About Me

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antrim, antrim, Ireland
Hello and welcome to my blog. If you like flowers and gardens, housey stuff, food and banter, then this is the place for you. I am a decorative artist, florist and maker of things. I sell painted furniture, plants and crafts, through a local retail shop, in my native Ireland, and wedding flowers from home. I am married to a lovely patient man and have a smashing little girl. I blog for the fun of it. Thank you for listening.

Saturday 30 April 2011

Lucky me!



 I can't believe it, I have won the fabulous giveaway fom Wendz at http://15coastroad.blogspot.com/. I am so thrilled because I just love Wendy's blog and the beautiful things she makes on Etsy. Thankyou so much Wendy.

In my last post I mentioned that I had made a flag cake for my sister's Royal tea-party. Here it is .....






 I adapted the recipe from the barefoot contessa's flag cake, which is a bigger rectangular cake with the stars and stripes on it. Mine is a little squashed up, but nevertheless I was pleased with it. I used an image that I got from the graphics fairy , printed it, then backed it with card. I added 2 florists wires to the back, which were covered in florist tape and then stuck in to the cake. I had a lovely time at my sisters tea-party watching the Royal Wedding. It was wonderful, the couple so happy and relaxed, despite the enormous pressure on them. I loved the trees in the Abbey, that was a touch of genius, it just softened the whole image. A lovely day. I hope that you enjoyed your day too?





Thought I would just let you see how my garden is coming along. I took these photos last weekend, but since then everything has really moved on with all this lovely weather we've been having. I had thought that just one variety of tulip had come up, but in fact both of them did. The pink one is Angelique and the red is Wirosa. I had read that if you plant them a little later like December (I planted mine at the very end of December) they avoid the worst of wind and rain and don't get decimated. Well these have been an absolute delight, the stems are really thick and strong and the hardest thing has been for me not to cut them and bring them in to the house! Next year I will plant extra. We got a new crabapple tree, but I don't know what type it is. The blossom are a deeper pink than our other one. My husband is not too keen on jam, but loves my crabapple and clove jelly, so I will be able to make a bigger batch this year.

I finish with two beautiful floral images from the graphics fairy. I love this site, she has some absolutely wonderful images that we can all use. Please do pop in and see for yourself by clicking on the above link.


I think that these would make the most lovely front cover of a menu for a summer garden party or wedding. Have a lovely weekend, with loved ones, family and friends. Love Linda x

15 comments:

  1. What a magnificent cake..I love the idea of using berries for the red and blue..very clever. You certainly received the most beautiful giveaway presents too. By the way I absolutely loved the wedding it was everything I hoped it would be and I loved the sincerity and happiness of Kate and William.

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  2. Won even, check your spelling Linda. :) It was certainly a wonderful day yesterday, love the cake. I spent the majority of the day in front of the television, a rare event for me, but it did mean I got the ironing pile down to nothing. Have a good weekend.

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  3. Your cake looks delicious - its making me hungry! Nice blog.
    Liz

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  4. Lucky you indeed, that's a great stash of things to win.
    I agree, I also really liked the trees at the Abbey yesterday and I'm very impressed with that cake - I bet it was as delicious as it looks.
    x

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  5. Your garden certainly is looking lovely at the moment, and I love the colours! Well done you on winning that wonderful giveaway! Must have made your day. The cake looks very yummy, and I'm sure everyone really enjoyed eating it! Enjoy the rest of the weekend my friend.

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  6. Linda, that cake is sensational! I wish I had thought of that...we went to a garden party right after the wedding and the lady there had a small wedding cake with figurines of Will and Kate! Your cake would have been a lovely contribution...Robx

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  7. Thank you so much for visiting my blog, lovely to discover you. Love your Union Jack cake so much, So amazing and talented. Cake making is so not my speciality.Well done with winning a give-away, I haven't won one yet. boo.
    Take care for now, Becca

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  8. That is the best cake ever. Trade you an American posy for a slice?

    xo Jane

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  9. Well done on the giveaway! The cake is fabulous! It really was a lovely day! Cx

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  10. Oh wow, that cake looks both amazing and delicious!! I love it. Wasn't that wedding the sweetest?!
    Thank you for your congratulations on creJJtion :-). Have a lovely Sunday,
    Maaike

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  11. Wow, I love that cake! A real piece of artwork. And my, how beautiful your garden is :) I, too, loved those trees in the Abbey. It was a wonderful day, wasn't it?

    Thank you for linking up to Post Of The Month Club! XOL

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  12. Glorious cake!
    I'm sure it's delicious, luv Ina's recipe!

    xo*

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  13. Hi Linda, that blossom picture you have in your sidebar is amazing by the way...
    Thank you for your lovely comment on our engagement! Well we are on cloud 9, but sometimes we get off it when it comes to all the organisation and planning. But well, he is after all The great guy I am going to marry, so cloud 9 it is :-).
    Have a wonderful day, love Maaike

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  14. How I wish my house is next to you...so I can have a taste of your fabulous cake:)

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