A few new bits to brighten up the tent

I had a little trip to the shops today to stock up on a few unessential items for our camping trip!

I got this cute little milk pan which will come in very handy for all our hot chocs we shlurp at night.

I then stocked up on these fabulous knives, by Kuhn Rikon which can be found in most camping and cookery shops.

They are perfect for camping as they have the safety of the blade guards to protect and they also get the very important glamping seal of approval because of their vibrant range of colours.

Last stop off was to my all time favourite shop Cath Kidston. There I found a very handy cool bag for picnics and a lovely melamine jug .

Happy Glamping Y'all!

Waterproof Bunting

Glamp up the outside of your tent with some gorgeous waterproof bunting, which is ridiculously easy to make. Firstly pop to the shops and get 4 different types of oil cloths, you only need a minimum of 30cms of each and 6 metres of white tape.
Then using the template below cut out 6 x triangles of your favourite oil cloth and then 4 x triangles of the other 3 oil clothes.

15.5cms by 20cms

Take two of the same patterned triangles and place wrong side to wrong side. Slide the tape in between the triangles, leaving a 15 cm overhang and sew it all together.

If you find the sewing machine foot doesn't run smoothly and sticks to the oil cloth, rub a little vaseline on the bottom.

Then measure 10 cms along the tape again from the 1st sewn on triangle and then sew on another two triangles as before.

Keep repeating this until all the triangles are sewn on.

To make the ends even, measure 15 cms from the final triangle and cut. You should end up with 9 triangles along your bunting and it should measure just under 2.5 meters in total.

You can also use fabric glue to stick the triangles together, this prevents the oil cloth curling if it does get wet. Although glue after you have sewn them to the tape.

If you have any questions or would like to send me pictures of your waterproof bunting, I would love to hear from you and maybe I'll even set up a gallery of Happy Glampers....

Alternatively you can buy the waterproof bunting directly,  £15 including postage, by emailing me at thehappyglamper@me.com.

Colourful Cushions

I simply adore a mish mash of colourful, different patterned cushions. They really can make any type of room, be it brick or canvas, come to life.

Today I found some material tucked away in a cupboard and decided to put it to good use and make a couple of cushions for our tent.

It really doesn't have to cost a fortune to do either. A great place to buy cheap cushions is from Ikea, I even found a couple in a charity shop the other day for a £1.00. Love a bargin!

The cushion covers in the picture above are made with material from Cath Kidston. You can find all her gorgeous materials and much more online at cathkidston.co.uk.

The envelope cushion cover is the perfect way to make a quick camping cushion, as you don't want to put too much love into it when its going to spend most of its life living in a field!

Here's a great link on how to make an envelope cover, courtesy of the lovely Kirsty Allsopp.

www.channel4.com/4homes/design-style/how-to-guides/how-to-make-an-envelope-cushion-cover-09-04-14_p_1.html.

If you can't be bothered to make your own cushions and you would like me to do it for you, I would be more than happy to. Please send me a comment, with your email address or tweet me on twitter, msabbieeastwood, and we can take it from there.

Happy Glamping Y'all!

How I became The Happy Glamper - The tale of the heater

Getting really excited about camping in a couple of weeks, especially as the sun has finally decided to pop out and warm the weather up.

Although to be honest with you, I have absolutely no excuse to cancel the Devon trip just because it maybe a little miserable and nippy at night. This is simply because a few years ago a friend of mine, Tracey, introduced me to the wonderful world of 'camping on a hook up' AND having a heater!

When she first told me of her plush camping ways, I laughed at her and said she didn't know what REAL camping was! However that night as I huddled in my teepee wrapped in a hundred layers, hot chocolate in one hand with a little shiver on and she sat sipping wine in hers all snug as a bug in a rug, I thought to myself, surely a little heater wouldn't hurt!

I couldn't imagine camping in Blighty without my beloved heater now and would highly recommend a cheap electric blower for your tent, thats if you don't already have one. It really does makes all the difference when the sun goes down and you zip up for the night. Just make sure you remember to get an electric hook up pitch and a hook up plug adapter to plug it in or you'll still be nippynoo.

Happy Glamping Y'all x

Glamping Cooking Equipment Checklist

I found packing everything needed for a good camping trip, stressful, time consuming, tiring and a right old pain in the backside. So instead of rummaging around my kitchen trying to remember what i needed to take with me, I decided to buy a few essentials and keep them stored in a large picnic basket.

This now means that when we go camping, everything is packed and ready to go. Not only is it a massive time saver, its a huge weight off my mind as I know I can’t forget anything!

All the recipes throughout the book use equipment from the list below, so if you follow this guide, you simply can’t go wrong......

2 ring gas burner stove with grill

sauté pan

frying pan

small saucepan

large saucepan

2 sharp knives

small vegetable chopping board

small meat chopping board

measuring jug

plastic salad bowl (doubles up as mixing bowl)

2 x wooden spoons

spatula (metal one is best)

peeler

cheese grater

potato masher

garlic press

scissors (these are used for food only)

heart or any other shape cookie cutter (not essential just to add some fun)

kettle

dinner sized plates *

side plates*

bowls*

mugs*

plastic tumblers*

cutlery set (includes, 6 x knives, forks, tablespoons, teaspoons)

washing up bowl

t-towels

and not forgetting the all important bottle & tin opener!

* take as many as you require, I always take a couple more to use as serving plates.

Glamping General Checklist

Please feel free to print this off.

Tent

Pole Bag

Mallet / Tool Bag

Tent Carpet

Footprint sheet

Cooker/ Stove

Gas Bottle

Electric hook up plug adapter

Kitchen Unit/Stand

Wardrobe Unit

Table & Stools

Kitchen Equipment Basket (with cutlery/plates/saucepans)

Wind Break

Inflatable Beds

Sleeping Bags

Duvets

Pillows

Snuggly Colourful Blankets

Electric Cool Box/ Fridge

Heater

Washing Up Bowl

Laundry Basket

Bin

Chairs

Radio

Door Mat

Lantern/ Torch

BBQ

Towels

Small Clothes Horse

Games

Cooking, Cooking And More Cooking!

Been really busy getting all the images ready for my camping cook book, Cooking Under Canvas. I haven't stopped cooking over the last few days and hoping that the sun will keep its hat on, so I can use natural lighting to take the perfect snaps.

I did have help with the project this weekend as the girls came to stay. It was perfect timing as they turned out to be fabulous helpers, not only with the washing and drying up, but with the taste testing.

I have to say I am a very lucky girl to have them in my life. They are truly the most amazing friends in the world and considering their jobs and lifestyles, are ridiculously down to earth, I cannot fault them in anyway. Fran, a fabulous feminist and Guy Chambers PA, was completely in her element testing all my camping culinary delights and Nicola who is Leona Lewis' manager was the genius behind a difficult lighting situation!

There was panic as the sun was setting last night and we were running out of natural light.

But crisis averted as Nicola had a cunning plan.

A torch.

As much as Fran and I laughed at her loony idea, it did actually work, a little!

And this is the winning shot of my delicious camping chocolate fondue.

(check out the amazing torch lighting!!!!)

I am thoroughly enjoying putting this book together and can't wait to share the recipes with you, once I have finished in my camping kitchen .

Happy Glamping Y'all! x