I'VE MOVED

Come and join me at my new home. I'm still settling in, so excuse the mess... but head over to www.lucyolive.co.nz and check it out!

See you there kids.

WEEKENDS :: BAKING BOTCH UP

Ok, so I was making some lemon and white chocolate muffins, and it was all going fine... until I got creative. Because I'm a lemon fiend, I decided to alter the recipe a little. Er... or maybe a lot. I ended up with these squidgey, gooey, flat lemon patties. That's what happens when you multiply the lemon juice requirements by three! But guess what? They were still zingy and delicious. And they looked kind of cute stacked up between layers of white chocolate. Thankfully this baking botch up was still edible!

THE SWEETEST RECIPE

Creating an identity is one thing, rolling it out is another – and is always so much fun! You may remember me posting about the Made From Scratch identity/blog redesign I worked on... well, Rachael has since branched out from blogging into baking classes, and needed some cute little recipe cards for her delicious creations. I loved making these up, they make such sweet little sets!

WEEKENDS :: BROWNIE CHEAT

You know when it strikes 9:30pm, you're curled up cozy, and you wish you had a sweet treat to make the evening complete? Well, if you have some common ingredients and a microwave, you're sorted. Last night I made Ben and I a 'Mug Brownie' each, and they exceeded my expectations completely... although I did feel like a dirty, dirty cheater. Nothing beats the real deal of course, but if you've got a craving that just won't quit then this is the thing for you. Got 5 minutes and a sweet tooth? Then read the recipe below!

WEEKENDS :: RUFFLED FEATHERS

Aside from eating cake, there's little more fun than being a fly on the wall and watching seven cakes being beautifully decorated. That's exactly what happened at Made From Scratch's ruffle cake class on the weekend – I was trying not to drool as I took a few snaps! Don't they look so cute? I highly recommend going along and learning how to do it from Rachael, it's a bit of a skill getting the ruffling right.

WEEKENDS :: MY BIRTHDAY

Saturday. Birthday. Wake up. Car stereo loud. Buy new top. Dye hair black. Family time. Grandma's famous sponge cake. Spoilt. Five course dinner. Video store detour. Couch cuddles. Cupcake flavoured jellybeans. Sweet dreams.

Sunday. Wake up. Art supply stock up. Treasured friend. Rhubarb and blue cheese tart. Computer. Leave home with dog. Return home with dog and stick. Family time. Layer cake. Boutique ice cream. Sweet dreams.

Monday. Sudden urge to get back into running.

WEEKENDS :: SHAKY ISLES COFFEE CO.

How do Shaky Isles make the best hot chocolate in town? Easy – by putting a "mother flipping Sante bar up in them," that's how.

WEEKENDS :: CATCH UP

Catching up with family and some old friends, check. Catching up on some sleep-ins, check. Catching up with my boy over weekend pancakes, ooh yes! Usually he makes them, but I decided to take charge of the pan on Saturday. Our secret ingredient for the fluffiest, creamiset pancakes is unsweetened yoghurt – try substituting half of your milk for it! This time I also added in some blueberries grown on a family member's patch. A spritz of lemon and a speckle of sugar and we were all set. Best way to start a weekend!

FOR YOU :: STRAW FLAG TEMPLATE

Everyone loves to celebrate. I'm particularly good at finding reasons to treat myself, but after reaching 100 likes on Facebook, I wanted to find a way to treat you, too! As a thanks please enjoy these cute straw flags – perfect for adding that little bit extra to any celebratory drink. Simply click here to download, and read below for instructions on how to make them. Cheers!

WEEKENDS :: TRUFFLES

What better way to test out a new food processor than with pistachios, ginger and apricots for these truffles? They're very tasty, though my favourite thing about them is their rustic aesthetic – and that's good enough for me!

FRUITY LITTLE PACKAGES

After creating an initial feijoa fruit label, I was asked to create some more for other fruit, ensuring that the design was "the same, but different." Here's a little peek into the final set I completed at work (Tenfold Creative). I love getting these little label jobs as I usually have a pretty free reign over what kind of design to do... though it can be tricky; I usually only have a 5cm area to work with! Keep an eye out for these sweeties at Countdown supermarkets.

MINI MUNCHES

OK, so I kind of have this weird obsession. Don't ask me why, but I have always had a thing for miniature food. I used to love going into the little Japanese dollar stores and buying the rubbers shaped like miscellaneous food items! You can imagine my glee when I stumbled on these incredible miniature food sculptures by Shay Aaron – aren't they amazing?

WEEKENDS :: TO MARKET

A little excursion up to the legendary Matakana Village Farmer's Market was the perfect thing for a sunny Saturday morning. We left home bright and early on empty stomachs and were spoilt for choice when we arrived – there were tarts, pies, raw juices, crepes, baklava, nutbutters, craft beers, locally grown produce, and much more... all fresh and delicious. And while there was no dog food for sale, Juno certainly left satisfied!

A BOTTLE OF MISCHIEF

Wine, beer, and other alcohol packaging are often nesting grounds for creative activity. When all you've got is a picture on a bottle to distinguish yourself on shelf, you've got to make an effort. I especially love these bottles which have been designed and illustrated by Caleb Heisey. As soon as I saw them, I was hooked. Each bottle tells a story, and each story is a pleasure to observe.

WEEKENDS :: HENS PARTY

If you know me, then you'll know I absolutely love food and doing a bit of cooking, and also that I have a bit of a soft spot for asian cultures. I can't believe that my maid of honour combined these two loves of mine for the most awesome hens night ever!

ZIM&ZOU

Switch off the computer and switch on to hand crafting. Well, that's what more and more people prefer to do these days... and who can blame them? If you've got the skills (and the time), then I'd say painting a picture by hand would be more rewarding than compositing an image by computer. Part of this growing wave of handy creatives is the ever talented duo Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmermann, also known as Zim&Zou. Their intricate paper sculptures are a delight to the eye, and make us ask ourselves "how freakin' long did that take?". The answer to that question, which we presume includes many minutes, just makes us admire their work even more. Loving their work for the cover of Icon magazine earlier this year.

WEEKENDS :: ICE CREAM CAKE

Another week has whizzed by and, before I know it, it's the weekend again. This weekend has been all about watching a flick at the cinema, catching up with my favourite people, doing some wedding planning and working on a few crafty projects – such as creating some cute jewelry as well as eight mini ice cream cakes (pictured during their creation). Deeelish! Both Ben and Juno were impressed with my efforts. I couldn't help but curl up with a big, cold bowl of the creamy leftovers in bed last night – the perfect way to end a Saturday.

THE FOX WITH THE GOLDEN FUR

This is one of the most amazing things I've seen in a long time. This chocolate packaging tells the story of "The Fox with the Golden Fur" using colourful, illustrated chocolate wrappers that reveal a paper-cut shadowbox. This interactive beauty has really captured the charm of old storybooks. I love it, and if I had it, I wouldn't eat it in a million years. Okay, maybe if I was really starving, like if I hadn't eaten in weeks. But I would be sure to restuff the packaging so no one would notice.

PANTONE TARTS

In my books there's only two kinds of food photography – the 'meh' kind, and the 'amazingly-good-I-want-to-eat-that-now' kind. French food designer, Emilie de Griottes has an amazing talent – you should definitely check out her blog if you're a fan of beautifully photographed food. Her latest project are these deliciously adorable pantone tarts for French culinary magazine, Fricote.

The pantone colours have been recreated using lollies, berries, lemons, carrots, buttercream and all kinds of vibrant ingredients arranged on a tart base. If you get this edition of Fricote magazine and are familiar with the French language, then you can read the recipe and make your own!