoe space, and decorate sections to place various dishes and other utensils. This solution would be especially appropriate for a small kitchen in the house. The living room under the stairs, mainly equip the design, which implies the location of the TV, and has additional shelves for books, photo frames, and other decor.

Also in this zone, it is possible to organize a compact work nook or mini workshop, where due to the original configuration of the cabinet, the room will get a special charm and creative look.

The idea of training corsets is not new, but the way in which it’s being used as a form of exercise equipment may be.

The good news: you don’t need special knowledge on how this work-you just put one on and go at your cardio routine like usual (it’s even possible if want to use one over another). The bad part? There aren’t any studies out yet documenting whether wearing an abdominal supporter will make much impact when combined with proper dieting and exercise.

Remember that you should always consult your doctor before beginning any new workout routine or fitness product to make sure it is safe for you and will not cause injury.

Many people who wear waist trainers also like to use them as part of their everyday wardrobe, hoping they will help give them the hourglass figure they cherish so much (you may want one in every color!). If this sounds like something you’d enjoy doing, remember that there are many other brands besides just “waist trainer” ones-think Lulu’s, Nordstroms, etc.

Doctors and trainers have proven that a corrective corset cannot train anything – it’s just fat-displacing fabric, which will eventually settle into all areas of your body again. At the same time, you may suffer from compression on internal organs or even damage them if they’re not flexible enough to deal with this type of pressure for an extended period! The only effect for weight loss comes down solely water evaporation through skin cells lost due to absorption rather than any metabolism caused by wearing one throughout everyday life.

Types Of Fitness Corsets

T-shirt waist trainer is a garment that has narrow or wide straps. They perform mainly decorative functions, such as corset wearing and can’t go anywhere on their own because of this rigid structure tightly pulling them from chest to hips while remaining in place with an elastic band around your midsection which pulls it tight against you similarly so they don’t fall off like most people do when using these types since there is no training taking place.

Cincher waist trainer. A corset with a tightening belt that can be worn as an alternative to traditional clothing, such as bras and tanktops; usually made up of three layers for extra support-a latex outermost layer which covers most commonly used materials like leather or nylon mesh (to prevent sweating), followed by cotton fabric inside vertical stiffeners called “bones” in order make them feel stable when walking around all day long.

Corsets are made of flexible material that allows you to breathe easily while wearing them. The best corset for waist training is not too rigid, but also sturdy enough to maintain the body in a good posture and comfortable even when worn over long periods-as well as being durable with high-quality stitching which doesn’t lose its shape or become loose after repeated wearings. You should probably avoid metal boning since they are uncomfortable against the skin if you have a sensitive one as most people do!

Do Waist Trainers Really Work?

So is a fitness corset nothing? Let us not be so categorical. It is important not to ignore the safety rules.

• Buy a fitness corset in your size. Among girls who are concerned about losing weight, a popular idea is to take the product in a size smaller. This is a mistake from which many of the disadvantages of using corsets stem.
• Wear a fitness corset for no more than two hours a day, no longer than an hour without a break.
• Do not sleep in a fitness corset.

If you follow these simple rules, the accessory can really help to temporarily tighten your figure while you burn off the extra weight at the gym.

One of the most important things to know about essential oils is that not all are created equal. Some can be dangerous if you don’t follow safety rules and use low-quality or spoiled ones, which will lead in turn to neurological symptoms (fatigue, headaches, irritability) amongst others like allergies!

A great way for me personally was when I learned how much fragrance affects my moods – particularly bad days at work where stress builds up quickly.

Cat Physiology and Essential Oils

Cats are pure carnivores; their digestive system is not designed for plant foods (unlike, for example, dogs), and many of their vulnerabilities stem from this. The cat’s liver does not produce many enzymes that can metabolize the toxic components in essential oils which means they end up with even more health problems than other animals as a result – menthols being one such compound 3 times more toxic to cats than rats.

The main danger to cats is posed by terpenes and their metabolic products. Cats have trouble excreting them in simpler terms, they accumulate which can eventually cause poisoning of the animal if not dealt with quickly enough or at all.

Note. It is not certain that the increased toxicity of essential oils to cats is due to a lack of appropriate enzymes, studies proving this have not been conducted, but the probability is high.

Effects Of Essential Oils On The Cat’s Body When Scenting Rooms

When it comes to spraying essential oils in the air, there is no point in making a list of safe or toxic essential oils. We can only talk about general safety rules: A cat should be able to enter any room with low concentrations if they are ventilated well-enough (your eyes don’t sting when you’re inside) and have access at all times – but not too often as otherwise their sense of smell may become overwhelmed by these scents which could make them sicker than ever before! The last thing anyone needs during Christmas time is some upset kitty running around stressed out because someone didn’t follow the basic principle of keeping cats safe.

Conclusion: It turns out that cats don’t really seem to mind the low concentrations of essential oils in their environment, so long as they’re not being bathed with them. The same could be true for cleaning products used around your home – as long as you clean regularly and thoroughly!

The essential oil diffuser around my cat is the perfect way to enjoy scents that are calming, refreshing, and relaxing. I love how you can set it on a timer so all day long everything smells great!

External Application Of Essential Oils For Cats

The application of essential oils to the skin, coat, or mucous membranes can have many benefits for your cat. However, there are some precautions that need to be taken when applying them externally on cats like tea tree oil which has been known to speed up healing in wounds but also could cause death if applied incorrectly due to its strong fragrance and potency (1 drop per wound). An experiment conducted by researchers from 1998 showed how dangerous this really is: three healthy kitties were treated with flea repellent containing 20% concentration of TTL.

When 20ml of essential oil was applied to each cat, three showed symptoms of severe poisoning: hypothermia (lower than normal body temperature), dehydration, and uncoordinated movements. Two survived but one died due to elevated liver enzymes which is a sign of hepatotoxicity in cats; this means their livers were damaged by something toxic like alcohol or drugs.

Toxicity cases have been reported in which the external application of tea tree essential oil to cats and dogs caused vomiting, convulsions, apathy, or weakness. These signs are typical for poisoning with high doses that can be fatal if not treated immediately

The dangerous side effects from using this plant on your pet come as no surprise considering how powerful it is when ingested by humans too.

Permed hair care

A shampoo for permed hair, a conditioner and, if the hair is not so easy to comb, a hair treatment once a week. For very dry hair, an intensive treatment, so the curls stay alive for a long time. The conditioner makes the hair easier to comb, adds missing moisture and maintains shine. Consequential damage to the hair is thus reduced. Cures contain a higher concentration of conditioning agents than conditioners. But be careful: too much conditioning agent makes the hair limp. Foam, gel or spray conditioners are not quite as burdensome.

Important: Do not rub damp hair dry, but gently squeeze it with a towel to protect the hair structure. Permanently wavy hair is best dried in the air and kneaded with a little styling foam especially for curls, styling cream or gel to bring out the curls better. Blow dryer heat will stress the hair. However, there are care/styling products on the market (special mousses or spray lotions) that are supposed to protect the hair from heat. Use care products with UV filters when on summer vacation.

Careful detangling with a coarse, wide-toothed comb or skeleton brush after washing is gentler on the new hairstyle than intensive brushing. The latter pulls the curls out again too quickly. Afterwards, run your fingers loosely through the hair, which is usually enough for styling.

To make the curls last longer, the fresh perm should be washed after two days at the earliest. Regular cleaning should also only happen every two to three days. Too frequent washing damages the curly hairstyle. The advantage of a perm is that the hair does not grease as quickly.

Experts advise against perming hair longer than 30 cm, because the weight of the hair is too great for lively curls. Simultaneous coloring also damages the hair structure, split ends and hair breakage can be the result. If you still don’t want to give up coloring, you should seek expert advice from a hairdresser.

In general, the hairdresser should decide on the possibility and type of perm only after a detailed analysis of the hair structure. Factors such as fine or thick hair, other chemical pre-treatments such as bleaching and hair health all play a role.

Maintaining perm

Gradually, the perm prevails against the straight hair. A good perm leads to beautiful curls, but this requires proper perm care. This is the basic requirement for beautiful curls, because permed hair in particular should be intensively cared for, so that the waves remain healthy and also beautiful for a long time.

Perm care begins even before washing. Hairdressers recommend that the hair is combed in advance with a high-quality comb. The hair should be combed out starting from the tips to the roots. This will prevent the curls from being damaged. Afterwards, the hair should be washed with a moisturizing shampoo. Special perm products can be purchased in stores for this purpose, such as a special shampoo for permed hair or a repair shampoo. A conditioner also ensures that the hair is easy to comb. In addition, thanks to the conditioner, the hair is additionally sealed and a protective film is left on the hair.

A hair conditioner should also be part of the care. This can be done weekly or monthly. After washing, the hair should not be rubbed dry, but only gently squeezed in a towel. The hair should not be hot blow-dried, but ideally air-dried, because the heat damages the hair structure. A drying hood or curlers are also not recommended. You can bring the perm into shape with a mild styling foam. With special care sprays for curls you can also bring the perm into shape. Frequent washing is also not optimal for perm care, because it shortens the durability. More than three perms a year are not recommended.

Give the perm a lot of moisture

For optimal care, the hair should be given a lot of moisture, otherwise they become porous and can look straw-like. Thanks to the moisture, you can shape the perm, because the curls will get a better bounce. In addition, you can massage a hair oil into the hair. This gives the hair equally valuable moisture.

As an additional protection, the oil can also be left to work overnight and the next day the hair is washed as usual. This will provide optimal care for the curls after the perm and you can bring the perm into shape. The hair should always be treated very gently. The care products should not contain alcohol, because this dries out the hair and also the scalp.

Furthermore, additional chemical products such as dyes should be avoided, because the hair becomes very coarse-pored due to the perm, so that the color is absorbed more strongly. Bringing the perm into shape is more difficult due to the additional damage.

A perm looks very beautiful, but from this guide it is easy to see how important the optimal perm care is, because due to the chemical process the hair structure is changed. The hair becomes more porous due to the perm. This means that it not only absorbs moisture more slowly, but the hair also loses it faster.

Due to hot devices such as a hair dryer, this happens in double strength. Therefore, perm requires intensive care so that your hair is not damaged and you can enjoy the beautiful curls for a long time.

Frequently asked questions about perm

• Perm and color/blonding, is it possible at the same time?

Each of these chemical treatments makes the hair shaft porous and stresses the hair structure. One should, in order not to expose the hair to double stress, opt for only one chemical intervention.
Also, all the cures or nourishing creams available on the hair cosmetics market cannot protect the hair – even if they are applied before a perm or color. The reason: any chemical hair treatment penetrates deep into the hair and has a “stronger” effect than any “protective cream”. A tint, on the other hand, is less problematic, as it only works from the outside…more about tints

• How often can I have a perm done?

Today there are a variety of different perm preparations that are tailored to different hair structures and also the desired result. It depends here very much on the current condition of the hair structure. This question should always be answered by a hairdresser in the salon.

• When can I dye again after a perm?

You should wait until the treated hair has completely “grown out” and new untreated hair has grown back. With short hair this can be after months, with long hair it can take many years.

• What do I have to take into account when perming ? What is the best care?

Just as important as the professional execution of the perm is the care: suitable shampoo, conditioner and once a week a hair treatment will keep the curls looking alive for a long time. Only those who have naturally extremely dry hair should do a spa pack once a week after a perm. More care is also called for on summer vacations at the seaside, because the sun and salt water dry out the hair a lot. Therefore, use care products that contain UV filters.

Loud music, traffic noise, screaming children, the pulsating open-plan office – every day and potentially almost everywhere, people are exposed to loud sound. We speak of noise when it causes annoyance, disturbance, or at worst short-term or even permanent damage to the human body and psyche.

What noise is, is in most cases perceived very subjectively. In fact, perception depends not only on the situation in which one finds oneself, but also, for example, on whether one finds the “noise source” congenial or can estimate the duration of the noise.

But one thing is certain: we cannot switch off our ear. At all times, the human ear receives sounds, i.e. sound waves that travel through the air to the ear to around 15,000 auditory cells, which then send signals to the brain. People generally perceive sounds in the range between 40 and 65 decibels (dB) as “normally” loud. But even at a volume of 80 – 85 dB, our hearing can suffer permanent damage.

Noise stress is on the road

Such levels (around 80 db) can be measured, for example, near highways or along busy roads.

However, beyond traffic noise – i.e., including all noise sources – noise caused by neighbors came in second among respondents – 60 percent felt disturbed by it.

Noise as a health risk

Scientifically undisputed: noise can make people ill. Short, loud noises around 120 dB can lead to tinnitus, hearing loss or a hearing loss. As a rule, however, the human ear can recover from such events if they occur infrequently.

Continuous noise, on the other hand, can also lead to permanent hearing damage – and a noisy open-plan office can reach levels of around 80 dB. But even as low as about 25 dB, for example, sleep or concentration can be disturbed. In the long run, this increases susceptibility to depression. In addition, noise – depending on the situation and perception – can above all also mean stress: From about 60 decibels, for example, the human body releases the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, and these increase heart rate and blood pressure. In addition to hormone balance, metabolism and brain wave activity are also altered by prolonged noise.

Noise stress drives up blood pressure

The risks of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis have also been shown to be increased by “noise stress.” Almost 50 percent higher risk of being under medical treatment for high blood pressure if there was an average of 55 dB or more of noise outside their bedroom window at night, compared with people for whom this noise was below 50 dB on average. Exposure at night in particular turned out to increase risk.

Disorders of the autonomic nervous system

All organ activities in the body are regulated by the autonomic nervous system. The various stimuli (internal and external) are transmitted via the diencephalon as a control to the autonomic nervous system, which regulates the interaction and function of the organs. Overload (stress) causes disturbances in the autonomic nervous system. The initial overload can lead to short-term functional failures of individual organs. In the case of permanent stress (e.g. high noise exposure), the initially temporary disturbance of an organ usually develops into damage to the same organ.

Psychological disorders

Constant noise is interpreted by the human psyche as a permanent alarm and danger situation, resulting in an aggressive basic attitude. This ultimately leads to problems in communication and in dealing with other people.

Technology vs. noise?

It is difficult to avoid noise, especially in urban areas. How can body and psyche be protected, especially in an organ that cannot be “closed” at will? Technology can be used to stop sound waves on their way to the ear – on the one hand, this has been attempted for years, for example, with noise protection windows in buildings, and noise protection walls in offices, for example, also try to break up the sound. But these measures are costly on the one hand, and on the other hand, tenants or employees may not be able to implement them on their own.

The counter-sound

Companies for acoustic devices, but also start-ups from all over the world are working and researching with a different technology: counter-sound. The idea: to counter the sound waves triggered by noise sources with other, artificially generated sound waves of the same or similar frequency in order to neutralize the air movement, i.e. the original sound waves.

In case you hadn’t already noticed, my life is spent in constant pursuit of whimsy. When it comes to anything twee, I am basically sold. That said, I like to think I can be at least a little bit discerning with these things. Perhaps I am a connoisseur of whimsy. I like that title – let’s stick with that.
My stepdad, Andrew, had been recommending me Blackbird for a while, and yesterday seemed to be the perfect time for a vintage pick-me-up. Blackbird is situated on Ship Street, nestled among several other lovely cafes and eateries. There’s Marwood which caters to the slightly scruffy, absurdist, coffee aficionado, Cafe Coho which is much more slick and trendy-looking, as well as Bagelman (my all-time favourite Bagel shop on the planet). I love all of these places, and I really hope that they ALL manage to survive in a competitive area!

The interior of Blackbird manages to address my craving for all things vintage, whimsical, and ever-so-twee, whilst still seeming somehow ‘fresh’. It’s very easy for a vintage-style tea room to become cloying or sickeningly twee, or aggressively vintage. Blackbird avoids this completely, pairing the vintage collections of photos, postcards and tea paraphernalia with white walls and mirrors, giving the place a light and airy atmosphere.

Andrew and I chose to sit by the window which gave us a good view of the Fabrica gallery as well as some of the cafes I mentioned above. All of the china is vintage, and matches in a delicately mismatched sort of way. I really like mismatched crockery. In fact, I’m a big fan of mismatched EVERYTHING!!
The menu offered a suitably vintage array of cakes, teas, and savoury snacks. The couple at the table next to us ordered some gorgeous little sandwiches which came cut into triangles and carefully arranged on plates. I was very tempted but it seemed like a tea-and-cake sort of an afternoon. We ordered a pot of Earl Grey for two.

Andrew had a slice of the Blackbird cake, the cafe’s signature cake which was essentially a Victoria Sponge with blackberry jam instead of strawberry jam. I tried a bit and I’ve concluded that I prefer this sort of Victoria Sponge to the original type. I ordered a coffee and walnut cake, which was fluffy and perfectly sweet. Both cakes came with mixed berries scattered around the plate. We all know how much I love cake, and this cake was mindblowing.

As we paid, the beautiful woman at the till asked me if I was based in Brighton as they are starting up a craft evening. I was heartbroken to have to tell them I lived in London now. Can I justify moving back to Brighton so I can drink tea, eat cake, and do some knitting with these lovely ladies? You should check out their website and facebook page for more photos and information – this may well be my favourite vintage tearoom in the country and I’ve been to a fair few! I will definitely be visiting again when I’m next in Brighton, and so should you – especially if you love all things vintage, waitresses with victory rolls, incredible cake, and a well-decorated toilet! (Yes, even the toilet is perfect!) I’m in love!

Headphone tidy – Yesstyle – Cute if not super useful…
Portable eyelash curler – MUJI – Use this very carefully as it is quite different from a normal eyelash curler!
Hairclip – Boots – Useful in-flight and for putting on makeup.
Tea dress – Dorothy Perkins – See previous post! This is a great casual date dress.
Plastic travel pouch – MUJI – All my liquids were in here because we only took carry-on luggage.
Analogue camera – Pentax – This used to be my mum’s camera!
Light pyjamas – Primark – The top has one of those useless ‘built in bra’ things, but if you can get past that ridiculousness, it’s great. And the trousers are super comfy. I’m wearing them right now.
Makeup wipes – Boots – makeup wipes are perfect for short breaks and carry-on luggage holidays.
Eyeshadow duo – Bare Minerals – Again, this is tiny and great for a ‘basics only’ approach to packing!
Dehydrated sheet masks – MUJI – OMG these are amazing. A splash of water or toner and they unfurl into sheet masks to refresh your face. Dan and I both used these in the evening before our little dinner date.
What are your packing essentials? What should I take with me next time I go away? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll be sure to respond!

I’ve been an anxious person for as long as I can remember. I spent my childhood convinced that I was going to die from some kind of botched operation and I would wake up sweating from nightmares about dying on an operating table. I cried often, and I obsessed over every perceived failure or inadequacy in my schoolwork, in my social life, with regards to my appearance… the list goes on! (This is where I feel like it’s necessary to let you know that this article isn’t going to have some kind of magical turnaround moment, where I go, “BUT NOW I’M FINE!” because that would be a lie).

Being a perfectionist doesn’t mean that you are perfect! Somewhere along the line, saying that you’re a perfectionist has become an arrogant statement – I find this unbelievably ironic because it’s my perfectionism that holds me back more than anything else. Sometimes I feel like if I can’t do something perfectly then it isn’t worth doing… or like I want to see results immediately. This is where craft comes in. Or really, any art form for that matter (and I truly believe that craft IS art). Pick up a crochet hook, chain a few stitches, and HEY LOOK – THERE’S YOUR RESULT! You did it! And you did it all by yourself. It’s the same with painting, with knitting, embroidery, and even cooking. The beautiful thing about creating of any kind is that you have something to show for your effort. Even if it’s the smallest thing, there is a measurable achievement there. And as someone who has a very real problem with leaving this planet having made no mark on it, seeing evidence of achievement, however small, is very important.

I’m not saying that crochet cured my anxiety – far from it. But I’ve found something about which I don’t have to feel anxious or depressed. I’ve not made any commitments to anyone to make anything. I’m doing it for myself. And if it’s crap, nobody has to know about it – I can unravel it and start again when I’m feeling better about it. As well as having something to show for my efforts, and having an outlet, creative activities such as cooking, crochet and embroidery give me something to occupy my mind in such a way that it gives me space to sort things out in my head a little bit. It takes the ‘edge’ off in such a way that I can see situations a little bit more objectively than I could otherwise. This has allowed me to prevent panic attacks from time to time, although there is no way that knitting or any other craft would be able to stop a panic attack in its tracks altogether.

The final verse in this love song to crafts and creation is the aspect of ‘self care’ that they can provide. Making a meal gives me an excuse to feed myself, and to think about all of the nutrition I’m getting from my lovingly prepared food. Making a blanket means that ultimately, I’ll have something to snuggle up in when I’m cold. Embroidering and adorning things makes my environment more beautiful. Sometimes, when I’m feeling at my worst, it’s difficult to look after myself in a direct way, which is why framing it in craft or cooking can be really beneficial.

So here are my tips for crafting through the pain:

•         Start very small. Don’t try to sew a king-sized quilt if you’ve never quilted before. Just make a coaster or something.
•         Don’t tell anyone you’re going to do it. Just try it out. Maybe knitting will turn you into a stress cadet. Perhaps it will give you a sense of satisfaction that you’ve never experienced before!
•         Don’t feel like you have to craft anything for anyone else.
•         Only craft things that make you happy. Don’t make a dress if you don’t wear dresses. Don’t cook an omelette if you hate eggs!
•         There is no such thing as failure in craft. Your worst-case scenario is that you end up with a pan full of burnt eggs or a tiny little holey square of knitting. It’s still something you made!  And nobody needs to know, remember?!

This is not a cake for the fainthearted! It contains a LOT of sugar, and a LOT of artificial colouring. It’s the sort of thing I almost certainly wouldn’t have been allowed to eat as a child – but now that I’m a grownup I can go absolutely WILD and bake whatever I want. Stickin’ it to the maaaan.

I made this cake for my beautiful friend Tara because it was her birthday. Roughly speaking, I followed the Martha Stewart recipe (which she got from somewhere else, but that’s the internet, guys!), but I’ll take you through what I did!

So let’s start with ingredients! Obviously, Martha Stewart’s recipe is American, so I had to substitute with ingredients I could find in England! I also converted all of the American measurements (cups, etc) into Metric measurements, using the wonders of Google.

Here’s what I used:

1. 360g (but let’s be realistic, more like 400g) of Plain Flour.
2. 4 teaspoons of baking powder.
3. Half a teaspoon of salt.
4. 250g of unsalted butter.
5. 400g of white caster sugar. (1. That’s an unHOLY amount of sugar, even once I reduced the amount. 2. I usually use golden caster sugar but you want the mixture for this cake to be as white as possible so that the rainbow colours shine through better, so I’d recommend white caster sugar here!)
6. 5 egg whites.
7. 350 ml of milky milk. Skimmed or semi-skimmed is best.
8. 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Not the lovely natural stuff with a syrupy texture and brownish colour. Remember, this cake is in no way natural!

Last but not least, the food colourings. These were a bit of a mission for me! I live in London, but there still appear to be less than a handful of shops that sell proper gel food colouring. I’ve made rainbow cakes before that have come out lacklustre and dull, despite the fact that I’d added the best part of a whole bottle of liquid food colouring! Our traditional English food colourings, whilst lovely and nostalgic in their little bottles, do not produce the bright colours you can get from American gel colours. I’ve tried the ‘Silver Spoon’ gel colours too, and they don’t even come close to these ‘Sugar Flair’ wonders. Now, you can get them on the internet, but I made a trek to Chelsea, to visit the Jane Asher Sugarcraft shop. It’s well worth a visit, if you are in the area and love cakey fun.

For the icing, you’ll need:

1. 500g of butter.
2. 1kg of icing sugar.
3. Sugar Flair ‘super white’

Let’s make this bloody cake then.

Oh, I ought to mention at this point, that if you have a hand whisk, your life will be a million times easier when making this cake! Unfortunately, I do not have such luxurious items, so I did it the old fashioned way – with a wooden spoon! So, make sure your butter is lovely and soft, and mix it all up with your sugar, until it looks like a big yellowy play-dough ball!

Your next move, is to separate the whites and the yolks of your five eggs. We only need the whites, because we want the cake mix to be as white as possible. Then, mix it up with your buttery, sugary joy – until it is gooey and combined!

Then add the vanilla extract. Daintily.

Set aside your goo, and focus on the powdery ingredients for a moment. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. There you go.

This next bit is a little more tricky. Sift a bit of your flour mixture into your goo. Mix it up. Next, pour some of your carefully measured milk in. Mix it up. Then go back and put more of your flour mixture in. Keep alternating milk and flour until everything is smooth. Once that’s done, divide your mixture into SIX BOWLS. As equally as you possibly can. Round about now, turn your oven on to preheat. (180 degrees celcius, gas mark 4, 350 degrees fahrenheit)

Once you’ve divided it up into the different bowls, you can get to the super fun bit of mixing in your colouring! Start off with a tiny, tiny bit, and mix it like hell, until your mixture is pretty! Then add more! Keep going until it’s really bright. Here are just four of the six colours I made. It had started to get dark outside by this point, so the colour doesn’t look as amazing as it would have in daylight. Ah well.

Grease your tins with butter. You may have to improvise, and do it one layer at a time like I did, as I only have one round cake tin. It just means you will be baking for a long time. Fortunately, because each layer is very thin, they do bake quickly! They will take roughly 15 minutes, but I always check by sticking a skewer in and seeing if it comes out ‘clean’. I recommend a cake tin with a bottom that pushes out, as it makes cake removal so much easier!

Whilst your cakes are baking, get started on the icing. This is going to involve creaming together roughly 500g of butter with a kilogram of icing sugar, give or take. You will need a LOT of icing. I weighed the cake when I’d finished, and it was about 3kg in total. Butter icing is naturally an appetising yellowish colour, but as I said before, natural is not what we want in this cake! I added Sugar Flair’s “Super White” powder, which does magically make icing so much whiter! It’s really cool. The key with buttercream icing is to play it by ear and keep adding icing and/or butter until it is the right consistency for you. I ended up making more as I didn’t have enough to cover the whole cake. Take your cakes out of the oven, and LET THEM COOL! Never put buttercream icing on a warm cake, or everything will be ruined forever.

When they are cool, start to stack them. Start with the purple one on the bottom, followed by a layer of icing. Follow it with the blue layer, and then more icing. Each layer of icing should be lovely and thick. Keep sandwiching the cakes together in rainbow order, finishing with the red one. When you’ve got your amazing cake tower, cover the top and the sides in the remaining buttercream icing. Then, remove several shelves from your fridge so that you can store the monstrosity overnight.

So there you have it. A mammoth post about rainbow cake! It was a slog to make, and I’d really recommend doing it with a friend, because it would be good fun and also cut down the making time a lot! Baking with friends is the best kind of baking. Give it a go. If you’ve got any problems or something isn’t clear, leave me a comment and I’ll try to help you as best I can.

on the other hand, someone once suggested to me: what if men and women AREN’T equal? in some ways, we aren’t, for example, it cannot be denied that men are on average physically stronger than women. in my opinion, this should not change the way that men and women are TREATED. anyhow, as i was saying, what if we AREN’T equal to men. what then? an interesting thought.

i went busking today with my band, and freya. no original material, just christmas carols, but we did manage to make over thirty pounds in half an hour! we were singing in four part harmony, so it deserved it really! we got asked by this random woman to sing outside the quaker meeting house tomorrow. it was like being talent-spotted… but not as good! ha!

i am on the left, kat is in the middle, and tilly is on the right. we are dressed as romans, of course! our ‘sound’ is a cross between Regina Spektor, Bat For Lashes, Yann Tiersen, Piano Jazz, a barbershop quartet (but there are only three of us!), and other weird stuff! i play the piano, and other keyboard instruments. i also begin most of the songs. the other two sing, play the psultry, the violin, and percussion. i would love to make it big… but it is fun right now!

i have been obsessed with this really strange Italian film for a while. it is called ‘Tre Metri Sopra Il Cielo’. i have only ever seen it in Italian with no subtitles, so i don’t really even know what is going on in it. and the sound track is full of cheesy Italian pop music… but i really do love it somehow. it is the one thing i have to thank my french exchange student for… anyway, i watched it with tilly, and she finally saw what i had been going on about for the past year.

Tomorrow night is Naomi’s birthday, and we are going out for dinner. and it is a week today until my birthday.

My Wishlist:

1. Elbe is making me a surprise dress. i will wear it to my party!
2. Tre Metri Sopra Il Cielo DVD so i can finally watch it with subtitles!
3. Red Converse (not the ankle boots… the low, shoe ones)
4. A pair of “lucky pants”. i need some luck, and also some nice knickers!
5. A book of sheet music by Ludovico Einaudi (his music is amazing!)
6. Nice perfume. i accidentally a special edition of ‘Flower’ by Kenzo, but i wanted the normal one…
7. My mum is knitting me a tank top, which is striped like a bee! (i know it may sound geeky, but i think it is going to be amazing!)

so for now, i sign off. i am going to make myself a red-Leicester sandwich…