My visit to the NEC - CAKE (with pics) & Hobbeycraft

[Dips]

Got back last night from a lovely weekend at NEC. I attended CAKE on Friday - as sugarcraft and modelling is now my new "thing". I found this the most interesting for 2 reasons, firstly, it is all new to me so everything is interesting but, more importantly, there was a large area of competiton cakes that were astonishing and very inspiring (some photos of just a few below). I think that it would have added to Hobbeycraft if they had had the equivalent. Spent loads at CAKE as there were a number of things that I wanted plus I don't have a lot of kit so needed to stock up on the basics.

Stayed overnight at the Premier Inn (thank you Premier Inn Weekend Rewards for my freebie) then went to Hobbeycraft on Saturday. It was unbelievably crowded. Had a little spend up at Lily of the Valley and bought a Martha Stewart PAP (bubbles), a couple of sets of nesties, an A3 Glass Mat. It was great to see a number of stamps IRL but for the bigger items (Spellbinders, Grand Calibur) etc, the prices were no better than if you'd shopped around online eg 2 sets of nesties for £30 and Grand Calibur for £84. Oyster Stamps were doing 4 nesties for £50 which was the best offer I saw, but there were 2 sets that I really wanted and they didn't have either, so I wasn't going to buy 4 sets that weren't top of my list just for the sake of it.

Really enjoyed the outing, but attending on the Saturday was madness!!!

Anyway, hope everyone else who went enjoyed themselves and here are some of the cakes I saw

Mad Hatter's Tea Party & Christmas Wedding

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g193/dips6/0f40371e.jpg http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g193/dips6/c963dad7.jpg

Another Wedding Cake & Beautiful Celebration Cake

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g193/dips6/81bfa870.jpg http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g193/dips6/05cad66b.jpg

[LynneH]

Wow! Those cakes are stunning. You're making me wish that I went now. It sounds like you had a fab time.

[jr77]

Thanks for the report back and the pics. What beautiful cakes-people are so clever. Sounds like you had a good time even if it was busy.

[Granny Penny]

Thanks from me too - lovely to see the pictures. A - maz - ing.

[Rentochops]

lovely Dips, thanks for the pics

[jube]

I love looking at the pictures they are fantastic thankyou for putting them on

[Little Jan]

Wow such great cakes,wish my cake making decorating skills were still up to scratch, but my fingers can't do the detailed work anymore,my mates daughter asked if I could do her wedding cake but unless I can borrow a cricut cake I doubt I will be able to, I saw a demo of one a while back and was not impressed, but saw another this weekend and the demonstrator was brill.

[Dips]

I've hummed and haa'd about a cricut cake too, Little Jan. I think, though, that the cricut cake makes very "flat" cakes, IYKWIM. What I think I will be doing, though, is using my Silhouette to make stencils from Myla to use on my cakes with stenciling techniques.

Made my Dad's 80th Birthday Cake on Sunday, I've a few bits of twiddling left to do and then I will post some pictures. My skills are still a very long way off those I saw at CAKE though. I'm definitely going to do a "basics" course in the new year to build my core skills, as I'm also finding this craft very relaxing and you can eat the results :)

[Little Jan]

Ohh what better then craft you can eat:mysmilie_5:
although it would be a shame to eat some of those cakes , months of effort for it to go down the pan :giggle, opps sorry lowering the tone again:blush: