It has been a busy few months with an unbelievable amount of food styling. I have been scouring Camberwell Sunday Market for some ancient plates and accessories, yet mum has banned me from spending one more cent on porcelain and glassware. Pausing my obsession of collecting just over the holidays. Instead, i have been prowling some Aussie foodstyling sites and am very impressed with this old ‘rustic’ homey, slow food style photography. What do you think?

Merry Christmas from Azteca Designs!!!

We hope you all are enjoying time with family and friends! Stay safe, stay warm, and God bless!

Look for some new changes in Azteca Designs coming January 1st!!!

azteca.etsy.com

Azteca

Rustic Sourdough With Spelt

Rustic Sourdough

Makes: 2 medium, or 3 small loaves

Time: Day 1: Elaborate starter. Day 2: Mix final dough, fold dough shape, proof, and bake.

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Elaborate your starter however you choose, but ending up with the same flour and water weights. (or make a commercial yeast preferment) Allow it to rise overnight.
2. The next day cream the starter with the water and oil for the recipe.
3. Mix together the flours, salt, and any other dry ingredients you are adding, then mix in the starter, water, and oil til the dough just starts to come together. It will be very wet, don’t expect it to form much of a ball. Let the dough sit covered in the bowl for 20 minutes
4. Liberally dust your counter or work space and scrape the dough out. With lightly floured hands, give the dough a stretch and fold and place it seam side down in a lightly oiled bowl.
5. Leave the bowl covered for 40 minutes to an hour, turn the dough out (seam side up) and give it another stretch and fold, then return it to the bowl. Repeat this process one more time after 40 minutes to an hour.
6. Let the dough rise until nearly doubled, and turn it out again onto your work surface.
7. Prepare well floured brotforms, or heavily flour a towel you can use for the final proofing of tgh bread. Treating the dough gently, seperate it into however many pieces you want loaves. Do a letter fold on the dough, along the long side, bringing the bottom and top thirds into the middle and then move the loaf to the prepared towel or brotform. (seam side up)
8. Leave the loaves, covered, to proof, for me this was about an hour and a half.
9. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with your baking stone (on the top or top middle rack) and steam pan inside and heat 2 cups of water to just shy of boiling.
10. Very gently grab loaves rising on a towel, and as you move them to the peel or parchment paper, invert them so the seam side is down and stretch them to nearly twice their length. The dough may deflate quite a bit, don’t worry it will rise back up in the oven. If using brotforms, just invert the loaves onto parchment or a peel. Load the loaves into the oven and carefully pour the hot water into the steam pan. Be careful of the window and light bulbs in your oven
11. Bake for 10 minutes, turn loaves 180 degrees and remove parchment paper if using. Continue baking for another 10-20 minutes. Be careful of the top of the loaf, the top rack position and high temperature can cause it to burn quickly. However, this bread is intended to be baked very dark on top, as long as the WHOLE top isn’t black and crispy you’re probably okay! Remove finished loaves to a cooling rack and let sit for at least 1 hour before cutting.

Those instructions may have made it seem more complex than it is, but this really just: barely mix, fold, fold, fold, divide, shape, proof, and bake! This dough takes really well to modifications, like other flours, increasing the whole grain flour (up to about double what is included), adding seeds, herbs, or small amounts of any other flavorful ingredient. I baked some of this to take in to work and ended up eating nearly a third of one of the loaves before I could stop myself, the creamy crumb, crispy crust, and flavor are very addicting! And I cannot recommend that black garlic enough, if you can find it… It is definitely worth including in bread! If not roasted garlic can probably somewhat substitute.

And this is, of course, my weekly submission to YeastSpotting!

Now for some pictures:

Rustic Sourdough With Spelt

Rustic Sourdough With Spelt

Rustic Sourdough With Spelt

Rustic Sourdough With Spelt

Rustic Sourdough With Sesame Seeds and Chinese 5 Spice

Rustic Sourdough With Black Garlic and Sage and Teff Flour

Rustic Sourdough With Black Garlic and Sage and Teff Flour

This inspiration board is what I picture for a winter wedding.  I helped a good friend of mine, Lauren from Every Last Detail, do day of coordination for a wedding this past weekend, and I think we both wanted to cry.  If they made minor changes to some of the elements, the centerpieces in particular, their reception would have looked a thousand times better.  The bride was very particular about not wanting the reception to be Christmasy, but I love the idea of using pine cones to spruce up the decor fora  winter wedding.  They are cheap and can really add great look of rustic elegance (does that make sense?).  Als0, what goes better with rustic elegance than the mason jar!  I fell in love with the idea of turning mason jars into ornament like votive holders.  What a great DIY project!  I hope you enjoy looking at this as much as I enjoyed creating it.  I know the green shoes are a little out there, but I love fun shoes and what a great way to round out the Christmas feel.

Have a most delightful holiday and a very merry Christmas.  I think it’s probably time for me to make some fudge or other tasty Christmas treats!

Keep it Sweet ‘n Low!

A neighbor has these rustic chic twig wreaths nailed to the side of one of his barns.  He keeps them up all year around but to me they are especially handsome in the winter housed against that most American of colors – barn red.  They have a tattered beauty that I appreciate the closer I get to them and I love the way they catch falling leaves in their blue-grey grasp and let nature take it from there.

But now it’s time to take a little respite from everything.  To build the fire and knock back some cider.  To reflect on what has been for many, a difficult year.  To forge ahead and leave behind those things that shackle.  To be appreciative for what we do have.  To realize none of us has (or should have) a wooden heart and a sawdust mind.

I’ll be back after the first of January.  Thanks to everyone for reading Rustic Chic.  I really appreciate it.  Best, Joel

All photos by Joel Woodard

Few things say “rustic chic” to me as much as faux bois and especially faux bois planters.  In this case, the faux bois item is made from heavy concrete and is covered in dried moss (“No need to wrap it . . . I’ll take it!”).  I use it as a cachepot and its perfectly aged patina looks great whatever the season and no matter what it’s filled with. 

In the photo above I have filled the planter with a flowering succulent.  I really like the way the plant’s waxy green leaves and white blooms, along with the planter itself, work with the modern abstract painting by Maureen Chatfield while sitting on a black pedestal by Dransfield & Ross.  In the remaining photos, I filled it with pinecones and then with ferns.  It’s that kind of versatility that makes faux bois the ultimate in rustic chic.

All photoss by Joel Woodard

Here are a couple of pieces using

Horn Disk Earrings

Wood Disk with Glass Earrings

hand-painted glass beads.This group includes a triple-layered memory wire bracelet (can be worn as a choker as well) and several pairs of earrings in different styles. Enjoy!

~ Azteca   azteca.etsy.com

Triple-Layer Bracelet

Triple-Layer Bracelet

Wood Disk with Glass Earrings

Cowrie shells were one of the first forms of currency used in Africa. They represent wealth, prosperity, and good luck – so why not wear cowrie jewelry? It’s beautiful, tropical, and organic, using shells, seeds, roots, and waxed cotton cord.

Remember to check out azteca.etsy.com – your place to get all-handcrafted jewelry items!

Cowrie Shell Collection

Cowrie Shell Collection

Cowrie Shell Collection

Cowrie Shell Collection

Cowrie Shell Collection

Cowrie Shell Collection

Rustic timber floorboards, high ceilings, white walls and a homely Italian menu; what’s not to love about the Mess Hall? I have been coming here for a couple of years now and although the menu has hardly changed, the wine list stuck in perpetuity, it offers up a relaxed atmosphere to unwind, eat good food and share the company of friends and family alike. Perhaps that explains my love affair?

Located at the top of Bourke Street hill, across the road from, and in stark contrast to, the quintessential Melbourne establishment Pellegrini’s, the Mess Hall serves up the new world of rustic Italian food. A relatively small menu, Mess Hall offer a few simple starters, several pizzas, a handful of silky pastas and some dishes under the carne and pesce moniker.

On this visit we opted to start with the margherita with anchovies, and Messina. To be honest, Mess Hall don’t do good pizza. Although all the essentials are there – good tomato sauce, the right amount of toppings and a reasonable dough – their pizzas are consistently undercooked and arrive at the table a tad soggy and sans crunch. Still the flavour does carry and all-in-all they manage to pull it off, just.

For secondi we ordered the beef lasagne and pumpkin casoncelli with amaretti, sage and a burnt butter sauce. The lasagne had good flavour and was well portioned, however it was a little dry and did arrive without the usual salad. The lack of greens and dryness of the lasagne came with the unfortunate side effect of watching my supply of Messina dwindle rather rapidly. This problem was quickly rectified with arrival of a Castello. Problem solved.

The casoncelli had equally good flavour with the silky pasta and creamy pumpkin balanced well with the sharpness of the burnt butter and sage and sweetness and crunch of the amaretti. Whilst the amaretti offered a contrasting sweetness and crunch at first, after a few mouthfuls they become a little over-bearing. My only criticism of an otherwise tasty dish.

To summarise, the Mess Hall is never going to take out the gong for restaurant of the year. Never will its chef be awarded for innovation or brilliance. But I think that’s what I like about it. Not all restaurants must push boundaries and serve food that the public have never seen nor tasted before. We need restaurants that serve up consistent, good quality food in an atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable.  That is what the Mess Hall do. Rustic. Approachable. Tasty.

Mess Hall
51 Bourke Street Melbourne
p: 9654 6800
e: themesshall@bigpond.com.au

*apologies in advance for the low-quality iPhone snap.

This is a beautiful necklace – white turquoise, blue turquoise, and leather!!! Nuggets hang on an adjustable leather cord. Adjust using the slide knots – you can wear it snugged up to your throat, long and loose, or anywhere in between!!! Give that cowgirl a gift she won’t forget!

Wild n Free - White Turquoise, Blue Turquoise, Leather Necklace

Wild n Free - Necklace

Wild n Free - Necklace

Wild n Free - Necklace

I named this piece ‘Rivers of Africa’ – when I see it, I think of the sun glinting off of the varied blue of the waters, and shells being washed up on the shores…

Rivers of Africa - Inspired by Africa Collection

Inspired by Africa Collection

Inspired by Africa Collection

We’re over-the-moon thrilled that LXTV digs the Rustic Chic vibe of the barn and we were so fortunate that they featured it in their program this past Sunday morning on NBC 4 in NY.  Many, many thanks to Marni, the twin geniuses Adam and Trey, and Sara; to Mike and Andrew; and to Liz and Alyson.  We are so grateful and appreciative to you all!  Many thanks again for all your enthusiasm and support.

Here are a couple of  photos of the newest pieces in our new collection ‘Inspired by Africa’ !

Please check out our website @ azteca.etsy.com

Oceans of Sea Earrings - Inspired by Africa Collection

Oceans of Sea Earrings - Inspired by Africa Collection

Amber Glass with Red Jasper Choker - Inspired by Africa

Inspired by Africa Collection

Tribal Bone and Glass Choker - Inspired by Africa Collection

Sea the Jewel Coral Necklace - Inspired by Africa

Two new items are now listed on our website! They include the Apple Green and River Rock Lariat, and the Turquoise, Coral, and Bone Silver Link Necklace.  Check them out at azteca.etsy.com !

More of the Inspired by Africa Collection to come today!!!

Ah, Memory Lane. . . let’s take a quick walk or a [square] dance down it, shall we? 

I was looking through some of my files the other day trying to find a particular furniture image I had in mind for a client and I came upon these photographs from my former career on Seventh Avenue when I designed and produced my own line of eveningwear for such retailers as Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Barneys, Neiman Marcus, etc. 

The top image, shot by Stephen Anderson, is a beautiful one-shouldered evening gown with a black silk velvet bodice, silk satin belt with a round diamante buckle and very, very full black silk chiffon skirt.  The skirt had 40 yards of 60-inch-wide fabric!! It was perfect for dancing, square or otherwise.  Even though I designed the gown, I have always thought it was Stephen who turned it into magic.

I was thrilled when Pamela Fiori, the legendary editor of Town & Country, also chose to put it on the cover of one of her issues.   It was probably the high point in my former career – that, and when I got those first collection orders from Bergdorf’s and Saks. 

The little black Empire-waisted “Jackie” cocktail dress above was made for Bergdorf’s and they ran it in a holiday catalog.  Sold a ton of these cuties.  The sketch was a first-pass inspiration for the black silk velvet one-shouldered dress shown at the bottom, which I did for Neiman Marcus.  Although it’s not shown in the photo, it was available lined in black or an ethereal pale pink silk charmeuse.

I love how Neiman’s photographed the gown against the rustic chic industrial rooftop.  And I’ll never forget seeing the tall and willowy TV star, Deborah Norville, taking a turn in it.  She brought it to life beautifully.  Thanks, Deborah!!

Memory Lane can be a very good place to visit every once in a while, although it’s not always a good idea to live there (unless, of course, you’re living a life of rustic chic).  But I do dream to one day have a dressed-up dance in the barn with everyone in their billowing gowns and handsome tuxes so I can ask all the gals, “Can I have this [square] dance?”

Necklace and Earring set - Flint Arrowhead with Bone and Wood - Inspired by Africa Collection

Inspired by Africa Collection

Inspired by Africa Collection

Necklace ad Earring Set - Bone, Wood, Pewter - Inspired by Africa Collection

Inspired by Africa Collection

Inspired by Africa Collection

NOTE: THESE ITEMS ARE NOT LISTED ON OUR WEBSITE YET – FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE US, OR LEAVE A COMMENT IF YOU WISH TO PURCHASE IMMEDIATELY!!!

Check us out at azteca.etsy.com

~Azteca

Here is a choker and earring set of bamboo coral(dyed), bone, and coconut.

Choker and Earring Set of Coral, Bone, Coconut - Inspired by Africa Collection

Inspired by Africa Collection

Inspired by Africa Collection

These are a few of  Azteca Designs’ pieces in our  Inspired by Africa collection. Enjoy!

These are not listed on azteca.etsy.com , but if you wish to purchase any of these in the immediate future, please send a message via our web site, and we will list your preference!

Shell Collar - Inspired by Africa Collection

Shell and Copper Earrings - Inspired by Africa Collection

Bone, Yellow Turquoise, and Carved Wood Earrings - Inspired by Africa Collection

Sea Waves Shell and Glass Earrings - Inspired by Africa Collection

This is going to be short and sweet. I just wanted to share a little eye candy of the holiday persuasion with you.

 Enjoy…

Now this is so fun and festive with a rustic twist- love it! Found this image at Earthfirst.com

How simple but chic in a classy farm-house style. Found this at the inspiredroom.net

Okay now this is so me and something I would totally do on my table. Image from goodhousekeeping.com

Talk about chic and unique- love, love this. It doesn’t match my home or any of my decor but it sure is dreamy to look at. This and many other cool chic images are from apartmenttherapy.com

Just wanted to share a little holiday bling of the unusual kind.

take care-jj

A good friend of ours, a woman of enormous chic, called us to stop by her home this morning to view her latest acquisition – two antique hat molds which she had recenty purchased.  The molds are made from solid walnut and perch on their original display stands.  They also have their original hatbands and buckles and have the most elegant and sculptural quality about them. 

When she showed them to us, they were in an upstairs landing and I asked her ”Why don’t you put them on your center table by the front door?  That way everyone can see them when they walk in.”  She loved the idea and we whisked them downstairs. 

The hat molds now sit on the entry table warmly exhibiting their charm, beauty and wit, just like our hostess.  They’re also chock-full of rustic chic.

Her cozy home, not very far from the barn, was published in the July 2009 issue of House Beautiful.  The owner, together with her friend of many years, Mr. Albert Hadley (decorateur extraordinaire), worked to create a sophisticated and beautiful home for her.  It’s one of the most elegant spaces I have ever seen – chic and rustic chic. The soft white painted floors are so ethereal and make the rooms float – genius!!  Below are a few of the images from the spread, but for a more intimate look, please check out the magazine’s feature.

Everyone needs a day off, and this was one of those days. We slept in late, enjoyed a relaxed morning, then headed over to a relatives’ house to help put up a mantle over their fireplace, and enjoy a delicious lunch with them.

It’ll be back to work tomorrow, shipping some sold items, and  working on a couple African jewelry pieces that I have plans for swirling around in my head. I can’t wait! It makes my head hurt if I can’t try the designs formulating in my brain! I’m crazy, I know! But most artists are!!!

So until tomorrow!!! Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

Remember to check our website occasionally! We add new things periodically! azteca.etsy.com

~Azteca