Amy, Australia can't wait to meet you

There is so much excitement in the baking, caking and events industry right now after hearing of a prospective visit to Australia by the super sweet stylist who can be credited with starting the world’s obsession with dessert tables.

None other than Amy Atlas of Amy Atlas Events has hinted at a potential visit Down Under.

I have been so very fortunate and humbled (not to mention out-of-this-world excited!) to have had two of my dessert tables featured on Amy’s Blog Sweet Designs, here and here.

The thought of actually maybe being able to meet Amy herself has prompted many Aussie ‘styling mums’ to share their ‘how I found Amy’ stories. I love that everyone has their own story to share. I love reading them all. I know the exact same feeling that every one of them describes when they saw their first Amy Atlas dessert table. So I am jumping on the bandwagon and sharing my story too.

While I was on maternity leave with my first daughter back in 2009 I began doing a lot of reading online about women in business, small business and work at home mums. I came across one particular post – which to cut a long story short – led me to discover a blog by Australian graphic designer Sarah Thompson of Style Me Gorgeous. Listed among her favourite links was Amy Atlas Events. I had not heard of this site before so thought I would click on the link … well, it was destiny!

Ever since 2001 (when I was working as a newspaper sub-editor and Amy Atlas was probably still practicing law), I had carried around a picture of an all-white dessert table which had featured in the very first Martha Stewart Weddings magazine I bought when I became engaged.

It was a dessert table at the kitchen tea for Martha Stewart Weddings editor Darcy Miller. It was just so beautiful. I had never seen anything like it.

I loved looking at it. And there was even another feature article on the dessert table at the wedding. I would never loan that particular magazine to any of my other engaged girlfriends for fear of it being lost.

I didn’t know why I was so attached to that photo of the all-white dessert table. And it wasn’t until some eight years later when I saw Amy Atlas’ website and there was a photo of Amy behind an immaculate all-white desert table, that it all made sense.


There was nothing like it in Melbourne or maybe even Australia. Or if there was, it was yet to gain the popularity it now experiences. I spent every spare second of my day pouring over the amazing images on Amy’s website and blog. Every single item, every detail was immaculately presented and colour-coordinated! This was someone after my own heart.

Every ribbon, every piece of paper, every cake stand, every label, all the hand-crafted touches, the miniature sweets – everything matched! It was a total feast of eye candy.

I can’t be certain but I wouldn’t be surprised if that same all-white dessert table in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine inspired Amy Atlas along the way, so I guess things came full circle when she was invited to create a dessert table to mark the 15th anniversary of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine last year.

There is something just so impossibly beautiful and deeply personal about each and every one of her dessert tables. Each is a labour of love.

Among my favourites are:





The chance to hear her words of wisdom, her inspiration and to talk to someone else who loves crafting, colour and cake as much as I do, sounds almost too good to be true.

Amy, Australia can't wait to meet you!

A scallops and spots celebration

Oh me, oh my! An email from the team at Amy Atlas. What a wonderful surprise to have while away on holidays in the Greek Islands. Another of my dessert tables was to be featured on the Sweet Designs blog. Incredible!



I’ve been a little delayed in posting about this as my baby girl suffered the most horrendous jetlag … I guess that’s what you get for carting a seven-month-old and an almost three-year-old on a 30-hour trek across the world.

So … the week before we headed over to enjoy the European summer, I styled a ‘scallops and spots’ dessert table for Tahlia’s christening.

It was held at a Greek tavern, as my husband and his family are Greek, so there were already plenty of amazing traditional Greek sweets but I wanted to host a little dessert table to say thank you to our guests for helping celebrate her special day.

I chose a peach and raspberry colour scheme – as I fell in love with the colour peach while pregnant – accented with scalloped edges and spots.


The dessert table featured:

Vanilla shortbreads with monogram ‘T’ toppers

Passionfruit curd babycakes with passionfruit frosting

Dark chocolate, orange and almond chocolate bars

Chocolate covered Oreos designed to coordinate with the spotted papers

Orange rock candy swizzle sticks

Orange candy-coated sugared almonds

An assortment of orange and raspberry cream-filled chocolates

The other features of the table included:

A paper bauble and crystal garland

Scalloped edge cupcake stand created from papier mache hat boxes

Scalloped edge vessel stands

and fresh tulips

As a thank-you, guests were given favour bags containing the vanilla shortbreads, chocolate bars and the traditional five sugared almonds as bonbonniere.

The cupcake stands were crafted based on the ones featured in Amy Atlas’ Valentine’s Day table I crafted them from papier mache hat boxes and covered them in matching spotted paper with a scalloped edge.

The garland was made based on the tutorial found here.

This table shows that even if you don’t have expensive vessels and cake stands at home, with a bit of time, effort and craftiness you can present a lovely dessert table.

Once again, thank-you Amy Atlas, I was absolutely thrilled to have had this table featured on your blog.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about the party, please join me on my Facebook Page, I would love to see you there.

Sweet little holiday

Just thought I'd let you all know I'm taking a little summer sojourn in the Greek Islands this month.
I will be back next month with some fabulous photos and all the details of a very special event Eye Candy Events had the pleasure of styling before I jetted out of cold old Melbourne with my little family headed for the very sultry island of Rhodes.
Plus, I'm still to share the next of my profiles on the fabulous women who've inspired me in business.
See you next month!

Inspired by a simply gorgeous designer

Continuing the series of profiles on sucessful women who have inspired me in business, it's my pleasure to introduce you to the simply gorgeous, Sarah Thompson of Style Me Gorgeous.If it wasn’t for me stumbling across Sarah's humble little blog back in late 2009, I would never have discovered her amazing work and I would not have been introduced to the work of the incredible Amy Atlas, which changed my life!
Ever since 2001, I had carried around a picture of an all-white dessert table which had featured in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. I don’t know why I was so obsessed with it and it wasn’t until some eight years later when I saw Amy Atlas’ website, I knew this is what I was meant to do.
And of course, after I found Style Me Gorgeous, there was no question about the fact I would ask Sarah to design the branding for Eye Candy Events. It’s funny how things come full circle.
Sarah is a talented graphic designer who can create business branding, logos, websites and more but has more recently launched a series of party printables which are taking mums and dads by storm. Eye Candy Events has used her printables here and here for dessert tables.
Sarah shares her experiences of being a WAHM and where the inspiration for her work comes from.

Why did you start your own business?
After having my first son Jack I couldn’t bear the thought of having to leave him at six months old and go back to work, and I had always wanted to have my own business so it was time to go for it!

Who/what inspires you?
My boys - Jack and Max, Donna Hay, Amy Atlas, Sharnel Dollar, Stacey Sullaphen (Sunny Mummy), my mum, my friends, and all the blogs on my blog list! (hundreds of them)
What are the biggest lessons you learnt in your first year of business?
That sometimes I just have to say 'no', the world/my career won't end if I do, hehe.
I also learnt the value of social networking and blogging for business. As much as it is a distraction from doing my actual design work, facebook is great for business, it helps spread your name about, you can keep clients and likers up to date with new designs, special offers etc
What is the toughest thing about running your own business?
Trying to find a good work vs life balance, and having the will power to turn off the computer, close the studio door and give my family attention. Sticking to scheduled work hours is hard, I always work more hours than planned.
How do you find the right balance between family and being a WAHM?
It is a constant struggle trying to find that balance. I am yet to meet another WAHM who has found and maintained that balance. I've accepted that it will always be hard to juggle work and family, but I know I am lucky to be doing what I love, and to be doing it from home.
Best business advice you’ve ever received?
When I'm feeling stressed about work a few simple words from my beautiful friend Stacey (the original Sunny Mummy!) is the best medicine, i.e. 'if you've lost your mojo you need some time away from work to just be YOU! The world won't stop turning if you take a few days off. Turn off the computer, get some sun on your face, watch a movie with the kids, have a deep bath, read a book, eat some choc ....'
How important is social media to your work as a WAHM?
As mentioned above social media is very important to my work. I like to be professional but also show a personal side of my business and let people get to know me a little through my blog and through Facebook. Facebook is a great way of sharing information quickly.
As there are a lot of experts in your field – and a lot of copycats - how do you ensure you stay ahead of the pack?
I am guilty in the past of spending too much time getting bogged down in the negativity (copycats) of the online world and dwelling on things I should be ignoring, but as my business has grown I've become more confident in myself and my abilities ... so these days I do my best to focus on what truely matters ...creating and being with my family. When I keep my chin up and focus I do better (it also helps when I'm not stressed out, the creative juices flow much better!)
What excites you about the work you do?
The feedback from customers gives me such a great feeling, it is so rewarding creating a new brand for a client and feeling their excitement and enthusiasm. With the party printables side of the business, knowing I can help make such precious occasions that extra bit special is fantastic too.
Also, all the inspiration everywhere excites me ... there is endless inspiration for children's parties and my to-do list is never-ending because of it, I really do need an 8th day in the week!
What has been your best day in business/highlight of your business so far?
I was asked by Sharnel Dollar to design printables (buffet labels, wallpaper, choc wrappers, straw flags and tags) for the baby shower in Melbourne hosted by Oprah! I caught a half a second flash of one of the buffet labels on the Oprah show too, hahaha!
The other thing is, it has been a long time business goal of mine to be in a magazine, and I'm so excited to say I am, and it's in my favourite baby and kids magazine ... Little One Baby!
Favourite three blogs or websites?
Hostess with the Mostess blog, Amy Atlas blog, and 1oo Layer Cake.
Any final words???
Happy birthday to Eye Candy Events, wishing you the very best for the future. xx

Website
Blog
Facebook
Thank-you Sarah for sharing your experiences and inspiration. You have inspired many parents in celebrating their children's special events and designed simply stunning branding for many other mothers in business. You continue to be a source of inspiration for me.

Next up, meet Naomi of Hello Naomi who creates the most divine cookies and cakes you ever did see.

kikki.K shares her tips for success

Today, as promised, I'm sharing with you the first in a series of interviews with amazing entrepreneurial women who have in some shape or form inspired me in business. First up, is Kristina Karlsson of kikki.k ...

It was a little article about kikki-K published in the ANZ bank’s In Business magazine in 2004 followed by a chance meeting with the woman behind the name in her flagship Chadstone store a couple of years later that stirred a desire in me to start a business.

What Kristina Karlsson had to say back then really resonated with me and I still have that article pinned up on my desk today! And, in case you are wondering, yes, my desk is adorned with many colour-perfect kikki.K items.

kikki.K is undoubtedly the leader in couture stationery, everyone has heard of or seen her products and she inspires many work at home mums (WAHMs) whose home offices are adorned with her super-stylish and perfectly colour-coordinated products.

The Swedish-born stationery queen, who has numerous business accolades to her name, came to Australia in 1995, opened her first store at Melbourne Central in 2001 and today employs more than 400 staff in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

I asked Kristina, a mother herself, if she could share her tips for business success.

Why did you start your own business?
I started kikki.K when I set about setting up my own home office. I had recently moved to Australia, and was used to gorgeous home/office products at home in Sweden. I quickly discovered that they weren’t available here. I really wanted my office to be an extension of my personality, just as the rest of my home was. So I designed my first range. And it started from there!

Who or what inspires you?
Everywhere. One thing I’m never short of is inspiration and ideas! Like any creative, I never switch off and am always looking for sources of inspiration. Travelling home to Sweden is something particularly inspiring for me. Just spending time with my family and friends, going to cafes, restaurants, the beach, galleries and exploring the beautiful Swedish landscape ... has me bubbling with ideas. I’m also constantly reading magazines from around the world, blogs and beautiful books.

What are the biggest lessons you learnt in your first year of business?
No matter how attached you become to your business, at some point you must realise that you can’t do it all on your own. You need other people who you can delegate responsibility to. Then you have to work together with a clear goal or focus in mind.

What is the toughest thing about running your own business?
I just love what I do for work so I find myself working very long hours – which is often very fun and very satisfying – but leaves me needing a little more time for other important things.

Best business advice you’ve ever received?
Do something you’re passionate about. It takes up so much energy, so I don’t think anyone could succeed in doing something they didn’t truly love. Have a strong, clear vision. When times get tough your vision has to be strong enough to pull you and everyone else though. And most importantly, have fun!

How important is social media to your work?
Very important. We have a dedicated following on Facebook and Twitter. It enables us to communicate directly with our customers on a daily basis. It’s a great form of interaction, and to get their thoughts and feedback and share news as it happens.

As there are a lot of experts in your field –and a lot of copycats - how do you ensure you stay ahead of the pack?
kikki.K products are very much aligned with fashion. From colour, design, materials and textures – we move with the seasons and constantly have new products arriving in store. Looking at stationery as a fashion accessory is quite unique – however it’s something I truly believe in. Another differentiator is our level of customer service. We aim to deliver “world class customer service” every time, and I think this is unique in that there is not a lot of great service out there.

What excites you about the work you do?
Designing and developing new product. I get so excited and inspired doing that. It’s such a rewarding process to start with a blank page and create beautiful objects that people use every day and come to love. Then to be in one of my stores and see people’s reactions to them is just so much fun. On a personal level that gives me masses of enjoyment.

What has been your best day in business/highlight of your business so far?
Receiving awards and opening new kikki.K boutiques are always huge highlights as is being nominated for the 2010 World Retail Awards and winning the 2010 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Southern Region. But it’s also the simple things, like being told by customers how much they love the products. There really are a lot of stationery addicts out there – and we see them in kikki.K stores every day!

Favourite three blogs or websites?
trendenser.se
whatkatieate.com/
www.enmammasdag.com/weronica/

Any final words of advice?
Don’t say no, say how.

Blog

Website

Facebook

I'm so grateful for Kristina taking the time out of her busy schedule to give an insight into her business success. She is inspirational and a truly fabulous businesswoman. Thank-you, Kristina.

Next up, meet Sarah Thompson of Style Me Gorgeous.

Eye Candy Events turns one!

Wow! What a big news week it has been. As a journalist by trade I love big news stories, so in keeping with BIG news, I’m pleased to report Eye Candy Events has turned one!

This time last year, not only was I pregnant with my second daughter, hideously ill with all-day morning sickness and working full-time but, I began working on a little hobby I had and look 12 months later here we are.
To mark the occasion, instead of celebrating with cake (because let's face it, after having my second baby, I'm on a perennial diet!), I want you to meet the people behind the businesses that inspired me to create Eye Candy Events.
Some you will know and who need no introduction as they are the leaders in their fields, and others are women who I am proud to call my friends and who inspire me every day.
Stay tuned - each day this week I will shine the spotlight on a talented woman in business. I have no doubt they will inspire and excite you as much as they have for me.
You’ll hear from a robot programmer, a gorgeous designer, a fabulous fresh new photographer, a custom cake creator, a dessert table designer and undoubtedly Scandinavian's stationery superstar.
What an incredible year. Thank you to each and every one of you for support and encouragement. I am excited about the year ahead and can’t wait to show you what Eye Candy Events is working on next.

Photo credits: Cupcake from here and pink balloons from here.

Eggs, rabbits and the leaning tower ...

What a big week it's been ... Easter then the Royal Wedding. I love a good wedding and this one did not disappoint.

Finally, I have had a chance to sift through my Easter photos, so here is a selection from our celebrations this year.

I wanted to do something especially for the kids. As we were having a big Greek Easter celebration with a spit, baklava and lots of Ouzo, I wanted to make sure there was something appropriate for the youngest guests at the party.

And what better than a miniature kid-sized dessert table – only 77cm in length!

There was nothing better than seeing the looks on their faces.

The dessert table featured:

- A Happy Easter bunting hung with yellow and white striped twine strung between paper chain garland.

- The centrepiece was an Easter egg tower adorned with striped grosgrain ribbon to match the colour scheme. The tower was inspired by Sharnel Dollar of Sharnel Dollar Designs who crafted a similar tower for a feature Peakaboo magazine. Remind me to tell you more about the Easter egg tower later ...
Chicken and egg sugar cookies.

- Easter bunny banana cupcakes with lemon icing and shredded coconut
– complete with fluffy tails.

- Banana flavoured milk in mini milk bottles with striped vintage straws!

- Chocolate bars.

- Easter eggs in tin pails

- Mini muslin bags filled with more chocolate to take home.

- And when all the hunting got too much there were Easter themed colouring-in activity sheets and rabbit pencils, tied with swing tags and twine, for the young guests.

In the lead-up to Easter my girls helped me with some of the crafty elements of the dessert table – sticking the cotton ball tails on the rabbit cupcake wrappers, making the paper chain garland and helping affix the Easter eggs to the tower (which looked a little worse for wear after being transported 150km in the car!).

The printables were designed by the ever-so-talented Sarah at Style Me Gorgeous. The Muslin bags were sourced from Sharnel Dollar at Sharnel Dollar Designs and the cute, pink, rectangular plates and yellow twine were from Mon Tresor.

And now this brings me back to the Easter egg tower ... next time I am ever adventurous enough to attempt something like this I will think twice. It looked easy enough ... I was even critical of other less than perfect attempts at such a tower ... haha! I am the fool! I crafted my Easter egg tower two weeks' before the big day, just to be organised, only to have more than half the eggs fall off by the next morning. It became the joke in our house as daily more and more eggs would fall off only to bounce on the ground. By the time Easter rolled around, I had built said tower, three times! So how on earth could such a tower survive a 150km drive?! Wrapped tightly in foil and cling wrap ... the tower made it to said Easter venue ... albeit a little worse for wear and some of the eggs were off-kilter! In future, if I become besotted with such a hair-brained idea, I will fashion the tower on-site on the day ... lesson learnt!

Nonetheless, the kids didn't notice the less than perfect egg tower and were happy to enjoy the Easter celebrations.

Stay tuned for an extra special series of posts to celebrate Eye Candy Events' first birthday ... I have something extra special to share with you all.