Cake International, entries open

Double post today. The snow means I've got little to do at the minute.

I posted in November about Cake International, a big show that takes place at the NEC. We attended, and I entered one of the many competitions.

Entry has just recently opened for this year's event. It's a big deal this year, their 25th anniversary, and so the only CI this year will be in Birmingham. That's a huge deal, as it means it'll likely be bigger than ever.

I've entered a competition at CI for the last three years, and other competitions before that, including Salon Culinnaire.
But I'm really apprehensive about this year.

I think it's because of last time. It's not necessarily the disqualification that's putting me off, although it's not something I'd like to repeat!
I think it's the not knowing. A variety of circumstances meant that I wasn't able to get the judge's feedback, meaning that I still have no idea why I was disqualified. The idea of going back there, the embarrassment and the shame, means that it's hard to entertain the notion of willingly doing that again.

But at the same time... part of the reason I do it, is because it's something that's mine and mine alone. It's a way to stay connected to the creative path I started to undertake when I went to college. It's time that I put into myself, holed away in our spare room, creating. And it's not like I don't have ideas. I've had an idea rattling around my head since last November. So part of me thinks it's just a case of giving myself a shake and doing it. Right?

The other problem is...
For the past few years, Wheelz has gotten up at 6am to drive me to the NEC, so that I can drop off my entry. This is mainly because we live in Birmingham, and objectively, we're not too far from the NEC, so it makes more sense than me staying at a hotel nearby, for example. I've always been incredibly grateful to her for this, because it means there's one less thing I have to worry about.
But on the other hand. Is it fair for me to keep asking that of her? I know that she'd probably (probably!) tell me if she really didn't think she was up to it. But I also know that she'd try and make herself drive anyway, being as it's for me.
So does that mean I'm taking advantage if I ask her? Or is that me being ridiculous?

I don't know. I need to think about it. I don't want to cut myself off from something that I do genuinely enjoy doing. This kind of feels like something that anxiety could take away from me, and I don't want that.
So then, I should do it. Right? Just give myself a shake, and fill in the entry form, and get started.
That's what I should do.
That's what I will do.



I think...

Soap, glorious soap!

I've been saying I'll write about this for ages. So being as we're snowed in, I'll write a nice lighthearted post about our soap making adventures, as opposed to complaining about the cold, and our temperamental boiler.

Last year, when we found out we were getting our bathroom done, both Wheelz and I mentioned that we liked the idea of making soap. So we decided to give it a go.
I got a couple of make-your-own soap kits for Christmas, had a brief read of the instructions, and we set off.
The pictures aren't suitable for sharing.



Nah, I'm kidding. We had fun, and they turned out pretty well. Wheelz made a bright pink coconut oat soap, whilst I branched out with green pina colada scented soap. They looked cute enough that we were more than happy to send them out. I just can't find the pictures.

Since then, I've made quite a few more soaps. I made a batch with Lil Monster, and neither of us died, proving that we can spend time together as a family with no casualties. We made goats milk soap, in clementine and vanilla fruit varieties.

I've loved making the soaps. I like the creative element, and I also like the ease of it. It doesn't take long to make beautiful soaps, which look and smell great, and are perfectly functional. I also like doing something where the results are fairly instantaneous. With the soap kits we've used, you just melt the base, add scents and colours, and they set within a day or so. There's something very relaxing about making something where you can see it coming together and working before your very eyes. I suspect part of that comes from my background in sugar flowers. With sugar flowers, the end result is very pretty, but there's a lot of planning and uncertainty to get there. With soaps, if it looks right and smells right, chances are you're onto a winner.

We've been sending our soaps out as birthday presents for family, save a few that we're keeping for ourselves (or would be, if Wheelz hadn't stolen my coconut scrub soap!), and they've been well received. But even if they weren't, it wouldn't take away from the sense of achievement that comes from making something with your own two hands, and being able to see that not only can you do something successfully, it can turn out beautifully.

Vanilla fruits, goats milk. Pretty swirled with pink

Clementine and chocolate, goats milk base. Although, mostly clementine...

Lemon and poppy seed.

Coconut scrub soap. This was Wheelz's, but now she has two.
Being as she stole mine, and all. Not that I'm salty...

And last but not least, coconut oil soap.
This went to Wheelz for her birthday, due to her obsession with all things coconut scented.