My favourite users on Instagram

My addiction to Instagram is intensifying and I am constantly on the hunt for new IG users to follow for inspiration or just a little amusement. Here are my current favs!

♥ @hacth427

Dachshunds! Frollicking in fields! This user is from Japan and photographs their miniature dachshunds - Hatch is a boy who is 8 and Nico is a 3-month-old girl. I die a little of cuteness.

♥ @ayu0319

Another Japanese user who bakes and takes the most gorgeous pictures of her food. The styling is always so refined and elegant and constantly fills me with inspiration.

♥ @designlovefest

Bri from the amazing blog designlovefest fills her Instagram with cute hair and clothing ideas, inspiring design, travel snaps and more!

♥ @megan_morton

Megan Morton, stylist extraordinaire and founder of The School and The Studio posts cute craft projects, fabulous props and accessories and all things bright and colourful.

♥ @haruyonakano

Another amazing Japanese Instagrammer (can you see a trend here?) who takes stunning photos of food, desserts and everyday sights. Always simply styled and eye catching!

I really gotta step up my game with Instagram! Taking photos of my cat Bruce sniffing my finger just ain’t going to cut it anymore…

Who are your favourite Instagram users? Please share with us!

Mother’s Day

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, a time to celebrate how amazing our mums are and appreciate all they have done for us. Unfortunately my mum is swanning around Europe (half her luck!) so I won’t be able to bake for her this year but I definitely have a few treats in store for her when she returns.

I am a big fan of baking treats as gifts for those I love. Not only is it a great idea if you are a bit tight with money, but it’s always a more personal (and tasty) present.

♥ Homemade granola

Bake up a big batch of this delicious granola, put it in a cute airtight jar and tie a bow around it. The perfect gift! Or better yet, make Mum breakfast in bed with a bowl of this – a great way to start the day.

♥ Hazelnut macarons with strawberry and white chocolate ganache

Bake Mum up a batch of quintessentially chic macarons filled with her favourite ganache or buttercream.

If you’re feeling particularly crafty you can even make your own macaron boxes as seen on Project Wedding.

 ♥ White chocolate cupcakes

Whip up some white chocolate cupcakes for Mum and adorn them with cute little sugar buttons (or flowers, bows, whatever you like).

You could even buy Mum a set of nice tea cups and serve the cupcakes in them!

Image source

♥ Sesame seed biscuits with dulce de leche

And finally for an elegant gift idea, bake mum some decadent sesame seed biscuits with dulce de leche. Pop them in chinese takeaway containers and tie with twine or ribbon.

Herb garden and succulent inspiration

I spoke a while ago about my Dad collecting gorgeous Wedgwood Orange Pekoe tea tins and I have finally put them to good use – as plant holders for my succulent plants which have certainly brightened up my balcony.

Plants in tea tins look cute and have motivated me to start planting more flowers and succulent plants in other random vessels. A quick browse of the interwebz has me brimming with inspiration.

First up is this gorgeous faceted glass hanging terrarium from Wit & Whistle. This is stunning! I noticed Urban Outfitters have a similar idea on sale here - I wonder if I can get it shipped to Australia safely without it breaking…

I love the idea of putting flowers in test tubes on my window sill – this is also from Urban Outfitters. And the porcelain skull that you can crack and plant is another great idea!

Clockwise from top left: Gorgeous off-white lace pot plants and hanging pots from IKEA, summer succulent garden from Oh Hello Friend and a tea cup succulent garden from Epheriell Designs.

Lately on Instagram…

Hey guys, for those of you who aren’t following me on Instagram (I am @swah) I have created a new blog category to check out my phone pics here. Generally lots of food and cats.

♥ Cooking up a (healthy) storm

I have been focusing on improving my healthy cooking skills (can’t live on cupcakes all the time) and have been thoroughly enjoying trying out Michelle Bridges recipes. 2 of my favs are the steak and mushrooms dish and her beef noodle soup. Yum!

♥ Delicious Italian desserts

To balance out all that healthy eating I have been enjoying some delightful Italian sweets lately. On the left is a Semifreddo from Caffe Sicilia (amazingly decadent, I could only finish half!) and on the right is choc fudge peanut butter gelato from Via Del Corso

♥ Trying to take some “me time”

I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed lately with too much work and an overly enthusiastic social life so I have been trying to force myself to regularly take some me time. Nothing like reading in the bath or watching the sunset to instantly feel better!

♥ Chopping my hair off

I have been toying with the idea of cutting 1/2 my hair off for a while… it was getting very long and harder to deal with and I am lazy! So now I am rocking a blunt fringe and a “lob” (long bob). Much easier to blow dry and style!

♥ Saying goodbye

And finally on a sad note I had to say goodbye to my beloved childhood dog Bessie last week. She was very old (16 1/2 years) and fortunately had a very quiet and peaceful death. I miss her so much. She was such a crazy sweetheart!

Collaboration with Litographs.com

When I am not babbling on about travel or baking delicious treats, I am designing. I was recently approached by Danny from Litographs.com to collaborate together on some designs for his Litograph posters - prints that are created from the text of classic books.

He had spotted my Penguin book designs online and loved the contrast of the silhouette against the vintage wallpaper.

We ended up converting my design for Little Women to Emma by Jane Austen which suited it perfectly.

The finished product is available in colour and black and white and in 18″ x 24″ and 24″ x 36″ sizes.

The entire image is made up of text from Emma – here is a close up of the Emma print:

The black and white version:

Not only do Litographs produce great posters, but with each print you purchase, you send one book to a community in need through their partner, the IBB (The International Book Bank). Litographs helps provide books to international communities in need by upcycling excess books at home.

Purchase a copy of the Emma poster here. My Secret Garden design is coming out on 8 May and Mary Poppins not long after so stay tuned!

For more of my design work check out my Behance profile here or my personal portfolio site here.

Food Blogger Burger Party at Moo Gourmet Burgers, Newtown

What started off as a few tweets between food bloggers on Twitter soon spawned into a burger party at Moo Gourmet Burgers in Newtown with 19 attendees! The power of the internet! Upon arrival we were made very welcome with our own welcome sign, a glass of bubbles and giftbags.

It was my first time at Moo Gourmet Burgers and I had the spent the previous few days pouring over the delicious sounding menu (I like to be prepared).

I finally settled on the Waygu Beef Burger ($16.50) which featured Northern Tablelands Wagyu beef, Tasmanian brie, caramelised onions, tomato, lettuce and home-made mayonaise. You can’t get much more decadent than that! The wagyu patty was juicy, the brie creamy and home-made-mayonnaise divine – the salad on the burger provided a welcome balance and meant the burger wasn’t too heavy.

All drinks came with these awesome black and white striped retro straws. Love them!

Sophie ordered the Chicken Avocado and Bacon Burger ($16.50) which included grilled free-range chicken breast, pureed avocado, free range crispy bacon, salad and home-made mayonnaise. It was promptly demolished which I take as a good sign!

A cone of delicious cheesy bacon fries ($8.95) with Egmont cheese and free-range bacon landed on my table soon after – I am not sure where they came from nor do I care – they were delicious. I was struggling after my lovely burger but I still managed to enjoy quite a few of these fries.

Despite clutching our stomachs and moaning about the burger and fries overload, a Cadbury Creme Egg milkshake ($7) was ordered. This is a special so get in quick! It was so thick and decadent and I was in heaven – but one sip was enough for me and I returned it to its rightful owners Flick and Sophie.

Flick enjoying the milkshake! :)

I think it was Mel and Rachel who ordered the Banana Split ($7.50) and I of course accepted their offer to sample! It features 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream, banana, caramel sauce, whipped cream, chopped nuts and a cherry on top. Oh and chunks of Tim Tams! Yummmm

And here is a photo of me looking like a dag with my nametag.

And the requisite group photo!

I waddled home very happy before collapsing on my bed in a food coma. A great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon and I can’t wait for the next blogger catchup!

Planning a holiday?

I’m getting itchy feet again and am starting to plan my next holiday – once I finally decide on my destination of course! I’m thinking a few weeks in Reykjavík and New York. Heaven.

I thought I’d share with you some of my top travel tips to help you in planning your next escape.

Research and planning are always integral to a successful trip. My first step is always to investigate the climate in my destination(s) of choice. Knowing when to travel and how the seasons will affect your experience is super important. You don’t want to spend your beach holiday locked in your hotel room whilst a tropical cyclone rages!

Once you’ve settled on your time to go, start thinking about what sort of travel experience you want to enjoy on your next trip. Do you want to go on a group tour or embark on a solo adventure? Are you going to stay in a hotel, an apartment or a hostel?

Now that you’ve booked in all the components of your trip it’s time to start ticking things off your pre-departure checklist. Travel insurance, immunisation injections and visas need to be organised to ensure you stay safe and healthy during your holiday and don’t come back with any nasty bills or diseases!

Brush up on your long-haul flight survival skills and advice on how to stay healthy on a trip. But most importantly, relax and have an amazing time!

Once you’re finally home you will suffer the inevitable post-holiday blues - take time to appreciate what you have at home, then start fantasising about your next adventure!

For more travel advice check out my Travel Tips page.

Branching Out – Pantone, Hello Kitty and Ladurée

There is an emerging trend with brands including Pantone, Hello Kitty and Ladurée beginning to branch out into different areas.

♥ Pantone Makeup

Pantone is a serial repeat offender when it comes to “branching out” with Pantone flower pots, mugs, scales and peppermills to name a few! Now they have added a beauty line to their empire after teaming up with Sephora to create a makeup line based on Tangerine Tango, the 2012 Pantone Colour of the Year. The collection includes blush, eyeshadow, nail polish, false eyelashes and accessories all inspired by the colour tangerine.

♥ Hello Kitty x Ladurée

Possibly one of the cutest collaborations around, French macaron gods Ladurée have teamed up with Hello Kitty to create “a new chocolate, a collection of gift-boxes, and a collection of little accessories.” Unfortunately no cat shaped macarons *pout*

♥ Ladurée Makeup

Ladurée have collaborated with Albion Cosmetics to launch a beautiful makeup line in Japan (coming to Europe and the USA later in the year). The collection includes 20 different blush colors in the form of cameos as well as liquid foundation and lip color. The packaging is divine!

Happy Easter! Chocolate Peanut Butter Birds Nest Cupcakes

I wanted to make a festive cupcake to celebrate Easter that combined Easter eggs and my current craving for chocolate and peanut butter. I settled on a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing, and then made “nests” out of chocolate noodles, completing the look with a little egg placed in each nest.

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
115g butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake papers
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and set aside
3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until thoroughly mixed through.
4. In a separate bowl mix the sour cream, milk and vanilla extract
5. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix until just incorporated.
6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tins and fill approximately 3/4 full
7. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until the cupcakes slightly spring back when touched
8. Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly in their tin before turning out onto a wire rack

Peanut Butter Icing

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Method

1. Beat the butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer in a medium bowl
2. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the icing is thick and spreadable.
3. Continue beating for at least 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
4. Using a teaspoon spread a thick layer of icing onto each cupcake – this will be what the birds nest sticks on.

Birds Nests

1 pkt Chang’s Original Fried Noodles (100g)
200g dark chocolate
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

Method

1. Melt chocolate and peanut butter in the microwave (I do it in bursts of 30 seconds on medium to prevent the chocolate from burning) in a medium microwaveable container
2. Pour the noodles into the melted chocolate mixture and stir to coat.
3. On a baking tray lined with baking paper, use a teaspoon or your hands to arrange the chocolate noodles in small circular shapes, making sure to leave a space in the middle for the egg to sit.
4. Pop the tray in the fridge for the birds nests to set.
5. Once hardened, place a birds nest on top of each cupcake, gently pressing it into the peanut butter icing to stick. Place a small Easter egg in the centre of each nest.

I also got creative with homemade chocolates and experimented with dark chocolate, white chocolate and powered dyes to make my family some treats.

I purchased some chocolate moulds and powered food dye from Spotlight. I divided the white chocolate (250g) into 3 microwaveable dishes and added a different colour to each one. After melting the white chocolate in short bursts in the microwave I furiously stirred the powered dye into each cup (use less colour to achieve pastel colours like I did). Then carefully pour the coloured chocolate into moulds and refrigerate.

My parents love dark chocolate so I also made some plain dark chocolate ones which contrast nicely with the pastel chocolates. Feel free to get creative and add chopped nuts or liqueurs to your chocolates. After the chocolates have set in the fridge, gently tap them on the counter until they pop out. Put in little plastic bags and tie with ribbon. Ta da!

The past few weeks through Instagram

Life has been busy as usual and I am very much looking forward to a well earned break over the Easter holidays. But after consulting my holiday to-do list it looks like things will still be full steam ahead!

♥ Macaron and Cupcake Decorating masterclass

My girlfriends had bought me this for my birthday and I couldn’t wait to brush up my skills! On the left is a fellow classmate piping her macarons, and on the right are my completed macarons. As I am allergic to almonds and therefore never eat macarons, I made mine with hazelnut meal which I have previously done here. Paired with the dark chocolate ganache these macarons tasted amazing! My friend said it was like “an even more awesome Ferreo Rocher”. High praise indeed.

We then moved on to cupcake decorating. On the left is my collection of sugary decorations and on the right is some of my finished cupcakes squished in a box along with my macarons. It was my first time working with fondant and I need more practice – but it’s fun! Stay tuned for a blog post on this course.

♥ Swah the petsitter

Over the past few weeks I have looked after a friend’s kitty and also some hermit crabs. This weekend I am pet sitting a kitten. I should start advertising my services!

♥ Food photography course

I attended a food photography course lead by Billy from A Table for Two. Wow, I sure learnt a lot and realised how much I didn’t know! The food was from Mumu Grill and tasted AMAZING. In fact I am returning in a few weeks to do a tapas class there!

♥ IKEA trips and unpacking

We have made 2 trips to IKEA so far and need to make a third one shortly. My room looked like a bomb had gone off for quite a while but it’s finally all unpacked. Now to start decorating!

♥ A pretty watering can and the death of our herbs

I bought a gorgeous watering can and then killed my herbs. But fear not, we replaced the lost causes and the others are starting to perk up!

♥ Art Express

Visited Art Express at the Art Gallery of NSW and admired the works done by Year 12 students (wow). These were 2 of my favourites.

♥ Visiting my fur kids

I went home to visit my family and catch up with my darling cat and dog who I miss very much. Bruce (left) is angry because dinner is late and Bessie (right) was trying to stand up (she is very old and rickety)

♥ Easter chocolate heaven!

I purchased lots of Easter chocolate moulds and dye and will be making Easter treats for the blog soon (stay tuned) and I received a lovely gift from the Donna Hay general store – chocolate chickens in an egg carton! Aw!