Last week was our sixteenth wedding anniversary (fyi the traditional gift is wax, and the gemstone is emerald). You may well be wondering what that has to do with candy floss...  but if I told you that one of my chief requests for our wedding day was the presence of a machine to make this cloudy confection for our guests, then it perhaps make a little more sense!

As a child I was fascinated by the alchemy of spinning sugar into this delicious pink cloud; it conjures fond memories of fetes, fairgrounds, and trips to the seaside, so I put my own spin on it with a swirl of hand-painted ink and made a card in tribute. This is one I reach for on birthdays, as a sweet thank you note, or just because... Click here to shop the Candyfloss edit!

Candyfloss was first created in the 18th century, but the labour-intensive handmade nature of production meant it was only enjoyed by the wealthy. This all changed in 1897, when American confectioner John C. Wharton and - ironically! -  dentist William Morrison, created a sugar spinning machine. It was an instant success, and, in the years that followed, candy floss became a regular feature at circuses and fairgrounds, called a variety of different names, from Cotton Candy in the US to Fairy Floss in Australia.

1. Eating candyfloss on my wedding day
2. Molly Goddard A/W 2024 studio fitting
3. Lindsay Bull 'Candyfloss' exhibition at Bo Lee Workman gallery until 6 Sept
4. Cherries sundress by Scribble & Daub x Daydress
5. Dame Barbara Cartland (photographer unknown)
6. Bjork circa 2000 (photographer unknown)
7. Candyfloss seller in Jaipur
8. Kate Moss by Juergen Teller
9. Detail of the Duck dress by Hussein Chalayan
10. Little girls eating candyfloss in Copenhagen, 1963 by Gilbert M. Grosvenor