Another Malmo Gem

Well, what a hectic few weeks it has been! We have just spent the weekend packing up three bedrooms and putting all the furniture into storage, and getting ready for all of the carpet in the house to be ripped up on Tuesday! To say I am excited is an understatement. We have decided to renovate the three bedrooms for now – plaster skimming the walls, painting, lighting and new carpet. I promise to put some before and after photos up when it’s all done!

I came across this house when perusing Bolaget, one of the many Scandinavian real estate websites I often visit. (One of the best places other than Pinterest for some great inspiration!) This place is for sale in Malmo, Sweden for just over $500,000 NZD – a pretty sweet deal compared to what we can get over here for the same price!

Be Mine

I love following Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day. She always has the coolest DIY ideas, amongst many other things! Her latest idea is to create a Giant Letter Valentine where you send your lover or friend one giant letter a day, until it spells out your message!

What message would you send you valentine? This would actually be a super cool way to propose to someone…

Tuesday Tunesday

This is a bit of a sentimental song for me and Jeremy. I absolutely LOVE this song! Conor Oberst is the lead singer from Bright Eyes, and he has now gone solo and released a self-titled album on which according to Entertainment Weekly, “Conor sounds like Bright Eyes, only heightened–brighter, if you will: He’s emo balladeer, country rocker, and ferocious folkie rolled into one.”

Love Me Do

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love any excuse to show a little love and romance. But, I do find Valentines Day a little gimmicky and annoying. So in that vein,  although this post is Valentines Day themed, I am going on the premise that you don’t need a day like Valentines Day to go all out – you can have random displays of love any day of  the year!

I love my food and so does Jeremy. We were blessed enough to be given inside wisdom to a happy marriage from my father in his speech at our wedding – “Keep the stomach full and the scrotum empty.” Thanks for that Dad.

Because of our combined love of food, I’ve decided to collate a wee menu with the sorts of dishes I would make for my man, perhaps on V Day or for an anniversary, or perhaps just for the hell of it – just to say I love you.

By the way, I am dying to photograph and get some of my own meals I’ve cooked up on this blog. But…the only camera I have at the moment is on my phone, and there is no way I’m putting badly lit, unappetizing looking food photos up here! So if any of you have some recommendations for a good middle of the range SLR camera, I would love to hear them! Until then, here are someone else’s beautiful food photos!

To Start – Fresh Prawn Crostini and Basil Jalapeño Margaritas

     Click for Recipe                                                                                                  Click for Recipe

Photos courtesy of What Katie Ate

Entree – Baked Oysters with Pancetta, Artichoke and Horseradish

This entree choice has nothing to do with the fact that oysters are a known aphrodisiac, nothing at all…

Photo courtesy of What Katie Ate

Click for recipe

The Main Event – Beef and Shiraz Tortellini with Roasted Tomato Sauce

For this recipe, fresh homemade pasta is a must! I know Donna Hay often cheats and uses wonton wrappers for this purpose, so if you are pressed for time, I guess you could do the same. But NOTHING beats homemade pasta!

Photo courtesy of What Katie Ate

Click for Recipe

Dessert – Roasted Fig Tart with Orange Blossom, Cinnamon and Mint Cream Filling

For a romantic meal, I might be tempted to split this recipe into little individual tart tins.

Photo courtesy of What Katie Ate

Click for Recipe

Ok so you may have noticed that I’ve gone all out with using all What Katie Ate recipes! To be honest, I spent hours trawling through the many food blogs that I follow, trying to find the perfect recipes with the perfect photographs to match. In every case, What Katie Ate was definitely the first choice! If you are on the lookout for a new cookbook, hers is definitely one I would recommend.

I hope I have inspired you to start thinking about how to keep your significant other’s stomach full, and I won’t ask about the rest. Hopefully this menu will keep you full enough to have enough energy to sustain the rest of the evenings shenanigans, but not too full that you feel completely bloated and totally unsexy…

Hope you all have a lovely Valentines Day!

Hello Paper

Oh my goodness, it has been waay too long! But, I do have the good excuse of a wedding and honeymoon to let me off the hook!

Jeremy and I got married on the 12th of Jan in my parents house and garden and it was just the most magical day. Of course, there were a few hiccups like there are at every wedding, but these were infinitesimal compared to everything else!

Isn’t the full length silk robe by For Every Minute to die for?! I felt so so glamorous getting ready in it!

My silk organza gown was made by the lovely Elizabeth at A La Robe

The wonderful Miss Daisy did the beautiful flowers and the hanging test tube chandelier.

Can’t forget our gorgeous 4 month old Bernese Mountain Dog puppy! He was soo well behaved on the day – almost stole the show away from me!

Aren’t the twine and kraft pennant tags just adorable? Despite the abundance of wedding photos, that’s actually my lame segue into what todays post is all about!

Hello Paper is an online New Zealand based paper goods and homeware store. I had the pleasure of meeting Audrey, the owner, when I was up north staying at Mum and Dad’s place for the wedding. I needed a last minute supply of bakers twine, and she was very accommodating despite being on holiday!

After spending the summer doodling and designing, Audrey of Hello Paper, has just extended the range to include gift tags and tea towels printed with her signature designs, amongst many other wee gems.

I have so many of her things on my wish list…

Advent Calendar Inspiration

Well, it’s that time again! Christmas is in the air! The other day I spent the evening crafting up some christmassy goodness from all the wonderful ideas I’ve collated on Pinterest. There has been an abundance of Advent Calendar inspiration this year, and I thought it necessary to share with you some of my faves. Thanks to modern day technology, lots of them even come with their own free printable templates!

Via A Merry Mishap

Via Lovely Indeed

Via Oh Happy Day

Via Design Sponge

Via Natuerlich Kreativ

Via Englemor

Via Casa E Trend

Via Zü

Via Hey Look

Via Emma’s Designblogg

Via Lovely Things

Via Sunday in Bed TumblrVia Whatever Dee Dee Wants

Via Style Me Pretty

Via Oh Happy Day

Well I hope that’s inspired you. It’s certainly inspired me to be more organised for next year!

Spicy Roasted Broccolini Quinoa Salad

I have to apologise for completely dropping off the radar! I have been frantic for the last few weeks, writing end of year reports for school. Thankfully, they are almost all done and dusted!! I am so grateful for easy, tasty meals when life is hectic. The one I’m sharing today is a recipe shared by chef Gaby Dalkin on The Design Files, and is the best option when you are stuck for time and ingredients. When I first read the recipe, I thought to myself, “is that all it’s got in it?? Surely that can’t taste very exciting!” But oh how wrong I was.

I often substitute the broccolini for good old normal broccoli, and have been known to chuck in asparagus and chargrilled courgette when I have it on hand.

Doesn’t it look delish?! Once you’ve made this, I promise you it will become your easy, go to, mid-week meal. And an even bigger bonus is that it’s super healthy!

Click here for the recipe.

Etsy Treasures: Inkkit

I love finding wee treasure troves on Etsy. I must admit though, sometimes I just give up searching for anything on there just because there is so much crap to wade through. But today it was worth the wading, because I came across this gem!

Inkkit is a stationery business based in Albuquerque, United States. Every one of their products is completely and utterly covetable. I found it so hard choosing photos to share with you because they were all so cute! I have collated a wee collection of some of my faves for you to flick your eyes over.

You can drool over some more of their pretty packaging products on the blog Inkkit Up.

Blanc Canvas

This beautiful home situated near Malmö in Southern Sweden, is drop. dead. gorgeous! I love the expanse of white walls, the soft neutral tones of the furnishings, and the amazing open plan layout of this former brick vicarage.

This home actually happens to be on the market right now. If only…

Source: Erik Olsson

Tuesday Tunesday : The Dø

The Dø is a French/Finnish indie pop band formed back in 2005. Their first studio album, A Mouthful, topped the french charts  in 2008, making them the first French english-singing act to do so. Todays song, Too Insistent, is from the album Both Ways Open Jaws, and I can’t help but keep it on repeat!