From Vintage to Modern!

I am sitting here taking time out having a cup of coffee and a sneaky biscuit!
How I love half-term!!!!
Well if I could get away without doing any school work and if I was on a hot, sunny island somewhere it would be even better but you can't have it all!!
So the last two weeks have been really busy - cakes, school, baby showers and no voice -AGAIN!
What is with the no voice thing????
I get so fed up of waking up (well that is when I have actually had some sleep thanks to Mr Neighbour with BBC World Service ALL NIGHT!!!!!) and having no voice and feeling like I have been hit by a bus!
At least it doesn't last - maybe I am allergic to school - how cool would that be!
So it's half-term and it's busy, busy, busy!
Last week was mad, especially last weekend. I am still cleaning up icing sugar and food colouring!
So where to start?
John's birthday continued and they celebrated on Wednesday with Nintendo cupcakes - he has favourites so I had to make sure there was a Yoshi, a Mario and a Luigi. I love these, they are so colourful and cute.

I got very excited when my ribbon arrived - all printed and very pretty. Am aiming to get them in every colour!!! (I have five already!)

Roary the Racing car was fun to do for Ashton's 4th birthday. With no children of my own I have to look up all these characters on the internet and I do get a bit carried away. I will be a font of all knowledge soon on CBeebies!!!
May go on Mastermind!!!
Anyway he was fun and I love the hat.
Louise's aunt (very lovely lady!!!) had her birthday too and this was a combination of her caravan, her holidays and her crafting.

She is a very artistic lady and is always making/crafting. I wanted to add little bits and pieces for the scrapbooking and card-making. I loved the pritt stick although if you don't use it very often you may have wondered what it was!
Happy Birthday Carole - hope you had a lovely day!!
The next one on my list was one I have been working on for ages. Another children's one and LOTS of research!
The Octonauts (had never even heard of them!) were lots of fun and lots of work. I made all the characters in advance - they were so cute and I tried to get them all spot on. It was a lot of work but really enjoyable.

They apparently live/work underwater so I loved making the underwater themed cake with fish, crabs, seaweed and starfish. It's cute!

I haven't seen my friend for years so it was lovely dropping the cake off and catching up with her and meeting the boys - they are gorgeous too. We nearly had a disaster when Will decided craftily to play with Tweak bunny whilst we were having a cup of tea - bless him!!!
Cupcakes for Clare's birthday - pink and girly.

More cupcakes for Hannah's birthday. She is mad about dogs/puppies so doggy cupcakes were perfect. I have made these before so tried to make diferent dogs - I love their faces!

This weekend too was busy with a joint 18th and 21st birthday cake for Gemma and Jamie. Gemma is one of my former students - she is a star!!
Gemma loves shopping, shoes and dresses and Jamie loves sport.

The top tier was a false top so they could keep it and put the characters on it to keep. It was silver and sparkly!
At the last minute I had an order for 80 cupcakes for a vintage fair in Blackheath. Half of the cakes had the company initials (My Vintage Affair) and half had roses, violets and sprinkles.

They looked pretty in the vintage cake stands but I forgot to take a photo!
Jo's vintage fair was great - the clothes were amazing and it was like walking back into the fifties. Women were having their hair and make-up done and trying on all the clothes. It was fabulous!
I ended up buying a coat which makes me look like my gran in the fifties and sixties!
So I am having a morning off making cakes (well will start in about ten minutes!) and am concentrating on organising a baby shower for my sister. It's fun and exciting. think I might be going a bit overboard on somethings though. I looked up American baby showers and they do things so much better than us!
I know it's a relatively new idea over here and some people are still a bit sceptical but I think it's great - another excuse to celebrate (and make cakes!).
Every day I come home and another parcel arrives!
I think the lack of sleep means I go onto the internet at all hours and end up ordering bits and pieces!
My neighbour has a lot to answer to!!!
Tomorrow we are off to the Ritz and the Savoy for our "R" and "S" in the alphabet project. I can't wait - it's long overdue!
Thursday I am looking forward to having my "Champagne Friday" girls over for lunch, fun and business. I need their advice!!!!
March is full for cakes and April is getting that way too!
I had better get started!!!!

Fish cakes and swimming pools!!

There are two things I really dislike in the world. (only two this morning but plenty of others at any other time!) One is inconsiderate people and the other is snoring!
I am so tired I think I could sleep for a week!
Well I could only do that if my neighbour managed to turn down his radio that he leaves on ALL NIGHT on BBC World service (yes it beeps on the hour, every hour too!) even if he is asleep as I can hear him snoring too!!!
Sometimes he even leaves the TV on too in another room - just how much can a man listen to in his sleep!!!!!
Also men with colds snore terribly and this just adds to my sleep deprivation as my man has a cold, it's not good. Snoring drives me mad - I NEED SLEEP otherwise I am a grumpy so and so with a short temper!!
So this week has been good for work and cakes but rubbish for sleep. I think now I am over-tired and it makes me a tearful bunny!
Anyway - half term is only in two weeks (thank goodness) and I am going to spend at least one day tucked under my duvet without moving!
Burn's night dinner party was fab- it was such a giggle and good to catch up with lovely people. Lots of haggis and neeps and tatties although not many kilts!!!!

Thank you guys for making it a lovely do!

Last night was John's surprise party for his 30th. His family and girlfriend are so lovely - he didn't have a clue!

His cake had a "fishy" theme as he is mad on fishing. It was a rather strange one but lots of fun. My kitchen was covered in silvery dusting powder for days!
Simon's 40th cake was an American themed one as he apparently loves Buffalo Bills (which I thought was a restaurant until I looked it up!) That ties in nicely with the Superbowl tonight!!!

Grace's birthday on Monday and she is a little swimming star so I thought a pool themed cake would be perfect for her. Her parents threw a fab dinner party last weekend - it was so yummy- thank you!!!

The 1st of the month came round quite quickly and it meant 150 cupcakes for staff at school. I thought I would try a couple of new flavours and some "low-fat" cakes for all the dieting girls!!!
I used a new embossing tool for the fondant topped ones - very pretty paisley designed ones. It was my new cake tool of the week!
We had a Valentine's theme (yes a little early I know) but lots of hearts/roses and chocolate!!!

Just what we all needed in the staffroom at the end of dreary January and a week filled with meetings and a Parent's evening, a little bit of love and buttercream. Now we just need a little bit of sunshine!!!

Yesterday I met up with the girls from Uni in Sussex - oh how we have grown up (ha ha!!!) It was so lovely to get together again for the first time in ages - not as alcohol fuelled as it was back in those days after lectures, then parties in the flats - but much more civilised now we have sort of grown up. Two weddings and one gorgeous baby have changed all that. Well I say that, but we have planned a weekend away and we may resort back to good old uni days, karaoke, Spice girls and beer!

February is full for cakes and I'm glad of a week in the middle to spend all day preparing bits.
Still haven't been to the Ritz to do "R" in our hotel "project"  maybe next week if we can fit it in. It's Chinese new year so we are all heading to the restaurant on Friday to celebrate - should be fun!

Well I need to go and make a caravan, a car, some stars, some shopping bags and some roses for the next batch. I'm going to need lots of coffee and maybe an afternoon snooze so I can then mark all the girls' tests for tomorrow - and I have an observation first thing - I can't wait!
Bring on half-term!!!!