Cairns Photo Diary

Situated in tropical Far North Queensland, Australia, Cairns is the gateway to the world famous Great Barrier Reef and also host to a weekend getaway the Mr and I recently went on. For anyone who's ever had a travel bucket list, this location deserves to be in your top ten.

The vast expanse of the green blue sea plays home to endless stretches of coral reefs viewable to the naked eye. Sailing around the Great Barrier Reef on a glass bottom boat was a life altering experience, all of a sudden a whole new world opened up. A world that until now was only ever viewed from the comforts of my own home or occasional aquarium visit. Seeing all these beautiful marine life in their natural territory was simply breathtaking. Without any warning the roles suddenly reversed and us humans became the guests, the aliens, visiting a foreign land. And because we foreigners were careful enough to tread ever so lightly, the local population greeted us with delight, often swimming up to snorkelers and divers and sometimes even putting on a show. It's nice to know there are places in the world that remain relatively untouched by humans.

I'm looking forward to the day when my daughters are old enough so we can visit again together.

Perfect year round weather and plenty of palm trees.

Beach essentials.

The public pool overlooking the ocean in the middle of downtown Cairns. 

Snorkelers by the pontoon of Marine World

Off to meet the locals

Sunset from the Shangri-la Hotel

Breakfast of champions

Mysterious fig tree

Cooling off at Millaa Millaa waterfalls

Abundant lush green rainforest

Recycling at it's best.

Friday's Fancies: Reliving Christmas

Well Christmas may have come and gone but I still refuse to say good-bye. Those few days out of the year are the only ones where you can feast without judgement, shop like there's no tomorrow and drink like a fish, all while spending it with your nearest and dearest whom you never get to see enough of. Is it just me, or does everyone seem a little lonelier come January? The new year may have officially started but that doesn't mean I can't hold onto those moments just a tad bit longer. Especially when they remind me of such warmer weather. Note to self, spend Christmas in Australia whenever possible. I promise after this post, there will be no more mention of all this bah humbug well, at least not for the next 12 months. For now, please indulge me for a moment.  

Spending a rare Christmas together with both my sister and cousin (who's like a sister as well). The last time we spent the holidays together was well over five years ago. Though life takes us on different directions (and continents) it's good to know that we will always have each other. Anyone who's ever had a sister will understand how strong that bond is.

Ah presents, definitely a highlight. So much effort each year goes into the funding, the brainstorming, the actual shopping, then the wrapping, the embellishing and finally, the unwrapping. But you know what, I wouldn't have it any other way. There's no better feeling than watching loved ones open gifts that you've carefully hand selected and wrapped. 

Not wanting to be outdone by my scrumptious turkey (or so I tell myself). In walks my mum on Christmas morning with 4 dozen fresh oysters, 2 kgs of rock lobster and the biggest wild caught barramundi anyone had ever seen. I'm almost sure that fish was older than both my daughters combined. Needless to say, Christmas dinner was spectacular this year. 

This sign makes me giddy, don't ask me why. Every time I see it, I feel like a little kid getting cookies ready for Santa. I don't even remember how many detours I've taken last month just so I could see it. Please tell me I'm not the only one that does things like this.   

It just isn't a party unless you're wearing a paper hat. Someone really should make Christmas bon-bons (or Christmas cracker) mainstream in America and save me the trouble of ordering from the UK or Australia. 

Wardrobe Diaries: Alternative Holiday Colours

With Christmas less than a week away, I'm sure most of you at some point have pondered over what wardrobe choices you'll be making for the upcoming festivities. While nothing says Christmas quite like a kitschy red reindeer sweater or body skimming party dress, sometimes it's nice to break from conventions and just do your own thing. This year, antique gold and purple is my colour of choice. It's a nice departure from your usual sparkly sequined uniform and yet festive enough to still be appropriate. This outfit is perfect for any holiday luncheon. The loose fit shirt and skirt will easily conceal that food baby you've been carefully nurturing since the start of the month. And a structured military inspired jacket thrown over will redirect any glares thrown your way after one too many drinks. After all, we all know that being smashed is well beneath any lady sporting a polished faux Chanel jacket.

Thank you to those of you who still continue to visit {camo meets couture} despite my recent negligence to the blogosphere. This month has just been a blur of nonstop events that blogging has taken a backseat. I'm looking forward to the new year and the change of pace that it will bring. So stay with me folks, {camo meets couture} will be back to it's usual schedule sooner or later.

{ wearing: zara jacket . j.crew silk shirt similar here . fate silk skirt similar here also loving this print . michael shannon pumps . tory burch bag . j.crew bracelet . david yurman sunnies }

Friday's Fancies

Phew it's been a while since my last friday's fancies post. That's what being on extended holidays does to you. These past couple weeks have been a blur of marathon shopping trips, days at the beach, catching up with old friends and now the dreaded packing for our long journey home begins. These four months in Australia have been wonderful to say the least. I cannot believe in a short two weeks we will be making our 30 hour flight back home again. In the meantime I'm going to kick back and enjoy as much sun as I can. Blogging will have to wait.

It's cookie season! I'm looking forward to sharing some wonderful holiday treat recipes with you in the coming weeks.  

Rainy day fun, playing dress up with the girls. Who knew you could have so much fun with an eyebrow pencil and a little eyeshadow?

You're probably getting tired of all my beach photos on Instagram by now, but you'll have to bear with me just a little longer. Soon I will be back in my landlocked state day dreaming of the sun sea and sand.

Loving my sister's casual chic style. Note to self, rummage through her closet next time she's out.

No other store has ever been more appropriately named than this. It also helps that they make the meanest bowl of pho. Definitely worth a visit if you're ever in town. 
    

Friday's Fancies

Happy friday friends! It's been a week of races (horse racing that is) here in this city. You may not know this, but it's kind of a big deal around here. Picture the Kentucky Derby with an Australian accent and it's very own public holiday! You heard me, apparently Australians take sporting so seriously that we've even created public holidays around them. Over here we call it the Melbourne Cup. I never did get around to placing a wager, but that was probably a good thing. Turns out the horse I was going to bet on ran slower this year because he put on a bit of weight. Ha, who knew horses could also commit gluttony. Aside from not attending Melbourne Cup, here's a few snaps from life this week.

An elegant and understated wedding invitation consisting of black ink on kraft paper with coloured twine and succulents. Just the look of this invite alone gets me excited. I love my friend's sense of style and can't wait to see all the details she's planned for her big day.  

My kids get in trouble big time when I catch them vandalising walls at home. I guess taking them around admiring street art probably doesn't help my cause. Maybe if their doodles resembled something like this then I wouldn't mind so much. 

Nothing says 'Australia' like pairing flip-flops (or thongs as we would call them) with everything. I think this photo pretty much sums up our approach to life i.e. relax and take it easy.

Would you prefer 1. green-tea cake with white chocolate ganache or 2. vanilla cake with elderflower icing and fresh strawberries or 3. lemon cake with layers of lemon curd and raspberries? These were just a few cakes my sister recently made for a cake tasting. Since I like to share so much, I'm going to steal her recipes to post on my blog. So tell me, which should I make?

My googly eyed, button nosed baby girl has officially graduated into a toddler. This week she stopped limping around like a zombie on stilts and now walks just like you and I. 

Can't get enough of: Strappy Cap Toe Pumps

Inspired by Garance Dore's 'I Die' series, I thought I'd start featuring my own collection of lovely little things that make life just that much more wonderful.

To kick off this series, say hello to my new cap toe babies. While cap toes pumps are nothing new, it was the double ankle strap detail on this pair that caught my eye. These are made in Italy by Lucchesi, I scooped them up from a little boutique here in Melbourne, Australia. Much searching online has failed to yield anymore insight behind this brand or it's full product line. All I know is, they make fabulous shoes and I want them all!  

Life thus far...

I am so overwhelmed by the wonderful response I received from my last post. Thank you so much for all your kind words, they mean more than you can imagine. After all that party planning craziness, this week I took a much needed break away from blogging (and pretty much everything else) to just unwind and relax. Sometimes all you need is a little break from your usual routine to appreciate how wonderful life is.

Having been in Melbourne, Australia for a month now, it's about time I got around to posting photos of my trip. The truth is, having grown up here I sometimes forget that I am on vacation. Before I left I had all sorts of plans for places to visit and things to eat. But in reality, once I had settled the girls into their new home away from home, a routine began to emerge and pretty soon life became mundane and I forgot I was on vacation. It's been almost five weeks since I first got here and I have yet to skim the surface of my vacation to-do list. Luckily for me there's still plenty of time. For now, here's some snippets from life here thus far.

Friday's Fancies

Happy friday everyone! First off, who else is excited about the return of Downton Abbey? I can't wait till it airs on TV here, in the meantime I'll just cover my ears and avert my eyes whenever there's any mention of it.

This week has been filled with nonstop party planning in preparation for my littlest one's first birthday. She officially turns the big One next week. I know it sounds cliche, it seems just like yesterday when I was still waddling around with her baking away. I'm quite certain I broke some kind of world record for mother's height to baby's birth weight ratio but that's a story for another day, maybe. I have so much fun stuff planned for her birthday bash and I can't wait to share it with you soon. For now, a few snaps from life this week. xx

This use to happen to me when I was little so I held my breath as I watched my two year old lick away. The look of surprise and anguish on her face was too much to bear.  

I love seeing my girls get along. These days they are obsessed with this doll's pram. They both take turns sitting in it. That's right, even my 25lb toddler finds a way to squeeze herself in.

These fuchsia pumps have been glued to my feet ever since I picked them up. I'm certain they match with EVERYTHING in my wardrobe. Just a warning, you may be seeing a lot of these in the near future.   

It's been a while since I've seen so many people on the street and it feels good. For now I'm simply enjoying watching the world pass me by as I sit and sip my coffee. 

Thank you to the traffic department for these clever little reminders. They've saved me from driving on the wrong side of the road more times than I'd care to mention. 

Don't forget only two days left to enter my Love Bangle giveaway. Winner announced on Monday September 24th. More details here.

Strawberry Love Heart Friand

It may have been more than a month since my last recipe post, but this one is quite worth the wait. Introducing the Friand, a dainty little cake that's as synonymous with Australian cafe culture as the latte and yo-yo (see previous post). In fact, they're so common here that the swanky hipster cafes don't even stock them. For those who are unfamiliar, what makes these little cakes unique is their large almond-meal to flour ratio.

Friands originated from french cuisine and are also known as financier. These tiny cakes are light, moist and beautiful in their simplicity. I also like to think that they are moderately healthy given their composition of almond-meal and egg whites (although the addition of butter and sugar will inevitably cancel out that last statement). They are typically found in a assortment of berry and citrus flavours or sometimes simply plain.

I've had this idea of cutting love hearts out of strawberries ever since I was forced to get creative with feeding my toddler (oh, the joys of motherhood). Since friands also happen to be my mum's favourite treat, I thought, what better way to show love and appreciation than to embed little love hearts in them for her.

 

 

 

 

Strawberry Love Heart Friand

Ingredients

150g icing sugar

190g butter

60g plain flour

120g almond meal

5 egg whites

6 strawberries

Zest of one lemon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease pan and lightly dust with flour. 

2. Separate egg yolks and whites. Lightly froth egg whites 

3. Heat butter on stove top over medium heat, let it bubble away till golden brown. Remove and keep warm. 

4. While butter is bubbling away, zest one lemon and add to egg white.

5. Sift icing sugar and flour into a bowl then add in almond meal.

6. Make a well, gradually stir in the egg whites and heated butter. Combine till smooth.

7. Fill each friand till two thirds full. Insert strawberry halves or fruit of choice. Another alternative is to puree fruit and mix into batter. 

8. Bake for 15 minutes until golden. Insert skewer to check if it comes out clean. 

9. Cool on a wire rack, dust with icing before serving.

*Recipe yields 12

*Any bar or loaf type pans can be used. Traditionally friands were known as little gold bars, but nowadays they come in all shapes and sizes. Best to stay away from any mould larger than a cupcake.

*Passionfruit, blueberry and nuts are all popular additions. 

Don't forget my Madamoiselle Felee giveaway is still going on. It's open to international readers and ends Monday 24th September. Click here for more details.