Desire Empire

Take a Look Tuesday

Beach House Decor By The Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:29:00 +0000

Get your Beach House Decor On By the Sea

Another day in paradise, another gorgeous home up for grabs. Apparently the vendors are motivated. Probably not as motivated, as to fit into my budget, but Mr Beach House reliably informs me he has a live lottery ticket for Saturday night. If I don't come back Monday....well I would come back Monday. But you get the picture, you may find me swanning around this pool instead. Take a look around and if you have serious interest, you can find out more here.

Have a great weekend. I shall be fretting over what I am cooking for the Gourmet Garden Cook Off in Noosa next week. Yikes

Today I am linked up here
Feathered Nest Friday
Show and Tell Friday
Say G'day Saturday
Weekend Wrap Up Party
Sundae Scoop
Sunday Showcase
Inspire Me Tuesday
Wow Us Wednesday
Show and Tell Friday
Feathered Nest Friday

Beach House Decor, Styling a Coffee Table

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Tue, 07 May 2013 22:30:00 +0000

Beach House Decor, Styling a Coffee Table

I have coveted this coffee table for years. My lovely stylist friend, Lisa bought it at Rust and has had it in many of her beautiful homes. Lately she has gone Walter Barda tropical and wanted an ottoman instead of a coffee table.

Here it is in one of her lovely homes, You can see a couple of her projects here.

She very kindly offered the coffee table to me. Of course I said yes, a millions times yes. I love the patina. We think it is French oak and looking at the joinery, the base has no nails or screws, so I think it is pretty old. The top lifts off and there is a draw for storing vintage cutlery and linen.

The cross bow at the bottom makes her as solid as a rock and is an indication as to why she has lasted so well.

But the best bit of all was how to style her. I divided her into three main sections.

First I used an underlay. You could use a tray or a vintage platter as an alternative. In this case, inspired by what I saw at Pottery barn last week, I used this basket I had shoved in the cupboard.

The next step was to fill both the basket and the second space with some objects of interest.

I chose a magnifying glass, a ship in a bottle

and some Thai serving platters I had, because I was wanting to continue the blue and white theme I have going on in the living room.

The third space on the table was filled with some colour coded books and looking at it now I should have put 'Luxury Toys' on the bottom to have an ombre effect ( colours from dark to light). Oh well I am no expert, just a girl who loves to live along side a little style on a budget.

I think perhaps the most important element of any styling project, is to have something living in the room. I have gone a little over kill here with flowers and some cut succulents from the garden, but they will probably last for 6 months there and when I want a change, I can pot them up for Christmas gifts. Succulents always look beachy to me as well.

The thing which I have loads of and which seem to make it into all my vignettes, are shells. It's not a party without shells at the Beach House.

So there you have it Beach Dwellers, my simple tips on how to divide and conquer your coffee table styling, for a lovely pleasing look, which is easy on the eye.

I have a whole lot more Beach House styling and craft tips here, if you care to look.

Until next time then.

Today I am linked here

Transformation Thursday
Real Family Fun
With Some Grace
Feathered Nest Friday
Show and Tell Friday
Flaunt it Friday
Say G'day Saturday
Weekend Wrap Up party
Sundae Scoop
Sunday Showcase
Metamorphosis Monday
Inspire Me Tuesday
Coastal Charm

No Minimalist Here

Recipe for Smoked Salmon and Leek Quiche Without Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:08:00 +0000

Smoked Salmon and Leek Quiche without Cream

As you well know Beach Dwellers, I am not the type to shoot just one photo, when blogging my latest recipe, but this is it for the Smoked Salmon and Leek Quiche without Cream, because this quick and easy meal was woofed down in a hurry, without even a piece left over to style up for a photo later.

This is a beauty for a Sunday night dinner, which is as it was at the Beach House last weekend.

Smoked Salmon and Leek Quiche without Cream

200g/7oz smoked salmon diced

1 leek white parts only thinly sliced

1 tablespoon peanut oil

250g/9oz block of light cream cheese (I used Aldi lower fat spreadable cream cheese this time)

5 eggs

1 sheet of puff pastry thawed

1 tablespoon of milk to brush the pastry

salt and pepper to taste

oil for spaying

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F

Spray a 23cm / 9 inch pie dish with cooking oil.

Line it with thawed pastry and trim.

Spike the pastry all over with a fork.

Brush pastry all over with milk

In a small non stick fry pan fry leeks in peanut oil. Stirring well so they don't brown.

Mix cooked leeks with smoked salmon gently. Place the mixture evenly over the pastry.

Meanwhile whisk eggs in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in cream cheese.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour egg mixture over the salmon and leeks.

Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown and firm in the centre. Can be served hot or cold with a green salad.

Serves 3-4 for a light meal.

This meal was such a lovely end to a family weekend and my kids happily ate this quiche without any complaints.

Over the weekend my boys went in a yacht race, which is an end of season tradition at the sailing club, It commemorates a young member, Peter Loft, who was killed in flight training in a plane crash in the Airforce.

Start of the Marathon

One crew member holds the boat, whilst the other runs from the high tide mark to start.

They had to sail up to Palm Beach from Bayview and back and happily my crew won their division. The larger yachts sail around Lion Island and back, so it is a real marathon.

Happily my boys won their division

I liked the vintage trophy for what it stands for, so put it in with some other reminders that life can turn on a pin head and is there for the living.

Have a good one Beach Dwellers.

For all my other easy family recipes go here.

I am sending out the Desire Empire Newsletter tonight. If you would like to keep up with Desire Empire that way, you can subscribe here.

Hope your week is travelling well.

Today I am linked up with

Take a Look Tuesday
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Real Family Fun
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Sunday Showcase

Pottery Barn Kids in Australia Along with West Elm and Williams Sonoma

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Sun, 05 May 2013 21:27:00 +0000

Well you all seemed to love Pottery Barn just as much as I did, so here's the wrap on the other 3 Williams Sonoma brands.

It's just a hint of what is on offer at Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm and Williams Sonoma. I didn't take near enough shots at the party, because I was having too much fun and I also didn't want to see it all just through the lens of my camera. The one thing that struck me and what I think makes for decorating success is the serious layering up of textures. Come on in and see what I mean. I love the detailing on these girls quilts. Pink and Lilac everywhere.

Grey and white is something I would not use in a baby nursery, only because I was the kind of girl who found out the sex of my babies. But if you are going neutral in the nursery, this is the hippest new option I believe. And cable knit throws are everywhere. We got one as a wedding gift over a decade ago, so they have been around for a long time, but now they seem to be hanging over every sofa or lounge chair. They are great for Winter and look gorgeous folded or draped.

Of course no one lives like this. Three doonas and pillows on a bed, but I love the layering of different colours and fabric patterns. Achieving this look by layering up sheets, doona covers, throws and quilts is something I shall be working on in all the bedrooms at the Beach House. Although sometimes just getting all the beds made in the morning is a big challenge for me, let alone having them look this pretty.

Apparently the monogramming machine has been working over time this week and at $9 per item, is a lovely way to individualise a gift.

I have been inspired to put a photo gallery together in my hallway using vintage family photos. I am going to use a mix of black and silver frames. I kind of like the hint of shelving in this gallery as well. And the pattern in the rug under the cot is huge right now.

Ruffles are still getting a work out. I think these curtain drops are very pretty.

The grey and white again.

I love a mosquito net over a bed in Summer.

The quality and cute factor of the kids toys was definitely worth a look. I have to say I didn't look at any prices, whilst I was there, because I wasn't buying. Looking at the catalogues, the prices across the whole range of stores were on par with other Australian homeware prices in similar stores.......read ALOT more expensive for the same thing than in America. I hope the only reason is that the product has to be shipped here. Actually wages, rent and just about everything else in Australia is more expensive than the States. One of the executives, whom I was talking to at the launch party, was lamenting the cost of everything in Australia as well. It is the elephant in the room. There are lots of government enquiries going on right now over pricing in Australia generally, as compared to international locations and it will be interesting as to what they find and if anything can be done about it.

Loved this range of kids table ware and the colour styled storage boxes looked cute.

Now take a look at West Elm. I can see why they chose this brand for Australia, as the furniture has the clean square lines that many Australian minimalist style homemakers seem to love.

It kind of said New York loft to me, which is where the West Elm story began, but their stuff would not be out of place in one of those mod boxy abodes that Australians seem to go for either.

They had a lovely range of geometric bed linen and some stunning cushions and bath linen. Infact 'geometric' was big on everything in this store.

I loved the way as a Winter touch, they styled with fire wood.

More layering of textures and prints

As with all the brands, a home stylist will consult free of charge in your home, up to an hours

radius from central Sydney.

West Elm works alot with Etsy to discover new designers. That is one brief of the store, to offer bespoke pieces that are cutting edge and different. Their mantra is to support independent creative business.

Williams Sonoma is the cookware arm of the brands. Just some back ground. The store was begun by a Mr Williams of Sonoma, he initially had a hardware store, but after a trip to Europe, began importing French kitchenware to supplement the stock, which apparently took off. Williams Sonoma has since bought the other 3 brands in the group.

The Williams Sonoma store was where the launch party was held. As I walked through the door I was offered a drink and could no longer hold both my camera and a glass of red. I managed to snap this shot at the front door and that was about it.

I did go into the stunning kitchen at the back of the store, where they offer a fabulous range of cooking classes from 2 to 5 hours in duration. They will design cooking classes for a corporate event or your party as well, which sounds great.

The lovely Julian was cooking for us that night and if you would like to see what we ate and have a look at my take on Pottery Barn, my favourite of the 4 brands, you can see that here.

Today I am linked up here
Showcase Sunday
Inspire Me Tuesday

Pottery Barn and Friends Come to Town

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Thu, 02 May 2013 04:13:00 +0000

Apparently, Australia is a great place to invest. A stable and vibrant economy, in the quickest growing region in the world, Asia. I am reliably informed, it is no longer a maybe, but a must for companies when considering global growth. When Pottery Barn started shipping to Australia during the Global Financial Crisis, we Aussies bit. We bit big time, causing the powers that be to take notice and accordingly, decide to set up shop Down Under. All I can say is a big big thank you to the retail Gods, for choosing Sydney to throw open the doors to these amazing lifestyle stores.

Barn Doors are a signature accent in Pottery Barn stores

And so it was, that Sydney's media glitterati (and although I was there, I consider myself more of a people watcher than media glitterati) gathered for dinner and a pre view tour of the Williams Sonoma suite of stores, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm and Williams Sonoma, prior to their official opening today.

I have to say Pottery Barn was my absolute favourite and it was very hard to choose between the four. The Yanks invented retail and they do it like no body else on the planet, with such style and finesse. Going into each and every one of the stores was absolute sensory overload for me. I couldn't get enough of it. Looking back now, I will have to go again and again to really take it all in.

Service is absolutely paramount and as evidence of that, the Pottery Barn designers will travel within an hours radius of Sydney to do a design consult in your home free of charge. Now that is service!!!! Yes????

It was like shopping in America and I am so glad we no longer need to fly across the Pacific Ocean for 14 hours to have that experience anymore. All you need to do is front up to the corner of Oxford Street Mall and Grosvenor Street Bondi Junction. Park in Westfield and walk across the road and you are there in homewares heaven.

I need a mentor like this man

Our gorgeous guide Tom was one of the visual merchandisers....read stylists. They had worked very hard to pull it all together. So hard in fact that although the stores are in Bondi Junction, poor Tom had not yet been to Bondi Beach, just five minutes down the hill. He promised me at the end of the night, after several glasses of fabulous red, that he would go there, just for me, sweet and lovely man that he was.

I particularly loved this blue and white table for its coastal vibe.

and I think those little lanterns on the table in the back of this shot were only $15 each

Customers will be treated to refreshments whilst they shop. My question was whether it included vodka. 'No' was the answer. But this is just another touch, which makes the whole experience add up to such a pleasurable one.

I think this was where the A list Media editors were going to be shmoozed for dinner by the WS execs. It was a beautifully laid table, complete with magnolia leaf centrepiece. Although this was set up in in the West Elm store, those chairs are PB and apparently come in many colours.

Our dinner affair was a fabulously casual one, where we got to rub shoulders with peeps like the lovely Maggie Beer and some big name designers, who are apparently the ants pants, but whom I had never heard of. I had better do some homework there.

There was subtle music.

The most exquisite cheese platter I've ever encountered

And this incredible polenta and mushroom dish. What a way to serve a crowd. Unfortunately I was too into it to shoot dessert, but that was a stunning creamy, boozy, berry affair, the likes of which I had never tasted either. And that to me sums up the whole experience last night......it was different, it was cutting edge and it was fabulous. I left wanting more, which I guess was the whole idea. The magic worked on me and I bet it will work on you too.

Next up my take on the three other stores

Williams Sonoma

Pottery Barn Kids

and

West Elm.

Bliss

Oh and if you haven't yet entered my Jamie Oliver Phillips Home Cooker giveaway you can do so here.

Today I am linked up here

My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday
Weekend Wrap Up
Say G'day Saturday
Sunday Scoop
Showcase Sunday
Inspire Me Tuesday
The Farmhouse Porch
Wow Us Wednesday
No Minimalist Here
Transformation Thursday
Flaunt it Friday
Metamorphosis Monday

With Some Grace

A Study in Moonlight Sonata For Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:56:00 +0000

Good Morning Beach Dwellers

I've been practicing my photography out in the country. My photographer mate, who owns the property where we stayed, suggested we shoot at sunset, as the light is so much more even. I think it was a great tip.

A great relationship

The Swimming Hole

A similar age to my grandfather

The Paddock Basher (Not shot at Sunset. See the difference)

A Colonial Cottage where we think Leila lived

School Friends

Another family

Playing Germans

The Homestead

The best family weekend we've had for years

A happy and willing gate man.

A Full on Personality

In other news, I have been invited to a preview dinner tonight, at the Pottery Barn suite of stores opening in Sydney tomorrow. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, if you want to see what's happening there tonight.

Twitter

Instagram @desireempire

Today I am linked up here

Wordless Wednesday

Tina's Pic Story

Feathered Nest Friday
My Romantic Home
Weekend Wrap Up
Say g'day Saturday
Sunday Scoop
Sunday Showcase
Inspire Me Tuesday
Take a Look Tuesday

Rylstone, a Fabulous Town near Mudgee

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:52:00 +0000

The Bridgeview Inn with fabulous Yum Cha and Wine Tasting

We've been playing cowboys and cowgirls over the weekend past and I have to say this wide brown land of ours here in Australia is absolutely fabulous, from country to coast. The property we were staying on was very close to the quaint and historic town of Rylstone in the Mid West of New South Wales. If you are looking for a mini break, an easy drive from Sydney, then Rylstone is a really great option. It's 3.5 hours west of Sydney and about 45km before Mudgee.

This is the courtyard at the Bridgeview Inn where there is fabulous Yum Cha at 29 Nine 99. By lunch time this little courtyard, which very much reminded me of the south of France, was full. I am reliably informed they do the best dumplings this side of the black stump and the fragrance was fabulous. At night they serve Thai food.

Louee Street Rylstone

Ph (02) 6379 1984

You can also have your Yum Cha on the front balcony of the Bridgeview Inn

Attached to the courtyard is a little Asian inspired gift ware store with some lovely tea pots and other kitchenware and specialty teas.

The other end of the Bridgeview Inn houses De Beaurepaire wines, which were very nice. They are grown on a property close to Rylstone once owned by the older brother of the famous bushranger Captain Starlight, who by the way was acquitted many times of cattle rustling. He ended up managing big cattle stations in Queensland rather than swinging from the end of a noose, which was the usual path for most of the bushrangers of the day. He walked, partially due to sympathetic juries. The family was a well to do family in the district and as the youngest of five kids, Captain Starlight was the only tearaway. All the other sibling had extensive land holdings.

The vineyard, known as "Woodlawn", where the De Beaurepaire grapes are grown, was at one time owned by Captain Starlight's older brother and where he inevitably would have been at some point, is putting on a five course French themed dinner with matching wines on 11 May in the vines. Tickets are $125 and you can find out more details here.

The Rose and the Cabernet Sauvignon wines in the Captain Starlight range were delightful. I loved the Semillon as well.

Back in the Bridgeview Inn, an old mural c.mid 1800 has recently been restored in the main room, which is definitely worth a look too.

Just behind the Bridgeview Inn, is the Cottage Museum, which opens Sundays 10am-3pm.

On the same plot of land, owned by the Historical Society is the Thyme Out Community Garden. I had a chat with the lady who was tending the garden. She said, apart from supplying all her vegie needs, she gives all the excess to the needy families in the district.

All the plants looked very healthy and happy and it was such a beautiful and well loved spot.

There are some very nice little home wares and clothing stores in the town as well.

Old wares could be found in the old Art Deco style petrol station

The Beach House Brat made a b line for the guns and amo store.

Unfortunately our friends were on strict no carb diets, so we bi passed the yum cha and headed to the pub for a decent Thai beef salad for lunch. There are two pubs in town, The Globe and The Rylstone Hotel famous for the Lady Bushranger history.

But for hungry kids who can't wait for lunch, there is the Rylstone Woodfired Bakery. I bought the kids the most splendid peach turn overs from there . I had a nibble too and they were yummy.

There are some fabulous old buildings and cottages in the town, with loads of character.

It's a while since the train came to Rylstone, as the station is abandoned. I did my usual mental analysis of what I could do with this building if I owned it.

The platform had been fenced off, which really made me very sad. Hopefully the historical society will lead the way in restoring this beauty at some stage.

This is the Catholic church on the main street. The Uniting church, which I didn't get a shot of, was another beautiful stone building, which was for sale. That got the juices going for a minute. I don't know about you but one of my favourite things to do in a country town, is to look at the property for sale in the real estate window and dream a little.

And guess what? There is an artisan market held in the Rylstone Memorial Hall on the second Saturday of every month from 9.30 to 1pm. The next one is on 11 May. The same day as the Woodlawn dinner in the vines. Here's a link to some other the events in the town for the year, which look fantastic.

The town is also located near Windamere Dam where you can camp, caravan and fish. The dam is available to boating as well

For more details of whats on and where to stay in Rylstone go here. and here.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of Rylstone, a fantastic place to go for the weekend if you need a little break in the country.

For all my other travel stories go here.

Today I am linked up here

Inspire Me Tuesday

Essentially Jess

Clareville Beach House

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:36:00 +0000

This north facing beauty is built over 1700sqm. She has her own sandy beach on title and even comes complete with a boat.

Personally, I'd just be happy with the boat house. For more on this stunning property go here.

I am sending out the Desire Empire Newsletter tonight. If you would like to be in the loop, you can sign up here

Have a lovely week Beach Dwellers.

Today I am linked up here

My Romantic Home

Weekend Wrap Up

A Vintage Tale From the Snowfields

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:06:00 +0000

A model wearing a stunning creation from a Vogue Knitting Book c.1960.

My mum and dad met at a party in Falls Creek in the Australian Alps in the Winter of 1957. Mum was on the second week of a two week holiday from her flying duties at TAA. The first week she had flown down to Tasmania to stay with a boyfriend she had met on the ship going over to England. She was an absolute goer from the sounds of it and as soon as she turned 21, she left Melbourne to live and travel around the UK and Europe in the early 1950's and had met Michael on the way to London.

Mum had gone to the second week of her holiday in Falls Creek with a broken heart, as Michael had made it quite clear to her, he didn't want to get married until he was 30, some 4 years away. Mum kind of read that to mean....It's not that he doesn't want to get married, he just doesn't want to marry me. Mum also couldn't stand Michael's mother, who was controlling and dominated her son. Mum knew she could never put up with that, even if she had read the situation incorrectly with Micheal. Either way mum knew it was over and she was devastated.

Loving the lace up ski boots and skis with tie on safety strapes

Nursing a heart broken, she headed off for the second week of the holiday, to ski in Falls Creek Victoria. It was mum's first ever experience on skis. She was staying at Diana Lodge with two other hosties and said they learned to ski on a bottle of vodka. In those early days of skiing in Australia, you would take most of the day to walk up the mountain with your skis on herring bone style, have your picnic lunch at the top and ski home for the day.

They used to walk up the mountain in groups singing the Mickey Mouse Club song, which was big at the time.

Later they had a piece of equipment called a nutcracker which you wore around your waist like a belt and you would clip it on to a rope tow. Similar to one of the tows you find on the beginner slopes today. Although most have now been replaced by magic carpets....such is the luxury of 21st century skiing.

In those early days the nutcracker tow was all there was. There were no chairlifts or t-bars until about 1960, when a private lodge owner built a chair lift in Falls Creek. There was also another chair lift built in 1963, with its starting point between Jindabyne and Thredbo on the Alpine Way with a restaurant at Charlottes Pass, as its top station. It ran during the 1964 and 1965 ski seasons, but due to operational problems caused by the weather, it went into receivership there after.

The Chairlift From Thredbo to Charlottes Pass with a view back to Charlottes Pass

The Thredbo to Charlottes Pass Chairlift

The chairs had protective colourful fiberglass canopies with viewing windows, which the occupants could pull over themselves, as it was terribly windy out on the main range. In its day, the chairlift was often described as the longest chairlift in the world, but was actually two connected chairlifts.

This photo looks like it was taken in 1964. One of the biggest snowfall years on record, owing to the fact the chairlift has been dug out.

Mum and dad rode that chairlift, but it ceased to operate after the 1965 ski season, because it was considered unsafe. There was a major incident where the wind blew some of the chairs off the pulleys and people were injured. It was incredibly difficult to rescue them, as the terrain between the two resorts was widely inaccessible. There was also the risk of freezing to death on the chairlift, as it was so exposed out on the main range.

A map of the chairlift running just belowThredbo to Charlottes Pass

All photos sourced from WikiSki

The bottom station for that chairlift is still there today on the Alpine Way and occupied by the NSW National Parks and the Dept of Works. As I child, I remember some of the towers of the chairlift still standing, but they were taken down more than 30 years ago and the bush has all grown back over now.

Now back to my mum's broken heart.

After a week with lots of socialising to douse the pain. Attending a party in a different lodge every night, mum met my dad on the last night of her holiday. Mum said she could not have cared less about meeting anyone else, as she was pining for Michael. My dad very sweetly saw mum and the other two hosties she was holidaying with, off on the bus the next morning and mum thought nothing more about it.

About 6 months later at lunch time in Sydney, they were walking in opposite directions down George Street. They bumped into each other and arranged to meet up again. The rest as they say, is history.

Mr Beach House always says nice guys finish last, but luckily for all of us, that was not the case this time.

And here's my dad posing for mum in about 1960 at Falls Creek. My parents fostered in me a love of skiing and the mountains, for which I will be eternally grateful. My love of the lifestyle has taken me to many resorts around the world for both work and play. One day I shall get all those photos out and tell you all about my exciting times in ski resorts, but that is for another day. This story is about my parents and how they and their peers pioneered modern skiing in Australia and what they wore doing it. You can see my dad had his nutcracker belt on in this shot.

In those days it was unusual to wear a parka or a jacket when skiing. It was just lots of layers under a big thick woolen jumper, which repelled water and snow because it was wool and water resistant. Mum said with a laugh, they were all warm enough with all the exercise and chasing each other around the slopes and ski lodges.

Apres skiing was where the fun continued. There was a party in a different lodge every night in those early days, as there were very few commercial entertainment options in the resorts if you could call them resorts at all. Mum said all the lodges also had their own ski guides and instructors assigned to guests as well, because there was no organised ski school as such.. They were exotic European young men, who worked on the Snowy Mountains Scheme in Summer and became sexy ski instructors in Winter.

My mum was an avid knitter, taught to knit by her father. Her mother, my grandmother was a fantastic knitter too and I am still in possession of some precious jumpers and cardigans both mum and my grandmother knitted for me over the years.

I came across these pattern books recently and thought they were gorgeous.

It was such a stylish era. Skiing was as expensive then, as it is today in real terms. Clearly, it was essential to look the part on and off the slopes.

My mum knitted this for me as a teenager and I remember I loved wearing it. Mum had the same one knitted for her by her mother in the 60's. Black and white check and hounds tooth were big here in the mid 1980's as well.

I still have a version of this cardigan in red with green trim at the back of a cupboard. I love the detail on the pockets.

Mum said it was all pretty rough compared to today, but they had alot of fun looking fabulous and working it all out together.

So there you have it. How my mum and dad got together. I think it was meant to be, but then again I would.

Oh and if you like the home comforts of the 21st century, you might like to enter my Jamie Oliver Philips Home Cooker giveaway here.

Today I am linked up here

Sunday Showcase

Inspire Me Tuesday

Take a Look Tuesday

My Romantic Home
Weekend Wrap Up
Sunday Scoop
Metamorphosis Monday

Garden Gourmet Cook Off Itinerary for Noosa

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:55:00 +0000

Hello Beach Dwellers

Remember this?

And this,

Gemma with Desire Empire streamers from My Big Nutshell

And me winning my semi by an absolute whisker. You can read that story here.

Well it's on again next month. The finals are on. This time in Noosa.

Here's where we are staying. The Hastings right in the heart of Noosa.

And here's our itinerary. Cooking classes, food styling and photography classes, lectures on how to turn blogging into a career, social media tips and long lunches. To say I'm a little excited would be the understatement of the century

Itinerary for Wednesday and Thursday

Friday is the cook off. All nine of us will be cooking against each other at once. There are press interviews thereafter, presumably for the winner. There is an international element to the competition as well, with girls flying out from Spain and the UK.

We are being judged by Sammy and Bella winners of My Kitchen Rules.

Friday's Itinerary

The cook off will be held here at Spicers Tamarind Retreat in Maleny.

The only problem is, what to cook. I made a chicken curry last night, but it was not a prize winning one. So tonight it's back to the drawing board. I will be trying out something else. I have no expectations of winning, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to. The nerves are starting to build and I am all at sea.

You can follow me on instagram here or twitter here to watch how it goes in real time 15-17 May.

Have you entered my Jamie Oliver Philips Home Cooker giveaway yet? You can do so here.

I hope your week is going well.

Today I am linked up here

Essentially Jess

Jamie Oliver Philips Home Cooker Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:50:00 +0000

Jamie Oliver Philips Home Cooker retails for $529

Introducing my new best friend. Jamie Oliver loves her too. She has somewhat liberated me from the kitchen. You know the chore of standing over the pot stirring the porridge in the morning? I am not too keen on quick oats, because it means the food industry has had to process them in some way. I don't want my food modified anymore than it has to be. I like real oats, straight off the bushel, because they are as nature intended, but they do need to be stirred throughout the whole cooking process. It's the same with risotto, that never ending stirring so the rice can absorb the stock. Well not anymore, the Phillips Home Cooker does it for you.

See that red stirring arm in there? Well she stirs it for you and that is the absolute best thing about this appliance. No more stuff burnt or caught on the bottom of the pan. Once you have prepped the meal you can set the timer and walk away. You can go and read a magazine and have a coffee, while you wait for Breakfast. lunch and dinner to cook.

I do have one big tip though, make sure you press the circled arrow on the bottom left there. I never read instructions for anything, because I think I am very clever, but I turns out I am sooooo not. I don't know why, but the first time I used my beloved home cooker, I assumed the stirring arm would magically work at some point during the in the cooking, but no........ you actually have to turn it on, as it's optional. Some of the classic recipes, provided with the Home Cooker, by the lovely Jamie Oliver, do not need constant stirring. So the stirring arm can be be turned on and off. I know that now!!!

Here's how I stuffed up the potatoes on my first try out of the Home Cooker, by not turning on the stirrer. Well cooked on one side but poorly on the other. We still ate them and they were fine, but the next time I knew better. And believe me it just got better and better.

Tomorrow is always another day in my book and since the potato incident, Jamie, the obvious name for my new cooker and I, are now best friends.

I went back to the drawing board and read the quick set up instructions. It was from here, that I really started to fall in love with Jamie.

I decided to try Jamie's spag bol first. This involved breaking out the grater on the cooking tower too, which I must say, grates carrot beautifully. It shoots it straight into the cooking pan too.

No longer do I have to grate carrot or dice onion for my spag bol, I just shove it through the top of the cooking tower and this is what happens. Bliss.

Both the cooking pan and the tower are easy to wash as well, as you can throw them in the dishwasher. And don't let the size of the box put you off. The actual size of the appliance is about half the size of the box. I had to clean out a cupboard to fit her in, which was also a positive, because I only clean out cupboards when I am forced to do so. You already know I am a cupboard shover, so that was an interesting exercise. I do not like kitchen benches with appliances all over them, unless they are vintage. But the sad result is my cupboards become a jumbled mess of kitchen ware leaning precariously, with no order or rhythm to them, what so ever. So at least I now have one organised cupboard in which Jamie lives. I wonder how long that will last.

Once I became confident using the Home Cooker, the results from my second encounter with Jamie were fabulous. There is nothing like a good spag bol, this is comfort food at it's best. I mean look at this, the Beach House Brats said it was the best spag bol they had ever had. OK I thought, I'm willing to work my way through this recipe book now.

The next morning I got up 20 minutes before everyone and had this Perfect Porridge, as Jamie calls it in the recipe book, waiting for my hungry charges as they stumbled into the kitchen first thing. I particularly liked the bit where after Jamie had roasted the macadamia nuts for 8 minutes, I could put my feet up for a further 12 minutes whilst Jamie stirred the porridge. At this point, the potato incident was well forgotten. I was falling for Jamie more and more, because I was able to put my feet up, comment on a few blogs and have a cup of tea, whilst he pretty well did everything else.

I have made this porridge twice this week and it is so good. Warm and silky even. A great start to the day. Mr Beach House commented that he was full until lunch time that day.

The next night I was going out, but still had the family to feed. Jamie and I made this chicken cacciatore together at lunchtime that day. I had this small bowl for lunch and Jamie reheated it for me, when the family was ready to eat that night. All Mr Beach House had to do was cook some rice. A salad was a bridge too far for him, but no body went hungry. Thank you Jamie.

The next night I stayed at mum's with the kids and Mr Beach House had a mate over to watch the footy. They both woofed down Jamie's leftover chicken, washed downed with a glass of red. The feedback was very good from his mate. Now all I have to do is get Mr Beach House to use my new best friend too. I gave up letting Mr Beach House cook for me when he tried to pass off a combination of canned baby prawns and tinned mushrooms in gravy mixed together, as a meal. That ended up in the bin. But you know what? I think he could even learn to make an edible dinner with the help of my new best friend, Jamie. Well maybe.

One thing is for sure, Jamie is becoming a somewhat indispensable fixture in my kitchen. Like all the best love affairs, they often start out a little rocky, but I am sure this one will last the distance. Jamie cooks great wholesome food in small or large quantities and allows me to walk away for a large period of time during the process, knowing it is virtually impossible for anything to burn, because now I have learned to turn on that genius stirrer.

And here's the best bit dear reader. Philips are giving you the chance to win a Home Cooker and Tower valued $529 too. Here's what you will need to do to validate your entry.

Follow Desire Empire on one or more of the following platforms:

Google Friends Connect (over in my side bar)

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram @desireempire

Google +

Leave a separate comment for each follow, even if you have for some time.

Sharing this to each of your social media platforms will constitute another entry. Leave me a separate comment for each share.

And good luck

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all the lovely people who entered. Congratulations Narelle Rock you are the lucky winner. Please contact me via email with your address within 7 days to avoid a redraw.

Giveaway Terms and Conditions

You MUST enter the giveaway on this BLOG by leaving a comment here. You do not need to have a Blogger account. Just sign in as anonymous and leave an email address.

This competition is open to entrants living in Australia only.

This competition is open from now until 6 May 2013 12pm Australian EST.

The winner will be announced on this blog, Face Book and Twitter and I will contact you, as long as you have left a valid means. The winner will have 7 days to respond, otherwise the prize will be redrawn.

The Philips Home Cooker also steams vegetables and fish and cooks rice and pasta too. The temperature can be reduced to 40C so it will melt chocolate as well.

Disclosure
Although I was not paid to write this post, I did receive the Philips Home Cooker and Cook Tower FOC to review.

Have a great week lovely people.
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Blue and White Beach House

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:34:00 +0000

It is no secret that us beachy types love some blue and white in our beach house decorating. This home has alot to offer and many of her features are just what I love in a beach house. She has beautiful Pittwater views.

Lots of glass

Ease of access from indoor to outdoor living

an island bench

and fabulously styled shelving, used to divide up the living area.

If you would like to know more about this beauty. Here are her details.

Have a great weekend beach dwellers.

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India Hicks Inspired Mantel for Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:38:00 +0000

I've been mucking around with my mantel. I love India Hicks' rustic coastal style and have tried to achieve that here.

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How To Approach Brands and Getting Your Blog on the Radar

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:07:00 +0000

Do you sometimes wonder how some bloggers do it? Lots of fabulous giveaways, attending wonderful PR events, stacks of side bar advertising and the opportunity to do sponsored posts. Believe me, I am still working on how to engage with brands, but the 'A list' bloggers say they are constantly learning too.

There are a few things you can do to help your blog get on the radar with brands, if that's the way you want to go. Here are my take out points from two workshops at the Digital Parents Conference, which I found very interesting.

Firstly, Hannah DeMilta from Rocket Man Media and Grace Titioka from With Some Grace conducted a workshop called Pricing your ads, Sponsored Posts and Negotiating with Brands and here are my top take out points from their talk.

1. Grace talked about mind mapping. In order to construct a mind map, write "me" in the middle of an A4 page. Draw thought bubbles with arrows around "me" and fill them with reasons why a brand should deal with you. This will form the basis of your pitch.

Here's a quick example of my mind map, to illustrate.

You can use the mind map to think about why a brand should work with you.

2. When thinking about approaching a brand, work on a general statement, you can use to pitch to brands. Be specific and detailed about yourself in order to inform. Use the points you listed in your mind map. This is known as your 'Elevator Pitch'. Wikipeadia defines an elevator pitch as follows:

A short summary, used to quickly and simply define a person, profession, product, service, organisation or event and the value it offers to the client.

Grace gave two examples of how she could introduce herself when approaching a brand. The first one was the wrong way.

"Hi I'm Grace and I blog over at With some Grace"

but a a better and more detailed version of her elevator pitch would be:

"Hi I'm Grace, an Indonesian born Australian and mum to twins. I have a blog called With Some Grace......."

It's still concise, but immediately the brand knows Grace is a mum and she is cross cultural. Two things that may be of interest to them.

3. Use as few words as possible when writing your elevator pitch. Edit it well and keep it simple.

4. When thinking about which brands to approach, go for the brands that you have enjoyed working with before. If you are yet to start working with brands, approach the ones you really like. They can only say no. I do this a lot, if I like a particular product and think my readers will too.

5. Do not even embark on a relationship with brands unless you intend to act professionally. This means turning up if you accept an invitation to an event, being on time and basically doing what you promise you will. It means looking professional too, both in person and online.

6. Start with baby steps when fostering relationships with brands.

7. Ask brands what their expectations are and whether they have worked with bloggers before. Ask the brand if they have a digital budget.

8. When determining your rates, consider your time, cost of childcare, transport and your blog's overheads, the value of the product or experience offered and the value you are providing when engaging with the brand together with your readership. There is also an opportunity cost. For me it's that I could be in front of a classroom being paid a salary, rather than attending fabulous events and having a grand old time.

It was here that I piped up and said 'Bloggers doing things for nothing with brands, are doing other bloggers a disservice'. Lots of people disagreed with me, because they thought I was talking about cash, but if the product is something you really want or the experience is what you enjoy doing, go for it. But it was agreed....a bar of soap or the like, will not cut it anymore.

9. It's OK to take some time to reply to brands who pitch to you. It gives you time to workshop your worth and develop a strategy, as to how you can help them and be remunerated fairly at the same time.

Another interesting speaker was Annabel Candy From Successful Blogging, who spoke about launching your business through your blog. I was interested in what Annabel had to say, because I started a styling business and the blog was begun in support of that. Never knowing, at the time, the power of social media and the opportunities it would bring me in the future.

Here are the top 13 take out points from Annabel's workshop

1. A 'Start Here' page is a way to channel new readers to the best posts from your archive. It is sometimes referred to as a 'sneeze page'.. It is also a way to direct regular readers towards your better work too.
Here is Annabel's

2. Your content must be compelling. The title to your blog post is important. Be descriptive, so people can find what they are looking for.

3. If you ask a question in your title, then you need to answer it in your post.

4. 'Why?' and 'Do you Need?' titles are always a good ways to grab readers.

5. Numbered list posts are popular. For example '101 Ways To Be Happy'. They are popular, because it's easy for your readers to pick and choose the information they need.

6. First impressions are everything. It's hard to change a first impression, once it's been made. So the look of your blog, it's ease of use and what you say to readers is important.

7. Check your 'About page'. Let people know you want to help them. It's not just about you.

8. Zero comments on every post does not give a good impression. Either turn off comments or hide comment numbers. You can set up a buddy blogging system & reciprocate comments.

9. As far as audience engagement is concerned, it takes 6-12 months to build up a relationship, just hang in there and keep going.

10. A regular posting schedule, helps your readers know when you will post and looks professional

11. Be completely consistent with how you look and what you say online in every social media forum, as it's all part of your online brand. My advice is if you wouldn't say it in public IRL, don't say it online either. Use one or two avatars (photos of yourself) across all your social media.

12. Promote yourself with pride. Become accustomed to promoting yourself. Add a 'Hire Me' button. Let people know the services you offer. Here's Anabel's 'Hire Me' page.

13. If you stick around long enough in blogging you will reap the rewards.

So that's it for my summary of the best of DPCON 13.

I have also blogged about Lorraine Murphy's workshop about how The Remarkables work here and also about Two must Haves for the Growth of Your Blog here.

For more blogging tips go here.

DIYers, don't forget my paint giveaway here.

for Australian residents.

I hope your week is travelling well.

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Things to do in Akaroa New Zealand

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn Darragh) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 21:16:00 +0000

Recently on our cruise to New Zealand, we dropped anchor in the charming harbour port of Akaroa. The only French settlement in New Zealand.

In 1838, French Whaler Captain Jean Francios L'Anglois, purchased Akaroa from the local Maori, concluding that the harbour and a future town, would be an ideal location to service whaling ships. After acquiring the peninsula and paying a deposit of 6 pounds and agreeing that a further 234 pounds worth of goods would be furnished on the Maori at a later date, he returned to France to advertise for a group of French families to accompany him to New Zealand, with the intention of forming a French colony.

Unfortunately for L'Angois upon his return in 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi had been signed, declaring British sovereignty over the whole of New Zealand. The Brits were charmed in this kind of 'diplomacy' in that era. They beat the French in setting up a colony in Sydney by a matter of days in 1788, as just one other example. Despite their set back in Akaroa, the French settlers remained in the area and prospered.

Happily for those of us who follow in those French footsteps, they have left their mark on this gorgeous part of New Zealand by way of street names, some lovely colonial style architecture and a very appealing street cafe and food culture.

There is a French influence in the street sculpture too.

There are beautiful alfresco lunch spots

Being just 84km from Christchurch, Akaroa has become the port of choice for cruise ships, in light of the recent earthquakes in Christchurch, which have devastated that city.

That little white dot is our cruise ship in the middle right of this shot, so you can see it is a fabulously large and beautiful harbour. Being surrounded by steep volcanic mountains, also makes the it deep enough to be navigable by ship. It was necessary to get a tender from the cruise ship over to the town, as there is no port infrastructure for cruise liners.

When we got to shore, we walked up the end of the pier and arranged our own tour. We took a bus trip around the harbour, stopping at a few points of interest, which cost $AUD100 for the 4 of us. It was a truly stunning road trip, but the road side drops were a little hairy for the faint hearted.

We found the yacht clubs, as Mr Beach House likes to do wherever we are in the world. There appeared to be two in this town.

We took in some Saturday afternoon racing

And surveyed some earthquake damage, as we took a little turn about the town of Akaroa.

This war memorial had been fenced off, as some of the stays for the cross' mount had come down in the last earthquake, which hit Christchurch and Akaroa simultaneously.

The cemetery was a completely beautiful place for a stroll, but there was headstone carnage everywhere, which seemed most unfortunate for those who rest here.

Akaroa even has it's own cooking school, which made me wish I was staying longer.

Cooking classes include meals, wine and recipes.

I popped my head in through the door and the cooking fragrance was sublime.

I just had a look at their website and found this statement.

""We have been named in LONELY PLANET as one of the top 10 places to learn to cook local cuisine in the WORLD!!! We are right up there with Tuscany & Chiang Mai (where the inspiration came to open our school!) - Stoked!"

There are also some fabulously quirky homwares stores in the town as well.

And then there is the Akaroa light house. You can climb to the top and check out her history and the view, but there was a big sign on the door stating that earthquakes could occur at any time, so you entered at our own risk. Yes, I was a scardy cat and did not enter, after having just crossed the road from our walk in the cemetery, but nothing happened, so now wish I had been more of a risk taker and made the climb.

This stunning town was such a beautiful place and we have decided we want to hire a car and drive around NZ one day . The sweet little French influenced outpost of Akaroa will definitely be on our itinerary for a revisit. If you want to stay in Akaroa there is some gorgeous inspiration here.

For all my other travel stories have a look here over on my pinterest travel board

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