October 2024

We're so excited to share another monthly journal written by the lovely Lola Jones, also known as @pocketfullofbuttercups on Instagram. Lola is a wonderful photographer and all round creator of beautiful content, raising her twin daughters Maya and Chloe, little Thea and her youngest Millie Fleur from her house near the Peak District. Each month she will give us a small glimpse into her world, inspiring you with activity ideas, recipes and more.

Foraging with my little ones is one of my favourite pastimes in autumn. Thea and I have gathered
a lovely little collection of leaves during our recent trip to the local park and decided to repurpose
some of them with this simple craft.

You will need:

- Inside carton of a toilet roll
- Acrylic paint, small paintbrush or a cocktail stick or a gel pen
- Leaves
- Hot glue and gun

Method:

Fold the top of the toilet roll carton inwards so the two sides meet in the middle creating two
pointed ends (they will be bat ears). Draw two eyes, a mouth with fangs, add pink cheeks if you
like. Once the face is finished and the paint is dry, choose two leaves of similar size and glue one
at a time to the back of the body of your bat.

For three years now we have been creating our own Monster Mash to celebrate Halloween. We
come up with a theme, decor ideas, costumes and the menu and have lots of fun creating our
own spooky tea party. These cute bite-size monster truffles have made it on our menu this year.
Fun and easy to make, they are sure to be a hit at any Halloween celebration.

Ingredients:

For brownies:
- 188g unsalted butter
- 188g good quality dark chocolate
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tbs vanilla paste
- 250g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 150g chopped walnuts (optional)

To decorate your truffles:
- 300g dark/milk chocolate
- Sugar eyes
- Sprinkles

Method:

TO MAKE BROWNIES:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line the tin with baking parchment. In a heavy-based pan, melt the
butter and the chocolate together. While the mixture is cooling, in a separate bowl, beat the eggs,
sugar and vanilla. Now add the melted chocolate and butter followed by the flour, salt and nuts (if
using). Mix well and pour the mixture into the tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes. When ready, the
brownies should have a dry crust, but be gooey on the inside.

TO MAKE MONSTERS:
Once the brownies are completely cool, scoop or break off a tablespoon at a time and squeeze
and shape into balls.

Prepare a plate or a baking tray and line it with greaseproof paper.

Melt chocolate over a bain-marie, dip the brownie balls one at a time into the melted chocolate.
Using a spoon, roll them around to evenly and completely cover in chocolate. If you would like to
cover them in sprinkles too, then do it now - either sprinkle them on the truffle over a plate or
simply roll the chocolate-covered brownie ball in a bowl-full of sprinkles. Place on a tray lined with
greaseproof paper and decorate with sugar eyes. The eyes will stick well directly onto the melted
chocolate, but if you added a layer of sprinkles on top, then dab a little extra melted chocolate
with a cocktail stick and add the eyes.

Place the tray in the fridge until the chocolate is set (about 30 min - 1hr). Enjoy!

In our house, pumpkins and squashes are a compulsory element of autumn decor. For a couple of
years now, I have been meaning to try and turn some of the small squashes into candles or
candleholders and finally had a go at it this year and I love the end result. I might try different
shapes and colours next.

To turn your squashes into candles, simply cut the tops of your pumpkins/squashes and scrape
out the flesh and the seeds. I used soy wax pellets and waxed wicks that I had at home for my
candles, but beeswax would work just as well.

Melt the wax in a pan with a spout over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. While the wax is
melting, place the wicks in the middle of the squashes and support each one with two skewers.
Carefully pour the melted wax into the pumpkins and immediately straighten the wicks. Let the
wax set completely before burning your candles.