I pack two lunchboxes everymorning….one for Master 6 and Miss 2.  They are vastly different due to all of Miss 2′s allergies and anaphylaxis.  So sometimes in my half slumber state, I stare blankly at the pantry wondering what an earth I put into the four containers in each of their lunchboxes.

How about a lunchbox with loads of little spaces.  Over at Easy Peasy Organic, I spotted this idea and think will try this next week.  I ended up purchasing a ‘fishing tackle‘ box as that’s as close to these with all the little spaces…clever huh.  Hopefully it will make it easier as I can spread all sorts of goodies into them and not just think ‘inside the box’.  Let me know how you get on.

While Miss 2 is still waking for her warm water in the middle of the night, I have a Thermos beside my bed so I don’t have to stand and wait in the kitchen for warm water from the tap.   While it works – it is HUGE and I just need something small.  So this great bottle by the company S’well looks perfect.

Holding a half litre, it keep things cold or hot and being insulated means there is no water running down the side and onto tables or magazines.    It fits a cup holder and there’s no nasty metal taste, plus not using plastic water bottles saves the planet. You can purchase it for US$35 (about NZ$45) plus $US10 shipping.

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I discovered this image today that inspired todays post.  At one stage I was fancying the famous LC6, but the elliptical black steel frame was just too sterile and bold looking for my taste.  If I had spotted this version in a beautiful pale blue, then it could be sitting in my dining room today. You can get this colour overseas, but should you like one in your own bespoke colour, the people at Homage here in Auckland can get it done for you.

Mr Bohaute and I are planning on winning the large lotto draw this weekend ($32 MILLION DOLLARS). So for fun, we went hunting for houses well out of our current price range….and came across this Takapuna, Auckland home as the place we would settle into with utter happiness!  It’s for sale here while it lasts.  The view is stunning, with room to do cartwheels and collect shells from the beach right in front of your home.  Bring on Saturday!

Recently my good friend Julia, launched her online business of bed linen (manchester) that is designed and manufactured in New Zealand – think Pottery Barn gone clean and crisp.  Complementing it is also a range of accessories including beach towels, bags and candles.  The range will be steadily growing with demand, and Crisp Home also has a stylish kids range.

My favourite product in the line-up is the Chef’s Candle.  I swear by it while cooking meat or any strong smelling dishes – it is a magical candle that is made with 100% soy wax and helps get rid of cooking smells…plus the smell of the candle is yummy and not overpowering. Yay!  Buy it for NZ$25 right here.

Dreamfarm make products that improve your experience in and around the kitchen, from cooking to chores.  A few of my favourites are shown above .  It’s an Australian company, based in Queensland, and there are distributors all over the world if you see anything here that takes your fancy.  Or better yet, just purchase online.

Yesterday I posted about the Vola tapware, and today while looking through this magazine’s gallery, by sheer good fortune I found the Icon range by Astra Walker.  Now here is the far more affordable version, plus it’s easy to order for us down-under. Australian made, the Icon and Icon+ ranges comes in five colours plus the usual chrome, and the best part is they start at only AUD$400 and go up to AUD$1569 for the floor standing bath mixer.  Yay!

Just looking at this tap makes me wish I had a house to renovate!  At last a mixer that is bright and cheery for the kitchen and one that saves on some shining time.

Designed by Verner Overgaard and Arne Jacobsen for Vola, it also has matching tapware for the bathroom.  The range comes in 18 different colours and starts at about NZ$1700.00.  It’s quite a lot isn’t it, but if you’re building a whole new house, that amount looks small to the total amount huh?  Well, that’s my way of justifying it!  De De Ce in Syndey stocks Vola products and should be able to order this for you.

I was pottering in a store the other day and came across one of the Robert Gordon Cake Shaped Timers. They were selling for NZ$50 – ouch,  so I went hunting to see if they were cheaper elsewhere.  I am in need of a timer, not for cooking, but for Master 6 and his friends sharing the computer!

The Cake shaped timer comes in three versions and can be purchased from an Australian site for about AUD$18 right here.  If they do not have them in stock call Robert Gordon.

While busy searching, I spied this great Champagne Bucket Kitchen Timer here.  I’ve decided this is perfect for my sister (who loves bubbly) and cooks alot! NZ$11.00.

This shelf reminds me of the bicycle basket I wrote about a while back.  It’s feminine even in the black version and is such a nice change from the modern floating wood shelf.  Made of powder coated steel it is extremely strong to hold heavy objects, and can also be used outdoors.  You can buy it online right here for about NZ$260 plus shipping.

Designer: Beerd van Stokkum Netherlands 
Colours: Black or White (UV proof)
Dimension: Width 85 cm. Depth 22.5 cm.

I have no radio in our house, so never listen to the latest hits, or get to listen to my playlists on my phone.  It would be nice, though with Miss 18mths chattering, and listening to her TV shows, silence is golden when she’s in bed!

While over at Decor8, this cool radio, the PURE Evoke Mio DAB caught my eye because of the Orla Kiely print.  It’s groovy looking, has a connection for your MP3 player and best of all, a kitchen timer!  It’s pricey though at NZ$303.   Get it from John Lewis UK.

Ok, so this is not pavlova!  It’s a vanilla cake with frosting….but it could be couldn’t it.  If you were to buy (or make) a lovely high pavlova and then pretty it up with handmade edible flowers, it could look this good I think…even for a wedding instead of real cake.  It would make for a perfect end to a New Zealand or Australian wedding given the pav’s tradition.  I really want to try this for some occasion though I can guarantee my flowers would not look that fantastic!  Thanks to Cakehero who has so many awesome cakes on her website.

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The Marseille artist Stephan Muntaner was commissioned to design this collection of stunning art for La Compagnie de Provence – the Savon de Marseille Liquid Soap.  The three designs are named after different fish – La Girelle, La Maquerean and La Sardine; though the soap fragrance is sea inspired and divine .  As it’s a limited edition, it won’t be around for ever which means you really should get yours now. The standard range is sold in many stores, but the best idea to find the anniversary bottles would be a google search for….’salon de marseille anniversary soap’.  US$28.

A wooden floor with organic curves…wide beautiful planks that seamlessly join to give your new home a soft but still modern edge. The product is called Waldilla by the company Holztec in Germany and is made to order, a computer does the shaping and assembling of the planks.  No idea on the price, but it’s made to order…so ahh, probably alot.  These are on the ‘wish’ list should I ever need flooring.

Love this Memory of Falmouth Salt and Pepper Shaker.  It reminds me of the china Grandma use to have locked up in her glass side cabinet.  Buy it online in the US or UK from this site, for NZ$80.  It sits about 4 inches high.

We have been looking at buying a home for a while since our return from Australia, and so the hunting continues.  While clicking my way through quite a few pics, I saw this beauty in Devonport on the North Shore in Auckland.  It is sooo me.  The colour, the furniture, the kitchen, all of it.  It’s for sale if you like it and to view more images click here.  The current owner and renovater is an interior designer, so it’s no wonder the place rocks! It’s also been in a couple of home magazines, so enjoy.

UK company Purlfrost has a large selection of window film for many applications; Decorative, Stained, Reflective and even a kids range.  My favourite would have to be their Stained Glass range that can be applied anywhere.  When the sun shines on it, it would show the best colour onto the wall and ground. Great for a yoga room.

You can apply it easily yourself and they have an installation guide online.  Purlfrost will happily ship worldwide, just contact them first and advise what you are intending to order.

After watching an episode of Grand Designs I fell head over heels for a cooker hood called ‘Star’!  Just look at it – it’s sooo gorgeous and so much nicer looking than those practical rectangle jobs we all have in our home.

The Elica Designer Collection by D R Cookers are to die for…well, to save for more like it!   The Star Chandelier cooker hood is about £1700.00 (NZ$3700 – worth every cent I think).  They do have more traditional, integrated cooker hoods as well, so go take a look at their large collection right here.  You would have to contact the UK company to ask about shipping down-under, but I am sure they would have this service available.  Now for a kitchen of our own that needs a new rangehood…

Woohoo!  Six year old parties rule.  The cake was a hit and here are the pics.  I didn’t double it or anything hard, especially as kids don’t really like all ‘that cake’…..but the icing more!  Master Six wanted to help and asked for marshmallows only.

Seriously, after their party food, no one wanted cake until I cut it and they saw the colours, then every one of them had to have a piece. So, here are the details for my own.  Yes, that’s Miss 15mths giving me a ‘Hi 5′ for her baking attempts too.

Basic Cake:

Oven on 180 celsius, grease round cake tin and pull out containers/cups and teaspoons for colour mixing

2 cups flour

2tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

100g melted butter

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 1/4 cups sugar

1.  Mix butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time.  Add essence

2.  Sift in flour, baking powder and soda

3. Slowly add milk.

Important Note: Master 6 wanted banana as well so I added one mashed banana and added 2Tbsp more flour.  Banana tends to brown/dull a cake though, so if they don’t want it don’t add it – as the colour will be far more vibrant than ours.

4.  Separate into as many bowls as you have colours.  It was about a heaped cup in each bowl

5.  Now add almost 1 teaspoon of gel colour to each one and mix well with a teaspoon.  Our colours were: Light Blue, Red, Yellow, Black, Purple, Green and Orange.

6.  Just tip out each colour into the middle.  Don’t spread it, don’t touch it!

7.  Pour next colour into centre of last colour and repeat until complete.  If you have a favourite colour, make that the last one as this ends up being the largest show of colour in your cake.

8. Place in oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, then check it and cook another few to 10 mins if it’s still making crackling cooking sounds when you put your ear to it. (don’t own skewer – I know I know).

When done it looks rather dull or dark but don’t worry, it will be colourful inside.  Cover with a tea towel until cool.  Now ice how you desire and the kids will go wild!  Considering I am no cook, I was pretty proud of our accomplishment.  Here is the link to the the one that inspired me.

]]> http://www.bohaute.com/2010/08/update-to-rainbow-cake-awesome-attempt/feed/ 0 http://www.bohaute.com/2010/07/rainbow-cake/ http://www.bohaute.com/2010/07/rainbow-cake/#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:16:37 +0000 admin http://www.bohaute.com/?p=2245

In a few weeks it’s Master neary 6′s birthday and I have been thinking about a rainbow cake.  They look cool, and kids seem to get a kick out of seeing the inside when it comes time to ‘cut the cake’.  These pics I used from Omnomicon because they rule!

TO BEGIN:

Make your own plain cake mixture (not chocolate – or just leave out the cocoa in a choc cake recipe)

Then split up the mixture evenly into cups, for as many colours as you have.  The better and healthier gel colours, get here or here, though a generous amount of food colouring works well too.  (And if you don’t like the food colouring, then this cake’s not for you.)  Mix colour in well.

With your cake tin ready and greased, pour the mixture from one cup straight into the middle on the cake pan (don’t smear it around or flatten it out.

Continue pouring the contents of each cup on top of each colour.

Now bake it – at whatever your cake recipe says to.

Once done, ice how you like, though all over icing works best so the kids don’t know how cool the cake is!

If you prefer cupcakes, do the same into the cup-cake pan.  Otherwise, below are a couple of other places for recipes:

Omnomicon

Tastespotting