Cadenza Bella boutique

Christmas photos

27/10/2016

I have been working with a local mum and dad printing business to bring you my very own designed tops!
Put together with a tutu these make fabulous Christmas outfits! and oh so versatile.

I came up with the idea after seeing the same things printed by everyone, the same prints from different places, even manufactured in China ones. I wanted to standout and since I am pretty handy with a pencil i put it to paper.

I have come up with these 2 designs for Christmas and have a whole other range of motivating tees coming out for girls.

I love the idea of the wee reindeer 'spreading Christmas cheer' instead of the traditional messages.

Of course I also have to have an option for the wee ones so Ihave the traditional 'My first Christmas' options aswell :D
There are sooo many fun vinyls available,metallics, holographics, glitters even glow in the dark!
I had so much fun putting these together with Angela and her husband from Creation Station.
We spent months working together to get these right and ready, from initial concept sketches to finished result.
You can bet that there will be many more designs coming to you soon!!

*These designs are all the intellectual property of Cadenza Bella and are not to be reproduced without my written consent.

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Winter Wonderland mother daughter photoshoot

6/8/2015

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So following on from my previous blog post on the Autumns rainbow mother daughter photoshoot, my lovely photographer friend Mandy and I finished up our winter one in June and boy was it COLD!
We had weather reports of a dumping of snow on the way so decided to hightail it out there and get our awesome vision off the ground. We were not disappointed!
The stunning adults tutu gown was made with yards and yards of soft flowy tulle in a winter palette and finished with a complimentary tie on train.
I even embellished the corset with handsewn snowflakes, beads and tulle straps. .
The daughter tutu outfit was constructed of the same palette and also a tie on train. It was finished off with a soft velvet deluxe panel top with fur trim.
We wanted to capture the beauty in winter with this shoot and the love between mother and daughter :)
These images were all shot by Mandy from mb photography nz and the tutus were of course provided by Cadenza Bella.
The location was the stunning Castle Hill in Christchurch, New Zealand.

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Princess birthday party

6/7/2015

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"Remember, you're the one who can fill the world with sunshine" - Snow White

This year for her 4th birthday party Miss Cadenza Bella herself requested a ball. She waltzed into the lounge one morning in her tiara, dressup shoes, dressup Cinderella ballgown and scepter and decreed "Mummy, I want to have a ball". Now normally I don't bend to the whims of my preschooler, but it was pretty darn cute and her birthday was coming up, so off we went.
We looked at cakes and much to my dismay she seemed to be drawn to all the multi tiered pretty princess cakes, so added that to my list.
Whilst perusing the cheap store at the mall down the road (not for party stuff) miss Cadence discovered some party plates, forks, straws, hats, banner etc that were pink and had tiaras and decided that was the stuff she wanted, so again I bent to my preschoolers whim. (Need that stuff anyway right).
As always we didn't go tooo far out and just kept it casual. Cadence doesn't like large groups of people either so it was a small get together of our closest friends and family.

Rightnow onto the info! First as usual the cake.
I didn't take step by steps this time around but this was the end result. Not perfect but pretty good for an at home job :)

This monster is 3 tiers of cake which took 4 cakes to ' build'.
The bottom tier is dairy free and has a banana cake layer and a chocolate cake layer. The top two tiers are not dairy free and are chocolate.
I used some YIAH balsamic in the margarine based buttercream for flavour and it was divine!!
For the Tiara I drew Rapunzels crown on a piece of paper and then lay a piece of baking paper over the top of that and used it as a guide for the fondant placement. I did have to use toothpicks in the end as it was too delicate to hold itself together, lol.
The cake tutu was the 'icing on the cake' ;)

For activities I had a rack of single layer princess tutu dresses for the girls to dress up in if they so desired. I got some cheap plastic silver wands from the cheap shop and put them in a vase with some ribbon for the girls to decorate how they wanted.
I also picked up a packet of these foam princess cutouts that the kids could decorate and stick magnet strips on the back of. Then we popped on some music so they could dance and twirl. (The boys were outside racing remote control cars, lol).

The food (was divine!) Ok so the cookies, pretty impressive right?
Muuuch easier than they looked..
Step 1/. Get some paper and trace around the cookie cutter shape.
Step 2/. Place a piece of baking paper over the top of the drawing.
Step 3/. Using royal icing outline the cookie in the colour(s) then fill and decorate as desired.
Step 4/. a few days later when they are nice and hard you are ready to put them on the sugar cookies. Use a little water to moisten the back so you can remove the baking paper. Stick to the sugar cookie with a little royal icing.

It was loads of fun, the food was great and most importantly, Cadence had a ball :D

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Autumn rainbow photoshoot

13/6/2015

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My lovely photographer friend Mandy and I have teamed up to bring you some truly stunning mother daughter images.
The first shoot we wanted to do was Autumn but with a twist. We decided instead of going the usual Autumn colours we would do a contrast with a Rainbow tutu.
The beautiful adults rainbow tutu gown was made with yards and yards of soft flowy tulle in the colours of the rainbow and is completed with a tie on train.
We think that the stunning arrangement of bright colours complimented the stunning autumn display perfectly.
The daughter tutu was perfect in soft innocent autumn hues and the overall effect I think you will agree is stunning.
These images were all shot by Mandy from mb photography nz and the tutus were of course provided by Cadenza Bella.
The location was the beautiful botanical gardens in Christchurch, New Zealand.

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Two little cuties adventuring in the gardens

20/2/2015

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A sweet photoshoot of two best friends at the gardens.
Here in Christchurch, New Zealand we have some beautiful spots, including the Botanical Gardens. A friend and I popped down with our daughters and tutus on hand (for this shoot we used the mid length lacey tutu and full length layered babydoll tutu dress in vintage lace). I pulled out the camera and took some snapshots of the two besties having a ball together.
Here are some of my favourite images from the photoshoot.

We even had our own crew of Paparazzi snapping away at the girls (some tourists). My daughters friend loved it and started pulling all the poses out, my daughter on the other hand was not so keen so I called her over to me and she happily came running.

Enjoy all the cuteness and I hope you got some ideas for your own wee shoot :)

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Country Chic - Photoshoot

6/2/2015

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Country Chic - waiting

I mentioned in the Rock n roll photoshoot blog, that I had a showcase coming up with the theme of lil bit country, lil bit rock n roll. As with the Rock n roll side I wanted to take a different angle with the country side. Instead of pigtails, denim and plaid I went for Country Chic.
I also decided I wanted to do something for the mums again.
There were lots of places to shoot in Christchurch at the moment as it is very dry and there is long grass galore, we decided on Halswell Quarry as it was close to my friends place who did the modelling and the kids could play whilst we snapped some shots.
For this dress I wanted something fun and elegant. I went for a cotton corset top finished with a gold satin bow. For the skirt I lost count of how many layers I did as I made it so many different lengths and just kept filling in bits where I thought it needed it.
The results of this photoshoot I am sharing with you below :)

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Rock n roll - A photoshoot

4/2/2015

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Rock n roll princess - no damsel in distress here

With an upcoming showcase on the way with the country and rock n roll theme I decided that I wanted to take different angle.
I also decided I wanted to do something for the mums this time around.
This Rock n roll shoot shows you don't have to be a modern damsel in distress princess to wear a tutu.
I created a very full shorter length tutu in a range of blues and blacks that I paired with a royal blue diamante studded corset for a regular length tutu gown. I got in touch with the stunning Kirsty and asked her to bring along a leather jacket and some boots.
I then went on a hunt around Christchurch for the right spot and came across some beautiful stunning graffiti art in New Brighton, with just a touch of greenery around.
The result? The following stunning shots :)

Stunning in blues and blacks.

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Terrariums!

10/1/2015

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This is my front section before we moved in. Not so great right. Needs alot of work, a new roof and to get rid of that nasty gravel. Clearly a rental property.
But it has a porch! A beautiful biiiig window and an enclosed porch, oh the potential.
I digress, this is not about my house, this is about Terrariums! Yep, those little gardens in glass containers oh so cute!

This is it now. Not finished yet, but getting there. One of my favourite parts is my wee Terrariums on the Porch window. This blog/tutorial is about them and how to make your own.

The Terrariums. I did some windowsill ones and some hanging ones in the window.

How neat are they! I think I have a new obsession! I really want some larger ones around the house :D

Supplies:
Large piece of driftwood
String
Clean empty glass jars (I just saved up jam jars etc etc, cleaned them up and removed the labels. A bit of Meths gets rid of any stubborn residue)
Soil
Sphagnum moss (optional but recommended)
Assorted plants with roots - you can buy some various small plants from the garden centre or just go for a walk and pick some weeds, make sure you get the roots.
Moss and Lychen (optional but recommended) - again you can walk around your neighbourhood and find these things, moss in damp shady places and Lichen growing on rocks and tree trunks.

Method:
It is really very easy and simple.

1. First up we went for a trip to the beach with the kids and found a large suitable piece of driftwood.

2. Then we went to the nursery and bought some wee flowering plants that you would use in a cottage garden. We looked at air plants but they were very expensive. We also picked up some potting mix and a bag of sphagnum moss from the nursery.

3. In the afternoon we walked around the neighbourhood and helped ourselves to a few clumps of moss and some lychen aswell as a few wild growing 'weeds' that looked pretty and were the right size for our jars. We ended up using mostly the 'weeds' and not alot of the purchased plants

4. To decorate the jars tie a wee piece of string around the neck in a double knot. I left a bit on either end and frayed it

5. For the windowsill jars, using a hot glue gun wrap some more string around the neck, gluing in places to keep together.

6. For the hanging jars get a length of string, wrap it around the neck of the jar and tie a figure 8 knot, then create a loop to the desired length and do the same again but tie the knot off on the opposite side to the first knot.

Your jars are ready to decorate.

Assemble your foliage for ease of reference.

Place Sphagnum moss at the bottom of the jar, then some potting mix and then delicately place the foliage/moss/lychen covered pebbles/wood as desired.

7. Wrap the string around the piece of drift wood and double knot (figure 8 knot). Create a loop to hang it from..
Do this at both ends

8. Hang the wood in desired location and attache hanging jars.

Done :D Easy peasy. I hope this tutorial helps a little bit and provides some inspiration :) Happy Terrariuming!

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Winter Wonderland birthday party

12/11/2013

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“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

So I have done a blog about Kyan's 5th birthday party and Cadence's 2nd, so I thought I would delve into the archives of my computer and do a blog for there combined Winter Wonderland party from 2012. This was the year of the party craze beginnings. The first year that I went all out for a party and i LOVED it :D
The kids had a blast, the adults enjoyed themselves and I had fun making all the bits and pieces (sometimes with a little help from the kidlets).

First - the cake, or in this case, cakes.
I decided they needed a form of cake each, even thought it was a combined party. So Kyan got a one and a half tier cake and Cadence got cupcakes and a 'smash' cake.

I don't have any step by steps of the actual cake process for this one. But I made the penguins from fondant over the weeks leading up to the party. They are two balls of black fondant, with details added. a white circle of fondant on the tummy and face, 2 little black eyes and flippers, two wee orange feet and a beak. Then accessorised as needed.
The cake 'board' was iced with deep blue icing for water, the bottom layer i first placed light blue fondant over it. I then rolled our some white fondant and using the cake tin as a guide for the size of the drape I cut out the kind of doily shape. I place the doily shape over the light blue fondant and then made small dents around the edges.
The top layer I cut on a slight angle for the iceburg and covered it in white fondant. Finished off with some white fondant snowflakes (using a snowflake cutter I bought from Ebay) and little round fondant snowballs.

I made Cadence some simple wee cupcakes and a mini version of Kyans cake.

Cadence quite happily picked at her mini cak. AKA 'smash cake'

We showed her she could just pick it up and eat it, as she was not quite sure what to do.

For decoration I got some silvery glittery tulle for sparkle and some stuffing (like you use for soft toys) which I spread around the cake table. I got a couple of small vases on sale at Farmers that I suspended with those wee silver ball christmas garlands and filled with stuffing (fake snow)
I bought some packets of tissue paper for $1 each and made some tissue paper fans for the backdrop and random decoration around.
Each kid got a party crown made from glitter card ($2 a pack) and edged with some wee feather boa strips I had lying around.

Unfortunately I can't recall all the food we had, but we did have a 'cocoa bar' which was super yummy! The kids (with there parents help) and adults could make there own hot chocolates and add whipped cream, mini marshmallows and sprinkles!.
The cups I wrapped in glitter paper and ribbon :)
We also had giant iceburg marshmallows and some ice jellies :)

Cadence's outfit was a super cute snowflake appliqued bodysuit from a friends business (which she has since shut down sadly), a super awesome crown from another awesome friend (who also has sadly shutdown since then) and of course a Winter Princess tutu made by me :)
Kyan also had a super cool crown that was a boy version of Cadence's. I had intended to make him a cloak aswell, but I ran out of time.

I made personalised snowglobes for each kid to take home using baby jars, christmas tree offcuts, ribbon and popsicle sticks.
They also got lootbags with all the usual stuff in them.

For games we played pass the parcel and I made a penguin pinata for the kids to have a go at :) Seeing as they were all young we kept the organised games to a minimum and let them just run wild the rest of the time :)

Hopefully you get some great ideas for a winter themed party from my wee blog and feel free to ask any questions, leave a comment or pin to pinterest :D

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Cadence's rainbow art party

23/6/2013

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And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.
Gilbert K. Chesterton

Two parties in two weekends! Oh boy what an effort! Lots of fun and everyone involved enjoyed the fruits of my labour but boy am I tired! (hmm... sounds like another type of labour....)
However I am going to type up this blog for you so you can get some ideas and see what an awesome party you to can throw :)
Cadence and Kyan are 3 years and a week and a bit apart for birthdays so June is very busy!
Cadence loves and I mean LOVES to draw (on everything and with anything, literally anything....) and do other creative arty MESSY stuff, so I decided a rainbow art party was right up her alley and she had a blast!

Fondant figurine of Cadence :)

The Cake!

Since Cadence loves being arty and she ALWAYS makes a mess, her cake HAD to show this aspect of her personality. So I decided on a rainbow cake, with buttercream frosting. A figurine of 'Cadence' sitting in the middle with paint all over her and spilled paint tins all around her :) Pinterest was a great source of inspiration for a starting point :)

Directions for cake:

I will admit I cheated, I bought packet cake mix, in this instance I went for Edmonds buttercake - It's tasty!
I bought two packets of cake mix, made up the first packet & divided it into 3 batches of batter. Added a red and blue mix of food colouring (to make purple!) to one batch of batter, blue to another and a mix of blue and yellow (to make, wait for it.... green! who knew) to the 3rd batch of batter. Then I cooked one colour at a time in my cake pan. Repeated the process with the second packet of cake mix.
That gave me 6 layers of cake in all the colours of the rainbow. Starting with the purple layer on the bottom, I stacked them up with lashings of buttercream between the layers to create a rainbow cake stack.
Slather the cake in a crumb coat of buttercream (this is just an underlayer of buttercream) smooth it out with a paper towel then pop in the fridge to stiffen up a bit.
Whip up another batch of buttercream, this time using the predominantely shortening version so you get white buttercream. Slather the cake in the white buttercream and again smooth it out as best you can, but not completely as the imperfections are what gives it character.
For the dripping paint I just used regular old icing sugar, water and food colouring icing. Popped a bit into the fondant paint tins I had made then dripped the icing 'artistically' down the side :)
Then voila you are done :)

For the decoration I used a Cadenza Bella Extreme rainbow party pack + table tutu skirt. OR you can by some tulle by the yard in all the colours I can get in and give some of it a go yourself :)
There were 6 tutu's, one for each colour of the rainbow in size 2 for the guests to twirl around and paint in. A tutu table skirt, a cake tutu, tulle pompoms, tulle streamers and balloons in all the colours of the rainbow :)
I also bought a bunch of plastic roses in each colour.
For the lootbags I made some more Origami paper bags which had coloured jellies in them and a crayon aswell as there very own ribbon wand to take home :)

The food!! Was delicious! I saw these super cute artist pallette cookies on pinterest and had to try and make some, mine are not as good as the ones I saw, but i gathered it was ok as it was a 2 year olds party and what 2 year old does not mush the colours in, lol. We also had some rice krispie treats and some fruit for starters. The rice krispies were meant to be paintbrushes and have wee nadles but I was short on time so compromised.
The Jellies came out at cake time and were a hit! Rainbow Jellies rock! Although they take some time to make as you have to wait for each layer to set before adding the next.

I set up some canvas's, paints, qtips, collage pieces, paper, pens, crayons, watercolours, basically everything that you could think of to get the creative juices flowing. The kids loved it! Although the paint pots had to get put away as they quickly decided that pouring paint on the ground was the best fun and a couple (including Cadence) ended up covered in paint.

So that is more or less how Cadence's rainbow art party went. I hope you get some good ideas for your next party and feel free to pin this blog for inspiration :) leave a comment or ask a question :)