1. Afternoon Crumbs Wimbledon Tennis Box of Cupcakes – We’re serving up a very special box of cupcakes to celebrate Wimbledon fortnight with cute tennis ball designs, strawberry cupcakes and of course our Pimm’s special!
2. Louise Braithwaite ‘Tennis at Wimbledon’ Greeting Card – Louise’s fun and colourful designs celebrate the spirit of Wimbledon. Not just focusing on the tennis, she has some lovely cards and prints capturing the buzz of Wimbledon Village too.
3. Saturday by Megan Ellaby ‘The Strawberry Queen’ Gingham Print Shirt Dress – With the green and white gingham reminiscent of those famous grass courts and cute strawberry print could there be a more perfect dress for Wimbledon? It’s one of Lauren’s favourites to wear during the fortnight!
4. Oliver Bonas Strawberry Picnic Blanket – Wimbledon and picnic season go hand in hand and this blanket is perfect whether you’re off to sit on the Hill, the park or your garden this summer.
5. Choc on Choc Chocolate Tennis Balls – not only do these chocolate tennis balls filled with marshmallow sound delicious but they come in a ring pull can just like real tennis balls!
6. Noi Publishing Let’s Play Notebook – tennis, dogs and stationery – this notebook has everything we need! This design also comes in a greeting card and wrapping paper – ideal for those Wimbledon fortnight birthdays.
7. Wimbledon Tennis in an English Garden Mug – it’s always fun to see what’s on offer in the Official Wimbledon Shop and we love this year’s ‘Tennis in an English Garden’ illustrated designs capturing one of our favourite spots at the top of the Hill.
8. Jellycat Amuseable Tennis Ball – Jellycat make THE cutest soft toys! We love the different themes they come up with (they have some particularly adorable baked goods ones). This tennis ball character is a perfect gift for any tennis fan big or small.
9. Laines London Strawberry & Tennis Sandals – we are huge fans of Laines London! Their slippers are super comfortable but stylish enough to be shown off too. They have a whole range of fun designs but we think these tennis themed sandals are especially cute for the summer.
10. Judy Murray ‘The Wild Card’ Book – Judy Murray’s debut novel tells the story of a tennis player making her comeback at Wimbledon twenty years after putting her career on hold. It is a great summer read celebrating friendships and second chances and also gives an interesting behind the scenes look into life for the players during the Championships.
11. Morgan x Lottie NYC Tennis Bracelet – a collaboration between Morgan Riddle (girlfriend of player Taylor Fritz) and jewellery brand Lottie NYC this bracelet will be the perfect match for any Wimbledon outfit!
12. Sophie Allport Strawberries Melamine Dinner Plate – another picnic essential! We love this plate but Sophie Allport also has whole range of excellent strawberry themed designs – from cups to a cool bag to bowls perfect for your strawberries and cream!
13. Wimbledon Fresh Cut Grass Scented Candle – recreate the smell of the iconic Wimbledon grass at home with this candle from the official shop!

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1. Folk and Fortune Golden State Carriage Necklace – we love any themed clothing or accessories and this necklace will make any Coronation weekend outfit sparkle as much as the Royal Carriage!
2. Emma Bridgewater King Charles III Mug – a quintessentially British brand this mug is perfect for all the tea-drinking you are sure to be doing during the ceremony
3. Afternoon Crumbs Coronation Cupcakes – this special box of mixed cupcakes features some royally cute Coronation toppers – including a bejewelled crown and sweet stamp. Perfect for street parties, Coronation TV viewing or just a Bank Holiday treat!
4. Lucy Claire Illustration King Charles III Coronation Print – we were all captivated by Lucy’s beautiful and touching illustrations of The Queen and she has worked her magic again to produce some stunning keepsake prints for the King’s Coronation
5. Meraki London Bunting Candle – we’re big fans of painted candles and Emily’s cute bunting design is perfect for some subtle Coronation decoration
6. Talking Tables Coronation Carriage Treat Stand and Paper Plates – we are obsessed with the Talking Tables Coronation collection, in particular this incredible Carriage Stand. It’s the perfect centrepiece – we’d recommend displaying some cupcakes on there ;) It’s currently sold out on their website but you can still find it through a few other retailers
7. This Is Nessie Coronation Egg Cups – these super cute illustrated egg cups will make your Coronation weekend breakfasts extra special
8. Happy Blossoms Kings Coronation Celebration Dried Flower Baby Bunch – we’re big fans of Happy Blossoms and especially love their seasonal bunches. These red, white and blue flowers will brighten up your home over the Bank Holiday or make the perfect gift for a Coronation party host
9. Bean & Bemble King Charles III Coronation Organic Cotton Tea Towel – we love this unique tea towel designed by Michelle Dodds (no relation ;)) because it features some of King Charles’ lesser-known hobbies such as painting and the cello alongside the more traditional crown and flag motifs
10. Nine Designs Union Jack Knot Headband – we love a headband – especially one with a theme! A great finishing touch for your Coronation weekend wardrobe!
11. Freya Niamh Design God Save The King Art Print – Freya’s bold designs always make a statement and this print featuring three iconic locations (Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Balmoral) is a great piece to mark the coronation or gift for a Royal fan

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1. Afternoon Crumbs Box of ‘I Heart…’ & Daisy Cupcakes – Mum, Mummy, Nan, Grandma…whoever they are or whatever you call them, you can tell them how much you care with these personalised cupcakes
2. ‘Marbling’ by Zeena Shah – something for the crafty mamas, Zeena explains all you need to know about marbling anything in your home – from cushions to candles and even your nails! A fun activity for mum or the whole family!
3. Olive and Frank ‘Be Kind Open Your Heart Love and Go On’ T-Shirt – the lovely words on this t-shirt are taken from a letter written to founder Chloe from her mum who she lost to ovarian cancer in 2020. £5 from every sale goes to Target Ovarian Cancer charity.
4. Cosmetics a la Carte Bespoke Lipstick – treat her to a special day out with a gift voucher to visit Cosmetics à la Carte’s boutique in Chelsea and create a custom lipstick as unique as her! Or if you’re looking for something that’s ready to go we love their ‘Cupcake’ colour…and not just for the name!
5. &Klevering Crochet Daisy Placemats (The Letteroom) – we love the fun colour combo of these cute daisy placemats, perfect for Spring entertaining or just brightening up her home
6. Annie Dornan Smith ‘Just Because I Love You’ Print – Annie’s prints are our favourite for any occasion but we think the sweet words and beautiful florals on this one make it a great fit for Mother’s Day
7. Imogen Melissa Embroidery Bead Kit – we love Imogen Melissa’s work and this kit is perfect for beginners looking to test out embroidery and beading. A great way to give mum a little mindful moment to herself!
8. Afternoon Crumbs ‘Spreading Sweetness’ Mug – a perfect gift for the mum who loves to bake or just cosy up with a cupcake and hot drink
9. Afternoon Crumbs ‘Mum, You’re The Sweetest’ Card – tell your mum just how sweet she is with this greeting card which can be left blank inside or hand-written and delivered direct to her door!
10. Partner in Wine Bottle – these insulated bottles come in some gorgeous colours and keep your wine the perfect temperature on the go – she’ll be all set for picnic season!
11. Happy Blossoms ‘The Floral Harvest Dried Flower Baked Blossom Bunch’ – we love Happy Blossoms dried flowers! Not only are they super cute but they don’t require any upkeep so are the perfect gift for busy mums!

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1. Afternoon Crumbs Mixed Valentine’s Cupcakes – Your favourite flavours have been given a Valentine’s twist! The perfect way to spread some seasonal love.
2. Ottolenghi Test Kitchen Shelf Love Book – King of the kitchen Ottolenghi’s books are always so beautiful – perfect for whipping up a romantic meal or hinting for someone else to ;)
3. Oliver and Bo Love Carnival Light – We have these in the shop at Valentine’s and adore them. They are fun and I love their retro carnival vibe.
4. Afternoon Crumbs ‘Can We Just Eat Cake And Talk Forever’ Mug – Can we? The perfect mug for those loved ones who make just sitting and having a cuppa and a cake some of your fave moments.
5. Afternoon Crumbs Mini Valentine’s Cake – Ideal for Valentine’s dessert the cutest mini cake to share with your favourite people.
6. Oh Squirrel ‘Love You More’ Velvet Hoop – We are such huge fans of Oh Squirrel and her gorgeous velvet hoops are as beautiful as the words on them.
7. Leiho Think Pink Bamboo Socks – Have you tried bamboo socks?! They are THE softest and this awesome company does great things too! Ideal for gifting to your sole-mate ;)
8. Sugarfinery ‘Sealed With A Kiss’ Pick ‘n’ Mix Pouch – The sweetest Pick ‘n’ Mix for a movie night in!
9. Annie Dornan Smith Red Roses Botanical Art Print – We love Annie’s work! I have a collection of her stunning floral prints in my bedroom and adore this rose one too. Yay for gifting flowers that will last :)
10. Overose Pain Au Chocolate Candle – Ummmm just YES!
11. Afternoon Crumbs ‘Say It Sweetly’ Valentine’s Cards – Inspired by my loved ones and the kind words I want to express to my friends and family our greeting cards hope to help you share some sweet words this Valentine’s Day.

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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!

2. 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!!

3. 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.

4. 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!

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. Petit BooChe Mulled Wine and Mince Pie Banners – I adore these colourful banners and I definitely want to be in both these Clubs!

9. 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.

10. 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!

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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!

14. LostFoundKeep Clay Boob Pots – These boob pots are all lovingly handmade and celebrate being a woman. The perfect little gift for your breast friends ;)

15. 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.

The post Home Sweet Home Gift Guide appeared first on Afternoon Crumbs.

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!

2. 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!

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Afternoon Crumbs Cupcake Pin – join the cutest cupcake crew with our enamel pin. Perfect for sweetening any outfit.

6. 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.

7. Happy Socks Sprinkle Socks – I LOVE a jazzy sock. Bonus points for fun prints and these sprinkle ones definitely take the cake!

8. Bable Butter Candle – Isn’t butter just the best? Remind them of their favourite ingredient with this cute hand-painted butter candle!

9. 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.

10. LuluQ Studio Merry & Bright Bauble Cake Topper – LuluQ toppers are so much fun and their bold designs make any cake brighter.

11. 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.

12. 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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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!

2. 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!

3. 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!

4. 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!

5. 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!

6. 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!

7. M + H Cake Christmas Pudding Brownie – Abigail creates awesome postal bakes – these personalised pudding brownies would make great table settings for Christmas Day !

8. 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!

9. 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!

10. 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!

11. 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?” 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.

The first nozzle I used to practice my piping was this Savoy Star Nozzle its largest size. It gives that classic buttercream swirl we on our signature vanilla cupcake, red velvet, carrot cake and many others.

I’m sure it has a properly name but I just refer to this as ‘blob’ icing. To get this nice rounded dome shape frosting I use this Savoy Plain Nozzle. It’s best used with softer frosting to give it this nice smooth shape.

This kind of frosting is made using a Fine Star Nozzle. I love how this one looks and use it on lots of our cupcakes including S’mores and Apple Crumble.

For piped roses I like this PME Drop Flower Nozzle but you could use a closed star tip if you have this to make a nice rosette shape.

For biscuits I tend to use a couple of different sized Tube Tip PME Nozzles. It kind of depends on the shape and area I’m trying to pipe or flood but generally these are the ones I reach for first. I use this PME 1.5 for outlining and a 2 or 2.5 for flooding. If it’s a large area and I need less control I’ll use a 3.

That’s my basic nozzle gang! It’s always good to have a play and see which you feel most comfortable using and gives you the look you are going for. Let me know if you have any questions!

Happy piping!

Nicole x

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It can be easy for me to be hard on myself, focus on the list of things I meant to do with the business this year and the mistakes I made, but I think looking back and seeing all the wonderful things we did and achieved is going to be a nicer way to set us up for a new decade. So although it would be an easier task for me to compile my favourite albums/movies/tv shows of the year here are a few of my 2019 Afternoon Crumbs highlights/things I’m proud of:

Weddings:

I made more wedding cakes than ever this year. It started with a gorgeous white wedding cake the first week we were back last Jan and carried on throughout the year. While I made a few of these for some of my sweetest friends who were getting married, a lot this year were for couples I didn’t directly know. It made me feel really good that I was being trusted by strangers to be a small part of their big day and I loved creating something special for them. Lots more lovely weddings to come in 2020!

Birthdays:

A definite highlight was making my Grandpa’s 90^th birthday cake this year – and seeing how much he loved it. I also turned 30 in November and I was NOT READY. I had the best time celebrating surrounded by the people I love the most and danced my way in to semi adulthood ;) I made myself this big ol’ cake in keeping with the 70s party theme and it was really fun to play with pattern and design something for myself!

Products:

This has been the thing I’ve maybe learnt the most about since starting the shop. While I’m constantly learning about cake making I’m sort of building on existing knowledge whereas product creation has been brand new. Lauren and I have worked really hard to research and produce pieces to sell alongside the baking as an extension of our brand. We’ve been lucky enough to work and build relationships with talented creators like Viktorija to collaborate on these too. I’m VERY excited to grow this part of the business and see where it goes!

Out in the world:

This year more than ever we ventured out of the shop and our comfort zones. We sold at new fairs, spoke at events about our business and I even appeared on BBC Radio Surrey – gaaah!! It was live! Pretty proud that we pushed ourselves out there even if there were a few sweaty palms and on the go till malfunctions! Here’s to getting out there more and meeting lots of new people!

Charity:

One thing I’m most proud of as a small business is that we continue to support the charities and causes that mean something to us. From selling Rugby World Cup-cakes for Dallagio Rugby Works, Girl Power Cupcakes for the Girl Up Campaign, Poppy Cupcakes for the Royal British Legion and Snowflake cupcakes in December for Crisis we will continue our bake sale approach to charity and with your help support others too.

Balance:

This is the thing I’ve found the hardest about running a business. I know almost everyone has the same struggles with connectivity and while totally switching off will never be that easy, I’m proud of trying to make small changes to achieve a little balance, like keeping up with my Pilates class once a week as a little exercise in my happy place is a good break for my brain and body.

It’s been nice having a look back on this year (think I’ll save a whole decade review for about 11:30pm tonight after a good few glasses) there’s plenty of other little wins we’ve had along the way this year and sometimes for me these feel like the biggest achievements of all. Whether it’s creating a new flavour that you’ve loved, seeing the face of a kid really excited to pick up their birthday cake or just selling out on a Saturday.

Wishing you all the happiest New Year and an even sweeter 2020 – I’ll try and pop back on here before the next decade…

Nicole x

The post Looking Back on a Sweet 2019 appeared first on Afternoon Crumbs.

It’s been an embarrassingly long time since I wrote anything here. In fact I wasn’t even sure I would remember how to upload anything or even write something that wasn’t a short email or Instagram caption. I’ve been having a little break after Christmas and the start of a New Year is better time than any to look back on some of the highlights of last year and take time to appreciate it all.

I’m going to start with the fact that the Afternoon Crumbs shop turned one in November! This was a huge deal for me – to have made it through and succeeded in my first year of real life business was brilliant and even better to have had lots of fun along the way. We celebrated by drinking bubbles, dancing with giant ‘1’ balloons and of course, eating cake with our friends, family and other local businesses.

Although some of the days had felt long at times, the first year had rushed by quickly. Jumping through all the seasonal events, and celebrating each with themed products and shop window decorations. Some of my favourites were the mini Red Velvet drip cakes for Valentine’s day, iced Easter egg biscuits and super boozy cupcakes from St. Patrick’s day. And then there was Christmas, but that’s a whooooole other blog post.

I’ve made a lot of cakes I’m very proud of this year too. I pushed myself to take on bigger cakes (I made my first 5 tier wedding cake!!!), learnt new techniques (I taught myself how to make new types of sugar flowers and figures) and designed cakes that put smiles on lots of faces. We are also proud to have done a lot of baking for charity, supporting both local schools and causes and national campaigns such as the Poppy Appeal, Red Nose Day, Macmillan’s Coffee Morning and Children in Need.

The first year taught me a lot about business too. Although I’m forever dodging spreadsheets, I learnt a lot about developing products, marketing, managing my time, designing a shop and packaging – the list goes on! Of course, I couldn’t do most of it without my amazing sister Lauren. She’s incredible and with her by my side this year has been even better than I could have dreamt.

The first year was full of brilliant moments. While there have of course been a few burns, late nights and some broken sugar flowers along the way, I’ve experienced lots of highs too. The total joy of hearing how much a child loved their birthday cake, creating new flavours I love, getting to speak to the Girl Guides about running a cake shop, getting to know our regular and lots of new customers and working on a new range of non-baked products for Christmas!

A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the shop, ordered a cake (we’ve loved being a part of your birthdays, weddings and other special occasions!), liked a photo or commented. Your support from near or far means so much.

Here’s to many more years of sweetness!

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