Business Time // Southern Crafters Market

Yes...this post title does sound familiar!! I have just attended another Southern Crafters market here in Invercargill. It wasn't as busy as the first one but it was still pretty good!!

I thought I'd share some photos of my stall. I was really proud of it this time, I put a lot of thought into my display and  think it paid off! I ordered a banner off Vsitaprint and am stoked with how it came out - its huge! I got lots of nice comments so that was cool.

I made 8 flavours of cupcakes (lemon blossom, candy floss, double choc, carrot cake, malty milkshake, rainbow vanilla, peachy bellini and cherry bomb) a chocolate raspberry brownie & gluten free blueberry & lemon friands. Yum!

I made all my business cards myself, as well as the price lists and the cupcake menu's (I'm so pleased with the menu's! They work really well!)

Another exciting thing - my lovely friend Laura made me a website!! So check out Sequin Corner Cakes on the web - www.sequincornercakes.com - she's added all my prices and photos which is pretty cool!

Do you guys have any little businesses on the side? Do you have a stall at a local market?

Outfit Post // City meets the Forest

 Black Blazer - Jay Jays, Grey Denim Shirt - The Warehouse,  

Silver Leaf Necklace - Pagani, Black Jeans - Melbourne,  

Grey  & Black Leather Shoes - No. 1 Shoe Warehouse

Here are some outfit photos I took the other weekend in Te Anau. My boyfriend was playing in a golf tournament up there so I tagged along as I wanted  to have a look around, I haven't been to Te Anau since I was about 10 so it's changed a bit!

I spent the weekend drinking coffee in a local cafe, sitting down by the lake with a magazine in the sunshine (between rain showers!) and driving to Lake Manapouri for a look.

We had dinner at  a cool Italian restaurant called La Toscana - garlic bread, 2 mains and 2 desserts for $45, pretty good deal!! 

I found a little track at Lake Manapouri and took my camera & tripod with me to take some photos. It's so pretty!! Sunlight was filtering through the leaves and a wood pigeon was flying around the tree tops. Plus there was no one else around, it was so nice and quiet.

I tried to pack light for the weekend, I took my mini suitcase with me and a couple of changes of clothes. Although it's Spring here now it was pretty wintry! There were a few snow and hail showers so I was glad I packed jeans, jerseys and my blazer. This black blazer is my new favourite thing! I love wearing it to work and it was perfect for a weekend away as I could layer it up over things (like the dark denim shirt I'm wearing) and it kept everything looking tidy. 

I've been pretty busy lately, every weekend in November I have something on and December is filling up fast too! I can't believe how close to Christmas it is, are any of you guys getting organised yet??

Recipe Post // Blueberry Pancakes

I kind of treat baking as an experiment. I know some people say you should follow the recipe to the letter - but there's so many variables! I quite often change recipes slightly to get a better result, or just make them up from scratch - like this one!

One of my favourite cafes in Dunedin makes amazing pancakes. Like, plate sized pancakes! Filled with chopped fruit (watermelon, apples, bananas, grapes...whatever is available) and yoghurt. Capers was always the first stop for a tasty hungover breakfast on a Sunday morning when I was a student. 

So, I experimented. I had to have a go at making these at home! After multiple attempts (and a few fails!) this is my recipe. They turn out like giant pikelets, kind of cake-like in texture. I hope you'll give them a try on a lazy Sunday morning one weekend!

Blueberry Pancakes

 50g Butter, melted
1 1/2 C Plain Flour
1 Egg
 1/4 C Sugar
1 C Milk
3 t Baking Powder
Blueberries

Melt butter in a bowl in the microwave. 
Add all the other ingredients and whisk/beat with an electric mixer unti all combined. 
Heat a frying pan & grease with a touch of butter.
Scoop 1/3 C lots of batter into the pan and spread out slightly until about 7mm thick. Drop 5 or so blueberries on top of the pancake. 
When the pancake starts to bubble and turn matt, flip it over.

I stack mine up with Greek yoghurt and sliced bananas inbetween, sift over some icing sugar and then douse the whole thing in maple syrup. YUM!!

I hope you enjoy my pancake recipe! What is your favourite weekend breakfast meal to make?

Outfit Post // Going Aztec

 Velvet Blazer - Temt in Melbourne, T-shirt w a tail - Cotton On, Aztec Skirt - Kmart,  

Black Fringe Boots - Butterfly Hospice Shop, Dunedin

It has been a while! I can't even use the excuse of being ridiculously busy, it's been the complete opposite. The last few weekends have been spent lounging on the couch, relaxing by the lake in Cromwell and hanging with my family in Dunedin.

But anyway, I finally have an outfit post for you! I wore this to work about Wednesday last week. Usually I stick to black and white for work. Even though I don't always wear the most office-friendly outfits, I try to stick with this colour scheme to at least keep it a little bit tidy!

The velvet blazer is a well-worn favourite. It makes an appearance at least twice a week in my work outfits! I bought it in Melbourne in May and it's been a great investment. The Aztec patterned skirt was a cheap buy from Kmart last Summer, I can't wait to wear it again during the warmer weather as a comfortable alternative to shorts!

Oh and the boots! These boots caught my eye at the Hospice shop in Dunedin last weekend. They are a size 7 (I'm usually a 5 or 6) so I almost didn't try them on....but I did! And they fitted me perfectly! Plus they were only $5. I can't wait to wear them in Summer, I feel like I need to find a music festival to attend just so I can dance around in the dust with them!

Have you found any amazing items lately? Especially ones you can't wait to wear for the new seasons we're heading into?

Business Time // Southern Crafters Market

A couple of weeks ago I had a stall at one of the biggest markets down South - The Southern Crafters Market. It was held in the Velodrome which was pretty cool! I spent the 2 weeks before the market getting everything ready - planning my cupcake flavours, practising my stall set up and buying all the little bits and pieces I needed for the weekend. 

I was up the Friday night before the market until 4am baking and decorating cupcakes and then 2am the Saturday night! It was well worth it though, I managed to sell everything I made and I ran out of business cards and price lists to give to people. I got some awesome feedback about my stall set up too, so even though I was a bit of a Zombie by the end of it I was feeling pretty happy!!

I'm loving the community feel of the markets down here, everyone is so friendly and helpful (I'm always running out of change and asking people to swap me all their coins!)

I hope you've all been having a good month or so, I'm hoping to be able to fit some outfit posts in soon now that it's almost spring and the days are getting longer!

Outfit Post // Leopard to the Max

Denim jacket - Recycle Boutique, Leopard Maxi Skirt - Cotton On,  

Black Wedges - The Warehouse, Turqouise Earrings - Diva

Ahhh patience - sometimes it pays to be patient! I saw this maxi skirt at Cotton On a few months ago, at the time I didn't want to spend $40 on it, so I waited....and picked it up the other day for $10. Bargain! 

I love clothes that can be worn in multiple seasons. I can't wait to eventually go travelling (I've been meaning to since I left polytech, that was 5 years ago now!) and I'm forever buying clothes I can imagine wearing in far off places like wandering through markets in Morocco or drinking coffee in a cafe in Paris. I can't wait to wear this skirt in summer with a bright singlet top and some strappy sandals!

Hopefully soon I'll get a chance to post some of my work outfits, not just my weekend ones! There's a bit of difference between the two. Hope you're having a great start to your week!

 

Business Time! // Sequin Corner Market Stall

I mentioned a little while ago I was taking part in some local markets selling cupcakes. So far I've had a stall at 3 monthly markets and it's going pretty good!! (please ignore the unironed table cloth!!)

I thought I would share some photos from the market I had a stall at today. It was a quiet day, although with the temperature still at -3C at 12pm I can understand why people didn't want to venture out! I had 7 cupcake flavours today - Candy Floss, Pumpkin Spice, Double Choc, Orange Sherbet, Banoffee and Peanut Butter, plus a chocolate raspberry brownie. Yum!

The hardest part of having a stall has been figuring out how to display everything nicely. I love stalls that are dotted with different cake stands, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on them plus drive them around all over the place. From my days as a Chef at a cafe I know how the Health Officials like all food to be covered so when I found these plastic stands I thought they would be perfect! Add in some cheap plastic food trays and I'm good to go.

I designed all my packaging labels and used my home printer to print them all out. One day when I'm rolling in dough (heh) I'll probably get stickers made but these will do for now!

I hope you enjoyed this little sneak-peak into my cupcake venture. I have a couple more markets this month, including a big 2 day one which should be interesting! In 2 weeks I'll be going road tripping to Lumsden (about an hour from Invercargill) to have a stall at a market there, then again in august to Arrowtown (near Queenstown) so I'll be all over the place!

Drink it // Mexican Hot Chocolate

With a chill in the air and a good frost most mornings, Winter has definitely arrived in the South! My nightly routine now involves copious amounts of warm drinks and sitting in front of the fire to keep warm....and not much else, honestly!

I like to buy those tiny bottles of spirits from the liquor store. I use them for cupcakes usually, but occasionally they make their way into a hot chocolate or coffee.

In the weekend I tried out a Mexican Hot Chocolate. Follow my instructions below to make your own!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

Milk (Yep - that's zero latose milk, so good!!)

Tequila

Hot Chocolate Powder

Chili Powder

Cinnamon

1. Heat milk, add chocolate powder, then use a frother on it. Alternatively, use a coffee machine to steam your milk.

2. Add 1/2 a shot (or more if you want!) tequila to your cup.

2. Add in your steamed/frothed milk.

4. Sprinkle with a pinch of chili powder, a pinch of cinnamon and some more chocolate powder. 

I served mine with a couple of pieces of chocolate on the side, marshmallows just didn't seem right! This is perfect to warm you up on a cold night - don't go overboard on the tequila as it could be overpowering. Half a shot seemed just right for mine, I personally wouldn't add anymore than that!

I hope this gives you a nifty idea to jazz up your hot drinks. Even just a pinch of chili powder and a bit of cinnamon on it's own would be enough to make it extra special. Enjoy!

Outfit Post // Leopard & Rust

 Orange Jersey - Cotton On, Grey Long T - Cotton On,  

Leopard Leggings - Kmart, Grey Uggs - The Warehouse,  

Turquoise Earrings - Diva

I've been squeezing in a few road trips to Dunedin lately. Between markets and my new job I've tried to scoot up there to catch up with family and friends as much as possible. 

I have a little routine on my drive up there. I fill up the car the Friday night before and pack my bag. On Saturday morning all I have to do is throw my bag in the car and go. It's about 2 and a half hours to Dunedin from Invercargill, I usually stop in Gore for a coffee and a snack at a Cafe or Bakery. For the rest of the trip I turn the radio up and sing my head off all the way to Dunedin.

My favourite driving outfit in winter is a cosy jersey, leggings and my slippers. I picked up this rusty orange jersey from Cotton On a week ago, I love it so much I went back to see if they had more in different colours! Cotton On is a bit of a mess at the best of times though, so I had no luck in half a lunch break. next time!

The temperature has certainly dropped here. While Invercargill has missed the snow so far, there's been constant frost on the ground for the last couple of days. The car was already frozen at 8pm tonight so the trip to work tomorrow could be a fun one!


How are you all going? Any new exciting blog posts I need to check out? Hope you've all been keeping warm or enjoying the sunshine wherever you are!

The Cupcake Files // Candy Floss Cupcakes

Since I moved to Invercargill I had been thinking about having a cupcake stall at a local market. At least once a week for the last few months I've been coming up with & trialling new cupcake flavours. I thought I would share some of them on my blog, because it is a big part of my life now and this blog is a little slice of my life, right?

I have decided not to share my exact cupcake recipe. I know that seems kind of mean, but I have adapted one I found & turned it into my own recipe which produces the type of cupcake I want to be known for. I've learnt some tips though that I'll share;

1. Don't over mix! It's the same idea as muffins, if you over mix they will be dry & tough.

2. You don't have to bake a filling into the cupcake. Cook it, scoop out the centre & fill with jam, frosting, curd or cream - yum!

3. An ice cream scoop is your friend - you will end up with evenly sized cupcakes - uniform is good!

So these are my candy floss cupcakes. All you have to do is...

a) Make up a basic vanilla cupcake mix. 

b) Before baking add approx 2 cups of candy floss - pulled into small tufts. Gently fold through -  don't mix until whole batter is pink, just until you have swirls of pink through it.

c) Bake cupcakes as per recipe.

d) Frost with candy floss frosting detailed below.

Candy Floss Frosting

115g Butter, softened

1 t Vanilla

60ml Milk

500g Icing Sugar
1 C Candy Floss

Add butter, vanilla & half of icing sugar to a bowl. Place candy floss in a separate bowl & pour milk over - this will melt it. Add candy floss milk to other frosting ingredients & beat until fluffy. Add remaining icing sugar & beat through. Fill a piping bag with frosting & pipe onto cupcakes. I used a 2D tip for these cupcakes.

I recently made some of these for a 7 year olds birthday party! I sprinkled them with a little edible glitter to give them some sparkle. What do you think?

 

Outfit Post // Grey Skies & Skeleton Leaves

Grey & Black Dress - The Warehouse, Fleece Lined Tights - Razzamatazz, Ankle Boots - Cotton On, Grey Scarf - Uproar (H & J Smith), Leaf Skeleton Earrings - Gift
 

So with a new job comes a slight change in wardrobe. I've gone from a Retail Salesperson where I got to wear what ever I wanted basically, to a corporate environment where I'm still trying to figure out the dress code.

I've had a thing for long sleeved dresses for awhile. My first was a black one with sequins all over it - the perfect NY's or birthday dress. This one is a recent purchase - I love the pattern, it's a good length & I can layer a singlet & tights under it. The boots were a good find in Melbourne a month ago - not too high & still pretty comfortable after a full day of wearing them.

I'm loving all the leaf-covered things that have been around this Autumn. I actually got given my earrings a couple of years ago but have been wearing them no-stop lately. My scarf was a purchase from my last job & it also has a leaf pattern on the bottom bit.

What have you been wearing all autumn? Or if it's Spring where you are - are you pulling out all your flower-patterned dresses?

Outfit Post // Shades of Autumn

Hey guys! I'm back!! I had to take a bit of an unscheduled break. I suppose I should fill you in - last time I posted I had lost my job & was searching for a new one. Well, I found one! A part time position in a Streetwear store. It was fun! Store discount, working with cool people, cheap lunches - it was nice to be working among people again. 

Unfortunately the hours weren't quite enough to pay the bills, so I was hoping something else would come along & it did! I just started a new job as a Building Consents Processing Officer (sounds fancy) at my local Council. It's pretty full on, but I'm learning heaps & I love how I'm getting to use my drafting background in a way that isn't drawing plans all day!

Dress - Ladakh (from Uproar in Invercargill), Denim Jacket - Recycle Boutique, Orange Scarf - Cotton On, Tights - Razzamatazz (won them),  
Wedge Heel Boots - The Warehouse

So! My outfit - I actually wore this to the last market I sold cupcakes at (I've done 2 so far - more on that later!) I bought the dress as a birthday present to myself - I love the combination of orange & purple, 2 of my favourites. The denim jacket has been in my wardrobe for a couple of years but I've hardly worn it, I just re-discovered it a few months ago & I've been struggling to take it off!

My scarf collection has basically doubled in the last month or so (using that discount!) I love this orange one for another pop of colour. My boss at my retail job had these gorgeous leopard print boots in the same style as these ones - I was so jealous of them although I'm more of a plain boot kinda  girl at heart. I feel so me in this outfit - it's not my usual black & grey but it's still me. It's nice!

So how are you? What's been happening? I finally have interent again at my house (ridiculous mission trying to change from a business line to a personal one - not fun!) so here's to more blogging & catching up on everything!

Life Lately // The End of Something & New Beginnings

So I had a pretty crappy start to my week. For a start I hit a kitty while driving home from Dunedin to Invercargill. The poor thing had no chance and the plastic cover that sits above my wheel came off too! So I had a little cry on the side of the road & my Dad came and checked my car was ok to drive home. Argh!

On Monday I found out work had dried up on the architectural draughting front and it was time to find a new job. So I've spent the last couple of days handing out my CV all over town. Fingers crossed for good news soon!

Well now I've got the crappy bit out of the way. But there is always a silver lining! (a 'sparkley' lining??) I've been working on my packaging & flavour ideas for my cupcakes. I've been getting a few orders lately so that's been great & I've been getting a bit of pocket money! Today I had a meeting with a guy from the council to talk about what I need to do if I sell cupcakes at markets. He was really friendly and helpful so I'm feeling excited about what I could get up to there! You can check out all my flavour ideas on my Facebook page for Sequin Corner!

I hope you have all had a great week so far, hopefully by next week I will have heard back from a few places about jobs and will possibly have some interviews lined up. Positive thinking is the way to go!