23a...

Well we now have a finished Cubby and one very happy nearly 3 year old...

It's pirate mayhem around our place today, the oven is warming and I am about to start making the cupcakes and chocolate crackles. No lolly bags this year, but I am going to try and do some pirate inspired gingerbread men for the kids to take home, wish me luck ;)

Bel x

Introducing... Enticing Icing

Hi All

Well I have been dying to share with you my new ETSY store but have just been waiting until I had everything up and running just right, so without further ado I would like to introduce you to Enticing Icing ...
I have always loved baking and making desserts (something I get from my nan) but I was looking for a way to take my cakes to the next level when I discovered how to make sugar creations and the ideas have blossomed from there.
Hopefully I will be able to help the everyday cook turn there cupcakes and desserts into something extra special too :)
Please take the time to have a look around my website, I would love any feedback and suggestions or if you have a party theme or idea you would like to bring to life please just send me an email

Hope you enjoy my goodies as much as I have had the fun making them

Bel xx

p.s Stay tuned for the giveaway of all giveaways (I will be back hopefully in the next few days with all the details)

Bigger than Ben Hur...

I am sure than is what Brad thinks everytime I have an idea and I do admit I tend to get a bit carried away some times (ok a lot of the time) Anyway we have been talking forever about building Saxon a cubby house in the backyard but I guess with all my talk of needed it to be two stories with a sandpit, a fort and matching flags with the boys names on them I totally freaked poor Brad out and the topic has been mentioned less and less. But on a recent trip to Bunnings we were lucky enough to find a cute little cottage cubby house selling for a bargain price so Brad had no choice, especially as Sax is turning 3 next week to give in to us :)

So it has got a little out of hand (the letter box and garden bed went in today) but Sax absolutely loves it and I am sure that he and Xavier are going to get hours of fun playing in the yard :) and it was so nice to just spend the whole weekend together outside doing stuff (even Xav had a ball)
I will share a completed picture (unfortunately I didn't check the camera today and took a whole heap of pics without the memory card in)

Have a great week, its all pirate party planning mode here

Bel x

It's well and truly started...

Well the new year in our house finally felt like it has kicked off this week. Hubby went back to work and the boys and I are slowly finding our routine again after 3 weeks of taking it day by day. The cartoons were back on at breakfast time and the fights over afternoon naps started up again :(

Not as much was achieved as I would have liked over the last few weeks but it did give me time to just hang out with my boys and re access things a little bit more. Life sure does change when its not just yourself to think about when making plans for the future that's for sure!

I did get the chance to do a bit more baking and these Crunchy Ginger Toffee Biscuits were a huge hit at our place :)To keep those missing daddy tears away yesterday we spent the morning out on the back deck. Sax doing some painting and stamping...and Xav doing his current favorite past time, eating. Frozen Blueberries were a big hit yesterday.
Planning has started for the next BrisStyle market on March 6th and I also have some exciting new's I hope to share with you in the next week or so about some new products I will have on offer and maybe a giveaway too ;)

Till then, relax and enjoy. I am off to bake a batch of freckle star bickies for playgroup tomorrow ;)

Bel x

Happy New Year!

The last few days has brought on lots of reflection, 10 years ago on New Years Eve we celebrated a very different night to the quite night in (with hopefully sleeping babies) we face tonight. So much has changed in our lives over the past few years, the biggest being we are now parents to two amazing little boys.

DH and I have been talking a lot over the last few days about what the upcoming year will hold for us. I am not one for resolutions although I would like to try and get a bit fitter and maybe loose some of those baby pounds in 2010 ;) and as a family hopefully we can all learn to relax a little more and enjoy life

Something that does bring a smile to my face is baking for the ones closest to me and I received a very beautiful cupcake, cheesecake and cookie book from a very dear friend for Christmas and have delighted in making a few recipes come to life in the last few days (not something to help with the resolution but all in moderation I reckon ;). One of which being these amazing Passionfruit Short breads... Yum!
What does the new year mean for you? What ever you are doing tonight have a great one, be safe and hug those closest to you

Love Bel ♥

All wrapped up

Well I finished wrapping the last of the Christmas pressies last night and I would love to say the majority of them are handmade but this year I am sad to say that not many are. The boys (both mine and Em's) do have a little robot and matching T-shirt from the panel of fabric I brought from the girls at Selvedge House but that is about it.

Luckily my brother came to the rescue and sent the boys these cool stockings he made to filled by Santa ;)
And I did make a little handmade gift this week, a good friend of ours gave birth to a beautiful little girl Jorja Sophia so I quickly appliqued some singlets to add to her pressie. I am pretty happy with how they came out (just don't look to closely at the heart ;)
Hope you are enjoying the silly season, we are counting down till DH finishes work at lunchtime tomorrow for Christmas Holidays

Bel x

Where do the days go?

This seems to be the question I keep asking myself lately, there just never seems to be enough hours in the day to get all the things done that I would like to do. I know I say it every year but maybe 2010 will be better? What do you think?

We have had a fun week though. Last weekend we meet up with some friends who have a little boy the same age as Sax (he is just 1 day older!) and we took the boys bowling. A great night was had by all, although one game really is long enough for a two nearly three year old's attention span ;)
We also had my husbands nieces birthday party, and being a true girly girl and a bit of a shopaholic I made her a shoe cupcake tower and some cute little butterfly mini cupcakes for the kids. The butterfly's are printed on rice paper with edible ink and were SO effective. I cant wait to try out the blue ones I have as well. You can find the Butterflies for sale here
We also started Xav on solids this week. He LOVES his rice cereal, but isn't too keen on having anything added to it and Watermelon and Rockmelon have also been big hits in this hot weather
Well another day has disappeared before my eyes so I better go and get some sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow

Cant wait until Christmas when we can spend some time at home hanging out doing nothing

Have a great week, Bel x