Eat Drink Chic

Oh boy! When I spotted these beautiful creations from Magpie's Cake on Simplesong, I was so smitten I felt they were definitely worth a mention here also! These are stunning!

Ice-Cream Sandwiches are among my favourites in the "Ice-Cream" family.

After an exquisite meal at an elegant french restaurant, I have been known to politely refuse a chef prepared crème brûlée, under the pretext of 'fullness', in order to leave early and take an ungraceful dive into the nearest 7-eleven to acquire a, somewhat less fancy but, in my opinion, equally delicious, mass-produced dessert known as The Monaco Bar Ice-Cream Sandwich.

I am not ashamed by this fact. I stand by my love for these delectable creatures.

So, you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this recipe for ice-cream sandwich goodness on Tartelette!

Firstly, Helen has used my Ice-Cream Parlour cup designs in her beautiful photos! 5 points right there already.

Secondly, she provides a gluten free recipe for the cookies! "Hooray!" shouts my supposed wheat allergy.

Perhaps now, instead of indulging in convenience store, pre-prepared packages of sin I can instead learn to make these delightful goodies for myself and also avoid the minor wheat-related tummy ailments. Now all that's left to do is actually get me in the kitchen.

{ photography by Helene Dujardin }

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.

This cutie-pie set of christmas themed stamps from Aspen & Brown would make great embellishments for cards, tags and giftwrap this Christmas.

These chocolate filled Peppermint Meringues would make an attractive and delectable addition to your Christmas table. Get the recipe from Martha.

Also check out her Heavenly Holiday Desserts. I find her Hazelnut Praline Torte to be particularly striking.

It was just before Christmas last year and my mother and I were in a car headed towards Armadale when we discovered a little shop packed to the brim with brightly coloured packages in a variety of beautiful and exotic patterns. We were intrigued! Continue for more details and pics.

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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.

Get all the details for how to re-create this exquisite blue and white, winter themed dessert buffet presented by The Inspired Bride and Bake it Pretty.  Check it out here! (Via Erin Vale Design)

Whether used for favours or simply as a cup that guests can use to collect their own selection of treats from your party's candy buffet, the festive colours in this cup design allow for use at any occasion- parties, weddings or even the upcoming Christmas and holiday season. "La Dolce Vita" - Italian for "The Sweet Life" is a somewhat fitting title for a cup with a solitary life purpose to contain lots of delicious candy- No? Continue for more pics, ideas and to download your free paper cup cover design!

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Was flicking through old editions of Inside Out magazine, garnering inspiration for some future projects when I happened upon this gorgeous table design by stylist Jenny Louey in their Xmas 07 edition.  I love the surprising juxtaposition of cherries with Haigh's chocolate frogs- I think it strikes a lovely balance between sophistication and whimsy. I also love the rich colour scheme with deep reds and browns and the inclusion of easily sourced, everyday food items like Petit écolier biscuits and Lamingtons within such a stylish and elegant context. Gorgeous! Is it too early to be pondering Christmas?

Inspired today by the rich colours and indulgent lifestyle portrayed in these gorgeously styled photos.

ONE: Beautiful bottles.. Interior Styling by Jamo (via JuBella)

TWO: A floral overdose... Photography by Denise Grunstein

THREE: More beautiful bottles... Interior Styling by Jamo

FOUR: Mmm.. dark chocolate... Photography by Matt Armendariz

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!

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This simple and beautiful imagery makes me crave chocolate something chronic. I've never actually tried Kohler Chocolates before but I'm certainly tempted! I'm curious as to who did the photography and styling for these. Anybody know?

Red and pink lovelies for your inspiration...

TOP:  Beautiful Maraschino cherries and beautiful composition-  Prop Styling by Alessandro Mortola

MIDDLE: A perfect 'Sugar Rose'- Styling by Deb Mclean

BOTTOM: Vintage bathing beauties from Vogue January 1963  on My Vintage Vogue via Pink Lemonade

I am lactose intolerant. This probably explains my unhealthy obsession with ice-cream. My favourite dessert is nothing fancier or more sophisticated than a simple Ice-cream Sundae. Nothing satisfies my sweet palate more than vanilla ice-cream with hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, crushed nuts, caramelised banana, wafer biscuit and the all-important cherry on top!

Despite evidence to the contrary (what is with this crazy Melbourne weather?!), warmer months are just around the corner down here in Oz and I've got ice-cream on the brain! So I came up with a design concept for an old-fashioned Ice-cream Parlour "Make your own Sundaes" buffet with all the accoutrements. Read on for more pics, ideas and freebies to help you with your own ice-cream parlour buffet for your party, kids party or even wedding.

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Persian Cotton Candy (or Fairy Floss) also known as "Pashmak" would make an exotic gourmet favour for guests at your wedding or party. Available in various soft hues and flavours including Rose, Pistachio, and Vanilla, Pashmak resembles soft wisps of hair and looks really fab inside these transluscent paper envelopes. Read more for instructions and to download your free envelope template and assorted coloured labels.

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Heart shaped desserts from Yoshiko314 (top) and Rebecca Tabor Armstrong (bottom) on Flickr.

Currently swooning over these images of perfect pastries at Melrose and Morgan.

Doesn't this delicious shot of Laduree in London by Sweet Arrogance make you wish you were there? I'll take that tower of macaroons to go, thanks :)

I seem to have developed a fascination with all things Japanese ever since stumbling, recently, upon a Japanese Food Mart nearby and foraging through all their treasures so when I discovered ii-ne-kore - an awesome blog about Japanese design-  I was thrilled! One post in particular grabbed my attention- the stunning food photography in this flickr stream by Bananagranola. Gotta love the Japanese food aesthetic.

Wouldn't these bonbonera chocolates from xocoa make an elegant offering for guests when they drop by, be a great little gift, or be beautiful as part of a dessert buffet for your party?