Butterflies + A Tea Party for Mom's Day

Contributor post by Janis Nicolay of Pinecone Camp.

I love a little origami, and I love a little baking...makes for a happy Mom's Day tea party. Ms. Poppytalk herself popped over to my house, to help fold some butterflies and set up for the shoot. I'm definitely going to replicate this for my mom next weekend. So glad I have all these butterflies ;)

Jan, bringing over the marmalade sugar cookie sandwiches to the table

Here's a "how-to" clip of making the butterflies. It's pretty simple, and hard to stop once you start. I scanned in some pretty fabric, to make my origami paper. These butterflies were made with 10 inch squares. How-to clip recorded by Robert Edmonds.

Butterflies were simply taped onto braided ribbon and pinned to wall (left). I didn't have napkins that worked with everything, so I stitched up some scraps of raw cotton, with bright yellow thread.

I wrapped a few small pots of rosemary, origami style, as table decoration and to give away to guests apres party. 

Marmalade sugar cookie sandwiches. Pistachio raspberry cake, lime ricotta muffins. The cute stand that the cookies are on, is from the Cross. All recipes are over at Pinecone Camp - click here to get the recipes.

Do you have plans for mom's big day? Fill us in!

Have a good day!
janis

Produced and photographed by Janis Nicolay.  To get the recipes for this feature, click here and visit Janis online:

Site:  janisnicolay.com
Blog: Pinecone Camp
Twitter: @PineconeCamp
Instagram: instagram.com/pineconecamp

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Baked: Cinammon Fruit Bread

Contributor post by Janis of Pinecone Camp. 

It's nice to be back at Poppytalk....it's been so long! I haven't baked for awhile either, so I thought I'd share a recipe with Poppytalk readers. This bread is so good, and pretty easy to make too. Perfect for an upcoming Easter brunch, and kids seem to love a mini anything ;) 

Cinnamon Fruit Bread 
Makes 8 small loaves or 2 large loaves 

(small tins approximately 1.5"x2"x4")

3 cups all purpose flour

2 packets active dry yeast

3 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup mixed dry fruit, chopped (I used apricots, Turkish figs, dates)

3/4 cup very warm milk

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Juice of one orange

Place chopped fruit in a bowl with the orange juice. Allow to soak for about 20 minutes, then strain, reserving the juice.

In a small saucepan, warm milk but don't bring to a boil. Mix the yeast, warm milk and half the sugar in a small bowl. Allow to stand until foamy on top, about 10 minutes. 

Place the flour, remaining sugar, cinnamon, salt, and dried fruit in a large bowl and combine well. Make a well, in the centre of dry mix, and add the yeast mixture, egg, reserved orange juice and melted butter. Blend together with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Remove from bowl, and knead dough, on a lightly floured surface, until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). 

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with a damp towel. Set aside, in a warm spot, for about 60-90 minutes, or until dough doubles in size. The time depends on how warm your room is. 

Remove dough from bowl, and knead again for a minute, then break into 8 equal pieces. Form dough into oval shapes in place in a lightly oiled bread tin. Cover with a clean, damp, towel and allow to rise for another 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350f/180c.

Place mini loaves on a large baking sheet, and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and sounds a little hollow when tapped. Serve warm with a little orange butter (orange rind added to softened butter). Enjoy! 

If you give this recipe a try, I'd love to know what you think of it!

Janis, an interiors photographer has a lovely column on her blog called Baked filled with beautiful delicious recipes you must check out.  Visit her blog here and her Baked column here.

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IDS13

IDS Toronto 2013
Contributor: Janis of Pinecone Camp

I just got back from Toronto where I checked out the Interior Design Show for the first time. We had such a great time!  It was a massive show, with some pretty inspiring ideas. Here's just a snippet....

OneXOne is a fantastic non-profit organization that believes "one single individual has the power to make a profound and sustainable change in the lives of others". They partnered with Blu Dot to create the "Real Good Chair" auction. The chairs are made of powder-coated steel, and ships flat. Each chair features a design created by a variety of talented artists.

Loved the "pop-up" office designed by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design. It was created using separate modular units made from reclaimed wood palettes. It can be tailored to suit your needs, and it's movable. Ingenious.

Caesarstone had a beautiful "stone garden" designed by design superstar, Oki Sato of Japanese design studio, Nendo.

This "booth" was shared by Three Pears and Tiptoe Rugs. The rugs are designed by Alyssa McMurter. Made of industrial strength Merino wool felt and industrial strength commercial wool, they are stain resistant and easy to clean. The furniture is the creation of designer, Andrea Pearson, her father, Ken Pearson, and sister Erin. A love a family affair! The furniture and  toys are made from Forest Stewardship Certified (FSC) wood with Greenguard finishes. Let's just say, I see a new rug and table in my niece's future. 

Jonathan Sabine and Bettie Cott were designers taking part in the "prototype" section of the show. Jonathan's lighting was beautiful. I love this cluster of grey. 

Bettie has created jewelry (not shown) and these mini shelves or bedside tables. Her inspiration, for these house and barn shaped structures, came from her days of growing up on a farm. 

The talented team of Earth Inc designed this outdoor setting. I'm a long time of fan of breeze blocks, so that may be what sold it for me. Love how they painted them blue. The combination of wood, metal and concrete has created a cosy setting perfect for a small urban back yard (like mine ;) 

Last, but not least, a Scandinavian industrial styled kitchen and bathroom by Ikea. The kitchen features their newest cabinetry, SOFIELUND, in light grey walnut and the new HEKTAR pendant lamps. Love the clustered look. The bathroom features new cabintery, GODMORGON, in white oak. The found an old copper bathtub to pull the whole thing together. Lovely.

All photos by Janis Nicolay except IKEA bathroom vanity photo by Michael Graydon.

That's my walkabout of IDS 2013! Anything catching your eye?

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Dispatches from Australia - Kyneton

Posted by Janis Nicolay of Pinecone Camp.

Hello from lovely Kyneton Australia! I'm happy to be spending Christmas in Kyneton and Melbourne this year. The perfect country town and big city combo and some much needed vitamin D.

Kyneton is just an hour train journey from Melbourne and well worth the trip. An easy walk into town over a  bluestone bridge (built in 1861), crossing the Campaspe River, and you're there. This town is filled with great shops, cafes, restaurants and gardens.

Prunella is owned by two talented floral designers, Caris and Vanessa. Their shop is filled with vintage finds, flowers and all things beautiful. I loved the butterfly still life under the glass dome. So pretty. Bought some of our table decorations for Christmas lunch. More on that another day!

Mr. Carsisi is a fantastic place to go for breakfast or lunch. Their Turkish lunch menu is pretty much perfect. I love the old pieces of coloured wood planks mixed with the copper ceramic tiles at the bar too.

A couple of years back, I did a post about Stockroom (pictured above) here at Poppytalk. I loved it then and I think I love it even more now. They've created an art gallery in the back area of the shop featuring Australian and international artists. They really do "love people who make stuff". Stop by and say hi to the owners Magali and Jason (who, by the way, makes a perfect coffee).

If you stop by Rundell & Rundell, you'll probably be greeted by Millie the jack russell. The owners of this shop are Lisa and Glen Rundell. Glen is a highly skilled wood worker, making incredibly beautiful chairs and boxes. They offer workshops where you'll walk out with your own chair or a trio of the beautiful boxes pictured above. Lisa creates leather carry bags using old school tools and methods. Everything they sell, at the shop, is a labour of love.

I think Dhaba at the Mill just might be my new favourite restaurant. Delicious Indian food and a fantastic atmosphere, with bollywood films being shown on the painted bluestone wall. We sat on the front veranda for a drink and papadams and chutney, then headed inside for dinner. Can't wait to go back.

Other places to visit while you're here...

Little Swallow Cafe - great for brunch

Mollison's - homewares, vintage and gifts

Monsieur Pierre - deli, and gourmet food products

No. 2 Sweetheart - eco friendly clothing, gifts and accessories

That's it for my little tour of Kyneton. Hope to see you here!

Janis
Pinecone Camp.

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