M&M Cookies

I told you i was in trouble hehe Last night when i should of been finishing some pieces i decided to bake these babies instead.... from scratch. Armed with a recipe from Milk and Honey Cafe i was surprised how quick and easy it was to make the cookies. Unfortunately Hubby had already gone to bed however it was the first thing he ate for breakfast haha

I figure i would ease myself into the baking from mastering the perfect cookie to creating scrumptious cupcakes. Baby steps!


Yummy M&M Cookies

from Milk and Honey Cafe
makes 3 dozen

ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups mini or regular m&ms

directions

1.Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Amore 13 - Cupcake Heaven

A little tid bit about moi - i have the worst weakness for anything sweet, especially if it comes in cake form. My poison.... cupcakes! I swear i'm an addict! I just can't say no despite my best effort to stay away but how can anyone stay away from these delicious pretty things. They're so cute and scrumptious and girly and i can go on and on.... *sighhhhhhh*

As soon as my eyes drifted over to the Milk and Honey Cafe blog i knew i was in serious trouble. Here is a chick who actual bakes these little darlings (plus other treats) and is kind enough to show us how. Gosh if it wasn't 1am I would probably head over to the shops now and buy nobs and nobs of butter.

My heart is racing, my tummy grumbling, my mouth practically drooling in anticipation for the these goodies. I can't wait to start and with pics like these can you really blame me?

images via milk and honey blog

Oh yes, i'm sooooo in trouble!

I heart getting older!

Some people freak out with just the mention of turning older, some can't bring themselves to admit their age but me.... i love my birthdays. It feels like New Years all over and as i countdown to midnight i know my slate is being wiped clean and i come out on the other side relaxed, happy, wiser and well.... older =)

Today I'm 29! And for the first time since being together hubby isn't here to celebrate with me. The beautiful man is volunteering as a camp facilitator for Rotary Youth and i haven't seen him for 6 days now. He'll be back in less than 48hrs and I'm eager to smother him with hugs & kisses (mushy i know) I however was not alone today. I spent the day with my lil sis and then dined with my dearest girlfriends, followed by the movie 'Nine'.

It was the kind of get together where everyone is laughing uncontrollably, words of praise & joy are thrown about effortlessly. All in all, we were all so happy and although hubby wasn't around to see me turn 29, when I'm an old woman and look back over the years, I will remember being surrounded by absolute love on this particular birthday.

ps - I was incredibly inspired from 'Nine' and as i was watching it i was mentally sketching pieces in my head hehe Can't wait to start =)

{In The Bedroom} new to shop!

{Amore} Go ----> HERE

{Relaxing in Mauritius} Go ----> HERE

{Love In Paris} Go ----> HERE

{Goddess} Go ----> HERE

{English Rose} Go ----> HERE

{Dinner In New York} Go ----> HERE

{Arabesque} Go ----> HERE

{A hint of blush} Go ----> HERE

Amore No. 12 - The Uniform Project

We are living in times where fashion is one of the single driving forces that fuels the economy. Most women (myself included) couldn't tell you what's happening in the stock market or in politics however ask us for an opinion on Valentino's latest collection and well.... how much time do you have?

In my opinion there's nothing wrong with saving up for that gorgeous pair of heels you've had your eye on for weeks or occasionally splurging on a special party dress however sometimes i feel that we've crossed borders from occasional splurging to down right crazy when i see people brag about how they've spent thousands and thousands for 1 single item of clothing, especially when there are those out there who only have 1 single item of clothing.

So when i stumbled across The Uniform Project my heart did little back flips of joy to see such a courageous gorgeous act of charity. It's so subtle, so simple (or so it seems) and it comes straight from the heart.

Founded by Sheena Matheiken and Eliza Starbuck in 2009, Sheena pledged to wear one dress, for one year in an exercise in sustainable fashion. Eliza design and created 7 identical dresses (one for every day of the week) and Sheena spruces them up with accessories, layering with other clothing and any other way to make them all look like completely different outfits.



The project is a dedicated year long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, to fund the education of children living in Indian slums.

It's projects like this that makes me proud to be in this industry and inspires me to do my part.

** How can you help? Go to The Uniform Project to make a donation or to donate any accessories laying around that could go to better use =)

{All Mine} & mini Update

Soft pinkish/peach silk, hand embellished with pearl seed & crystal beading.
love

Occasionally when i'm not creating custom orders and have a few hours to myself i quietly sit by my desk, scissors in one hand, piles of fabric usually on my lap and without any agenda i start to cut away without a care in the world. I allow the creative juices to bubble up and eventually spill over into a design frenzy and usually by the end of it a piece will come into fruition.
love
A piece just for moi =)

Sooner or later i end up recreating them for my shop however i always keep the original for myself, like an architect keeping his/hers blueprints.

2010 seems more exciting than ever for Olive Farm with new projects in the mix and pieces coming out at a steady flow. Here just a few insights on what's in stall for the new year -

:: Buying trip mid year with Hubby
:: More shoots! Outdoors as well as some studio time =)
:: More markets! I love meeting and talking to new clients as well as showcasing new lines.
:: Olive Farm website *fingers crossed*
:: Teaming up with a fashion buyer for potential fashion show
:: More exposure baby!

Stay tuned =)

{In The Bedroom - preview}

I hope everyone had a fabulous New Years =) Just like the year before i spent the countdown to 2010 with some of my closest friends and then we continued dancing the night away to the wee hours =)

However now that the festival season is slowly coming to an end i've been back into Olive Farm works and creating many lovely pieces which will be on my etsy site soon and i've also found time to fit in a mini shoot to showcase some of the accessories.

{More pics to come}

Thank you to Rin Nelson Photography
& Zaymah Mohamed