UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion

What a great idea, Sarah - bet the map is stunning.
And soo delighted you've finished the church tapestry Lexie - when you first mentioned it I thought it was going to take years! Saw a little of Kaffe Fassett's exhibition at the NEC, such stunning colours. Sadly didn't get to see his exhibition when it was on last year at the Welsh Quilt museum in Lampeter - just too far for a day's drive for me.

Sorry you missed it - it was inspirational. They had lots of good events on round it, too: talks, workshops and children's activities. Between that and the dolphins we've had a brilliant summer here!

Congratulations on completing your part of the tapestry Lexie. I hope you let us see a photo of the hanging when it its finished.
I'd happily give up some of my crafting time to cuddle a grandchild Karen :@)

I can recommend the cuddles! (even tho you do tend to get 'splattered' a lot!)

I've just about finished the fondant animals for the Christening cake and cake toppers so will take some pics when it's all assembled. (which is why I've done v little sewing or writing for ages) Pinterest and Youtube have been wonderful tutors!

Looking forward to seeing the pictures Karen.

I'm trying to decide whether to make my brother's birthday cake or commission it from a colleague. I think the tent would be fairly easy but I'm hopeless with the figures (the party has a camping theme).

For anyone near to Bournemouth, Makers Inc will be stocking some of my stuff soon: https://www.facebook.com/MakersInc?fr...

Philip (sarah) wrote: "Looking forward to seeing the pictures Karen.

I'm trying to decide whether to make my brother's birthday cake or commission it from a colleague. I think the tent would be fairly easy but I'm hopel..."

Couldn't you buy figures, or use Lego or mini bears?

Buy??? That's not the spirit of cakemakers!
Hopefully you've had a search on Pinterest, Sarah -soo many lovely ideas on there.

Mind you, having volunteered to do daughter's wedding cake next year, she's now announced 'coral' is her colour. Guess which colour they don't do in fondant/ icing colours? you have to make up a batch with rose/yellow and white and just hope you've made enough cos you'll never be able to reproduce the exact same shade!
Still, could have been worse - she was toying with navy at one time.

My word - having just finished this year's trauma of a rainbow layer cake (thank you, Lakeland!) I'm not baking anything till the Christmas cake is due. No colourings involved! and by then I might just have got this lot off my fingernails!

I was looking at the rainbow cake in their catalogue and was very tempted! But then I decided it's the kind of thing I'd prob only ever make once, so wasn't much point - it'd just add to the clutter of odd shaped tins lying unused in the bottom of the cupboard. Kugelhupf, anyone?

Oh, I know - I did wonder about that. But the graded coffee cake appealed to me, too, and actually the tins are a handy little size. One could make a mini-jam sponge or Victoria sandwich very easily. I sound like an agent for Lakeland!

Will check out Pinterest Karen.

I never even thought of buying the figures Lexie.

When we made our wedding cake I injected so much brandy into the fruit cake that it started to seep through the icing before the big day.

Yum!

Some of my work is now available to purchase in Bournemouth: https://www.facebook.com/MakersInc?fr...

For anyone interested in how I make a dragonfly: http://www.deshcadesigns.com/blog/mak...

The Christening all went well yesterday - even had good weather! And the cakes certainly went down well. I've posted 2 pics of the animals, one of the cake and one of the cupcakes. Great fun making them but wouldn't like to add up how many hours it took me!

https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

Karen wrote: "The Christening all went well yesterday - even had good weather! And the cakes certainly went down well. I've posted 2 pics of the animals, one of the cake and one of the cupcakes. Great fun making..."

Like the panda cake on the top. My other halfs favourite animal :)

Well now, I have come to the conclusion I will never master Quilting. I gave it a good go but it is so not for me. Back to knitting and crochet at least I know what I am doing with them.

Started a stained glass throw, 35 x 9" squares and edging also knitting a jumper. Got the back and one sleeve done, way to go yet. Hope my fingers hold out.

Glad to hear the day went well Karen, the cakes look so professional.
I am having to do brother's birthday cake myself hope it looks half as good.

Stained glass throw sounds lovely Pat, is it crochet?

Yes it is Sarah

Hope your concentration is better than mine! I've made two mistakes already this morning on a simple granny square!

Lexie wrote: "Hope your concentration is better than mine! I've made two mistakes already this morning on a simple granny square!"

Images of a simple granny now floating in my head. Needs Tony Ross to illustrate the book...

Lexie wrote: "Hope your concentration is better than mine! I've made two mistakes already this morning on a simple granny square!"

I think the answer to that is no. I got to the last few rows on a square and found I had nine clusters and there should have been eight. Mistake right back at the beginning... ripped out. How could I not have seen? Beggars belief.

Karen wrote: "Lexie wrote: "Hope your concentration is better than mine! I've made two mistakes already this morning on a simple granny square!"

Images of a simple granny now floating in my head. Needs Tony Ros..."

I know, even as I pressed 'post' I had images of the simple granny I might one day be (in the sense of the village idiot, rather than blissfully uncomplicated!).

Think that's how story ideas are generated! In art class today, we were discussing ways of applying acrylic paint to canvas, and a syringe was suggested. Someone said 'Death by Acrylics', which immediately makes me start to plan a whole new series of murder mysteries...

Ooh, yes, sounds like fun!

After sending stuff down to Makers Inc in Bournemouth, selling slowly through Etsy, Folksy and my website, I don't have a lot of stock left now, and I have an art gallery in Northwich that says they will stock my stuff too. Never thought I'd be in the position of not having enough stuff!

Sounds like a great position to be in, though!

That's terrific, Shaun!

Have asked advice on another forum but thought I'd also ask here in case anyone else is into cake decorating. I'm doing the decorations for DD's wedding cake next year - we were thinking of getting the iced but undecorated sponge cakes from M&S or Waitrose, but the height of their cakes is only 5.5 cm,
(no idea how high the Waitrose ones are as they don't say anywhere...) so a 3 tier cake is only going to be a tiddly 16.5 cm, whereas the industry standard for a tier is four inches (or whatever that is in cms) . Not happy as it does need to be a bit more imposing rather than swamped under a ton of sugar roses!
Anyone into cake decorating?

Wire bonsai: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...

Karen could you cheat with a cake board of the same size as the cake which you put icing over when you ice the cake? I'm not an expert, I've used fondant icing properly all of once (enormous topsey turvy cake with three layers to each tier that look a whole day to bake and ice).

I suppose too deep a sponge isn't as structurally sound as a solid fruit cake. Maybe that's the problem (or perhaps you could layer up the cakes in each layer?).

I think 'cheating' is the way to go! I know a lot of the professions on youtube use Styrofoam blocks to decorate and the actual cakes are slicing blocks kept back in the kitchen! And putting each cake on a deep cake board before layering is also a good idea.
Yes Madeira cake would be a 'stronger' cake than sponge, but I still don't understand why the 'decorate your own' sponges are so much shallower than the decorated sponges.
Lots to think about over the next few months!

My work is now available in Funky Aardvark in Chester. http://www.funkyaardvark.co.uk/ :)

Good heavens, Shaun, you're conquering the world! (love the name of the shop!)

Hot off the hook

Beautiful, Pat. Your choices of colour are fantastic

Thank you, it got a bit awkward towards the end not to duplicate them.

Beautiful

Lexie wrote: "Good heavens, Shaun, you're conquering the world! (love the name of the shop!)"

Now all I need are the sales! Lol

Looks lovely, Pat :)

Thanks Jim and Shaun.

Good luck with the sales Shaun

Gorgeous, Pat! It brightened my dull day when it appeared on the screen!

Karen wrote: "Have asked advice on another forum but thought I'd also ask here in case anyone else is into cake decorating. I'm doing the decorations for DD's wedding cake next year - we were thinking of getting..."

If using plain sponge cakes you could join 2 together with jam and buttercream to make it deeper and double the height of the cake overall. There may be a problem with shelf life though as I can't find a recipe for a sponge with a storage time of more than 3 days.
I am making a birthday cake for my brother's 60th with a sponge cake base and small rich fruit cake tent on top and I'm sickened that I have to wait till the last minute to ice and decorate it.

Love your bedspread Pat!

Philip (sarah) wrote: "Karen wrote: "Have asked advice on another forum but thought I'd also ask here in case anyone else is into cake decorating. I'm doing the decorations for DD's wedding cake next year - we were think..."

Thanks Sarah - I'm thinking the extra sandwich layers will be the way to go. Not too worried about shelf life as I'll freeze them anyway - all the Youtube vids advise icing the cakes when they are semi-defrosted so still quite firm.
I'm going to have a go at a Madeira cake as that has a firmer texture anyway and seems to be the cake of choice for a lot of the pro decorators.
(and am still tempted by the Styrofoam blocks of fake cake...)

Lexie wrote: "Gorgeous, Pat! It brightened my dull day when it appeared on the screen!"

Thank you Lexie. What a lovely comment!

Philip (sarah) wrote: Love your bedspread Pat!

Thanks Sarah, most kind

Karen wrote: "Philip (sarah) wrote: "Karen wrote: "Have asked advice on another forum but thought I'd also ask here in case anyone else is into cake decorating. I'm doing the decorations for DD's wedding cake ne..."

Wow! I never even thought of freezing brother's cake yet I freeze my baking all the time. Think I've just been so caught up with decorating ideas and timings my brain is in meltdown. You may have just saved my sanity Karen. Thanks.

I've learned a lot from Youtube!
Am off to the NEC Friday for the cakes & decorating exhibition. THink my brain'll be in meltdown too after that!

14" square Madeira cake currently in freezer, waiting for cherry and mincemeat loaves to cool. These will form the two tents atop the main cake.
Made miniature bunting with birthday greeting on to save me having to write on the cake.
Hope to complete the icing and decoration on Friday.

Enjoy the exhibition Karen, If you are anything like me your purse will be in meltdown ;@)