Oh the beauty...and divineness of it all!!

Oh my, oh my, oh my!!!!! Talk about inspirational, beautiful, amazingly gorgeous giftwrapping!! Pop on over to Sande Chase's blog to be blown away by fabulous giftwrapping and gift ideas...look at these fabulous boxes...which are full of...



...fabulous giftwrapping supplies!!!...now THAT'S a gift I wouldn't turn down...mind you, look at that box before it was opened...I read on her blog that someone had sent one of these gifts to a friend and the friend left it unopened for 3 days just to look at the beauty of the wrapping! Now that's a gift that keeps on giving...opened to find gift wrappings galore...and SO SO sumptuous!! If only we had this in NZ...perhaps my next job??

And then there was this pic she'd found of this FABULOUS, DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS DRESS!! Now WHERE WAS THIS when I was mother of the groom in October?? huh??? Oh my goodness!! This dress is to die for...maybe another wedding soon isn't such a bad idea?? haha...JUST KIDDING KIDS!!! After Italy! ;)

Just gorgeous and had to share...thanks to Sande for sharing her talents with us.

ciao bellas

jessie xx

Playing with blog design...

Sooo...having a play around with my blog design...something new for Christmas...knew I shouldn't have started it at midnight!! Now it's not quite how I want but it's nearly 2am (!!) and I MUST go to bed...so will have to continue tweaking tomorrow! yay for free blog designs and layouts like Itkuppilli and Shabbyblogs...find their buttons on my blog and check them out...
night night pumpkins ;)
jessie x

Blast from the Past - Heavenly Cakes

Several years ago I opened a cake bakery...my youngest baby had just started school and so I branched out from making cakes for my family and friends into the world of 'real business'..lol. Wans't in it for the business tho...I just loved making cakes and making people happy...and so The Heavenly Cake Company was born - "Divine Inspiration and a Taste Sensation" was my byline!!...it was fun times...here are a few pics from back in the day...thanks Tammy for inspiring me to go browsing my photos :)...all the best with your venture when you take the plunge!...

White chocolate pencil curls with fresh strawberries...mmm

These were my tiny 'Love Bites" that I made one year for Valentines day...sold them in pvc cylinder boxes...they were choc fruit and nut truffle cakes...divine!! and SOO cute!

A display cake for my shop front...even the pebbles are icing ;)

A choc truffle croquembouche...with fresh roses...mmm

chocolate with golden icing grapes...

This was my friends daughters wedding cake...she wanted it to look like an oldfashioned punch bowl filled with multicoloured flowers... Next we have Chocolate Raspberry Mudcake Cupcake tower...my first I think...when the 'cupcake rage' for weddings was just beginning to take hold downunder..lol

And these are some cute wee Christmas Truffle Trees I made one year ...ooh I might make some for my Christmas table centrepiece!! Aren't they cute??!! I TOTALLY loved making these...they would sell in little pvc cylinders with lids and could be sent internationally!(and were!)

Another client designed wedding cake...orange and purple icing ribbon cascading down dark chocolate mudcakes...

I always swoon with white on white cakes tho...much as I love the colourful and the unique...traditional white on white just has something about it!!

Lovely pastels are quite dreamy too don't you think?

This one was white chocolate slabs with wired paua shell trim...a Pauanesia theme...quite Kiwiana!

And another White Choc slab cake with choc curls...very popular style!...wonder why?!!

And a final tumbling cascade of roses...I always loved making the roses...I think I love making flowers from all sorts of mediums...icing, paper, fabric!! Just love them!!

Thanks for looking...hope you enjoyed it :)

ciao for now

jessie xx

More Christmas Craft

Latest creativity going on here...I found a photo of these folded paper/card christmas balls online somewhere and set about recreating some of my own...these were the first few...have continued making them and got some more fabulous papers and card to use...will post those soon. Aren't they gorgeous? Just waiting for ribbon to hang them...I've hung all of mine from the light fitting above my dining table making them like a hanging chandelier...must take a pic of that..after my friend Lynn saw them we set about having a creative day...making stars and then these baubles...in her FABULOUSLY CHRISTMASIFIED home....Christmas trees EVERYWHERE!! She's totally into christmas and decorating...if only she had a blog!! (but probably doesn't have time!)...anyway...

I particuarly like the two tone effect...and have found a better way of attaching the bead at the bottom so it hangs free a little better...have also found some new fabulous beads! which helped :)

A view from the top...well, actually the bottom, in this case...not meant to have that wee gap above the bead that you see...need to 'squish' that back together while the glues still wet :)

This was a lovely flocked paper...gorgeous. Just before I inked the edges...

thanks for looking :)

happy creating

luv jessie x

Starry Nights and Pies

And this is the white star, spraypainted silver! Wanted a silver one ...no silver paper to hand...but cans of spraypaint, oh yes indeed! Of course I had to spray it outside then couldn't hang it for a day due to the fumicious smells! (NOT at all christmasy!)...


And did the other side red...y'know, just cause I could!...no red paper, soo....

Funny how all year long I don't even give Fruit Mince Pies a thought, but come November/December...they're ALWAYS on my mind - the beautiful little star(or sometimes heart)-topped bites of deliciousness...and often in my mouth...mmmm....I always make some wee lemon ones too for my non-fruit-mince-eating friends and family...but seems i'm slowing making my way thru these every time I put the jug on for a cup of tea or make a coffee...hmmm...were meant to be gifts...but ahhh that sweet short pastry...now you CAN'T buy that in a supermarket! It cries out to me as soon as I look at it's crumbly sweetness, knowing it will melt away in my mouth around that sticky, fragrant fruity filling...aaahhhhh...think it's coffee time already....

Aren't they delectable? I love the tiny ones most particularly...not so fond of the larger more standard size...just a bite or two is all you need...

Now...must step away from the computer and attend to more mundane things...like appointments and putting the rubbish out...I hear the truck coming.....

ciao bellas

jessie xx

Christmas Star tutorial...via Youtube

Oooooh...I found a youtube video of how to make the stars so thought...why reinvent the wheel?? :) so if you want to check it out...go here..Christmas Star Tutorial . If you have any questions, pls ask. I only made three cuts on each side of each point, whereas the video does four..up to you :) Looks fab no matter which. Have a go...you'll be glad you did! And leave me a comment if you did and blog about it!! with pics!!...so I can have a look :)

happy crafting!

ciao..jessie xx

LOLLY WREATH!!!!!

Oh Yay...a pic of our tree at night that actually turned out pretty good! Isn't it beautiful...lights just transform anything don't they? Gives it all such a beautful magical feel. I love how my cross mirror stands out behind the tree! Awesome..the True meaning of Christmas, after all, is Christ! And doesn't the angel on the top of the tree look like she's just hovering there?? Gorgeous!!


And Beth made a Lolly Wreath tonight with gorgeous Roses Chocolates and a simple wire coathanger, bent into a circle and the hook transformed into a heart shape...rather extravagant with the chocs, but it means in the lead up till Christmas, visitors can take a choccie from the wreath (leaving the wrapper so it still looks beautiful, colourful and full!!) and get quality Cadbury's chocs! This shot is with the light on...the next one is with the flash...

Not sure which I prefer...the colours sure stand out with the flash so I think maybe this one :)

Thanks for looking :)

blessings

jessie xx

Wreaths, cherubs, christmas tree...yayay!

And we have our tree up!! A fake tree this year...we kind of alternate...getting fresh ones every other year or so...there's a great Christmas Tree Farm nearby (two actually!) where they purpose-grow pine and douglas fir trees year round for buying at Christmas. This is relatively new in NZ...we otherwise have to get them from people who have pine forests and they typically sell spindly branches on the side of the road and call them Christmas trees!! And cost anywhere from $10 - $20...quite the ripoff. The purposegrown ones are about $20 - $30 so a way better deal...then again the fake ones are MUCH more expensive...but you do have them for many years if you take care of them properly, right?? Well I got this one at Spotlight - 7'8"..at a half price sale so what a blessing!! Wish the lights would show up...but the night ones with lights on did not show well at all.. :( So this is it in the daylight! Pretty, don't you think? :)


And then yesterday I made a wreath for the front door...here it is finished on my kitchen bench! Gluegun cord snaking away to the right! I made the wreath from five wired pine 'branches'...bent round and wired them altogether to make a wreath - cheaper than buying a wreath! Would like to have made one from willow and real trees but none nearby sadly..and don't know anyone who has any...so had to make with fake tree bits! Still, looks great I think...

I spraypainted some little musical cherubs to add with the wired pinecones and berries...on nice fat gold ribbon bows...

And here it is all finished and hanging on my front door. It would stand out so much better if we didn't have stained glass in our door! But we have, so can't be helped. Still really happy with how it turned out :)

So this is our welcoming approach to the front door...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Now need to put some lights up....oh yeah!!

ciao for now

blessings...jessie xx