Gingerbread men

If you're on a little bit of a tight budget or simply want to give a more personalised gift this Christmas, why not make a batch of these delicious little gingerbread men. We used this recipe here.

Ingredients

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup golden syrup
• 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Method

Preheat oven to 190C, line two baking trays with baking paper.

Place butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer and beat until light and creamy (about 12 minutes). Add golden syrup, flour, ginger and baking soda and beat to combine to a soft dough.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes until the dough is firm.

Roll dough between two sheets of non-stick baking paper until 4mm thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. If the dough gets too sticky, pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden.

Cool on trays.

Christmas Canapés

These watermelon, feta & mint stacks and cream cheese stuffed raspberries are a lovely way to keep your canapés light and refreshing when entertaining this Christmas.

Emerald City

As the festive season is now fully upon us, we are so excited to hear that Pantone has named Emerald as it's colour of the year 2013!  Described as lively, radiant, lush green – we love it!  A refreshing change from last year's Tangerine Tango and clearly taking inspiration from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

earrings - nail polish - clutch - invitation - dress - coasters - kitchen - chair - shorts

Ava's 1st Birthday Invitation

this little cutie pie is turning One in a month's time, we're so looking forward to her party! x

Plating Christmas

With Christmas parties and events upon us we decided to plate together a menu and styling concept for you.   The dining table is a central space for Christmas meals so beginning with your menu is a great way to introduce a theme to your table design and home.  We couldn't resist embracing the beauty of the pomegranate through its festive and organic forms.

 

 

 

Rosemary & Pomegranate Champagne

Turn your glass of bubbles into something special this Christmas.  Sprinkle a few pomegranate seeds into your champagne and top with a sprig of fresh rosemary.  These naturally festive colours make for a perfect toast at the table.

 

Christmas Raspberry Tart

Hello December and Hello Summer! We can't believe it's almost the end of 2012!

Wondering what to make for dessert this Christmas? We baked this gorgeous raspberry tart, adapted from Donna Hay's recipe in her Dec/Jan 2013 magazine issue. This summery dessert is perfect served cold and topped with icing sugar and little raspberry jewels.

In need of more inspiration ... check out our delightful Mascapone Tart with Christmas Berries here.

Kennett River Camping

100th Post

In order to celebrate our 100th post we wanted to collate our highlights since we started our blog.  Thank you to everyone who has supported owlandlou and been a part of our little journey.  Even though it's only a small milestone, we have enjoyed every minute of it!  xx

Ash's Twenty First

Happy 21st Ash, we hope you love your invites! x

I&H Wedding Wishes Postcards

We designed these Wish Postcards by using Ivana and Hugh's logo for their beautiful Tasmanian Wedding.  Guests wrote on the cards and posted them into a little birdcage as a cute alternative to a guest book. 

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Griggs, an amazing day! x

Lemon Squares

We were inspired to make Allyson Gofton's lemon squares for morning tea. We decorated ours with icing sugar, purple alyssum and lemon wedges.

Orange Madeira Cake

Our citrus number is a wonderful addition to any occasion with its fresh and zesty flavour. 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar
125g butter, melted
juice and grated rind of one orange
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tbsp milk
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder

Tangelo Butter Icing

100g soft butter
2 cups icing sugar (sifted)
3 tbsp tangelo juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp grated zest of the tangelo

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c.  Butter your 23cm tin and dust with flour.

Beat the sugar and butter together until fluffy, then add the orange juice and zest, flour and milk.  Beat the eggs for two minutes and slowly add to the mixture while mixing. 

Add the baking powder and beat again for a minute. 

Pour into the baking tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until your baking needle comes out clean.  Turn out onto a cooling rack after fifteen minutes.  When the cake has completely cooled, ice and add the zest. 

 

Welcome Home CM&K

  ~ A snippet of some welcome home bunting we created for Claud, Mike & Krista's return from their OE ~

Natalie's Bridal Shower

 

Natalie's Lemon and Lace Bridal Shower invitations are ready to be posted! xxx

Happy Halloween - DIY Pumpkin Vase

 

 

 

Beechworth

We took a step back in time visiting the beautiful town of Beechworth in Victoria, here are a few of our favourite snaps from the weekend.

Girls' Night In

Spring has sprung into action and what better way to embrace it by hosting a very girly night in!  Cindy popped over for a spring pamper session, complete with DIY mani/pedi, mud mask, hair treatment, cheese and sparkling, dvds and a beautiful dessert in a jar! 

Step Into Spring : Topshop x Grazia

We were lucky enough to snap up a double-pass to an evening of spring racing fashion and shopping at Topshop on Chapel Street.
 

The evening included, champagne, a spring styling session, a beautiful pop-up store by K is for Kani showcasing her floral crowns (find her Etsy store here) and a first look at Topshop's gorgeous new Spring racewear collection!

{ flowy lemon dress with sparkly beaded detailing }

Too-Cute Toadstools

We can't wait to see what Em's terrarium looks like with these tiny clay toadstools we handmade for her. You can find how-to instructions on creating a terrarium in this recent post of ours here.

The Department Store SS2012

 

The Department Store put on a great show on Friday night of their Spring/Summer 2012 in-season featuring Karen Walker, Black Box, The Men's Department, Ruby/Liam, Top Shop, Tigerlily, Havaianas, and I Love Ugly.

Moustache - Milk & Cookie Bar

Make Moustache your next stop.  A little milk and cookie establishment at 12 Wellesley Street, Auckland offers the freshest baked cookies married with dunking milk, milkshakes, coffee or tea.

Little Salted Butter Caramels

These little caramels will cure any cravings for sweet treats.  You can find the recipe here.

Once set, we indivdiually wrapped them in baking paper, placed them into jars, and turned them into take-home favours for a dinner party.  They could also serve as an affordable halloween treat for the kiddies!

Breakfast in Bed

Sleep in, relax and spoil yourself this weekend with breakfast in bed!

Chargrilled asparagus, organic poached eggs and muesli with fresh strawberries was on our menu. We visited our local market to purchase fresh produce in anticipation for the perfect breakfast. The sunshine spilled in and around the aroma of coffee while we sat and read the newspaper.

Tip: If your breakfast is a special occasion, incorporate floral blooms and a handmade note on the tray for a cute touch.

Little Herb Garden: Gift Idea

This is a great little gift idea to inspire the green thumb in all of us this Spring!

mint, sweet basil & italian parsley

Night Market

The Sunday Night Market at Glenfield Shopping Centre is a popular place to be. There is an abundance of cuisines from all over the world to fulfil any appetite and the aromas will instantly lure you in. The markets run from 5.30 to 11pm and are a great way to finish off your weekend with friends and family.

 

Project Terrarium

You will need:

• a clean and dry glass bowl / apothecary jar
• rocks / stones
• charcoal
• potting mix
• plants
• decorations

Depending on which plants you decide to grow, will depend on your soil.  We used a king fern and a golden club moss - succulents and cacti will need a well-drained soil.

First, add a layer of rocks or stones for drainage.  A small layer of charcoal to keep the terrarium mould-free and healthy and then enough soil to cover the plant roots.  Generally, the base should equal about one-third of the terrarium's height. 

Remember, you don't have to buy all your plants either.  If you live near the bush, forage for some beautiful different mosses - they will be perfect for this environment. 

Lastly, have fun with your new terrarium!  You can add anything you like.  We handmade and painted these tiny clay toadstools which look adorable.  We also added some Billy Buttons for another pop of colour and a little Venetian glass penguin picked up on overseas travels. 

Keep your terrarium in indirect light and give a light watering.  Prune it back when growth starts to overcrowd and replace plants which grow too big. 

How To: Fishtail Plait

brush hair and run Moroccan oil through to smooth out

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day

 

We hope you enjoyed your radish themed breakfast and "woven bacon" as requested.

 

Love you always xxx

Spring Nails

a custom-blend blush Colour Gloss, with a neon feature nail and striped Minx

Happy times, winter is officially over... that means it's time to turn up the contrast for spring.  This season's ultimate colour impact is all about neon's, pastels and patterns.  Sophie York specialises in Minx, Colour Gloss and makeup artistry and is available for events, showers or even a fresh colour for the weekend.  These nails last up to three weeks without chipping so are fantastic before your next summer holiday.  Her colour palettes follow up-to-date trends or can be inspired through your own custom blend.

Like her Facebook page here and  have a look at her make up artistry portfolio.

Sophie York  - Minx, Colour Gloss Nail Technician, Hair & Makeup Artistry
sophie.york@hotmail.co.nz

Dinner Party

A few weeks ago, Jen & Pete hosted an amazing dinner party at their home. The market fresh seasonal produce and old world wines dovetailed beautifully with the exceptional cooking.  We designed a menu to accompany the artichoke theme and tied it together with hand-made tags.  Artichokes are a perennial thistle originating from Southern Europe.  They are often overlooked but are very versatile in dishes and decorative elements, we recommend integrating them into your next dinner party!  Thank you so much for having us! x

Espresso Martini

1 oz cold espresso

1 1/2 oz vodka

1 1/2 oz Kahlua coffee liqueur

1 oz white creme de cacao

Pour ingredients into shaker filled with ice, shake vigorously, and strain into chilled martini glass. It should be somewhat frothy.  Top with three coffee beans for good luck!

DIY - clay gift tags

Take yourself back to childhood art classes and have a go at making some of these adorable clay gift tags.  We purchased 500g of air-drying clay for around $6 from our local craft store.  We love the matte finish and they make a beautiful and unique embellishment for any gift.  They could also double as a wedding favour and name tag, not to mention a fun little project to do with your BM's.

Colour Palette - Magnolia Tree

Technology has a way of capturing small moments we may sometimes miss.  This beautiful photograph was taken in Melbourne and we are drawn to the way the Magnolia feeds into the compositional architecture.  We have made a little colour palette from the image.  This would be a great way to style or decorate your interior through the natural formations, colours and patterns found in your garden.

Bring the outside in.

DIY - gold painted heels

It's gold fever around here!  Inspired by Tony Bianco's beatuiful new Adele heel and an idea shamelessly stolen from the amazing blog, Green Wedding Shoes, we decided to have a go at making our own gold tipped heels.  We snapped up these leather pointy heels with a cute scalloped edge from the ASOS sale for a bargain $30, and are loving the result.

Gold

Congratulations to the New Zealand rowing boys, Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan, on an amazing effort winning our first Gold medal for the London 2012 Olympic Games!

Add a bit of gold and sparkle to your next girls night out like we did over the weekend!

planter box filled with jonquils and dusty pink roses

Kat's Baby Shower

We had a lovely time styling Kat's baby shower at her gorgeous Richmond apartment over the weekend.  The theme was "about to pop" so we incorporated large buttercup statement balloons into the design to contrast against the striped patterns. 

All the best for your new arrival Kat xx

Welcome Home

Our very lucky friends have been living in the beautiful city of Rome and travelling through Europe for the past three months. We wanted their apartment to feel like home when they finally touched down from their very long flight. The night before their arrival, we snuck in like little elves and organised a few surprise welcome home essentials - European picnic style.

• an italian themed welcome home garland in green, white and red
• E's home baking - a delicious cranberry & pistachio biscotti (recipe here)
• we filled their fridge and a basket with fresh milk, juice, fruit, fresh bread, organic eggs, croissants and some other bits and pieces
• beautiful fresh tulips
• some prints of Italy and their holiday

Thanks little helpers E and Rach xx

Cafe at Home

 I recently assisted in creating 'A Cafe at Home' for Homestyle Magazine. The styling was inspired by a Parisian corner cafe. If you would like to do the same, have a look at Amber's tips for making your next brunch a special one - homestyle.

                              

Dear Diary

The beginning of Semester Two inspired me to craft my own journal and sketchbook.  If you would like to make some of your own, follow this link.

Melbourne

xx

Ruby and Rose - a homemade sugar scrub

While Em is in Melbourne visiting, it has been wonderful to have the opportunity to make something together, we hope you love our homemade sugar scrub as much as we do! Recipe follows below.
A big Happy Birthday to our Dad, Robbo - we will be having a drink for you tonight at Mamababa xxx

1 1/2 cups of white sugar

1 1/2 tbsp sea salt, ground

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

1 tbs ruby grapefruit juice

Pulp of half the ruby grapefruit

25-30 drops of essential oil

Trunk - wedding styling

We wanted to share a few photos from Bec & Scott's beautiful autumn wedding held at Trunk in Exhibition Street, Melbourne.  Trunk has one of the most beautiful courtyards in Melbourne and their early evening ceremony was set amongst gorgeous trees, twinkling lights and uniquely displayed terracotta pots.

Bec and Scott wanted a vintage/rustic/industrial feel about their wedding.  With the combination of handmade decorations we crafted and pops of bright colour throughout, it made the ceremony and cocktail-style reception a day just for them.  Photography from the day was captured by the very talented Justin Hill of Dekuji Photography.

handmade "just married" hessian bunting

Astrid's Baby Shower

Saturday was filled with showering Astrid and her little one with love. 

The day was beautiful and the wisteria and apricot colour palette filled the room.  Congratulations to Astrid and Josh, we can't wait to meet your little girl xxxx

Orange & Ricotta Doughnuts

Arriving back to wintery Melbourne, after a week spent in the sunshine and high twenties, sent our bodies into a bit of shock.  I whipped up a batch of these orange & ricotta doughnuts to warm up the soul and our home.  These are delicious served hot with chocolate dipping sauce and a cup of coffee.  You can find the recipe here.  Enjoy xx

Bali

After a blissfully relaxing week spent in Bali, I have put together some of my highlights.  

Terima kasih Bali xx

the infamous Bali sunset over the Indian Ocean