Flour and Ink combined! Introducing ‘Deliciously Yours’

Today we are meeting Carol from Deliciously Yours who offers a unique service for easy planning for your kids birthday party!

Carol creates custom party stationary AND gorgeous matching cake and desserts (Sydney) . This means everything is coordinated and you only have to deal with one person to create the overall look, feel and theme of your child’s birthday party and have it all come to life in the cake and stationery!

I just LOVE this amazing mermaid cake Carol created:

 

 

 

Carol, tell us a bit about yourself:

I am the founder and owner of deliciously yours. I am a creative spirit, a lawyer and most importantly, a mum. I am passionate about designing and creating – I think it’s one of those things that defines who I am.

 

 

How did you start cake decorating and stationery design?

By accident!  A friend of mine gifted me a cake decorating book for my birthday.  I had never even heard of fondant or ganache at this stage.  I first attempted a cake for my son’s 2^nd birthday and fell in love with the whole process – perfecting the baking and each of the recipes, hand colouring fondant, mastering ganache – and above all, the designing!

 

I kept practising on family and friends until I felt comfortable that my work was up to scratch.  And so, deliciously yours was born.  I was an art student and really missed using my creative side and so deliciously yours has given me the most amazing opportunity to keep using my creative side.

 

 

 

I launched my stationery range earlier this year. I love planning parties for my own family and friends and love the idea of a theme for a party – and it all starts with the invitation.  I love teaming my invitations with a unique cake and party favours, thank you cards or back drop (I’m crazy about this stuff!).

 

 

 

Describe your concept and style

So what is deliciously yours – flour and ink?

The concept is simple – unique cakes + matching stationery. I bake your cakes, I design and print all your invitations and party paper.  You only deal with me and we work together to create something memorable for my clients and their families.

 

 

 

My style is nice clean lines (my cakes have gorgeous razor sharp edges!) and soft colours.  I love modern hand painting and stencilling as well as traditional piping and sugar flowers.

 

Less is more – I like to stick to a couple of simple techniques to let the cake really shine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does a typical day look like? 

My day is filled with meetings and family responsibilities.  My evenings are usually quite relaxed and that’s when I work on my designs or sugar flowers or learn a new technique.

 

 

What is your most memorable project?

My son’s 2^nd birthday cake – it was my first ever attempt at a fondant covered cake and he loved it!  It really made me stop and think about doing this more often and getting better and better.

 

What is your favourite aspect of your job?

I love designing and playing with colour.  Some days its hand colouring fondant, other days its working on a sketch or new colour palette. I often have ideas racing through my head when I talk to a client about their ideas.  I love the collaborative part of what I do.

 

 

What advice would you give to a potential client when planning their cake? 

Start with a theme – whether it’s a colour, texture, character or anything else that represents who they are.  Everything falls in place after that!

Do some ‘research’ to get a feel for what designs they like and what inspires them.  After that, I work with my clients and talk through what the celebration is about, what is important to them and how we can best represent that.

What I love about deliciously yours is that each one of my designs is different. They are unique to my client and what they are celebrating.  I love helping them create that snapshot in time they want to remember forever – whether it’s wedding, 1^st birthday, Christening.

 

 

 

 

Complete this sentence:

“I am happiest when… I am with my 2 little boys.”

 

Thank you Carol for sharing some of your business and inspiration with us as well as advice!

Now if you want a little piece of Deliciously Yours in your own home, Carol has shared her delicious vanilla cupcake recipe with us!

I’m looking forward to giving these a try:

 

Vanilla cupcake recipe (makes 12)

 

 

What you need…

 115g unsalted butter (room temp or warmed a teeny bit in your microwave)

1 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs (room temp not cold)

3/4 cup milk

1 cup plain flour

1 cup self raising flour

 

What to do…

Preheat your oven to 170 (fan forced).

 

Beat the butter and sugar in your mixer until light and fluffy.  The colour should be nice and pale and the texture almost silky smooth.  On medium to high speed, this usually takes me around 5 minutes.

 

Add your eggs (one at a time) and your vanilla – beating well after each egg.

 

Add your milk and flour alternately and just fold.  If you over mix your cupcakes won’t be nice and fluffy.

 

Spoon mixture into your pretty  cupcake cases.  I use 2 spoons to scoop them in or you can use an ice cream scoop.  Bake for around 18-20 minutes.  Do not over bake or they won’t be soft and scrumptious!

Thank you Carol!

Find Deliciously Your’s on Facebook here  and website here

 

 

Do you want your business to sparkle?

I’m so excited to introduce a new service to business owners who service the party industry in Australia!:

 

 

After years and many hours on the websites and facebook pages of so many party businesses and working within this industry – I’m ready to offer something to truly help your business reach it’s FULL potential and sparkle online!

Do you want your Facebook pages, your branding material, your Instagram feed and your website to sparkle and be a STAND OUT in the party industry?

Do you want to present your party business in the brightest and best light in this most visual of industries?

 

If you look at your current online presence and think any of the following:

 

‘it needs to stand out more from the crowd and doesn’t reflect how fantastic my business really is!’

‘I’m not sure if my website is user friendly and how to improve it’

‘I’m confused about whether this product/service would be of interest’

‘I’m not sure what social media channels would work best for my business’

‘I want a new look!’

Then….you need to take advantage of a  private Sparkle Session

 

Who is this for?

This package suits a RANGE of party businesses including:

-Businesses starting out in the party industry

 

-Established businesses needing a fresh set of eyes to look over their business (from the specific perspective of someone in the party industry)

 

-A business in a period of transition (i.e.: developing a new website, bringing in new products etc )

 

-A business wanting more exposure within the party industry and needing some insider tips

 

-A business wanting to increase the quality of their online presence/look

 

What should I expect to learn?  

-Tips on operating within the kids party industry

 

-Tips of what gets noticed online and how to truly sparkle!

 

-Knowledge of how to collaborate and network with your industry peers (and what NOT to do!)

 

-Feedback from a user perspective on your website (keeping in mind I have visited hundreds of party websites and regularly am visiting the websites of others in the same industry as you).

 

-Honest feedback on the way your services, products or work are being presented online

 

-Ideas for changes or improvements to your products/services based on current trends in kids parties

 

-Ideas on the best social media channels for your business

 

What is the investment?

Please e-mail me for more details on the cost of a sparkle session: lifeslittlec@gmail.com

(discounts apply to businesses currently on board with Life’s Little Celebrations)

The investment cost includes:

 

– Assessment of your online presence (e.g. Facebook page, Instagram account, website, blog, logo, your photos and descriptions, ETSY or Madeit pages) from the perspective of the party industry

 

– You will receive a one page summary of my feedback and suggestions on ways to grow and improve

 

– One hour phone call to discuss my feedback and chat over any issues or questions you may have!

 

I am SO excited about the opportunity I will have to bring all the knowledge I’ve gained specifically of the party industry and apply it to your business!  

Book now and e-mail lifeslittlec@gmail.com

 

Swan Party Supplies

 

 

The elegant swan is perfect inspiration for a birthday party – whether it be a swan princess birthday party, a swan lake ballet party, a swan winter wonderland party or perhaps a Swan inspired  Christening or first birthday.

 

 

I’ve based the selection in this post on white and gold party supplies which can be used to create a gorgeous setup for a Swan party – although you can add in pink, mint (as seen beautifully above) or silver for a lovely colour scheme!

Incorporate feathers throughout your party decor – they are on trend and easy to find at the moment! Think feather garlands, feather cupcake toppers and more!

Enjoy this party decor selection – mainly from members of Life’s Little Celebration’s – the best Australian small businesses for kids parties! For easy shopping and party planning simply CLICK on any of the below images to be taken directly to where you can purchase or order the item from!:

 

Swan Party Invitation & Printables:

I just love this gorgeous collection!:

 

 

 

This pretty invite could be modified to a gold/white colour scheme or any other colours you wish:

 

 

You could use elegant white/gold printables for this theme such as these:

 

 

 

 

Swan Party Decorations

Style the party with soft white and gold party decorations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swan Party Tableware

A mix of white and gold items to keep the Swan birthday party truly elegant starting with this soft white tablecloth which is perfect for a Swan inspired dessert table!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swan Party Cake & Desserts Decor

Some gorgeous options for feather cupcake toppers and other items for a Swan party dessert table – such as these feather toppers which are perfect for a touch of glitter!:

 

 

Gorgeous toppers with soft feathers:

 

 

 

 

Use this mould to create your own Swan chocolates:

 

 

Such gorgeous swan cupcake toppers!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life’s Little Celebration members can be found around Australia (or can post some items Australia wide) – here is some swan and feather related cakes, cookies etc as well as gold and white dessert creations that can inspire you as to what they could create for your child’s birthday party or celebration!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swan party props, hire and partywear:

These Swan props and decor are the perfect items to incorporate into a Swan party IF you can re-use them in your home after the celebration of course!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous white kids tiffany chairs are the perfect look for a table setting for the kids:

 

 

Also love these pretty stools!:

 

 

On the Life’s Little Celebration’s Directory you will find many businesses in various states who have lovely furniture to hire which is perfect for a Swan party dessert table such as this pretty white console table!:

 

 

For the children these gold glitter crowns are perfect for a Swan princess party:

 

 

Swan Party favours

These tulle wands would make a pretty party favour for a Swan party:

 

 

Some gorgeous packaging options for favours ! Finish them off with a gold glitter tag and add some feathers for embellishment!:

 

 

 

These gorgeous custom hand painted feathers could be created to match a white/gold colour scheme and used as embellishments on the favour packaging:

 

 

As you can see – there is a gorgeous array of party supplies available to style and plan the prettiest swan party !

Enjoy the celebrating! xx

 

 

 

Floral Party Supplies

 

Floral & shabby chic partyware is perfect for spring and summer birthday parties and celebrations!

Floral designs never go out of style and can be used for kids birthday parties (think a pretty 1st birthday, little girls tea party etc) as well as Christenings and feminine baby showers.

If you are after gorgeous decorations, invitations and partyware all to suit a lovely floral shabby chic feel – this blog post is the perfect place to start when planning for your child’s birthday party.

Remember to CLICK onto any image to be taken directly to where you can purchase or order the item from. All items included are from members of Life’s Little Celebrations!

 

Floral party invitations and printables

It all starts with a pretty floral invitation and here is a lovely selection to choose from. Carry the theme throughout the party through the use of floral party printables or printed stationery:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floral Party Decorations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floral Party Tableware

Some lovely floral tableware items to carry the theme right through

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floral Desserts and Baking Accessories:

 

 

 

 

 

A gorgeous design for edible images;

 

 

These pretty flowers can be used to decorate your birthday cake for this theme:

 

 

A selection of cake and desserts by Life’s Little Celebration’s members to suit a floral party theme:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floral Party Hire

A stunning collection of props which could be hired for a shabby chic/floral feel party!:

 

This beautiful flower wall would make the perfect backdrop for a floral party dessert table!:

 

 

Floral Partywear

Some lovely items for the birthday girl to wear:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floral Party Favours

A few gorgeous items for floral party favours and finishing touches!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this selection of floral party supplies. This is such a popular theme and really this is just a selection of what is available from Life’s Little Celebration’s members! Visit the Directory page of the site to browse more vendors when planning for a floral birthday party!

Party Supplies wrap up – Peach & Lemon

As the weather warms up it’s time to bring out the lovely sorbet coloured party decorations, serve up some cool lemonade and enjoy some spring and summer soirees!

This party supplies wrap up is inspired by lemon, peach and pink (how lovely do they look together?!).

All links to items are included below the collage and as always most are from businesses who are members of Life’s Little Celebration’s and listed on the directory page!:

 

 

 

1.Invitation, 2. favour bags, 3. cake stand, 4. lemon balloons, 5.laser cut lemon bunting, 6.peach pom pom, 7.lemonade dispenser, 8. peach/lemon paper fan, 9. sorbet confetti balloon, 10. peach paper plates