{you inspire me} The Fabric of My Life

I spent Mothering Sunday on a historical adventure around the city of Ely with my Mother. Along with visiting the more recognisable sites of Ely Cathedral and Oliver Cromwell (boo hiss)’s House, we also wandered the back-streets where my Mother grew up and ambled down Memory Lane.

Well, we ambled and we trespassed a little bit too… seeing that my Great-Grandmother’s house was sold and empty, Mum and I peered into the front window and she described the dark little front room that was only used on Sundays and smart occasions. Our curiosity awakened, we tried the gate leading to the back of the house and found that (with a little shove) it was open. We crept (for by now, we were in full ‘meddling kids’ mode) along the back passage and found that the garden was un-gated too… except for a small trellised fence which opened easily (again, with a little bit of a shove) just enough for us to squeeze in. We peered in through the back window at what was once my Great-Grandmother’s kitchen and pantry. A tiny house that was once a home to my Family. A tiny house that, despite being empty, still holds vivid memories for my Mother.

All this naughtiness and mischief had left us quite in need of refreshment so we went to visit Peacocks Tearoom on the banks of the River Great Ouse. Given that I am partial to a nice Darjeeling and am always in the market for a piece of cake, this was certain to be a hit with me. However, please allow me to recommend it most highly to you, should you ever find yourself in East Anglia!

www.peacockstearoom.co.uk

The delightful management at Peacocks Tearoom assure guests that crockery is often mismatched and that, should a guest find themselves with a matching cup and saucer, they will happily ensure that one or the other is replaced. All this kookiness was fascinating to me. I loved all the crazy clutter on show though I accept that I would not be able to exist for long in such disorder without some blood pressure issues.

I was overcome by the urge to take pictures of everything… it was all so pretty. It was as if I had been possessed by the spirit of the most stylish girl I know. How many afternoon teas she photographed during our week away in Cornwall last year is anybody’s guess. These pictures are inspired by her.





















If you are now in the mood to marvel at pictures of lovely things, I would recommend that you wander over to www.fabricofmylife.co.uk if you have not done so already. Kate’s blog is a daily source of inspiration and delight and the little ray of sunshine that we all need on a Monday afternoon! She writes beautifully and is entirely fabulous.

And here I rest my case.

C

Post script – Memories are so very precious. Please remember this charity www.alzheimers.org.uk

Whistlin' While I Work

So here they are, the pictures from Restoration Cake's very first 100% dairy-free wedding.

White sugar roses hung out to dry.



Pink sugar gerberas drying (yes, that is a bath sponge... very useful in sugarcraft!).



Dusts for enriching the colours of the flowers.



Roses resting after dusting.



This is me, arranging and re-arranging cupcakes at the venue.





My heart stops for a moment every time I do this! One slip and... my heart skipped just thinking about it!



The finished product was a 6" Red Velvet cutting cake atop 100 Vanilla and Red Velvet cupcakes decorated in our Pretty Pleas style.








All that remains now is for me to wish EJ and Anne-Marie every happiness in their life together.

Hope you enjoyed the cake!

C

Everybody's Starry Eyed

I have been a busy little bee over the last couple of weeks, both in my dayjob (which seems to have been stupidly hectic of late) and with all things Restoration Cake.

Honestly, I just want to make cake and be fabulous. C'est tout. Not much to ask.

My most recent creation looks to be quite humble at first glance. A royal blue iced chocolate cake (non-dairy, I must add) covered with a sprinkling of silver stars.



However, if you know your constellations (I must confess that I do not) you will see that this seemingly random sprinkling is in fact an acurate map of the Monoceros constellation and its surroundings.



Yes, it was painstaking but I was so chuffed with my efforts that I sent the map, complete with the tiny holes I had made with my scribe, to my customer with the cake!

C