bijou kaleidoscope: November 2009

Monday, 30 November 2009

Dining room and table to die for

Via Style At Home

I've been thinking about dining tables (yet again).
I love the top image with the different materials used and the varied textures. All to form a very soothing space. I do like the modern take on a wooden table too. Dunno how comfortable those chairs are though!

Via Design and Decor

Isn't this nice too, with the coloured tapered vases in autumnal colours?

Friday, 27 November 2009

Mango and white chocolate meringues

Mango delight, recipe found here

As fundraiser, most years our church sells boxes of mangoes at ridiculous prices. This year it was $30 for 30 mangoes... and per mango at the grocer is around $3-5... so it's a darn good deal.

And I've made mango gelati/sorbet... And shared a mango every night with the family...

Only 4 left today!

Two nights ago I thought I'd surprise husband and Hannah with a special mango dessert. I hacked a recipe from Australian Women's Weekly: Fast Desserts. It's going to be a sure winner to more small summer-time gatherings!

Mango and white chocolate meringue creams:
Serves 4

Like my favourite pink frosted dessert dishes?

2 medium mangoes chopped coarsely

1 cup (280g) thick green-style yoghurt

1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream

2 tablespoons caster sugar

store bought meringue cups or home-made meringue discs

1. Puree one mango and transfer to small bowl. Fold in yoghurt.

2. Beat cream and sugar in small electric mixer until firm peaks form, fold into mango mixture.

3. Break meringue into large chunks.

4. Layer the chopped mangoes, cream and meringue into sweet dessert cups.

Next time I might drizzle melted white chocolate across the dishes...

I'm going to do a mango and sago pudding dessert with two mangoes tomorrow.

Then it will be only 2 left.

Wednesday, 25 November 2009

Madison Living

Finally got through another book on the "must read" list... Madison Living: beautiful ideas for your home.

I love some of the homes featured here, mostly homes in Australia.

Here are three of my favourite images:

Can you imagine going to a bed & breakfast looking like this, rather than the places we normally see and have to endure here... nice and clean enough, but oh-so-dated! This is mainly for my mother in law as inspiration for her own bedroom makeover.

I love the shock of pink amongst the thick of green everywhere else. Nothing else to mar the effect of the pink.

And this! How I'd love to have this in my courtyard. This is a definite entry into my dream-house plans!

Scanned from Madison Living: beautiful ideas for your home

Monday, 23 November 2009

Proud Mary, Collingwood

Andrew, Hannah and I had a great day, just the three of us just this Saturday past. We talked about our plans, we shared fears, we exchanged hugs. We drove over 100kms though and arrived home exhausted!

The Coffin, from the side, with custom wooden group handles

Proud Mary, Collingwood for brunch:

Love the mix of natural materials in this place. The right mix of styles for this sleek interior... warm brick, the red tempered by the grey-black of the polished cement floor, the custom made counter and tables, the none-too-rustic decor...

Click for larger

And of course, the machinery here is impressive... a clover™, a AUD$40k Synesso Hydra, syphons, 6 large Mazzer coffee grinders, exclusive Inker cups in a knockout blue, brilliant touch of the orange retro giant lamp and a Giesen roaster (of course!)...

Proud Mary logo, strangely disco-lit, with Hannah standing guard

This is what I WANT TO DO myself ages ago if we had a cafe! Herbs grown in little planters on each table.

Andrew's meal... chorizo sausages were delish! And Andrew loved the scrambled eggs, done properly.

My meal, balsamic mushrooms on toast.

Hannah chowing down on eggs on toast.

Superlong Synesso coffee machine, nicknamed the Coffin... because it's super long. Large coffee machines are three group... this one's SIX group! Plus super exclusive coffee cups, by Inker

Highly spec-ed out coffee group handles as door handles

Proud Mary
172 Oxford Street (off Smith Street)
Collingwood Vic 3066
Mon – Fri: 7.00am – 4.00pm
Sat/Sun: 8.00am – 4.00pm

Go again this weekend, husband? Maybe this time I'll actually get to have the roast duck salad!

Dessert tonight

Mango cream, mangoes and meringue trifle :)

In one of my favourite pink frosted depression dessert bowls. Was divine!

Friday, 20 November 2009

TGIF!

It's been a mighty long week. Hannah and I have been stuck at home in this 36˚c (96˚F) heat for 3-4 days now. Our car is at the mechanics...

I don't respond well to heat. At all.

We're preparing for an interstate move... to live in a house not ours, to uproot... again...

It's been a long week.

But I do thank God, it's now Friday.

And NOW I get to enjoy a quiet pot of caramel rooibos tea.

Yes, Hannah also insisted on having her own little tea-time. So I opened my precious Ikea mini teaset for her

I hope you have a great weekend and week ahead.

Thursday, 19 November 2009

Outdoor showers

Via Martha Stewart

I left ~~ran away~~ from Malaysia for a few reasons but one of the top reason was the humidity and heat. Now, settled in Australia, my favourite season is early spring and late autumn... Summer, I dislike. Summer I get to enjoy cool showers (much to the amazement of fellow-Australians who still have hot showers in summer for some odd reason.)...

And one day, I will (listening, husband?) have my own outdoor shower.

So far, this is my favourite:

You can save the water for watering the garden later!! Brilliant idea.

Here are some others:

Via Cottage Living, absolutely beautiful things

Via Garden Fresh Living, bumble bee blog

Via MARIE'S MARCHÉ

Via kaleidoscope

Via Casa de Campo

Via Coastal Living, you've got to see this

Wednesday, 18 November 2009

David Lebovitz

You have to visit his site. You have to. Laugh and savour the recipes.

From David's site.

I'm so going to make David Lebovitz's Chocolate Macaroons.

Monday, 16 November 2009

Lovely Blog Award

Wow, I'm floored... thank you Emma of Little Miss Emma for honouring me with the Lovely Blog Award! Considering not many readers comment or say hi here, I was so surprised to be considered!

Thank you Miss Emma :) (even though this thanks is more than a month late!)

Sunday, 15 November 2009

Sense of Style: Colour

I finally borrowed Shannon Fricke's Sense of Style: Colour, 2006 from the library and enjoyed flipping through the pages over my chai tea Saturday evening.

I must say this is a great book, chock full of gorgeous eye candy and some very helpful guides about using colour; we all know how emotive colour is!

There was one particular shot that kinda inspired me to almost immediately up from the seat at 1am and get to work:

Image from Shannon Fricke's Sense of Style: Colour

Finally, an answer one of my "Hmm, what to do? Not quite right" conundrums in my study/home office area:

Yes, I'd intended to paper over the mirrored back and paint the unit white, but we're moving in a few months. But I do love the new look. I finally know what to do with my collected yellow and green jugs and ceramics!

Shannon Fricke also has a blog! You must skip over to have a look at before and after shots of her farmhouse "reno". I really like reading about renovation from the viewpoint of "real" budgets... so this was very inspiring.

Image from Shannon Fricke blog

Oooh! I have just realised (whilst looking at Amazon: Shannon Fricke) that I do have the latest copy of Shannon's book! My husband gave it to me for Christmas last year and it's sitting in the "I absolutely have to get to these books" pile! Soon, promise!

Saturday, 14 November 2009

Chris Chun: Update

I also just discovered Chris Chun's blog :) Follow his gastro and art journey!

Friday, 6 November 2009

Chris Chun's gorgeous pieces!

Tranquility Island card $6.95

Chris Chun has now got an online boutique! I've loved Chris' paintings from the time I saw his work featured on TV, of all places, on a cooking show by Joanna Savill and Maeve O’Meara.

Limited edition pillows, $200

But he didn't have an online boutique the last time I visited his site!

Magnolia Moment card $6.95

Kyoto Blossom painting, $3000

A big more affordable are his eye pillows, available now!

Longevity Eye pillow, $89.95

Getting my credit card out... would be awesomely unique Christmas cards! (For some reason, I don't like sending out "Chrismassy" cards during Christmas!)