WEDDING FAVORS

My kitchen has once again been filled with the sweet smelling aromas of caramelised 

sugar & fluffy meringues...

You may remember my home baked Christmas gifts last year - Vanilla & Coffee 

Meringues together with small jars of Salted Butter Caramel Sauce...

A work collegue of my husband's was so impressed - she asked me to bake them for her bonbonnieres. This has been the reason for my absence the past couple of weeks...

I've been making the paper bags with little windows, baking & labelling the meringues. Cooking the caramel sauce to a lovely rich copper colour & bottling it into elegant square jars decorated with ribbons & bows. 

Baskets of luscious meringues ready for packaging... Each bag held two large meringues, one coffee & one vanilla. We decided to add a little damask pattern to the label to give the bags a touch of wedding formality... 

For an intimate Autumn wedding of forty guests they made a 

unique wedding favor to take home... especially for those with a sweet tooth!

Did you have bonbonnieres at your wedding? There are so many wonderfully creative choices now. When hubby & I were married in the 80's, choices were pretty limited. Remember the pastel coloured tulle squares of sugar coated almonds! Very traditional...here are some other ideas - 

sweet apothocary bottles filled with fresh flowers -  Made with Love Etsy

customised coffee favors - Apropos Roasters Etsy

rustic jam favors with burlap covers - Sweet Caroline Jams

I now have a couple of orders to fill for some retail shops in my area then I am having a short break away to visit family & friends in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. Be back in a couple of weeks with some lovely Autumn photos of Bowral NSW...

Till then, take care

EASTER BAKING

Happy Easter from French & Sparrow.....

 

Vanilla & chocolate butter cookies....

 

I found these cute little rabbit & chick 3d cookie cutters at our local baking store

and couldn't wait to whip up a batch of cookies for you...

Fresh from the oven, perfect with a glass of cold milk or morning latte....

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter celebration with your family & friends.

 

EASTER TABLE DECORATING - SIMPLE & RUSTIC

 I've been getting in the mood for Easter...I usually don't decorate all that much at this time

of year and like always I try to keep it very simple.....

One of my favourite things to look for at the market are Easter Daisies.....don't you just

love how beautiful & long lasting they are. They always brighten my day!

So I thought I would share with you my Easter table decorations - all in that rustic yet elegant

country style I love so much, with lots of white thrown in too!

Fresh white daisies in a glass jar, Easter daisies in a favourite white Ikea jug, 

a rustic timber board to add texture & height and a French vintage linen sheet that I use as a tablecloth.

A simple table setting of white linen napkins tied up with 

string & decorated with a tiny sprig of Easter Daisies...

A sweet little iron bunny, glass jar with daisies & fresh 

eggs from our chickens. 

I made the little nest from an old Christmas wreath I had

lying around. Simply wet the wicker till soft and reshape and tie. I then

gave it a quick whitewash with acrylic paint.

 Are you busy with your Easter decorations too, I would love to hear what you

have planned!

 I am linking up with the following lovely parties -

White Wednesday
Wow Us Wednesday 
What's It Wednesday
Transformation Thursday
Tablescape Thursday 

Feathered Nest Friday

Inspiration Friday

Creative Inspirations  

Flaunt It Friday

HANDMADE SOAP

Hi everyone, hope you are all well & happy!

I have been enjoying the beautiful weather here at the moment. Lovely sunny days and cool

evenings - perfect! Warm enough for a t-shirt & jeans during the day and cool enough to snuggle under

the quilt at night. I always sleep better when the nights are cooler, don't you?

I made my first batch of olive oil soap yesterday and was really surprised at how easy it was....

As you know I have been reading Rhonda's lovely new book Down to Earth

I followed her simple recipe for cold processed soap - using some very basic ingredients

available from my local supermarket.- olive oil, rice bran oil & coconut oil.

There is also a wonderful tutorial from Rhonda on her blog....

Now we wait 5-6 weeks for the soap to cure....then we can use it!

My next batch will be scented with herbs from my new herb
garden - verbena, sage & rosemary....infused in the oil to give a subtle scent.
 Stay tuned for a tutorial on my scented soap coming soon!

I am really enjoying this transition I am going through at the moment....paring down & simplifying

our lives. Cutting back on packaging, chemicals & processed foods....

Have a lovely week and also a very big welcome 

to my lovely new followers!

linking up with Kathleen at White Wednesday
 Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday 
Feathered Next Friday 
& Inspiration Friday

LABOUR DAY WEEKEND

Did you do anything exciting this weekend? We had a long weekend here in 

Victoria to celebrate Labour Day, which was a great excuse to escape

 to the beautiful Yarra Valley for the day.

 The gorgeous Yarra Valley is famous for it's many vineyards & gourmet foods 

and autumn is the perfect time to visit!

Our first stop was at Yarra Glen for morning tea of freshly baked scones & coffee...

Next on our must see list was the beautiful Chandon Winery to stock up on some bubbly. 

Established by French champagne house Moët & Chandon in a stunning historical setting the gardens 

around this estate have a distinctive european feel.

We then headed into Healsville for a gourmet lunch of sourdough bread topped with goats cheese,

 proscuitto & fresh figs at the Harvest Cafe...yummy!

Till next time

SIMPLE LIVING

It's funny how a book can call to you from the shelves of a bookstore.

I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but this one really caught my eye the other

day when I was out shopping with my daughter.

Down to Earth

I picked it up, read a few pages, put it down and walked away.....

and I thought about it ever since...

regretting putting it down....

I have been trying not to buy too many books lately, as I tend to buy

on impulse and then there they sit, looking very pretty, but gathering dust.

While shopping again this morning with my older daughter I made a

beeline for the bookstore and promptly bought it and I am so glad I did.

Written by Rhonda Hetzel an Australian lady who has had her own

blog - Down to Earth for what seems to be a number of years.

Where has this lady been all my life....her thoughts and advice

 are exactly what I have been looking for.

'Simple ideas to enrich your home creating a warm & secure environment 

without unnecessary spending'.....I like that idea a lot!

I'm off to enjoy some homemade vegetable soup on this cold & windy autumn day

and spend a few hours reading Rhonda's lovely book.

If you get a chance pop on over to her blog to have a look at her list of tips and advice

I'm sure there is something there for everyone!

Have a good weekend everyone!

WELLIES FOR WINTER

I have boots on my mind.....

Particularly the gumboot, wellington or rainboot variety.....

To wear either in the yard while feeding the chickens or down the street on 

a wet day to grab a coffee......

Loving the Hunter Wellingtons but not sure I am happy to pay around $200 for them though...

I found these from an Australian Designer - Jessica T

Matt black with a slight heel and decorative buckles.

Super stylish with a contrasting lining!

Best of all they were on sale for only $49.95 and free postage within Australia!

Bring on those rainy Autumn days...