Icing The Icing

I used icing sugar, a piping bag and a 1.5mm nozzle to add some extra decoration to the Icing Christmas Trees, that I'd cut out yesterday. I decided to stick with white icing as it really stands out from the green background. I also stuck the yellow stars on the top of some of the trees with a blob of the icing.

 

I didn't have any particular design in mind when I started to pipe so some patterns have turned out better than others. The overall effect is quite striking though so that's good.

 

 

Not so good - my hand is killing me from squeezing the piping bag for a couple of hours. Ow ow ow. Oh well, no pain no gain etc.



Icing Christmas Trees

I've made a start with the icing design for my Christmas Cakes and thought I'd share it with you. It's Christmas trees this year. Obviously.

I used flower paste for the design as it is so nice to work with, you can roll it really thin and it sets hard. The cutter and green food colouring I bought from my Imaginative Icing. Sorry about this next photo - it's food dye honestly!

 

I use the paste colours when dying flower paste as it stops the icing getting too wet and sticky and gives a much stronger colour than traditional liquid food colouring. I use the tip of a paint brush (never used for paint!) and dab a small amount onto a a third of the required flower paste. Working the dye into a smaller amount of the flower paste, then adding the remainder of the icing, helps achieve an even colour and avoids streaks. I then rolled the icing out on baking parchment dusted with icing sugar.

 

 

Then got cutting...

 

 

and cutting...

 

 

and cutting - Phew. I also cut some stars that I might use for the tops of the trees.

 

I'm letting them dry out this evening but I'll add a bit more decoration to the trees tomorrow.

 

Lucky Find Lantern

I first saw these lanterns when I was working in Vienna last December (I know, luck lady!), they were hung outside many of the shops. I looked everywhere to try to buy one for myself, visited all the Christmas markets (fun!) but just couldn't find one anywhere. Then, last weekend I went to Ilkley to visit some university friends and in one of the shops what should they be selling, but the exact lanterns! I bought one instantly.

 

It's got spinning reindeers and Santa's sleigh. I have it sat on my fireplace at the moment, but if I know I'm having visitors I'll hang it by the front door to welcome people in. I could honestly watch this lantern all day. Magical.

Christmas Stocking

I've been persuaded by my sister Vicky to take a day off work tomorrow (I admit it was easily done!), we are going to make a Christmas stocking for my niece Emma. I have been roped in to helping so that we can share Emma watching between us. We have been looking at patterns for a while, but have found this perfect Scrappy Christmas Stocking tutorial by Diary of a Quilter (it was only blogged yesterday so perfect timing). Vicky has bought the fabric in preparation, it's very festive! It was bought from a specialist quilting fabric shop in Sheffield Patchwork Garden.

Wish us luck!

Walking To Work

The lovely Tim and I walk into work every day, it's about 3 miles and takes FOREVER. Ooh I hate it, especially in winter when the cold hurts my ears. Tim's had the same complaint so I've been knitting him a Monmouth Cap. Today was it's grand inauguration - he loves it so I suppose that's all that matters. I'm not quite sure it's the most stylish thing I've ever produced! Anyhow, here it is.

Enough of the hat, here is the real highlight of todays walk in! Christmas elves! My favourite coffee shop, The Perky Peacock 2, Gillygate, seller of the best coffee in York is bedecked with 4 of these Christmas elves. How can a girl resist? Best Christmas decorations ever.

 

Ho Ho Ho!