Birthday Belles & Cupcake Delights



Well we were completely blown away by the turnout for our February meeting! Thank you so much to everyone who came along and made our first birthday such a special night.  

 

 

 As it was our first birthday we couldn't think of a more fitting way to celebrate than with the gorgeous Charlotte White of Restoration Cake.  Charlotte has been running her business since 2009 and has made regular appearances on The Food Network as well as The Great British Bake Off, and has been featured in Wedding Magazine, Perfect Wedding Magazine and Vintage Life and has just released her very own book Burlesque Baking, which she was only too happy to sign and dedicate copies for our Belles.

 

 

We were also extremely honoured to have been joined by The Right Worshipful the Mayor of St Albans City and District, Councillor Annie Brewster.  Annie has shown her support of our group in the past at our Burlesque Circus evening and so we were thrilled to have her once again show her continued support by donning the W.I. apron presented to her by our Acting President, Lia, and get stuck in with the cupcake decorating.





Charlotte's book is inspired by various Burlesque Performers and were designed by Charlotte to reflect each lady's personality.  We were shown how to recreate her 'Tempest Rose' cupcakes using coloured fondant (or sugarpaste depending on which description you prefer!) topped off with a fondant rose. 

 

 

                  
   
And once again our talented Belles did not disappoint, using our own colour creations and not forgetting that all important bit of sparkle (well edible glitter) there were some extremely impressive creations around the room and after Charlotte had cast her eye on them, she declared Jane Barnett as the worthy winner of a Restoration Cake Goodie Bag!

Jane Barnett with her Restoration Cake Goodie Bag

Following the demonstration, Annie Brewster said a few words of thanks to Charlotte and a hearty congratulations to Emma and Lia for getting the group off the ground and making it what it is today, something I think we can all agree with.

 

         Charlotte White & St Albans Mayor, Annie Brewster 

 

                                                                                   Charlotte with Acting President; Lia Nelissen & Secretary Emma Golding

             Charlotte White & Annie Brewster with Secretary; Emma Golding,

                   Acting President; Lia Nelissen & Treasurer; Dawn Golding

 

                                                                                                              Birthday Card from St Albans Mayor, Annie Brewster


It really was so wonderful to see so many new faces alongside many fabulously familiar ones and every one of our gals getting stuck in and enjoying the evening, we hope you have all gone away with some new acquaintances and look forward to seeing you all again next month!! 

 
We gals on the Committee will be meeting up at Belles HQ in the next week or so to come up with some fabulous ideas for the next meeting and we will keep you updated so keep checking back here and the Facebook page...
 
Until next time ladies, ciao for now!
 
xx

Birthday Celebration

Well its just a couple of days until our February meeting and we are thrilled to announce that we will be joined by The Right Worshipful the Mayor of St Albans City and District, Councillor Annie Brewster in honour of our 1st Birthday!!

We are really looking forward to welcoming the amazing Charlotte White at Restoration Cakes who will be teaching us to decorate some burlesque themed cupcakes from her newly released book 'Burlesque Baking'.  

It looks like it is going to be a great turn out - we are already at full capacity!! So please remember to turn up at 7.30pm sharp and bring along a Pinny!

Another reminder for those memberships that are due for renewal on Wednesday, please bring along cash or a cheque already made out to 'Herts Belles St Albans W.I' for £34.70.  And don't forget some extra pennies for our fabulous trade table and of course Charlotte will be bringing along some copies of her book so you can treat yourself to a signed copy!

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday

x

Let's face it, there's nothing better than a good natter...

Sadly due to unforeseen circumstances, the Fit Steps Instructor could not make it to the January meeting.  But we didn't let it get us down, we decided to use the time to have a chat about our plans for the year ahead.  It was a great opportunity to hear your views and to get everyone involved.

 

We have some fabulous activities planned for meetings this year and some great ideas for Fund raising events too!

For our February meeting (which is also our 1st Birthday!!) we will be joined by Charlotte White of Restoration Cakes.  Charlotte has a new baking book out called 'Burlesque Bakes' and she will be showing us a hands on demonstration on how to decorate some cupcakes in her unique style.  Charlotte will also be bringing along copies of her book to sell on the night.  To take part in the evening a fee of £10 will be charged for non-members and £5 for members (or those joining at the end of the evening).

March will be dedicated to getting to know one another and therefore we will be making Name Badges whilst 'Speed Dating'.   This should be a fun night and is a great way of getting us all mingling with each other a lot more.

In April our very own Anya will be teaching us to make some sexy frilly knickers! Ooh la la! 
The pattern will be supplied, but if you have a sewing machine, pins and needles, then please do bring them along.  Suitable stretch lace and cotton jersey will be available to buy at the Craft Table in March and April.  There will be a small fee (amount TBC) for this class to cover the cost of notions and other materials.

May is our AGM and it is your chance to vote for the Committee. 

In June I am sure we will be beginning to seriously think about those summer holidays and what better way to make a start than unleashing your inner Tom Cruise with a Cocktail Making class!!  To the designated drivers - don't worry you will not be left out, Mocktails will be on the menu too!

For our July meeting we are delighted to welcome back the fabulous Sarah from Doo-Wop Do's.  She will be teaching us how to coiffure our barnets into some beautiful 20s/30s hairstyles, whether your hair is long or short she will have the perfect style for you to look fit enough for one of Gatsby's parties.

Its all about the Speed Crafting in August and we will be learning three new skills!!

Get your jivin' shoes on in September for a fantastic Jive Dance Class.  Whether you are a regular Jive Bunny or you have two left feet this will prove to be a fabulously fun evening and definitely not one to miss. 

In October we will be whisking you away to Venice for the evening.... well in sprit anyway.   We will be creating our own Venetian Masks!

For our final meeting of the year we thought we would get you into the Christmas Sprit by creating a beautiful Christmas Wreath!



We are organising a Charity Quiz Night on the 7th June.  We are still in the early days of planning at the moment but please mark the date in your diary. 

We are also looking at finalising a date for the Clothes Swap and we will keep you posted on this. 

We are also planning a trip to the Hitchen Lavendar fields again this summer and will advise you on this once a date has been finalised. 



Well I think you will agree that 2014 looks like an exciting year ahead we hope you are as excited about our programme as we are and we look forward to sharing it with you all!

Ta-ta For Now

x