Blog moving to new home

Hello lovely blog readers. Just a little not that I am moving my blog over here as it is integrated into my new website.

I really hope you continue to follow Cushion & Cake adventures.

See you soon

Pamela

New Crafts in the Gallery

It was time to start exploring the wealth of talent out there and start restocking the Gallery for dare I say it... Christmas?

There are so, so many beautiful things from independent designer makers that it is really hard to choose. I decided to go for function and beauty as well as little decorative items that you won't feel guilty about buying.

The function & beauty items were things like screen printed tea towels, drinks coasters and tote bags.

I love dogs, anything to do with dogs (and animals in general) so it is unsurprising that you'll find these pastel painted pooches in the tearoom.

These gorgeous screen printed tea towels would be just at home hanging as an artwork as they would being put to use on the dishes.
Jewellery and accessories are always popular. Who doesn't have a jacket that really could do with a new pin or brooch? 

Or how about some gorgeous big hand painted wooden beads? I particularly love these colours.

I'm still negotiating with some new designers to the tearoom so look out for more goodies soon.

Pam xx

Barcelona Tea & Cake

Well I'm back from my hols in Barcelona. it was sunny, hot and most relaxing. A few days home now and I'm beginning to get used to NOT having a glass of Cava at lunchtime...

Anyway, back to work and jolly happy I am about it too. I did visit a couple of places in Barcelona for cakes as a bit of research, you know. Of course none were a wonderful as Cushion & Cake but I did love my visits to see how other people do the tearoom thing.

The cakes here at Art i sa near Placa Reial were super. Proper home baking with a great selection of teas too. I had cake for breakfast here one morning. A great way to start the day I say!

Next up was Barcelona's very on C&C, Cup & Cake. Two friends separately had recommended I visit this little place. It was small and cute, their specialty was cupcakes so I found myself once again breaking my fast with cakes although this time I stuffed a lovely big croissant into my gob before the yummy red velvet cup cake.

Both places had a really lovely vibe and it was nice to see the tea and cake culture in other countries and be inspired. No worries that I'd relocate t Barcelona though! In 34 degrees heat everyday it would play havoc with my butter cream :-)

Give Craft Make with The Glasgow Craft Mafia

This Sunday sees the return of the Glasgow Craft Mafia with a great event quite unlike any other craft fair. This event is exclusively for stocking up on craft supplies with Mafia member allowing you to raid their craft stash!

You can also get making at a number of different craft turorials.

It take place on Sunday 12th August at the Trom Theatre in Glasgow from noon till 5pm.

You can visit their website for more info...

Tutorials at Cushion & Cake

We've been making stuff at Cushion & Cake over the last two weeks. Regulars to Cushion & Cake saw the tearoom transformed into a sewing haven where I held two skirt making tutorials.

We were starting out with a really simple skirt. Made with an elasticated waist and no closures to sew, anyone can make one.

The sewers brought their own choice of fabric to make their skirt. Light cottons work best for beginners as they're easy to sew.

Sewing stations!

By bringing your own machine you can sew more confidently without having to get to know a different one.

So here's the final product!

Sam, Fiona & Natasha with their creations.

I've had a few requests to do more tutorials at the tearoom in the evening so look out for a programme of stuff happening in the near future...

Skirt Making Tutorial

OK, we’ve not had much of a sunny Summer as yet, but there’s still time!

I’ve been pottering away on some Summer skirts and I thought maybe you’d like to learn how to make an easy skirt that you can wear on its own, or with tights or leggings.

The skirt can be short or long and will have a comfy elasticated waist with a floaty skirt.

Places for this tutorial will be limited and will require you to bring a fabric you love to make your skirt and if you have one, your sewing machine*.

You will need a maximum of 2.5m of fabric. Make sure you choose something that you will wear. I choose fabrics all the time that I like but wouldn’t necessarily wear!

I’ll provide the other materials required and some tea & biscuits. This tutorial will take place in the evening in the tearoom from 7pm-9pm Wednesday 18th July and Thursday 26th July and is just £10.

Click here to book your place...

*not to worry if you don’t have a machine. I’ll source on for you to use.

I want my hat back - Jon Klassen

This isn't at all tearoom related but I felt I wanted to share. That wonderful bookshop I mentioned in my last post, the Main Street Trading Company is where I bought an absolutely lovely book.

Admittedly, it is a children's book but the illustrations are so beautiful and the story so simple and funny, it easily appeals to adults.

It is written and illustrated by a Canadian artist, Jon Klassen. I just love the main character, a bear who has lost his red hat. The story is his journey to finding who has his hat.

I'm looking forward to the next book to be released December 2012... This is not my hat...

June Crafternoon - Garlands and Bunting

This month's Crafternoon is going to be great. Who doesn't love bunting? Or a pretty garland? I'll be showing Crafternooners some different buntings and garlands that we can make from various different materials from paper to fabric.

For more information or to book a place, have a wee look at this link...

To sign up to the Crafternoon mailing list, complete your email address below.

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Glamping at the Roulotte Retreat

Now words cannot describe how good I feel after my break, glamping in Melrose in the Scottish Borders.

We stayed in a Roulotte, a French built caravan decorated in beautiful colours on a meadow near the Eildon Hills. The weather was fair, no rain but I didn't care. I was looking for some serious time off to sleep, relax and get some fresh air. This pair Goosey & Lucy were our neighbours.

The male goose Goosey honked a lot and we were told never to turn our back on him because he'd chase us! I thought we'd just keep out of their way but when they came to the door, there was no avoiding him...

The roulottes were so cosy with a big bed and a wood burning fire, Stuart and played dominoes for hours one evening and it was lovely to have no phone, no T.V.

I managed to have some tearoom fun of my own and visited the Main Street Trading Company on St Boswells main street. It was a dream. Bookshop, tearoom and vintage shop in one.

I loved the original signage outside the shop in gold paint.

Lots of beautiful books...

I enjoyed a slice of cake, which was really familiar! We must bake the same recipe for this blueberry cream cheese cake ;-)

So back to work tomorrow, I'm looking forward to it and I'll be a bit more presentable than the picture of me in my glamping gear ;-)

The big catch up...

Blimey it has been an age since I last had a chance to write a little blog entry. It has been a busy few months of tearoom fun, 1st Birthday Parties, Crafternoons, Jubilees and Glamping.

I'll start off with a little about C&C's first birthday celebrations last month. The tearoom turned one on the 7th May and to celebrate, I invited my loyal customers to a little party at the tearoom. There was cake, cava and homemade lemonade and plenty of cheer. Thanks to every one who popped in. Let's hope we can party again next year.

Crafternoons have been popular with more people coming along each month to learn something new and take home something beautiful. Over the last few months we've been making cloud magnets after wet felting your own felt and printing your own card after making your very own stamp.

At C&C we even had members of the Gaelic community attending "Cofaidh & Cearden" Coffee & Crafts sessions for five weeks where participants took part in a Crafternoon but had the opportunity to practice/speak Gaelic with other Gaelic speakers.

We covered a different area of craft each week from printing to cake decorating.

Then there was the Jubilee. C&C offered something special over the holiday weekend, a Jubilee Tea. I made raspberry lemonade, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches with a huge scone topped with cream, jam and strawberries and a special pot of Darjeeling. The special tea went down a treat with my customers.

There's a couple of new additions to the tearoom. These two Parker Knoll chairs were donated by one of my lovely customers.

He overheard me telling someone that I was after a couple of these chairs to make a 'cosy corner' in the window area. A few days later, they arrived. I plan to re upholster them at some point, but for now, they look great with handmade cushions and crocheted blankets. They are unbelievably comfortable! I sometimes sit on them at the end of the day while I wait for a cake to bake. Bliss...

Now... I've had a pretty hectic few months and was REALLY in need of a break. So, I got away for a few days Glamping. You may remember earlier in the year I mentioned that I was hoping to go glamping this year. Well I did and I'll tell you all about it in the next post.

Happy Birthday Cushion & Cake

So there you have it. One year in business selling loose leaf tea and homebaked goodies to Glasgow. It has been such a quick year. I've learned loads and learned quick!

On Saturday night we had a party. I invited lots of my customers along to celebrate the tearoom's birthday with a glass of cava and some wee treats.

 The evening started off well with a few folk popping in to say hello, then it got busy!

 These lucky folks managed to get a seat before the place was packed out!

Thanks to everyone who came along on Saturday. I was delighted to see you.

Clouds Crafternoon

I'm excited about this Sunday's Crafternoon here at Cushion & Cake. The Crafternooners don't yet know what they'll be making exactly but here is a sneaky peek at the materials we'll be using.

I'll be back next week with pictures and the results of the "Clouds' Crafternoon.

Change to opening hours

It is quite a difficult job running a wee business all by yourself... Of course I absolutely love it but I'm starting to feel like I'm perhaps missing out a wee bit too much on the other things in life, like spending time with my partner and friends.

A few weeks ago over Easter I had two days off and spent them with Stuart my partner. It was amazing! I forgot about all the stuff we used to do together on days off. We visited antique shops, went out for food and just hung out together. So I made the decision to take a bit of that back and close the tearoom on a Sunday.

I really hope that people understand that I can't be open all the time but perhaps later in the year I will have some more people in my team to allow me to do just that.

From the start of May Cushion & Cake will be closed on Sundays but open on Mondays.

‘Cofaidh is Cheàrdan’

Calling all Gaelic speakers in Glasgow! The Glasgow Gàidhlig Initative is working in conjunction with C&C to run a programme of 5 crafty sessions ‘Cofaidh is Cheàrdan’ starting Wednesday 25th April.

Like the regular Crafternoons participants will come along and learn a new craft and create something smashing to take home.

I've put together a programme of five sessions, each a different craft so you can sign up to them  all.

For more information contact fios@glaschu.org

Closed Wed & Thurs 18-19th April

Soooo sorry if you tried to visit us today but found us closed. We've got no hot water and need to get and available plumber to come and fix it. Grrr. Why can't everything be fixed with a bit of buttercream icing?
xx

Crafternoon Theme - April

I've been spending some time to think about what theme the following Craftenoons will embody. I wondered about making them explicit, like a cross stitch theme or a felting theme, but instead for April's Crafternoon I've decided to keep it a little obscure and keep an element of surprise.

As it is April, I always think of 'Little April Showers' from Bambi (April snow blizzards here in Scotland however) so the theme will be clouds. See what I did there?

Clouds are a very popular motif currently so I knew that Craftenooners would like to make something attractive based around this idea.

If you want to come along you can book here or give me a ring at the tearoom on 0141 339 4114. As always w wee deposit of £5 is required to book your place. You can pay by paypal tea@cushionandcake.com or speak to me about arranging an alternative.

It is going to be a good one to get booked in quick. If you need some more inspiration watch the April Shower clip Bambi here orrrrrrrrr Little Fluffy Clouds by the Orb... why not?

Easter Bird's Nest Cupcakes

I'm all confused! I thought Easter was this weekend? It's not. Still a week to go before I can eat my body weight in chocolate...
I didn't want to start too early making Easter treats but it now seems that I have. These little Easter bird nest cupcakes have been going down a treat with the kiddies this week.

These easy peasy cupcakes are put together using a chocolate batter for the cake and butter cream piped on in a circle to make the little bird's nest. A few Cadbury's mini eggs and a wee tweety bird and you've got a pretty good Easter treat. I got these little tweety bird decorations from Tesco for 97p so go get some if you want them.

100g butter
100g caster sugar
2 eggs free rage of course!
10g cocoa powder
90g self raising flour
2 tbsp milk
Chocolate egg and birdie decorations

Oven set to 180 degrees and arrange about six, maybe seven muffin cases on muffin tray.

Cream butter and sugar together till pale. Beat in eggs one at a time until then sieve the cocoa powder and SR flour together and gently fold into mix to make a nice smooth batter. Add the milk, gently mix. Get the batter into the cases quickly and be careful not to overfill, you don't want an overflowing cupcake.

Bake for about 20 minutes. A skewer inserted should come out clean when baked.

Leave to cool and make butter cream...
100g real butter, unsalted, don't use margerine or spreads. They've too much water in them to be able to hold a piped shape when piping your icing.
200g icing sugar
Few drops of vanilla and a drop of milk

Real butter is often hard especially if you take it straight from the fridge. Recently I've been measuring my butter into a glass bowl then melting it for a few seconds (less than 10) in the microwave* to soften. This makes beating the sugar in MUCH easier. With a wooden spoon, really beat the sugar and butter, vanilla and a dash of milk if you need it together to get a nice pale icing. Make sure there are no bits of butter not completely mixed. By the time the cakes have cooled, the butter cream should be ready to pipe.

Using a piping bag and a big star nozzle, pipe a circle of buttercream then place the eggs and chick in the centre. Voila.

*if you forget about the butter in the microwave and if completely melts, don't panic and don't waste the butter. It is expensive. Leave it to start firming up again and continue as normal. If you can't wait and you put the sugar into the butter. Give it a good beating until it is really smooth. I can can look separated for ages before it properly starts to bind.

Still sewing....

Right, I think it can now be called an obsession. All I can think about is sewing, my sewing patterns and fabric. The fabric obsession is nothing new but as I mentioned in my last entry I've been learning to make my own clothes. I had a day off today and spent the entire day sewing skirts!

The skirt on the left used a fabric called Cindy which I bought from M is for Make, the yellow skirt on the left was a yellow dot poplin fabric and centre, Hopscotch again from M is for Make.

The pattern as I mentioned before was Colette Patterns and the skirt was called Ginger. I can't get enough of making them.

Once I'd finished my skirt sewing for the day. I still didn't feel satisfied. So I used some leftover remnants of fabric to make this peter pan collar which you could pop over your cardi or t shirt and look super cute. I haven't finished mine yet as I didn't have any ribbon to hand to make the ties. I'll tie up those loose ends tomorrow when I'm back in the tearoom ;-)

I adapted the free pattern from Colette which I found when I was obsessively reading every page of her site. Her version makes a faux fur collar with pom pom ties.

I just made a flat one and will add satin or velvet black ribbon to make the ties.

You can download the free pattern here. I printed the simple pattern and placed it on a lovely cream remnant I had (a curtain actucally) and cut out. I also cut out the same in iron on interfacing and adhered to my curtain remnant fabric. For the underside, I used a bit I had leftover from my spotty skirt. Right sides facing, I sewed all the way round leaving a gap at the back of the neck so that you can turn the collar the right way round then stitch the opening closed. How I am to attach the ties I have not yet decided... I'm afraid I battered on as I usually do with a project even if I'm ill equipped... it keeps me amused...
Last thing for now are the fabric birds I added to my Easter tree in the tearoom.

I made them using fabric remnants and a pattern found online. I won't say too much about them just now because they'll feature again in a future post in more detail...