Home Sweet Home Gift Guide

Home Sweet Home! Wherever home means to you, there’s no place like it at Christmas. Cute home gifts are some of my favourites to give and receive – I love being cosy at home surrounded by things that make me happy or remind me of who gave them to me. I’ve included some sweet sesaonal decorations, perfect print presents, some secret Santa winners and plenty of decorative beauties to help tick off your present list.

  1. Annie Dornan Smith Peace and Joy Prints – I absolutely love everything Annie designs and hugely admire how she creates and runs her lovely business. These prints are very special with their shiny gold detail. I think they would make a great couples gift!
  1. Birthday Cake Candle – These Ryan Porter candles make me laugh, they all have great names and this one gets bonus marks for being filled with sprinkles!!
  1. Nikki McWilliams Biscuit Cushions – Perfect for cookie monsters and biscuit fiends these cheery cushions make me want to get cosy on the sofa with a cuppa.
  1. Afternoon Crumbs 2022 Wall Calendar – I think we are all ready for a sweeter 2022! Make it fun with this calendar and a whole year of cake!
  1. Kitty McCall Christmas Stocking – I’m such a huge fan of Kitty McCall’s work – I have her prints hanging in my hallway! Kitty’s bright and colourful patterns make me so happy and I love her take on a Christmas stocking.
  1. Hutch London Hand Painted Ceramic Bird Decoration – These super cute painted robin decorations make me smile. I put one on my Mum’s Christmas present last year and she loved it.
  1. Red Hen Trading Globe Light – We have one of these globes in the shop and it’s such big hit with both kids and adults. They make great night lights or brighten any shelf.
  1. Petit BooChe Mulled Wine and Mince Pie Banners – I adore these colourful banners and I definitely want to be in both these Clubs!
  1. Cotton Clara Christmas Embroidery Kits – I took up embroidery over lock down and love Cotton Clara’s kits. They would make a great gift for someone to relax with over the festive period.
  1. Katie Gillies Terrazzo Coasters – Katie’s work is so beautiful and I love watching her work over on her instagram stories. The colours in her new collection might be my fave to date but head over quick as her stuff flys out her shop!
  1. Pepper Loves Ho Ho Ho Candles – Add some fun to your Christmas table with these colourful dinner candles – check out the whole range of cute and cheeky wording.
  1. Gemma Wightman and Emma Giacalone Ceramics Don’t Forget To Stop For Cake Plate – Lauren gave me this special plate and I have it in the shop as a lovely reminder to slow down and appreciate things.
  1. Viktorija Illustration The Art of Gouache Book – We have collaborated with Viktorija for many years now and watching her work on our collaborations has been one of the highlights of our business so far. She’s just released an incredible book all about her love of gouache and showing you how to create your own masterpieces. The lovely bright colours will look great on any shelf!
  1. LostFoundKeep Clay Boob Pots – These boob pots are all lovingly handmade and celebrate being a woman. The perfect little gift for your breast friends ;)
  1. La Basketry Mini Basket Kit and Handwoven Bowl – Tabara makes the most wonderful baskets that are full of colour and beautifully crafted. Lauren has them on her bedroom wall and did one of her kits over Lockdown and loved it too.

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Gift Guide for Bakers

As a baker I love a themed gift and something to remind me of what I love to do! This is basically a list of things I would love to receive or already have! ;) Whether it’s something to brighten up their kitchen, inspire them with new recipes or just make them smile we’ve got a collection of gifts sweet enough for bakers.

  1. Jenna Rae Cakes Recipe Book – Jenna Rae & Ashley Nicole are a huge inspiration to me. I love seeing the beautiful designs they create in their Winnipeg bakery and seeing a strong sister duo at work so I was very excited when they released this, their first recipe book!
  1. Happy Blossoms Hurry Down The Chimney Baked Blossom Bunch – Perfect for busy bakers the Happy Blossoms Baked Blossoms will cheer up any corner. We love their dried flowers and have them in the shop. They come in fun bright colours and some are named after sweet treats too!
  1. Afternoon Crumbs ‘Spreading Sweetness’ Mug & Tea Towel – we loved working with “Viktorija Illustration” to create our ‘Spreading Sweetness’ Collection celebrating some of our favourite Afternoon Crumbs bakes.
  1. Sass & Belle Rainbow Cake Slice and Food Mixer Baubles – if you’ve been into the shop recently you will have seen our Christmas tree decorated with lots of baking themed decorations. Brighten up any baker’s tree with these fun Sass & Belle baubles.
  1. Afternoon Crumbs Cupcake Pin – join the cutest cupcake crew with our enamel pin. Perfect for sweetening any outfit.
  1. Lottie Murphy Macaron Apron – Lottie’s design are so lovely and her macaron collection is full of pretty pastels and would make any baker smile.
  1. Happy Socks Sprinkle Socks – I LOVE a jazzy sock. Bonus points for fun prints and these sprinkle ones definitely take the cake!
  1. Bable Butter Candle – Isn’t butter just the best? Remind them of their favourite ingredient with this cute hand-painted butter candle!
  1. Simply Katy Kitchen Essentials Art Print – This cute delicate print is giving us cosy kitchen vibes and makes us want to do some Sunday afternoon baking.
  1. LuluQ Studio Merry & Bright Bauble Cake Topper – LuluQ toppers are so much fun and their bold designs make any cake brighter.
  1. Happy Sprinkles Santa Santa’s Cookie Selection Sprinkle Box – A treasure chest of festive sprinkles make the perfect gift for any baker this time of year.
  1. Charlotte Posner Baking Girls Print – Lauren bought me this print last Christmas and I adore it. Charlotte’s designs are so clever and I love these badass baking babes.
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Gift Guide for Festive Foodies

It’s the most wonderful time of year…for food! We love all the delicious treats that this season brings and we’ve rounded up some festive food inspired gifts from pretty postal bakes, cute wrapping and lots of other goodies perfect for stuffing those stockings or gifting to your sweetest friend or relative…or of course for yourself ;)

  1. Afternoon Crumbs Gingerbread Wrapping Paper and Gingerbread Enamel Pin – inspired by our signature Gingerbread Men & Woman this wrapping paper is here to make giving even sweeter! Plus our new jolly gingerbread pin will bring festive cheer to any outfit and comes ready to gift on a backer designed by the wonderful Viktorija Illustration!
  1. A.R.D Bakery Christmas Chocolate Box – I’m in awe of the incredibly cool and creative cakes that A.R.D Bakery make. I love their bold colours and shapes and their chocolates are equally beautiful!
  1. Ask Mummy And Daddy Merry Christmas Sweets Selection Set – filled with Gingerbread Men gummies, Candy Cane sweets, Snowman Jellies and Candy Poles this cute set makes the perfect stocking filler or keep for yourself for present wrapping snacks!
  1. Bird & Blend Gingerbread Chai – it’s definitely the season to cosy up with a hot drink and this one combines two of my favourite flavours. Be sure to check out their whole range of festive flavours!
  1. Dee’s Basement Christmas Traybakes – Dee makes amazing bakes and I love this year’s cute and kitsch Christmas designs. Her traybakes are mega good as are her madeleines!
  1. Katie Tinkler Mince Pie and Christmas Pudding Decorations – the queen of food illustrations, Katie’s hand painted wooden decorations are perfect to hang on the tree or decorate the presents of any festive foodie!
  1. M + H Cake Christmas Pudding Brownie – Abigail creates awesome postal bakes – these personalised pudding brownies would make great table settings for Christmas Day !
  1. Oh Squirrel ‘Eat, Drink and Be Merry’ Bottle Bag – I love anything with Katie’s beautiful handwriting on and these bottle bags sum up perfectly how we feel the festive season should be celebrated!
  1. Freya Niamh Design Christmas Pudding Print – we love Hannah’s fun and vibrant prints in her signature oranges and pinks – a non-traditional twist on Christmas!
  1. Afternoon Crumbs Reindeer Cupcakes – our cute Rudolph the Reindeer cupcakes make the perfect gift, after school treat or reward for finishing all your present wrapping! They are available for collection from our shop in Claygate, Surrey throughout December. Don’t worry if you’re further afield – we also have Gingerbread and Vanilla Biscuits coming soon that can be posted UK-wide!
  1. Radio Lamington Seasonal Selection Box – we fell in love with Lamingtons on a trip to Australia (so much so that I even made a cupcake version!) and have since become hooked on these ones from Radio Lamington. We love trying their seasonal flavours – their Christmas boxes have a new Gingerbread Sticky Toffee flavour. Even better, for every box of Lamingtons purchased they deliver another box to NHS workers!
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What Nozzles Do You Use?

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“What nozzles do you use?” is probably one of the questions I get asked the most online. I thought it was about time that I put all the information in one place so you could reference it when you were looking to create a certain cupcake or expand your toolkit.

The cupcakes we make in the shop and for orders use a mixture of nozzles I’ve accumulated over the years and tested out to get different styles that I like. Below are a few of my favourites that I use the most for cupcakes and biscuits I make.

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