2020... Keeping the Creativity Going | Gabriella Grace Cakes | Cake Design Redcar

Hi everyone!

I am currently on maternity leave and those who know me will know I can’t sit still for 2 minutes so thought it was about time I wrote another blog post – I mean it’s been a year!

So I think it’s fair to say blogging is clearly not something I ever remember to do! I make false promises (see previous blogs) that this is a new me who will be blogging more but realistically it is a lie, life gets in the way and I am usually so busy with GGC it gets put on the back burner.

So 2020 eyyy?! What a blooming year! I know that no-one had any idea of what a disaster this year was going to be and to be honest I still wake up and am like ‘this can’t be happening!’ or more so lately ‘this can’t STILL be happening!’ It’s fair to say this year has almost crucified the business (see what I did there?! – crucifix cake!) this was the year I’d be waiting 3 years for! I’d finally built up Gabriella Grace Cakes enough to could go full time! I left my day job 3 days before the first lockdown (schoolboy error!), also found out the day before that I was pregnant and then overnight 3 months of wedding cake orders cancelled – it was a life changing weekend. Since then obviously majority of the rest of the year cancelled and my year of 52 weddings went down to a meagre 6 – but 6 absolutely awesome ones nonetheless!! Unfortunately, as I’d done things the hard way and worked 3 jobs to get my business up on it’s feet that meant I didn’t qualify for the financial help and furlough schemes that were available – I was the ‘minority’ who slipped through the net… great. After a couple of weeks of crying and ‘how can this happen to me? Life is so unfair!’ I decided to try and not dwell on it – there was/is nothing I can do, money isn’t everything – I’ve got an amazing addition to the family on the way and my poor brides and grooms have lost their weddings and need my support. Look at me looking on the bright side! So yes this year has sucked and like you all I am majorly fed up, poor and much larger hahaha but like I said I’m looking on the bright side and for me 2020 has been a year where I have been able to develop creatively.

So many opportunities have come up this year to be a part of styled shoots.

I love a good photoshoot as it gives me the chance to push myself further, develop my style and make cakes that I wouldn’t normally have the chance to.

Also some of my best work has come out of shoots which in turn gives brides and grooms new ideas for their own cakes – who remembers the shoot that was featured on Junebug Weddings the cake with the teal marble bottom? That cake has inspired so many marble wedding cakes for my couples and has been one of my most popular design aspects.

Anyway, this year I’ve been lucky enough to take part in 5 styled shoots and a branding shoot and I just love what I have created. All the cakes are so different and not really like anything I’ve ever done before. The feedback has been amazing and some of my couples have already based their cake designs on some of these cakes. It’s always amazing to get that sort of reaction. Gold leaf has been a big hit with me recently as well as ombre fondant and of course my signature sugar flowers. Please check out some of my favourite images below! (Click to see full size and photographer). I hope you like them! Also if there is anything that stands out to you I’ve listed all of the suppliers on all of the shoots with links to their Insta pages below – I’m a doll like that!