From flour-dusted memories to fondant dreams — this is the story of how a forgotten little hobby found its way back to me, one nostalgic moment (and eBay scroll) at a time.
✨ 2012: A New Mum, A New Hobby
When DeAgostini Cake Decorating Magazine first hit the shelves in 2012, I was a brand-new mum — deep in the haze of sleepless nights, bottles, and very questionable baking attempts. 🍼🍰
That year felt like a patchwork quilt — messy, emotional, and stitched together with small, quiet joys. My dad had passed away just before my eldest was born, so everything carried a bittersweet weight.
And somehow, these little magazines became my escape. A tiny ritual. A moment of calm where I could create something just for me.
I couldn’t afford to collect every issue (those £2.99s added up fast!), so I’d pick one up here and there as a treat. But each one felt like a little treasure — glossy pages, beautiful cakes, and a new tool that made me feel like a proper baker in the making.
🧁 13 Years Later: The eBay Spiral
Fast forward 13 years… and you know those random nostalgic rabbit holes Google sends you down?
Mine started with one question: whatever happened to those cake decorating magazines?
One quick search turned into an eBay scroll… which turned into this:
A job lot of 150 magazines, complete with tools, starting from issue 5. 😍
Cue the internal debate of “should I… should I not?”
(Spoiler alert: I did.)
It becomes an experience.
Of course, I then went on a mini mission to track down issues 1–4 because the completionist in me simply couldn’t not.
Did I tell the OH before buying them? Absolutely not. 😅
But to be fair, he knew how much these magazines meant to me — how they carried me through a difficult year and kept my creative spark alive.
📦 The Delivery That Felt Like Time Travel
Two huge boxes and a medium-sized one later, my kitchen counter was completely taken over.
Opening them felt like stepping back in time. I was that 21-year-old again — excited, nostalgic, and grinning like a kid at Christmas.Strategic planning meets creative chaos.
🍭 Tools, Treasures & The Sugar Cookie Legacy
Inside the boxes was a full-on treasure trove:
✨ Nozzles, stamps, stencils, fondant tools, rollers, cutters… and so much more than I remembered.
Each issue is packed with recipes, tips, and those gorgeous step-by-step tutorials — but one thing stopped me in my tracks.
The Issue 1 sugar cookie recipe.
The exact one I hand-copied all those years ago because I was so scared of losing it.
I still use it today. It’s quietly become a little family tradition — one of those things that sticks without you even realising. 🍪
📚 The Sorting & Cleaning Era
Now, the real challenge began — sorting through all 150 magazines.
Excel sheet open. Careful cataloguing. A little bit chaotic… but also kind of fun.
Some magazines had water damage (which I expected), and a few were worse than I’d hoped. But nothing a little patience and TLC couldn’t help.
As for the tools — let’s just say a deep clean was very necessary. Some had clearly been stored in a shed or garage… there may even have been grass involved. 🌱
After a good scrub and shine, everything is looking brand new and ready to be used again.
🎄 Special Editions & Collector Brain Activated
Even more exciting, I discovered one of the special edition magazines — and just like that, I was down another rabbit hole.
I know there was definitely a Christmas Edition and a Wedding Edition… but now I’m wondering what else is out there. Cupcakes? Easter? Children’s cakes?
Because suddenly, I need to know. 😅
🍰 Facing My Fondant Fears
Now that I’ve got my full toolkit again, I can feel that old excitement creeping back in.
Fondant and I have always had a… complicated relationship. It cracks, it sticks, it tears — and tests my patience in ways I’m not emotionally prepared for.
But maybe — just maybe — with all these proper tools and a little refresher, I’ll finally master it. 💪✨
☁️ Wrapping It Up
This rediscovery has been so much more than just a nostalgic purchase.
It’s a reminder of how far I’ve come — from that young, overwhelmed mum baking between nap times… to now, rediscovering that same joy with fresh eyes (and a much cleaner workspace).
I can’t wait to flip through every issue, test out forgotten recipes, and finally organise everything properly.
And maybe — just maybe — recreate one of the original cakes… for the full circle moment. 🧁✨
Between the Pages & Pixels 