There once was a little ballerina... who loved cake!!!

My gorgeous girls love ballet...

and around here we all love cake.

Today, the two combined for a little celebration. I made some...well, over fifty actually... tutu cupcakes and a massive tutu cake.

I love having a reason to make a pretty cake and my girls and I were super happy with how they turned out.

This big cake weighed in at almost 10kgs! It sits on a 12' yummo chocolate cake.

And a view from the top ..

Using a couple of fabulous recipes, some butter cream, marshmallow fondant and a little pinterest inspiration plus a certain amount of google advice the tutus came to be...

I was especially super proud of how these fondant ballet slippers turned out... apart from the dowel holding the bodice of the larger tutu onto the base cake and the patty cases from the cupcakes it's all 100% edible -  Although it's not always possible I really do love not having 'fake' bits on cakes... the fact that the kiddies can just pick up the cake and scarf it down with out removing a thing or worrying about topper picks or other non-consumables.

Would you like to know how I did it? 

(please say yes!)

  Want to know which recipes I used? How to make your own fondant bodice cupcake toppers? 

Instructions for the super cute and delicate fondant ballet slippers?

I really do want to share the 'how-to' so you can also share the magic with your little princesses... Like I've said before, I love being what I like to think of as a memory creator for my girls. 

I want them to overflow with memories that are special, magical, fun and every other adjective of equal awesomeness.

I joked with the hubs today about how much I love cake decorating and the fact I've never done a course or been taught how to do it other than being 'google trained'. 

Seriously, I need some sort of mock up certificate or google doc to hang on my kitchen wall to this effect... Seriously! (I bet I could even google accomplish that one too - if it can't be googled it can't be done, right?) 

Anyway, back on topic... 

This never would have happened or have been possible if others hadn't been so kind to share tutorials, youtube videos, photos and more. So, I will be back with a tutorial to share and continue on the love... 

but right now, at this very minute it's past midnight and all my mind and body wants is sleep.

I will however work on the how to and be back soon...  after sleep!

Why not in the mean time 'click to comment' below and let me know your thoughts and opinions, stop by and simply say hi or even tell me to hurry up get some sleep and get onto that how to already... 

I don't mind, in truth, I love knowing you've stopped by and that I've had company!

Nighty, night for now!

 xoxo

Because even bubba's can have a 'shoe-thing'...

Short and sweet this morning... I'm coming down with a cold and I'm not too impressed that it's chosen the start of Spring to afflict me...

Just had to pop by and gush a little about the newest little handmade shoes that will be hitting the SpaNGle* for Spring range REALLY SOON (I'm sewing like a mad-woman... when the kids are asleep anyhow!)

I am in LOVE with these little pieces of SpaNGle*... and if you've followed me on my facebook page at SpaNGle* you'd already have an inkling of my affection for shoes and in particular handmade baby shoes...

So, here's a little more eye candy...

These super-stylish SpaNGle* Peep-toe Sling Backs will be available in my madeit STORE really soon... If you want to know about it beforehand so to be sure you can get your hands on a pair of limited edition SpaNGle* shoes become a liker of SpaNGle* on Facebook HERE ... (plus you'll know the inside scoop on why you'll be wanting to comment on this post below!)

There's a whole album of beautiful, unique and stylish shoes on there because YES! Even bubba's can have a 'shoe-thing'!!!

xoxoxo

Back in the kitchen...

Yesterday my gorgeous mum dropped some things by that she was giving me (she's moving house and is doing a bit of a cull of unneeded bits and pieces at the same time).

Look at one of the items I scored... I am in love with its slightly battered, rusty, definitely seen better days exterior and the fact that this little beauty looks like it would have a story or two or more to share if only it could.

I have a thing for vintage, retro, and or old... things were just made different back then - it wasn't a throw away society and items had a definite style and class about them... these days it seems things are made to get through the warranty period and then break, cease up, or stop working within the month or so following... hmmm... I wonder what from now will make the distance to be classified as definitively of the present era and worthy of vintage or retro in another 50plus years? What would your pick for future retro be? My whizz stick? (seriously, just kidding - I'm sure it will have been melted down and turned into plastic bottles and reincarnated likewise another dozen times or so!)

Here's a couple of retro/vintage pieces that grace my kitchen shelves at present...

I love-love these "Capri" Kitchen Canisters that I picked up for a steal on ebay a while back... they are seriously in near perfect condition with no damage, cracking or discolouring! The gold trim and designs are all pretty much perfect...

I love glass ware too, so when I saw this pretty cranberry "Pyrex Visionware" double boiler (again in perfect condition) at a garage sale (again for a steal) I had. to. have. it!

Then there was my thrift shop bargain - a fully working retro Sunbeam Mixmaster (this one not perfect - it is missing a capping piece to the front of the body - but still as resplendently retro) that came with the two milk glass bowls (and no, I didn't pay the ticketed price you see there ☺)...

Hmm... it's all kitcheny - I do love other non-kitchen pieces of bygone era's but I was in the kitchen today baking so my thoughts were all about kitchen and cooking related things... (it's been a little while... all that party baking a couple of months ago meant a self imposed respite from what I'd like to think of as kitchen wizardry - modest, I know... but we're all queens of our own kitchen aren't we?)...

Here's today's creation:

Seriously, if I wasn't trying to shed the winter weight in anticipation of summer I could have inhaled the entire bowl of frosting in a nano-second... Separately, I LOVE maple syrup and cream cheese frosting... and together... OMGoosh!

Anyway, super easy to recreate... all done in just on an hour - give or take a few minutes for the cooling time before frosting. To print a PDF of the below recipe CLICK HERE

MAPLE BANANA & DATE MUFFINS

With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

(makes 18 regular patty pan sized muffins)

4 bananas (the blacker & riper the better)

1 egg

¼ cup butter (melted)

¼ cup maple syrup

½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon                   

1 ½ cups S/R flour

½ cup quick cooking oats

½ cup dates (roughly chopped)

Preheat oven to 180°c (350°f)

In a large bowl mash your bananas with the egg then add in melted butter and syrup. Mix/mash until all combined. Mix in nutmeg, cinnamon, flour, oats and dates until moistened. Spoon mixture into patty cases, muffin cases or directly into pan (however you prefer – just remember to grease your pan well if baking directly in pan).

(I used doubled up patty pans)

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown – cake should spring back to the touch.     

Allow to cool whilst mixing up the frosting… 

FROSTING: Take 120gms cream cheese and 60gms of butter and soften in microwave for about 25seconds. Using either a mixmaster, or blender, or - my weapon of choice for lazy kitchen goddesses – a whizz stick; Add in ¼ cup maple syrup and 1 ½ cups sifted pure icing sugar and beat, blitz or whizz till all blended and smooth (add more or less icing sugar to get the consistency you desire – today I wanted it slightly runny so that it kind of spread and drizzled a little; If you wanted a piping consistency I’d cut down the maple syrup by ½ and add more icing sugar and even refridgerate the frosting for a few minutes before piping). Spoon on or pipe your frosting, dust with a little cinnamon and decorate with a sliced date.

DONE save for the victory dance about the kitchen whilst scarfing down a delectably, sumptuous MBD Muffin… ooh and if you’re not a frosting fan these taste AMAZING alone or heated with a smear of butter. ENJOY & don’t forget to let me know what you think in the comment box below - I'd love to know your thoughts, opinions and reviews or modifications…

xoxo

Happiness Captured...

I just had to share (and apologies if you're seeing this again because you follow my Instagram feed... but thank you if you are - I love LOVE LOVE the company @the_spangler if you wanted to pop by and say g'day)...

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it much before (maybe a little, I dont know? A lot of the time I think something and then believe I've actually said or done whatever it was that I was merely thinking about... shhh, though [insert furtive sideways glance to left and right] that is a sad fact that my darling husband does NOT need to know)... Anyhoo... back to the story...

If I haven't mentioned it I've certainly thought about it... I LOVE the beach. I miss it so much - especially during winter. We had lived only a mere 300meters from a most gorgeous beach up until a couple of years ago... so close that you could smell the gorgeous salty air, hear the waves lying in bed at night and walk our kayaks down for a paddle... oh and the year round average temp of 27C... So whenever we get anywhere near a beach I feel such a lovely happiness!

Today, I snapped a shot of my big girl (5yo Big Little Miss M) dancing about on the beach near my brothers place... 

This... is my happiness captured!