The Friday Edit: Blogs that Inspire

Since I've started blogging, I've come across so many great blogs.  They inspire me to take better pictures, write better and just get my creative juices flowing again. So every Friday will be dedicated to the blogs I love and other things that inspire me.

http://www.joyhey.com

JoyHey is my most recent find. I've come across very few artists who can do pastel photography and so was thrilled to find her. If you're after eyefuls of pretty pastel imagery, this is the site to go to. She makes everything from telephones to oranges (yes, really!) look good. It's like seeing the world with rose coloured glasses, the perfect 5 minute escape from my desktop monitor. 

http://www.creaturecomfortsblog.com

If you're into DIY, home decor and styling to colour themes, CreatureComforts is one you should visit. What I love most about this blog is her editing. From your indie shops to mass chain stores, she is great at curating collections of beautiful things. The best part is that she does this to different colour themes, great my Pinterest idea boards. I had my eye on this Lola Blue Quartz and Gold Vermeil ring she featured in her Colour Crush post on canary yellow and violet, but it's all sold out now. 

http://sweetlavenderbakeshoppe.blogspot.com.au/

This one is for all the foodies out there. Chocolate dipped corn chips, edible buttons, Hello Kitty themed desserts? You can find it all here. I love her love for colourful foods. She also rocks at making butterflies to put on cupcakes! On this note, it's time for a snack. 

Thanks for reading!!! x

Escape the 9-5: Window Shopping for Mini Kitchen Utensils

Good things come in small packages - such a cliche but so applicable to all the things I love. I've been fascinated by miniatures ever since I can remember. When I was in my early 20s, Sunday afternoons were spent creating mini replicas of ice cream shops and high tea parties with a Japanese clay known as nendo. If you've read my blog of late, you'll see I'll mostly make my desserts in mini versions...mini scones, mini ice cream cones...etc. It was a joy to find a collection of mini kitchen utensils from Chalet, for the junior masterchefs or for those who share my love of miniature kitchen utensils, desserts and doll-house sized gadgets. 

http://www.chalet.net.au/home

One. Fiesta Sil-Pin Basic Silicone Pink Rolling Pin  $29.95 AUD

Two. Silicone Mini Tong $3.00 AUD

Three. Mini Grater 3 piece set  $8.95AUD

Four. Scanpan Spectrum Yellow Utility Knife $7.95 AUD

Five. Miniamo Kids Stater Baking Set $36.95 AUD

Sunday Sessions: Shop Preview!

Thanks to my very good friend, Andrew, I've been able to get some shots of the apron dresses I'm working on. Here's a sneak peak of the Lemon and Mint Sorbet apron. Big thanks to Andrew and his sister, who gave up their Sunday night to bake cupcakes so we'd have them in the shot. 

This type of photography isn't his usual style but he did a fab job in creating that soft, dreamy, Instagram-like look and feel. See the rest of his work here - http://www.andrewphanphotography.com.

Hopefully I'll be able to show you more soon! x

Escape the 9-5: Retail Therapy with Pastel Kitchenware

I love that pastels and sorbet colours have made a comeback this year. I've had my eye on a few pastel kitchen accessories for quite a while now. Some of them are things I actually need and some I want just because they are darn right pretty. So retro. So pretty.

One. Pastel cupcake liners from Wilton. This is the one-stop shop for bakers.They have everything from chocolate melts(as used in my last Sunday Session) to food colouring to all types of cupcake liners. $1.99 USD for a pack.

Two. Jamie Oliver Cool Box in Vintage Blue. I think the guys would appreciate the ample space for beers in this cooler (or esky as they call it in Oz). It even has a bottle opener on the side. Great for picnics and bbqs. It's on sale at Victoria's Basement for $59 AUD

Three. Kitchen Aid mixer in Almond Cream. This mixer comes in different shades of pastel and will set you back about $350 USD ($679 AUD) but it has 10 different speeds so you can mix till your heart's content. Great for someone like me who has so called "muppet arms" and needs to be reminded to put some muscle into my hand mixing. You can get it at Target US or if you're in Australia, at Kitchenware Direct for $679 AUD.

Four. Kitchen Aid hand mixer in pink. If your credit card is not ready for a big splurge, consider this hand mixer. It'd make a good Mother's Day gift. You can pick one up for $80USD at Amazon or for $115 AUD at Kitchen Ware Direct.

Five. Rhubarb Colander in Pastel Blue. I love how such simple functional things can make your kitchen more vibrant. I found this Pastel Blue Colander at Peter's of Kensington. $10 AUD

Sunday Sessions: Cake Pops in Mini Ice Cream Cones

I'm two years too late but having seen cake pops everywhere these past few weeks, I decided to give it a go myself. I thought the idea of putting them into ice cream cones were original until Google images proved me wrong (there are so many variations!). Bakerella made them look so easy, making mine in comparison look like a cheap knock-off. She's one talented lady that Bakerella. So many things went wrong during my Sunday Session but I think they turned out alright. They're not as perfectly dipped as most cake pops but I think it's realistic that they look a bit messy, with melted chocolate just dripping over the cone.

Cake baked and rolled into balls. Frosting is what keeps them intact but I think I must have added to much frosting because it was difficult to get them to stay in its shaped, even after putting them in the freezer for 20 minutes.

These mini ice cream cones were the source of my inspiration. I saw these at Coles (Australian supermarket chain)and had to pick it up. To show how tiny they are, I've put the mini ice cream cones beside a 50ml bottle of food colouring. It even comes with an easy to assemble serving tray. Thanks Coles!

I had trouble dipping the chocolate balls in the chocolate coating, several of them fell apart when I dunked them into the chocolate. Instead, I used a spatula to add the chocolate coating.

Sprinkles explosion. The messiest Sunday Session to date!

Escape the 9-5: Discovering new neighbourhoods and Kitchen by Mike

I've lived in Australia for about two years now and I still haven't run out of neighbourhoods to discover. Once in awhile, I make a day out of riding around town, stumbling into nooks of the city we haven't seen before. It was the perfect weather to take the bikes out this past weekend, where I found Kitchen by Mikes, a casual cafe set in an old warehouse. It's owned by one of the former chef at Rockpool and so we knew it was bound to be a treat to the palette.

Old industrial warehouse meets rustic charm.

Fresh squeezed orange juice and banana smoothie in recycled jars.

Bacon, eggs and beans. Yum!

Sourdough pancakes with lemon curd. Kitchen by Mikes http://www.koskela.com.au/kitchen/

Sunday Sessions: Chocolate Pear Puddings and a tip for chocolate lovers

I had a lazy Sunday session this week. The sun has finally come out these past couple of weeks in Sydney and I've been out enjoying the beach. I saw this recipe and was sold by its sheer simplicity. I think it takes the cake as shortcuts go but it's a good one to keep in mind in case you need to make a dessert on the fly. If you have time to get a little bit fancy, try Nigella's recipe.

I served ours in little eggcups as several of my taste testers have politely mentioned that they've put on a few pounds since my Sunday sessions have started. A tip for dark chocolate lovers: A random but very useful fact I learned over the weekend is that dark chocolate tastes sweeter with a bit of salt. I don't have the scientific explanation behind it but it's been tried and tested in our kitchen. Add a dash of salt (I prefer sea salt) to your chocolate of choice to bring out its flavours. Here's why I had to cut my Sunday session short. Look at this view! We're taking a little break on the beach with the Hunger Games trilogy.