Strawberrykitten

Well I’ve been planning for Simons birthday BBQ weekend for weeks now, it has taken many, many step by step to do lists on the run up to the event. Now Simon requested a decorated cake – this is something I was really nervous about. I’ve never made an actual cake before never mind fondant it and decorate it. At first it looked really lumpy and the fondant tore in parts, but once I got all the decorations on it I was really proud of it. Due to time constraints I didn’t manage to get many photos of it…

It’s a ‘my neighbour Totoro’ themed cake which is a great Japanese anime film – watch it if you get the chance.

After the cake was completed I moved onto his surprise cake. Whilst in America Simon became addicted to starbucks white chocolate mochas and lemon pound cake. Now I don’t have a coffee machine but I attempted someone’s ‘guess’ at the starbucks recipe for lemon pound cake.

I didn’t actually get chance to taste it but it seemed like it needed to be moister – looked great though.

Next on the list was pecan pie. Again I was quite nervous as I’ve never used pastry before. After blind baking the crust the rest was easy! Oh my god it was delicious! I will definatly be making another – perhaps cutting it up for the freezer for future pecan pie treats!!

As for the BBQ…well, it rained…HARD! So we ended up having to cook it all in the oven. Combine that with the stress of fitting 12 people in our petite home let alone around our 8 person dining table, it was quite a day! Don’t think I could have done it without everyone chipping in to help and I certainly won’t be doing it on a regular basis!

On a completely different note – I have finally ordered my new flash for my camera. I opted for a canon speedlite 430ex ii. I know its more money but all the reviews were putting me off the sigma version and the canon will be more compatible and upgradable in the future. So in the next few days it shall arrive and hopefully I’ll get my bears onto Etsy. We were going to try taking their pictures in the near by woods, if that plan doesn’t work then it’ll be good old fashioned plain background and flash lighting. I’ll post their photos when they are done.

Bank holiday weekend and what a busy one it’s been! Saturday began with painting the babies room, now even though we’re renting we decided to just suck it up and paint it magnolia when we leave – so bright turquoise it is! I’m really pleased with the colour, it really pops against the floor.

Mum brought over my old wardrobe, which even though it looks sizable it is a kids one, plus means we don’t have to buy a new one. So I decided to get everything we had in there, including a few bits and bobs both bought and kindly donated by friends (the wardrobe is full or wonderful gifts! Thanks everyone) mum just got back from holiday in the yorkshire dales and visited all the Beatrix potter shops, hence the Peter Rabbit toys and the lovely box set of books which I used to have when I was little.

Aswell as the where the wild things are prints I made we also have some awesome prints by our good friend, Andy Welland

I will post more photos as the room progresses ( oh and forgive the bad quality photos I haven’t got my flash yet!)

So Sunday consisted of getting my first cupcake order completed for an actual paying customer. Someone I work with wanted mint and pistachio cupcakes for her mums 70th birthday party. I was so excited to get the order although once I was making them it became quite nerve racking, hoping that they came out ok. I think they turned out great, the flower cutters I bought worked a treat and the purple colour was perfect.

So Monday morning had me delivering the cupcakes, I was so nervous and hope she liked them! I won’t know until tomorrow if they tasted ok. See it’s so different from selling a product like the bears as once it’s sold it’s sold but the cupcakes, being something people consume is a bit scarier!

We also fitted in a trip to my dads in to munch on a yummy tea of paella and a chocolate tart – no photographic evidence as i ate it all too fast, as well as spilling everything in sight! i blame pregnancy for my clumsiness!

I haven’t had time to make anymore bears this weekend but i have decided i’m going to get the canon flash instead of the sigma – hopefully in the next week or two, so i’ll get their photos taken and put onto etsy to officially open for business!

Turns out this starting up a craft business thing takes time, especially when the room you intend to use is in a state. Were currently ebaying and tipping all our combined rubbish, starting a fresh in our new home, this seems to be taking some time and I’m itching to get sewing and selling!

So last night I have managed to set up my sewing machine, tonight i have just about cut 3 bear patterns out ready for construction before my back gets too painful and i’ve also had to re-bake some birthday cupcakes as I may of dropped last nights attempt on the floor! Oops! Although pipped buttercream and hot weather don’t mix as it just splodged, meaning they look a bit sorry for themselves but they will have to do, hopefully the little flags i’ve made for them will make up for it!

I’m also working on setting up all my businessy type things on the computer, I have sold craft before but wasn’t very organized, I know what pushes sales now and want to start as I mean to go on so while the room has been unusable I’ve been setting my user account on the Mac (a computer I was never previously allowed to touch as it was ‘his’ toy! Lol) I have a few things to help me keep productive…

<>Excel spreadsheet for sales
<>Sticky notes for quick ideas and to do lists
<>Photoshop for blog images and photo editing
<>Illustrator for illustrating
<>Email templates etc
<>Trying to set up ical to keep organised

I think I might need to come up with some kind of rota system too; I work best when I’m on a schedule that way I don’t get distracted. I’m thinking plan in blogging, reading blogs, posting in forums and using etsy, then cutting, constructing and shipping. We shall see anyway, I’m sure I can sell my products but you never know it might all fail; I just would really love to be one of those people featured on etsy for quitting their day job because their craft business has become so successful!

This weekend has been a busy one and all we ever seem to do is make more jobs for ourselves. after deciding i want to jump back on the crafting band wagon i realised we’d need more desk space in the spare room, which involved swapping the whole room around. This has of course meant the room is in even more of a state than before and it kills me knowing how much there is to do and not having the time!

Other than that i did a little baking today, my plan is to take a set of cupcakes into work each week. Here’s this weeks…

They are strawberry flavoured – vanilla sponge with jam and strawberry buttercream. Hopefully the girlies at work will like them!

This weekend we also nipped to our new mothercare that just opened. Although we are getting a lot of baby equipment from friends and family, we still have a lot to get and looking around the shop made us feel even more clueless…we have some serious planning and list making to do…but i love making lists!! I also have a wedding to go to in 2 months and i’ll probably be twice as big as i am now, they had some really nice weddingy dresses, annoyingly not on their website so i can’t show you.

Anyways, i feel i’m slowly getting back into this blogging malarky, as evidenced by this loooong post. i think being able to use the Mac rather than being all squished on the sofa with the macbook helps. And in a few weeks i’ll start posting more piccys of the babies room, crafty stuff etc etc…Also not 100% happy with my blog theme yet so will be tweeking it every now and again, certainly not that bothered that i work none stop on it…it will do.

Right off to rest as i’m being kicked and poked by little hands and feet

Well I am just so excited, after taking my mustachio cupcakes into work, everyone was raving about them and I have now received my first custom order! It’s for a 70^th birthday and I plan on doing something very similar but with a few more flowers and flags using pretty paper. I just need to order some cupcake boxes as I want it to look as professional as possible.

I knew starting my blog up again would inspire me to start making things again and getting an order has really inspired me. So along with pushing my cupcakes I am going to try and kick start my bears again. I thought, due to time constrictions I would stick to one bear design and make lots of different felt accessories, as soon as I have my new flash I’ll get some photos taken and get them on etsy. That way I don’t need to make a stock of bears from the get go, only when I get an order. Then it’s just a case of promoting them on forums and blogs, and word of mouth, which is really what takes the time.

I’ll keep posting my progress on both projects

these are my mint and pistachio (mustachio) cupcakes, they are yummy if i do say so myself and i’m so pleased with my new piping syringe!