5 Minutes with... New Blogger, Fiona!

Welcome friends to my third 5 Minutes with.....post!

I am so pleased to introduce my next blogging friend to you today. She is actually one of my very dear friends in REAL LIFE! May I please introduce to you the very talented Fiona!

Fiona is a new blogger and she is one of the most creative people I have ever met. She authors the blog nicobelle design and she designs and sews the sweetest clothing and accessories for little girls.

Have a look at some of the beautiful things that she has made.

She offers the most beautiful and unique range of clothes made from pure cotton designer fabrics imported from the US, Japan and Europe, and of course from right here in Australia.

Fiona is also a big tea drinker and we often have little "tea parties" where we try new and exciting teas from all around the world...with lots of chatting thrown in as well of course! 

So without any further ado, let's spend the next 5 minutes with....Fiona!

What’s your daily beauty routine?
The first thing I do every morning is jump in the shower – splashing water on my face is a great way to wake myself up! I always moisturise in the morning and at night. In summer I use Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion because it’s so light in the heat. In winter with the drier weather, a creamier lotion is necessary, so anything from Nivea is lovely – they are just so soft, and again, not heavy.

At night, I remove make up with Clinique’s Rinse-off Foaming cleanser before moisturising.

Macy's

What type of music do you listen to when you are relaxing?

I’m currently listening to a selection of music from Michael Buble, Priscilla Ahn, Lenka, Great Lake Swimmers and Joy Williams. I find their upbeat, happy songs are great to relax or work to. Many of these I have found from playlists on people’s blogs – such a great way to listen to a variety of songs before you download them!

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What is your favourite fragrance?
My current favourite is Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, but I still love Lancome’s Tresor, Estee Lauder’s Beautiful and YSL’s Paris – all floral and so pretty.

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What are you reading at the moment?
The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons. As we are decorating after a home renovation, I also read many house design and craft books, so have a few good reads on the go at any given time.

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Which room in your home brings you the most joy?
I love the new family room as it’s the place we all gravitate to in the evening. We might watch TV, read or do crafty things, but it is the place we all gather to relax.

What is your favourite dinner party meal?
My favourite meal to prepare and eat would be a Greek feast! The starters and main meals almost blend into one with a selection of dips, breads, olives, salads, dolmades, moussaka, grilled chicken, spanikopita, lamb kebabs, garlic and rosemary potatoes………the list goes on! Of course, dessert would have to be something sweet and syrupy like baklava or the custard pastry, galaktoboureko. Mmm, I feel hungry just thinking about it!

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My family also loves eating Snickerdoodles!  Until three months ago, we had never heard of them but through the wonders of internet searching, discovered our favourite biscuits of all time.  They’re simple to make, use regular ingredients in your pantry and taste crunchy and delicious.  Try eating just one! 

(Photo credit: Australian Women’s Weekly)

Ingredients:

185g butter, softened

1 ¼ cups caster sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ¾ cups plain (all purpose) flour

1 teaspoon bicarb (baking) soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons caster sugar, extra

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, extra

Method:

1.       Pre-heat oven to 190°C (375°F).

2.       Cream the butter and sugar together until blended.  Add the eggs, beating well after each addition, and the vanilla extract.

3.       Combine the dry ingredients in another bowl and add in stages to the butter mix.  Combine well.

4.       In a smaller bowl, mix together the extra cinnamon and sugar.

5.       Form the biscuit mix into walnut-sized balls, coat in the sugar mix and place on a baking tray at least 5cm (2inches) apart as they will spread when cooking.  I flatten them slightly as well.

6.       Bake for approximately 10 minutes until golden in colour.  Leave on baking sheets for a minute or so, then remove and cool on a wire rack.

This is a large mix which will yield around 48 biscuits – just halve if you don’t think you will need as much, but once their scent permeates your home, they will disappear quickly!!

Tea or coffee?
At a café, I will always drink a café latte or chai latte, but at home, tea all day long! My current favourite is Stockholm blend from the Tea Centre in Brisbane, with flavours of orange peel, calendula blossoms, vanilla and rose petals, all mixed into a black tea base. Lovely!

Kitchn (Click link for great recipe!)

Favourite holiday photo?
In the school holidays, we love to visit the beach, even in winter! When friends stay at the beach it’s also lovely to drop in for a visit too – here are Natasha’s daughter Maddy and my daughter Nic enjoying a wonderful day together at Mooloolaba.

Describe your blog in one sentence….
As my blog is just getting off the ground, it’s a bit of a work in progress! With my new shop opening, I’ll be blogging all the time now about new designs, clothing ranges and all the gorgeous fabrics I’ll be creating with! I will also be posting about some of the yummy goodies I bake.  So please stay tuned……..

Thank you Natasha for inviting me to be a guest on your blog!  I have really enjoyed sharing some snippets of my life with all of your bloggy friends.

Thank you so much Fiona for spending 5 with minutes with me. I hope that you get lots of new followers for your blog (hint hint!) and that your new business venture is a huge success!

Please go and visit my sweet friend Fiona at her beautiful blog, nicobelle design or to see more of her beautiful children's clothes please visit her website of the same name (nicobelle design). Be sure to tell her I said "G'day!" and make sure your enter her Give away. It is open world-wide!

Thanks so much for visiting today and thank you also to the wonderful ladies who host such fabulous linky parties every week:

Foodie Friday with Michael Lee, 

Tickled Pink Friday with Holly

Show and tell Friday with Cindy

and Beverly's Pink Saturday Party

Best wishes and happy weekend,

Natasha In Oz