Horses + Fashion = warn fuzzies volume 1.

Maybe its because i never got over my childhood obsession with horses. Maybe its because they are so beautiful, powerful & regal looking. Maybe its the good looking model & the beautiful dresses?

Something about horses & fashion seriously gives me the warm fuzzies. I have a huge collection of pictures ive torn out of magazines of photo shoots with horses. Heres some of my collection - i'm going to hold onto some of them for another post next week! They are too good to share all at once!

Heavenly church conversion...

Down the road from my parents house is an old church (a tiny little one made of stone!) that has actually been a house for as long as i can remember. Im not particulary religious myself, but there is something magical about church conversions.

I think its the mixture of the volumes of the spaces, the light and the details remaining like rafters, stained glass windows & cross motifs.

This conversion below is just stunning - i love white living space with the palms  & the iorn windows on the last picture. (these stairs would be totally illegal here in Australian though!)

Polished Beauty Spa....

While reading the archives of a few new blogs i have discovered i came across this gorgeous nail salon!
How absoultely divine is Polished Beauty Spa in Atlanta Georgia!

If this was my local nail salon id be there in a flash!

No daggy giant pedicure chairs, crappy office chairs or bad wallpaper in here!

So serene!

Kartell Madmoiselle chairs, simple white glass topped tables & gorgeous little lamps!

This is one of the most gorgeous pedicure set ups ive seen!

A great idea to use the oversized basins for foot soaking & the mixer taps are so stylish too!

Im sure these chairs dont give you a back massage but i think you'd be relaxed enough in this environment!

Very girly yet simple & successfull colour scheme.

It definately lives up to its name!

Love it! I also like the venetian mirror on the back wall.

You could easily accomplish a look like this for yourself in a home office or a salon.

Simple white tables from ikea, glass tops for easy cleaning & hygeine 

(you can get these made for a fairly decent price)

AND if you want the real deal for the chair head to SPACE furniture with your $1050

 OR there are a number of companies that make copies of this chair but with a different colour schemes.

The same designers also worked on another spa in Atlanta called Entebello with similar results.
The common elements
1. white backdrop with one or 2 striking colours
2. Luxurious chairs in bold colours
3. detailed upholstry in the 'lounge area'
3. The use of elegant looking oversized basins for foot soaking with chrome mixer taps
4. Use of mirrors & glass in furniture
(table tops, display counters etc)
5. The use of pattern working with the colour scheme such as a panel of wall paper or a backlit wall.

http://www.habachydesigns.com/

...note to self...anzac biscuits & pannacotta will not result in this!

I wonder how many Anzac Biscuits Cheyanne Tozzi ate this weekend??

Just call me masterchef ;)

I hope everyone had a great long weekend
(those if us here in Australia anyway)!

On sunday night i cooked Pannacotta for desert;
ive been wanting to try it forever!

I even went & got pannacotta moulds!

To my surpirse it came out PERFECTLY!

The recipe wasnt even that hard & it was sooooo good!

To good to not share with you!

I used a basic vanilla pannacotta recipie & then added my own embellishments!

~ Vanilla Bean Pannacotta ~
1 1/2 cups (375ml) cream
1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk
1  vanilla bean (i used vanilla bean paste)
1/2 cup (115g) caster sugar
2 1/2 tsp gelatine powder

Place the cream and milk in a saucepan.
Use a small sharp knife to split the vanilla bean lengthways,
then scrape the seeds from inside the bean & add the seeds and bean to the saucepan.
Slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes.

 

Discard bean from cream mixture. Add sugar and return to a low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until sugar dissolves.

Place 2 tbs of boiling water in a small heatproof bowl.
Sprinkle over gelatine. Bring a small saucepan of water to boil. Remove from heat.

Sit the bowl of gelatine in the water and stir until dissolved.

Cool slightly, then stir into the cream mixture.


Lightly oil 6 x 1/2 cup (125ml) dariole moulds or ramekins. Place on a tray and pour in cream mixture. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

To break the seal on the mould gently run a sharp knife around the edge. Then flip upside down onto to a plate & give a gentle shake! & voila!

~ Grilled Figs~
1 Fig Per person scored
Place figs on baking tay & place under grill for a few minutes.

~ Rosewater Honey~
2 tbs Honey
2 tbs boiling water
1tsp rosewater essence
Combine all in small saucepan & stir over low heat for a minute or two to combine

Place a fig on each plate & drizzle the fig & pannacotta with the rosewater honey! Serve & drool!

Hungry?!

~ Sian & Shane tie the knot ~

On the topic of my talented friends & their weddings.....

(me, im still a muriel for now lol)

My friend Sian married her long time love Shane in the NSW southern highlands in a fantastic country weekend wedding in late March - it was one of the best weddings ive been to; i havent had that much fun for a very long time! Beautiful afternoon ceremony under a huge tree, fabulous dinner & then danced into the early hours of the morning to the sounds of a guy belting out tunes on a grand piano.....then laughed till we cried looking at the photos the next morning!

Not only did Sian remain calm throught the whole process, but she designed & hand painted all the stationary for the wedding (she's a graphic designer by trade!) - the whole thing was so well thought out & gorgeous!
Here are some of my photos.

The stunning stationary which Sian designed & hand painted all the graphics for!

The location of the beautiful afternoon ceremony

Thoughful touches like a bucket full of cream & white wool wraps for those of us who were a bit chilly!

The simple white chairs looked beautiful against the lush green grass & trees and the aisle was lined with lavender bushes in terracotta pots.

Sian & Shanes dog Leroy Brown (yep thats his name!) also got to come along & had his own little tux!

The stuuning bride & her dad.

Sians delicate layered dress was simply beautiful with the brooch & earrings were from an antique dealer in New York!

The afternnon ceremony was so beautiful - under a huge tree & the sun was shining through the tree giving off a dappled light - stunning!

How cool is the 'cheese cake' - sians mum sourced all the wheels of cheese which were then made into cheese plates which we devoured while dancing to the piano man!

The gorgeous round bridal table distinguished it from the others which were all long tables - the dining room had a great warm feeling to it with pendant lighting, floor lamps, floor to ceiling sheers & bentwood chairs.

The stunning flowers were all shades of green, white & a touch of pink

they included hydrageas, dahlias & figs!

The setting kept with the 'rustic glam' country theme with the table runners made from hessian bags which (of course!) Sian made herself! Different sized candles and flowers in all kinds of vessels ran down each table!

Sian also handpainted one of these wedding tree's - it was a bare tree & we all added the leaves with fingerprints in differnt green inks & signed them! I have seen these you can buy on Etsy but sian made her own...i know who'll ill be asking to make one for me one day ;)

They had the entire  Peppers Manor House near Bowral so it felt like a big country wedding at a gorgeous estate!
Not to mention the benifits of having your room only meters from the dance floor ;)

~

happiness...

Hvae had a very distressing morning involving dental surgery booked for the 10th June & a bill i will need a second job to pay for....

so i will start my day with this....

I saw this quite over on pink wallpaper yesterday & just the quote itself made me happy. I think ill have to find a print of it & frame it for home for those days when im feeling a bit blue

.....

Then on my lunch break yesterday i came across these little beauties in my favorite local florist Matt Bisaro - this little shop is divine! Rustic looking bookshelves packed with beautiful jars, lanterns & vases PACKED with stunning flowers! oohh it gives me the warm fuzzies!

I have a set of boxes made from the same pressed tin which i really love..

im sure i can work one of these into my apartment somehow..

Maybe with an indoor plant, or maybe on my desk at work.

They range from $10 for the small ons to $60 for the biggest.

Will someone please buy me all those tulips to go in them too ;)

xx