Friday, March 8, 2024

 

THAT CRUMB COAT!!

Let me start this blog by giving a shoutout to 4 awesome sistas!

Ondria, Melanie and Tawana are the owners, proprietors, and creative minds of Purses and Proverbs.  Never heard of it? That’s why you have me! Purses and Proverbs is a “creative space and boutique”. You wanna make scented candles? A resin pocketbook? A journal with a painted cover? You wanna take those bills and make beautiful jewelry? (I know....MIND BLOWN!) Going through some things and you just need to woosah? Purses and Proverbs is the place to go! Go on to their website and check out the workshops. Grab a couple of your BFF’s, or go alone. (cause you know sometimes we need some “me” time away from even our friends) The atmosphere is calming, welcoming, and a hell of a lot of fun! You will thank me later!  https://pursesandproverbs.com/

Tomyka is the owner, proprietor, and creative mind of Sweet Lue’s Cake Studio. (Her buttercream icing makes you want to slap somebody!) Tomyka recently did a cake decorating workshop at….you guessed it!....Purses and Proverbs!  I’ve watched my Grandmother, Mother, and various Aunts put icing on cakes, but never realized there is an actual art to the whole process.  A proper way to hold the spatula, to turn the lazy susan, and so much more. And of course, in Tomyka’s workshop we decorated our cakes with silk flowers, edible foils, sprinkles and the like.  I may not be ready to start a wedding cake business but my cake was sooo  preeetttyyy!!  https://sweetluescakestudio.com/

You can check out both these phenomenal black owned businesses on Facebook and Instagram.

NOW ON WITH THE SHOW!

When decorating your cake, you stack your layers, and put your icing and/or filling in between.  Then comes the all important CRUMB COAT!

The crumb coat is a thin layer of icing over the cake before you put on the final icing layer.  The 2 reasons you want to crumb coat your cake is to (1) catch any loose crumbs that might try to show up in your final layer; and (2) to create a smooth surface for your final layer.

Did you ever realize that we all walk around wearing a crumb coat?  It’s true!

How many times have you put on a smile to get through your workday, even though things are falling apart at home?  How many times have you laughed in a room filled with family and friends yet felt like you were facing the world alone?

Or are you one of those people who wears their frustrations on their sleeve. Your man made you mad this morning so you’re growling at everyone at work. Maybe you need to touch-up your crumb coat.

Your finances are in chaos so all you talk about is money and how much you need more of it.  Do you realize this behavior makes people feel like you’re constantly begging? (You need a crumb coat, BADLY!!!)

You wear your crumb coat to hide the bits and pieces of your life, or yourself, you don’t want the rest of the world to see.  But be careful! It’s easy to skip the crumb coat and go straight to the final layer.  That’s when you’re hiding from yourself.  It’s called being in denial.

You convince yourself you can afford that $600 car note, even though you struggle every month just to pay your rent.  You just got your cell phone turned back on, and your lights are about to be turned off, but you take your tax refund and buy that $500 Hermes pocketbook anyway. 

Guess what?! Nobody’s fooled. Nobody’s impressed! You’re a fake, and everyone around you knows it.  There are so many crumbs in that pretty decorative layer you’ve covered yourself in that you look unappetizing.  Your crumbs on display for all the world to see.  You lather on more icing…yeah that’ll fix it…. SMH! How long are you going to keep that up? You’ll either run out of icing, or you’ll collapse from the weight of it.

So, how is your crumb coat? Do you have one? Is it just thick enough to keep your crumbs hidden?

Don’t know where to start with your crumb coat? Not sure how to hold the spatula? Start here:

“The Lord is my shephard…”

Don’t worry if you don’t know the rest of the Psalm. HE just wants you to keep talking, and HE’LL guide you from there!