Julia Hardy

Hello - I'm Julia and I am a hobby baker.

I work full time at our local County Court office so have to fit in caking when I can, often taking days off work to get my creative fix. I can't believe I have only just discovered CakesDecor and you seem such a friendly and supportive bunch here that I just had to join. I already have some lovely caker friends over on Flickr and I am hoping to make some new ones here.

When I was a teenager, I used to love a bit of cake decorating. Thinking back, it must have been all buttercream finishes because I'm pretty sure fondant hadn't been invented way back then. One cake that really sticks in my mind that I was oh so proud of was one that I made for my dad. It was a snooker table with chocolate flake 'wood' edges and balls made from aniseed balls painted with nail varnish and air-fix model paints!!! I shudder think of it now but I think my dad was pleased.

My interest was re-ignited when my boy (now 19) was a toddler. My cousin lent me a Debbie Brown book and I was hooked. She inspired me so much and made me feel that I could maybe make some decent cakes. I would love to meet her one day. (still haven't given that book back!!)

My cake book collection has grown considerably since then - I have at least 25 and I devour every word and picture but I never copy cakes from them and I always aim for originality.

I mainly bake for friends, colleagues and family and I love to be faced with a cake challenge .

Thank you for visiting.

Looking forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations :-)