NOW HEAR THIS
My kids find it hilarious that I’m forever telling them not to talk to strangers, but that’s all I seem to do! I’m not sure what happened to practising what I preach in this instance, but I am always sure to be wise about who I talk to. I certainly wouldn’t walk down a dark alley and strike up a conversation with the first person I met! I only chat to new people in a safe environment when the opportunity arises, and have been fortunate enough to have come across some really interesting people.
After boldly asking if she had indeed made the cupcakes, I went on to ask what seemed like 50 questions of the poor girl. She was lovely and didn’t seem to mind at all, so instead of continuing to bombard her with my questioning, I asked if I could interview her sometime for my blog, and left her to party the night away.
As with many people, I first began serious cake decorating for my children’s birthdays. When my son turned three and my daughter one, I decorated their cakes with rolled fondant icing for the first time. Shortly after that I began my first cake decorating course and was firmly hooked.
Are you self-taught or did you attend a cake decorating course?
I have completed about 8 or 9 Planet Cake courses in cake decorating. These courses have been a revelation to me. The first couple were completely eye opening, as we learnt many of their tricks of the trade. The later ones have been hugely rewarding and enjoyable.
What is your favourite food destination?
There are lots – Planet Cake Shop in Balmain, Flying Fish Restaurant in Pyrmont, Orange Grove market on a Saturday morning are just a few of my favourites.
Five ingredients in your shopping trolley you consider as must-haves?
Barry Calleburt chocolate, wonderful Madagascan vanilla extract, crème fraiche, Wilton gel colours and earl grey tea for me!
What is your family’s favourite dish that you cook for them?
Jamie Oliver’s Fish Pie.
A dish (savoury or sweet) that you’ve never cooked that you wish you could?
Great curries from scratch.
Who or what has helped you through life’s toughest times?
My wonderful parents on the other side of the world (Northamptonshire, England) and my beautiful family here.
What are you passionate about right now?
Dessert Tables.
What are you most grateful for?
My artistic flair.
What is your hope for the future – for yourself, your family and for the world?
For me, lots more cakes, cake pops and desserts…. pushing the boundaries of decoration. For the world – more effort and agreement in fighting climate change.
Beautiful Amanda on New Year’s Eve, preparing her delicious “cake pops” (which were a huge hit with all the kids, great & small!)……
Cake Pops are the new craze in the Sugarcraft world. Apparently, they’re as simple as baking a cake, mushing it up with frosting, rolling it into ping-pong size balls, inserting the balls on a special stick and then dipping them in chocolate. However, somehow I don’t think they’d be quite as simple to make as they sound……
Having asked Amanda to share a photo of the favourite cake she has ever made, I can see why she chose this amazing creation……..
Amanda’s business is Oliver Rose Cakes (Ph: 02 9719 1767). You really must check out her gorgeous work at http://www.oliverrosecakes.com/.
Just when you thought you had perfected your cupcake, someone else makes one even better.
I think it’s a natural human instinct to compare yourself with others…you know, competition, ambition, survival of the fittest and all that. So when I’ve noticed that someone else has made a better cupcake than I’ve ever made, I could get all indignant and envious….or I could look at it as an opportunity. Yep, that’s right – an opportunity to learn their secret recipe or their special decorating technique, or simply to discover what a great human being they are!
I consider myself to be a pretty good listener most of the time, but I think there is always room for improvement. Here are some listening strategies that I’m trying to perfect, that you may also find helpful:
• Ask questions. I believe that we should never stop learning and one of the richest sources of learning can be from others who have gone before you, or have made some mistake in life or experienced an illness. If we listen to each other’s stories, we may learn strategies to help us in our own lives.
• Keep eye contact with the person you’re chatting with.
• If possible, don’t do other things such as watching television, checking emails or playing with your phone. This will make it much easier for you to concentrate on what’s being said.
• Be patient and let the person finish what they are saying before you start talking. One of my pet hates is when people talk over the top of me, or ask me a question and then don’t wait for me to answer it. Personally, I think that is the height of rudeness.
• Every now and then you could acknowledge what the person is saying, either by repeating a phrase or nodding in agreement, or some other appropriate behaviour. That way, they’ll definitely know that you’re listening.
In life, we can always learn new things from other people, but only if we’re willing to listen to what they have to say. If you ask lots of questions, take an interest in others and listen (I mean really LISTEN), you’ll be amazed at what you can learn! But not only that; I bet if you try being an excellent listener for a while, you’ll see your relationships go from strength to strength, because everybody loves a good listener!
