If you are Italian, or marrying into an Italian family, this classic cocktail would be a wonderful drink to serve at your wedding reception or engagement party.

It’s a little bitter, a little sweet and a stunning colour. Combined with salty, savoury grissini and prosciutto to snack on, this bittersweet drink tantalizes the taste buds.

Ingredients:

-       30ml Campari

-       30ml Gin

-       30m Sweet Vermouth

Method:

1. Fill a glass with ice cubes

2. Add Campari, Gin and Sweet Vermouth

3. Stir well

4. Garnish with a slice of orange or orange twist

5. Raise your glass and celebrate to love and life … “Cin Cin”

6. Enjoy with a gorgeous large Italian olive

Campari can be an acquired taste, but the sweet vermouth in this cocktail offsets the bitterness of the Italian spirit. It’s a true classic that can be traced back to Italy in the 1860’s. The Italians at your party will love it!

Photos by Nicky McLauchlan

Ms Gingham says: Another winner in my book. Great styling too Ms Lace!

About Ms Lace: A Brisbane girl who writes the inspiring wedding blog, Chasing Rainbows Kissing Frogs which showcases ideas, vendors and weddings from around the world. Having lived everywhere from Paris to Beirut and Saudi Arabia, the only language Ms Lace is fluent in is weddings. “Weddings make me giddy!”

Ms Lace writes regularly for the blog. Read her previous posts here.

Cocktail Friday, Made | Comments 0

If Vera Wang is doing it, you know it’s a hot bridal fashion style. Embellished, dramatic belts and sashes are continuing to be a strong trend in wedding fashion with everyone from Chelsea Clinton to Khloe Kardashian and Carrie Underwood embracing the look.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to add a little glamour and individual style to your gown with a belt… and, they are surprisingly easy to make. This belt is particularly good to dress up and stylize a simple bridesmaids dress. And the best thing is, this project is quite easy and doesn’t require a great deal of sewing expertise! Yay!

What you’ll need:

• 3 different textures of Fabric in the same colour (I used a raw silk, cotton and tulle)

• 1 ½ metres Ribbon

• Needle

• Thread

• Scissors

Method

Step 1

Take your fabrics and cut them into squares (3 inch x 3 inch is a good size).

Step 2

Stack together a few pieces of the same fabric and fold them in half and then in half again. Hold the square at the fold and then cut the corner opposite the fold into a round/curve shape. Open the fabrics to find round cornered pieces of fabric.

Step 3

Place two squares of different fabrics on top of each other and pinch at the center to form a flower. Twist the end of your flower bud and lay it onto your ribbon.

Step 4

Starting at the centre of your piece of ribbon, sew the flower bud on making sure you catch both pieces of fabric. 

Step 5

Working in one direction, continue to create your flower buds and attach them to your ribbon. The number of flowers you need depends on how thick, or thin, your ribbon is and how wide you’d like your detail. For mine, I needed two rows of flower buds, sitting side by side. Don’t forget you can always go back and add more flowers later if you like.

Step 6

Try on your belt and trim the ribbon at the back depending on the size of bow you would like. Remember that because we began attaching the flowers at the centre of the ribbon your ruffle should sit off-centred.

This would make a great project to do with all your bridemaids. You can even make a small one as a hairband for your flower girls. They look so beautiful, nobody will believe you made it yourself.

Photography by Ms Lace / Bouquet by Bouquet Boutique

Ms Gingham says: Lovely tutorial by our own Ms Lace to add the finishing touch onto your gown. I’m even thinking it would be good to try as corsages.

About Ms Lace: A Brisbane girl who writes the inspiring wedding blog, Chasing Rainbows Kissing Frogs which showcases ideas, vendors and weddings from around the world. Having lived everywhere from Paris to Beirut and Saudi Arabia, the only language Ms Lace is fluent in is weddings. “Weddings make me giddy!”

Ms Lace writes regularly for the blog. Read her previous posts here.

DIY Tutorials, Made | Comments 2

Grafika has an Art Deco feel to it. The designer has ‘digitally redrawn Grafika, completing it with all the alternates, ligatures, math, foreign accented characters and punctuation.  Grafika is strongest when set in upper and lowercase—its unique caps extending below the baseline—although all caps settings are encouraged as well.’ Great for a bold Art Deco themed wedding, complete with beaded dresses, 1930′s style shoes and the men in outfits reminiscent of Bonny and Clyde!

Grafika is available from My Fonts

Made, Tuesday Type | Comments 0

1. Moroccan style 14kt gold plated bracelet from NetaJewelry   2. Gold filigree bangle from Cecileis   3. 24 kt gold plated bracelet from meytalbarnoy   4. 14 kt gold placed bracelet from greatthings2   5. 24 kt gold plated bracelet from YaelSteinberg   6. 24kt gold plated bracelet from shlomitofir

Etsy Roundup, Made | Comments 1

Here’s a popsicle you won’t find in your local supermarket and one you won’t want to give to the kids… but it’s definitely a fun treat that will have you begging for more! Alcohol infused popsicles inspired by your favourite cocktail, are sure to impress your guests. They’re refreshing, delicious and ever-so appealing, so mix up a batch and share the pleasure around.

Ingredients:

• 110g (½ Cup) Caster sugar

• 115g ( ¾ Cup) Blueberries

• ¼ cup chopped mint

• 3 tablespoons lime juice

• 3 tablespoons water

• 75ml rum

• 300ml soda water

• 12 popsicle sticks

Method:

1. Place sugar, chopped mint, mixed berries, lime juice and 3 tablespoons of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 1-2 minutes or until the sugar dissolves (expect to see the liquid change to a red berry colour).

2. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes, so the berries and the sugar infuse.
3. Once cooled, add the rum and soda to the berry syrup and stir to combine. (Don’t be tempted to add more alcohol – trust me . Alcohol doesn’t freeze very well, so if you add too much alcohol, you will end up with a pop that won’t freeze and you will just have a slushie mush).

4. Pour the mixture into 12 x 50ml popsicle moulds (I used silicone egg cups but popsicle moulds would be more suitable).

5. Cover with plastic wrap and insert a stick through the plastic into each pop. The plastic will allow the stick to be held in place. (I recommend using wooden sticks rather than the plastic ones. The wooden ones seem to stick a lot better).

6. Freeze for 8-10 hours or until completely frozen (because of the alcohol content, they take longer to freeze than your normal popsicle).

7. Slowly and carefully remove from cups. Decorate with ribbon flags and place on a bed of ice, just before serving.

These adult popsicles are so moorish… so be warned! They are also just as delicious when made sans-alcohol. Maybe not as fun, but still, perfect for a more subdued soiree. I am completely obsessed with these and have found myself keeping a stock of them in the fridge for when friends unexpectedly drop-in.

Photography by Ms Lace

Ms Gingham says: Oh wow! This is definitely one I’ll be trying!

About Ms Lace: A Brisbane girl who writes the inspiring wedding blog, Chasing Rainbows Kissing Frogs which showcases ideas, vendors and weddings from around the world. Having lived everywhere from Paris to Beirut and Saudi Arabia, the only language Ms Lace is fluent in is weddings. “Weddings make me giddy!”

Ms Lace writes regularly for the blog. Read her previous posts here.

Cocktail Friday, Made, Recipes | Comments 4