Learn how to make the sweetest decorations, boxes, gifts and table styling details for your Easter celebration.

ADULT EASTER WORKSHOPS

Make a bunny, gift box, paper basket and glitter and decorate eggs. Included is a lovely afternoon tea.

Adult Workshop – Saturday 12 March 2016 2pm-5pm at Grosgrain in Wahroonga. To book click here

Tickets – $110 (includes all materials and afternoon tea)

KIDS EASTER WORKSHOPS

Little ones will make their own bunny rabbit and glitter eggs to take home in a handmade paper basket. Included is a light refreshment and Easter bunny cupcake. Recommended for children aged 7-12 years old.

Workshop 1 – Saturday 19 March 2016 11am-12.45pm at IATB HQ in Killara. To book click here

Workshop 2 – Saturday 19 March 2016 3pm-4.45pm at IATB HQ in Killara. FULLY BOOKED

Tickets – $75 (includes all materials, organic cupcake and drink). To book click here

Please choose carefully as we do not offer refunds. You are welcome to pass your ticket onto a friend. If you do please email lyn@inallthingsbeautiful.com with the new attendees name.

In all things beautiful,

Lyn xx

{Easter Workshops}

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Once we hit Spring, time seems to fly by and I start thinking of making plans for Christmas. It is a time when lists are long and there are many – food lists, present lists and planning holidays to name a few. So I thought I would share with you this rather delicious Christmas in July celebration I had with an inspiring group of young entrepreneurial women. The theme we decided on was an Australian relaxed rustic elegance inspired by a colour palette of red, pink, gold, forest greens and amber.

Our family Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus – a time of remembrance, joy and celebration. We get together with family and friends and as the saying goes Eat, Drink and be Merry! We eat way too much and have a fridge filled with delicious leftovers for days. No complaints here except when the holiday revelry is over and I jump on the scales……eeeekkkk a new year begins!!

In Australia our Christmas falls in the summer so it is usually a hot day. Having a roast for lunch is not very desirable so my family usually have lots of fresh seafood, a leg of ham and salads. My husbands family love pavlova for sweeties. This year I might take a different spin on the Australian tradition instead making a Chocolate Meringue, Frangelico Cream, Blackberries sprinkled with my Signature Sweet Dukkah.

I have always dreamed of having a white Christmas on the East Coast of America, Canada or even a little town in Europe. Singing ‘Chestnuts roasting on an open fire’ as I sit beside the pool with a cocktail in hand really does not mesh. I would like to say there is a romantic story of how CIJ originated but funnily enough it is believed to be a tradition which started in Europe to celebrate Christmas in their summer!

Natalie from House of Harvs brought together a few talented creative makers and bloggers to celebrate this special ‘holiday’ in the cooler months. There wasn’t any snow but it was a chilly winter’s day. With gluhwein on hand we had a very merry day and we dined like queens. Our stomachs rumbling after many hours of preparing, cooking, styling and of course capturing it all on our digital cameras. I have to say my favourite dish was Natalie’s slow braised beef with truffle mash! A match made in culinary heaven. Well worth the time and patience to cook it. Check out Nat’s blog House of Harvs her latest post is a recipe for Mountain Ash Honey and Almond Milk Pannacotta it certainly wouldn’t last long in our house.

Kate from Foodies Agenda is a lover of good food and eating a balanced and nourishing diet. I am aligned with her philosophy of eating from all food groups unless of course you have medical dietary requirements. Her blog is a must for all foodies. I love reading her Friday Foodie in Focus where she interviews Australian foodies, bloggers, producers, farmers and chefs. Kate shared with us some of her favourite festive dishes including a succulent quail stuffed with spiced cous cous served with wedges of roasted pumpkin.

Jen from Bakedown Cakery baked up a storm leading up to our little Sunday gathering. Her cakes are a visual feast, fun, colourful works of art and sometimes a touch quirky. This girl is the epitome of cool. She totally rocks the cake world with her marvelous creations. Just looking at them makes me happy. It felt sinful in many ways eating her delectable and delicious creations – I wanted to place a glass dome over her magnificent cake and admire the beauty and every detail which was lovingly and patiently crafted.

Helen from Lime Tree Bower is full of energy and has a passion for flowers. She is self taught, driven and a dream to work with. In her mid twenties she reminds me of myself at her age. Unstoppable and nothing is ever impossible. Using Australian bush natives, winter fruits and foliage she reflected our homeland in her floral styling for the day. In pursuit of her creative heart she is moving away from the corporate world to add natural beauty to your wedding day or celebration.

Mary from Made by Mara added her beautiful handwritten menus to our table. I now want everything written by Mary – she is my go to girl for anything handwritten. A graphic designer and new mum to a gorgeous little bub who was the only boy allowed at our girly get together.

Athena from Light Reid came along to take some pics of the day.  I must say I have never had so many DSLR cameras in my dining room! She is a sociology student who loves to take photos and has a tribe of followers on her instagram page. Be sure to visit her instagram feed to see some of her photography from the day and other lovely pics. A freelance photographer available for portraiture location shoots.

Much love and gratitude to these fabulous women for collaborating and making magic happen and a special thank you to Nat from House of Harvs for having an idea and bringing us all together.

Natalie Harvey from House of Harvs {instagram @houseofharvs}

Cocktail + Mains + Sides

Kate Willbourn-Trevett from Foodies Agenda {instagram @foodiesagenda}

Mains + Sides

Jen Simpson from Bakedown Cakery {instagram @bakedowncakery}

Cakes + Cupcakes + Macaroons + Chocolate Gems

Helen Hung from Lime Tree Bower {instagram @limetreebower}

Floral Decorations

Mary Rizza Cruz from Made by Mara {instagram @madebymara}

Hand Lettering + Menus + Graphic Design

Athena Zo from Light Reid {instagram @light_reid}

Photography

Lyn McCreanor from In All Things Beautiful {instagram @inallthingsbeautiful}

Location + Art Direction + Styling + Photography + DIY elements (Paper Wreath + Christmas Crackers) + Entrees + Sweet Dukkah Spelt Shortbread + Gluhwein

Here is the dip recipe for our pre-lunch nibbles at our little soiree. This is so simple to prepare and my go-to last minute dip when having guests. If pomegranates are not in season or hard to find replace with dried cranberries or caramelised onions which is equally delicious!

SMASHED CHICK PEA DIP, YOGHURT + POMEGRANATE

INGREDIENTS

1 x 400 gram can organic chick peas, soaked and drained

1 1/4 tsp ground coriander

1 1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

pinch paprika

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt

cracked pepper

1/2 tsp garlic, crushed (optional)

GARNISH

1/2 pomegranate, fruit removed

3 Tbsp yoghurt

METHOD

(1) Empty can of chick peas into a medium sized bowl, cover with water and soak for 10 minutes. Drain chick peas and run under cold water until foam is gone and water runs clear. I like to do this with all my canned beans to reduce gas. Believe me it works!

(2) Drain chick peas and place into a mortar. With the pestle smash the chick peas so they are a rustic consistency. You might have to do it in a few batches depending on how large your mortar is. As I am smashing I remove most of the hull that comes apart form the pea. Otherwise it looks like epithelial tissue dancing in the dip!

(3) Place the chick peas into a medium sized bowl. Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, fennel seeds, paprika, lemon juice and olive oil. You can add crushed garlic if you like. Add salt and cracked pepper to taste. Using a fork lightly mix together spices with the chick peas.

(4) Place in a serving bowl and top with yoghurt and pomegranate. Serve with flatbread, crackers, celery or carrot sticks.

I hope you are inspired and start making your lists for your Christmas feasts!

In all things beautiful,

Lyn x

ps I have a September Spring Special when you buy my Signature Organic Sweet Dukkah Bundle (1 x 100gm + 1 x 15gm pot) you receive free postage Australia wide!

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My little miss sweet pea loves turtles and pineapples. I was rather relieved when she wanted a pineapple themed birthday party. Pineapples are fun and colourful and so easy to craft. Before preparing to style a party I like to use Pinterest as a reference and a place to pin my inspiration. This was a fun and engaging project to do together. There really were not many cute ideas to be found on Pinterest or the web for that matter.

One idea was to make little pineapples from cardboard. This was a disaster well maybe not quite a disaster but time consuming. Imagine making 8 pineapples with a zillion little folds it was a literally a technical feat and not so pretty!. A good lesson in math and geometry. Not my favourite subjects at school or ever really. With a couple of test invitations made from cardboard we decided to go back to the drawing board. I had an idea to make an invitation in the shape of a pineapple – a little coloured tissue, special fringing scissors and some twine and voila! This was the end result. I had my husband on the hunt for Allen’s pineapple gummy candy to no avail. He came home with something even sweeter – little hard rock candy with a tiny pineapple in the centre by Sticky. Inside the little paper crafted pineapples was a glass jar filled with these tropical flavoured delights!

Handmade details add a personal touch to a celebration. I played around with watercolours when I studied fashion so I decided to have a go at making place cards with of course pineapples! Handwritten names completed the bespoke details.

There are so many lovely tea towels at Williams & Sonoma. They are a good size and a good thickness so they hold their shape. I wanted the girls to wear aprons while crafting and eating and along my regular pop ins to W&S found these beauties! They were in the perfect colours to complement our pineapple theme. The size of my ‘tea towel’ aprons would fit 5-12 year olds.  They were super easy and quick to whip up on the machine because all the edges are already hemmed…..I call that WINNING!!! A couple of metres of cotton ribbon, tea towel and thread made an economical apron for the girls. Coming in at around $8 a piece plus the time to make them.

Are you ready to party like a P I N E A P P L E? This was the question! For seven eleven year old giggling girls a crafternoon, movie night and sleepover was planned. Little miss sweet pea was thrilled everyone could make her little celebration.

I kept the menu pretty simple. We made the cupcakes together and topped them with green pineapple leaves made from a delightful green tissue paper. My darling husband was a star and made the popcorn and the breakfast pancakes and both were a big hit!

PARTY MENU

CRAFTERNOON  TEA

Pineapple and Coconut Cupcakes

Pineapple and Apple Punch

MOVIE NIGHT

Buttered Popcorn and Sea Salt

Cheese and Tomato Spelt Pizzas

Ham and Pineapple Spelt Pizzas

Banana Split, Vanilla Ice Cream, Butterscotch Sauce and Sprinkles

BREAKFAST

Spelt Pancakes, Blueberries, Raspberries and Vanilla Ice Cream

I am a big list maker. This helps me keep everything in order and not feel overwhelmed. My tip for throwing a party is to be organised, backward schedule and plan your menu so some things can be prepared earlier so you are not stuck in the kitchen the whole time! Not a good place to be when you are hosting a party.

MY PARTY PLANNING TICK LIST

# guest list

# invitations + place cards

# party schedule

# menu planning

# diy preparations for crafternoon

# dividing tasks with husband and the little miss

A craft party whether you are still at school or a retiree is such a great way to celebrate with your girlfriends. You get to chill out, chatter away and end up with something that you made yourslef. Its a win win! I put a call out on facebook and messaged my friends for any old jeans that were ready to be tossed. My idea was to make bags for the girls to decorate. They had a fabulous afternoon laughing, teasing, singing along to pop music and crafting pom poms. On each bespoke denim bag I embroidered the girls initial – they loved their bags and I think it will be something that they will use for many years to come. I even made one for myself!

All the girls left happy with their creative efforts, full bellies and time with their besties. When a party is over it is never really over until the clean up is done. We had a few hours of chill out time before tackling the kitchen and general tidying up. I believe it is important to include the children in this so they value and appreciate the effort and responsibilities when hosting a party. Now, we were ready for party number two that night with Nana and Pa coming to celebrate a very special and sweet young lady who is growing up way too fast.

I will be posting recipes and the crafty diy projects from the PARTY LIKE A PINEAPPLE PARTY very soon.

In all things beautiful,

Lyn xx

ps The true star of the show was my fur baby. He was in heaven with seven girls fawning over him…..I am sure he thought it was his party! Here he is being a good sport. OSCAR we love you xxx

{Party like a Pineapple} DIY everything

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Birthdays and milestones are important to me. On these days time stands still to celebrate an age, a victory or a well earned certificate or acknowledgement for a job well done. They are momentous and they are worth marking in history. Life is filled with challenges, mountains to climb and flags to fly on our mountain to say ‘I made it’! I reached a goal, a dream and I pushed through the hard times and most of all I didn’t give up. I am here and golly gosh I am going to make an occasion of it. The icing on the cake is that you get to invite those that mean the most to you, have supported, encouraged and continued to love you. A party really is about being with the ones you love whether it is with ‘your’ person or a whole ballroom filled with people. It is what you make of it whether it is big or small, grand or humble, home-cooked or catered – my only rule is to have fun!

As an event stylist I have styled many birthdays, weddings and christenings. When it comes to my own celebrations I feel pressure (self imposed) to come up with something fabulous and as a perfectionist I am my biggest critic. There it is I said it that dreaded P word P E R F E C T I O N I S T. It has followed me around like a shadow. I guess it comes with being a creative. Creatives share something so personal in such a public way. Where there are artists you will find art critics. There seems to be a critic and an expert for everything these days and you can find them with a few taps of the keyboard. As I grow older and wiser I realise that perfection is not real. We create our own ideal of what perfect is. There is a lot of truth in the saying beauty is in the eye of the beholder – what is perfect to one may be imperfect to another. I am now kinder to myself and just be the best I can be.

I love the Organic Belvoir Cordials from the UK. My favourite flavour is the Rose and Raspberry just add it to sparkling water for a non alcoholic refreshment.

This was my first attempt at fancy icing. It took forever but was worth all this prettiness. I will do a tutorial on this darling paper bunting to make your next celebration cake extra special. Continuing the bunting theme I sewed fabric bunting in an assortment of fabrics in shades of pink, stripes, polka dots and florals. These little favour boxes are a signature design from my stationery and favour collection at Rosebud Designs. Guests filled these with candy to take home.

These are baby rolls of menthos I recovered in polka dot and striped paper. Tied with strips of fabric cut with pinking shears. 

Who wants a boring bowl of sugared almonds? I gussied these up in little bags, with matching floral, polka dot and striped paper – finished off with a little pink and white striped bow.

Fancy glass jars filled with candy and chocolate in pinks, aquas and whites. Attached to each sweet was a printed tag each one secured with pink and white twine.

I love all things girly and pretty so I could not resist serving high tea at our restaurant. My brother and I designed a high tea menu of savoury and sweet delights to serve for birthday’s, hen’s and baby showers. All this organic goodness was served with fresh pots of tea, cocktails and moscato. I found beautiful Limoges inspired china, white damask clothes and fresh flowers adorned the tables. To complete the look I handmade fabric napkins in an assortment of patterns all in pink of course! With all this beauty I had to have a high tea birthday party with my girlfriends at Agape Organic Restaurant. With the addition of a ‘dress up’ rack of clothes and accessories, a perfume station and a candy bar we were ready to celebrate.

My gorgeous friend Anni Payne from Milk and Honey Photography came along and captured these dreamy images from the day. Anni is the loveliest, calmest, seriously patient and talented photographers in the industry. Believe me you need these virtues as a wedding and portrait photographer. Along with her husband Matthew Duchesne they are award winning photographers and are amongst Australia’s leading wedding photographers. They have an eye for detail and are an amazing team. Their website is so sweet. You must visit it to swoon over the photos or just to see the beautiful illustrations by artist Nikki Catalano.

I encourage you to celebrate the moments, make them magical and memorable with those that bring joy and beauty to your world.

In all things beautiful,

Lyn xx

Polka Dot Bride featured my High Tea Party here. 

{High Tea} Inspiration + Styling + Photography

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The year 2014 was a big year for my family both my sister and I got married. Kathryn and Todd had dated for several years and on New Years Eve 2013 they got engaged. My baby sister was getting married – it seemed only yesterday that she was a 5 year old monkey playing with my make-up and now she was all grown up and was about to become a wife!

After many years of creating bespoke styled weddings it was incredibly special for me to be asked by my sister to style something unique for her and Todd. They wanted a relaxed, pretty and vintage look for the day. The only catch was I was going on tour with my husband for our honeymoon and we would be away for one month. We literally arrived back in Sydney late Friday and the wedding was on the Sunday. It was a stealth operation. Everything was made, ordered or booked before I flew out. Except last minute details such as flowers, escort cards, place cards and of course the room and table styling.

Kathryn has a great group of girlfriends and they all came to set up the day before the wedding. Looking back I am not sure how I stayed awake for 2 days with 4 hours sleep and jet lag! Our brother is Organic Chef Simon Lawson and he designed a delicious lunch for the daytime reception at Agape Organic Restaurant in Botany. His passion for organics and creative skills in marrying flavours together is a gift. Wedding photographer Karen Buckle flew down from the Sunshine Coast to capture the day. A big thank you to her as she had an evening wedding the night before and came in on the first flight to arrive by 10am! Karen photographed my engagement and wedding – and my sister fell in love with her work. She is such a breeze to work with and I can totally relax knowing her eye for detail and light is impeccable.

It was a perfect Spring day and my sister was radiant in a beautiful lace Rosa Clara dress from Bare Faced Bride. The best way to share the beauty of the day is with pictures. Images by Karen Buckle Photography some styling images were taken by me. All styling, flowers, handmade details and stationery by me – {Rosebud Designs + Tessa Rose Handmade}. Wishing my little sis and her husband a lifetime of wonderful memories and may their marriage be always blessed with love, trust and happiness.

Karen Buckle Photography and Calli Burnett are running The Wedding Photography Workshop on the Sunshine Coast in May 2015. For more details visit The Wedding Photography Workshop.

In all things beautiful,

Lyn xx

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Last week I had two wonderful days in the country. Surrounded by inspiration, creative women, home cooking and my Canon 5d Mark III at the ready. It could not have been any more perfect for a girl who loves food, styling and photography. Sophie Hansen from Local is Lovely hosted the Food Styling and Photography workshop at her parents farm ‘Kimbri’ in Rydal. Located 2 1/2 hours west of Sydney meant an early start to arrive by 9am. When I arrived I was delighted to find my friend Jane Grover had also booked in for the workshop. Sophie’s mum artist Annie Herron is an art teacher and she has Art Classes throughout the year at Kimbri. Oh how I wish I was a watercolorist so I could spend five magical days here painting. A girl can dream, cant she?!. Maybe one day….

Arriving at Kimbri instantly I felt at home. Welcomed by Luisa Brimble – a passionate, generous and talented photographer. Being creative I need to understand the technical in a hands on creative way. Luisa is empathetic to this with her patient and relaxed teaching style. I loved that it was 80% practical and 20% theory. It was well paced and we all had ten minutes with Luisa for one and one sessions. We put all our newfound skills into practice on the DSLR’s manual settings.

Stylist Stephanie Stamatis and her assistant/model Ella Bendrups flew up from Melbourne bringing swoon worthy props and backgrounds. She created a veritable playground of beautiful vignettes for us to photograph. I am in awe of her eye for detail and precise yet relaxed approach to styling. Amelia Toohey from The Flower Era did the early morning trek to the flower markets in Sydney to bring us the prettiest autumn flowers and her creative floristry skills.

Sophie and her friend Pip prepared delicious food for breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Needless to say there was food in abundance and we certainly did not go hungry! It was a short reprieve being away from my family knowing I would not upset anyone taking seemingly endless photos of our food before ‘I allowed’ them to eat. My husband is always saying that’s enough photos….my reply is always “just one more”. After all it could be that last shot which is the hero! Sophie and her husband Tim are deer farmers and they host farm kitchen lunches at their farm Mandagery Creek, 20 minutes west of Orange. This lady juggles a family, a farm, is a food writer and has just written her first cook book Local is Lovely.

I hardly slept a wink on the first night because my mind was racing from such a visually sensory day. Back in my room my head was giddy with composition, aperture, metering, ISO’s, overexposing, underexposing and light. My dreams were vivid and filled with the beauty of images captured on digital ‘film’.

Images last forever, they are a record of a time, a place, a moment. They are powerful in evoking emotions. In photography I am drawn to contrast of the moodiness and shadows in underexposed images and the light and brightness in overexposing images. Two opposites yet equally beautiful in there own way.

In all things beautiful,

Lyn xx

ps The sweetest young lady – student Hannah McCowatt joined us to film this lovely montage capturing the essence of two magical days at Kimbri. This girl has talent! She is developing her blog at the moment and I can’t wait to see it.

{Food Styling + Photography Workshop} Local is Lovely

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When I met my husband to be we deliberated on where to settle. We both grew up in the same area of Sydney. However, I had moved to the other side of the bridge to be closer to the restaurant. We decided it would be more practical for us to be closer to G’s parents because the children love spending time with their Nanna and Pa. Pa is still fit in his 80’s helping with J’s paper run and Nana is the quintessential Grandma that bakes, knits, crochets and is a very talented watercolour artist.

We found a run down house to rent in a lovely leafy suburb of Sydney. I love older homes they have a lot character and charm. I don’t mind the odd bump and crack but this place needed a lot of love and a good paint job! The owners painted the inside all white and I took to the brush and painted the wooden shelving, panels and doors in the sunroom/dining room. Using my ever reliable Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White. No prepping or undercoat necessary just a clear wax ‘topcoat’ to seal the paint. It took 3 coats to cover up the dark wood but was worth every minute. It brightened up the room and makes the space feel roomier. This is my favourite room in the house. It is light and bright and has a beautiful warmth. This is where I take all my pics for IATB and my Etsy shop. The natural light makes for a good make shift photography studio!

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