We are so happy to introduce Maggie Thompson, friend of Miss Crabb and Saturday shop girl. We love her and know you will too!
Read some little Q's and A's with Maggie and Miss Crabb...

MC : I became interested in you when you showed up at a little lunch with one of your incredible red velvet cakes. I became a big fan of your business 'the little cake kitchen' from then on. How did you first become interested in Miss Crabb?

MM : It’s funny , I remember you from that lunch as well and I was intrigued because I had driven past Miss Crabb so many times and wondered what it was like but never come in there, so it was great to meet the person behind the label. Anyway I came to Miss Crabb through Jasmin from Global Fabrics (A regular Miss Crabb haunt!) because she used to come into the Little Cake Kitchen all the time and one day she came in wearing a summertime dress and I loved it - the rest is history. At this stage I would also like to say that the reason I have brought so many Miss Crabb dresses is because your staff have always been so wonderful to me.

MC :As a woman and a mother in business I am very interested and inspired by you as a business person and how your cake kitchen came about and the success which came after. Can you tell us a little about that?

MM : It did start because of my son Seb and also because I’m an old fashioned mum and didn’t want to spend too much time away from him, so cooking early (4.00am) meant he was asleep most of the time I worked. Little Cake grew because I used to set financial targets for myself all the time and when I reached them I would set more! I think once I reached my first target it became easier to believe I could reach others.

I think you need to be willing to take risks in life - not just in business but in relationships, having children, even getting your hair cut! I think I am also very much a person who lives in the now. I do have times when I worry and think about the future but in general I am a now person. I can move on very quickly when things go wrong and I always try to be better next time. 

MC : You have a wonderful style of dressing which has been noted among my peers and the girls at Miss Crabb! Its so easy going and timeless and you wear your Miss Crabb so amazingly. You even wore our simple bright pastel pink dress as your wedding dress #careerhigh! Do tell us more...

MM : I have always loved clothes - in fact I think I have spent most of my money on clothes. I used to design clothes when I was young but never took it any further. I have never been afraid to try different styles and to change over the years. I think it’s really important to feel comfortable in the clothes you wear, - by that I mean confident about them. Kristine I think style is not something you can buy or learn, I think it is just within you.

MC : After selling your cake shop last year your new focus are these beautiful sugar flowers or 'florabunda'. I particularly love the fact that the flowers themselves become heirlooms (like special pieces of clothing) which can be passed around and down the family for special occasions such as weddings and babies etc. Its such a special process, how did you come to make them and where do your inspiration comes from for them?

MM : I think there has always been a bit of a designer/artist within me which I have only just started to get in touch with. I love flowers as well as food (I have a gorgeous crazy colourful garden full of flowers) so I decided to learn how to decorate cakes - seemed like a natural progression from making cakes. In the cake decorating classes I went to Sydney/Melbourne I discovered the art of making sugar flowers and the rest is history. The inspiration for my flowers comes from my garden, fashion, and the colours all around me. My favourite cake designer is Maggie Austin and she has had a great influence on me.

MC : You are a cool woman and I feel lucky to have met you years ago at lunch. What is the most important thing you have learned or overcome in your life, and what keeps you inspired for future? 

I think most people my age are wise - most of us have had lots of experiences that have shaped us into what we are today. However for me (and I don’t really think about this too much) I seem to have the ability to want to keep learning and growing more and more. I am still very driven and I think I still have a lot of energy. Hmm not sure! The most important thing I have learned in my life is that nothing is forever. And that there will always be good times and bad times - just like night and day and that we can all overcome the black times if we choose to. I also think that we are all people together, all striving for the same things in life, and so we should understand that in each other and treat each other with love and compassion.