Cupcake castles Weblog

Manic again as usual - trying to get out a lot of orders ( if your one of the many waiting please bare with me !) and get ready for my next trade show Pulse - Top Drawer, so much to organise but everythings booked and ready to go - but look what it all done to my pretty pink shed - chaos and meltdown spring to mind!!! , guess which one’s the before and after pic’s . Pulse is held at Earls Court in London on the 1st, second and third of June

Primula’s are my favourites in springs  - have far too many ! ( too many shopping trips with mum - we’d rather buy plants than clothes ), but they lasted a lot longer this year because of the cold miserable weather - just what they like. Yesterday my first dahlia shoot popped out the ground - had a little drink on his homecoming, like an old Friend returning ( have had this one for eight years - nearly as old as my kids !) , I’ve planted another 12 this year so have lost count now ! but I’m looking forward to a massive riot of colour

They did really well this year ( only a  few lost to slugs ! ) - these are my favourites so thought they deserved to be seen a little longer, bye bye till next year.

I’ve got so many ideas for new clocks and chalkboards it’s hard to find the time to get them done, ( I feel some early morning starts coming on again ) My boys often help me with a few ideas - I get them to sit and draw their ideas as clocks or mirrors (  taking out the more gory parts and dripping blood that seem to infiltrate all there drawings!) so there’s plenty more to come ie. knights, more dragons and big scary dinosaurs.

After lots of requests I decided to make some new fairy hangers, they have hooks along the bottom of their skirts to hang jewellery so have a use. They were very popular at their first show with more than a few shops wanting to take them away ! So there may be a whole range of possibilities there.

Anyway it’ll be a while before any of the new stuff will be seen on my website as I came back from the show with only 3 pieces before i’d had a chance to take any proper pics of them ! but if anyone see’s anything they do want just email me for a chat, I’d love some comments too.

Show time again!

Here we go again, the first show of the year. This is a very little trade show compared to the big shows I’ve done in the past but it has a nice atmosphere. It’s great to chat to other makers , find how their year is going and what shows they think are best - there are so many shows to choose from now and they are so expensive you have to pick the right ones to suit your product otherwise it can turn into an expensive disaster!

I was happy with the with the orders I got as I was already busy and my next ( much bigger show) is only 2 months away ( pulse, top drawer in June ) but the show did feel quite empty and many many people exhibiting did’nt get a single order! which I do feel for them as there is nothing more soul destroying as you sit and watch hundreds of people just walk past the work without a second glance that you have poured your heart and soul into.

 I’m an old hat at this now ( eight years) and have developed a very thick skin, many makers that I started showing with many years ago now have “proper” jobs as it does get tiresome hoping for and waiting for orders and then waiting forever sometimes for payment! when supplying - it’s a much happier mix to sell to the public as well, as I realised last year at the Country Living christmas fair.

Two examples just sent yesterday of mirrors designed completely from swatches of fabric sent to me, I’m always glad to try new designs and one off’s although this was even more of a challenge as I don’t possess any brown paint as I’ve never had to use it before, but it did give me the idea to do some ethnic fairies and princess in various different colours not just white.

Any piece can be personalised , or messages can be written on the back like this one from last week, turning a pretty clock or mirror into a family heirloom that can be passed down as a momento of a special occasion.

Hi , this is me Liz Mortimer, covered in paint as always ( usually covered in a lot more paint than this!) I am the designer and maker of the glittery mirrors and clocks on cupcakecastles.com and just wanted to set up this blog site so potential buyers could see how , where and who makes them. As I like to offer a very personal service ( you can phone or email me any day of the week - I’m usually working, to chat about a one off commission or special changes you would made to any piece)it’s nice to see where they are coming from.