Now that I am One...

  

Today is my First Birthday in Blogland - and to celebrate a year of not quite drowning (and waving more than I thought I would), I thought I celebrate with a few cakes....

Little Miss's 5th Birthday & my first attempts at fancy fairy cakes...  

Opps! you might need to turn sidewards for this one

6 Months later & I am creating again for my Best Freinds daughter's 3rd Birthday....

I am getting better at the Cup-Cakes....

Do you want a closer peek?....

40th Birthday Cup-Cakes.....

Chocolate Orange

Tangy Lemon

Tinkerbell for Little Miss's 6th Birthday....

And Butterfly Cup-Cakes for all at her party....

And for my not-so-little man at 9?

A huuuge rocky road/crispy cake with a mean looking Transformer on top....

Well life isn't always about the sparkly!

Many thanks to all those who have stopped by, and for all the lovely comments and kind words sent over the past 12 months, it really has meant a lot....

Love Lydia xx

Ps - Will be doing a 1st Birthday giveaway - Leave your name if you want to be included. Will close on Sunday 7th February 

A Weekend of Colour

Yippee & Woo-Hoo! The snow is gone, and finally it feels like there is colour everywhere. Blue skies above us here in North Derbyshire, without a snowflake in sight....

And green grass - I'd forgotten what the front garden looked like....

The little Miss & I have tinkered our way through the weekend ....

Taking pleasure in the mundane ....

Made flowers for....

Lemon Cup Cakes for a 21st Birthday ....

And Little Miss joined in to....

New glass storage jars with 50's ice cream parlour coloured lids, have been lovingly admired and filled....

and are sitting tidily, and very prettily into thier new home...

Squeaks of delight could be heard whilst looking at the Decopatch paper & glue that arrived via the nice Mr Postman - I can feel oodles of gluey sticky fun to be had....

And absolute utter delight at a certain bunch of tulips brought as a thankyou for making the Cup Cakes...

Just look at those colours. Snow? It's a distant memory....

Love Lydia xx

Greeting 2010

2010 has arrived bursting with colour, a sense of new things to come, and a year full of promise.


Christmas was stripped back to basics and kept simple. For the little ones there was still that sense of excitement and we needed the normality after the loss of G's mum at such an emotive time of year. I also returned back to work Christmas week. It was bittersweet time, but important to return to what I do, and I have been so very well supported.

It was amazing what was achieved in a two week period, by keeping it simple. Thank goodness for Amazon & Argos for the little ones, and Thomas Pink for him. A quick luxury shop at John Lewis, followed by a day trip into our local town, to buy from the little independents, those special gifts, wrapped up the present buying.


The wooden nativity always makes my heart sing. It holds special memories of seeing it in a closed shop window in Matlock one evening, and G popping back the next day, knowing how much it would mean to me....


Other trims were simple, adaptations of everyday items....

This cake stand is still in use, too pretty to dismantle as a Christmas decoration only....

And I managed to rustle up a 'thingy' for the door - unfortunately no handsome strangers to grab under the mistletoe....

One of the simplest pleasures were these postcards, picked up in Holland, in November, when we flew out for G's Christmas work's weekend. Amsterdam is a beautiful city, and nothing like I had expected . I fell in love with the early 1900's illustrations.

Inspired by Bertie Meadows string of scented sachet's these snowmen postcards decorated the old pelmet space in the kitchen....

I want it to be a personal project for the year, changing the decorations with the months, adding colour and smiles to the room. Hopefully the little people will help too....

This week I was fortunatley off work - my plan was to tackle the post Chritmas domestic fall-out. However with the snow, a very poorly car, and 2 children to occupy for two days, the huge list I had wanted to achieve has been discarded. Instead it has been wet clothes & wellies, pink cheeks & lots of snuggles & splidging on the settee (in between the scratting & arguing of sibling love).

And instead of letting myself get ratty over what I haven't been able to achieve, I've stepped back, and refocused on taking pleasure in the simple things. Like tulips. Have I ever mentioned my love, love, love of tulips?

Yep, I love tulips. And Hugs. And pink cheeks & noses. Even wet clothes if they have been gained through laughter & joy.

Happy New Year to you all.

Love Lydia xx