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. 

Bows, Blooms and Balloons

I still cannot believe my baby girl is turning the big One in two weeks time. Soon I'm going to have two full grown toddlers running around the house, *faints.  I've posted before about throwing a Red Balloon themed party for her. I just love the images a simple red balloon conjures up. A feeling of hope, of love, of childhood and dreams. It's the perfect theme for a first birthday. 

Aside from the red balloon, I'm also picturing lots of ivory, gold and pastels, with a pop of red. Think Marie Antoinette meets shabby chic. Here's a look at what I've got planned for her big day. Most of these images can be found on my Pinterest. Make sure to follow me there if you're anywhere as obsessed with food and party planning as I am. 

 

Party Food

One of the main features of any party is always the food. Here, I am envisioning an opulent dessert table, think Marie Antoinette "Let Them Eat Cake" with decadent cupcakes, pastel macarons, candy covered popcorn and stenciled sugar cookies. As for savory foods I'm leaning towards more casual fair with paper wrapped sandwiches, bite sized appetizers and a fruit and veg buffet. 

Party Decor

If I had to come up with a name to describe my vision for the decor I'd have to call it shabby glam. Although those two words combined seem like a contradiction of each other. I'm feeling inspired by sequin filled glass vases, favors in stamped muslin bags, ombre garlands, chandeliers as cupcake holders, and lots and lots of pastels with gold accents.

Birthday Cake

I love the idea of a smash cake alongside a regular sized cake for guests. We had one when my older child turned one and it was a huge success. I'm really loving all the mini cakes popping up all over Pinterest. Right now I'm leaning towards a pink ombre smash cake with buttercream frosting topped with a gold leaf bow. And for the guest cake, a delicate two tiered white ruffle cake with mini birthday bunting and an asymmetric red felt balloon. 

Birthday Wishes

For the main event I'm thinking of having each guest write a message on a red balloon and then fill it with helium. As soon as my little girl blows out her birthday candle, all the balloons will be released into the air filling the sky with a red cloud of well wishes.  

White Canvas Cake and Pink Lemonade

This week we celebrated our older daughter's second birthday. Before you begin I must warn you that this is a lengthy post. Now, back to what I was saying... I still cannot believe my little girl is two years old! It seems like only yesterday when I was rushed to the hospital only to endure the longest labour in the world (or so it seemed) and then be greeted by a new life staring back at me.

Instead of throwing her a party this year I decided to keep things small and intimate. It's easy for a child to be overwhelmed and honestly at this age, everyone who attends are more likely to be my friends than hers anyway. The night before her birthday, I turned one of our spare rooms into an explosion of balloons and pink and yellow. For those of you on my instagram you're probably sick of seeing pictures of the decor by now. But if you stick around, I promise there's something different towards the end of the post.

 

 

 

While browsing cake inspiration online, I stumbled across the idea of a paintable cake. The genius behind the gorgeous baking blog Sweetapolita created a birthday cake covered in white fondant so her kids could decorate and paint themselves. As soon as I saw it I knew I had a winner. The idea for a cake canvas was just too charming to pass up. I used strawberry box cake mix with vanilla meringue buttercream and store bought fondant.

This was the first time I've used meringue buttercream and it made a huge difference to the cake. The meringue component made for a light and icecream like icing. It won't be easy going back to regular buttercream after this. Thank you to Sweetapolita for the wonderful recipe and inspiration.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
8 egg whites
2 cups sugar
5 sticks unsalted butter cut into cubes
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Method
1. Rub small amount of lemon juice or vinegar in bowl and mixer to remove any trace of grease.
2. Add egg whites and sugar and simmer over a pot of water till sugar has dissolved, whisk gently.
3. With mixer, whisk egg white until mixture is thick and glossy.
4. Add one butter cube at a time mix over low speed until a thick, silky smooth texture is achieved.
5. Add vanilla and salt, mix well. Use immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a look at my daughter's first birthday party from last year. We were in Australia at the time so I was fortunate to have my mum and sister around to help out. Actually, my talented sister was the one who made the three-tiered birthday cake. Being winter at the time (Southern Hemisphere) I wanted to inject colour and vibrancy into the day so I themed the party around a spring garden. There were pompoms galore, grassy cupcakes, toffee apples, fairy floss machine, chocolate fountain, and an explosion of pink and green. I'm embarrassed to say there were more people at my daughter's first birthday than there were at my own wedding.