Birthday Baking and Digital Scrapbooking

I have great memories of the birthday cakes my Mum made me as a child. Mum still is a wonderful baker, and while I enjoy cooking, I don’t do much baking.

I have a confession – I have NEVER made a birthday cake for any of my children…..they have always been bought. My excuse is that I could not recreate the beauty of a Winne the Pooh Cake, Disney Cars, Me to You Bear or whatever the latest trend my kids love/watch on TV.

Reality is, baking cakes scare me.

So today, in preparation for my son’s 4th birthday this weekend, we “baked” together, because as far as my kids are concerned, melting chocolate is baking!

We made the ubiquitous Top Hats – are these a world-wide phenomenon? My son insisted in calling the marshmallows mushrooms (now there is a bun I would not fancy trying – mushrooms dipped in chocolate with smarties and sprinkles!).

I hope you can tell that he did these all by himself (!) – and we are taking 30 in for his class and teachers tomorrow, in case you are thinking we have to eat these all by ourselves!

We also made cornflake crispie buns with the left over melted chocolate

before we ventured into a new realm of baking adventures – decorating a cake!

I bought a chocolate cake and we proceeded to decorate it – much fun was had, and I tried to control my OCD by allowing him to help!

When one of my daughters arrived home – she proclaimed in amazement when she saw the cake “Mum – you NEVER let us bake a cake – but you have just made one.” I reassured her that I had NOT baked this, but just decorated it, which is closer to baking round here than usual.

Mum-guilt however is rearing it’s ugly head, and I think I really will need to do some actual baking for my daughters’ birthdays in December.

So todays Show and Tell is my ‘non-baking’ baking!- Not quite a conventional Show and Tell, but I hope you enjoyed it.

Here is the birthday boy – this is the digital scrapbooking card I have made for him.

I used Make a Wish and Spotty Dotty Alpha doodles by Kate Hadfield, and paper by Weeds & Wildflowers.

It is also my Dad’s birthday 2 days later, and here is his card, using Amid Memories by Lara Payton (the first digital kit I ever purchased, and still my favourite heritage style kit) and her new gorgeous Big Ribbon Alpha.

If you are interested in learning more about my Digital Scrapbooking, or would like to find out more about ordering a customised card or gift, please check out my NEW LOOK J M Digital Designs. I will be posting soon with some ideas for Christmas gifts and cards and a GIVEAWAY – your chance to win a personalised card/gift. Just click on my new banner below.

Regular followers of my blog will know I have taken several on-line photography courses. As a number of us are from Northern Ireland, we have arranged a meet-up to take a few photos (or a few hundred) THIS SATURDAY so watch this space for more photos coming soon.

So that is my lot for today, for more Show and Tell be sure to visit There’s No Place Like Home.