Charming Mother's Day by Ruby Ju

Bec said: Mothers Day is a day that I love to share with my family, especially with my mother, grandmother and sister. It is really special to have the three generations of mother’s altogether. Our Mothers day celebrations are often spent relaxing, and eating good food and pausing to take a moment and appreciate the beauty of motherhood itself.

The inspiration for my Mothers day dessert table evolved from a yellow and gold teacup that my grandmother gave me years ago.  Yellow isn’t a colour I choose often but I think that it lends itself to a dessert table beautifully. 

The desserts chosen for the table were all hand made from recipes that we all love and grew up with plus a few new favorites such as lemon & poppy seed cake pops and lemon meringue macarons.  The old time favorites included my mother’s citrus bundt cakes, nanna’s vanilla bean biscuits and my sister’s lemon cupcakes.

The table was finished with handmade decorations that were relaxed and easy, made to flow with the feel of the day. The tags were hand crafted using different patterned papers and just a few simple embellishments. The daisy chain, also created with different pretty papers, was a reflection of those days spent crafting with my mother and sister as a child. Flowers were added into little cream pourers to brighten up the table and, in celebration of some pretty amazing women, a splash of glamour was added with touches of gold glitter and some gold tassel bunting.

Styling: www.rubyju.com.au

Photography: www.rubyju.com.au

Easter Loveliness by Sweet Style

Leanne said: Nothing says Easter more to me than Bunnies, Easter eggs and sweet treats.  The simple idea for this table came when thinking about our sweet bunny popping out of the cake and into his garden - pretty flower cookies and cupcakes and together with egg shaped cake pops.  The perfect place for the Easter Bunny to spend an enjoyable day feasting of delicious delights.

Sweet Treats by Blissfully Sweet Cakes - www.blissfullysweetcakes.blogspot.com

Table design, cake stands, glass jars and props by Sweet Style - www.sweetstyle.com.au 

Printable labels by My Little Jedi - www.mylittlejedi.com.au

Autumn Edition of My Little Jedi Online Magazine

Welcome to the autumn edition of My Little Jedi online magazine. With the success of the last two issues, I could have not asked for a better outcome and it’s all because of your amazing support and encouragement. I have certainly reached my goal, since the launch in September 2011, we have reached over 90000 readers and almost 3 million page views and amazingly it continues to grow every day.

What I wanted to do, more than anything is to create a magazine that reflects my own unique style and also offer great content for our readers to enjoy! I am so blessed to be surrounded with so many passionate and talented people and I believe this really reflects on this current issue.

I would like to thank each and every contributor for giving all their love and dedication to their beautiful work. When we step back and consider the ultimate purpose of entertaining is to bring people together especially the ones that are very close to our hearts. This edition is all about celebrating some of the most important and precious events in our lives, such as Easter and Mother’s Day. Grab yourself a cup of tea and I hope you feel inspired.

Thank you for reading and have a fabulous Easter! xx

Elegant Easter Décor by Little Sooti

Thetis said: I had lots of fun creating this sweet little table in two of my favourite colours, a gorgeous shade of Mint and Watermelon. With Easter in mind, and the last days of summer I wanted to create a simple and pretty table where my little girl Zoe could enjoy. I had a beautiful 2 tiered cake in mint with made with 2 stunning delicate flowers. Desserts were chocolate chip vanilla cupcakes, mud chocolate cake balls, sweet little cookies with a buttercream frosting and some of Zoe’s favourite sweets, marshmallows.

I love silk linen, it just gives a warm luxurious look especially thrown imperfectly on the table as I have. I painted some old picture frames and used these as the backdrop against a back fence. Handmade flowers in a coral colour were also used as the back drop, I really love the effect it had. Beautiful peach coloured roses were placed in recycled clear jars and scattered around the table.

On the surrounding ground I had some handmade paper fans, a painted wooden crate, apothecary jar with marshmallows placed on a white washed timber stool. I had lots of fun styling this little soiree, and most of all it was simple and Zoe had fun helping put it together, model and then of course enjoy the treats afterwards.

Design & Styling: Little Sooti Events - http://www.littlesooti.com.au

Laura Cioccia Photography - http://www.lauraciocciaphotography.com

Cake & Desserts: Sweetcheeks Cookies & Cakes

http://www.sweetcheekscookiesandcakes.com.au

                                                                                                                                                                               

Off to market we go...

Alecia said: So this little party is very close to my heart as I created this for my favourite little girl, my daughter. Ahllia Gabriella. One thing that Ahllia and I do all the time is the markets, we are lucky we live in Melbourne there are so many fabulous markets to choose from but one that is a favorite is Camberwell market on a Sunday morning, its filled with fab vintage finds, loads of toys and its filled with dogs haha its an outside market so but the end of the day I think she has said hello to every single dog there and brought nearly all the toys. So when thinking of her party i wanted something fun and interactive and a little different so I thought why not create her very own market place.

I had my work cut out for me but I would work on little things each night to bring her party to life. First her invite, the colour palette that I choose was aqua and soft shades of pink. I love the retro birthday cards that I received when I turned one so I wanted a little girl with that kind of feel. Emma from Emma Smith events created the perfect invite, I was thrilled with what she came up with. Even though it was a market party I want it to be oh so pretty with loads of beautiful flowers scattered through out. I collect beautiful aqua vases over the past few months and these were filled with stunning flowers from “The Bouquets Of Ascha Jolie” I chose to sit the children at a more formal setting with a table filled with flowers, I made all the children’s party hats myself and then used the same material to tie around their napkins.  

At the front of the market I I set up the vintage cash register, this was filled the personalized “market Money” also stacked up were shopping baskets. Each child received their own shopping basket and some money to shop the day away. 

Styling notes from Alecia:

Bake Shop

We made the bake shop and I painted it myself. On the stand was her birthday cake a 4 tier vanilla bean Victorian sponge with raspberry cream center covered in white fondant and topped with handmade sugar roses and aqua berries. I made her cake myself, I don’t consider myself a professional cake maker but I get by with what I know and being my own daughters party I wanted to make her cake with lots of love inside. Also in the bake shop were the most fabulous cookies (I secretly squealed when I saw these little babies) I wanted to feature the little girl on the invite on the cookies and Helen from Kiss my cakes was my first lady to call on. There was  2 types of cookies Helen made one with the little girl and the second with the aqua gingham that was featured also on the invite. They were very pretty, loved them. There was also mini yoyos with a soft pink center, vanilla bean cupcake topped with buttercream frosting and handmade cupcake toppers I made out of the same paper I used for her party hats. Along with homemade rocky road.  Also the children’s favors sat at this stand. I wanted little rustic calico bags with Ahllias favorite cupcake mix inside so the children could take them home and bake with their parents. These were such a big hit, topped off with personal instructions from Ahllia and also feature the little girl printed on the front of the bag. Love.

Fresh Flowers Stand.

A lover of fresh flowers this is something we always pick up at the markets and little Ahllia is always in there trying to make her own little bouquet, she actually does very well. So I thought why not have her very own florist where the children can pick and choose their own flowers. I had a table set up with my older nieces to help out to wrap the flowers in paper and tied all together with a bow. This was a massive hit not just with the children but the mums loved it. I was nt left with a single flower and im so happy everyone got to make something. Believe it or not even the Dads were up there making flowers for the mums. I think one nice Dad started and then all the rest followed, it was loads of fun and it really set the scene for her party.

Candy Shop

I chose more vintage looking candy jars then the typical apothecary jars as I think these fit in with the candy store. As there is no Aqua candy in Australia I sourced out a lot of her candy from America, the aqua shimmer gumballs were divine. All put together under my pink and white candy stripe canopy, with aqua gingham lolly bags and pink scales.

Fresh Fruit

Its not very often you see that much fruit at a kids party hahaha  This stand was very fun to create and it actual got the kids eating fruit. I wanted the children to be able to choose their own fruit to make a fruit salad and that they did. I market each wooden crate with chalk “5c Apples” I covered one of my stands in heshian to give it a more rustic feel, I had wooden bowl and spoons for the kids to eat their fruit. Loads of Fun.

Lemonade Stand:

Another stand that we made and I painted was this one. I had two drink dispensers filled with homemade lemonade and pink grapefruit. I sourced out blue mason jars and the kids cups and topped off with pink paper straws. As it was outside, there was no need to worry about the mess. The kids loved lining up at the lemonade stand to pour their own drinks. As it was right next to the children’s table and chairs it was very easy for them to refill. All in all it was a great day for my family. Like any mother that throws a party at home it is a little stressful. Im can be super organized (at times) and I had my check lists leading up to her special day. I got there in the end. This year I really made a point of enjoying her party, last years birthday I must admit I didn’t I spent the whole day running around, cleaning up and missed out chatting to all our guests. This year I really made a point that once all my food was served that was it I was done. We also had pony rides so being able to sit and enjoy her excitement on the horses was the best. I think that ill be doing this every year its my new pac to myself. The mess wont go anywhere but the day quickly ticks on so don’t miss out.

Styling and cake by Boutique Affairs - www.boutiqueaffairs.com.au/

Cookies by Kiss My Cakes - www.kissmycakes.com.au  

Invitation by Emma Smith Event Stationary - www.emmasmith.com.au/

Flowers by The Bouquets of Ascha Jolie - www.aschajolie.com.au/

Photography by Lee Bird Photography- www.leebirdphotography.com.au/

Whimsy Garden by Avie & Lulu

Alex said: This beautiful setting is the perfect backdrop to play host to a whimsical garden party; whether it be for a grown-up little girl...or just a grown up girl! A floral bouquet of delicious treats come together in delicate shades of pink and peach, each showcased on a collection of both vintage and new cake stands. A dessert table which is truly all about the intricate desserts and where simple elements like adding a ruffle on an otherwise ordinary tablecloth make this a truly magical display. Mismatched vintage tea cups in girly pinks will lure guests to sip tea as they enjoy the delicious desserts and take time to sit back and smell the roses.

Styled By: Avie & Lulu www.avieandlulu.com

All Desserts by: Cake Envy www.cakeenvymelbourne.com.au

Photography By: Lee Bird Photography www.leebirdphotography.com.au

Article featured in the Autumn edition of My Little JediMagazine 

Easter Family Brunch

What a better way to start the autumn season than with a lovely family Easter brunch, complete with all the trimmings as it very much part of our family tradition.  At Easter time we have a family get together for my father’s names day. When I was a child, Easter was always celebrated at our house with our immediate family and close friends. I believe Easter season has to be one of the most wonderful times of the year. What makes is even more special this year is that my son is old enough to understand what the Easter bunny and egg hunt is all about.

The concept of having a swing table has been pondering in my head for quite some time now and I really wanted to execute it. Finding the perfect tree to hang the table was a challenge and after searching for the perfect location, I chose the beautiful park overlooking the water at Lilli Pilli. The look I was going for was simple, relaxed and chic so I tried to incorporate my love for vintage and rustic décor throughout, in keeping within the theme. The twig wreath centerpiece tied in nicely with the theme and also highlighted the lovely blooms and made them pop. It’s no secret, the cross stitch fabric is one of my favourite and I had to use it as a table runner. While searching for the right dinnerware I came across the beautiful silhouette plates from BHLDN and I was instantly smitten. To go with the rustic décor I used gold plated cutlery, wooden slabs, bow tie napkins and watercolour menu’s. It all came together beautifully at the end.

I feel so blessed to be able to work with Dewi and Nicole again. I kept the styling simple and organic which ensures that nothing distracts you from the mouth-watering rustic cakes and sweet bunny macarons made with love by the talented Dewi which were displayed beautifully in the vintage mirrored cabinet. And after every shoot, when it’s all over and the last of the cake crumbs hit the floor, we are left with the most amazing photos, thanks to the uber talented Nicole who captured every single detail magnificently. I am over the moon with that out Easter table setting was featured on Amy Atlas today!  

Have a wonderful Easter! xx  

Concept & styling – My Little Jedi – www.mylittlejedi.com.au

Cakes and macarons – Sweet Bloom Cakes – www.sweetbloomcakes.com.au

Centre of Attention Photography - http://www.centreofattentionphotography.com.au/

Galvanized cake stands – 96 Styles - www.96styles.com.au

My Little Jedi turns 2

Wow, how time flies when you are having fun! 2 years ago, my little business was born. I cant believe how much MLJ has grown and developed over these 2 years. Most small business owners would agree that running a business from home it’s not easy, it takes a lot of patience, deamination and hard work to keep your business alive and two years later we are stronger than ever! I feel so blessed for all the amazing opportunities and experiences that I've encountered and most importantly the friends I've made along the way. What I have learnt along the way is that if you are passionate and determined you can do anything! One of my favourite quotes is “if your dreams don't scare you they aren't big enough”!

I was determined not to let this special occasion pass unnoticed so I have decided to put together a little dessert table. I would also like to thank my dear friend Dewi from Sweet Bloom Cakes for making the most magnificent hand-painted blossom cake & cookies to celebrate the birthday of My Little Jedi. Thank you all for your amazing support and encouragement for these past two years and I can’t wait to see what 2012 will bring for my business.

Happy Birthday My Little Jedi! Hip hip hooray!

Styling & Photography – My Little Jedi – www.mylittlejedi.com.au

Hand painted cake and cookies – Sweet Bloom Cakes www.sweetbloomcakes.com.au