Sweet Little Things

queen's birthday long weekend cupcakes

Yes, this post is a little late, but better late than never, right?!

One of our clients ordered 90 of these cute little 'cupcake in a box' with a Queen's Birthday Weekend theme.

All staff received one.

What a yummy start to an already delicious long weekend!

I spent my long weekend with my family up at my dad's property. Bundy enjoyed himself:

As did his Cousin Teddy:

Heh heh - what a cutey. 

This one is both of them racing after the frizbee. Hilarious:

All in all a lovely long weekend :)

CCxo

what a find!

My friend who also has her own businessand I went to Vinnies the other day. She needed to source some clothing for a window installation. Of course I accompanied her so I could feed my passion for looking through other people's unwanted stuff :)

I was just blown away when I found this tea set intact. Made in Italy and all I kind of feel like I got a bargain. 6 teacups and saucers and 6 espresso cups and saucers for the bargain price of $30 - yay!

Of course, trying to do anything without Mr Chan (Bundy if you don't know him well) sticking his big noggin in is impossible.....

  

Heh heh - I love him........look at that schnoze!

CCxo

a beautiful wedding cuff

Well, this has certainly taken me a looong time to post!

I custom made this pearl, silver and Swarovski crystal cuff for my sister-in-law's wedding to my brother in February 2008!

I just found the pictures and realised how  much I love making free form wire jewellery. I must really get back into it.....

By the way - doesn't she just make the most stunning bride?! (oh, and I made the earrings too!)

And one of the whole gang - this is mum and dad, my 2 brothers and their wives, and me (in blue!) and my gorgeous husband.

Brings back memories of such a fun, happy day. I think we all danced until 3am...the best!

CCxo

Oh so cute and cuddly

How divine is this?

http://www.teddylux.com

Designed by Brooke Serson Cernonok in the US, these teddys made with recycled cashmere are just too cute!

 

You can upcycle your cashmere by donating your own used jumpers and the like so they can be made into these gorgeous little creatures.

Hmmnnn....don't know if they ship to Australia, but if they did I would just HAVE to put some on the website!

CCxo

Any day is a good day

...for some gratuitous cupcake pictures. Especially on a grey old rainy day in Sydney.

We are launching some new mini cupcakes to the Sweet Little Things range of goodness.

A girlfriend of mine was saying the other night that the frosting in all of our photography is 'to die for'.

Judging by this new batch of pictures, I would say she is right :)

I can't bear how tasty the frosting looks in these pictures.

If you have tasted our cupcakes, you will know they really are as delicious as these pictures look.

Don't think about the calories. You only live once!

Phew!

CCxo

australian fashion sizing debate rages on...

I remember when I was studying fashion design that there were always debates about sizing. In our fashion construction classes we compared blocks from 1960 and blocks in the present day and we would be hard pushed to get even the skinniest girls to fit the old ones.

Of course we just thought we were all fatties, but it really highlighted just how much our basic women's shape has changed (and grown!) over the years.

Unfortunately, the real problem in Australian fashion is the lack of standardisation of sizing across the industry and various retailers.

You could easily make purchases from 2 different stores of similar items with comparable fabric, construction and cut and find that you are a size 8 in one and a 12 in another - and that's certainly not an exaggeration because it happens to me - a lot!

This issue is particularly difficult for online retailers as how are we supposed to encourage people to buy online if a 'standard size 10' could really be an 8 or a 12?!

I wonder if our high levels of overseas outsourcing are partly to blame....?

Anyhoo - Editor of Ragtrader, Tracey Porter

traceyporter@yaffa.com.au is looking for consumer opinion on the hot debate.

CCxo

random got beautiful

Very cute idea for a website.

Nikki Farquharsonis a graphic designer and illustrator based in the UK who came up with the concept.

The idea is that anyone can submit photos based on one main colour.

Nikki then uploads the image to her site and the image is linked to your website.

Check out some of our submissions - our cupcakes are in the Green and Red sections:

http://www.randomgotbeautiful.com/

Perhaps it doesn't mean all that much, but I think all of the images with one main colour together like that just look fabulous!

CCxo

just playing....

I am always taking photos as inspiration for designs.

My husband and I travelled through SE Asia 4 years ago and I have so many images from the trip that I had always meant to 'do something with'.

So I have started playing....

This flower lived in Vietnam:

and became this with a little bit of Photoshop action:

and then this with a little bit of help from a Spoonflower tutorial to lay it out as a fabric design:

...it still needs some work, but I kinda like it.

CCxo

true romance

You need to check these guys out.

http://www.romancewasborn.com/

A true craft/fashion/art collaboration - this label brings it all together to create wickedly delightful collections.

If you troll throught their collections on the website you will see many crafty elements hidden amongst the bright colours and dramatic tailoring. Knitting, crochet and even some yo yo's.

I tend to use them quite a bit on baby clothing:

 

 

So check out Romance Was Born. Divine.....

CCxo

sharing the pink cupcake love

Yesterday we sent out the most gorgeous hamper for one of our customers.

Our brief was to send 101 pink cupcakes as a thank you to Allen & Unwin for publishing their new book.

We chose 50 vanilla minis and 50 chocolate minis with baby pink frosting and pink flowers on top.

One of our regular size cupcakes in a clear box topped off the hamper along with some luscious fuchsia ribbon and our personalised swing tag.

By all accounts our client 'got some lovely emails saying everyone had a BIG smile on their face for the day'.

It's so nice sharing the cupcake love!

CCxo

life's little surprises

Sometimes someone can do what seems to be a little thing for you, and it can just mean the world!

Today something like this happened to me.

A very good girlfriend of mine gave me the loveliest surprise - and I thought she was on a flight to Cambodia!

On her way to make her flight she obviously got on her mobile and arranged a delivery of these to me at the office:

 It just blew me away!

I helped her out with what I thought were a few small things, but she thought them big enough to send these wonderful roses to me - isn't that just the most divine act?

I haven't had flowers delivered to me for years (are you reading this, husband?!)

Ah - what a wonderful surprise - thanks Marj - you are an absolute sweetheart and this gesture meant the world to me!

I guess that's what we get to do everyday here by sending cupcake hampers.

That's why we get lovely emails so often.

It's such a wonderful surprise to have something delivered to your office when you least expect it.

The roses remind me of our new chocolate and vanilla cupcakes actually - RoseGarden - Enjoy.

CC xo

frosty foliage

We went to a wedding in Thredbo a few weekends ago. Our dear friends got married in a beautiful hotel, so we decided to make a 'mini-break' of it and stayed a few extra days. On one of our walks I couldn't resist taking some pictures of the lovely wild flowers. Thought I might have some fun and throw them into Photoshop and have a play.

Here are the results:

....and the wedding bouquet - just love the white gumnuts

CCxo

cupcake recipe for you to try at home :)

So if you want to try and make some cupcakes at home this is the cupcake recipe from the Magnolia Bakery in New York. Made famous by Sex and the City.
I still find it a little dry when I make them myself, so of course your best bet is just to go to Sweet little Things and get them delivered to your door hee hee!

Magnolia Vanilla Cupcakes

1 1/2 Cups of self raising flour
1 1/4 Cups of plain flour
1 cup of unsalted butter - softened
2 cups of sugar
4 large eggs - at room temperature
1 cup of milk
1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract (not essence)

Preheat oven to 175C

Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon batter into cupcake liners, filling them about three quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cake tester inserted in the centre of the cupcake comes out clean.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1 cup of unsalted butter - Softened
6-8 Cups of icing sugar
1/2 a cup of milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (not essence)

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading concistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired add a few drops of food colouring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Easter is coming....

Wow - I cannot believe how fast this year is flying away from us already! Easter is just around the corner?! Took some pictures yesterday of the yummy cupcakes in our easter range.

How cute are the little chicks on top?

 CCxo

Jealous much....?

This is currently on my desk.

I ordered some new cupcakes in and of course me (and everyone else in this crazy place) had to try some. Problem being we have been 'trying' them since last Thursday. At least I eat it with a knife, I guess..which is more than I can say for everyone else who has frosting all over their faces.

...and I wonder why I can't lose any weight!

CCxoxo

corporate cupcake couture

Last year we introduced our 'corporate couture' service. This is where we design a hamper to 'fit' your brand. We use tissue paper, branded ribbon, edible logos, ribbon and other embellishments to compliment your company branding and reinforce your image to your gift recipients. You can use our cupcake hampers to impress clients, take to meetings, give employees, announce the launch of a new service....the list goes on....

Here are some examples of the deliveries we made:

 

 

 

Sending a Sweet Little Things hamper leaves a wonderful lasting memory with your clients - everyone loves cupcakes :)

We strive to provide you with the most professional, friendly and efficient service possible. The positive feedback from our customers has truly been overwhelming.

So do call us on 1300 997 448 to discuss some ideas to show off your own fabulous brand!

CCxo

FIDDLE DE DEE, POTATOES!

One of my favourite lines from the comedian Danny Bhouy. Hilarous. Anyhoo - yes indeed, it is St Patrick's Day next Tuesday. How about a fabulously greeny green cupcake hamper for your favourite Irishman or woman?

Email us to discuss your specific requirements.
CCxo

lillies for lilly

It seems here in Sydney we are squeezing quite a few more days out of Summer than I initially though we would :)

It's so nice still being able to wear a dress to work every day, although I know winter is just around the corner, so probably shouldn't get too comfortable!

Following in the summer theme, thought I would post some pictures of a set of baby clothing I made recently.

A lovely lady based in Singapore ordered a custom made Sweet Little Things set for her friend's baby.

All she asked for was a special set with a Lilly theme. This is what I came up with. Lillies for Lilly!

CCxo

recent beauties

RED DAISY

'LOVED UP'WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING

MORE DAISIES

BABY SHOWER

IT'S A GIRL!

CCxo

christmassy hampers

this week's corporate couture

Just like fashion couture, we design hampers to 'fit' your brand.

For our new customer obs, we organised branded ribbon, brightly coloured tissue and some yummy vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting and bright coloured sequin sprinkles. The perfect thank you for their clients.

Simply call 1300 997 448 or email us if you would like to discuss your own gifting needs.

Of course we still have our 'ready to eat' range available so you can quickly and easily send stunning gifts to colleagues, customers, friends and family. Click order cupcakes to begin ordering or cupcake flavours to view the yummy range.

CCxoxo

our gorgeous cupcake toppings

Here are some pics of our latest cupcake toppings. You can have these on our signature vanilla based cupcake with a vanilla or chocolate frosting.

Baby Booties - these are available in blue and pink:

Christmas Toppers - Snowman and Christmas Tree

Brightly Coloured Sequins

Multi-Coloured Heart Sprinkles

Silver Cachous

Christmas Tree and Berry Sprinkles

Simply email us or call 1300 997 448 if you would like to order any of these toppings on your cupcakes.

CCxoxo

skirty, skirt, skirt!

I made this for my sister-in-law's birthday in July, but have only just found the photos!
This was made using my very own Sweet Little Things pattern.
One day  - when I find the time - you will find many variations on this in our online shop, but until then, these little pics will have to suffice...

Front View:

Close Up of fussy cut flower - before applique beads:

Inside facing in same floral fabric:

Close up of beading added to applique flower:

Now all I need is a picture of the lady in question wearing it......nudge, nudge, wink wink if you're reading this....

CCxo

this week's couture collection

Introducing this week's cupcake couture collection.

Our specialty is in creating hampers for you that are unique, pretty and above all - tasty. Something different to really impress your gift recipient.

We continually receive feedback that a cupcake hamper is such a great idea as a gift. They promote the concept of sharing and are a lovely way to impress a new client or staff member.

Here's just a sample of what went out this week:

Citrus & Pink - our signature vanilla base with thick vanilla frosting - topped with pink sugar and iced flowers

Vanilla Base, Chocolate Frosting and Aqua trimmings for our friends at Properspective Recruitment

'It's A Girl' themed cupcake hamper for the latest addition to the family!

These are not all loaded into the shopping cart, so please just contact us if you want to order anything you see on our blog :)

CCxo

this week's spring/summer collection

Well, why can't cupcakes have a fashion show? Every now and then we are just going to post some piccies of hampers that have gone out recently. To whet the appetite and show you how cupcakes can be even prettier than flowers - they taste better too :)

'Pretty in Pink' for our friends at Modelco

'Baby Shower Surprise' for our friends at Henry Davis York

'New Starter Gifts' for our friends at qube.recruit.consult - our favourite recruitment agency. Look how fabulous the ribbon looks that we arranged for their hampers!

 

Gorgeous, huh?

Have just put the finishing touches on our Christmas 2008 catalogue showcasing some fabulous designs we can do for your client, colleague or friend's gifts this year - email us for a copy.

admin@sweetlittlethings.com.au

CCxo

what a cutey :)

Cute card, huh?

now it really feels like spring!

Had the ladies over for some lunch on Saturday and couldn't resist a snap of the lovely poppies we had on the table.

Ah - love that warm, Spring feeling. Emerging from the cave after winter is so lovely (except when you realise you are a little chubbier and a lot whiter than when you went in). Oh well - nothing some fake tan can't fix :) If anyone cares - Loreal do a great gel fake tan, I think it's called 'Sublime Bronze' and is a gel. Have found it's the closest to natural I can find. Try it out.....

CCxoxo

another clever friend

Check out this cake my clever friend made for her daughter’s 2^nd birthday – a mushroom-shaped fairy house – can you believe it? Amazing…..

The lucky recipient

 

Aunty Cathy’s Dora cakes pale into insignificance....

 

my clever friend

How cute is this? I just had to share the picture of a cake a friend of mine in London made for our friend's 30th birthday. How amazing. I don't think I could EVER make anything like this!! Isn't she clever.....?

it's RSPCA cupcake day next monday!

Help us help the RSPCA by buying something from Sweet Little Things on Monday 18th August 2008. We will donate $5 from every 'sweetie' hamper bought to the wonderful people at the RSPCA. Anything else you buy we will donate 10% of the total purchase value.

Check out our cute doggy paw print cakes. Simply email or call us (02 9114 6159) to order these.

So don't waste any time in showing your support to a marvellous foundation.

Remember: this only applies to goods bought on Monday 18th August 2008.

CC xoxo

PS. Keep some room for cupcakes on Thursday 21st August too as we are showing the same support for the Cancer Council on 'Daffodil Day'. Our signature vanilla cupcakes will be adorned with our version of a Daffodil - huge yellow icing flowers!

we got blogged by the best!

Check it out, check it out:

(click their logo to read about us)

So now our little website is famous.......this blog is the #1 cupcake blog based in the US. These ladies are such experts on all things cupcakey they have even been on Martha Stewart!!

I am tres excited....we got 2 mentions! Even if some of our flavours don't meet the strict cupcake criteria, I am completely stoked they love the photography. We worked really hard on that photo shoot, so having lovely comments like that make it all worthwhile!!

CCxo

getting arty with cupcake toppings

So I got a bit 'arty' with the camera the other day and took some close-ups of the toppings we use on our signature vanilla cupcakes. Of course there are so many more, but here is a taste:

 

multi-coloured 'sequins'

 

red sugar (also available in green, blue and pink):

Red,white & pink love heart sprinkles (these are already on our 'loved-up vanilla' cupcakes)

CCxo

custom cupcakes

As I sit here waiting for the courier to arrive......yes, I may be here for some time, I thought I would share some more of what has gone out this week:

Hamper for a 4th July dinner party:

Cupcakes for a doggy birthday party (and no, they are not for the birthday boy to eat!). The paws were made by piping white chocolate onto baking paper - thanks to Megan for showing me how...it's my new favourite little trick!

We will be making these doggy cupcakes as a fundraiser for the RSPCA cupcake day - coming up in August. Stay tuned as I will be filling you in on the details soon...

CCxx

some of today's cupcake deliveries

These ones were delivered to a lady who had a baby boy this week. We experienced a minor setback this morning in that she had already gone home from hospital when we tried to deliver the goodies. I can safely say that by now however, she is now sitting back at home scoffing cupcakes!

This next picture is a hamper that got taken to a recruitment agency's client meeting today. I wish someone would come to my meetings with a box of cupcakes! Well, actually....maybe I don't. I see enough cake everyday to last me a lifetime.

These are some new daisy toppers that I sourced yesterday. I LOVE them. They are nice and large and really vivid and bright.

Something else exciting is that you may notice how thick and yummy the frosting is. Had a slight change of nozzle and - voila! Aren't they beauties?

Have some other gorgeous toppings I am eager to roll out, so watch this space.....

CCxx

weekend away in the hunter valley

In the spirit of writing about all things tasty and good in Australia I thought I would share my weekend away as we had such a lovely time. A group of us went to Broke, which is in the Hunter Valley. This is a shot of our friend's property that we stayed at:

 

 

 

It was off to Margan's Winery for lunch on Saturday which was just divine. We devoured share plates of stuffed zucchini flower with feta and prawns, pot-roasted chicken and linguine with meatballs to name a few......and of course some semillon and botrytis. The main room has these beautifully high white stone walls and cosy furnishings. We luckily had sunny weather so sat outside and had a fabulous long lunch. If you look really really closely you can see some kangaroos in the background.....

Then it was back to the property for a bon fire and more frivolity.

 

They have had this great pizza fire oven installed and so Sunday lunch was spent making pizzas with a marvellous array of different toppings. SUCH a cool thing to have. If only we could fit one in our little courtyard at home next to hubby's MASSIVE bbq......

...and last but not least....me!

 

CCxx

baby name canvas

My friend Annie had her daughter's 1st birthday party on Saturday. I cannot believe how time flies and that she is already 1! I remember blogging when she was born and it only seems like yesterday...wow. Anyway, I made her a little canvas with her name on it. Using some Freespirit fabric, timber letters, paint, sequins and ribbon I cobbled together a little something she can hang on her door or wall in her bedroom.

I took inspiration from another friend of mine, Melanie. She is making some really beautiful custom-made canvases for children and we are going to feature her work on the Sweet Little Things website in the coming weeks. I will post when we have loaded all of her stuff! She will be the first of many new designers and their work we will be showcasing. Stay tuned......

CCxx

cancer council biggest morning tea

If you check out our website you will see that the Cancer Council is one of the charities Sweet Little Things likes to support. We held a morning tea in the office last year as part of their 'Australia's Biggest Morning Tea' initiative and raised quite a few funds for the cause.

This year we were lucky to be invited to the morning tea held at Julia Ross's North Sydney office. The team there are lovely and we had a great time chatting, munching on SLT cupcakes (of course) and sipping coffee and tea.

Here are some pics from the event - these are our very special buttercake vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting decorated in the Cancer Council colours:

CCxo

a break from cupcakes.....

This weekend was spent down at beautiful Whale Beach with my sister in law Sarah. Sometimes I feel like I just have to get out of Sydney to get some uninterrupted time to get some work done. The problem with beading and sewing and most things creative really is that it takes a long time to set everything up and sometimes even longer to pack up. That’s why it’s great to get a big space with everything in front of you that you don’t have to pack up for a few days to really get some work done. 

Here is a section of what we term 'the beading forest'.

And another section of the beading forest that I took upstairs in front of the television later that night - notice the liquid addition:

So - I managed to finish 6 necklaces, 3 bracelets and 11 pairs of earrings. Yes – BOTH pairs of each set of earrings. I am notorious for finishing one earring and then wishing I had some workers I could pass on to finish the other one. For the time being that ‘other worker’ is me and for the first time in my life I left no earring without its matching pair!!

Sterling Silver hoops with Swarovski crystals:

Sterling Silver Chain Maille with Swarovski Crystals:

Sterling Silver Heart Component with Swarovski Crystals & Freshwater Pearls:

 

My favourite - Sterling Silver, Swarovski Crystals and various other components & charms to create this jangly charm bracelet:

Meanwhile Sarah quilted for 2 days straight while I beaded up a storm. Not sure if I am allowed to post a sneak peak of her latest creation, but if you don't tell her, I won't either......

 

More pics of the jewellery to follow. Once I can get my camera to cooperate!

CCxx

vips get all the good stuff

We were run off our feet last week. One thing keeping us busy was an order of individually boxed cupcakes to go into gift bags for some 'very important people' at the Elton John concert Monday night.

We used our deliciously moist vanilla cupcake with yummy vanilla frosting and all different designs on top....hearts, sprinkles and flowers to name a few.

Finished with colourful ribbon and our custom designed gift tags - the VIPs really do get all the good stuff.....

CCxx

cupcakes for mum

It's Mother's Day on Sunday and our family is trying to work out what to do for the day. Whatever happens it will no doubt involve a lot of food....and cake. Since starting the business it has become mandatory for me to supply cake at family functions. Actually that is not entirely true, as mum loves baking herself, but this week she deserves a break.

I am going to take the family favourite this weekend - Strawberry:

with some of our beautiful 'Thanks Mum' candles:

What will you be getting your mum this year?

CCxx

who doesn't love a nice pair of earrings?

With all the ladies I know having babies I have turned myself into mini earring-making factory! I always like to remember the mums when buying a 'new baby' present as they have done a lot of hard work and often get overlooked in favour of the new bub! A pair of earrings usually makes most of us happy :)

freshwater pearls, sterling silver, swarovski crystals

Now that we have the cutest of cute Ramona Ramona candles I like to include an 'It's a Boy' or 'It's  Girl' pack too......

Just pop any of these items into your cart when you buy a cupcake hamper and they will be individually gift wrapped, delivered to your special friend and be certain to put a smile on her face!

CCxx

cool new invite tool

I found a cool new invite tool this morning. It is the newer and better version of evite. You can customise the invite with the site's stock images, or your own. Handy for all you PR ladies or just for those of us who like to email invites to their little shin digs! Find it at: www.pingg.com

Thought I might do a little mock one to remind everyone that Mother's Day is not far away!

Check it out:

CCxx

i love the vanilla ones

I think it's funny how some people have a perception of you that is simply not true.

Not in a 'deep' way necessarily, but even something as silly as your likes and dislikes. Take for example my mother, who the other day said 'oh, but you love anything chocolate. Chocolate is your favourite'. This is, infact, not true. I would take vanilla over chocolate any day of the week. Particularly anything that shows a bit of vanilla bean. You know really good quality ice cream, or a properly made creme brulee....ahhhhaahhh...salivating..... Now I am certain that I have never said I hate chocolate, because I don't, but where did she get this whole perception that I am obsessed with chocolate? I am obsessed with many many foodstuffs, don't get me wrong, but chocolate I could take or leave. Seriously. Oh, except a Sweet Little Things chocolate mud cupcake. He he. Cue gratuitous cake shot:

So there you have it - vanilla is where it's at for me. Take for example our pretty flower vanilla cupcakes. Topped with vanilla buttercream frosting, whose recipe is from the famous Magnolia Bakery in New York.

CCxx

the site is ALIIIIVE!!

I am so excited to announce that the new website is up and running!

www.sweetlittlethings.com.au

I have blanked out the clothing and jewellery pages until all of the items are loaded, but keep checking back as new items will be added daily. I have just bought some beautiful handmade all natural candles which will compliment the cake hampers beautifully, so will load them when they arrive.

Check out this pic of my web developers over at Helpwise. I sent them a hamper last week to say 'thank you' for all their hard work, and they sent me back this pic. I love how they have strategically placed the bag in the background...hahahaha - so cute, I love it!

Please feel free to send over any pictures to us that you have enjoying your sweet little things. I would also LOVE to hear what you think of the new site - good or bad! All feedback is welcome. Email me.

CCxx

cake-fest

This week and last seems to have been a huge 'cake-fest' across Sydney. Have been sending out loads of hampers. Mostly from wonderful women to very lucky men. Hmmnn...interesting. This one was from a wonderful woman (my friend, Marj) to a lucky little man (her nephew, Morris).

Coloured Choc Chips and Orange and Passionfruit. What a fine selection!

This next one is chocolate mud and strawberry. How good does it look? Yum.

..and a little pic of how it looks all tied up. This is our Large Sweetie - 18 cupcakes of total goodness.

Remember - we are currently delivering within a 10km (or so) radius of Sydney's CBD for a flat rate of $20. Miraculously I have just received some excellent customer service which has prompted us to change courier companies. By doing so it seems I may soon have a courier plug in to the website. This means when you order you will be quoted your EXACT transport costs. So - if you want to pay for a courier to the Central Coast - you can!

I realise I have not got on my soap box NEARLY enough on this blog. This 'customer service' thing is only just skimming the surface. Nevertheless it is refreshing to deal with a supplier who wants to help my business grow. It's so nice when businesses can help each other for the greater good of the customer - yay :)

After all - we are all customers at some time during our day!

OK - that's enough from me. Stuff to do and all that.....

CCxx

improved pin cushion

You should have seen what I was using before - appalling. I made it out of a scrap of fabric I had lying around. Much the same as this one really, except I had sewed it very badly, made it an ugly shape and chose awful fabric. This one makes me happy as the colours are pretty, and it is actually sewn together properly. I have actually stuck it to the top of my machine both to stop me losing it and to prevent me throwing pins to the side of the machine as I sew. Seems to be working out so far.....

I would say that is quite enough pics of my silly little pun cushion!

Something tres exciting is happening this week. Myself and my office buddy have decided to remodel the office. This will only involve moving a few desks and building some shelves, but we are very excited as it means more room! I think he is also quite excited as it means my sewing room will actually get cleaned up and everything will have a place. It also means a big huge table to pack our cupcake hampers on. Yay :)

CCxx

Valentines is over...

The big Valentine's rush is over!

Husband did very well this year. It has taken 6 years for it to sink in that BREAKFAST IN BED WOULD BE NICE! This year I got it - yaaay! We don't go out for dinner on Valentine's anymore, as we have decided it is just too humiliating with all the restaurants laughing at us as we pay their inflated prices and sit far to close to other couples. Ugh. No pics of the yummy dinner I made though...

Yum, yum - pancakes..!! coffee!! juice!! yaaaay!

Some pics of a couple of the hampers that went out that day:

CCxx

humpty dumpty

Thought I would share some pics of a little friend I made the other day. The pattern was actually from the back of the fill packaging - know the one? Anyway, it was REALLY fiddly, so when I write up a pattern for this one I will make him a bit bigger.

I got a bit lost as far as the face was concerned as I had already stuffed him before thinking the buttons needed to be sewed on, so I just embroidered the eyes and mouth. This was the stupid pattern's fault, not mine, I might add!

Little bit of blanket stitch around the arms and legs to cover up my dodgy sewing around the tiny arm and leg holes, and - voila!

He is a gift for friends who are about to have a little baby. I hope he is unisex enough because I don't know what they are having!

After seeing Humpty, one of my girlfriend's has requested a 'great big owl' for her daughter.....or maybe it's for herself, I'm not sure!!

We'll see....

CCxx

revving up for valentines day

I spent the morning icing cakes with some Valentine-y designs in the lead up to what 'they' dub the most romantic day of the year....who are this 'they' anyway?

Some lucky ladies will get our cupcakes. These ones are a deliciously light vanilla sponge topped with vanilla buttercream frosting. The recipe is from the famous Magnolia Bakery in New York. I make it myself and it is as sweet and creamy and delicious as 'they' say (there 'they' are again!)

The Valentine hampers are a mixture of pretty pink and vanilla coloured cupcakes, wrapped in beautiful weaved heart ribbon and stuffed with pretty pink tissue. Aaahhhhh....

CCxx

home made christmas gifts!

This year I was determined not to get drowned in the busy hellishness that can be the lead up to Christmas. I actually found some time (in amongst packing loads of cake into boxes) to sit down and make some little Christmas gifts for the girls in the family.

Of course I left it all until the last minute so was madly twisting, crimping and wrapping in the final days before Christmas. Got everything finished in time and (hopefully) they liked my designs. It's so nice designing things for people when you really feel you know what they would like. Makes me so excited as I am working thinking about how they will react. See - it really IS possible to enjoy giving more than receiving!

These are a few charm bracelets I made. All sterling silver with Swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls and pretty little star sign and initial charms, so that each one is personalised.

Mum got one of these too, amongst other things. She has been not-so-subtly hinting all year that I have not made her anything yet. She got a mountain of Sweet Little Things jewellery designed by 'moi' this year! I wonder how much time that will buy me??

This one was for sister in law number 1. No particular order on the SILs, just that she was the first one that became one! I did this one because I know she loves green and pink and loads of colour. You could probably also guess she is a Cancer.

I luuurve this little 'hand made' charm. I almost stole the whole bag from one of the girls at beading class, but showed remarkable restraint for the first time in...like...ever!

I took inspiration for these from my favourite bead-buying site Fusion Beads. They had used organza ribbon to tie bows onto some earrings. I also had these silver fans lying around for ages and love them, but didn't know what do do with them. Topped off with some little garnets, I think they are kind of cute! These ones are for the 'soon to be' sister in law. That will be the 3rd one.

and then some swarovski & silver earrings for sister in law number 2. She looks fab in these kinds of greens and yellows.

So, that covered all the girls. Of course I couldn't make anything for the boys that they would like. It's a good thing then that they are happy with cake!

CCxx