Posts Categorized: DIY

DIY Wedding Cake Class in London with Restoration Cake

Posted by & filed under Cakes + Sweet Treats, DIY.

A while ago I was lucky enough to be introduced to Charlotte White from Restoration Cake, a very glamorous all round cakey lady who is utterly charming and so very good at what she does. She has now decided to share this talent of hers with brides to be, by launching the ‘Wedding Cake 101′ class for brides to DIY their own wedding cake for their big day.

I would assume any brides out there who are looking to DIY their own cake it’s not only to learn, or have the sense of achievement and to have fun with it but also to save on costs. This class unlike many others is under £100 and as well as being kind to the purse it’s also kind with your time at just 3 hours!

The class is taught by Charlotte (above), who is genuinely passionate about helping DIY brides create something special and professional for their own wedding. She will be there to provide you with friendly guidance and advice on making your cake with her knowledge and experience she will share with you tips so you can avoid any mishaps in the kitchen – you even get given a special hotline number afterwards just in case! I like that Charlotte’s first hand experience means she can appreciate the pressure and emotions brides go through with this process as has been one herself!

Students will have the confidence to create a gorgeous and professional looking wedding cake, with a few insider tips on how to decorate their cake beautifully. Charlotte says “Most of the Brides who tell me that they plan to make their own Wedding Cake say that they are confident of their baking ability but that their cake design won’t be as professional looking as mine – I want to demystify the tricks that I use to create beautiful tiered cakes.” 

In Wedding Cake 101 brides will learn how to achieve a perfect finish when covering cakes in fondant icing, how to ‘dowel’ the lower tiers to ensure that the cake can be stacked safely, and how to create decoration with basic piping techniques, fondant flowers, and ribbons. At the end of the class, each student will leave with their own beautiful two-tiered cake and a factsheet containing each technique covered in the class.

The class is held at The Edward Woods Community Centre in Shepherd’s Bush (less than 5 minutes walk from Westfield Shopping Centre) and is £90 per person (including all materials and equipment.
The dates for the classes are Tuesday 8th January (starting at 6pm so no need to take time off work!) and also on Saturday 23rd February (2pm). For more information and to book your place on the course visit the Restoration Cake website: www.restorationcake.co.uk

With all the ‘why don’t you bake more’ quotes I’ve been receiving lately, I think Mr London Bride would rather like me to go on this course…!

 

DIY 2-way ombre tassle by Berinmade

Posted by & filed under Decoration + Details, Design & Inspiration, DIY, Pretty Paper.

Tassles are so hip right now [no, not those kind of tassles, well unless that's your thing?] so I’ve got a rather fab DIY ombre* tassle tutorial to share with you today, or rather two tutorials – even better! Whether it’s for a ceremonial send off for your wedding day, decorations for a hen party or maybe just to prettify your home, these sweet and simple tutorials by the oh-so-talented and crafty Erin from Berinmade [she also does the prettiest stationery, go check her out!] are a great way of adding colour.

This versatile DIY rests on one easy concept of making a tassel that can be used in more than one way. It’s partly inspired by the fabulousness that is Confetti System, and also the ombre trend which is picking up again in time for summer! Tassels are oh-so-festive and are perfect for any outdoor and garden affairs as well as the DIY-savvy brides!

Part 1: Making a Tassel

A simple tassel can be used for a ceremony send-off down the aisle. Here is your list of supplies:

- Tissue paper (which can be bought at Paperchase for £2.50 a pop)
- Gold/Silver Pipe Cleaners
- Jute String/Beige Rubber Bands
- Scissors

1. Stack 4/5 pieces of tissue paper and cut out a rectangle. The height should be twice as long as you’d like the tassle to be (mine, about 10 inches) and the width about 1/3 of its length (mine about >3 inches).

2. Fold in half, and cut strands of your tassel from the open end up to the folded end, stopping at about 1 inches of the fold. Thick strands give a substantial feel that is perfect for backdrops, and thinner strands are airier and “fluffier”.

3. Still laying the tissues “at, slip a finger into each end of the fold.

4. Bunch up the centre (the uncut bits), whilst still making sure that the strands don’t shift.

5. Twist the centre as if ringing a towel. The twist is what gives the tassel its “magic”, when you twist, you will see the strands curl up.

6. Continue twisting, and bring the twisted part to a loop. Tie up with jute string or rubber bands. Don’t worry too much about the bands showing, as when the tassels are shaken, they will hide the tied part. Now shake it to wake it!

7. To make a tassel for send off, thread your pipe cleaner through the loop and twist upon itself. Voila!

Part 2: Making a backdrop

Making a backdrop is easy but just requires a bit more patience and perhaps best made with a troop of bridesmaids/friends! The great thing about this backdrop is that it is collapsable and light to carry.

Extra Supplies needed:
- Superglue
- MDF beams

1. The backdrop is constructed by “beams” going across which will be hidden when the backdrop is done. In that sense, we don’t need to worry too much about their colour (although neutral is always best). You can order MDF beams on websites such as MDF Cut To Size which will also deliver them to your door.

Order the width as you’d like the width of your backdrop, then order the “height” and thickness in 15mm.
Line up your beams on the “floor parallel to each other. The space between them should measure about 1 inch less that the height of your tassel (so that the row above would hide the loop of the tassels below.)

2. Keeping in mind the spacing, double knot your jute string near the end of the beam (about 1 inch away from the edge), and after fastening, apply a bit of superglue to make sure the knot doesn’t shift.

3. Repeat on each beam until you reach the end, leaving a generous amount to trail off. This is the top of your backdrop and the end will be used for hanging.

4. Thread your tassels in, one colour on each beam. My backdrop measures 27 x 15inches and has 10 tassels on each beam.

When you finish flling the frame with tassels, complete the backdrop by fastening the other side with jute string (steps 2-3). Hang the backdrop by two nails on the wall!

So there you go! Seriously pretty and colourful decorations for so many uses [also thinking on backs of chairs, pew ends, the options are endless!]. Thanks again to the clever lady behind this Erin, who is founder and illustrator of BerinMade Illustrator Paper Goods, an Etsy shop based out of London, UK specialising in wedding stationery, pretty paper things and custom craft supplies for weddings and beyond. Check out her website [www.berinmade.com/wedding) and blog (www.berinmade.com/blog].

Do let me know if you think you’ll be giving it a go… go get your craft on!

*I know I know it’s a widely over-used term on wedding blogs, but well, it’s kind of the only way to describe it!