I’ve been on a bit of a baking spree lately and these dinosaur cupcakes are my latest creations. Inspired by all the cool retro Christmas deers that people put on cupcakes, I thought I’d give dinosaurs a go. These cakes are actually pretty special as I made them as a belated birthday cake for Miles, as we were in Italy over his birthday. The little retro dinos were from an office supplies shop in my home town (Whitstable) and I  accompanied them with some pink sugar. They look quite effective, in a new-rave 1990′s kind of way.

Miles being a former huge dinosaur fan loved them, and although not edible kept the dinosaurs on them until the very end. To make the cakes I always use the Hmmingbird Bakery vanilla cupcake recipe and then combine this with the Primrose Bakery’s buttercream icing recipe, as I think it creates a nice, firm icing.

This week has been so crazy busy, I’ve barely had time to stop, however there’s always time for cupcakes – even if I have been eating them at 10pm, when I should be brushing my teeth for bed! In other news, I’m really late to the party but, I’ve just discovered the joy that is Laura Marling. I also want to buy everything in the Boden and Hobbs NW3 collection – not god! I hope everyone’s had a great weekend? x

Everything you’ll need below. Try to source cocktail sticks with flat ends. I managed to find mine in a specialist cook shop, I think they are indented for displaying cheese and pineapple creations – retro.

Step 2 

Depending on the length of the flag you want to create, snip off your tape and lay the cocktail stick in the middle and try to make sure the two sides of tape are roughly even.

Step 3

Bring the two sides together, making sure they are smooth.

Step 4

You can cut the end of the flag straight, or you can take the ribbon approach and snip the end into non-fray points by folding in half gently and slicing out a V shape.

Final Product (remember to bake cake)

Pop the flag carefully into the tip of the pipped icing on your cupcake. If you are making a big layer cake you could use wooden BBQ skewers (cut to lengths) to make larger, more dramatic flags with happy tape – put into the cake a different heights. More pictures of the end product here.

I hope someone finds this helpful. I know they are not the most technical things to make, but for anyone not great at icing (like myself) they do detract and hide any pipping mistakes nicely. They would be great for a baby showers and general partys  - not just weddings!

I hope you all have lovely week…

It’s been a while since I talked cakes here on the blog, in fact I think this was the last time – and that was quite a while a go! So, with much of my crafty attention going on thinking about the wedding, I thought it would be good to start experimenting with some wedding-related crafts and happy tape cupcake flags was something I thought might work well – whatever your colour scheme! Happy tape is everywhere lately and I’m huge a fan, it’s brilliant for everything from wrapping presents and sealing greetings cards, to putting pictures up (mark free on the wall) and making flags! The great thing is that you can quite literally get every colour and pattern, I got my pastel colours from Present and Correct a long time a go and they are still going – 2 years later!

When I dreamed up making these little toppers I was actually inspired by all the lovely ribbon ones I had seen online, but alas I didn’t have anything thin enough, I also didn’t have graphic design skills to create and print my own – so happy tape was my solution! I think it makes a pretty good flag and is really sturdy. Simple pale pink cupcakes, with pretty pastel flags, on a stunning white tired cake stand could work nicely for a wedding (or my wedding) what do you think?

(P.S Yes, I’m crazily considering a way that I can somehow make my own wedding cakes, did anyone else do this, any tips on how to juggle this time-wise? Any advice is really, really welcome.)

Ok, so I’ve been away from the blog for an age. I’m not even sure why really, I don’t think I’ve really had anything to say and I haven’t really felt that inspired. You’ll have to forgive me as this is my first post in a while, it’s a bit of a mash up of photos – however they were all take this weekend. I suppose for the fist time in a long time I felt inspired this weekend, I took a trip to Columbia Road flower market, went for some long bike rides, read my new Handmade Weddings Book and tried my hand at flower arranging. Wedding plans and work have been such a time drain lately, I’m really looking forward to getting back into posting here and trying not to catch wedding fever – because it really is so easy to pick up! I’ve been keeping up reading everyone else’s blogs, now I need to make sure I get commenting again! As you can see I’m having a bit of a love affair with Ercol furniture right now. I have a grandfather chair and Miles parents bought us the nest of tables as an engagement present – plus I have a dining room table! I think I’ll stop there! I hope everyone has a great week – only 4 days! x

I’ve been an absent blogger, very absent indeed. However instead of going into the in’s and out’s to why I’ve been a bit awol I think it really is just one of things that happens sometimes when you write a personal blog. You can suddenly lose your voice or just run out things to say for a moment…..I had a case of both. I blame the wedding and planning such a big thing – it’s been a bit consuming.

Weddings and blog woes aside, I really wanted to share my pictures from a week or so a go when I went to the Decorate talk at Liberty London held by the book’s author Holly Becker. As a longstanding reader of Decor8 when I heard Holly was in town launching her book I jumped at the chance to hear her speak. Unfortunately, the fist night (the actual launch) got booked up really fast, it was such a shame to miss this as I was really excited by the possibility of meeting some of my favourite bloggers – like Yvonne, Lynne and Cherry. However, I have to say the second evening was very intimate and I got to talk and ask Holly lots of questions – which was lovely and a real treat! I have to say Holly was even more lovely and friendly in person, she was incredibly encouraging and really fun to listen to. She spoke about her book and also spoke to everyone individually about what they do etc – it was a lovely experience.

After Holly gave us some background on the book an answered all my questions (I had a lot), she signed copies of our brand new books and showed us the lovely table that she co-styled the night before. It was a stunning mash of styles, crafts and personal touches – I really loved the mixing of patterns and the flower arrangements.

Overall it was a lovely evening and a real treat to get to ask Holly so many questions and just generally have a chat. I’m currently working my way through Decorate – it’s filled with some fantastic homes! Really loving a peek into Jonathan Adler’s home and I can’t wait to have more free time to delve into it more (I’m currently on holiday from work so this week will be reading week for me). I hope everyone had a lovely bank holiday in the sun? Here’s to giving the blog more attention – I promise!!!!

Hello, I hope everyone has had a lovely first week of January? Mine has been super busy, but particularly productive – so I can’t complain. I feel a lot more focused this year and I am determined to stick to the goals I set, I’m not letting anything bother me this time (nothing). Last night I went to see Bird Song at the Comedy Theatre and had some yummy Gelupo afterwards (if you haven’t heard of Gelupo yet check out their lovely cafe and flavours on their site here). Miles treated me to the play as Birthday treat and it was lovely, thank you Miles.

As I mentioned in my last post I’ve started a new Tumblr blog to track inspiration and, more generally, things I like. I dream one day, in the not too distant future, of owning a home of my own place so this is a good way to keep a record of all the great homes I find on other blogs. It’s interesting because only having had the Tumblr for a week it is already highlighting to me some patterns in my tastes and I find it quite funny. I seem drawn to anything yellow, sequined, white or mid-century! That’s what lead me to take a look at my home and snap some of my touches of yellow, it turns out I have quite a few….I think I have a thing for yellow?! I just noticed as I went to publish this post that my new blog design has got a lot of yellow in it… doomed!

I’m yet to put all my Christmas decorations up, however I am managing to sneak a few things past Miles and up befor our designated decorations date. One of the first things to go up has been this Christmas mini flag bunting that I made a few weeks back. I was really inspired by the windows of my local Toast store and decided to recreate the look and make my own. I had no idea that they actually sold the flag bunting, I thought it was just a window decoration! Anyway, it’s cheaper and more satisfying  to make your own and this way I got to use this dreamy rain drop paper from Paperchase. I’ve used the finish product to adorn my fireplace, any regular readers will know I can’t resist making something seasonal for my fireplace, you can see last year’s garland here.

I am pretty excited about putting the rest of my decorations up this weekend, including the tree! It’s been snowing on and off here in London so I am hoping there might be a few flurries whilst we put the decorations up – extra Christmasy feel! Am I the only one who’s ridiculously excited about decorating their home for Christmas? I’ve just got my hands on the new Lula, so I think a good reading sessions is on the cards tonight. It’s so curling up under a blanket or duvet weather right now……night all!

Saturday Miles and I ventured home to Kent to see our parents and ended up in the seaside town of Deal, whilst browsing the high street we came across a boot sale/market packing up and I instantly spotted this little Denby lamb in duck egg blue. This was pretty exciting for me as I have wanted either a Denby lamb or rabbit of quite a while now and for £7 it was a bit of bargain. It doesn’t have any markings on it, so it could be a fake or a copy, but it doesn’t matter as I love it for the design, not the designer stamp. Too cute!

My new lamb sits proudly next to my first ever Jonathan Adler piece, bought back from the US by Miles. I have been lusting after the entire Jonathan Adler range for so long that it’s very exciting actually owning something – it’s just so pretty.

I love the white and duck egg together, the colours are calming and the flower on top of of the pot makes me smile – I love detail! It’s strange how something a silly as ceramics can make you happy. I’m either very fickle or easily pleased – I can’t make my mid up.

I thought I’d share my cushions with you all as I have been meaning to get a snap of them, but the light was never quite right. I got them whilst at the Country Living Christmas Fair last November (you may remember the other goodies I got there here). It was love at first sight as the colours are calm yet colourful, which I love!

The very sweet company that made them is called Calon and each cushion, or pair of cushions they make are individual. I love the fact that they are all slightly different and made from vintage wool blankets. I like to think about who might have owned it first or who had a picnic using it (don’t worry they are all properly cleaned before they make the cushions). Welsh blankets are in short supply these days so I’m pretty pleased I have a little bit of a very pretty one sitting on my sofa.

This week other than snuggling up with my cushions I have been lusting after the new Boden Autumn collection, especially their Heritage Range! I wish my bank balance would allow me some purchases, alas I’m saving for my trip to Paris with Miles. Also, very excited by the Gainsbourg movie that is out, I feel this would make the perfect Paris preparation film. Alas, I have not a moment to spare for it – sob!

Whilst I was in San Francisco I spotted this little Growbot in a very cute shop  called Lavish in Hayes Valley. You plant him up with grass seeds and they create his head/hair. I bought this little man a present for my robot mad boyfriend – plus I am a real sucker for white ceramics! I love how he stands so proud and tall with his cute little green grass hair. I was all fingers and thumbs when planting him up and as a result he’s a little thin on top, the grass is a little patchy! I think a bit of extra seeding is needed to give him fuller hair.

I had to stop mid flow in writing this post as the UK announced that David Cameron was to become our new Prime Minister and he was on his way to Buckingham Palace. I have been totally sucked into politics this election and on election night Miles and I were up until 3am glued to the TV. I’m glad a decision is finally made, even if it’s not one I’m that happy with. I must mention that the two frames either side of the growbot are Liberty of London for Target, I bought so much of the collection whilst I was in the US, I think Target ended up being by favourite stop, that and Crate and Barrel. Still there’s lots to be happy about, Stornoway (my fave band) have announced their album will be out on 24th May – yay! I also finally have a bed to sleep on after some very uncomfortable nights on a mattress on the floor – Yay!