making lists of lists

Amongst all the crazy busyness here in the studio I have found that the only way I can actually switch my brain off and fall asleep of a night (which is more like of a morning) is by writing lists upon lists and getting my to do list out of my brain and down on paper.

But my lists have become lists of lists, so much so that I finished my list notebook today. It was quite a disastrous moment when I realised that my little book that contained all my brains tickings was finished. Thankfully I found sitting here on my desk a gorgeous little notebook given to me by a past student and lovely friend Angela. Its now my new list of lists book. Its pretty isn't it?

One of the reasons why we have been so busy is that we have been launching a new line of products for our wedding clients (more on that next week!) but we have also been madly preparing to attend the Marriott wedding showcase this Saturday in Brisbane city. If your getting married and are in town we would love to meet you! Drop by and say hello. You can email us at info@bespokepress.com.au and we can shoot you through all the info.

So now, back to my list, I must keep on ticking on..

finding time in the kitchen

Have I ever told you that I love bananas? Oh they are so good, but I must admit I am a terribly fussy banana eater. They must still have that tiny sliver of green left on them and still that tiny bit firm, which means there is about a 24 hour period when I bring them home from that shops that I consider them to be edible.

Now obviously this causes all sorts of dramas because although I do love them, really I don't love them enough to eat a whole bunch in 24 hours. So we end up with a whole heap of perfectly good bananas which I will refuse to eat as they have gone past that perfection point. Call me anal, I totally agree.

So we stash the bananas in the freezer and when my husband finds time he makes his oh so good banana bread which has the most deliciously crunchy brown sugar and almond topping. Mnn its delicious and just this once I can totally overlook that the bananas are all mashy!

55g (1/4 cup) firmly packed brown sugar
30g (1/4 cup) almonds, chopped
375ml sour cream
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g unsalted butter, melted
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line two 10 x 18cm loaf tins with baking paper. In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar and almonds and put aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the sour cream and bicarbonate of soda, set aside for 5 minutes then stir in the melted butter, sugar and eggs. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Gradually fold in the sour cream mixture, followed by the bananas.

Pour the mixture equally into the prepared tins and sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top.

Bake for 1-11/2 hours or until a skewer comes out clean. Set aside and cool in tins for about 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

We toast our bread on the sandwich press and then smother in butter beacuse its not unheathly enough already!!

how i miss you

Friends, I miss you. I miss saying hello and sharing our stories, I missing reading your blogs and saying hello, I miss waking up each morning and thinking what shall I blog today. I miss raiding the not so great garden for my little gem of the day, please don't think I have forgotten you, im just temporally insanely busy with so many gorgeous things Im itching to find the time to tell you about.

But for now I must make do with some photos from our Sunday adventure. After 14 hours of foot treadling and hand feeding the press, it was a hugely productive day, but insanely exhausting as well!

Once our crazy print schedule allows I will be back again soon, I promise!

xox

painted with light business cards

Earlier this week I gave you a little sneak peak of the gorgeous canary yellow we had been printing for the lovely Lanne from Painted With Light. Well here they are looking more like business cards after they have been cut up and rounded cornered. They look just gorgeous and the simplicity of their design is so perfectly suited to the artfrom that is letterpress!

Have a most lovely weekend my friends. We have a crazy printing schedule planned so its no rest for the wicked. On most sad news, due to the busyness here at the studio I will be unable to attend this Sundays first meeting of the Brisbane Brown Owls. As I shed a tear, and pine away a morning of crafty loveliness and a cup of tea with new friends, I do hope that you all have a most gorgeous morning. I promise i'll be there next time!

xox

im thinking of you.

My loverlies, how is your week been? Im so sorry, Ive been here and there and haven't found the time to share my daily adventures with you.

I picked this flower from the garden just for you to say sorry. Do you know what it is? It was living under our frangipani tree and is now living on our dining table, but I'll think of you everytime I see it, really if we knew each other in real life I would wrap it up and give it to you, but for now, we must make do with me looking after it for you.

But with news from our week so far - there have been some most lovely collaborations, some simply stunning weddings and lots and lots of behind the scenes business work which we are itching to tell you about... but will have to share the news a little later on!

It has also been the week that my new 21 students for the year started at Shillington College, what a gorgeous group, I cant wait to get to know them better and inspire them about the beautiful world that is design.

So my friends, once again I must toot off, i'll be back again soon. Promise!

In the studio with hydrangeas

Today we are drawing hydrangeas for the most sweetest bride who is having the most amazing flower theme for her vineyard wedding. Hydrangeas really are such gorgeous flowers, and we simply do adore this process - that moment of joy finding the most exquisite flower in the florist, then bring them home and sketching them. Finally we scan our designs into the computer, reillustrate them and turn them into opulent wedding stationery. Such the loveliest way to spend the day!

in the studio with canary yellow

How have you been my lovelies?? Its been franticly busy here lately. So many meetings and so many little trips planning the most exciting new things for Bespoke. In all that huffle and chuffle I even forgot to wish you a lovely weekend, I do hope you had a nice one.

Over the last few days we have been printing some gorgeously simply business cards for the super talented Lanne from Painted With Light. Her gorgeous and stunningly natural photography combined with a lovely fresh colour combination of cool grey and canary yellow is simply the most perfect combination.

Lanne's photography of newborns, children and families is exceedingly popular here in Brisbane and last I heard she was almost booked out for the entire year - Now thats what I call Miss Popularity!

So now the cards are sitting here in the studio awaiting to be cut up and round cornering applied. Such a lovely job to work on, its almost sad when these gorgeous jobs come to an end!

from the garden

How sweet is this new office decoration I picked from our garden today. I am not sure if you would call it a flower, its more a stem, but we hope that maybe shortly it will sprout little flowers.

We are yet to design and build our gardens as part of our mass house renovation, so the backyard really isn't what you would call a spectacle, but ever so occasionally the scraggy plants we inherited in the backyard do surprise me with their hidden beauty!