Making Granola

On Saturday afternoon before leaving for my friend's place i made granola from this recipe and placed it all in a jar as a housewarming/hostess gift,i think it's the first gift i've given for a dinner party apart from the wine i take to drink.Lucky for me there was extra so i tipped the rest in a jar for myself.The next morning after dinner we all had a bowl of granola(i keep calling it museli actually) everyone seemed to like it,or at least they were kind enough to say it,i personally found it a touch too sweet,will have to put less maple syrup next time.

The nut mixture that i added was sunflower seeds,pecans,pistachios,flaked almonds and shredded coconut.

Dining by candlelight

A fairy birthday party

She's walking!

So daylight savings has begun and with that starts that time of year where it is stinking hot as soon as you wake up in the morning,especially in my bedroom where the sun brightly streams in.I've started wearing a hat every morning for the 15 minute walk up to the train station.It's not even summer yet but the sun is so strong, but at least there's more daylight to enjoy after work.

On Saturday night a friend hosted a lovely dinner party at her fairly new apartment,which is looking even better now with some floorboards.Dinner was fantastic,you would not have know this was her first time hosting a dinner party.We knew it would be a big night and there would be quite a lot of drinking so most of us stayed the night,i probably only managed about 4 hours sleep as i kept waking up every hour which i usual;ly do when not sleeping in my own bed.

On Sunday afternoon we celebrated my niece's 1st birthday with presents and cake at my sister's house.Only a week ago my niece was just taking 1 or 2 steps before collapsing and now she is running around everywhere,she's officially trouble.

Splurge and Steal

My new Sonia Rykiel shoes

Some cheapies for summer,they look yellow but are actually mustard colour

I wonder if anyone else likes seeing these comparisons in magazines,when they show 2 items,one is blow the budget fantastic and then a similar item at budget prices.Well they're not the same item but after splurging on a fabulous pair of shoes at the Cosmo shoe sale earlier in the week,i decided to buy myself a cheap fun pair of sandals for summer just for fun.
We didn't stop drinking champagne all night while we made several rounds of the store,You see when you're faced with so many shoes,you forget which ones you liked and where you last sw them.Probably because of some hideous recent trends,the shoes that were already reduced were much nicer than the new stock which was good for us.
After we had decided what to buy we stuck around for more free champagne and my friend showed her great skills in convincing random people they really did needed those shoes they were contemplating.
I was a little shocked to see a lady walking around with a raincoat for her Birkin so the rain wouldn't ruin the leather,only in Double Bay,darling!
We continued our drinking down at The Sheaf until just before 11pm and i felt very seedy when i saw a work colleague in the city on my way home so late at night,we had a little laugh when we saw each other the next morning,i think I've only just gotten the hangover and last night i was at home by 7:30pm which is very early for a Friday night.

I have a busy weekend ahead of me,off to do some shopping,making something for a friend's housewarming dinner tonight(she only bought the place 1 year ago but there have been renovations).Then tomorrow celebrating my niece's 1st birthday.

Edit:Forgot to add that during the week I had yum cha with work colleagues at Palace Chinese which this year won best yum cha at The Good Food Guide Awards.The dumplings and duck were great but my favourite mango pancakes were very disappointing,they lacked flavour as the mango pieces were not ripe at all.And some of the trolley ladies started speaking chinese to my colleagues which i thought was rude to exclude me,as they are Asian but not even they knew what the ladies were saying.Nothing can top Sky Phoenix for yum cha but hoping to try out Zilver soon.

Who,what,when,where

I don't have anything to blog about at the moment so here's a list with a bit of everything,what i love,hate or looking forward to.

I love walking through The Strand Arcade(pictured above) at lunchtime,so many cool boutiques in this beautiful elaborate arcade.I love looking at the windows of the antique stores and sometimes treating myself to a milk chcolate frog from Haighs Chocolates.

Looking forward to a friend's wedding at Bathers Pavillion.It's going to be amazing.

And staying here for the night.

Being invited to the VIP sale shopping night at Cosmopolitan shoes this week and they serve free Moet rose and canapes. Cannot wait to meet my new shoes,what shall i get?Manolos,Choos, or a little Miu Miu?

My new Sheridan 400 thread count cool sheets,they're white,crisp and i thought it would be a gimmick but they really do feel so cool against your skin,perfect for summer.

Selecting things to include in the Seasonal Exchange swap,and because there are many more people from the Northern Hemmisphere participating they needed some people from the Southern Hemmisphere to double up and send out 2 packages which means I will get 2 back.Yipee!

Having a fun night out to celebrate my birthday.

Waiting for etsy goods to arrive in the mail.

These designs being available on Moo hopefully soon for Christmas

My weekend of nothing

Saturday morning i woke up to a massive hangover so it was straight back to bed for me.I woke up again after midday.I cannot remember that last time i slept in so late.I usually like getting up early on a Saturday,getting all of the domestics out of the way.By the time i did everything it was 3:30pm and i thought by the time i have a shower and get ready the shops will be closing,so i just stayed in bed reading all afternoon and evening.Went through 2 magazines and have nearly finished my book.
This morning i had to attend a memorial service and then it was off to my sister's place for lunch.It's stinking hot here right now and couldn't imagine going out later as planned so decided to come home and prepare champagne jelly with apples for my entry in the latest round of Sugar High Friday and wasn't happy to discover somebody had thrown out the pack of gelatin i had with the rest of my baking supplies.So here i am late on Sunday afternoon wondering where my weekend went and not looking forward to the week ahead and hoping my brother doesn't come home too late and can find some in the supermarket for me.

Addicted to Etsy

Birch Forest in Gold from Kirinco

Butterfly on grass from itsyourlife

Autumn leaves screenprinted card by sarahparrott825

2008 Letterpress Calendar by ilee

Holiday gift tags from pinkbathtub

Jaded earrings from ackoelade

I am officially addicted to Etsy.It's like a huge online marketplace for handmade items.I've bought quite a few things recently and have added more items and sellers to my list of favourites.It's such a great place to find something unique,cheaper than most stores and you're supporting independant artsists and designers.And who doesn't love getting things in the mail that aren't bills.Here are some recent things I have bought.

I had been to Summer Hill many times to visit a friend and had gone passed while on the bus but had never had a walk around.I realise i've come while my friend is overseas and realise i should have offered to collect her mail while she's gone,must remember that next time for friends.I get off the bus at Junction Road which is a short walk to the main shopping strip.I spot a vintage store called Scoop with some interesting things in the window,i walk in and say hi to the staff who are sitting around,they don't even look up and continue with their conversation,i have a look around,they mostly have mid 20th century furniture and vintage wallpaper,i spy a brown ostrich leather Hermes Kelly bag and am surprised that it has been labelled as a Birkin,I'm surprised by their error,or maybe they know a Birkin is far more covetable in the fashion world right now and the bag is more likely to be snapped up.

I walk up to the main shopping strip passing lovely old Victorian homes on the way.There are quite a few op shops and vintage stores and one in particular(forgot to note down the name) has so many great finds,i resist every temptation to purchase,i have to be on my very best behaviour.But i find these stores to be just as unfriendly as Scoop,you walk in and give them a smile and you get nothing back,there must be a clique in this community and they must small from a mile away that i'm a visitor.


I had read about Envy cafe which owned by the same people as Perama in Petersham and was looking forward to lunch in the courtyard under the jacaranda tree but it was full so walked across the road to Decolata cafe across the road.I must admit i chose this cafe for the interior,there are dark wood floors and Thonet chairs.It's mostly simple meals like sandwiches and there's a display cabinet with muffins and Italian sweets.I have to wait a few minutes as my sandwich arrives before my coffee but both don't disappoint.I've opted for the grilled chicken,greens,avocado and homemade mayonnaise which doesn't look impressive when placed in front of me but tastes amazing.

I continue to walk up Lachey Street,there's an old fashioned bakery, local butcher and other stores which remind you of the kind you grew up with .My last stop is to sample cupcakes at Babycakes full of tiny cupcakes and because of their petite size,you have more room to sample more flavours.
From the photo above,start in the centre and continie clockwise there's Cookies and Cream,Orange and Poppyseed,Hazelnut,Latte,White Chocolate,Banana and Madeira cake.

Eek,Moths!

There's been a moth epidemic in Sydney for the past 2 weeks,at first nature experts said they're just passing through town in preparation for mating season but they're still hanging around wherever you go,in your office,in the bathroom,at home and even in the shop window on a manequinn as i saw the other day while walking past Country Road.They're ugly and feel grose.They just need to go,now!

Mood board

So i made a mood board.I have wanted to make one of these for such a long time.I found a very cheap cork board,bought some pretty paper to have as the background.It's not as full as what it could be as i have a separate book where i keep interiors and fashion images i want to keep for ideas.I have several pieces from one of my favourite illustrators Kat MacLeod i found in a magazine,i first heard about her when i bought the book The Cocktail which she illustrated,she uses lots of colour and different fabrics and textures.On the far left is a recipe for coconut muesli i would like to try and on the right are the rules for living by the designers for Libertine from a recent issue of Domino magazine.Other various images are scattered around with business cards from several online stores and a grey and blue leaf print card from Port2Port Press.

More Donna Hay

More great images from the latest issue of Donna Hay magazine.All white images are very common in most issues.In the first image i love the placement of the sieve to the side after having just dusted the desserts with icing sugar.
And the second image reminded me that i must learn from my mother how to make yoghurt.

Off to enjoy the weekend

I'm hoping to have the rest of the weekend computer free.My 3 posts all yesterday made up for the lack of posts earlier in the week.
I'm not a frequent visitor to hotel bars but last night we were invited to the Sheraton Hotel's Conservatory Bar as a colleague was leaving to live overseas.The wine list was quite expensive so we decided to drink cocktails which were the average price you can expect to pay and i got to indulge in some apple martinis and champagne cocktails.I wasn't expecting much but the drinks were great and i loved having a the piano man in the corner crooning away.
I've decided I'd like to explore different areas of Sydney,thought about this last week after i had just visited McMahons Point for the first time and it's great seeing what's available in other suburbs.
Today I'm off to Summer Hill,it's become more popular in the last few years as it's quiet but still close to the city and i've read a great village feel.I've been there a few times to visit a friend but have never had a look around,i just go straight to her apartment.Also was remined of this area after Deborah's entry in Let's Travel To on Simply Photo.

Night Noodle Markets

We made a quick visit to the Night Noodle Markets earlier this week,i wasn't really in the mood to walk around to all the stalls and see what was on offer and it was a little cool so we just made a quick decision.My friend had some noodles and i had some fish cakes.We quickly grabbed a drink from Cargo bar and had to do a loop of th earea to find somewhere to sit.The fish cakes were pretty good with the help of some sweet chilli sauce which we had to also add to my friend's noodles as they were pretty bland.I hope to make another trip next week and hopefully it will be a warmer night to really enjoy the market atmosphere.

Three Potato Four

Recently discovered this online store through other various blogs,a collection of new and vintage goods.Everything from cushions,plates,accessories and stationery.The items above are my current favourites.
http://threepotatofourshop.com/

Donna Hay-Spring 2007

I love the styling in Donna Hay magazine,it's probably the reason why i buy it(have a subscription actually,much cheaper).I love all the shades of pink and some orange to celebrate Spring. Hopefully this may inspire me to start baking again,i haven't been in the mood to make anything recently,I would love to try making the pink grapefruit and champagne sorbet when it gets warmer.And how amazing do passionfruit cream profiteroles sound.

House and Garden

The thought of little kids hanging out in this room scares me,a food spill is just waiting to happen.

Pretty pastel crockery on the dining table

Imagine having such a large kitchen,what a dream kitchen for the entertainer or catering staff.

This kids bedroom just screams Princess

I love the upholstered bed and lilac wallpaper

A little step to help the kids reach the basin

Not only does Gwyneth Paltrow have an Oscar,a rockstar husband,2 cute kids but also an amazing holiday home in the Hamptons,i hope she has some well behaved kids,my worst nightmare would be to have an all white scheme around them,even i couldn't live in a very pale palette.Photos from the latest issue of American House and Garden.

It's amazing what you can find after spring cleaning

Recently while spring cleaning i found a cutout from a magazine about 2 years ago of a pair of gorgeous earrings made with Swarovski crystals,i had a quick browse on Google hoping to find some online stockists.I had some trouble finding anything at first as the description under the pic was C.P Designs by La Vie Parisienne,all i could find were websites in French and i was lucky enough to find a website that told me the C.P stood for Catherine Popesco,suddenly i found quite a few websites stocking her jewelry and the earrings i love are available in different coloured crystals but these in the pic are my favourite although it isn't very clear.

The weekend

Tag tells you what fabrics have been used

I had plans to attend the growers market on Saturday morning but after a friend couldn't make it,it lost it's appeal and i went back to bed.Hope Street markets were also on and i made a quick visit on my way to a friend's birthday.It was a stinking hot day,and i was beginging to sweat while walking through the back streets of Surry Hills.Once there you walked into a room that wasn't much cooler and the place was full with hardly anywhere to move,everybody was packed in like sardines.I did a quick round of the stalls,hoe anybody would have wanted to linger around i don't know,you just wanted to get out of there asap.


I found this gorgeous clutch made from vintage fabric from Kara Smith,when i saw the bag it instantly reminded me of this clutch that Soulemama had made.I would have also bought another gorgeous larger bag but i was on a budget,also bought a badge that was appropriate to give to a friend who was celebrating her birthday.
It was my first time in McMahons Point and it's such a a lovely area,the main strip is filled with cafes,delis and restaurants and the area looks over the harbour.We enjoyed a few hours drinking at the bar at the back of the Blues Point Hotel then later that night over to North Sydney for Mexican and margaritas at Had to Happen.

Chasers War - Rave Party at Shopping Centre, Fatboy Slim

I was almost on the floor laughing while watching this the other night,gives these store a taste of their own medicine.

Tuning Out

There's been a tonne of books published recently about sea changes,life changes,finding yourself and so on.I decided to buy this one as i remember listening to her on Merrick and Rosso every morning on the radio and she was fun to listen to.Anybody would love to take a break for 6 months and travel the world and that's exactly what the author and her husband did and she finds it hard to let go in the beginning. I'm only about 30 pages into the book and even if the other themes of the book don't appeal it's lovely just for the travel stories.
It's made me think about my travel plans and i really just need to set a date for a trip and start planning,i tend to get ideas in my head,think about it for a while and then move on to something else.Need a little more focus right now.

Bloglines

I had read about Bloglines and registered a few blogs on my account but never used it or really understood how it worked,but after this post on Hey Bubbles it sounded rather simple so i decided to give it a try.Rather than have to visit each site individually and have a huge list of bookmarks,you register all the blogs you visit and it tells you when there's a new post and how many and you can view by last day,week and so on.The only pain is having to register all the sites but after that it's so easy,I'm addicted.

Good Food Month

It's one of my favourite times of the year,a month long celebration of good food and an opportunity to sample the best that Sydney restaurants and bars have to offer.Every year the full programme is published in the Good Living supplement of the Sydney Morning Herald.I sat down to go through it while having a cuppa on Saturday morning and to mark what i was interested in.I didn't make it to Sugar Hit last year so i definitely plan on visiting a few locations. Every night during Good Food Month, a few hotels offer a dessert plate and glass of Brown Brothers dessert wine or Hennessy Cognac for about $25.

With the warmer weather this time of year the Night Noodle Markets are always popular and you gave to get there early to avoid many stalls long queues,and sitting in the park with some wine is a much better option than going straight home.

Looks like the rest of Sydney really wanted to learn how to make sourdough bread as that event was completely booked from the very beginning as well as the free chocolate making session.