Just had a busy few days :
London for the 2012 Design Festival -visited 100% Design at Earl's Court which showcased some amazing products such as the stretch ceiling system from New Mat Ltd which incorporates both lighting and sound proofing !
Then off to Design Junction -fantastic furniture - a mix of new and retro-reinvented, followed by Tent London at The Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane.

Overall Lighting shone out -from handmade to high tech.

Sunny Saturday morning found us sitting outside a great cafe in Bloomsbury sipping coffee and eating a gorgeous orange and polenta cake.

Had to give the Cake and Bake Show a miss but by all accounts it sounded like this first show was big success -  so back home to Nottingham.

Sunday: The Rock n Gem Show at The Newark Showground - had to resist buying everything! Managed to get some awesome pearls and rock crystals as well as glass beads, garnet and pyrite.

So the London 2012 Olympics are officially open! The somewhat frenetic opening ceremony had some good and bad bits......

The Red Arrows looked awesome as flew over the London skyline as did David Beckham arriving by speedboat with the Olympic Torch - more like a scene from a Bond Movie - better than the James Bond scene itself. Unfortunately the Queen did not look at all amused.

The forging of the five Olympic rings was amazing as was the copper cauldron sculpture (by Tom Heatherwick). It's a shame they stuck Paul McCartney in at the end though.

Anyway looking forward to visiting our stunning capital in September for the London Design Festival and the Cake & Bake Show at Earl's Court.

`The first live event dedicated to the world of cakes, breads and the art of baking' featuring many celebrity bakers such as Paul Hollywood,  Mich Turner (of the Little Venice Cake Company) and Tom Herbert (from the Fabulous Baker Brothers)

There will be masterclasses, speakers and of course lots of cakes!

I have recently been looking at handpainted cakes- they can look amazing when done well. I have had a go but definitely need more practice. Here are some to feast your eyes on...