Merry Christmas

I hope that you are enjoying your holiday season.  It is my favorite time of year.  I made my Christmas cards again.  I will post a copy of them next week.  It always surprises me.  Although they are very simple, they take time. 

My daughter took these first three photos while we decorated the tree.  I have always wanted a very large tree.  This year, at 10 feet, I could not get it up to the apartment alone. :)

I try to make my wrapping unique as I do my cards.  

I saw a tutorial for the pom poms last night on Pinterest.  I love them and want to make a garland of them for next year.  

My mantle inspired by my friend Carrie.

I love the angels.  They stay up all year long.  

And my favorite new decoration, which coincidentally were a gift from the same person who inspired the mantle decor.  Aren't they great?  Can you see the glitter?  They come in three graduated sizes from West Elm.  

I wish you a wonderful holiday season.  

Merry Christmas!!

Michele

Updates to Kitchen Remodel

I know, I know.  I don't post for months and then twice in a week.  I have honestly been meaning to update the recent kitchen photos for a while now.  

Here is where I left off. 

Old range

Wood countertops had a great smell, very light in color

No hardware

In the last few months I have added a few finishing touches.  I really like the hardware that I chose.  I saw these Ikea oversized pulls/handles on a blog and loved them.  

The other element which needed updating was the range.  I felt that a stainless steel one would tie it together.  It was a very generous birthday/christmas gift from my parents!

 

The other change that you will notice is that the countertops are darkening with time.  Ok...not just time.  I am fairly diligent about oiling them.  I love the way they are changing.  I would like them to be a bit darker and shinier.  However, I have resisted the urge to stain and seal them.   

Since I opened the cupcake company I really am going to need a more functional/industrial faucet.  I do like the look of this one though.

The other thing that you will notice about this kitchen is that there are no appliances, gadgets, nick knacks....etc.  I saw a phrase once on pinterest that expressed how I feel perfectly.  "It's a kitchen...not a catch all." In a large space I think it is fine but when your kitchen is as tiny as mine is, it just makes it feel smaller and cluttered.  

I always have fresh flowers framing the sink.  I like the pop of color against the otherwise white kitchen.  

Thanks for stopping by

Enjoy your weekend

Michele

Gateaux

Hello! 

I hope that you are all doing well.  I have been out of touch recently pursuing a new endeavor.  As you may know I have been making cakes and cupcakes for a few years.  I have been asked over and over again if I sell them commercially.  I always brushed it off.  I would often take a cake to an

 event as my hostess gift.  They routinely had polka dots in the middle of them and were finished with fondant.  The time requirement to make these is huge....but well worth it.  

This was my Easter cake from last year

However, in January I decided to use the same recipe and make cupcakes for a friend's birthday.  She was one of the biggest fans of the cakes.  When I presented her with the cupcakes she exclaimed, "They are beautiful, where did you get them?"  That evening my daughter sat me down and said that I should seriously look into opening a business.  

As I was going to sleep I decided to do a bit of research.  I knew that there were many rules and regulations around cooking in a residential kitchen and selling commercially.  Interestingly enough, I found out that the previous January " the Cottage Food Bill" was enacted in California allowing some low risk foods to be made and distributed in this fashion.  In early February I set a goal of opening my small, custom order cupcake business on March 1st.  As there were many licenses and certifications to obtain, along with the normal hoops to jump through, it was not an easy process.  But I did it!  

Gateaux has been open just shy of two months.  I am having a great time with it.  Here are some of my creations for customers thus far.  

Monogrammed vanilla 

Shamrocks for an Irish friend's birthday party

Shamrock confetti on lemon cupcakes with raspberry lemon frosting

Vanilla with salted caramel filling and sea salt flakes on top

Hand punched fondant confetti

Owls for my daughter's friend

Gerbera daisies

Crab feed treats

Blue and green (my favorite color combo)

Princess party

Last but certainly not least, the ones I am the most proud of...

Striped bows and polka dots for a baby shower

Thanks for visiting

I will keep you updated as Gateaux grows and I have new creations to share with you 

Michele

Cupcake toppers

Happy Presidents Day weekend to you!

I have been working lately on my cupcakes and the decorations that adorn them. I thought about making confetti out of fondant.  Time consuming is the first thing that came to my mind.  But as always I think that the extra effort pays off.  And to be honest, I don't put a lot on a cupcake so a little confetti goes a long way.  

I will be taking cupcakes to a few wedding showers soon.  I saw these glittery hearts on pinterest and so made a few.  

These would also work for a shower

Got a little crazy with the confetti.  I returned to office max after buying the regular hole punch to get the heart version. The tiny ones are from that, whereas the larger ones were cut with a fondant cutter (mini cookie cutter).

And my washi tape obsession continues

No offering of cupcakes is complete without a good cookies and cream frosting atop it.

And I added this one to show that presentation can be as simple as a little lemon zest

I believe that presentation matters which is why I put effort into that aspect of my cupcakes.  

I hope you all are enjoying this long weekend.  So nice to have 3 days to play!!

Michele