Christmas Mug

It is almost Christmas! I can't wait. Spending time with my family and friends after a busy few months finding property for my tearoom, filling in applications and securing funding. I received my official offer for the property yesterday so I will soon find out when I can move in. I'm very excited.

I treated myself yesterday to some Christmas drinking receptacles. I love my new Christmas mug with a ribbon design on. I'm drinking a festive tea, Cinnamon Spice by Yogi Teas.

And these pretty snowflake tumblers were a bargain at 75p each.

It's amazing the difference it makes to a drink when you drink it from something pretty :-)

Great Festive Cake Idea

I was looking at cake recipes and came across this fantastic cake, but particularly, the icing sugar dusted over the top.

The example here used doilies placed on top of the cake to use as a template, but how about using paper snowflakes that you hand cut yourself as a template?

 This was my version and I think it is super festive.

I served it up to my friends at my Christmas crafternoon last week. 

We ate food, drank mulled wine and made some simple Christmas crafts. It was a hit with everyone and got me feeling all Christmassy :-)

Cold Obsession & Christmas Crafternoon

OK, so I have to admit it now... I do have a bit of an obsession with snow and the like and find it totally fascinating. I love it and it makes the world feel magical. I was particularly fascinated, and dismayed at the temperature display on my mac.

If you can see, it says -14??? Well I wouldn't be surprised because look at the ice on the inside of my living room window this morning!

 Brrrr... anyway. On to less chilly things but super festive. I mentioned yesterday my Christmas Crafternoon. I've been working on putting together a programme of activities for my crafter guests. Things like these pretty snowflake felt coasters.

Mulled wine...oh cosy, warm and boozy... can a drink be any better??

Paper decorations made from last year's Christmas cards.

And a recipe for the mulled cider I told you about yesterday...ooft!

These were the kind of things I would like to do with my friends. They're dead easy but fun to make and they can take them home to but up in their homes.

I ordered my felt, tissue paper and the like yesterday so I am awaiting a delivery. I just hope the weather doesn't delay the postie or my Christmas Crafternoon!

Christmas Horses

With the UK still looking much like this....

 I'm turning my attention to Christmassy things like this.

They're little festive folk horses for your tree. I absolutely love them and you can find them on folksy here

I've organised a Christmas Crafternoon with some friends this Sunday. It's going to be a fun party afternoon with food drink and making some simple crafts. I'm really looking forward to it. I've been trawling craft books and websites for some fun things to make. One of the girls coming suggested making mulled cider which sounds fairly lethal!
I have no further tearoom news from last week. I'm really just waiting on people doing their bit and getting back to me, so for now, you'll have to endure some random blog entries until I have more news...

Comfy Food

When the weather is like this, all I want to do is stock up, cook and eat. I walked to the shops yesterday and came back with a random selection of stuff. Milk, necessary, cheese, obviously, but the scented candle and rubber gloves were perhaps a bit superfluous... I really just wanted to get out and enjoy the momentary interaction with the man who served me in the shop. I'm feeling a bit lonely here in my flat with no visitors!

Come share my homemade soup with me

Anyway, enough self pity (I actually LOVE the snow) and onto important things like this stollen spirals recipe from my favourite recipe website. My squirrel/bear like make up makes me want to bake this, scoff, then go to sleep. It is carb central, these doughy balls with nuts and other tasty bits. I may have to pop to the shop again for some ingredients. My pistachio stash is currently low...

I've not had much more tearoom action this week but I am happy with where I am at the moment. I have a lovely architect who is currently doing up my drawings and applying for planning permission and my building warrant. My Cushion&Cake bank account is now open and I have my own debit card which says Cushion&Cake and everything! I guess this means I can start buying stuff doesn't it? Yes!!!

Local Winter Wonderland

I popped out to take some pictures in the snow earlier, but other than that, I'm staying in. I've been having a play with Photoshop to put these two images together while I'm stuck indoors. I have just finished a 10 week course in Photoshop but my new skills are not coming easily...

Hmmm, these images could be a bit bigger... More practice required...

Vintage Teapots Anyone???

After lots of searching online, in charity shop and antiques fairs I just can't seem to find nice vintage teapots for the tearoom.

I know what I'm looking for but I just can't find them. Talking to an antiques shop owner, apparently folk didn't always buy teapots with their crockery as they were easily broken or expensive so I guess that explains why they're more difficult to pick up.

But I'm going to need teapots... but maybe I'll have to buy new ones?? Would this be acceptable in a vintage inspired tea room?! 

The one above is mine. More like it would be cool. These are nice teapots though. 

Spots....

Stripes.....

 Stars....

Flowers...

Maybe a mix of vintage and new will be cool. I'll keep looking though. The more vintage the better I think...

Waiting and Biscuits

I'm a bit stuck at the moment. Lots of waiting. I have to wait for my lease on Cushion and Cake to be drawn up. I have to make an application for planning permission and I need a building warrant. I can't really do anything in respect to any of these tasks until I meet Phil the architect next week to do some drawings.

I have to apply for a change of class for the shop as I'll have table and chairs and stuff so this is going to push my wee opening back perhaps a month so it now looks like it'll be February time for a grand opening. Which is fine. 

Having a bit of extra time on my hands this week then I baked some biscuits today.

They are quite Christmassy with ginger and cinnamon. I've already eaten a few. They're very tasty.

I think I'll take some over to my friend who is feeding me at her flat tonight. She's a very good cook and I always look forward to seeing what she's cooking...

Kissen und kuchen... that's what I'd be called...

... if I opened my tearoom and craft gallery in Berlin. I'm just back from a couple of days in Berlin where I went to visit some trendy tearooms and cafes for some interior decoration inspiration. I found loads of nice places.

Where I ate my favourite thing in Berlin, a cheese breakfast!

We visited places like the Memory Cafe, above which had a real vintage industrial feel.

And places like this. A really feminine sugary coloured bakery and tearoom.

Even although pink was profuse...

the shabby furniture and distressed paint job made it all work together. AND they sold lovely little individual cakes, like this pear cake.

I really enjoyed my tearoom research in Berlin but I have come back a little less sure about what I want my tearoom to look like. I love pastel colours and traditional vintage with table cloths and prettiness, but there's a definite vintage industrial thing creeping into my headspace and I find myself attracted to old industrial pieces like sewing stools like this one. This stool is from a place in Edinburgh.

I hope I might be able to marry it all together and it will look magnificent. I'm sure it will...

This week I'm loving...paper lanterns

With the offer in on the shop premises I can only wait for the lease to be issued which could be a number of weeks. I can't believe it is ACTUALLY happening. No longer just a thought in my head. It feels really nice.

I had the keys this morning so that I could go in and do some measuring, so I went with my tape measure and noted wall measurements for wall paper, ceiling height, floor space for tables and chairs and the size of the window. I really can't wait to get in an start doing stuff!

I have some time though to look for inspiring decor for the tearoom. I'm off to Berlin at the weekend for an inspiration trip. I love Berlin's sense of style and they do enjoy a slice of cake in their tearooms and coffee houses. I'll be taking my camera and my notebook for plenty of ideas.

I'm really enjoying paper lanterns this week and other things which hang from the ceiling. Bunches of white lanterns could look very effective, as in the third last and last image.

 I'd need some help folding all of these origami birds for a mobile like this!

Soups and Ceiling Decorations

It is getting colder and up here in Scotland, dark at 4.30pm which normally I'd be desperately unhappy about but instead I'm feeling inspired.

I put an offer in yesterday on the property I've been looking at over the last few weeks. All going well, I could be signing a lease shortly which means I'll be opening my tearoom in the Winter.

I've been thinking about soups. Warm and hearty soups with seasonal loveliness. I picked these squash up this week but can't bring myself to cut them up and use them because they look so nice.

 How cute are these?

Stuart always sends me links to pretty things and inspiring stuff for the shop. He thought I'd like this image with big ceiling pom-poms, and I do, I love it, and by clicking on the image, you can see how to make them! That's a job for me next week!

I like this bunting from a Flickr friend Teawagon. Some of this for my grand opening may be essential.

I was excited to see and advert on the TV today for the Country Living Magazine Glasgow Fair 18-21st November 2010. Even though I couldn't be more urban living in a flat about a mile from Glasgow city centre, this is my favourite magazine. Looking at the website it is going to be full of goodies and inspiration. I hope Stuart will come with me but if he doesn't want to be surrounded by pastel Christmas tree decorations and glittery deer, ribbons and gift wrapping tutorials, I'll ask my sister or my mum to come.

I've been doing the rounds of the auction houses and big antiques dealers in Glasgow for some inspiration and to source some of my furniture. I really liked this standard lamp and lampshade.

I came across this little guy too. He's a commemorative bear from the 1980's Olympics. I like his posture and the wee rings on his tummy. He looks like a care bear.

Also this week I have the task of looking for crafters to exhibit and sell their wares in the tearoom. I already had a list of people in my head of who I'd like to ask, but I've been doing a bit more investigation into local crafters in particular. My goodness, Glasgow are a crafty bunch!

So I'd better get back to it. I'm trying a couple of carrot and coriander soup recipes today too and I may just have some for my lunch.

Thrifty Tearoom Funriture Finds

Moving ever closer to securing a property for Cushion and Cake I've been busy with viewings and meetings to sort out the financials. I hope to put an offer in on a place next week!

This may be premature but Stuart has been working on some ideas for signage for the tearoom.

In the meantime, I've been out searching for inspiration and for furniture for the tearoom. So far I've thrifted a number of chairs, cups and saucers, an old Singer sewing machine and a Welsh dresser. My very kind Dad is letting me store the stuff in his garage at the moment... thanks Dad!!

Today I did a tour of the Glasgow auction houses to see if there was anything suitable for Cushion and Cake like tables and teapots. These are the things I'm struggling to get a hold of. I also went to my local antiques shops arcade, Ruthven Mews and found lot of inspiration there.

I wasn't thinking about this Samsonite embroidered luggage for the tearoom but I do love them.

Gorgeous mix of crockery here. I was greedily searching through this lot for any of my favourite names.

More loveliness to rummage through

I really liked this retro unit and re painted, reupholstered chair. I'd like a couple of chairs like this for the tearoom. I'd like to paint them and choose the fabric myself.

This wicker furniture is painted in pastel colours which means I love it. I'd like this in my flat rather than the tearoom though.

Another shot of the painted chair with lemon painted table next to it. One of the lovely gentlemen who owns one of the antique shops in this arcade suggested a theme for each table. This would be a nice lemon theme.

A rather nice collection of vintage linen. I could have a couple of tables adorned with beautiful vintage linen.

So, here at the end of a busy week I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend and some pumpkin carving, and maybe some pumpkin soup or even a cake!

Happy Halloween