The Sydney Picnic Co

Bags for The Ashes picnics

2010-12-20T19:04:00.001+11:00

Here they are at last!! Our cute jute bags that our picnics for The Ashes will go in!

What Katie Ate

2010-12-19T17:01:00.002+11:00

Si and I have recently been featured in the amazing bumper Christmas edition of What Katie Ate's blog. Check it out - it is amazing. Really very amazing and full of fab recipes!

http://whatkatieate.blogspot.com/

Christmas Voucher

2010-11-11T19:14:00.002+11:00

Thinking that I'm going to use these lovely colours for my Christmas gift vouchers - sunny Sydney Christmas colours!

Cath does Christmas

2010-11-01T18:25:00.002+11:00

Super cute Christmasy bits and bobs from the fab Cath Kidston.

A picnic for Grace

2010-10-18T19:38:00.004+11:00

Our super cute friend Grace had one of our picnics for her 30th birthday last weekend at Strickland House in Vaucluse and it was gorgeous. Here are a few snaps taken by the fabulous Claire!

The Ashes Picnics

2010-10-18T19:27:00.003+11:00

Simon and I are really excited that we have been given the chance to make our hampers for The Ashes this year in the members area of the Sydney Cricket Ground. We are making 3 picnics and this weekend, our lovely friend and brilliant photographer, Greta, shot the picnics for us. Let the fun begin!

Coreymarie

2010-10-13T18:26:00.005+11:00

I just came across this lovely site http://coreymarie.com, and LOVE these cute little mix tape brooches made from re-cycled book covers & buttons.

Would also love to get my mits on one of these recycled stationery sets - all my favourite colours rolled into one lovely, happy bundle!

A few of my favourite things today

2010-10-10T17:27:00.003+11:00

Just so pretty.

And I am proud to say that we have our first sugar snap pea!!! Welcome to the world little pea.

Lanolips Lemonaid

2010-10-07T19:24:00.002+11:00

Simon and I have spent the last few days baking and stitching and stuffing to prepare for these cute PR packs for 'Lanolips Lemonaid' that were sent out today to all the beauty eds of the mags here in Sydney and interstate ... really lovely product for your lips.. shiney and smelly! We made organic lemon curd slices and sourced other organic lemony things that we felt suited the brand...... oh... and I painted and stitched and wrapped and tied......

Adore Home Magazine

2010-10-06T17:39:00.003+11:00

Simon and I have been lucky enough to be included in the first ever edition of new on line interiors magazine 'Adore Home', founded and created by designer Loni Parker. It lets you take a sneak peak into inspirational homes, looks at the latest products on the market and whisks you away to gorgeous holiday destinations.

If the super spring colours and fab homes in here don't inspire you, then I don't know what will!

Check it out here:

www.adoremagazine.com

Good luck guys!

How to sew a vintage bikini

2010-10-02T13:38:00.004+10:00

This is soooo cute! I have a feeling that it might be a little out of my league on the needle craft front, but I'm going to give it a shot! I remember having a sweet cotton bikini as child... it always fell down when I went in the water. I think I'll stay on dry land when I've crafted this one! Pics to follow once I've made it!

You can down load the pattern at http://www.homelife.com.au/home+ideas/home+help/how+to+sew+a+vintage+style+bikini,5705

Figs & Rouge

2010-09-29T16:47:00.002+10:00

I discovered these cute organic Balms by UK company 'Figs & Rouge' at the Organic Expo a few weeks ago. They are 100% organic, smell like heaven and are great for lips and any other dry spots. And most importantly - they come in the most divine tin. Keep your eyes peeled for them, they'd make a great little pressie!

pictures eat people

2010-09-28T19:02:00.002+10:00

Oh wow - these words just made me cry. I love, love this amazing book made by Rachel Skrobalak at http://pictureseatpeople.com/

it's printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable based inks, hand bound and beautifully packaged using degradable materials. I would be so happy to have one of these by my bedside. Just beautiful.

Christmas Hamper

2010-09-27T18:30:00.003+10:00

It seems terribly early to be making up Christmasy things, but we made one of our lovely hampers for a shoot today! We are going to be doing a special Christmas picnic this year, but there'll be no ham in sight. We thought of our fave things that we love to eat, and that remind us of Christmas in Sunny Sydney! Just find a sparkly spot by the water and crack open the rose..... perfection!

Here's a sneak peak at the menu:

Ligurian olives marinated in rosemary, chilli, garlic & fennel seeds

Medjool dates filled with goat’s curd & pistachios wrapped in prosciutto

Poached Australian King prawns with gremolata & aioli

Lemon & thyme baked free range chicken with fregola, asparagus, sugar snaps, baby peas, mint and toasted almonds

Mango & passionfruit pavlova

Infinity sourdough baguette

Two weeks in the life of a nasturtiam seed

2010-09-23T20:49:00.002+10:00

After a rather amazing lunch at Marque restaurant here in Sydney a few weeks ago, we were inspired to try and grow our own nasturtiams from seed. I lovingly planted them and waited for a few weeks, there really wasn't much to report. Then all of a sudden, the little fellas went nuts. Here is there progress to date..... I love them. They remind me of being a child back in England. That smell is so distinctive and one I will always treasure.

Habitus Living - article

2010-09-23T18:22:00.006+10:00

We had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Frankie and Ben from Habitus Living earlier this week. Check out the great article that they wrote about us!

http://habitusliving.com/play/the-sydney-picnic-co

Thanks guys!

Boxsal picnic boxes

2010-09-23T16:21:00.003+10:00

Have just come across these really cool picnic boxes from US company 'Boxsal' www.boxsal.com.

Each kooky box comes with all the bits and bobs that you need for your picnic and the whole thing is super friendly to our world! Great for when wicker just wont cut the mustard!

Ice cream - Parisian style

2010-09-22T16:51:00.002+10:00

I was enviously looking at some snaps a friend of mine has uploaded of her European travels and this one made me stop in my track..... I want my ice cream cornet to look as pretty as this French rose!

Cup cake cases for grown ups

2010-09-21T14:42:00.002+10:00

I was just perusing the shelves our our brilliant local 'cooking and other great things' store "The Bay Tree" on Queen Street, Woollahra, and came across these gorgeous cupcake cases. They cost a small fortune, but they are so pretty and would be great for grown up gals parties or weddings!

They are made by Vestli House ( http://www.vestlihouse.com) who also make great napkins, wrapping paper and baking moulds. If only I could bake, I could have some fun with these!

Purple Pansies

2010-09-15T19:18:00.002+10:00

I LOVE these little lilac and purple pansies that sit by our front door. They look like pretty smiling faces and always remind me of Si's gorgeous mummy!

Flower pompoms

2010-09-14T17:20:00.002+10:00

I just have to share this as it was the quickest, cheapest and most simple little crafty thing I've done for ages. I just came across this great tutorial (http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-wallflowers.html.) and thought that I just wanted to see if they were really as easy peasy as they look.... and they are! Literally took 2 minutes and is made from cheap, paper napkins! This one is far from perfect, but for a first attempt I am most happy! It's huge as well - as big as football in fact. They will be super cute for summer picnics!

Life's a Picnic

2010-09-13T16:56:00.002+10:00

I love these gorgeous hand made picnic hampers from UK company Life's a Picnic (www.lifesapicnic.co.uk). Each one is totally unique and they use vintage crockery, fabric and cutlery. They also make fab cake stands,again, using vintage plates. If only I could pack one in my suitcase when I next go home!

Spring time in the fairy garden

2010-09-09T15:23:00.005+10:00

We had the most fun day yesterday! We headed out to Dural in search of happy, healthy plants that don't cost the earth ( a near impossibility here in the Eastern Suburbs) . We found a brilliant nursery call Hargraves. The people working there were so friendly and helpful and all the plants looked as tho they had their fair share of love.

We LOVE to tinker in our teeny yard, and we bought lots of little seedlings that we can nurture ( if the possums don't get there first!). We bought wild strawberries, chocolate mint, rose geraniums, mint geraniums, purple sage, nastertians, snow peas, sugar snap peas, lavenders and the list goes on..... Common theme being that we can eat practically everything that we bought!

Cant wait to watch them grow and make our garden all the more pretty.

Notebook Magazine

2010-09-07T18:08:00.002+10:00

Just caught this in time! We had a lovely mention in the September edition of Notebook magazine. Picnic season is really coming around fast and we are in the middle of changing some of our menus for the summer months ahead. Watch this space for updates.

Some of our styling work

2010-09-04T16:38:00.007+10:00

When we're not making picnics, or eating and drinking, we like to indulge in a spot of food styling. Si does the cooking and I do the making pretty! Here is some of the work that we've done in the past few months. All of the photos are taken by the brilliant Adrian Lander ( www.adrianlander.com.au). We always have such fun shooting with him and he is just an amazing food photographer.

Girly but super cute Cath Kidston wallpaper!

2010-09-03T18:29:00.004+10:00

Simon and I agree on everything other than my love of Cath Kidston. For the last 12 years I have been a bit of a fan. I try to keep it to a minimum around the house, so I was pretty excited when I discovered that I could have one of her cute designs as my wallpaper on this here beloved Mac! I chose the cowboy one as it's one of my favourite designs, but all of these are lovely and make my computer look mighty pretty!

You can download them here:

http://www.cathkidston.co.uk/t-Wallpaper.aspx

Thanks Cath!

Father's Day

2010-09-03T18:06:00.005+10:00

We have been very busy prepping for a manic weekend of picnics for all those daddys out there. Been trawling the net for inspirational quotes and found some fabulous ones,many of them made me cry, having recently lost my gorgeous daddy, it all makes me feel a teeny bit sad. BUT, I am so happy to be making pretty things for all those wonderful fathers out there.

Happy Father's day for Sunday to all the brilliant dads out there - and to mine too.

Here are some of my favourite quotes:

A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.

Knights of Pythagoras

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.

Jim Valvano

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. -- Author Unknown

There are three stages of a man's life: He believes in Santa Claus, he doesn't believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus.

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. -- Mark Twain

4years: My Daddy can do anything!

7 years: My Dad knows a lot…a whole lot. 

8 years: My father does not know quite everything. 

12 years: Oh well, naturally Father does not know that either. 

14 years: Oh, Father? He is hopelessly old-fashioned. 

21 years: Oh, that man-he is out of date! 

25 years: He knows a little bit about it, but not much. 

30 years: I must find out what Dad thinks about it. 

35 years: Before we decide, we will get Dad's idea first. 

50 years: What would Dad have thought about that? 

60 years: My Dad knew literally everything! 

65 years: I wish I could talk it over with Dad once more.

Real Living Magazine

2010-08-16T15:31:00.009+10:00

It has always been a secret dream of mine to have my home in a magazine and today that dream came true!! Our home is featured in this month's edition of Real Living magazine.... proud as punch!

Pretty as a Picnic

2010-08-11T18:20:00.004+10:00

I thought that I'd share a few pics of some our recent picnics. The sunny days have meant that we have still been doing lots of gorgeous winter hampers. The shots here show a cute picnic that we did for an Alice in Wonderland themed Hens picnic.

The other is a picnic that we did for tiny wedding of 4 people a few weeks ago. We delivered the hamper to the newlyweds at Cremorne Point ferry wharf, the bride looked fab in a simple 60's style mini dress, complete with a bunch of white freesias and a HUGE baby bump! It was perfect.

Christmas in July lunch

2010-07-25T11:29:00.004+10:00

We had the most gorgeous, fun day yesterday with our Sydney family. They always treat us to the most fantastic Christmas lunches, so it was our turn to return the favour with Christmas in July feast! Si cooked up a gorgeous meal and I made things look pretty - 12 hours of feasting and drinking later and we were all VERY content!

I heart hearts

2010-07-23T17:27:00.003+10:00

I have always loved a love heart and here are a couple of cute hearty things I made today. One is a voucher for wedding gift and the other is a birthday card for my fantastic mother in law!

Love my new tea towel

2010-07-23T17:19:00.002+10:00

I found this gorgeous old Irish linen tea towel in a shop just round the corner today! I really do need to try and stop myself from buying too much country, floral stuff as I know it drives Simon nuts, but I couldn't let this one pass me by!

Birdy Bag

2010-06-22T18:37:00.002+10:00

I'm not really that good at sewing, but I LOVE it, so that's what matters the most! Here is a pic of today's 2 hour project. Bits and bobs of old ribbon and fabric, turned into a fancy shopping bag! If I can make this in a few hours, then anyone can!!

Shrunken cashmere

2010-06-18T17:50:00.002+10:00

I like to pride myself in my washing skills, it is afterall, one of my most favourite past times. But sometimes I mess it up, and ofcourse, it wasn't a rubbish old tea towel that I ruined, but Simon's fave cashmere tank top. BUT, one to never waste a crafty opportunity, I have made it into a cute cushion for our friend's new baby boy, Freddy. I wanted to keep it, but it's constant reminder of better times as a tank top were too much for Si to take.

Wendy's Secret Garden

2010-06-16T17:49:00.003+10:00

Created by the widow of Brett Whitely after he passed away, this gorgeous secret oasis is just along from Lunar Park in Lavender Bay. It made me feel like a small child as I walked thru all the beautiful deep greens ferns and huge native plants. There are kooky seats and random objects amongst all the flora and fauna. Don't tell too many people, but do try it out on a hot day for a fabulous, cool picnic. It's just sublime.

Autumn loveliness

2010-04-03T16:16:00.001+11:00

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I have had these flowers for over 3 weeks now and every day they change , and every day that become more gorgeous.

Easter menu

2010-04-03T16:12:00.002+11:00

We have been manic making Easter picnics and I have found it a struggle to not cover things in yellow bunnies and eggs! So, I have combined my love of hearts with a sort of egg shape to make our Easter menu! And ofcourse, my favourite hydrangeas!

Good Living

2010-03-30T20:40:00.003+11:00

We are very proud to say that today, we have a gorgeous article in the SMH Good Living mag. Very proud of ourselves and excited about all the exciting opportunities ahead!

Sandy picnic

2010-03-21T18:19:00.002+11:00

We love to picnic and get away from it all. We really thought that we'd found the perfect spot in the sand dunes.... until this cute dog ran right thru the middle of it all! Crunchy salad anyone?

Bambini Wine Room

2010-03-17T18:23:00.003+11:00

We adore this place. It is right in the centre of the city, opposite Hyde Park and whenever we feel homesick for a bit of European wine bar action, we head here. It's great to sit outside on a sunny day in the summer and feel smugly happy as you watch the lawyers and their HUGE files buzzing by. It is equally ( if not more) wonderful on a cold night. It feels like a an old country house... all candles, nibbles and walls filled with wine. The bar snacks are great - the frites with aoili rock my world. Head next door to the more fancy Bambini Trust restaurant for fancier fayre.

Perfection

2010-03-16T16:11:00.003+11:00

We have just spent the most wonderful few hours down at Nielson Park on the harbour. The sea was so clear and the sand so white, that it made me feel very, very lucky to live in this amazing city and to experience such gorgeousness. Thank you Sydney - you're a sparkler.

The Micky B lemon tree

2010-03-14T13:36:00.003+11:00

My darling daddy passed away just before Christmas and I wanted to have something here with me in Australia that would always remind me of him. So, I have bought this cute little lemon tree. Every time that I cut a lemon from it and pop it in my G&T, it will make me think of Micky B and how lucky I am to have him as my daddy. Cheers to the Micky B lemon tree.

Milk glass

2010-03-13T21:18:00.002+11:00

I'm not quite sure how you make milk glass, but it reminds me of jellies that my mum used to make with evaporated milk. Creamy and cloudy and dreamy. My best friend from home bought me this beauty as a thank you pressie for staying with us. I don't have a cake to put on it... but it's way too pretty to put away waiting for a cake to grace it's milkiness.

A bag of picnic goodness

2010-03-13T19:17:00.002+11:00

I ran out of hampers today so had to put a picnic in a bag instead. I kinda like it in a papery, baggy kinda way.

The perfect butter dish

2010-03-13T17:51:00.000+11:00

It always used to really bug me that I didn't ever have room temperature butter and would end up 'quickly popping it in the oven', to find a melted pool of yellow gloop 2 minutes later. This is a thing of the past since I bought my new, perfectly formed and rather fabulous butter dish. I love it. Alot.

Rosey love

2010-03-13T17:43:00.000+11:00

Sometimes, when I see roses I just want to freeze them and keep them smelling and looking just as they are forever. These particularly gorgeous peachy roses smell like heaven and take me back to my parent's back garden...and me making and bottling 'rose perfume' .... that never smelt as good as I'd hoped. Please stay like this for another day or two - you make me so happy.

Chocolate Pavlova

2010-03-11T17:19:00.000+11:00

I have recently discovered the joys of whisking eggs and watching them go all silky . It's fun!!