Leave a Comment
Happy New Year, dear birdies! I really do hope 2013 is a brilliantly good one. Thanks so much for popping in and joining me in the Wee Birdy nest in 2012. Can't wait to bring you more lovely goodness - and a brand new look - in 2013. xxx
How wonderful is this New Year's creative concept, art direction and photography by Argentinian art studio, Plenty? via Typography Served.
1 Comment
Wishing all my super-lovely readers every happiness at Christmas. Thank you so much for stopping and making Wee Birdy what it is today. I've really loved expanding the Wee Birdy community on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and meeting so many of you over the year.
I'm having a wee festive break with my family but I'll see you all in the New Year. In the meantime, you'll find me on Facebook, Twitter and especially Instagram, posting all my holiday pics. I'd love to see and hear about all of your Christmas festivities as well.
Please join me in Instagram and #ShowMeYourTree! It's easy - here's how to do it:
1. Head over to Instagram.
2. Take a photo of your Christmas Tree.
3. Upload your tree on Instagram and use the hashtag #showmeyourtree and tag @weebirdy.
Can't wait to see your tree! Here's mine (see top)!
Merriest of merries, everyone! X
Photography by Lucas Boyd.
4 Comments
This, my dearest birdies, is my favourite Christmas dessert. It's the perfect way to end a too-stuffed-to-eat-another-mouthful-Christmas-dinner, as it's relatively light (well, depending on how much you eat) and the raspberries offer an edge to the sweetness of the macaroons and cream.
I don't really use a "recipe" as such (apart from the coconut macaroon bit) because it's dead simple - and the amounts used depend on how big your trifle bowl is.
If you want the cheat's version, use shop-bought coconut macaroons. You'll be laughing at how dead-simple it is to put together, not to mention the 'big effort', maximum-impact results.
Now I'm not talking about French macarons of the Laduree variety, I mean rough coconut macaroons that are crispy and toasty on the outside with a deliciously gooey meringue-y centre. I like to make my own, but be careful not to overcook them as you won't get the gooey/sticky/toasty/crunchy texture that makes this recipe so lovely.
Ingredients
Freshly whipped cream (I use two cartons of whipping cream, but you may need more or less, depending on how big your bowl is).
Raspberries (I use a mixture of fresh and frozen. I use one whole box of frozen raspberries, together with four punnets of fresh raspberries. It's really nice to decorate the top of the dessert with a layer of fresh raspberries.)
Crushed coconut macaroons - either shop-bought or make them yourself, recipe below. Just pop them in a plastic bag and whack them with a rolling pin/mallet/other handy whackable object. Don't smash them to smithereens - you don't want a crumb-like texture. More of a mixture of crumbs and little chunks.
Method
1. Place a layer of crushed coconut macaroons (around an inch high) in the bottom of your glass trifle dish.
2. Usually a spatula, place a layer of freshly whipped cream (around an inch high) on top of the macaroons.
3. Now place a layer of raspberries on top of the cream.
4. Repeat the layers until you get to the top of the trifle bowl.
5. Finish with a layer of whipped cream and decorate with fresh raspberries. Either throw your raspberries on free-form or go for a retro design of concentric circles.
6. Keep chilled until you're ready to serve, then dust it with icing sugar (don't do what I did last year in a fit of Christmas-induced madness and toss a heap of castor sugar on top. I misread the label. Not nice. Gritty. Oh dear.)
7. Wow your guests - they'll love it!
Coconut Macaroon Recipe (the non-cheat's version)Ingredients
3 cups of shredded coconut
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of caster sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
Method
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius. Line three baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Spread the shredded coconut over two of the trays and cook in the oven, tossing occasionally for three to four minutes until lightly toasted. For the love of god keep an eye on it and don't let it burn! Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate. Your kitchen will now smell divine!
2. Whisk the egg whites and salt together with electric beaters in a scrupulously clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Make sure you don't have a speck of grease on your bowl or mixers or your meringue won't work.
3. Once you have soft peaks, add sugar a spoonful at a time. Go slow and steady here! Look at the mixture carefully and make sure all the sugar has dissolved before adding the next spoonful of sugar.
Once all the sugar has been added, whisk for a further two minutes or until your mixture is thick and glossy.
4. Add the vanilla essence and whisk to combine.
5. Add the toasted coconut and use a large metal spoon to carefully fold it in until just combined. (Use a bit of TLC here. If you overdo this bit or stir too vigorously, your macaroons will be flat.)
6. Spoon tablespoonful of mixture onto lined trays. Leave around 2cm between each macaroon. Bake in the oven, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 12-15 minutes or until your macaroons are light golden and firm.
7. Leave them to cool for five minutes on the trays before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
8. Store in an airtight container for up to two days before you need them.
Photography by Lucas Boyd.
Do you think you'll have a go at making my dessert this year? What's your all-time favourite Christmas dessert?
You might also like Likkle Girl's Rummy Balls.
3 CommentsThis is the book that I've been excited about for months. And it's here - at last - and just in time for Christmas. Megan Morton in one of Australia's leading stylists, but really she's much more than that - she's actually pretty amazing. She recently opened The School, offering a super-fresh take on craft workshops (you can learn to make pineapple piñatas, flower bombs and shibori, to name a few) as well as sharing her own creative talents through styling masterclasses.
In her new book, Things I Love, Megan has curated a darn exciting and inspirational collection of homes, people and design she loves, as well as offering a raft of tips and advice. It's the only book I know that injects warmth and genuine excitement into sharing practical tips such as how to clean a vintage painting, how to mimic the Kate Spade wall, and - my favourite - how to fold a fitted sheet. Naturally, it's beautifully designed and it's full of cute features like zip-out postcards and fold-out pages.
So I thought I'd have a wee chat with Megan about something we both love - SHOPS - and boy, does she spill the goods...
You're a such a creative bird, Megan Morton. If you were a bird, what kind of bird would you be?
A Leila Jeffreys budgie! Have you seen her photographs of Aussie budgies?! Amazing! Standard budgie at first glance but not-so upon further inspection! Her budgies are showing at Tim Olsen gallery at the moment and are hilariously wonderful!
I adore Leila's birds, too! Especially the cheeky parrots. Congratulations on your fabulous new book, Things I Love. What about shops you love? Can you tell us which shops you love in Sydney?La Croix in Kings Cross is a personal favourite because you can spend $6 or $6000 over a coffee. The grey leather banquette with pompoms is enough of a drawcard for me, let alone the glassware, candles, cups and marble kitchen bits all acquired from a medley of sources and countries [see images below].
I love Koskela for their commitment to Australian-made and furniture that is so well made and designed with wit [see image below].
I Love You Beads Warehouse in Leichhardt. There are so many hysterical reasons to love this store. I have taken up a hobby making necklaces. They are actually super nice! I go to this shop as it tickles my sense of humour as well as services all my bead fantasies.
Flour and Stone in Woolloomooloo for lamingtons and tea served in Beryl ware from classic Brown Betty tea pots [see image below].
Fairfax and Roberts. Such a decadent and wonderful store experience. I adore jewellery and watching its almost theatrical presence at this store is a wonderful way to tyre-kick/window-shop for all budgets. Shopping for me is not just about nothings, it's about observing and getting inspiration.
Dolly Up in Surry Hills is a dangerous place for me to go in the same way Belinda is. I love maxi dresses and Erin at Dolly Up has magnificent ones. I have bought many a vintage Valentino from her. With two daughters I feel like I am doing my bit to give us all some nice vintage options in a shared family closet!
Although I designed it, I do honestly love the Ecoya candle store on Queen Street [see images from the launch night below]. Moody and devastating, with hand-blown glass scent chambers down one wall and tarnished mirror down the other. A sensory experience in the truest sense of the word.
Plus, any suburban Priceline chemists - it's like the JB Hi Fi of chemists! High volume, low decoration with lots of useful stuff! I also like huge warehouse shops too! I love looking basically for things that aren't expected and challenging myself to find things that are wonderful and not necessarily from predictable places or usual sources.
Which online shops do you love?Rachel Castle for her sunshiny goodness [see images below]; Strawberrynet for cosmetics; Mecca Cosmetica; JCrew for the kids; and I can't resist looking at the sale section of West Elm. Lu Lu Lucky for her hand-made block-coloured envelopes and other makeables.
Top five shops in the world?
I can't contain it to five, unfortunately! I love shops and want to share them with as many people as possible so all these clever people can stay trading and thrive as they deserve to!
1. BHV in Paris - the French alternative to Bunnings although without compare.
2. Gravel and Gold in San Francisco [see image below]. Almost an anti-store. I love its jewellery, American camp blankets and the way they wrap plants in foil for unusual window displays. Everything here is so well-made and the store has little fanfare as its quality speaks volumes.
3. Arts & Science in Toyko, Japan. Another store that renders me speechless.
4. Tsé & Tsé Associées in Paris. No words.
5. The Pirate Store in San Francisco - genius. Sheer genius. Again, no words! Retailing at its highest art form here [see images below].
6. Camargue in Brisbane for its Queensland edit of the European clothes I adore, but edited for summer-wearing and set in a classic, neutral and not overly-designed boutique setting. It lets the clothes do the talking.
7. First Dibs – the online interiors auction house. The real store is on Lexington in NYC. Totally incredible and it almost makes you woozy!
8. The Tinsel Trading Co. In New York it's one of my first stops – I could go there every day for a year and find something in there that I had not seen the day before! Expect trinkets, ribbon, garlands – actually expect none of that – as it's that kind of place [see images below]!
9. March in San Francisco. I don't have words for how perfect this kitchen/gift/lifestyle shop is. I hate the word "lifestyle" but in March's case it really is a life I covet. Everything – and I mean everything here is beyond. Utterly beyond.
It's almost Christmas and I'm dying to know what you're doing for a Christmas tree this year.
I do a year on and a year off – so this year I am blindfolding my family – seriously – and taking them away on a surprise out-of-town Christmas. Just us. No tree. We are packing the kids' bags without them knowing and I can't wait to see their faces when we get to our destination!
I've sent a small tree and their gifts up to said destination so it's going to be a year of surprises. Last year I did a faux tree but highly doused in mercury and silver and pewter decorations and a lunch with all the trimmings, with a day-before-Christmas party!
Year on/year off works so well for me. It gives you the energy needed to deliver a great Christmas and a rest when you need it! I love all trees and decs - even the bad ones! There is nothing bad about this time of the year, I make no style judgements.
This year at our studio we have erected a paper chandelier by Lu Lu Lucky and we are asking people to place wrapped gifts under it along with tins of food they can spare for The Salvation Army. Christmas for me only works when you can shine a kindness light.
Thank you Megan!Click here for a Wee Birdy Sydney map, showing Megan’s favourite shops.
Things I love by Megan Morton is AU$49.95 and can be found in all nice shops and book stores right now. It would make an amazing Christmas present and you can also buy it online from Booktopia. You can find Megan Morton online right here.
22 Comments
It's Christmas-central here at Wee Birdy, and as most of you know, I adore this time of the year and I've always embraced the festive season with great gusto. I've loved sharing all my festive wee finds with you over the past few weeks and compiling all my gift guides, but today I thought I'd invite you around to my place and show you how I've been getting ready for Christmas.
And to give me a kick-start, the lovely folks from Freedom gifted me with a voucher to help me deck the halls. Excitement! I really love Freedom and have spent many an hour wandering the aisles of their amazing decorating section, never failing to uncover all sorts of lovely wee finds (and it's far more extensive in-store than online, which also adds to the excitement factor).
I wanted to create a simple but effective table setting for Christmas entertaining this year, using my collection of vintage mercury glass baubles as the inspiration (see photo above). At Freedom I found a beautiful festive silver table runner ($19.95) with a set of four matching silver napkins ($14.95), which added a great textural base for my setting. For dinnerware I used Freedom's Fino M3 Coupe Dinner Set ($89); a sleek and minimalist everyday set that goes beautifully with my streamlined Georg Jensen AJ cutlery.
We were in desperate need of new glasses that actually matched, so I bought six Fizzy Highball tumblers (great value at $1.95 each), which provided a textural balance to my collection of Riedel stemware. This was further enhanced by Freedom's set of three crystal glass tapered candleholders ($29.95). The centrepiece of fresh rosemary in my Georg Jensen Ilse vase added a green festive touch (and smelled great, too), and I decorated the table with nuts and pods in an assortment of George Jensen and Stelton polished stainless steel serving bowls.
I also experimented with a splash of colour, swapping the mercury glass ornaments for brightly coloured Quality Street chocolates and my collection of vintage glass Christmas decorations. Which look do you prefer?
I love creating little winter wonderland vignettes for my coffee table each year - but with a toddler in the house I've moved it to the sideboard! Here I've used Freedom's fabulous glass belljars (Maisey Cake Stand with Dome Lid, 31cm, $14.95 and Maisey Cake Stand with Dome Lid, 33.5cm, $34.95) to make miniature winter forest scenes.
I used Maldon salt flakes (the best fake snow) and some tiny vintage Christmas cake decorations and my collection of little woodland deers to create my winter wonderlands. I really love this little tableaux and the glass belljars look great on my antique silver tray.
Our living room colour scheme is usually grey, yellow and white, so I swapped our yellow print cushions for these plump and beautifully textural red "Freeway" cushions from Freedom ($39.95). I think they really bring out the texture of the fabric in my vintage armchairs, and they also match the Scandi red and white knit stockings hanging in our fireplace.
One of my favourite childhood Christmas traditions was reading our collection of Christmas books (Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas and Father Christmas Goes on Holiday are my all-time favourites) throughout December.
I've continued the tradition with my son, and I was thrilled to stumble upon Freedom's natural caprii tote with handles ($89), which is big and sturdy enough to house our growing collection. Best of all, we can use it as handy toy storage after I've put away the Christmas books.
Christmas always brings a raft of visiting rellies and friends, and as the contents of our linen closet has seen better days, we invested in some smart new guest towels. I bought Freedom's generously-sized Sanctuary bath sheets (mine are in platinum, $34.95 each), which are super-luxe and perfect for guests.
We love entertaining guests on our balcony, but the unfortunate drawback is that you have to walk through our (often dishevelled) bedroom to get to it. So with a plethora of people dropping in over the next few weeks, it was time for a mini bedroom makeover.
Cue Freedom's Henson white queen quilt cover set, $149, which features a glorious pin-tuck pattern which not only adds interest and texture to a white duvet cover, but it will never need ironing and always look good - no matter how creased it may be. Genius for time-poor parents! It also goes well with my beloved Rachel Castle yellow polka dot pillowslips, which add a pop of colour to our room.
We already had Freedom's fabulous yellow spindle side table, which goes fabulously with the vintage saucer chairs on our balcony. But we needed some kind of decorating element to tie these disparate pieces together, and I found the solution with Freedom's Mix n Match red cushion ($29.95) and the matching red Cera citronella candlepot ($16.95). The birds-on-a-wire frame is also from Freedom, and I've used it to display our Christmas cards this year.
Hope you've enjoyed this wee festive tour around my place! How are you getting ready for Christmas this year?Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post but I was provided with a Freedom Gift Voucher - and of course I went over my budget, which I paid for myself.Photography by Lucas Boyd.