Swoon

I am trying to secure these lamps for TheodoreMade. Rachel Zoe has them, they are so eyecatching and swoonworthy- too much beautiful products out there...one for me, one for the store...

TheodoreMade

This photo is the inspiration behind my website TheodoreMade. Adore it!!

An oldie but a goodie...

I am gathering inspirational photos for a photoshoot and remembered this one and still love it SO much...

Neighbours Christmas Cookies

This year I thought I would do the DIY cookie in a jar idea- you pack all of the ingredients into the jar and let the receiver cook it themselves- an excellent thought...However I am a touch controlling and decided I would bake the cookies, then ended up decorating them too and voila packaged them up and Christmas cookies were complete.
The recipe I used was from Cake Journal it is fool proof....

VANILLA SUGAR COOKIES

Makes around 25-30 medium sized cookies.

(200 grams) of sugar
(OR 100 grams sugar and 100 grams of confectioners sugar)
2 large eggs.
1 tsp of vanilla.
(450 grams) of all-purpose flour, sifted
(200 grams) of unsalted butter, diced.

Extra flour for kneading and rolling.

Step 1:
In a bowl or in the kitchen mixer with paddle attachment, mix the two types of sugar, vanilla and the egg. Add the flour and the butter and keep mixing just until the dough comes together.

Step 2:
Knead the dough lightly by hand on your flour dusted kitchen counter and wrap it well in cling film and put it in a plastic bag. Chill the dough for 2 hours.

I always roll out my dough on a sheet of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour and I set my oven to 325F (170C) when I bake cookies and place the baking tray in the middle of the oven. Depending on size I bake them from 15-20 mins. You want them to be light golden brown without being raw in the middle.

Just waiting on their arms...To get the little snowman circles I used my piping tips (the different sized circles were perfect for the job)

Next up I had to quickly make some cupcakes for a Christmas Party and decided some quick trees were in order. I got the Wilton Ruffled cupcake patty cases from Little Betsy Baker and used a buttercream icing from Sharnel Dollar (it NEVER fails)
BUTTERCREAM ICING

250 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

400 grams icing sugar

1 tbs milk (optional)

2 tbs vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and cream for 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl occasionally. Add sifted icing sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat for a minute further. Add food coloring as desired.
Buttercream can be stored to up to three days in an airtight container in a cool place. Do not refrigerate.

The fondant stars were just Orchard fondant from the supermarket in the pink box- nicest taste I think. Ordinarily these would have been placed on a toothpick, but I had kids helping me do this (playdate at my house) and my kitchen was a MESS!!!!

Art and whatnot....

As an avid liker of all things pretty- it comes as no surprise that I should be headover heels in love with this Narate Kathong painting titled The Season of Love- Red Forest. It is a whopping 200 x 200 and I absolutely adore it. It is available in Melbourne at a lovely little price of $9K- I would call it a beautiful investment piece (husband are you reading this??), maybe next time you are in Singapore, just plop this baby under your arm as I hear they are cheaper there :-)


At the complete polar opposite is this magnificent piece- Natural Curiosities- Lord Bodner's Octopus Study Triptych which my husband will pick up for me next time he is in the states. I adore it, and as I am decorating in greys, duckegg, pink and mirror it will fit in beautifully with our decor. He is my "pet".

Eye Candy...Sugar High

Beware..you will be on a sugar high after viewing what The Candy Buffet Company has for our viewing pleasure- more pictures available on their facebook page.
Beautiful chocolate showpieces from Sisko. Divine work for some very prestigious clients!

Inspired

Inspiration comes in many forms, I like many a good woman, ADORE flowers. Have them in my house always. ALWAYS.
These are just a couple of the arrangements that I have had in my home that I have slapped together..bahahahaha I kid I kid! (these are the pets I like too)!

On a gloomy day in Melbourne...

Here is a little sunshine to warm the cockles of your heart. Here is hoping the sun starts shining today in time for my son's Christmas party...

A touch of whimsy...

I never thought I would re-live my eight year old self 23 years later in 2010 by having a may-jah crush on the colour lavender.. Perhaps it is pictures like this...
P.S I hope this post works as I am testing the limits of my iPhone right now :-)

Loving

(apologies for dodgy photography)
Head over heels for this Kate Spade vase, if only she were still producing them (they can be found on ebay I believe..) It would look gorgeous next to my TheodoreMade blush pink lamp base with gold spots...

This explains my day....

A little bit of pretty

To wish you sweet dreams of this perfect place...thank you to Luxe Fête Event Planning and Design Studio for the beautiful venetian mirrors, ghost stools, blush pink arrangements and Fleather (faux leather?)- bliss!

Hello Christmas...

Images from Style Me Pretty

I spotted these over at Sweet Little Birdy milk royals, white chocolate (?) and some red and green jube style lollies- HELLO CREATIVE GENIUS TARA!!

plus these jars which I adore- and do not even get me started on the spoons!

Now the thing about these jars is that I spotted them at this party and Tracey Lau released this little bit of information tonight....So now I am off to explain to my husband why in addition to the 45 thousand nectar bottles I bought- I now need these gorgeous little pots of lovely.

Do you think I could push my luck with these little babies...

Mad for these...

I absolutely am in love with this interior by Brad Ford and in particular the artwork. I am not too sure who it is by, but I think it is heavenly!

I am also loving these horses. So beautiful and powerful but soothing too. An animal lover I am not, I don't like the mess, but these pictures are definitely the sort of "pets" I like- no mess, no fuss....

10 things you did not know about me....

Well, I do feel kind of special that Suzanna from MonTresor tagged me to do the 10 things you did not know about me...so here goes...

1. When I get excited, I squeal like a girl (picture high octive wiiieeeewwww) and I tend to tap, use my hands a lot, possibly hit (my husband), hug and/ or jump up and down when I am super excited about something. It is the little things, like a macaron turning out perfectly, finding an amazing bag or my son Samuel standing up or my other son Tyler reading all of the letters at the doctors. Does not matter where I am- these actions usually follow regardless of whom is around.

2. I CANNOT do sales. I find them so messy and chaotic that it really does my control freak mind in. Also when I enter a shop I HAVE to go around to the left and do the circle that way (please I am not Adrian Monk- I can step on cracks).

3. My pet hate is people who spell the word DEFINITELY wrong (I am sorry, please do not hate me).

4. I own approximately 200 pairs of shoes, which live in our garage colour co-ordinated, 60 handbags which live under our stairs in colour co-ordinated fashion, and I have not dared count the number of cakestands or apothecary jars...a few of my favourite things that I go weak at the knees over...I know there are a lot of you girls who share my passion.

5. My husband does my waxing and hair colour (blush)- HE IS SO GOOD AT IT, why would I go anywhere else!

6. Up until recently, I was the mama behind Pink Theodore- little girlie accessories. When I started it 5 years ago, there was only a handful of us girls and my goodness- as Suzanna knows, the looooonnngggg nights of orders, plus a 1 year old who still wakes at least 4 times a night- not a good combination. But I have now taught a few ladies how to make the accessories and they are doing so well, and I LOVE their work!

7. The colour black and I are not in love- AT ALL....

8. I was my high school house captain at high school every year, very sporty, competing at national levels...but now I can barely run to my letterbox without getting lactic acid build up (please note my letterbox is approximately 5 metres from my front door!)

9. I never get sick (knock on wood)- not even a cold when these things go around. Bless the men in my life, they catch everything!

10. I played the flute in high school and sat my AMEB tests, and always did horribly because I did not like to practice...

So, I hope you have not fallen asleep, what a lovely way to spend a quiet afternoon (baby asleep), I will tag some lovlies a little later on and post some of the parties and some DIY's I have been working on.

xx

Run...Don't Walk....

A little while ago I spied a "gem of a find" at Spotlight of all stores. I pulled it off the top shelf (keep in mind I am only 157cm tall- determined I know), pulled this "gem of a find" out of the box- DISMAY....no lid and no spigot on the, "gem of a find"...CRAP!
So out of site, out of mind. Then I got a message from Suzanna at Mon Tresor...she had purchased the "gem of a find" via mail order. Now what is it??? The very much desired thing of the moment in the party world, apart from Sharnel Dollar...- BEVERAGE DISPENSERS!!!! Now it is such a gem, because it is only $49.95 (I know, I hyperventilated too) and it is SPOTLIGHT, who would have thought, and it is only $6.95 postage (that is amazing these days, considering I was recently quoted $248 shipping for one from USA). Now it is only carried at a certain number of Spotlight stores, so you can call head office and RUN DON'T WALK as I feel they will be snapped up quite quickly.
If you happen to miss out, Sharnel Dollar Designs will be stocking the most amazing collection of drink dispensers, patisserie stands (cannot wait), unique cake stands, signature table skirts and all sorts of beautiful items that you WILL NOT see anywhere else. Sharnel's online store is officially open for business (insert squuueeeeeaaalllll of excitement here)
Please excuse my poor excuse of "photography"...