A few key things happened after I got married.
A change of title from Miss to Mrs, an update to 'married' on my facebook status, a brief pondering of what will become of my now redundant 'I heart my boyfriend' t-shirt, and the strangest of all- a sudden and inexplicable explosion of sweet and sugary foods in my diet.
I kid you not, the day immediately after the wedding, it was sugar overload.
Although I've heard of the phenomenon, I've always thought myself immune to the seductive advances of the 'I can finally let myself go now that I'm married' club but, seriously, what other explanation can there be?
This sunny Tuesday afternoon I succumbed to the temptation of delicious honey from New Zealand brand J. Friend and Co. which I acquired during a Saturday shopping trip to Simon Johnson. I was drawn to the pretty packaging and interesting varieties with odd little names like 'Vipers Bugloss' that I struggle to pronounce. The poetic description on the back reads 'light pollen and floral notes with a distinctive vanilla taste'. Sounds good right? Well, boy is it ever. It can be eaten straight from the jar. No need for useless intermediary items like toast or crackers... or a spoon. Nuh-uh.
However, I can't go past the combination of honey and lemon tea. One of my faves.
For a less conventional serving suggestion (that I discovered only just today) -place a generous dollop of honey directly onto a slice of lemon and enjoy. Where has this concept been my whole life?
{ photos by amy moss }
I've long been a fan of Sanna Annukka's gorgeous folk art inspired illustrations. I'm really loving her tin designs for Marks and Spencer's biscuits (top) and Paulig Coffee (bottom).
I'm really loving the current aesthetic trend in specialty coffee
houses and roasteries in melbourne. A mix of factory and science lab.
Stainless steel, wooden crates, army greens, amber jars... The
juxtaposition of cold, clinical metals and warm, comforting woods. I
swear, if not for an unavoidable caffeine aversion I would be hanging
out at these places all the time.
Above: St Ali's Outpost at 9 Yarra St, South Yarra. Designed by Hecker Phelan Guthrie Interior Designers, whose impressive portfolio is definitely worth a perusal or two. I love everything they do! (Photos by Thom Rigney)
Below: Market Lane Coffee in Shop 13 Prahran Market- 163 Commercial Road. Designed by Claire Larritt-Evans. Check out more pics of the project on her blog. I just love the attention to detail.
Read more...
One of my favourite blogs of all time is A Field Journal. I'm sure many of you have seen it before and are well aware of just how truly inspiring it is! Through her breathtaking photo-styling and the most adorable creative projects, Livy conjures up a perfect little world in which to get lost.
Last week was 'Apple Week' where Livy provided some tempting autumn-inspired apple recipes accompanied, of course, by her signature gorgeous imagery.
Feast your eyes on these: Apple Cider, Candied Apples, Caramel Apples and Apple Crisp. Yum. Yum. Yum.
I think I've just found my new favourite beverage! I am totally smitten with this Elderflower Pressé by Belvoir Fruit Farms. It really has quite an unusual flavour and is bubbly and refreshing- perfect for a sunny summer afternoon. I don't even know what an Elderflower is, but I thank god for it.
And yes, the packaging is heavenly and quite possibly a contributing factor to my reverence for this product. I am now really keen to try the other flavours in the series. Melbournites- you can find these at The Essential Ingredient in Prahran Market.
The cutest food/drink containers in the prettiest colours...
Top: Superb branding for New York Cafe "Moomah" by Apartment One. Via Unruly Things
Bottom: The cutest little cupcake wrappers from The Cupcake Wrapper co. Available here.
How inspiring are these photos of vintage striped straws! By Hungrygirl. Via Parcel Post. Love their look in combination with milk bottles!
Inspired by Jordan Ferney's brilliant wedding concept for an Old Fashioned Soda Bar,
I set out to create these fun, retro-inspired label designs for soda
bottles that hark back to the glorious era of soda fountains! These can
be used for your party or wedding to create your own Soda Shop or to
add a gorgeous beverage stand to your Ice-Cream Parlour theme. Guests can select from a brightly coloured array of flavoured sodas to make their own delicious Ice-Cream Sodas!
Read more...
Growing up in a family that originally hailed from Singapore I was
extremely blessed to be exposed to the wonders of Rose Syrup. I love this stuff!
Rose Syrup apparently originated in Singapore and as far as I'm
concerned, Singapore's T.G Kiat and Co. is the best brand to get!
Established in 1935, the company have obviously tried to retain an air
of tradition in their branding with their awesome vintage label.
I have yet to find a syrup that compares and we've only found one asian
grocery store in Melbourne that stocks it. If you've never tried the
stuff, I urge you to hunt it down. I think it's the perfect summer
drink, a unique idea for entertaining and definitely the perfect afternoon pick me up!(In fact, I"m having a glass right now!)
I recently found Mymouné Rose Syrup online from Simon Johnson (above)- It's a Lebanese brand. I've never tried it before but I'm intensely curious to see how it compares. It also has a pretty cool label! If anyone has tried it please let me know if it's any good.
Happy friday afternoon!
I'm really digging some of the hand-drawn lettering goodness coming out of Australia these days- especially from Grill'd. Their takeaway menu (above) and the wall art in their stores (below) are simply awesome! For more of their illustrative/typographical craziness check out their website. If anyone knows the illustrator responsible for this, please let me know!
(image credit)
I'm also a huge fan of the Hudsons Coffee wall art by Kleimeyer Industries (below). All very inspirational! :)
As promised in my previous article on DIY Authentic Vintage Herb Labels, I've also created four tea labels
for your collection- English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Chamomile and
Peppermint. In the photo I've used amber jars from T2 Teas. Download the labels below and please view the article
on DIY Authentic Vintage Herb Labels for instructions on how to create the vintage
paper effect on the labels.
FREE DOWNLOAD - Vintage Tea Labels
A novel approach to Belgian beer packaging- targeted at females 18-30. Check out this and the other interesting works of Elizabeth Wilson.
