preview | BUTTERFLIES AND FRECKLES


Things are coming together for Sarah's Butterflies and Freckles party. I think the combination of purple and green is working well, I can't wait for it to all be set up.  I just hope Sarah has as much fun with it as I have.  

Perhaps I should just throw parties for myself every weekend!!




dessert | CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE


My Nana and I had a special relationship. I lived with her for a few years during the week so that I could attend a private school that was too far away from where we lived for me to travel each day.  Nana was separated from my grandfather so it was just the two of us.  Although she had also lived next door to us when I was smaller, I guess it was this constant contact that built such a strong friendship and bond.  She called me 'my girl' and we had the sort of relationship that was probably better than that of a mother and daughter.  

When I was in high school, on a whim, I'd jump off the bus and find my way to her place to stay for the weekend and call Mum and Dad to tell them I wouldn't be home.  When I was in Uni, I'd drive home for the weekend and stay with her and when I first started working, I'd drive to her place for lunch every day. 

Like most people in my family, I struggled to deal with my grief when she died.  I remember talking to another girl at work who had a similar relationship with her grandmother and she told me how after her grandmother died, she saw her sitting in a chair in their hallway.  Not a dream, she was actually there.  Oh how I wanted that to happen to me, that I could see her one more time.  It never did, but I've never given up hope that one day it might Y

Last time I was at my mother's I started writing down some of my Nana's recipes.  All were handwritten and one of the books had her maiden name written on it.  My grandmother was 88 when she died 14 years ago.  She was married in her early 20s. My mum and I think these recipes must be around 80 years old.  Is that possible?  I must admit I have no clue if there were even ovens or writing books 80 years ago but with her maiden name on these books, I'm guessing they must be that old.

The one I made today was called a Chocolate Layer Cake and had no cooking instructions. There were ingredients listed and there were mixing instructions but they stopped there, so I had to guess.  I think it worked out pretty good!!



The icing on this cake is a buttercream and that rose pattern was inspired by i am baker.  She does some amazing stuff, I'm always checking out her blog for inspiration though as you can tell by my attempt at this, inspiration doesn't always translate to talent! J

Because my cake was chocolate, the crumb coating wasn't enough to cover all of the brown colour so I had to fill it up with extra roses.  Well that's my excuse anyway!  You can check out her tutorial for the rose pattern here







Wow, I didn't intend for that to be such a long post!  Just one more thing. If you like this cake stand, I got mine from Tracey Lau Art & Soul.  Check out her blog for more details.



inspiration | BUTTERFLIES AND FRECKLES


My sister is visiting from Melbourne in early March and because we haven't spent a birthday with my niece since she was born, we're going to throw her a slightly belated 2nd birthday party!  Ok, so I guess we've only missed two, but still...or maybe its just any excuse for a party and for me to indulge in this relatively new passion of mine.

I asked Jodie if she had a theme in mind and she told me that Sarah is fascinated by the butterfly lampshade I gave her for Christmas.  I also remembered that Sarah just LOVES freckles (the lollies, not the skin pigmentation)!  So butterflies and freckles are my inspiration.  And of course my pretty little niece Sarah!


In my search for all things butterfly, I found an amazing butterfly brooch on Etsy by the fabulous Lara from Classic Keepsakes. She is in the US though, so fingers crossed it turns up in time for the party!  It is silver with a coloured stone and for Sarah's brooch, the stone will be purple.  I'm absolutely taken with this and am seriously considering getting one of these in a ring for myself!  If you like this as well, you should definitely check out her Etsy store and grab something for yourself!


(You can find this pic here)

I'm so excited. I think maybe one of the frustrating things about just starting out is that you just can't wait for your next party.  I'm truly looking forward to the day that I'm so busy, I'll be wishing there are more days between parties! Y