Right, I promised that I wouldn't turn this into a photography blog - and here is the proof: My latest project. Last week I went into a few charity shops, just checking if there was anything cheap and cheerful there to transform. I came home with a little candleholder that I snapped up for € 1. I knew I was going to try and turn it into a cake stand, so I hunted for an old plate in our garden (which is where a lot of our stuff ends up - in the kids' garden house). The result is this little, romantic beauty:
Here is how I started out:
1. I cleaned the plate and candleholder thoroughly.
2. Then I gave them both a coat of red spray paint.
3. While out, charity-shop hunting, I also picked up a can of crickle paint. I always wanted to try that out - and here was the opportunity. So I applied a coat of crickle paint on the dried red spray paint. And the crickle stuff did what it said on the tin - it started crickling pretty much straight away.
4. I applied a coat of matt spray varnish to the plate and candlestick - just in case...
5. Lastly I used some silicone glue to stick the plate to the candlestick.
That was it - a rather romantic, shabby chic cake stand. I don't know, pink doesn't really feature in my decor very much, so I was not quite that happy with the outcome. If you use crickle spray, keep in mind that the cracks will show the colour you applied underneath the crickle spray - in my case red. Ah well... What do you think?
Best,
Linking to
Sorry, esteemed readers, I know this is gonna be a slightly lame post, but rather like the Queen of England the Queen of Crafts sees her calling as a duty, not just a privilege... And therefore I need to post something in the blog as it is already 7 days *gasp* since I updated last...I have actually been crafty this last week, despite having been totally stressed out with work *sigh dramatically*. Project 1 is not really finished and project 2 just doesn't really convince me. Hm. So what can I do? Maybe I can bribe you with a lovely slice of cheese cake?
The reason I am thinking a cheese cake is worthy of mention in my craft blog - apart from the fact that this is the first cheese cake that I have baked in my ten years in Ireland - is that I discovered the secret that seems to be well-kept by the world's top cheese cake bakers. I have often baked them back home where there is no shortage of what we call "Quark". No - not the formerly well-known print-layout programme nor the elementary particle, but the soft cheese which is largely unavailable in English-speaking countries. Much to my dismay. It doesn't even have a proper name in English. Well, the dictionary tells me it is called "cheese curd" - doesn't sound very appetizing... Anyway, the best boyfriend of all actually went out of his way last weekend and tracked down some Quark in a Polish shop in town. (It appears he was missing me while I was bopping away at the fantastic music festival I attended... *awwwwwwwww*) So I couldn't wait to do some baking with it. However, the tricky bit with this cake is that the top of it usually caves in after you take it out of the oven as the filling consists of a fluffy mixture of eggs, aforementioned Quark, butter, flour, sugar and milk. But it came out beautifully and did not cave in.And here is the best kept secret: While baking the cake, take it out of the oven exactly at half time. Use a knife to cut between the tin and the cake. Leave it to stand outside the oven for 5 minutes - and then bake 'til the end. That will do the trick. Don't spread the secret any further - just bask in the glory!Enjoy!
PS: Want the recipe? Send me a message or comment!
