Mirror, mirror on the table...

I was trawling through a few pictures on the old t'internet this week and came across a table centre piece. The setting was of a lovely modern style wedding with a mirror underneath the floral display in the centre of the table. I've seen this done A LOT at weddings and yeah sure, if you have candles or t-lights, this can really reflect the light well.

But it got me thinking that I've never seen this done at a vintage style wedding before. I have had a mirror that I found on my travels months ago that I've been meaning to revive so I thought it was time that I pulled my finger out.

Normally it breaks my heart to see vintage furniture renovated or changed from its original format, but the mirror in question had a pretty rough looking cream frame that looked like it was pulled from a smokers home. After a quick clean and coat of white chalk paint, I'm pleased to say that I'm happy with the results. Do you agree?



Next time I style a vintage wedding, I'm certainly going to experiment with mirrors as centre pieces!

Autumn Vintage Tea

Is it Autumn yet? I kind of feel like it should be even if technically it's not...everyone seems to be migrating to boots rather than flip flops, so in my eyes, we're on the verge of a season change.

So, summer fruits, summer picnics and eton mess are officially out I'm now trying out a few new recipes for Autumn vintage tea parties.

First up is the Maple and Pecan Layer Cake. It is delicious, even if I do say so myself. The recipe is from the Hummingbird Recipe book. Details are below.





Ingredients:

For the sponge:

120g unsalted butter, softened

400g white sugar

360g all purpose flour

1 ½ tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

360ml whole milk

40ml maple syrup

3 large eggs

100g pecans, chopped

For the frosting:

240g unsalted butter

750g icing sugar

60ml whole milk

1tbsp maple syrup

Pecan halves to decorate

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 170° and cover the baking pans (3 x 20 cm tins) with baking sheet.

Mix together the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt with an electric mixer at low speed until the mixture reaches a crumb-like consistency.

In a bowl mix together the milk, maple syrup and eggs by hand. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until well combined. Stir in the chopped pecans by hand.

Divide the cake batter equally between the 3 baking tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cakes become light brown. Leave them in the pan for a few minutes, then turn out and allow to cool completely.

For the frosting, whisk with an electric mixer the butter and icing sugar until fluffy and sandy in texture, then add milk and maple syrup, mix well and then beat at high speed until it becomes soft and fluffy.

When the sponges are completely cold, place the first layer on a plate, top with 3-4 tablespoons of the frosting, and smooth it down using a palette knife and adding a little more if needed.

Put the second layer on top and cover with frosting in the same layer. Then put the third layer, frost the sides and top of the cake and decorate with pecan halves.

Contact Mrs Terrence for a bespoke quote for Autumn afternoon vintage teas! X

The real deal

Hi all, I've recently been thinking about all of my vintage china and props that I have acquired over the years. There are lots of companies that offer a similar service and after having a quick peek around, I've noticed that we all have a slightly different interpretation of 'vintage'. I know that 'vintage' covers a lot of decades, but I personally don't think that hanging heart t-light holders from Notonthehighstreet.com are vintage. Are they vintage inspired...at a push. Are they pretty, yes. And is any bride or party planner entitled to use them, of course! All I'm saying is that I'm very proud of my totally authentic and genuine vintage china and props and from now on, I'm staying true to my roots. Who's with me?! Mrs T x http://www.mrs-terrence.co.uk/

Mighty fine mocktail

Seriously, this heat is killing me. So I decided to have a look at a few mocktail options in case you wanted to keep your guests from kieling over at your wedding reception, bbq, afternoon tea or gathering.

All the cool kids are using jam jars these days as drinking out of a glass it seems is too 2012. So I decided to have a go at making an apple and elderflower mojito. It's divinely refreshing, especially in this weather.

Here's how to make it...

Mix 35ml apple juice, 25ml elderflower cordial, 2 tsp brown sugar, juice of 1/2 lime, some mint and a heap of crushed ice. Shake, pour into a glass and top up with soda. Garnish with mint/apple/both.

My preference would be to serve in a vintage champagne saucer, but there again, I would say that!

Lovely vintage barn in Surrey

I had the absolute pleasure of attending a wedding reception at Newdigate barn a few weeks ago.

Not only is it set in picturesque surroundings with a lake and as much greenery as the eye can see, the venue lends itself really well to a vintage theme.

The barn is quite small, but the venue can also errect marquees adjacent to the building to accomodate more guests if need be. There are rustic barns within the grounds perfect for some posing in front of too if you are after a vintage look in your photos!

I couldn't help but sit at the wedding breakfast and dream of how my vintage bunting and props would look though!

My new obsession

Hello!

So I've recently developed a new obsession...buying vintage teapots for my collection. Now I know that floral centrepieces in tea pots are easy to create, so I thought I'd have see what other quirky ideas can be achieved.

A Teapot wind chime is a super cheap way to add decoration and sound to a wedding or garden party.

Creating a Floral banister display could be a fab way to brighten up a walk way, and great talking point for your guests.

Ever thought of a Teapot bouquets for a flower girl or bridesmaid?!

Some of my new beauties have been updated on my site, but keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks for more images in the gallery.

http://www.mrs-terrence.co.uk/gallery.php