Create

To cheer myself up on a damp and windy weekend I set about painting our ceramic plant pots ready for the Spring. I used pretty pastel shades and kept the design simple, using spots and stripes as the main features. Hopefully they will add a little colour to the garden when we are ready to plant. I cant wait until the rain goes away and we have sunshine again. I used left over acrylic paints on the pots.

Create

Thermofax Printing

Last Summer I had the opportunity to go to France to best friend Liske's parents house. During my stay we had an afternoon of printing using thermofax screens. I had a great time, it was just like being back at Uni during my textile printing days. Check out Ineke's website for more information. http://www.inekeberlyn.com/. I love Ineke's work as do hundreds of others. I really enjoy going over to visit to see the new designs and creations. Until now I had no idea that screens were so easy to make and use at home. Its definitely something I will be looking into further. All thanks to Ineke. xxx

Create

I had a great order come in for a bespoke Gothic inspired silk scarf. My client decided to go for the grande size which is so versatile and can be worn as a scarf or shawl. I had previously painted a Gothic inspired scarf for her daughter so I decided to adapt the design a little so they had their own unique scarves. The colour palette was to be blacks,crimsons and I also added purple tones too. I love painting vintage cabbage roses and the crimson colour worked so well that it gave the flower the Gothic touch. After looking at rose tattoos for inspiration I cam across a beautiful swallow design and wanted to incorporate it within the deign. To make the scarf a personal piece and included my clients initials and finished off the edges by sewing vintage black lace. I love the piece myself and I have a happy client too. It was great to use darker colours and has really inspired me to do more in this colour range and look to traditional tattoos for more ideas.

Bake

 Along with the beach birthday cake I decided to make a few cupcakes to take with me. I made a lovely vanilla cupcakes with strawberry buttecream frosting. I made the cakes into little cocktails adding straws and tropical picks. They looked almost too cute to eat and they went down a treat.

Bake

My best friend Liske recently celebrated her 30th birthday party by having a beach party theme ( in January!!). We all dressed up for the occasion even if it was a tad chilly. i was asked to make the birthday cake and after some thought I decided to stick with the party theme and make a beach cake. Its a basic sponge cake recipe for pan trays. I had a great time decorating the cake and loved using cocktail umbrellas and tropical palm tree picks. Everyone loved it and it tasted great too!