Have your cake....

The arrival of some new pinnys in stock has prompted a round of baking this week. With pretty ruffles in shades of blues and greens they have a vintage appeal which inspired our own little bake off! A Victoria sponge was an obvious choice for a nostalgic feel to our shoot.

Something I share with my Mother-in-law, is our love of vintage baskets and she gave me this one recently. I love how it is so beautifully crafted, it's colour and comforting charm! It looks so gorgeous filled with all our assembled ingredients and utensils.

Baking is always a calming activity with children, especially if the end result is sticky, sweet and appealing! These two eagerly joined in the fun part....spreading the jam and dusting with icing sugar.

Thank you Eloise and Ava for being so enthusiastic and eating so much of the cake for me!


Janne x

Yellow

I thought I'd have a bit of fun styling an Easter shoot. Yellow is very much the colour this Spring making a come back in home furnishings and fashion. It suddenly looks new and fresh again. It was very easy to combine a few of my favourite things (fluffy rabbit ears aside).....mini chocolate eggs, parrot tulips and sylvac rabbits! I had made a Simnel cake for Easter and as I was rather pleased with the result, it seemed a shame for it just to be gobbled down with no record. After all it is an annual event and I may not feel like making one next year!

I always thought there were twelve balls of marzipan on a Simnel cake (a light fruit cake with a  marzipan layer) representing the disciples. Judas being a traitor however, means he doesn't count and so we end up with eleven.

Rabbits in jars? Well why not..I think he looks rather cute!

Happy Easter!

Easter eggs

Decorative Easter craft

I love Easter time! Not for the chocolate (honestly), but for the perfect excuse to don a pinny and get crafty in the kitchen. This little project colouring eggs took a couple of hours and we could have spent another few decorating with paint, beads and feathers. However, hungry teenagers were beckoning! The sewing box was to hand and a bit of lace and buttons were a lovely contrast to the darker colours.

Ideally, white eggs should be used, but failing this, the lightest brown. Boil for about 8 minutes with a teaspoon of vinegar and several drops of food colouring. You may have to experiment here as my colours didn't quite turn out as expected! Leave to cool. A friend pointed out afterwards that I should have rubbed the eggs with olive oil to make them shiny. I'll try that next time! Decorate as you wish, although I quite like them simply piled up in a glass jar.