Cupcake Creations for Dainty Do's!

I'm so excited about the range of cupcakes which are slowly emerging from the kitchen lately.  I never really set out to make cupcakes as part of this venture but they're so appealing it's hard to resist really.  Having perfected my 'swirling' ability I'm now confidently able to start introducing these little lovelies!

Whether you fancy a dozen lemon drizzles or a mixture of chocolate and coffee, they're hard to resist.
(Mental note to try out some chocolate/coffee cupcakes again soon!)

I was really excited to be asked to create a mass of cupcakes for a friend's wedding, but unfortunately due to being away the weekend of the big day, I has to decline.  Would have been great to produce an array of pretty cakes for the do.

My enthusiasm is ignited so expect to see more creations very soon!  My obsession with books is unending too.  I'm using Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery one a lot at the moment but I keep seeing so many other great ones out there!

     

Live & Love York Article

I'm so excited to be included in the month's issue of Live & Love York Magazine!!  It is available to read online via http://www.loveyork.org/the-magazine/ and go to pages 16 and 17.

It's such a beautiful publication and I'm so pleased to be included.  I've written a short piece about the nostalgia surrounding 'tea', namely elevenses and the lost art of afternoon tea.  There's also a photo of some of my cupcakes included which is excellent!!


The cake competition is going well too with lots of entries so far.  Still plenty of time to enter so click on the link above to be in with a chance!

Wind-swept tables and new-look labels...

Had a really productive time at the Knavesmire Primary School Fair.  Very windy day and many times we had to charge across the playground to retrieve fly-away aprons!  It was a fantastic opportunity to meet people who were really keen to suggest products and potential outlets which might be interested in stocking my items.  It was also a great opportunity to test out my new logo which my brother has been working on for me.  We're hoping to develop an image to go with the "Curiositea" brand name.

Babies and bunting

Feel as though things have been frantically busy the last few days and weeks. I've been building up and broadening stock in preparation for my second table top sale which is TOMORROW! It's at a primary school and I'm really keen to be prepared. I've been cutting and sewing new lengths of bunting as well as some more children's aprons. I've not yet made as many children's clothes as I'd hoped but am still excited about the things I have to include so far. Ideas are swirling around, I just wish there was another 'me' so I can get twice as much done!

The life/work balance has been a challenge to say the least, possible with 'life' taking a definitely back seat! I've had great support from home though which has meant I've actually achieved quite a lot in a short space of time. Sewing and small children don't always go hand in hand, though I have discovered that my youngest has an extreme fascination with the greaseproof paper I use for making patterns. Though he can't quite crawl yet, he moves incredibly quickly in order to get his hands on the crinkly, crackly stuff!

Right , back to it.... :)

Etsy Shop and Table Top

I've finally got round to updating the Etsy shop with some more recent cake creations! One is a cake I made for my son's christening which was so much fun to make! It was lovely to make a cake which I got to eat as well!

This week has also seen my first foray into face-to-face selling, with my first table top sale. Though the event itself was apparently quite quite it was thoroughly enjoyable and I learnt an awful lot. It certainly helps to talk about your business with people who are total strangers as it forces you to say what is important.

It was great to get feedback on my crafts as well as the positive mmm's about the free cupcakes available on the stall! I've got the enthusiasm and more importantly the confidence to test myself further with the craft items, and am keen to push the cakes as much as possible too.

Next week will hopefully bring the launch of my new Curiositea branding! The need for business cards became very apparent this weekend, and I can really see the Curiositea Shop identity and ethos emerging.

Pipe Dreams

I've been practising making cupcakes with perfect pink swirls of icing on top. It's actually harder than it looks to get effortlessly elegant swirls and then be able to repeat them so that all the cakes look uniform(ish!). I'm hoping to develop some things to include on a table top sale I'm hoping to attend in June and thought these cutie cupcakes would be just the thing. I'll just have to keep practising I suppose..... oh well!

Cozy's, Clothes Pegs and Carrier Bags

Having started the day thinking I'd finish the tea cozy and lavender love birds, I ended up abandoning the tea cozy and completing instead a carrier bag dispenser and clothes peg holder.

Both in coordinating fabric so I've already added them to the Etsy shop to see how they fare.

The tea cozy is still a work in progress. I did finish it but still need to address some construction issues as the lining wasn't as tidy as it could have been. The one featured in this photo eventually made it into the kitchen so will be our prototype model. Loved making it though so eager to start another one for the shop.