Back on the property search... boo hoo

Well, after a very productive week last week doing financial projections for the tearoom, having the first meeting with my new accountant and catching up with an old friend in their new café business Café Wander, I had some bad news on Friday morning... One of the worst things to go wrong, again, someone else had jumped in and put an offer in on my place!! Argh!!!

So not quite back to square one, I've still done all of my research, but I'm back on the search for a property, and feeling a little bit sad. The property search part is so difficult. There just isn't an abundance of suitable, affordable places here in Glasgow. Saying that, I'm off to see another property this afternoon and hopefully if it is suitable, I can haggle a bit on the price of the rent.

Anyway, enough of the moaning. To cheer myself up, I bought myself a book on how to make macarons. I'm going to make some this week. I have a little idea that if I get really good at making them I can sell them in the tearoom.

Ooh they're sooo pretty!

Rain, Craft Fairs and Things I Like!

It is the first of June, and I woke this morning to really heavy rain and cars splashing through puddles in the street outside. Hmmm, isn't June a proper Summer month? Ugh, sorry, Scottish people receive the same bad treatment weather-wise from Mother Nature every year, still we are always a bit shocked and appauled when the rain is pouring down.

I went to a wedding this weekend, a cousin of my partner, Stuart. I was excited about this wedding because I was getting to stay in a hotel in Edinburgh and I had a new outfit. My mum kindly took me shopping and fitted me out with some lovely new togs and these awesome shoes.

So how are things going with Cushion and Cakes plans? Not bad actually. You may remember my post last week, where I was going to view a property that I had a good feeling about. Well, after having seen it, I still have a good feeling about it. The only problem is, it needs a complete reburb. The interior was like a maze with partiton walls all over the place and very unattractive shiney wood panelling on the walls. I like retro and vintage but this was NEVER cool! It'll have to go. So I'm taking my joiner uncle with me on Friday to see it again to see how much the work would cost and if I would be able to afford to do it! I'll keep you posted.

Other things this week is my second craft fair on Saturday, Granny Would Be Proud. This one is a big one. One of the two main craft fairs in Glasgow and there are around 30 stalls. It's great that it is so big but I guess the competition if more fierce. I'll be working hard this week on new creations and great cakes to have folk flocking to my stall.

Saturday 5th June, Hillhead Library, Glasgow 10am-4pm.

I'm on a continuous search for beautiful shelves. I love shelving. Especially if there are lots of kitchen goodies on them. I particualrly love this image from Maya Lee on Flickr. 
Here simple shelves support this gorgeous vintage tin with delicate trailing flowers. It is so simple but effective.

There really is inspiration all over the place for my tearoom.Shelving like this in the tearoom with its flower arrangement would be perfect.

Vintage tin can

Originally uploaded by MayaLee ♥

I'm off to brave the rain now. I need some new kitchen scales so I shall leave you with two adorable little lambs from Douglas that I met yesterday (I couldn't think how to incorrporate them into my post, so here they randomly are)

I'm thinking of some names for my new friends. Any ideas?

Another Property

I had a look at my second property today for my tearoom. It was on Dumbarton Road, at the Partick end if you know it. Hmmm, I wasn't feeling it at all. It is a super busy street but I just don't think that it is right for the kind of place I want to set up, so I think I'll write that one off. The interior was very bland. The shop front was just glazing and I hated the ceiling lights. The were like the ones in offices that give you a sore head.

Nevermind, I still have the property to look at on Great Western Road which I have a really good feeling about. I tend to trust my instincts and I can't get that location and property out of my head. It is on the main road, near a subway station with lots of resdintial flats around. It is also near lots of upmarket Interior Design places and homewares shops. People need tea and cake when shopping for their Aga!

Yes there is an Aga shop on the same street. I wonder if I could afford one for my tearoom? It would fit in beautifully and I bet the cakes would taste better from an Aga.

I believe it is going to a glorious day tomorrow here in the West of Scotland, it certainly is a great day today. I've been invited to my Uncle's house in Dunlop to meet his four new birds. I'm not at all being derrogatory, he has four hens who are living with him and his wife. The have a lovely pen in their garden. I look forward to meeting them.

I also need some more free range, organic eggs. I'm hoping that they'll lay some for me tomorrow so can bake some more cakes. I used five of their eggs to make a super duper raspberry and chocolate brownie. I'm not really a chocolate fan but I do love this. Here's the recipe if you fancy.

• 115g/4oz butter, plus extra for greasing
• 300g/11oz caster sugar
• 225g/8oz dark chocolate, around 70 per cent cocoa solids
• 75g/3oz plain flour
• 75g/3oz cocoa powder
• 5 free-range eggs
• 750g/1lb 10oz raspberries
  
  
  Someone's had a nibble at this one!
  
   It was my friend Jill, I recognise those teethmarks!
  
  
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/375F/Gas 4 
  2. In a bowl and beat together butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. 
  3. Place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
     
  4. Add the melted chocolate to the butter mixture and beat to combine.
     
  5. Add the flour, cocoa powder and eggs and mix well, then fold in the raspberries.
  6. Grease and line a 25cm x 30cm (10in x12in) baking tin. Pour the mixture into the tin, then transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until set but still moist in the middle.
     
     
     
     
     
     Enjoy!
     
      
  
  
  
  
  
  

Property, Craft Fairs and Guinea Pigs

Agh! Wednesday again! Already! It has been a busy week including my first ever craft fair which I'll tell you more about later. I'm just back from an afternoon yoga class and feel refreshed and ready to write. I go to yoga at a studio near my house. it is called Balance. I love my yoga classes. I go every week. Today we were working on core strength routines and learned a new posture. Half Moon Pose. I liked this one a lot.

Yesterday was a glorious day here in Glasgow. Surprisingly very sunny. I'm currently doing a university module at the Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh on Gender Justice (quite a contrast from my crafty side, but I used to lead a domestic abuse project, so now this should make sense) and I have to submit my essay at the end of this month. So yesterday was a study day, in the garden, with my two guinea pigs, who cut the grass for me while I read about Michel Foucault.

My guinea pigs are called Buttercup and Bosshog. Buttercup is the wee blonde piggie and Bosshog is bigger and brown and white. They live in my flat with me which they like, however, they are not fans on the noisy sewing machine...

So lots to report on the tearoom business. I've been to a number of training seminars with the Business Gateway. One on financial planning and one on marketing. Wow, the finance bit scares me. I get really confused with numbers but I learned about basic book keeping, which I think I can manage. My dad has promised, when I set up, that he'll take care of the numbers bit which makes me feel a bit better! So overall, my confidence to start my wee business is growing and feels less scary.

Last week I looked at my first property. It wasn't really suitable. It was HUGE, far bigger than I expected and far too big for my needs as it had a massive basement the same size as the floor above. I really loved the facade though. The door and window were great, but I can't chose a property on those factors alone I guess! I'm going to see some more this week. This one in on the road that I like and it is very close to my home.

I think it is the lower shop, with the blue sign which is under offer. I think that would be quite cool, going down a few steps to the tea room. It adds a bit of adventure to the experience. A bit more curiosity. Any thoughts anyone?

As I mentioned earlier I had my first craft fair experience and thoroughly enjoyed it. My partner Stuart and I were there from 9am to set up in the church hall. I thought I'd brought too much stuff but seeing what others had brought, I think I'd got it just about right.

These are some of my cushions that I had on sale. I really liked preparing for the fair, thinking about what my stall would look like and having a practice at setting it up in my flat. Stuart created my lovely labels and business cards and I took time to display the business cards in a wee teacup and sewed my labels onto the cushions.

My friend Jill who helped me behind the stall took these lovely wee pictures.

 

I sold most of my cakes. I made a selection of cupcakes with butter cream icing and glace icing with dolly mixture sweets as decorations. They were the most popular ones. I also made raspberry and chocolate brownie. I'm not a big chocolate fan but I adore this chocolate brownie.

I'm really looking forward to my next craft fair and meeting up with the lovely bunch of people I met there.