Eat Drink Chic

For Australia Day, Mark and I hosted a bbq for some friends and family. About a year ago we moved into our beautiful house in the 'burbs, so I guess you could say that the occasion was also a housewarming of sorts.  I'm still very much in the process of doing up our place- finding the right bits and pieces to transform it into a warm, cosy home.

For the celebration I decorated our dining table with some brightly coloured flowers in terracotta pots. The cane chairs, I'm proud to say, were picked up at an op shop for a mere $40 (for a set of four). They add some character to our dining setting. Best. Buy. Ever.

We're looking to eventually find a large, elegant, solid wood outdoor table for our deck but couldn't find one that we liked in time for the day so we settled for some cafe style tables and stools which ended up looking quite cute!

The gorgeous glass jugs in the pic above added a touch of Mexico and were found at Market Import (one of my fave homeware shops in Melbourne). I also laid out my ever-expanding collection of colourful bowls which contained the pre-bbq munchies.

Hmm... perhaps I should have made Sangria?

{ photos by Amy Moss }

I'd like to wish everyone a very happy festive season!! Eat, drink, be merry and all that!

Thank- you all so much for reading my little blog. It's been a wonderful year. Your support means the world to me and is greatly appreciated! :)

I will be taking a break and will return with updates on January 9. Looking forward to getting stuck into some new and exciting projects in the new year!

Anyway, I might just wander off now and sleep for a week.

Toodles.

xoxo amy

I'm a huge sucker for both dogs and cute pillows and I think this pillow collection from cloud7 is super adorable.

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Sukie agrees.

{ via design*sponge }

You remember my "Let's Picnic" Invitation Tags right? Well, there was a small mention of them in the latest issue of Frankie magazine!!  They are a part of their 'pretty things for a picnic' collage on page 67. I loooove Frankie so I"m absolutely thrilled!! If you haven't already, you can download the tags for free right here.

Ahhh... it's Friday and I just thought I'd leave you with some old photographs of my mum. I just love the cute outfits she's wearing in these pics!

By the way, If you enjoy looking at old photos of stylish mums you should check out this blog and book.

Have a great weekend!! xo

... but I couldn't resist posting these cutie-patootie shots of Sukie with my husband Mark.

It's been over 3 months since we welcomed our Bull-Mastiff cross rescue, Sukie, into our home.

She's a bit of an odd cookie, our Suke. She boasts monster-like proportions but treads ever-so-lightly through life...as if the slightest misstep would elicit her doom.

Watching her negotiate stepping over a hurdle placed a mere 2 inches off the ground is both hysterical and frustrating. She has a set of legs that leave Cameron Diaz for dead, yet she approaches this task with a trepidation most reserve for jumping out of a plane at 30,000 feet.

Continue to read more and see more pics!

Read more...

I know that overhead 'shoe' photos have been done many, many times before, but I couldn't resist posting these because of the gorgeous tiles!

The top image was taken by my husband Mark at "The Smile" in NYC during our honeymoon last year. I took the bottom pic a few days ago at the entrance to "Tigerlily" in Chadstone Shopping Center in Melbourne. I loved the tiles so much I wanted to take the whole floor home with me.

When I was a little girl I watched 'The Sound of Music' at least 300 times. The songs were a staple in our household, making regular appearances in shower solos and impromptu hums.

Despite possessing the highest regard for this beloved musical, I never related to the song “My Favourite Things”. This is mostly due to the fact that I found Fräulein Maria's list of 'favourite things'  somewhat lacking (and, not to mention, rife with the 'cheese' factor). Sadly, “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens” did absolutely nothing for me.

In addition, I found that prancing around in my bedtime garments and belting out the phrase "schnitzel with noodles"  helped little in the event of sheer, blinding terror.

I realise now that perhaps my indifference to Mr Hammerstein's lyrics is also due to one profound and glaring omission: green and black's 85% dark chocolate.

The stuff rocks. Buy in bulk.

{ photo by Amy Moss }

It has recently come to my attention that the combination of pretty novelty chocolate, shiny+glittery hats and a collection of colourful felt balls = happy!

So, if you're out and about in Melbourne and you're looking for some cheering up, here's where to go:

• Simón Coll Umbrella Chocolates from 'The Department' ( a new and interesting concept store) in Prahran
• Glitter hat from Woolworths (pick up some munchies while you're there) in Kew
• Felt balls from The Colour Lab ( lots of pretty colourful things ) in Prahran
• Happy Birthday candles from Daiso ( could spend hours in this cute japanese store. everything is $2.80! ) in Westfield Doncaster.

{ photography by Amy Moss }

Meet Sukie- the new member of our family!  She's an 18 month old Mastiff cross that we adopted from an animal shelter about a week ago.

Continue to see more pics and read more about her!!

Read more...

So, I'm no cook. However, it has occurred to me that honing my culinary skills would be immeasurably useful. Sure, I can follow a recipe, but construct a meal sans-instruction and it's a hit and miss affair.

Browsing through Avenue Bookstore in South Melbourne (a somewhat dangerous endeavour, judging by the number of books I ended up purchasing), I stumbled across "The Flavour Thesaurus" by Niki Segnit- A gorgeous hardcover reference that contains descriptions of the qualities and resulting flavours of hundreds of food pairings. My first thought was 'Brilliant!". It's exactly what an aspiring, often-times clueless cook, such as myself, needs!

In order to create a vaguely edible dish, it obviously helps to have knowledge of what flavours successfully complement each other and also to be aware of the more unconventional and unexpected combinations that are possible. (Chocolate and bacon, anyone?) Although I still may be lacking in technique, I truly believe that this compendium brings me a step closer to full culinary enlightenment.

It also just makes a rather interesting read. The author combines the more serious, historical facts with personal anecdotes and witty observations. Included are also handy recipes and cooking tips. Heston Blumenthal describes it as "An original and inspiring resource". Definitely a must for even the most adept cook.

And, what kind of style-obsessive would I be if I didn't remark on the gorgeous book cover design by Peter Dawson of Grade Design. It was, of course, the pretty rainbow of colours on the cover that initially drew me to the book. A beautiful gift idea.

Brains paired with beauty, just the kind of flavour I love!

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Note: This post contains a link to 'The Flavour Thesaurus' on Amazon. I am an Amazon affiliate which means that I receive a small percentage of any sales made when readers click on this link. This helps to keep this website alive. However, please note that I would only ever review and suggest books that I personally recommend.

{ all photos by Amy Moss }

I'm incredibly thrilled to announce that our wedding is featured in the latest issue of Wedding Style Guide magazine!!

I retrieved my copy from the mail on Monday and eagerly flipped to the correct page. I was elated to find that the feature was nothing short of perfect! Superb layout, beautiful words...  I couldn't ask for a better souvenir of our special day!

Wedding Style Guide consistently boasts the most beautiful spreads brimming with inspiring colour and innovative style ideas. I was so honoured to be a part of this spectacular Autumn issue amidst so many other gorgeous weddings!

For those interested in purchasing a print or digital copy of the magazine, go here.

You must check out the gorgeous Lookbook which will give you a taste of some of the great style ideas presented in the Autumn issue.

Once again I'd like to say thanks to all the talented vendors and family members who helped in the production of our special day. Special thanks to Jonathan Ong for his stunning photography. We never would have been featured in such a beautiful magazine without his incredible talent!

Almost an entire year has gone by since our wedding day. This is such a wonderful gift for our first anniversary!

The sweet folks at WSG were kind enough to include a photo of my Nan in the feature- it was a lovely touch. She passed away, unexpectedly, only a few short months after the event and I was so thankful that she was there to celebrate with us on the day.

Finally, for those who missed it, you can check out all the photos, story and styling of my wedding in my own account.

Thanks Wedding Style Guide! xo

For my final post for the year I thought I would share with you some of the little details of my holiday decorating. In all the insanity, leading up to Christmas, it's nice to immerse myself in the the serenity depicted in these shots and I hope you enjoy them too.

You may recognise this little dove - it's the spring bird card from o-check. This beautiful frame was purchased from Est about a year ago. (Unfortunately, I can't remember the creator's name as I've lost the tag that came along with it).

These nifty white wire fairy lights were purchased from Ikea. They look amazing scattered around the apartment. My only regret is not buying more! The next time I was there they were all sold out.

I bought the larger tree bark votive holder a year ago from Est. The smaller votive was purchased recently from Capital Kitchen. My husband arrived home a couple of days ago carrying the biggest bunch of flowers I have ever seen! This lovely white rose was tied around the base of the arrangement.

This birch tree ornament was also a purchase from Capital Kitchen.

I want to say a huge thank-you to all my readers over this last year. It's been a fantastic journey! I look forward to returning in a couple of weeks time- January 10, 2011 with regular updates. Have a wonderful and happy holiday season everyone!

See you all in the new year! xxoo

{ all images by Amy Moss }

I'm excited to announce that I've been interviewed in the latest issue of Dujour Magazine! You can see a sneak preview of the very cute 'holiday handmade issue' here. Subscribe for the full copy.

At the moment I'm inspired by all things summer... A beautiful fashion photo shoot for Vogue Japan by Andreas Sjödin and Summery 'Swinburne' fabric from Osbourne & LIttle.

Speaking of summer, I'm about to jet off to the sunny side of the globe for my honeymoon!

Mark and I are off on a three week trip to New York, San Francisco and Hawaii!!  We're both incredibly excited and eagerly awaiting a well deserved break. However, I have organised some posts for Eat Drink Chic while I am away so keep checking back!

By the way, if anyone has any suggestions for places to visit in NYC, SF and Hawaii's Big Island (especially cute design-y shops, cafes or restaurants), let me know!

WIth all that has been happening in my life lately, I'd almost forgotten that Eat Drink Chic turned 1 year old on June 8! I can't believe it's been a whole year already!

Speaking of birthdays, this 'Bon anniversaire' cat paperdoll card by Livework is one of the cutest cards I've seen in awhile and it comes with a gorgeous little aqua envelope. I picked it up at a nearby paperie. It's also available online here at Pigeonhole. Be sure to check out the other cute cards in the paperdoll range.

{ photos by Amy Moss }

A couple of weeks ago my nan Sylvia, or "Tiny" as everyone knew her, had an accidental fall in her home, hitting the back of her head.  She was taken to hospital that evening and we sat with her as doctors assessed her situation throughout the night. At this stage it didn't appear to be too serious as she was still conscious and  responding well to all the Nurse's questions. However, she took a turn for the worse the following morning and was immediately taken into surgery.

In the following week, we visited her regularly while we waited for her to rouse. We sat with her, talked to her, held her hand and kept her company. Despite our hopes that she would fully recover, Nan never woke up. She passed away almost a week later, on Friday June 4 surrounded by close family.

A month ago, to this day, Nan celebrated her 80th birthday and I was also extremely thankful that she was around to witness and celebrate my wedding earlier this year.

With a completely loveable nature and an eternal smile on her face, my nan will be missed by many. She was humble, giving, always put others before herself and constantly helped those in need.  She was the kind of person who would buy things, not because she needed them but simply to help out people with small, struggling businesses.

Her passing was very sudden and completely unexpected as she was in relatively good health for her age.

Admittedly, I am still in shock over the events of the past couple of weeks and trying to arrive at an acceptance of the fact that sometimes these things, though seemingly unfair and sad, are simply meant to be.

I take comfort in the fact that she did not suffer long and left us peacefully.

I appreciate your patience over the past couple of weeks as I've had to take some time away from updating my blog and answering emails to deal with this difficult situation. A big thank-you to those who sent me kind words during this time.

Life must go on. I am happy to be returning again to my blog with regular updates.

{ photo taken at my wedding, March 28 of this year, by Jonathan Ong }

Hi all. Due to a family emergency I won't be updating Eat Drink Chic as regularly as usual over the next week or so but will try to do so whenever I get a chance. Thanks so much for your understanding.

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 }

The following are some facts about me that I should probably be too embarrassed
to tell you:

*I used to drink coffee, not for the taste, but for the swell of self-confidence from the caffeine high.

*I haven't read a novel in years because of the lack of pretty pictures.

*I truly miss Lorelei Gilmore.

*I used to think the phrase was "It's a doggy dog world".

*Ice-cream is my greatest weakness.

*I've stopped watching Grey's Anatomy due to a recently developed fear of mortality.

*I can't stand untidiness and mess. I am lazy and hate cleaning. Therein lies the conundrum.

*I've only just discovered the wonders of japanese novelty erasers and suddenly the world is a better place.

{ photo by Amy Moss }