London cakemakers: Lavender Bakery

One of the greatest things about starting up a blog like Wee Birdy is the opportunity I’ve had to meet some pretty amazing London business owners – who all share a certain passion, energy and talent for what they do. Like Michelle Scorah of Lavender Bakery in Islington. After a couple of emails I not only discovered that Michelle had a particular talent for creative customised cupcakes, but she also grew up in the same Australian town as me, and we probably spent many a summer holiday splashing about in the same suburban public pool.

Michelle is passionate about cake-making – and it shows. After working in the industry “for a while” she finally decided to take the plunge and launched her own business in January this year.

Specialising in customised cupcakes, cakes and biscuits made to order, Lavender Bakery uses quality ingredients like organic fruit and vegetables, Shipton Mill flour and fair trade sugar, cocoa and coffee.

Cupcakes are Lavender Bakery’s forte, so I was delighted when a special delivery of these gorgeous gems arrived on my doorstep recently. Daintily iced in Italian meringue buttercream and decorated with Wee Birdy’s feathered friends, they demonstrated the breadth of Michelle’s extensive skills with a piping bag, and her ability to customise just about any order.


And proving they tasted as good as they looked, the raspberry and vanilla cake was moist and delicious. Sadly, it wasn’t long til this lot were demolished to a pile of (rather tasty) crumbs – after I showed severe restraint with a mini photo shoot first.


Take a look at the Lavender Bakery blog for more examples of Michelle’s handiwork, like these incredible iced sneaker biscuits for Lacoste, a very pretty Angelina Ballerina birthday cake for a very lucky three-year-old, and some customised cupcakes for the launch of The Make Lounge (mental note to check out their upcoming workshops).


Lavender Bakery
www.lavenderbakery.co.uk
Order line: 07507 863502
Email: cakes@lavenderbakery.co.uk

Happy Blogday, dear Birdy

Gah, it’s been so long since my last post. Big apologies for the bad blogiquette, but I’ve been busy visiting Welsh yurts and the like … all in the name of work, of course. Anyway, I’ve finally stopped for a moment to draw a breath because I had a feeling my blogday (or is that blogiversary?) was coming up. So I checked the date of my very first post and what d’you know, today’s the day!

Wee Birdy cupcakes by the delightful and delicious Lavender Bakery (post coming next).

I really didn’t know what I was getting into 12 months ago when I posted a couple of stories about my favourite shops in Cheshire Street, East London. I had only recently moved to London with my husband and writing about my new discoveries really helped me find my way around my new hometown.

I certainly didn’t have any expectations, but I’ve been overwhelmed by the support and random acts of friendship that I’ve found within the blogosphere. So thanks to everyone who’s ever stopped by, written a comment, or posted me an email.

In the meantime, I’ve been checking out my stats on Google Analytics (always handy for instant gratification, not to mention alarmingly addictive) for some “fun facts” to mark this auspicious occasion.

Now who’d have thought that “Camille Bidault Waddington” (with and without the hyphen) would be in the top 10 keywords used to find Wee Birdy? That’s a lot of people (I’m thinking mostly girls) interested in Mrs Jarvis Cocker. I don’t blame them. Stumbling upon the Cocker family in Colette was a very pleasant way to end a long weekend in Paris.

Perhaps even more mystifying are some of the more unusual keywords used to find Wee Birdy, like:

"the best place to get a chicken coop in nsw" (nup, sorry)
"bundaberg ginger beer's potential market" (that would be right over here, ta)
"can topshop enter australian market" (mmm, I reckon so)
"camilla walking in wellies" (mmm, no thanks)
"how to french knit using a toilet roll and paddle pop sticks" (oh my, crafty AND resourceful!)
"harry potter diffusion line t-shirts" (wait, Harry Potter has a diffusion line???)
"how to keep a bunnie calm" (A: Hold it close to your body and softly stroke its head)
"i'm a wee ballerina" (yeah? cool! me too!)
"why can women wait for a wee and men cant" (ah yes, that old chestnut...)

No real surprises when it comes to the most popular posts, with Dover Street Market, Swarovski Crystallized and Shopping in Paris taking the top three places. But then I always knew you had remarkably good taste, didn’t I?

Happy Blogday, wee birdies, and here’s to many more… xx

p.s. you may notice some changes over the next few days, with new shopping navigation on the right-hand side, the latest music I've been listening to, AND fancy new Google maps!

(Tardy) Birdy pick of the week

Look out bird nerds, Springwatch is back and this year it's as addictive as ever.

(If you don't live in the UK, Springwatch is a hugely popular and successful BBC TV show. Part of its appeal is the live-to-air excitement of crossing to various hidden cameras trained on the secret habitats of Britain's wildlife. We get an up-close look of chicks hatching, feeding and fledgling inside a coal tit's nestbox, and baby ospreys fighting for survival in Scotland. Seriously, the lives of swallows, blue tits and greenfinches have never been so gripping!)

Of course, I've been deeply sucked into the soap-opera-style narratives of newborn birds hatching, siblings cannabilising, and fathers committing infanticide. Apart from the harsh reminder that nature can be brutal, it's also very beautiful. (New discovery: newborn birds are all blind-eyeballs-and-throaty-beaks on toothpick necks.)

If you have a moment, check out the live webcams on the Springwatch website now.

Want to recreate your own version of Springwatch at home? Get kitted out with the slickest bird box and feeder designs. Here, my top picks from UK online garden specialists, The Urban Garden.

Glass bird feeder, £35, from The Urban Garden.

Eva bird table, £89, from The Urban Garden.

Mounted bird ball, £34, from the Urban Garden.

Birdy pick of the week

Hand-carved little girl with bird rubber stamp, US$10, from Craft Pudding's Etsy shop.

Hand-carved little boy rubber stamp, US$10, from Craft Pudding’s Etsy shop.

Baby Love: The Supremes

I’m a big fan of sixties girl bands and Northern Soul, so I was quite looking forward to seeing the V&A Museum’s latest exhibition, The Story of The Supremes. Despite the fact the museum has been criticised for “dumbing down” its exhibitions with populist inclusions like the Kylie retrospective, I was excited by the prospect of seeing a collection of the group’s iconic costumes and learning a bit more about the history of Motown.

Image source: V&A

So when I headed over to the museum on Sunday and reached the first showcase in the exhibition, it’s fair to say I was surprised and disappointed when blaring techno music started playing from the fashion show next door. It basically drowned out The Supremes and various video exhibits featuring recorded speeches by Martin Luther King. Not exactly what I was expecting for the opening weekend of a music-led exhibition, which documents the rise of African American music in sixties America (ie. Motown actually being HEARD by the predominant mainstream white audience).

Image source: V&A

Initial disappointment aside, the exhibition was, of course, a hit, with a fantastic line-up of some of The Supremes’ most spectacular glittery, bugle-bead encrusted costumes. I particularly loved their earlier creations like the fitted shantung silk shifts and the tiered ruffled chiffon dresses. These frocks were designed to MOVE and accentuate their trademark shimmies and shakes.

Some other costume highlights:






And a couple of picks from the V&A shop:

Supremes Badge Pack, £2.50, from the V&A shop.

Love Child t-shirt, £18, from the V&A shop.

The Story of the Supremes from the Mary Wilson Collection
(until October 19)
The V&A Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 2RL
Tel. 020 7942 2966

Birdy pick of the week

Bird wallpaper, £20 per m2, by Isak.

Bird tray, £25, by Isak.

Thanks to Fiona for the tip!

Mmmm … Etsy Monday: Fifi Lapin

Three cheers for Fifi Lapin and her most stylish return to Etsy. If you haven’t already heard of the blogosphere’s hottest style icon (what, have you had your head stuck down a rabbit hole?), Miss Lapin is a fashion fiend who loves to work the latest catwalk looks.

Fifi wears Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Fifi wears Karen Walker.

Like all good It Girls, Fifi has developed somewhat of an air of mystery surrounding her identity. We do know that she’s an only child, (her 256 siblings suffered the tragic fate of a myxomatosis outbreak) and subsequently “the sole haress to her father’s fortune”. From what I’ve gleaned from her extremely addictive blog, Miss Lapin lives in a London burrow.

Fifi wears Bottega Venetta.

Fifi has recently made a triumphant return to her Etsy shop wearing Spring/Summer 08 Eley Kishimoto (gotta love her taste). You are guaranteed an absolute original artwork here, as Fifi never wears the same things twice (natch).

Fifi wears Eley Kishimoto.

Find out more about Fifi at:
Her Flickr
Her blog
Her Etsy shop

[Edit: The Eley Kishimoto print sold just as I was publishing this post. If you're after an original Fifi Lapin artwork, keep checking the Etsy shop for new items]