This is my super simple Prize Winning Blue Ribbon Chocolate Cake recipe, this amazing recipe helped me win heaps of first prize ribbons at the Royal Melbourne Show & various Country Shows too.  It's the perfect recipe for a large cake or cupcakes, it's soft,  moist & keeps for a week, I actually thinks it better a day or 2 after its been baked.


Blue Ribbon Chocolate Cake Recipe
Oven Temp 160 C (325 F)
24cm round - Cooking time 1hr
24 cup cakes - Cooking time 25-30min

Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee
2/3 cup coco powder
185gm butter softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups of castor sugar
3 eggs (60’s)
1 cup of water

Prepare you cake tin or cup cake trays
Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix together slowly to combine all the ingredients then slowly turn the speed up to high beat on high until mixture is pale & has doubled in volume.
Pour mixture in to cake tin or fill cupcake liners 3/4 full
Place in the oven and bake for required time or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Let me know what you think :)
♥Kerri

Our New Vintage Market Cart

Our New vintage market cart is finally finished, after months of work, drawing up designs, discussing what was needed, how it was going to work & all the things that go in to bringing an idea to life. It was finally unveiled Sunday 4 of August at Confetti Fair Melbourne & the response was overwhelming. There were lots of oohs & ahhs  about how amazing it looks but also the fact that it can be taken apart to be stored flat.
Our gorgeous vintage market carts are made here in our workshop in The Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia. They are about the same size as 4ft trestle table, which makes them perfect for creating a WOW  factor in small spaces. The vintage market cart also makes a great drinks cart to go along side a big table. The canopy & upright poles are removable too.  The canopy comes in lots of different colour/pattern choices.
If you would like information the Vintage Market Cart or purchase one please contact me at info@vintagesewandso.com.au, it's also listed in the store too just click here

♥ Kerri

Brownies stuffed with Oreos & Peanut Butter

My darling daughter found a picture of Oreo & peanut butter stuffed Brownies on FaceBook yesterday, so we had to make them.
It's not the best photo but you get the idea.

Oreo, peanut butter stuffed Brownie

We used my tried & true Brownie recipe. It's not as rich as some recipes that I have, so it great for this as it's super rich with the Oreo & peanut butter.

Brownie                   Oven 170C.
250gm butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups plain flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven.
Place butter, sugars & vanilla into the bowl of an electric mixer & beat until light & fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beat well.
Sift the flour, baking powder & cocoa over the mixture & fold through.
Place patty pans in a 1/2 cup 12 hole muffin tray, spoon a tablespoon of mixture into the patty pan. Spread one Oreo with peanut butter then top with an other Oreo to make a sandwich. Lightly press the Oreo sandwich into the brownie mixture, top with a small amount of brownie mixture.
Bake for 15-18min 
Cool in the tray.

We only had 1/2 packet of Oreos so we made peanut butter stuffed Brownies & a loaf pan too. The loaf pan brownie is in the freezer for later.

Peanut butter stuffed brownie

Enjoy ♥ Kerri

Party Props - Market Cart

This is our market cart all prettied up. These photos have all been taken in my yard. We live in The Dandenong Ranges just outside of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The area we live in is a cold climate rain forest so we have heaps of tree ferns, huge Mountain Ash Gum trees,  an abundance of native animals & birds. The mountain climate also makes it perfect for European & Asian plants too, so the Rhododendrons, camilas & azaleas are stunning this time of year too. 

Styling Leo & Bella, Flowers The Bouquets of Ascha Jolie Cakes Kiss my cakes, Photo Lee Bird Photography

We will be hiring it out in Melbourne in the new year, so if you are interested just leave me a comment or email: vintagesewandso[at]gmail dot com
♥Kerri

Ombre - Graduated Colour

Ombre is a massive colour/style trend at the moment, whether it be hair colour, cakes, nails even homewares.
You see this colour graduation in nature all the time, my favorite is the way hydrangeas fade from dark to light.
I really think flowers do it best. Oh & sunsets they do it really well too, I guess sunrises too but I don't do  mornings very often, so I'll let you be the judge of that.
There are some awesome tutorials on the web that show you how to achieve this effect.
These pic are from pintrest.com
 ♥ Kerri

From greenweddingshoes.com

 from pintrest

Ombre cake

Ombre hair natural

 

 Ombre Hair

 Ombre Tablecloth

The market cart

Market Cart

Ummm I've been a bit busy lately

Hey everyone,
I really do love you all, I've just been a bit busy lately. I'm also the most inconstant blogger in the world.
My little business has taken off in quite a big way & moved in a very different direction.
It is truly amazing what you can do when you clear out the things in your life that just aren't working for you or not filling you up. I made a space in my world for good stuff to come & it has plus it is continuing to do so.

Here is peek at what I've been doing.
♥ Kerri

Carnival stripe table runner

Aqua Ruffle table runner

Hot pink placemat

A stripe T-Shirt skirt. How to make one.

I really needed something new to up date my wardrobe and am just a little bit in love with stripes.
So after searching pintrest  and finding some lovely stripe skirts I decided to make one.

This is one of my faves

http://www.stylescrapbook.com/2011/04/look-of-day-stripes.html

This is so super easy to do. It took me all of 20min but even if it takes you all day, that doesn't matter because you'll have new skirt.

 The T-Shirt Fabric Skirt.
You will need T-shirt fabric, elastic, sewing machine, safety pin, pins & scissors.
OK Lets go!
I had some stripe t-shirt fabric just kicking around in my stash.  Decide how long you want your skirt to be.
Mine is just above my ankles. Then add 10cm this is for the waist band. I needed 97cm so if I was going to buy fabric I would get a metre.
Now take one end and wrap your fabric around your waist let it just drape over your hips this is where you decide how loose or tight you would like it to be. Once you have decied how you want it to fit put a pin in the top where the edge of the fabric meets rest of the fabric. This will be come your cutting line.

Now cut off any excess along the bottom, keeping your fabric still pined, fold your fabric right sides together(the bit you want the world to see) so the straight edge becomes the guide for you to cut other side seam.

Trimming off the excess along the bottom

The cutting line

Now you will have tube shape. Sew or overlock together.

a very unfortunate picture of me

Take your tube, turn the top of it down 10cm run a line of stitches around it, leaving a space big enough for your elastic to fit and an opening to tread the elastic through.

The waist band

Grab a safety pin attach it to one end of your elastic & thread it through the waist band of your skirt adjust it to the fit you want then use the safety pin to hold the spot.

Inserting the elastic.

Pin holding the elastic together.

Sew the elastic together then cut the excess off.

Turn you skirt the right way round. There is now need to hem it as it is T-shirt fabric. YAY.

Ta Da you have a NEW SKIRT.

I'm going to make a black one next.
♥ Kerri

Party Party Party

No one loves a party more than me, so when I was asked to design themed display units & accessories for Boutique Affairs I jumped at the chance. Alecia's work is outstanding & her attention to detail astounding, she has the natural ability to know what a client wants even before they know themselves.  If you need a great party or event styled, Alecia is the lady to see & she might just use one of my displays too.
Here are the pictures of what I have made. 
♥ Kerri
Vintage Sew and So

Boutique Affairs Pink & white party

Circus Tent (so not styled but at least you get an idea)

white ruffle tablecloth

Black & white canopy (Boutique Affairs stunning table)

Kitchen

A few things for the kitchen from my Madeit store.
♥ Kerri

Apron

Cloth Table Napkin set of 4

Apron

Owl Coffee Cup Cuff

Red Coffee Cup Cuff

Eco friendly Cloth Table Napkins set of 4

Saturday Market

I'm at The Handmade Show this Saturday.
It's at the Oakleigh/Carnegie RSL 95- 97 Drummond St Oakleigh from 10.30 - 3.30pm.
I'll have some new things to show you & I'll also be making the coffee.
This is a really great market with some of the most talented artists & designers selling their work.
Plus they are all really sweet fun people.

 ♥ Kerri

Cupcakes ♥

Yum Yum I've been baking Cupcakes.
If you feel the need for one of my cupcakes or any of my other yummy cakes pop in to the Olinda Golf House 75 Olinda - Monbulk Rd, Olinda.
♥ Kerri

Just Pretty.

 Just some pretty things. X Kerri

www.madeit.com.au/vintagesewandso                                          www.etsy.com/shop/vintagesewandso

Making - Softies

I've been making more softies. 
Tweaking the design a little,
it's been in my repertoire for a long long time but I can't tell you how long because that will give away too much.
Any way how cute is he/she?
I've listed this one in my Etsy Store.
www.etsy.com/shop/vintagesewandso 
♥ Kerri