Chips and butterflies

Hi all,

After being MIA for a little while, I went away for a few days to stay with some friends of ours- people that are very special and dear to me, and I had a great time.  We played poker, (I was the winner!) ate out for breakfast and took time over a Costa coffee, went to see 21 Jump Street at the cinema, and had a brilliant catch up.

I always leave feeling a little tired, but so so happy that I have such great friends. 

As you can see ... I am getting snap happy with Instagram!! It has just been released on Android, and I am having a lot of fun!  I am really thinking of investing in a decent camera, but for now, this is scratching the proverbial photographic itch so to speak!!

I now have one full time week left at the cafe, and so am feeling back to the task of card making :)  Finally!!  I am really looking forward to having my time back to focus on paper and glue!   Project #1:   I am about to start making some wedding signs for a campsite wedding at the end of the month, so watch this space .......

I purchased the butterflies via Belle Beau- they are a great company who make decorative frames ... and although there are a huge amount of butterfly dies on the market- I knew that Belle Beau offered them in the paper design I wanted.  I think they will be just right for the project.  Right, best get to it ... time is a flying ....

Catch you all soon X

MIA! ....

Firstly, my apologies .... I didn't realise that I had been away from my blog for such a while until a blog-friend of mine Carly mentioned it to me today.  If you fancy going to cheer her up ... visit her blog here ... She is unwell and under doctors (and her Mum's)  orders to rest, so I am sure that she would love to hear from you in her comments.  She has just posted some lovely pictures of some Easter buys, and i'm definitely stealing her egg tree idea for next year!!  

Well, why have I been MIA in blog land for a while?  Things have been a little unusual around here.  After always knowing what I wanted to do for my career, I am struggling at the moment.  My 'umpf' has seemed to have taken a holiday!!

I love to bake and to make cards, and have been busy carving out a business selling the things that I love to make, and doing the things I have a talent for.   It seems however that so many others do this as a hobby, and are more than willing to make cards, cupcakes and wedding stationery for their friends for free.  The short story is that I am struggling to see how I can make a success in what is essentially a hobbiest environment.  Is this affecting anyone else's sales at the moment??  Please don't misunderstand though, I think the sharing of papercrafting and baking is essential, our children should all know how to make cakes, my brother bakes with his little boy, and everyone should be able to make things as gifts.  I certainly do not want people to stop this.  What I am struggling with is how my business can fit into that.  Any thoughts anyone??

Another bit of news is that I will be finishing my full time temporary post of managing the Church cafe in two weeks time.  And honestly, I can't wait. I am being kept on as the baker, doing a few hours a week making all the cakes for the coffee shop, so that is great, and I can't wait to get on and get started.  Next week I will be making chocolate ganache cupcakes with Easter chicks, so watch this space for a baking post soon!

I have a craft fayre coming up at the end of the month, so I will be bringing you a few snaps of the cards I will be making for that.  And most exciting of all, I am taking a trip to the International cake show in London at the end of the month, and although I will be restraining myself from spending our holiday money, I will be able to show you all the great things that I spy on my trip!!

After what looks like an essay, I will leave you with a few snaps of a special card that I worked on recently.  It feels lovely and summery, and uses girly bright colours, a playful yet grown up card for a 21st birthday.

Sorry about the glare on the first picture!!!  


Happy Easter everybody, I hope that you are all having a lovely weekend.  

I will be back soon, but until then, take care XX

facebook

Just a little note to share with you that Facebook now allows timeline on business pages.  I have just published mine for Evelyn Mae, and I love it!!

I think it showcases the photos that us crafty people post really well, and being able to highlight the stories is great.

What do you think ..........

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Evelyn-Mae/147567665282418

Cheers all X

Mothers Day

Just stopping by to share the two small batches of Mothers day cards that I have been working on this weekend .....

Margate gets snow!

Now, not so long ago, when I moved to Margate, I was told that it never got much snow, and had its own special micro- climate.  Well, they were half right!

Margate does have a special micro- climate- we often get lovely sunny weather which is more like France than the UK, and we seldom get days and days of rain.  The couple of summers we've had so far have been bright and clear, and we've spent our time on beaches, walking, and taking the little inflatable dingy out on the  sea pool!

But the snow, they were wrong about!  Last year we had snow, and this year, we've had another ton of it!!  As has the majority of Kent.  The M25 was at a standstill, with motorists stuck in their cars.  Yesterday I waited in patiently for my husband to get back from a conference and beat the snow, after having sent him off in the morning fleecy blanket in tow!  But it started to flurry at half eleven last night, and when I checked the window at four thirty this morning (I don't normally get up at this time, but I was excited about getting snow so got up and looked!!)  there was a blanket of white outside in the street.

This morning, when we got up we peaked outside and found that we have had about four inches, with drifts of up to a foot.   So up I jumped, kettle on, porridge, and a ton of layers, and  I went out for a walk armed with my phone to take a few pictures, so thought I'd share them with you ...

~Sorry about the picture quality, not only were they taken on my phone, but the sky was so grey that it didn't make great photo taking weather! ~

[The view from the cliffs at Palm bay, looking back towards the houses]

[Richmond Avenue, my street, I just liked the snow covered sign!!]

[The snow topped trees by our local Church]

[Erm... this is where I fell in a snow drift up to my thighs!! I got really cold after this because my jeans were so wet, and I was walking along the cliff top with the wind blowing right at me!]

[In the summer, we love going to this little place, called the Jet Ski Cafe. We get our scrambled eggs on toast here in the summer.]

[This was brilliant- the snow had blown over into our doorway, and created a little snowdrift- I've never seen this before!]

[This was so lovely- a berry tree covered in bright red berries- it looked so festive against the snow]

Thats about that- I am sure that tomorrow the roads will be slushy and black, and people will be cursing the snow, hoping it will melt away, but for me, its all about today, and how lovely my morning was.

Happy end of the weekend all, have a good one  X

cake, cake, cake

Hi all,

I have been toying with the idea again of offering cupcakes for small parties and corporate events though 'Evelyn Mae'.  I feel like in the current climate, the more I can offer the more I can spread the word about my business.

However, this will only work if I offer a consistently good level of service too!!

So this week I have been practising my decorating skills!  Its a slow process, I feel the taste part is sorted, but now I have to begin sorting out the presentation!!

So, I just thought i'd share with you a few things that I have been working on this week .....

[Vanuilla cupcakes with a cherry on top!]

[Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache, and carrot and banana cake]

Well, they are certainly not there yet, but I am getting better, and my hands are getting steadier at piping!  We shall see.

Also this weekend, I have begun to refine my folksy shop and website.  I admit I am getting pretty frustrated with my website at the moment- I have found that it has now outgrown the perimeters of the google site I use, and it just doesn't look as clean and as simple as I would like.

Serious thinking time is needed as to what I need to do next - I have found another host that I like the look of, but don't want to loose my web address.  So moving time perhaps?  Who knows.  If any of you fancy looking at my website and giving feedback, I would be so grateful ....

it is:

www.evelynmae.co.uk

Thanks all

X

St. Valentines Day

Just stopping by with a quick update on my first Valentines cards .....

I made the heart pegs as planned, and placed them on very CAS (Clean and simple)  cards!  All they needed were a stamped image!

I think that they really worked well- I found them a challenge, but am please with the simplicity of them!

What do you think? ...

Bye for now X