My Lolita Room Tour Video

Hi everyone! I finally updated my Youtube channel after many months.

Last weekend I had a great Eurovision sleepover with my friends, and one of our pass times was watching lolita videos on Youtube. I mentioned seeing someone's absolutely tiny, cluttered bedroom tour and why I felt a bit awkward uploading my own, as generally, lolita room tours are big, lavish and impressive. And mine is... none of those things!

Nevertheless, I actually filmed a room tour last month, and finally got the courage to upload it this week.

I don't own a ton of plushies, fancy furniture, or bright "kawaii" things, and my space is very limited as I am currently living in my parents' house. However, I like my bedroom, and I don't think there's anything wrong with a bit of simplicity if it works for you!

I hope you will enjoy it!

❤

Terracotta Pot Plant and Succulent Cake

Husband (mine): Is everyone going home with a terracotta pot?
Wife (me): Um....Yes. (Pause). You do know that the "pots" are made from fondant?

And I said it in a very neutral tone; nothing scathing, nothing patronising. Really.

So, yes - everyone went home with their own "terracotta pot" and succulent.

The cake was baked to shape in a real terracotta pot (new, clean, never used in the garden; well greased and lined with baking parchment).

We covered the sides of the cakes with chocolate butter icing; then wrapped them with terracotta coloured modelling chocolate/ fondant blend.
The "soil" is chocolate cake crumbs.
The rock rose succulent is made out of tylose/ CMC paste .

And just to prove that it really is all cake and icing....

Happy creating!

xxM

How To Make Bandana Dribble Bibs

I've found it really hard not to continually bombard my Brother and Sister-in-law with homemade things for my nephew, but it's really hard to know whether what you make and like is going to be what someone else likes and, when it's a bambino, is useful.  My Sister-in-law mentioned that plain baby dribble bibs are hard to come by [and crazy-expensive], so I had a go at making some for her - if you fancy some smarter/different dribble bibs for your mini, or making some as a gift, they are easy and quick to make - give them a go!

What I Used:

Jersey Fabric

Towelling Fabric

Template / Pencil / Tailors Chalk

Sewing Machine

Pins / Needle / Thread / Scissors

To create my template, I completely cheated and used an existing dribble bib to trace, roughly, it's a 30cmx30cmx60cm triangle which I cut out from plain paper:

 Pin your template to your towelling fabric and cut one piece:

...and then the same to your jersey: 

With the right sides facing in, pin your two pieces of fabric together.  

Add your pins so that the pin ends stick out the edges - then use a sewing machine to stitch a hem around the edge, leaving at least a 1inch gap so that you can turn your bib inside out a little later on:

 ...as you sew around the edge, the sewing machine needle can continue over the pins, 

meaning you don't have to remove them as you go around:

 Turn the bib inside out so that the right sides are now both facing outside:

  ...use a pencil or scissors to make sure the edges of your triangle are neat and then sew by hand the 1inch gap, folding the raw edges inside to create a neat finish:  

 Finally, add your fastenings.  I hand-sewed so poppers as they're quick and easy to fasten:

 ....and your bib is complete, ready to use:

 I picked up a few other colours to give him a set:

  see you next time x

Spotlight Interview: Lorna Jane Cake Designs

Beautiful cakes need to be photographed beautifully, and so once again it was the quality of this baker/ cake decorator's photographs that captured my attention.

 But pictures aside, as you'll see, Lorna's cakes are exquisite creations in themselves.  

Spotlight interview: Lorna Jane Cake Designs

Tell us a little about yourself/ your background.

I grew up in Westville and after completing school I qualified as a primary school teacher. A few years after getting married I moved to Kloof where I now live with my husband and daughter. My son is studying and working in Ireland.

How did you get into baking/decorating?

From a young age I was always experimenting with new recipes and baking delicious cakes and desserts. My Mom was definitely a huge inspiration and I have many family recipes that have been passed down over the years. While my children were still little, I kept myself busy baking a variety of cakes and confectionaries for a local home industry. I’d never worked with fondant until two years ago when I decided to try my hand at more formal cake decorating. I went for some lessons, enjoyed every minute of them and my new hobby took off from there.

What do you like making the most?
Anything you steer clear of?

At the moment, definitely layered cakes decorated with fondant or chocolate where I can put to the test newly acquired skills and techniques. I also enjoy making sugar flowers.I’ve tried decorating biscuits but it just isn’t my forte and not really something I enjoy doing, so I’ll leave that skill to those who are more proficient in that area. 

What would you say your style is, or is there a particular style you like to follow?

Whose work inspires you?

I like simple, clean lines and contemporary designs. I view each cake as a blank canvas. I like to believe that I am creating a piece of art that is not only visually pleasing but that tastes delicious too. There are so many extremely talented cake artists whose work I admire and aspire to, both locally and internationally, to choose one would be impossible.

Where would you like to go with your craft?

What’s the high point been so far?

I want to continue learning as much as I can, perfect my technique and be the best that I can be without losing the creativity and enjoyment that I have for cake decorating.Making my first wedding cake for friends was definitely a high point and a huge learning experience for me. Recently I had one of my cakes shared by an exceptionally talented, international cake artist and the response was phenomenal...it was certainly a confidence booster!

Any words for the cake decorating community?

I have met many wonderful and talented people since I began decorating, many of whom have shared their knowledge and expertise with me. Kerry Crampton was inspirational in teaching me the basics and she has been invaluable in helping me on my cake journey. Denise Dyson taught me much of what I know about flower making. I am a member of the Pinetown Branch of the South African Cake Decorators Guild where I have acquired a wealth of knowledge from demonstrations and workshops.
 

   

                                                                                                                           

 Lorna tells me that she doesn't really bake for orders, just for friends and family. But maybe if you have a cake request that tickles her fancy, you'll be able to twist her arm! 

Follow Lorna Jane Cake Designs on https://www.facebook.com/lornajanecakedesigns?fref=ts

Until next time...

xxM 

Veined Flowers: 3D Flower Veiner

I'm not a huge fan of super-realistic sugar flowers. (I'm alone in that, I know. I can handle it!)
I fully appreciate the incredible skill that goes into making them; I just don't want to do it myself.
I don't have the patience for perfectly proportioned pistils or carefully correct calyces...
But a little bit of realism is a pretty thing, especially if it's simple, easy and quick!

How to use a 3D flower veiner:

Roll out CMC/ tylose paste

Cut with a 5 petal- blossom cutter.

Dust the petal veiner with a little corn flour.

Position the petals upon the veiner (you can use either side).

Press the two parts together - too much pressure will break the petals, too little will leave little imprint.

Carefully lift the flower away from the veiner.

Dry in a flower former.


Complete with a little dusting and a few sprinkles in the centres ...


...so realistic  ;o)

If you want to see my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe, you'll find it here.
And here for this creamy, dreamy chocolate icing.

Happy baking and flower making!

xxM 

How To Make a Nautical Rope Eyelet Tote

As soon as you start preparing for Summer, you can guarantee that Mother Nature will make it rain, so I take full responsibility for weather since giving a basic tote this makeover.

What I Used:

HobbyCraft Plain Tote

Eyelet Kit

Rope

White Pleather / Thread / Needle

Hammer

There are some easy ways to personalise plain tote bags [previous tutorials here and here], but for todays DIY, I'm adding a function and getting rid of any aggression with a hammer.

To add a beach/nautical style to the tote, I'm adding a rope tie to the upper third of the bag with a simple kit and an up-do that takes 30 minutes to complete.  I chose the 10.5mm- you get 24 eyelets and all you need to provide is the hammer.  

I made four measured marks on the front of the tote and two at the back, these will be where the eyelets are fixed:

 To make the two back eyelet holes line with the front, I used a pin, going from the front through to the back and then used tailors chalk to mark:

Using my kit [here], I made the 6 eyelet holes:

...and then added the hardware:

[If you aren't familiar with eyelet tools, there will be a full tutorial on the blog soon]

Next, to thread the rope through the eyelets, starting at the front and weaving between the
 eyelets round to meet the front again:

To create a simple tie, I made a white fabric wrap to sew in place around both rope ends securely.

I used the entire length of my rope, but if yours is longer than needed, make sure the bag is flat and the rope also sitting flat through the eyelets.  Tie the rope where the front eyelets start and ensure that your rope is not cut any shorter than this length.  These knots can then guide you as to where you trim your rope, dependant on the design you want:

  Take a small section of fabric and wrap around the rope ends to measure.  Mark this with a pin and then cut the marked length and stitch the ends together:

[I find a blanket stitch easiest for a secure and strong stitch and neat finish]

Thread your rope through the fabric:

...and to create some extra detail, I used a pin to unravel the ends to create a tassel effect:

[and gave the bag a quick iron to neaten it all up]

It's a really simple upcycle that's easy to do.

see you next time x