Mrs A in The Cove

Gigi and Lulu in Byron

2012-05-24T12:06:00.000+10:00

Not only do they have the cutest names but there were two of the cutest girls to have for our little photography session while in Byron.

The wonderful shoot that Sheye had prepared for us on Wednesday after was just so exciting for me - up until now most of the photo's of kids have been of my own or close friends who are happy to let me click away while they play. Now I guess this shoot was not your typical day out with the camera - think 10 keen girls with camera in hand and a very confined space (think tiny!). So after a number of squeals and only one or two stumbles this is what I somehow came up with.

To be able to watch Sheye in action helped me once again to gain new perspective on photography.

We started amongst the trees - lovely light filtering through allowing us to capture some pretty sun-flare - so dreamy!

From the trees we moved to the beach and the amazing afternoon pink skies of Byron Bay - I am in love with the beauty of this part of the world.

So there you have it - a small selection of our afternoon with Gigi and Lulu and the afternoon skies of Byron Bay. It is quite amusing to be able to look at these photos and know what what was going on behind the camera with so many of us there at one time.

I used the wonderful Eye Candy Actions to edit these photos - Muted Wash for amongst the trees and Babycakes for on the beach.

Hope you like!

Inspired

2012-05-22T20:52:00.000+10:00

I am still finding it hard to describe the way I feel after last weeks 4 day photography retreat I attended in stunning Byron Bay - so many words come time mind - inspired, grateful, energised, blessed, hopeful are just a few. The retreat was so different to what I was expecting but so much more than I ever could have hoped for.

The week was about so much more than learning new photography skills - it was about life skills. I feel I need to tell you about what we did but it would just not do it justice - yes the food was amazing, the location was spectacular, the company was wonderful but I have walked away from this experience feeling like I have discovered so much more about myself.

Sheye has the most incredible way of bringing the best out in people - she is a master at teaching you to be yourself - your best self. She is gracious, kind and gentle combined with unassuming confidence and professionalism. Nothing is set in stone yet nothing is forgotten or left untouched - the perfect mix of carefree and focus. She truly has one of the great souls I have had the pleasure of meeting and just being around her makes you feel calm and excited all at the same time.

Our other beautiful teachers during the week were Fran and Hailey - the way these amazing ladies beared their soul and showed us how to turn personal projects into works of art that brought us all to tears.

There was so much laughter, new friendships and unexpected discoveries but most of all a new sense of fearlessness. There are no wrong decisions just different directions. With faith, confidence and a sense of self the direction you chose will be the right one for you.

I cannot finish this post by also saying a special thank you to my hubby who held the fort while I took off for this week of self discovery - for allowing me to keep finding new ways to express my creative desires - for allowing me to keep changing the direction of my business so that my heart is happy and I am feeling fulfilled. Thank you my love ...

P.S. I will share some more photo's from an actual real shoot we did tomorrow.

Cheese Stack Recipe

2012-05-15T11:09:00.002+10:00

Today Jacki from Blissfully Sweet Cakes is joining us for her monthly delicious food idea. Feast your eye's on this gorgeous cheese stack with the photo's taken by Tanya from Tindale Images - I was their to enjoy this lunch and we definitely ooh'd and ahh'd over this one!

For those people that do not have a sweet tooth (yes there are some?!), this tiered cheese stack is the perfect end to any dinner! These tiered cheese cakes are also in vogue at the moment as substitutes for the traditional wedding cakes!

I made this tiered cheese stack for the Oh Sweet Mum beach luncheon. I wanted this lunch to be a mix of the savoury and sweet, and this dessert fit the bill! It was a big hit with my luncheon guests (models) and you can decorate as you wish when the stack is finished.

RECIPE

4 different cheeses varying in sizes (ensure that you choose some harder cheeses for the bottom tiers)

Fresh figs

Walnuts

Honey

Stack up your cheeses. I cut up a beautiful and ripe fig for the top and then sprinkled the chopped walnuts over the top of the stack. Drizzle the honey down over the walnut and figs so that it drips down the sides of the cheese stack.

Voila!

* This stack can be made with as many layers as you like and as many different cheese varieties as you like.

* Try using some other in season fruits to go with your stack to decorate such as beautiful red grapes, little baby pears and sprigs of fresh berries.

About Jacki ...

Jacki Fanto is the owner of Blissfully Sweet Cakes based in Sydney, Australia. Jacki is married and has three gorgeous boys who love that their mum is such a fabulous cook! You can find Jacki's website here and her Facebook page here

Photography + Retreat = Heaven

2012-05-11T11:30:00.000+10:00

Did I happen to mention where I am off to next week! You guessed it - a photography retreat with the one and only Sheye Rosemeyer & Fran MacKenzie. So excited - how perfect do the words photography + retreat sound in one sentence! I can only imagine what lovely things Sheye and Fran have planned for us in the 4 days we are spending together and I can't wait to share more with you on my return.

In the meantime enjoy some of Sheye's amazing photography work - the place I dream of making it to ...

PS. Sweet Style store orders will still be sent out while I am away thanks to my lovely ladies that send all your goodies out (and Mr A of course) so keep your orders coming in.

Blue

2012-05-08T11:46:00.000+10:00

With the arrival of the most beautiful new cake stands in the store last week my mind has been drawn to all things blue. I am so excited to announce that for the first time in Australia you can now find the Blue Milk Glass Cake Stands in the Sweet Style online store.

The colour is most striking and the will make a statement on any table.

So in celebration today I share with you some shades of blue.

They would also make the most perfect mothers day gift - there is still time to receive one before the weekend if you order today!

Finally the latest edition of the Sweet Style Newsletter came out today - you can find it here.

April Photo a Day

2012-05-07T07:38:00.000+10:00

Can you believe we are in May already! That also means that the April photo a day challenge has wrapped up - here is my offering for the last month.

If you are still keen to join in visit Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim to find out all the details!

Beautiful Cakes for Oh Sweet Mum

2012-04-30T16:12:00.002+10:00

Well last Friday was quite an amazing day for all involved in the incredible e-vent for Oh Sweet Mum. The event which was put together by my lovely friend Jacki from Blissfully Sweet Cakes combined the talent of some of the most creative individuals from Australia and around the world. It was an absolute pleasure and honour to be involved and today I am sharing with you the event I hosted which was all about cakes!

My incredible team consisted of four truly talented cake designers - Dewi from Sweet Bloom Cakes, Sharon from Cakes by Sharon, Johanne from It's a Cake Thing and of course Jacki from Blissfully Sweet Cakes. Each of their individual styles was distinct but when you put all of the creations together they just blended beautifully - it was a real wow moment to see them all together (and the smell of sugar was amazing).

As it took me a number of days to get the shots I was happy with any visitors to my home during the week of shooting were completely amazed by how many cakes I had in one place!

To top off the spectacular cake display we had the beautiful backdrop by Daneve of Ah-tissue. Her paper flowers were brilliant sitting behind the amazing display and finished off the table perfectly.

So enjoy some of the most incredible cakes I have had the pleasure of working with - all of the other e-vents can no be seen in a beautiful online magazine which I have linked to below. The magazine was designed by Nicole from Pretty and Print and will be available for purchase in hard copy very soon with a small portion of the proceeds going toward breast cancer funding.

Congratulations to Jacki and everyone who was involved in this spectacular event.

Open publication - Free publishing - More blissfully

Fluro and White Dessert Table for Eskimo Design

2012-04-24T16:54:00.000+10:00

I am really excited to share with you today some photos from a fabulous party I helped out with back in February this year. eskimo design are the amazing people behind the look and feel of Sweet Style - from my logo to my website, so to be involved in a special celebration with them was such a treat!

The talented team at eskimo design celebrated their 14th Birthday which coincided with Valentines Day - so a theme of Love is In the Air was created - colours of fluro pink and white where chosen which was perfect when creating a striking table!

Hello Naomi created a gorgeous Igloo cake to tie in with eskimo's name as well as perfect love heart cookies and the most delicious lemon meringue tarts. Jacki from Blissfully Sweet whipped up some fantastic desserts on a stick - yummy cake pops and the most devine mini cheesecakes on a stick! The table was finished off with macaroons, bon bons, jelly beans and little packs of conversation hearts for the guests to take home.

Enjoy some pictures of the fun fluro table plus some more pictures I took of the event on the amazing roof top at their office - the perfect location!

Thanks also to Fete Press for featuring the party in their recent edition.

If you are looking for an amazing team to help create a look for your brand then make sure you contact Natasha or Zoe now - you can visit their website here.

Fete Press Issue 2

2012-04-20T11:36:00.001+10:00

Have you seen the latest issue of Fete Press! As always Annabelle and Jane have done an incredible job. I am thrilled to also have one of my recent dessert tables featured in the magazine which you can see on pages 72-79. There are also some other fabulous stories featuring Sweet Style products included. I will be back on Monday to share loads more photos from this party! The link to the magazine is below. Have a fabulous weekend everyone x

Open publication - Free publishing - More birthday

Fabulous Lemon Curd Recipe

2012-04-17T17:13:00.000+10:00

Today's guest post comes to us from the wonderful Jacki from Blissfuly Sweet Cakes. A master in the kitchen Jacki will be joining us regularly to share some of her favourite recipes. Today she begins with a favourite from the table I shared with you in yesterday's blog post.

Jacki says...

When asked what my favourite ingredient is, the first thing that comes to mind is LEMONS! I can have it in a dessert, in savoury dishes, as a granita, anything! I love the tanginess that lemons bring to a dish – they awaken your palate!

Leanne’s colour scheme of her recent Mothers Day Table was yellow and grey. This was a fantastic opportunity to bring out some lemon in the desserts!

I made some lemon curd pots topped with a lemon scented marscarpone. These are the perfect little serving and lemon curd can be used in so many different ways!

Use lemon curd as:

· A filling in little tart cases - you can then easily top off the tarts with a meringue swirl and you have little lemon meringue tarts.

· As a filling in your cupcakes - give your cupcakes a little extra zing. Cut out a circle of cake out of the top of your vanilla cupcakes and fill with a spoon full of lemon curd and then finish with a dollop of fresh cream or cream cheese frosting!

· Use as a filling for macarons.

· Spoon on some hot pancakes.

· When making any type of sugar cookie, make a little indent in the centre of the cookie and dab a little lemon curd and bake. Scrumptious lemon drop cookies.

· With some fresh cream on beautiful homemade (or your favourite store bought) scones!

· Lemon curd pavlova nests. Make (or buy) your pavlova nests and top with some fresh lemon curd, whipped cream and fresh raspberries

· Bottle it up in a beautiful little apothecary jar (available in the Sweet Style store), and it is the perfect little thoughtful gift for something special.

Do I really need to continue! The list is long and endless and limited only to your own imagination.

Below is my recipe that I use for lemon curd. This recipe gives you a lemon curd that is thick, soft and creamy. It has the perfect sweet and tart flavour. The best news is that it is easy and does not take long to prepare!

LEMON CURD

3 large eggs (700gms)

150gms white sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)

1 tbs freshly grated lemon zest

60gms unsalted butter (room temperature)

Place a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until combined and well blended.

Cook, stirring it constantly until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream). You need to stir constantly, so your mixture does not curdle. This will take approximately 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine sieve to remove any lumps that have formed. Cut your unsalted butter into small pieces and whisk into the curd until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool.

The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate for up to a week.

Makes 1 ½ cups.

Tips:

Room temperature lemons always provide more juice.

Cold lemons are always easier to zest. I always zest the lemons before I need to squeeze the juice.

About Jacki ...

Yellow and Grey Mothers Day Dessert Table

2012-04-16T10:50:00.002+10:00

One beautiful crisp morning in March I set out to capture a simple and elegant dessert table that I could picture in my mind - it had to be outdoors with a calm and petty backdrop. I had been wanting to use the colours of yellow and grey as the work to beautifully together.

I asked Jacki from Blissfully Sweet Cakes to create two special cakes, some mini cupcakes and a dessert in a little glass jar - they were perfect for what I had in mind.

Nicole from Pretty and Print provided me with some amazing printables that captured the essence of the shoot which was all about Mothers Day.

My vision came together as the sun rose over the table - it was just me and my camera and a beautiful table full of lovingly created treats.

The morning also happened to be the 9th Birthday of our eldest daughter Laura - if you are a new visitor to my blog, Laura is our angel in heaven - a little guiding light in our life - it felt so magical to be out there with the sunrise and the calm - like she was there with me celebrating our own mothers day. It was truly one of those beautiful mornings that made me realise why I love what I do.

I hope you enjoy some more pictures of my special mothers day dessert table and it provides a little inspiration for your celebration this year.

The shoot was put together for the latest edition of the Bird's Party Magazine which you can see below.

Special thanks to Jacki from Blissfully Sweet Cakes for her amazing desserts, Nicole from Pretty and Print for her perfect paper goods and to Contents Giftware for the beautiful console. The stunning flowers are from Rebecca at Petal and Pod.

Please feel free to contact me if you need anymore information about the items included.

Open publication - Free publishing - More birds party

Yummy Yellow

2012-04-13T08:59:00.000+10:00

My enjoyment in pulling out the camera and photographing pretty things is one of the favourites parts of my life in the world of Sweet Style. A few weeks ago I was shooting a mothers day table that was based around the colours yellow and grey (the pictures will be out soon!). After I had finished the shoot found a few more goodies from the various corners of my home and kept shooting. It is just so lovely to capture things through the lens - to see the details - a tiny snippet of a big picture - the pureness of the petals on a flower - the swirl of frosting on a cupcake or the elegance of a simple stem in a jar.

Life behind the camera really does take on a new meaning and I am becoming more in love with it as the days pass.

Enjoy some yummy yellow on this sunny Friday!

Have a lovely weekend.

Green and Chocolate Wedding Candy Table

2012-04-11T08:53:00.000+10:00

Today I have some photo's for you from a lovely green and chocolate wedding candy table I put together a few weeks ago.

I was asked just a few weeks before the big day to pull something together that could tie in with the green theme that the bride and groom had chosen for their wedding. A cake had already been ordered so I needed to co-ordinate the candy and other sweet treats around that.

Three colours were used on the table - green, milk chocolate and white chocolate.

Some delicious desserts were also added which included cake pops by Blissfully Sweet Cakes and macaroons in a pistachio flavour.

The lovely sideboard at the venue (which you can see here at a previous candy table in the same venue) made the perfect place to present the candy buffet.

Congratulations Tam and Rob - thanks for asking me to be part of your special day.

Happy Pastel Easter

2012-04-06T08:42:00.000+10:00

Easter has arrived along with 2 weeks vacation for the kids.

I pulled out my lovely pastel Easter decorations last weekend to make the house festive - the kids are now excited and looking forward to an easter egg hunt on Sunday.

May you all have a wonderful and safe Easter - enjoy some pastel inspiration from our house!

March Photoaday Challenge

2012-04-04T11:46:00.000+10:00

So the March Photoaday Challenge has come to an end (obviously!) - here is what I got up to in March via instagram!

1. Up - 2. Fruit - 3. Your neighbourhood

4. Bedside - 5. A Smile - 6. 5pm

7. Something you wore - 8. Window - 9. Red

10. Loud - 11. Someone you talked to today - 12. Fork

13. Sign - 14. Clouds - 15. Car

16. Sunglasses - 17. Green - 18. A corner of your home

19. Funny - 20. Before/After - 21. Delicious

22. Kitchen Sink - 23. Moon - 24. An Animal

25. Breakfast - 26. Key - 27. Your name

28. Trash - 29. Feet - 30. Toy

31. Where you Relax

April is off and running so if you would like to join in head over to Fat Mum Slim for all the details.

If you would like to follow along on Instagram you can find me under Sweetstyle

Lady Bird Dessert Table

2012-04-03T10:30:00.000+10:00

Last week I had the pleasure of putting together a sweet and pretty lady bird themed dessert table for an adorable 2 year old named Izzy. Izzy's mum requested a pink lady bird with a hint of blue.

The very cute cake was made by Blissfully Sweet Cakes along with the cookies, cupcakes and cake pops.

Mini merringues, strawberry milk, mini pots of jelly and little cartons of popcorn completed the sweet food and of course some jars of sweets were provided for the little guests to fill their take home goodie bags with. I used a few different little packing options and they worked a treat.

The popcorn was served in cute little mini pails and the take home boxes where the very cute milk cartons favour boxes.

The new favour pails that I used for the popcorn can now be found in the store here - great for popcorn, ice cream or even as a take home favour pack!

Images: Sweet Style

Easter Gift Ideas

2012-04-02T08:35:00.002+10:00

I am excited today as I have the first of a new series of guest posts by one of my new blog contributors Nicole from Pretty and Print. Nicole will be popping in every 4 to 6 weeks to share with us some great printable and paper inspiration and she kicks off today with a fabulous post about cute Easter Packaging.

Nicole says ...

Well it’s that time of year where bunnies are the talk of the town and what could be cuter or fluffier than bunny tails, also a nice alternative to chocolate eggs!

So here are a few “Bunny Tail” themed packaging and paper craft ideas, ideal for some easter holiday fun, class gifts or party favours.
Easy and simple to prepare all you need is some sweet treats, a small jar or cello bag and a fun printable.

To make your own origami bunny you can view a great video tutorial at here

You can find the skinny cello bags, mini apothecary jars and chocolate beans in the Sweet Style Store

Printable's all available from Pretty and Print

About Nicole...

Nicole Hanna is the owner, designer & paper whisperer behind Pretty & Print, which combines my love of pretty paper, printables, craft and all things design. Please pop by and visit me on Facebook to discover more paper inspiration, printables and creations.

You can find Nicole on Facebook here

Ombre Marshmallows

2012-03-30T18:42:00.000+11:00

There has been lots of talk about the gorgeous ombre marshmallows that Jacki from Blissfully Sweet Cakes made for the easter table I put together for the My Little Jedi Magazine. Not only did they look amazing I can tell you they tasted delicious - here is the recipe so you can make your own!

Images & Styleing: Sweet Style

Recipe: Blissfully Sweet Cakes

Easter Dessert Table Inspiration

2012-03-28T10:30:00.000+11:00

The latest edition of the My Little Jedi Online Magazine came out last week and once again it is full of amazing inspiration and beautiful pictures.

I was one of the contributors for the magazine and put together a simple and cute Easter table.

Jacki from Blissfully Sweet Cakes put together some wonderful sweet treats including a very cute bunny cake, easter egg pops, cupcakes, flower cookies, meringues and some delicious ombre marshmallows.

Here are a few pictures from the shoot.

Thank you to Vesna for providing me with the lovely printables from her range and also for asking me to be a contributor to this wonderful Australian production she has created.

Click on the link below to see the magazine in it's entirety.

Open publication - Free publishing - More dessert tables

Happy Birthday Sofia

2012-03-25T00:01:00.030+11:00

Miss Sofia turned 6 yesterday - she also lost her first tooth during the week - both made for significant celebrations in the house! In true Sofia form she allowed me to capture some lovely shots of her in the backyard.

She quite regularly performs the work of the devil but boy has she got the face of an angel!

Happy Birthday my beautiful girl xx

An update

2012-03-23T13:39:00.000+11:00

Hello everyone

Well things have been busy - so busy that my poor blog is feeling very neglected and I am feeling sad that it has had to take such a back seat as this is where it all began for me. Is there anybody out there that still remembers this blog when it was about me building my house - things certainly have changed haven't they?

On the positive side though Sweet Style is incredibly busy and I am so proud that what started as a hobby has turned into a business which is growing rapidly. I have now found a wonderful lady by the name of Rebecca who comes in a number of times a week to help me pack orders for the store - she has been a godsend. Mr A has a new positions and he now in charge of accounts and the girls continue to be in charge of modelling and taste testing after ample photos have been taken of the wonderful delights that arrive regularly to the house.

I have had some wonderful opportunities over the past few months to collaborate on some great parties and photo shoots all of which are due for release soon in various magazines both online and in hard copy. I can't wait to show everything off soon.

Today I am heading off to put together a candy table for a wedding at the gorgeous venue Gunners Barracks in Sydney. Tomorrow I am creating a sweet ladybird themed dessert table for a lucky 2 year old named Izzy and it also happens to be my Sofia's 6th Birthday. This year we are heading to the local play centre with her school friends to celebrate but I have promised her her own dessert table in a few weeks with the family when I can catch my breath.

I am also putting plans in motion for the future of the blog with the assistance of some guest contributors who will have loads of great projects to show off alongside following in the life of Sweet Style both professionally and at home.

So for the next few weeks bear with me - I will be popping in with updates and hopefully by April I will be back more regularly.

I leave you today with some photos of some very pretty roses that I am using on my table on the weekend - fellow school mum and another Rebecca in my life who owns Petal and Pod floral studio selected them for me - they will be perfect surrounded by ladybirds.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Hello Green

2012-03-17T10:27:00.000+11:00

It is St Patrick's Day of course we think of all things green.

I went on a hunt to find some green inspirations and and then had a play with my camera - here is what I came up with! Enjoy your St Patrick's Day wherever you are.

Images: Sweet Style

Straws, Baking Cups, Gelato spoons, Choc Beans, Ribbon, Jars, twine and bags all available in the Sweet Style online store

9 Years Today

2012-03-11T17:23:00.002+11:00

As has been for the past 9 years, the 11th of March is such an important day for my family. Every year the day approaches with anticipation. Thankfully no longer the anxiety that the first years held but still a day where our thoughts and plans for the day revolve around remembering someone we have lost but someone who had such a profound affect on our life. Not too many people share their birthday with the day they die, so the day comes with such mixed emotions as we remember the short but precious life of our sweet baby girl Laura

In that first year all I longed to hear was her name - while most other people went out of their way to avoid saying her name for fear of upsetting me all I wanted was just the opposite. I am so grateful to be able to say that 9 years on her name is mentioned constantly in our house thanks to her her sisters. The sisters that never really knew her, but who talk about her like she is by their side. Sienna in particular amazes me the way she includes Laura in everything - she is in the pictures she draws and effortlessly in conversation. She regularly reminds me that if Laura was still here she wouldn't be the one getting in trouble - it would be Laura as she is the eldest! She talks about where her bed would be and whose class would she be in at school - it makes me smile.

I guess now that my life very much revolves around parties, I have been acutely aware this week that if things had have been different 9 years ago we would today most likely have been having a party at our house - again the girls have mentioned it this week "What type of party do you think we would be having for Laura?".

So today we have been to "Laura's place" - we shared cupcakes and sent balloons for her to play with in the clouds - and we are grateful for the lessons she has taught our family about adversity, acceptance and love.

We still miss her but we know she fits comfortably in a special place within our family, where she will never be forgotten and a constant reminder of the wonderful blessings that we have since received.

If you would like to read more about Laura's story click here or to find out about my involvement with the Stillbirth Foundation Australia click on the Stillbirth Foundation category on the side bar.

Special thanks to Jacki from Blissfully Sweet Cakes and Nicole from Pretty and Print who provided me with delicious cupcakes and printables for a mothers day photo shoot this weekend - they also made the perfect addition to our little celebration.

Summer Fun

2012-03-08T23:52:00.000+11:00

Summer is fast fading here in Sydney so before it disappears completely I thought I would have a recap of some pool and beach time I have shared with the girls over the past few months.

Goodbye summer, I miss you already

Cupcakes - what size do you prefer?

2012-03-06T15:34:00.000+11:00

A topic of discussion in my house lately has been the size of a cupcake - I love little cute mini sized ones - perfect for afternoon tea and cocktail functions.

So is it small, medium or large for you?

Here are a few pictures from my pinterest board of my favourites.

If you are looking for more cakes and cupcakes there are plenty more to see on my pinterest board which you can find here

Images: 1. Martha Stewart 2. My Sweet and Saucy 3. Enjoy cupcakes, 4. Accidental Encounters

5. Unknown 6. My Sweet and Saucy 7. Sweetapolita 8. Somewhere splendid