Sunday 30 November 2014

Grey Cup Party!!!

I will confess, I know nothing about football, Canadian or American. (To my credit, at least I know there should be difference!!) For this order of pops for a Grey Cup party, I had to do a lot of self-educating in order to get it right. First of all, I had to actually pay attention to the standings to figure out who would be involved in the finals. This way I could design a pop based on team colours. I also made a stand to go with the pops which I fashioned based on a Canadian football field. Although I will quickly say I know nothing about CFL I figured there would be people at this party that did know a thing or two so I had to do my research and get it right. I needed to get the centre line right, as well as the goal posts and other of these details that distinguish the two types of football field . Thanks to Patrick and Google, I managed it!
When it came down the final, the Hamilton Tycats were going up against the Calgary Stampeders, so at least the colours were easy enough.

As best I could with my glue gun, ribbons, and paint, I made a CFL field to house the pops.


 And yes, of course I made goal posts...

 ...it would have just looked silly without them. 

 The pops were designed to look the team's pom-poms using their team-colours.

 Bring it on...

Friday 28 November 2014

You Saucy Devil...

Every so often my Mother asks for a cake or cake pops, usually themed to one of her get-togethers with her "Group of 7". This time around it was for their book club meeting at her house, where they would be talking about the book they had just reach which was a collection of short stories. Some of these stories were not exactly of a heavenly nature, so Mum asked me to make a Devil's Food cake especially for the occasion; a very fitting choice! I obliged with my devilishly dark devil's food, covered in a chocolate ganache frosting. Simple, yet so effective.


I heard that the ladies forced down two slices! I'm sure their arms were twisted...

Sunday 23 November 2014

Welcome Home Neil!

Over the Autumn, our Priest was on a sabbatical during which time we were lovingly looked after by our Curate, Alain. My Father used to take sabbaticals during his tenure at McGill University. During these years we would live in England and Dad would do research as well as act as Priest-in-Charge for the parish where we were living in Oxfordshire, also incidentally where we ended up moving after he retired from McGill many years later. These year-long stints were great opportunities for us to live somewhere different and experience new things, but it was always great coming home to see our friends and family and get back into our Canadian routines. I imagine the Neil felt much the same after a good bit of R&R and renewal, he was keen to get stuck back into St. George's life, and what better way to kick it all off then with cake!

 The inspiration behind this t-shirt design was an actual t-shirt that Neil has. Another lady in the parish baked the cake (so I cannot take credit for its yummy-ness), so when she said she was using a t-shirt pan I knew instantly what I was going to do.

This is a Canterbury Cross. One of the service books we use every Sunday is the BAS (Book of Alternative Services), and is dark green with a gold Canterbury Cross on the front... makes sense now. 

 This Photo c/o Richard Howarth

This Photo c/o Richard Howarth

Welcome Home Neil!!!
...and Thank you Alain for everything you did!

Saturday 15 November 2014

The Craft Fair Schedule Carries On!

My most recent fair was at Edgewater school. This is where I started, and it is now my fourth year attending! I look back on my first year there with only four designs (Christmas trees, Santa bellies, Santa hats, and Reindeers), and on how clueless I was with what I was able to do with cake and chocolate, and I am so proud of myself for trying new designs all the time, testing  new flavours of cake and for pushing myself to work hard when it really matters. Because of this sale I have had several orders and repeat business that I'm so grateful for and which give inspiration to keep pushing myself.

This year's fair was particularly pleasing, not only did I almost sell out (!), but I had several people come up to me, greeting me with "Oh good, you're back again!" or "I had your pops last year, they were delicious". I also met my contact for the L. V. Lomas pop contract here at Edgewater a couple years ago, and I was happy to see her once again this year! Just goes to prove, you never know what will happen when you meet someone!

Wednesday 12 November 2014

Dining on Diner-Themed Pops from Dinner

One of the best things about the sales that I go to, is meeting new people, and having people place orders with suggestions for themes I've never done before. I've been asked if I can do certain designs because they already have a theme in mind, or alternatively they see my pops and conclude that these are perfect for an event their hosting but they still needed something. This recently happened at the Thomas a Becket fair I was at on November 1st. There was a pair of ladies roaming the room, and when they came up to my table, the first thing I heard was "these would be perfect for our party!".

Their event was going to have a 1950's Diner theme, and the colours would be pink, blue, and black so I suggested a mix of pink and blue pops all with a black swirl for that diner-feel. Hopefully they were a sweet addition to this vintage party!



Saturday 1 November 2014

Second Sale, First Year

Round two in the schedule of sales this year. I found out about this sale while I was at my last one, so it was a nice, unexpected addition to this year's events. The occasion runs over two days, but unfortunately I could only do the Saturday. Maybe next year I can make it work...

Again, I saw familiar vendors, and equally nice was being recognised by them too. "Oh look, the Cake Pop Lady is here!" is usually what I hear when they see me. Seeing as we were getting a little closer to Christmas, I felt that I should make some Christmas pops (deep breath!) to take along as well as some more Autumnal themed pops. I suppose I'll only be making more pops as the time draws nearer, better get my practising done!

This fancy little (non-edible) cupcake was a gift from a friend, a perfect addition to my table and holds my new cards brilliantly!

A second appearance for the banner.

 And so it begins....

But just so we don't get the bends from leaving Autumn too quickly, still some autumnal pops.