A new cupcake decorating class

This week has been a busy one for me and has included the start of an 8 week cupcake making class that I am teaching!

This week we looked at working with fondant icing sugar and compared it to using normal icing sugar, we learnt how to dip the cakes and made blossom flowers to go on top!

Here are some the students made







On wed we are working with buttercream! Will upload the photos later in the week!!

Carla x

Cake pops!

I have been playing around recently with these and today I have made some out of Oreo biscuits!!




I smashed up the oreos into tiny pieces



Added some buttercream




And mixed it all together!!




Made balls about the size of ping pong balls and put in the freezer for 15 mins




I then melted some candy melts




Dipped the lolly sticks in and stuck into the balls!



I then dipped the balls making sure i had covered them all




These are as far as i am taking them today! They are to go on georgia's 4th birthday cake!

Can you guess what it is going to be????

Carla x

Last day of school!!!

Had to quickly come up with thank you presents for the teachers at school last night!!! Left it all until last minute!!




Both kids wrote a thank you message on the back of the presents but the stampin' up equipment definitely came into it's own in a hurry last night!!!

Hope they liked them!!!

Carla x

Cake pops!

I have been busy working out how to make cake pops!!




These were my very first attempt at them!!

After a little trouble shooting my next attempt looked like this!!




And after talking it through with my friend Debs, we spent an evening making them!!




Between us we came up with these!!




A closer view!




Today I have been baking to help raise money for the school with my little girl Georgia (who literally licks the bowl out!!)


But I am off to see Victoria (blue jelly) tonight andvi have a few guests around over the weekend as it is my birthday, so I made these as treats for everyone!!



Carla x

Retreating!!

It is finally here! Our 2011 scrapbook retreat!!!

The challenges that everyone has entered have been amazing!!!
















The cupcake challenge was amazing!! Everyone brought such beautiful cakes with them, especially Annabel who took the challenge 'cup' cake literally!!!

Then came the slipper challenge!!!













Some lovingly sewn and altered! Elaines must have taken her hours!!!!




This was the 'all about me' challenge of everyones layouts!!!







And some of the name tags , although i didn't manage to get photos of eveyone's!!!!

More to come!!!!!



Carla x

A bonefide teacher!!!

I have just received the phone call to tell me that I have passed through the official exam board at Nottingham Trent University and achieved my PGCE making me a qualified teacher!!!!!! I Am very proud of this achievement as I never really thought I would get there!!!

Big day in our house.............we are picking up the latest member of our family!!!! Photos to follow shortly!!!!!

Carla x

Cupcake Heaven!!!

On Sunday I taught my first Stampin' up! Class!! It went really well!

We made a gift box for 4 cupcakes, made 4 cupcake wraps and decorated the cakes to go in the box with rice paper toppers using the flights of the butterfly stamp set and punch!!












I think everyone was really happy with what they had made!! And what a lovely bunch of people came!!

My next class is on 3rd july if you fancy joining in some fun!!

Carla x

About time I had some time!!!!!

It's only three weeks late! I have finally found five mins to make Evie's welcome card for my sister!!!



This is all from Stamping up and I especially love the little treat cups which I have filled with ' it's a girl' confetti!!

Hope Hannah likes it!!

I have also been busy tonight trying to catch up with myself and plan tomorrows lesson!

We are going to make a bag of cards, all from one stamp set!




I have used the stampin up sweet and sour paper



















I have a very busy couple of days ahead as we are off the Philadelphia to stay with my aunt for my cousins wedding and I still need to pack as well as clean the house for my BFF Bindie who is coming to house sit!!!!

So although I will try and blog from the states, I may forget if I am having too gooder time!!!!!


Carla x

Wow! What an achievement!!

After doing my NNEB at 18 years old, I decided that being a teacher is what I wanted to do! However after taking my maths GCSE 4 times and only getting a D each time, I decided maybe teaching isn't what I was destined to do and went off into youth work!

Two and a half years ago I decided to take voluntary redundancy from the youth service and sat my maths exam again!!! This time I got it and was accepted onto the PGCE course which effectively turned my degree into a teaching qualification!

Today I finished my PGCE course and will get my final marks in two weeks!!

I feel so proud of myself! I feel that I have finally achieved what I wanted to 20 years ago! And the experience that I have had on the way will help to make me a better teacher!!!

This is the cupcake gift that I made for my tutor to say thank you for all her support!!



If you would like to learn how to decorate these cupcakes.....then come and book onto one of my courses starting on sat 11th June 9.30 - 2.30 for 6 weeks or wed 15 June 9.30 - 1.30 for 8 weeks! Contact karen at www.thetextileworkshop.com or ring 07809158606

Carla x

Who could ask for more!!

On Saturday along with one of my best friends Shan, I went along to a stampin' up training day run and delivered by the lovely Victoria.

In the morning we made a fab box out of the top note die and the big shot machine!!




I absolutely adore this designer paper!! It is the springtime vintage set and it is soooo cath kidston!!!!

In the afternoon we made cards and these were the cards that I ended up producing, which was completely different to the task set by Victoria, but I don't think she minded!!!!








But these ones were like the task we were set and I love them too!!









It was also lovely to meet some fellow stampin' up demos who produced some great swops!!

All in all, I had one of the nicest weekend that I has for a while!!! Crafting with some of my favourite people!!

Who could ask for more!!!!!

Carla x