Daniel loves Mr Tumble

Caught on camera!

Still some spaces left!

"Baby Brother" Workshop. Friday, 11th September.....10am until 4pm. A few spaces are still available for this workshop, held here in my Studio. For more info on the classes or to book a place on this one, go to Extra Icing There is one more workshop scheduled for this year, coming up in October. I won't be scheduling any more until February 2010, which seems an awful long time away at the moment. I am travelling around again and have some other cakey commitments to attend to which is taking up my time....but it's all good. By the end of the year, you will see all of the classes to be scheduled for the whole of 2010 which should help forward planners a lot! See......I AM organised after all. :o)

Come and see me for Baby Brother Workshop......before I take it off to America!

Time to go home.

It is the last day of class today and as usual, I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. We have covered 5 full day classes, an evening class and a demonstration at Capitol Confectioners Day of Sharing. A very busy time but I still managed to browse the stores! I would have loved to have tagged a few more days on to the end of this trip to unwind and relax before enduring the long flight home, but cake orders await me and I cannot put my feet up just yet. Next year is going to be a different story indeed as big changes are afoot! Roll on!!

Awesome!

Well, the DOS in Austin is over and it was an absolutely fabulous day. I was told I'd be using a microphone for my demonstration. I envisaged the karaoke type and had my rendition of "Donald Where's Yer Troosers!" all ready....but alas it wasn't to be and the crowd was saved. The little clip on mike attached to my apron. I've never worked so hard to keep my stomach from rumbling! I was afraid they might have thought that Hurricane Anna had found it's way to Austin from Florida. Hurricane Bill is on the way apparently. How do they know their names? We don't have names for the weather in Scotland but it's something I may adopt when I go home. "What's the weather like today?" I'll be asked. "Oh it blowing a Wullie Wind and a Harry Hail!" Doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Am I worried about the Hurricanes? Not at all.....I ALWAYS look this shade of grey!

Austin Day of Sharing demo piece

This is the subject I'll be demonstrating at the Austin Day of Sharing later this afternoon. The event is pretty big and I am looking forward to wandering around and taking it all in. Lots of vendors and some great demonstrations so it's bound to be a day of fun! The first workshop of the week took place yesterday. We did "Bathtime Baby" which turned out a LOT of cute babies. Tomorrow we will be doing the "Victorian Lady". I'll be preparing for that later on today before I venture out to find yet another fabulous dining establishment! haha! One things for sure....I won't starve while I'm here!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL!!

I have to share Daniel's special day. Two years old already...time goes by too quickly! Daniel smiles for the camera in the arms of his Auntie Vicky. Happy Birthday my baby boy. Granny loves you to the moon and back again. xxx

Something Special!

Tomorrow is my grandson's 2nd birthday. I've no doubt that you all know about Daniel...I think I mention him a few (squillion) times. This cake is based on the childrens TV show "Something Special" and the character is called Mr Tumble. Personally, I love Justin Fletcher who has an amazing personality and is a huge hit with children. Daniel will be using Makaton which is is a communication technique that uses speech, facial expression, gestures, signs and symbols to convey information. It is widely used for children with learning difficulties by speech and language therapists. (and I didn't lift that straight from the Signed Language website now did I!) I have worked as a carer for Special Needs for more than 10 years now and once upon a time when I was working with Paul in school every day, Signalong was used all the time. Paul has no speech at all whereas Daniel will eventually speak words. Paul has a language all of his own and communicates brilliantly. He is familiar with Makaton and Signalong but chooses to use the Paul method of communication. Paul knows many signs and I would love to share these with you but feel that if I did so then my blog may be censored and banned forever! Just know that my life is never dull. hahaha!

Pink butterflies for a Christening

The request for this cake was a water font and birds perhaps...well, perhaps was right. I thought that if I added birds to this pretty pink that it would somehow spoil the sweet serenity of it. I decided to change it just a little bit and used the lovely Patchwork Cutter butterflies to help create this design. The water font is made from Flower Paste as it dries and sets quite quickly. I was able to put it together within an hour. I love pink cakes so I enjoyed creating this one.

Bride and Groom Workshop in London

I returned from London on Friday evening after a flying visit to view the newly refurbished premises which belong to my suppliers and good friends, Sugarshack (Basique) of London. I am thrilled to tell you that the crew are putting the finishing touches into building a classroom over their new shop premises. You will be able to take a class and shop til you drop in your lunch break. What more could you ask! I am happier to tell you that I will be the first teacher to use these new premises and will be taking my Bride and Groom class to London as an opener! The class will comfortably house 20 students which is my maximum number regardless. As I have already mentioned previously that I would be doing this class, I had a list of names of those interested in booking a place. I now only have a few places left so if you hope to get in to either of these days please don't delay in securing your spot.

The class dates are Tuesday 13th & Wednesday 14th of October. The first day will be creating the Bride with the second day creating the Bridegroom. If you wish to book just one of these classes, the cost will be £85. Booking the two days will be £150. All materials are supplied. For more information and to book your place, visit Extra Icing website. I will confirm your place once a deposit has been paid. Hurry! Just a few spots to fill. This will be the first of many classes I will do in London and will show my schedule for 2010 very soon on my website.

Happy Hillwalker!

Perhaps a lighter background would have complimented this design a little better but I hope the darkness hasn't dimmed the design too much. I loved making this cake. I've done so many similar designs...without the figure included...for workshops and display purposes so it was great to be asked to do this for someone's birthday. While I was in the middle of creating this, I got a phone call from a young girl who is getting married next year. She is a farmer's daughter and would like to have a similar design to this as her wedding cake...same colours too! I couldn't believe the timing of her request and I told her so. We will meet soon and discuss her design a bit more but I can already see it in my head! I look forward to that one for sure. See more views of this cake on Flickr.