It’s so nice to be back here with you. I want to thank you for all of the love and support you showed as we remembered our sweet heavenly son Noah this month. I was really touched by your kindness and comments. It might not seem like much, but those small acts of reaching out in love and compassion make all the difference in the lonely, lifelong journey of grief.
Hello Lovely ones, how’s things? Life is looking pretty good from where I am sitting. It’s such a crazy ride at times, and today is no exception, but somehow, at the moment, I have a peace in the journey and I will hang onto it. Yes Please.
Good morning Lovelies. How’s things? The girls and I flew solo this week as hubby took our 18 year old son adventuring in Tassie for a dose of hiking, snow seeking, white water rafting and bush walks. He has worked so hard this year, often at three jobs, so we wanted to give him a pat on the back and tell him how proud we are of the amazing young man he is becoming.
Hello dear ones, I’m so glad you are here. Thanks for popping over. I want to tell you a story. A story about a new chapter in the book of my life, and oh the pages smell sweet.
When one of my friends announced her 4th pregnancy, it took me about three seconds to decide the theme of her baby shower. Her kitchen has bright orange cupboards which are reminiscent of my Nanna’s incredibly cool laminex. She adores this often ignored, yet fabulous colour, and so do I. Sadly, bright orange appears to be completely underestimated in the current party scene. It is such a gloriously intense colour which adds the most startling wow factor to any dessert table. As I wanted my orange to make a real POP in this party, I teamed it up with perhaps an unlikely partner…rustic timber and woody, earthy textures. I was determined to keep everything else neutral, so that my lovely orange could take centre stage. It’s effect was nothing short of spectacular!
Over the past month we have had three weddings, including that of our eldest son, three of our children’s birthdays, cake orders, a trip to Bundaberg in Queensland, oh yes, and we bought a dog.
I made these cakes for a vintage baby naming celebration. Nothing fancy, but oh so sweet. The semi naked cake is lime and pistachio, with vanilla bean cupcakes. The simple cake and cupcake toppers were handmade using lace, gingham ribbon and hessian scraps tied to toothpicks and skewers. An easy way to add a touch of colour to a neutral palette.
As most of you are aware, designing and styling baby showers is one of my all time favourite creative pursuits. New life just grabs me every time. There is such diverse styling potential for each shower, and opportunity to reflect the personality of each precious mama to be.
When I was asked to create a small cake table for a baby dedication service at church, I wanted to break away from the traditional baby blue or pink colour scheme, and move toward a more bohemian, offbeat theme, using lots of fringing, wood, leather, lace and feathers. I used my gorgeous fringed chenille throw which had a previous life as a tablecloth in the Ukraine ( gotta love Etsy), topped with a crisp white lace cloth. My wooden cake stands were used as risers to add height, with the feature cake taking centre stage of the display. I made dove fondant cupcake toppers to symbolise the purity of new life. I really enjoyed raiding my button stash and gathering bits and bobs to decorate the cake stands and the feature cake, which was wrapped in lace, ribbon, leather strips and feathers. Hand made fondant feathers were tipped with gold in keeping with the boho theme. A simple chocolate ganache cake complimented the feature cake. Mini cupcakes and ginger spice biscuits were also part of the treats.
I am a classic DIY – er. If you need an invitation made, then I am your gal. None of these non tangible, electronic email invitations please. I insist on using real paper, real scissors and glue. It relaxes me. The more detail the better. The longer they take, the more I enjoy them. It’s just what I love to do. When I finally get a chance to sit down in the evening, I must have something to work on, some craft or project to keep my hands busy. I love the feel of a needle and thread in my hand, or paper, buttons and fabric. I love creating something organic and textural. I love putting things together and personalising them into unique little works of art. I have a few tips on how to make your own vintage invitations HERE.