CAKE, BAKE & SWEETS SHOW

Pweh. March has been a busy month. I felt like this weekend was non-stop, but it was a lot of fun so I'm not complaining. 

The weekend kicked off at The Cake, Bake and Sweets Show in Homebush. I'd been looking forward to this for ages, so I was up bright and early to get ready. I had planned on going alone, but I managed to talk Benny P into coming with me - something he instantly regretted once he saw how few other males were in the line to get in. 

We arrived early to beat the crowds - this was our first mistake! Next time I go to a show, I'll definitely be going a bit later. Everyone had the same idea, so the lines were massive. 

Once inside, it was all worth it! We were handed a goodie bag from Bonne Maman upon walking in, and then I spotted a gorgeous cake buffet, totally decked out with a strawberry shortcake theme. It was stunning!

I'd definitely like to give this a try myself! I'm not sure who this set up was by, so if anyone reading this is aware, please do let me know in the comments below. Or send me an email!

Next I came across a candy bar with a completely different theme, but just as good looking. I loved the labels on everything - I'm a self confessed fussy eater so my pet hate at parties is not knowing whats in the food being handed out. This candy bar was by El Evento, you can find out more about them here.  

After looking at the first few tents, Mr B left me to my own devices while he went to watch a cooking show (I'm hoping he's going to surprise me and cook me whatever it was he learnt that hour one night this week!). 

There were a number of stalls selling decorating products, some cheaper than others. I did buy a few things, including a couple versions of 'The Mat'. If you haven't heard, these are a new kind of mat that you can roll fondant onto, without needing any cornflour. I can't wait to try it out and see if my fondant rolls off as easily as it did in the demonstrations. Things always look easier than they are! I bought a cake leveller too so I can have a second attempt at making an ombre cake.

Once all the shopping was done, I came across this set up, created by Cakes by Joanna. I love the blue with accents of pink, and the set up in general. 

These amazing cakes were some of the finalists in the competitions running over the weekend. There was an open category and a wedding category. It's amazing what some people can come up with!

These three cakes below were all by Shannon Wee. I'm a sucker for anything sweet or pretty, so these were definitely up the top of my favourites list. Click here to have a look at more gorgeous designs on her website. 

Hopefully I'll get some time this weekend to try out some of the new products I bought!

Love from,

Emma Lou x 

TRAVEL TRAIL: LIVERPOOL

Whether you know it for their football team, or The Beetles who once called it home, Liverpool is a pretty cool place to visit. 

A hub of activity during the industrial revolution, Liverpool's port made it a great spot for trade and activity. Although the city has come along way since then, aspects of the old city live on. 

We spent two days in Liverpool. We arrived in the afternoon, and had just missed a massive storm that was passing through England. But unsurprisingly, it started to rain as soon as we got off the bus! I managed to snap a few good pics before it completely bucketed down, but anyone who is on a tour will know how hard it is to keep up with a tour guide and take photos at the same time!

With what daylight was left, myself and everyone else on the tour was introduced to Cavern Club in Matthew Street. Any avid Beetles fans will know just how big a role this club played in their rise to fame. There's plenty of paraphernalia on the street walls to entertain music fans, and you can even stop and have a photo with one of The Beetles himself. Can you guess which one? 

I didn't go into the Cavern Club itself, but a few people from the group went back after dinner to have a few drinks, and they certainly met a few interesting characters.

The next day the sun was out - yay - so I managed to snap a few more shots of the buildings and architecture, all of which were just aaaaaa-mazing. I know I said this about Oxford, and I will probably say it about everywhere else in the UK, but it is just so unlike anything we have here at home. And of course I'm a huge history buff so I found it all fascinating. 

We had a good part of the day to spend in Liverpool before we were leaving for our next destination, so we went to the Beetles museum first thing in the morning - and had a great time. As some one who always loved their music but never really knew that much about them, I found it very interesting. The museum is impressively decked out, and there's plenty to see and read. It's a little pricey to get in, but its definitely worth it.We were there during the lead up to winter and there were still quite a few people around, so if visiting in summer I'd recommend an early start. It started to pour half way back from the museum, so we did a half run half walk back to our meeting spot. This was the first time we noticed people really didn't seem that phased about the rain. Odd we thought, since everyone in Sydney thinks its the end of the world if it rains!

 

During the trip, my partner, sister and I had more than a few debates about the location of Abbey Road. We didn't have easy internet access either so we couldn't just 'google' it. I always thought it was in Liverpool, but no! It is definitely in London. The crossing is just a short walk from the tube and worth a look - although it's a bit of a minefield! The crossing is a real, working crossing, and the local drivers aren't too happy about waiting for tourists stopping the traffic to get their photos taken. Understandable! 

There are a couple of guys there to help you get a photo - without annoying the locals - and just ask for a small tip in return. We had a few attempts, but either I was standing too close, one of us had the wrong foot forward, or other annoying tourists who didn't understand what a line was got in the way. But if you have some time free, make sure you go and get a picture, or wave to the webcam! It's worth getting honked at - I can tell you from experience!

If you're a Beetles, soccer or history fan I would definitely recommend visiting Liverpool. I don't think you need quite as much time as we spent there - a day really is enough to see the sights. 

Next stop - York!

Love from,

Emma Lou x

ETSY PICKS

Working for a furniture and homewares magazine seems to mean that I'm forever being teased with products I love but can't actually afford, or have space for. But hey a girl can dream right? 

We always chat at work about how we need a few houses so we can decorate in all the styles we love. For example, I'd have a country-styled farmhouse, and a coastal home, and a scandinavian designed apartment as well. I do also love industrial, but I can't really see myself living with that kind of look, it feels a bit too cold for me. So my forever home will probably end up being eclectic - I have so many bits and pieces that it may just be impossible to stick to a particular theme. 

Which leads me onto the subject of this post! I was scouring Etsy to come up with my top picks of the week, and was planning on sticking to a particular colour, but surprise surprise, that didn't happen. So are a few of my favourite pieces at the moment. I hope you like them! You can always leave me a comment and tell me what you think :) 

Links for all images are below. 

1. Set of four Mini Planters 
2. Watercolour Map Illustration
3. Double Diamond Cushion
4. Life in Love Painting 
5. New York at Night Watercolour Illustration 
6. Hex Spora Cups on Hexagonal Stand
7. Watercolour Feather Print 
8. Blue Wren Geometric Illustration 

LOOKS I LOVE

I don't know about you, but I sure was lacking motivation today. Is there such a thing as Tuesdayitis? I thought I'd collect some of my favourite fashion looks for a little mid-week inspiration. 

All images via my pinterest.

Cara Loren's blog is great for a bit of daily inspiration! 

 Love from, 

Emma Lou x 

TRAVEL TRAIL: OXFORD

Last November, after many months of planning, I travelled around the UK for a month, and lately I've been coming down with a severe case of the travel bug again! Since I don't have any holidays planned at the moment, I thought I'd share some of my amazing experiences from when I was away. 

My first stop on the tour was Oxford in England. This was really exciting for me. Ever since going to Cambridge, England when I was in high school, I always dreamt of doing a study exchange and living in Oxford. Not surprisingly that didn't happen, so this was my chance to explore this fantastic little town!

Because we were on a tour I didn't get to spend half as much time there as I would have liked. But I did get to see enough to know that I want to go back! It's a quaint little town with a very friendly, laid back atmosphere. And I had my first taste of an English breakfast at a lovely little pub. The waiter was great, and he got my table and I laughing on a number of occasions. 

I absolutely loved the feel of the city. I was there a weekday (and it was freezing!), so most people were on their way to work or study. And yet it didn't feel chaotic. I loved checking out the amazing architecture - it's so different to anything we have in Australia! 

 I saw Christ Church College which was amazing, and although I couldn't go in - it's only open to the public at particular times - I got a great look of the outside! Any Harry Potter fans will recognise it as the place where the Great Hall scenes in the movies were filmed. 

Here are some of my favourite pictures from the trip. All photos were taken by me. 

Love from,

Emma Lou x 

SAY CHEESE

A couple of weeks ago, myself, my sister and cousin were lucky enough to have a photo shoot with one of my very clever friends, Carlos. 

We had some beautiful light towards the end of the shoot, and discovered a heap of good photo spots too. Needless to say the photos turned out great! Here is a little sneak peak from the day. 

If you'd like to get in touch with the photographer, leave a comment below or send me an email lovefromemmalou@gmail.com

Love from,

Emma Lou x