Lazy Rainy Day

Today is a rainy Tuesday.
I can hear the rain coming down outside.
I have warm hand knitted socks.
I have a hot cup of tea.
Today was meant to stay inside
Warm, in a bed like this.

Pretty Paris Pastries

A few photos of some of the pretty pastry displays that continually tempt me as I'm walking around Paris. It's a good thing I walk between 6 and 8 hours per day while in this city.

These photos are all my original work and are embedded with watermarks. Please enjoy, but refrain from licking your screen.

 

A Year of Pretty - February 19, 2014

It's chilly outside. For Today's Pretty Post...these warm and inviting Moroccan wedding blankets.

So pretty with the little silver discs as decoration, and the different textures and fringes to finish the edges. I can certainly appreciate the time and effort it would take to make one of these; which is most likely why they are reserved for special occasions like weddings.

Called Handiras, Moroccan wedding blankets are hand woven in natural, undyed wool and cotton, which is why they would be so warm. They are the equivalent of our North American wedding dress. For months prior to her wedding, a bride-to-be and her family make the blanket together, while she is instructed on her new role as a wife.

The silver discs are thought to serve more than one purpose. They sparkle and flash in the light, so as to ward off evil spirits. The discs are quite costly for a family, so the more discs on a bride's blanket, the more prestige and wealth she is thought to bring to her husband.

The day of her wedding, the bride's family wraps her blanket around her as they sing songs praising her fertility, value and honour. She is then put on a mule or donkey, and with her family makes the trek to her new husband and new home. Often, she has an arranged marriage, and her new home could be the next village or over the next mountain range. So it helps to have a super warm and cozy blanket for the journey.

I have a cream coloured sofa, so one of these would fit right in at my place. Although I would probably have to put it away when my good friend A comes over for wine and cheese. Something tells me Tempranillo and these blankets would not make good company if they came in contact.

So even if you are not about to be a bride, I still invite you to grab one, a hot cup of tea, a good book and snuggle in and get warm!

A Year of Pretty - February 13, 2014

I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day. I never have been. I guess because I'm not a fan of hearts and cupids and red roses. And any day is the perfect day to be romantic and tell someone that you love them, you don't need a special day to do that.

That being said, I do like making cookies or cupcakes and decorating them for Valentine's Day. Who am I kidding; I like doing that for any occasion.

So I thought this centrepiece would be cute on a table if you were hosting a little afternoon tea on Valentine's Day. While not exclusively hearts and cupids, it does have that "love is in the air" feeling about it.

You could put whatever you like in the teacups; cinnamon hearts, chocolates covered with red foil, red heart marshmallows. I think it would be easy enough to make. An candelabra, some old teacups and some super glue. You could paint the candelabra whatever colour you like, but I think it looks nice with the vintage white and the white porcelain from the tea cups.

Either way, enjoy your Valentine's Day tomorrow, whether you are a fan of the day or not.

A Year of Pretty - January 13, 2014

Today's Pretty Post is this collection of silver cutlery handles. Originally a flickr photo post by queenofheartsart. I find the Keats Poems background a nice addition, as well as the antique looking fabric rose. These silver handles would make for interesting silver jewelry, such as rings or bracelets. A while back I did a post about turning silver spoon handles into rings, one of which I now wear quite regularly. 

A Year of Pretty - January 05, 2014

Okay, okay . . . I know I've been posting a lot of cup and saucer and high tea photos this past week. But just one more tea party themed post and then I'll move on to something else.

Today's Pretty Post is from one of my FAVOURITE design inspiration sites called Design Seeds. First, I think it's a really awesome name for a design inspiration site, since each idea for design does indeed start with a seed of sorts. The seed grows and changes and grows some more until the designer arrives at the end product; the manifestation of the original design seed.

So what is Design Seeds? Basically, it's a palette search tool based around colours found in an item, such as shown in today's post. Think of it as an elegant version of paint chips you'd find at Home Depot or Rona.

Created by Jessica in 2009, Design Seeds began as a way for her to incorporate her love of colour with design blogging. Throughout her art school training at the Center for Creative Studies and her extensive design career working with companies such as Ford, Reebok and Timberland, Jessica has created original colour journals. Design Seeds is a modern interpretation of these journals.

While the colour palettes shown do not have any specific paint brands associated with them, there are many paint stores that will scan a colour swatch and create a corresponding paint colour. Just keep in mind that what you see on your screen and what is printed from your desktop printer may be slightly different.

Design away my friends .  .Design away !

A Year of Pretty - January 04, 2014

Today's Pretty Post is this collection of pink and gold Marie Antoinette inspired china cups and saucers. The original photo source was from Pinterest, but I traced it back to an Australian website called The Vintage Table.

Established in 2010, The Vintage Table is a boutique vintage china rental and and styling company that you hire to help you stage an elegant tea party. Basically, you call them up and arrange to rent their glorious vintage china and they come and set the table and make it look all fancy-schmancy and high class. Great for bridal parties, corporate events and special celebrations. Or even just because you want to get together with some special friends in the garden over a good cup of tea.

The company began with a woman named Alison collecting delicate and pretty vintage bone china for over 30 years. She began loaning her collections to family and friends to host high tea parties, and thought maybe others would like to do the same. And so the idea took hold, and she has now worked with hundreds of brides, high tea hostesses, photographers and food stylists.

I am inspired by Alison and her company because she has taken her life long passion for collecting and turned it into her dream job. Everyday she gets to continue to do what she loves and share her joy with others to help them create wonderful memories of their own.

A Year of Pretty - January 03, 2014

First, I would like to say I would like to say I survived the year end staff party with no ill effects and no embarrassing stories in circulation.

Here is a gorgeous hutch makeover from Design Sponge. I love, love, love the colour palate chosen; the gold highlights accentuate the details on the doors so nicely. It reminds me a bit of a Marie Antoinette colour theme, n'est pas? That french je ne sais quoi? or as one comment states; Alice in Wonderland.  I agree.

And again, I am still with the china teacups and saucers theme. This just shows a pretty place to store them all while still displaying the favourites.

This photo shows only the "after" transformation. To see the "before", along with other wonderful ideas for giving life to old furniture, be sure to check out the Design Sponge website.

I have a dresser with six drawers and a top shelf that I am using as a china hutch. My dad picked it up as a "big garbage day" find. I think it used to have a mirror in the open space between the top shelf and the set of drawers and it broke so that why it was being tossed out. It's white with black scroll knobs and has much the same shape of the hutch pictured here. While I think I will keep mine white, this photo has inspired me to sand it down, clean it and give it a fresh coat of paint; along with some contrasting accents like the gold shown here on the doors and drawers. Take the hardware off, clean it and spray paint it a matte black or with a pewter crackle finish. Maybe add some moldings along the top like those in the picture.

Darn! I think I just added another project to my list.

A Year of Pretty - January 02, 2014

In keeping with yesterday's Year of Pretty post, I'm continuing the theme of china and saucers and tea.

Here is a beautiful photo from Tanya and her blog dans le townhouse. Specifically, it's from a post called Tea for Twenty where she talks about and shares photos of a Royal Albert set of cups and saucers her grandma owns.

I've often thought about serving an afternoon tea for friends. People just don't host afternoon teas as much. True, there are a number of hotels and restaurants in Vancouver where you can go and have high tea, but it will usually run you about $60.00, and everybody else around you is doing the same thing, and there's a man in a tuxedo playing Gershwin in the background and it's just not the same relaxed atmosphere you'd have if you have it at home in a comfy home with a cat curled up in the corner.

I remember growing up and going to Oma's house for tea. Each of us had our own cup and saucer. Oma's was purple violets, Opa's was yellow daffodils, mine was pink sweet peas and my mom's was white roses. I think my brother's had a scene of an English hunt with hounds and men on horseback in red riding coats.

The tea cups and saucers are now gone, but the memories of those visits are still with me. There are a lot of good memories to be had over a cup of tea with friends and family.

Note: Tomorrow's post may be slightly delayed. Our staff year end party is tonight and expected to go into the wee hours of the morning. As such, I have high doubts I will be mobile before noon tomorrow.

A Year of Pretty - January 01, 2014

Today is the start of a brand new year. As such, I have resolved to be more inspired, to be more creative, and to share more. I also resolve to wear more dresses than jeans but that's another story.

I'm not gonna lie. Most of these posts are going to be from Pinterest. I will try to include original content whenever I can. But I'm finding a lot of posts lately just link to some sort of  holding tank for images and don't really give credit to the original source. ESPECIALLY with recipes (sooo annoying! I then type in the recipe name into Google search, find it and post the original link to the recipe in the comments of the Pinterest post . . I know, call it my good deed for the day).

So, to start, here is today's Pretty Post to share with you: A set of floral saucers from uncovet.com. The saucers are vintage and have some crazing and minor chipping. But I think they are still lovely. Being vintage, it also makes the set unique and one of a kind.

Makes me think of tea and crumpets and all sorts of wonderful conversations with my mom on the sofa in the big bay window of her home.

Today on Etsy - December 27, 2012

Found these unique and lovely coffee cups / tea mugs on Etsy today; offered up by BarkingSandsVintage.

Originally by Piero Fornasetti Milano and made in the 1960's, they would add a nice little bit of charm and whimsy to your kitchen, not to mention a smile to your guests' faces as you serve them.

I like tea mugs with lids. I find that I often let my tea sit too long and go cold once I become engrossed in a project. Then I remember, have to microwave the tea (not my favourite); or dump it and pour a new cup. I know....so tragic, so much hardship.

Hmmm, I think I'll make myself a cup of tea right now. Care to join me?

Little Bit of Lovely - version 2.2

look what's blooming in the garden!

I hadn't been out to for a walk-around for a couple days. But this morning a leisurely Sunday saunter with a cup of tea seemed like a nice idea. what a nice surprise to see a favourite rose bush putting on a beautiful display.

This rose bush produces tight, buds that open fully. The flowers usually last quite awhile but the petals fade from the true pink to the soft blush shown in the picture. I like them when they are fully open, and I'll pick three or four to arrange in a shallow bowl for the table on the veranda, maybe with a little ivy or some variegated hosta leaves for greenery.

When the rose is completely open, it has a delicate fragrance. In the evenings, framed by a few low candles or tea lights.....just lovely.

Unfortunately, after several moves around the garden, the identification tag has gone missing. So I can't tell you the name of the rose bush. It may be a peace rose of some sort, but I can't be 100% certain. However, not knowing the name doesn't make it any less lovely. "What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". Ah yes Juliet, you were onto something there.

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday as well.

L is for Lamingtons . . .

Ah . . . lamington. The word makes me smile. I just enjoy the sound of it. Fun and sophistication all rolled in one.

Which is exactly what a lamington is. It’s the rogue sister to the French petit-fours. Still retaining some elegance, but saying . . . “Pwaa!!! Who needs pastel pink and green and yellow fondant with teeny tiny flowers when you can be bathed in chocolate and coconut like me?” Or something to that effect.

A lamington is a little dessert cake which has its origins in Australia. It’s made up of squares of sponge cake that are coated first in a layer of chocolate icing and then lightly rolled in desiccated coconut. Sometimes (like when I make them), the squares are cut in half lengthwise and a layer of lemon curd or strawberry or raspberry jam is snuck in the center before the chocolate bath. I’ve also taken a little melon baller and hollowed out the center so there is more room for the filling. I know. I’m a rebel.

The chocolate coating is a thin mixture, and is absorbed into the outermost layers of the sponge where it sets. The cubes are then covered with coconut and left to set.

Most believe lamingtons are named after Lord Lamington, who served as Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, and resemble the homburg hats he favoured. It is thought Lamingtons’ chef Armand Gallad (who was French-born and missed his beloved petit-fours, was woken in the middle of the night to provide something to feed unexpected guests. According to the local newspaper at the time, Chef Gallad cut up some leftover French vanilla sponge cake, dipped the slices in chocolate and set them in coconut. Before Federation in 1901, coconut was not widely used in either European or Australian cooking. But Chef Gallad had a secret weapon. His wife was from Tahiti, where coconut was a common ingredient. Lady Lamingtons’ guests, ever enthralled with anything exotic, asked for the recipe.

The alternative claim is that Gallad, still half asleep at being woken so abruptly …. accidentally dropped a block of sponge cake into a dish of chocolate. It was later discovered that desiccated coconut, sprinkled over the top, made the cakes more appealing.

Ironically, Lord Lamington was believed to have hated the dessert cakes that had been named in his honour, referring to them as "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits".

Today lamingtons are sold in Australia and South Africa by youth groups in much the same way Boy Scouts and Girl Guides sell cookies in North America, and are called “Lamington Drives”. They are also sold at church bake sales and school fundraisers. The packages are usually boxes with a dozen squares.

Friday July 21, 2006 was designated as National Lamington Day in Australia.

Ingredients

·         2 cups of all-purpose flour

·         2 tsp of baking powder

·         1/4 tsp of sea salt

·         2 large eggs

·         1/2 cup of room temperature butter

·         3/4 cup of white sugar

·         1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

·         1/2 cup of milk

·         2 cups of icing sugar

·         1/3 cup of cocoa powder

·         3 tbs of butter

·         1/2 cup of milk

·         lemon curd (optional)

·         strawberry or raspberry jam (optional)

·         whipped cream for serving

Make the sponge cake

1. Preheat oven to 375° F (180° C).
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
3. Whisk cream and sugar. Beat eggs and add, one by one, together with a tablespoon of flour each time.
4. Fold in remaining flour.
5. Transfer batter to a prepared 8” square cake pan. If you divide the cake dough between 2 smaller pans it will bake faster.
6. Bake in middle shelf for minutes to 1 hour to 1¼ hours - 45 minutes to 1 hour if using 2 pans.

Make the icing

7. Sift sugar and cocoa into a small bowl.
8. Add butter and water and mix until smooth.
9. Stand the bowl inside another larger bowl with hot water until the butter has melted and the icing is fairly runny.

Finish the cakes

10. Cut the sponge cake into squares.
11. Refrigerate the squares for at least two hours so that they become firm. If filling with jam or lemon curd, fill squares before refrigeration.
12. Coat the cake squares with icing, then roll in coconut.
13. Let them cool on a sheet of grease proof paper.
14. Store in an air tight container for up to five days.

Or, if you are short on time, you could follow the Quick & Easy Lamingtons recipe over at Coles Australia. 

 

And isn't this Lamington Express train adorable for a little tyke's birthday party?

 

 

I'll Take the Cake

Looking for a beautiful way to show of your baking? Have a gander at these gorgeous cake and treat stands by vesselsandwares, sure to make your guests drool.

The colors are reminiscent of pastel icing and the eyelet lace edging of frilly lace, as displayed in this set of three cake stands (shown left). Custom colors are available on special request.

Or, you could opt for a more traditional white or off-white cake stand and thread a colored ribbon through it to match your theme or occassion.

Black and orange for Halloween cupcakes, bright red to highlight a prized Christmas fruitcake. Pale blue or soft pink to celebrate a new baby. Or choose the colors for your wedding and display tempting treats at your bridal shower. Again, you are able to request different colors of ribbon other than the aqua, yellow and green as shown in this set of three eyelet cake plates (shown right).

Based in Atlanta, GA; creator Jeanette Zeis has worked with clay for over 15 years and has operated a pottery wheel full time since 2007.

Her online store offers a wide variety of pottery dishware for the home including bowls, plates, cups and planters. You can learn more about her work at Jeanette Zeis Ceramics.

In the meantime, help yourself to another serving of delicious cake plateware.