Frosted Fantasies

Is It June Already?!

2011-06-01T09:44:00.004-04:00

Once again, it has been a while since I last blogged. How does that happen?! Well, seeing as how today is the start of a new month, I figured I can start over too!

We recently had our monthly SAGNFL meeting and we experimented with rice (or wafer) paper. I have only used my rice paper once for my grandmother's birthday a few years ago to make butterflies. But they did not turn out so well, so I kind of put the rice paper on the back burner.

But when the president of our guild asked me about making feathers and flowers for our meeting, I was thrilled to try it out. I had previously seen this gorgeous cake on Cake Central...

I then found through her website the instructions for how she made her breathtaking feathers. Not sure if I've previously mentioned this or not, but my husband and I are renewing our vows this year! And when I saw her feathers, I knew I had found a starting point for our cake!

I also tried my hand at making flowers, but the result was not what I had expected. The shape came out fine, but there was no texture. When we tried at the meeting with Jane's wafer paper, the texture was there, but it was very difficult to get the paper onto the mold. We'll keep practicing! And if you want to try it out, check out these amazing instructions.

But our feathers turned out better. See for yourself...

Gorgeous! And they weren't even finished. The instructions say to dust with luster dust and hold them over steam to set and give the feathers movement. I will be doing this in the future and posting the results.

I'll be back soon to share some more love...really I will!

Royal Wedding Cake

2011-04-22T10:57:00.006-04:00

I don't know about you...but I am excited to see what William and Kate's wedding cake will look like! Not to mention her dress, flowers, etc. I could really go on and on!

I do know a couple things about it the cake though: The cake, a traditional (for over there, not so much here) fruitcake, will be made by Fiona Cairns. What a lucky (but seriously stressed) lady!

It will be a tiered, towering beauty, with a cream and white palette, and decorated with sugar flowers! They will also be serving a chocolate groom's cake that will be made from a secret royal recipe. You can read more about it here and here.

Good luck, Mrs. Cairns!

Can't wait to see your creation!

Next Generation Decorator?

2011-04-12T09:55:00.005-04:00

In the past I've talked about some youngsters that are making their way through the cake world. And I think I may have a budding artist on my hands as well...my 3 year old daughter, Lily.

Here she is in a recent picture (after her first haircut, which she loved by the way...the lady cut and braided her hair, then added sparkles!).

She has always taken an interest when I'm working on cakes, from mixing the batter to frosting the cake to rolling out the fondant. I usually give her her own piece, which she plays with then makes it disappear into her little tummy!

But yesterday I caught her playing with hand sanitizer, making a row of blobs on top of our television. I asked her why she was doing it and she said she wanted to "decorate with frosting". After looking back at the mess, I thought she did a good job (had it actually been frosting). Piping is hard, and for a 3 year old, I thought the spacing and sizing wasn't too bad.

Not that I encourage her to destroy our electronics, but next time I'll make sure she has a decorating bag filled with icing and a proper place to use them instead!

Do You Know The Cupcake Girl?

2011-04-07T21:38:00.006-04:00

If you know me, you know I spend 90% of my computer time on Cake Central (and you're probably tired of hearing about it), but you see, hear, and learn the most interesting things, not to mention people, there!

Earlier today I was browsing CC and came across this gum paste doll...

All meticulously hand molded, even the face. Pretty impressive, right?

Would you be even more impressed if I told you a 13 year old made it?

I know I was! Then I looked at the rest of her pictures and found her blog. Such a talented young lady! She has been baking for a long time and decorating for the past two years. Just amazing! Take a look yourself and see what you think.

I can only imagine what is in this girl's future.

I wish her the best of luck on her caking journey!

I'll be keeping an eye on your work!

Mardi Gras

2011-03-07T13:38:00.003-05:00

Since Mardi Gras officially ends tomorrow, I think it's appropriate to post my sister-in-law's cake. She decided this year, for her 3oth birthday, to celebrate at Copeland's, a New Orleans Restaurant. Sadly, I had a very busy schedule at the time (a trip to Orlando and back, working every night, a baby shower and a cake for it) so I didn't have much time to make an extravagant cake like I would have loved to do! So I had to make the best of the time I had.

I made a mask out of gumpaste and then decorated with my lace mold and painted it with some gel food colors (again, not as extravagant as I would have liked).

Then I made her favorite flavor cake, chocolate with raspberry filling, iced in buttercream. I decorated with Mardi Gras colors, yellow, green, and purple. And of course I had to add the "30" for the birthday girl's milestone!

I had to leave the party early to get to work so I didn't get to taste a piece, but I heard it tasted great! I also missed out on some awesome food, but I did get to taste some appetizers which were heavenly. Maybe someday I'll get back to Copeland's....tomorrow would be perfect to celebrate the end of Mardi Gras!

Hope you had a great 30th, Heather!

Baby Ava's Cake

2011-02-28T09:22:00.006-05:00

Now is the perfect time to post about the baby shower cake I made for my sister-in-law...because she just had her baby!!! That's right, baby Ava is here and we are all so excited (which I'm sure you'll figure out with all the exclamation points in this post)! She came a week early, but both mom and daughter are doing great! She was born last night, weighing in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces and 20" long! Sounds like a perfect baby to me! I can't wait to make it down there to see and hold her!!!

Okay, on to the cake...

Cristina had shown me a picture of a cake that she liked with pastel green, pink and yellow polka dots, a bow, and some baby booties on top. She also wanted Ava's name on it, so I took it as inspiration and put my own ideas to work.

I started by making the baby mary janes so that they had time to dry for a few days. I used a template found on Cake Central from member PDXSweetTreats. Pretty simple to make and they look so cute!

Here is the whole finished cake! I was actually happy with how (most of) this came out!

The top tier was chocolate cake with whipped ganache filling, covered in ganache. The bottom tier was white cake with strawberries and cream filling, iced with buttercream. Then the whole cake was covered in a pale pastel green fondant. I added all the dots and decorations and the ribbon borders and was done. I'm thrilled to say the Mom-to-be loved it! Look at her glow!

CONGRATULATIONS CRISTINA AND JOHN!

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR NEW BUNDLE OF JOY!!!

The Cake is on F-I-R-E!

2011-02-22T09:22:00.003-05:00

Well, it really wasn't, but there were "flames" on it. I was asked by my sister to make a cake for her friend that works in the Fire Department. I had seen two awesome cakes on Cake Central, (where else, right? LOL) one by CC member cassiescakes and another by myKzooKid.

There were also a lot of cakes with fire hydrants on them, but I just took a picture of a real fire hydrant and tried to get it as close as I could. Here is my first, all edible, fire hydrant...

For the flames, I made my own template, then used it to cut out gumpaste "flames". They were all white to begin with, but I sprayed them with Wilton's Color Mist in orange and yellow. One day I will have an airbrush for better, more precise results!

Then I made the fire hose out of fondant, spelling "happy" with it, then attached it to the hydrant. With tinted piping gel, I made the word "birthday" and a couple splashes of "water". I thought this was such a cute idea! And I liked how it turned out.

Here's to you, Frankie! Hope you enjoyed it!

Makin' Whoopie!

2011-02-18T12:10:00.007-05:00

Where should I start? I guess where I left off...Back in December, my daughter wanted to take some snacks for her Christmas Party at school (not to mention I had a cake club meeting coming up). My girls had recently asked to buy the "Whoopie Pies" book, so I figured it was time to try it out!

I made the "Classic Chocolate Whoopie", filled with the "Classic Marshmallow" filling.

I have to say I thought they were delicious, which was obvious to my family when I ate all the leftover ones! However, they were kind of a pain to make in large quantities. I baked almost 100 halves to make the 4 dozen whoopies! And you can only mix enough batter for 2 dozen at a time. On top of that, I also had to make the filling. It was a lot of mixing and cleaning and mixing and cleaning. And if you're like me, that is not my idea of fun. I learned my lesson...I don't think I will make that many at one time again!

But back to the yumminess! For my daughter's class, I rolled the whoopie pies in festive sprinkles to add a little color and texture.

And for the ones for my cake club, I added a mint drizzle to the top.

Either way, they tasted scrumptious!

Like the back of the book says,

" Is it a cake? Is it a cookie? Who cares!"

If you haven't yet, try some out for yourself!

Where Have I Been?!

2011-02-16T10:15:00.002-05:00

Well, I have missed posting for over 2 months!!! So sorry about that! After my last post I was rather busy with working, birthdays, holidays, a baby shower, a cake challenge and a drawn-out illness! Right before Christmas, my whole family (my husband, our 2 daughters, not to mention a large number of other family members) came down with walking pneumonia. It was not pretty...we were sick and sleeping about 16 hours out of the day. That lasted for about a month, well into the new year. SO, I know it's late, but I hope you all have had a great new year so far! Also, hope your Valentine's Day went lovingly! Am I missing any holidays?

I know for me there has also been many birthdays, 6 to be exact, including my own. And today is my Mother-in-law's birthday! Happy Birthday, America! Hope you had fun in Colorado!Hopefully *soon* I will be posting a bunch of pictures of cakes I've made for some of those birthdays.

I also have pictures to share from my sister-in-law's baby shower, a cute baby I made for display at a cake challenge, and some of my daughter's party pics from last weekend...which was a blast!

But for now, I have some housework that needs to be done and also I have to get ready for work! Thanks for waiting so patiently for me to return to the blogging world! I am back and ready to GO!

Amazing Mold Putty

2010-12-07T10:30:00.004-05:00

My MIL called to ask if I could make a baby in a shell for SIL's upcoming birthday. I said yes, without hesitation, then realized I didn't exactly know how I would make a shell. So, I looked online and came across the idea of a mold. I didn't have time to order one, so I turned to my trusty Michael's store! I had heard of Amazing Mold Putty, seen it demonstrated, and actually got to use a mold made from it...but I was a little nervous to try it out on my own. But it couldn't have been simpler!

I found the mold putty and a real shell and went to work. First, I mixed equal parts from both tubes, blended them together, wrapped it around my shell, and VOILA! I let it dry longer than the specified time because I was making such a big mold.

After the outside of the shell was dry, I made a mold of the inside as well, following the same steps.

Then I got to make my shell! I poured white candy melts into the outside shell mold, then laid the inside shell mold on top of that, squished it a little, scraped away any excess candy and popped it in the freezer.

It came out awesome! I had to repeat the process to get two shells, for the baby to lay in. Using some candy/chocolate gloves, I held my shell and painted away. My MIL wanted pink, so that's what I used. Then I added some super pearl dust for that beautiful shimmer! I made a little platform for the baby in the bottom half of the shell. I "glued" the two shells together with more melted candy and propped it up in the freezer. Then, I finally added the little baby inside.

So cute! I love the little baby mold, which can be found here. I made some additional little shells for the cake with a candy mold I already had on hand. I painted them as well to match the bigger shell. My MIL made the cake and icing, which tasted fantastic!

This stuff is so much fun! I can't wait to use it again!

Hope you had a great birthday, Cristina!

The Leaves Are Changing

2010-11-17T20:08:00.005-05:00

Well, not so much here in Florida. But with fall in full swing, it always make me think of leaves. I used to live in Pennsylvania, you know, where they have all four seasons. Fall was always my favorite, the cool air blowing the multi-colored leaves on the ground, so later my siblings and I could make them into a big pile to jump in, then watch as they would fly all around, floating back down on you. They're kind of like the "snowflakes" of Autumn. Not to mention the sound, the crunching as you stroll down the sidewalk. Some kids loved puddles, for me it was leaves. It makes me a little sad that my girls don't really get the same privilege, but they do still like to collect leaves.

When I made a cake for the hub's work last year, I was definitely keeping leaves in mind! I made some out of marble-colored gumpaste. Then I used petal and luster dust to liven them up even more. At the time I didn't own a veiner, so I made my own by using a dresden tool.

I loved how they came out! So colorful! I accompanied them with some caramel and fondant acorns. I iced my cake with a (very stubborn) cream cheese frosting, then added a ribbon. Not too bad, right?

Hope you all are enjoying this season as much as I am!

Spanish Tiles

2010-11-11T09:49:00.006-05:00

A friend of a friend was getting married soon! The bride-to-be's shower was to be held at an elegant Spanish restaurant, Mi Tomatina. Looking online, I found very little inspiration or help for the perfect cake. In the end I went with the Spanish theme and planned to match the invitation's design, but with brighter colors.

I decided on a square cake with handpainted tiles and gumpaste flowers. I started by picking carnations, as they are one of Spain's most famous flowers. I made red, orange and yellow carnations, following this video from Elaine MacGregor. I didn't, however, have the carnation cutter, so I just used a plain round one and cut little slits around the whole circle, just like Elaine did in the video. I was much happier with how these came out, compared to the only other ones I've made (for a Wilton class almost 2 years ago).

I then made the tiles out of a fondant and gumpaste mixture. I ended up with 23 of the larger tiles and 46 of the smaller tiles. After letting them dry for a couple days, it was time to "paint"! I handpainted each one, the tiles on the front matching the invitation. After working for about 2 hours on those five tiles, I decided to make the rest of the tiles using a less intricate design. After my flowers dried, the color faded quite a bit, so I painted them as well, which turned out much more vibrant. I liked the finished look, especially since the tiles and flowers matched better this way. What do you think?

I was just finishing up as my friend came over to pick up the cake, and the bride-to-be, Emily, was with her. She was so appreciative and loved the cake! Mission accomplished! This was probably the most time consuming cake I've done so far, and even though every detail didn't come out exactly as planned (which never happens anyway!), the result was worth it!

Congratulations Emily and Jeffrey!

Can't wait to see the wedding pictures!

The Cherpumple

2010-11-08T14:20:00.003-05:00

I just saw this and had to share. For anyone that has not seen this yet, be prepared to be amused! If you can't view the video or it has problems, you can check out the video here.

Pretty neat concept, huh?! Not sure if I would ever really try this one...I am not a fan of pie. But many of my family members are, so maybe this would be a hit. Still, I love when someone creates something new. If I did this, I might only start with one cake to begin with and see how that goes.

Now, if this video has inspired you and you make a cherpumple, please send me a pic and a review...after you send it to Charles, of course!

Happy Baking!

Wrapped In Chocolate

2010-11-03T09:27:00.006-04:00

I knew I wanted the cake to be special, since this was the first birthday cake I would make for my mom since I've been decorating cakes. But I really had no idea where to start. When I am in this dilemma, I usually begin by looking at all the favorite cake pictures I have saved. A short time ago, I had seen an amazing cake on Cake Central (suprising, right?) made by member misterc for Cake Central Magazine, of which, I currently don't subscribe (insert sad face here). But lucky for me, he had posted it on cakecentral.com for my viewing pleasure! When I saw this cake, I just thought it'd be perfect, with my own twist, of course!

I started out making a devil's food cake with a chocolate mousse filling, icing it with a sage buttercream (mom's fave color is green), then wrapping that in chocolate, topped off with a chocolate "S" (for Shirley)and a rose (for her middle name, Rose).

What do you think? I really liked how it came out, minus a few broken pieces. I was pretty happy with my rose too, which was the first one I've made since taking Nic Lodge's class earlier this year (yes, I am a slacker)!

I had made chocolate tiles/shards before, but never a chocolate wrap, especially one like this. But I had fun making it and it looked okay, even with some missing/cracked pieces. Plus it still tastes delicious! If you want to try your own chocolate wrap, here's some instructions! You're welcome. Now, for this kind of wrap, you don't have to spread the chocolate, just drizzle it over the paper. Very simple techniques, but people will be impressed!

Glad we could make it down, Mom. Hope you had a great birthday!

Busy as a Bee!

2010-10-30T11:25:00.004-04:00

I have been busy lately...and loving it! I have recently made 2 cakes, but I'll post those later. This post is about an adorable little baby, a baby bee to "bee" exact!

I was lucky enough to have Jane, the president of my cake club, ask me to join her in viewing and then judging a cake challenge at our local JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store! She had asked me to bring my Nic Lodge flowers, along with anything else I may have, to display for our Sugar Arts Guild. Well, to tell the truth, I didn't really have much else than the flowers and some left over leaves from last year. Since the competition was Halloween themed, I thought I would make some Halloween-ish things to bring. I dusted my leaves, cut out some orange fondant/tylose pieces to make pumpkins, and then I made a baby and "dressed" it in a cute bee costume, which the hubs recommended (thanks honey)!

It really did come out cute, wish I could say the same for my pumpkins that broke. So I brought my baby and the leaves. I got a couple admirers, and one lady that kept coming over to the table, accompanied with a different person each time, that just "had to see this"! I was thrilled. Then I added my little bee to Cake Central and so far have 50 people that saved it as a favorite! Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think!

As for the rest of the display table, Jane had brought in a gorgeous cake with masks and roses and her own ring box cake, both of which I have seen, but am still amazed by!

The Cake Challenge was so fun to see and judge! I was a little nervous to begin with, seeing as how this was my first attempt at judging, but I ended up having a great time! All the contestants were Wilton students and they did an outstanding job on their cakes. The winners are below.

Rod, who flew in from New York to compete, won "Spookiest Cake" with his toxic graveyard.

And Marissa was the big winner of the event, taking home awards for "Best Halloween Cake", "Customer's Choice", and "Judge's Choice" with her topsy-turvy cake!

Congrats to all the contestants. Hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did! If you want to see the rest of the pictures, you can find them all here! Enjoy!

Fit for a Princess!

2010-10-21T09:16:00.005-04:00

I have seen so many castle cakes done that it kind of blows my mind! I have wanted to try one for a while, but was a little hesitant since it seemed like so much work. Well, my one and only niece (until next year, that is...Congrats Cristina!) was about to turn one and my sister wanted to throw a princess party. At first I had my mind on a couple other princess style cakes, but forced myself to try the castle cake instead. I absolutely loved making it; the towers, the brick impression, the flowers, and everything else for that matter! I still wanted to do more to it and next time I think I will try for more towers, I just took it easy this time. Here is the final cake...

I followed some instructions that I found on CakeBoss for how to make the towers. The rest of it is helpful also, I just did it a little differently. The cake was strawberry, filled with a Twinkie filling recipe I found on CakeCentral.

Then I also made a little smash cake for her to dig into. I think she liked it!

Happy Birthday Princess Abigail!

P-P-P-Poker Cake

2010-10-12T13:18:00.004-04:00

My brother and his friends are really into poker and they play a couple times a week. So, I know when any one of their birthdays rolls around, it's poker cake time! As I mentioned in my previous post, I didn't get a chance to make my brother's birthday cake this year (I know, I'm a bad sister), but I did get to make one for his friend recently. He told me he wanted a poker cake (obviously) and her favorite color was bright orange.

I had already been searching for poker cake inspiration, so luckily when my brother asked me for a cake with only 2 days notice, I already had an idea in mind! I found one I liked on Cake Central, from member tinabelle722.

I started by making poker chips and playing cards from a fondant/tylose mix to let harden and dry for a day. Here's where I incorporated her fave color!

After baking a chocolate cake, I frosted it with almond buttercream, then covered it with fondant. Next, I took edible markers and drew all the suits and letters on the cards and placed them on the cake. I put my borders on, using my clay extruder for the bottom one and hand rolling the top one. Then I stuck all my chips in stacks on toothpicks and pushed them into the cake. Here's how it all turned out...

I was pretty happy with this cake, and I heard Misty and her friends and family were going gaga over it! Hehehe!

Sidney Galpern

2010-10-06T09:48:00.005-04:00

I made a little mistake in my last post. After searching online for Sidney Malpern, I realized I was really looking for Sidney Galpern. A little mis-spelling on the ICES flier. It's okay now, I figured it out!

If you read my last post, you know that Sidney was a demonstrator at the FL ICES Day of Sharing in Daytona Beach. When we first saw Sidney up at the demonstrating table, we were a little confused, and thought she was there with her mom, who we thought would be demonstrating. We we W-R-O-N-G! Despite her age, she had the most professional demonstration of them all. She was very organised, focused, and had us mesmerized by her skills, her humor, and her easy going demeanor. To say the least, I was so very impressed!

After finding her website, I am now even more impressed by this 15 year old sugar artist!

Her cakes

Her chocolate sculptures

Her pulled sugar
*All photos courtesy of Simi Cakes

And here are some links if you want to check out her work, plus some of her adventures!

Simi Cakes and Confections

Simi Cakes Blog

How amazing is that?! Sidney, keep up the great work! You have such a wonderful future ahead of you and I wish you all the best!

It's Over...

2010-10-01T08:32:00.009-04:00

September, that is! It's October 1st and I officially felt the first cool Autumn breeze this morning. YAY! My favorite season is upon us. I can't believe how fast this year is going by. Like my daughter keeps saying, "Christmas will be here soon". Not that that's something I want to be thinking about yet!

September is over, meaning that a month full of birthdays, anniversaries (including mine!), and holidays is past, none of which I made a cake for. Shocking, I know. But I'm excited to have a couple cakes in the works for this month. So far I am planning a first birthday cake (for my one and only niece), a bridal shower cake, and a Halloween cake (or 2).

The only cake I was planning on making in last month was a birthday cake for my brother, whose party ended up being on the same day as the FL ICES Day of Sharing in Daytona Beach. Seeing as to how I've never attended a Day of Sharing, I had to forfeit my cake plans for my brother. And don't let him know, but I'm really glad I did! I had a great time.

Here are pictures of what 3 of the 4 ladies demonstrated...

Filomena Koolman-Vos - Tropical Flowers (Ixora flower)

Sidney Galpern - Pulled sugar (casting, spun, blown)

Lisa Menz from Photo Frost - Wallpapering a Cake (frosting sheets)

and unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the last demonsration by Ximena Sempertegui with her "Fall in Love Baby" (baby carriage) but it came out looking similar to this...

(Photo courtesy of Cakes by Ximena)

All of the demonstrations were amazing! Everyone was especially impressed with Sidney Galpern...who is only 15 years old and did an outstanding job and great sugar work!

For more info and pictures from this event, I'll be posting over at my cake club's (SAGNFL) new blog!

All Fun And Games

2010-09-13T09:06:00.004-04:00

So I took a little break from my daughter's birthday posts to share my baby shower cake, not to mention spending a few days sick in bed. Who, I ask, gets strep throat in the summer?! It's just not right! Anyway, back to the regularly scheduled post!

For my daughter's 3rd birthday party I had a tough time coming up with new game ideas. I had used so many good ones over her last two parties, such as Pin-the-spot-on-the-ladybug, mouse-hole golfing, guess how many in the bottle, how many words can you make out of her name, 20 questions (Disney character version), bean bag toss, etc.

After much searching (and more nights than I want to admit, falling asleep at the computer), I ended up with a not-so-traditional, Ballerina BINGO and a word game, A to Z Birthday. I had also wanted to play "Grand Performance", which is when the birthday girl dances to some music and everyone else tries to copy her moves! Unfortunately we didn't make it to that game, but I'm not sure Lily would have danced for everyone anyway. LOL!

The A to Z game was very simple. I just made a Word document, added a couple pictures and the letters A to Z with fill-in-the-blank lines. And printed! Tada!

All the guests had to do was come up with a birthday party related word for each letter of the alphabet. The person with the most words wins!

For Ballerina BINGO, I took pictures of my daughter in her ballet outfit, tutu and all. I rearranged those photos, then printed out 15 different BINGO cards, using colors as a guide. I also printed out bigger versions of all the pictures, cut separately, to use for calling. After that, I got out my heavy duty "scissors" (as the hubs coworker calls it), my Silhouette machine and cut out 450 pink and white 1" circles to cover up the pictures when called. I decided the way to win was to get an "L" shape, the whole left column and the bottom row...the "L" standing for Liliana, of course. It was her birthday after all!

Here's how it all turned out...

The pictures were a little hard to see. If I did this again (which will probably never happen!) I would lighten all the pictures.

The baskets I made from doilies, using instructions found here. I also sprinkled glitter on them, but that didn't show up in the photo.

Everyone always has fun playing the games! And when the prizes are pictures of the birthday girl (which will be featured in my next post), it's easy to see the competitive sides come out of the family!

My Baby!

2010-09-07T09:34:00.005-04:00

SO, if you look at Cake Central RIGHT NOW, I am still in the Most Saved! See?! (Fourth from the left!)

Here's the details...I had bought my adorable baby mold back in January, when I attended the Florida ICES mini classes! So fun! Shortly after, I made my first baby. And it had been sitting in my cabinet since.

But I finally had an excuse to use it! So I sat down and in about 2 hours, made a little bow for her head and a frilly diaper cover up for her booty and then dusted her to give her a more life-like look! This is how she turned out...

So cute, right?! I know, now you want one, or want to make one. You can buy the mold here and start making your very own baby(ies)!

Well, my sister's friend from high school was having a baby shower (for her 3rd daughter!) and they needed a cake...Jessica to the rescue! LOL...You know I couldn't turn that down! I also now had an excuse to buy a lace mold which I've been wanting for way too long! YAY!

I looked online and found an adorable cake from CC member jardot22 that had a quilt-like pattern wrapped around the bottom of both tiers, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. I cut a bunch of squares the night before and drew/made different patterns on each piece. In the morning, I attached each one to the cake individually. I then added my lace and the quilt and baby on the top. I also wanted to put the baby's name on the top tier. I love how it turned out!

I do wish I could have gotten my buttercream smoother, but other than that I was pretty pleased with it! The top tier (6") was chocolate cake with raspberry jam filling and the bottom tier (8") was a vanilla cake filled with strawberry glaze and fresh strawberries. Delicious...the whole thing was devoured at the shower!

Congratulations Bessie and family!

Can't wait to meet your little one!

Most Saved!

2010-09-06T22:02:00.004-04:00

Just had to make a quick post 'cause I came home and jumped on the computer for a minute to see this...

I know it's a little tough to see, but that adorable, pastel, baby cake on the right? That's mine! I made it to the front page of Cake Central! Woohoo!

I'll post details tomorrow!

Oh, and if you want, you can check it out here!

BTW, is there enough exclamation points in this post?! Can you tell I'm excited about this at all?! Heehee!

Label Love

2010-08-27T20:53:00.004-04:00

If you've been reading my posts, you'll know I've been blogging about my daughter's birthday and all the fun that I got to have making stuff for it.

Next up.....labels!

I bought two vases and vase fillers (or rocks, in this occassion) at the dollar store and the silk flowers came from Hobby Lobby during their 50% off sale. So all in all, not too expensive. But I wanted to jazz them up a little...this is where my labels came in! I started with the same black sparkly paper that I had used for the invites. I cut out a pretty shaped label using my Silhouette. Then I printed out the words "Liliana's 3rd Birthday" on plain printer paper and cut it out using the same label shape, just a smaller version. I glued the white paper over the black, added pearl adhesives, and let dry. After they were dry, I glued them to a piece of ribbon long enough to go around my vase. Then I attached the whole thing to the vase.

I loved the outcome...

Too bad the camera didn't catch the black sparkles though. Maybe I'll try to get a better shot later!

Here's both of the vases, sitting on either side of my (Yummy!) punch bowl.

Next, I made labels for my favor bags, using the same shape as the labels for the vases. I just changed the words to say "Thank you for coming to my party!" And I used adhesive cardstock, so they just stuck right on the bag. Then I tied a purple ribbon through 2 holes punched at the top of the bag, after adding the goodies (a DVD of Lil's 3rd year, some professional pics, and some ballerina chocolates), of course!

Wait for more sweet treats to come!

Is there a party without one?

2010-08-26T09:06:00.006-04:00

Nope! A party just isn't complete without a banner!

I already had my color scheme (pink, lilac, white), scrapbook paper, cardstock and my handy-dandy Silhouette! All I needed was some time. After looking at all the possibilities, I found a banner shape I liked best and went from there. I cut them out and moved on to letters. I found the font I liked and a good size for my banner pieces, then I cut them out and stuck them on. So easy since my cardstock had adhesive backing! I traced the letters with Glossy Accents to help make sure they stay on and to give them a nice shiny outline. And done!

Do you like?

Click picture for closer view!

I know my daughter liked it, especially with all these presents under it!

Look for more birthday party projects to come!

Tutu Cute!

2010-08-24T13:44:00.006-04:00

With the invitations for my daughter's party done and mailed out, I had some serious work to do! My next project was seriously made with lots of love, considering I had to do some hand sewing, which I am not fond of! I had seen some of the cutest bow holders online, mainly the ones from Bambina Ballerina! I didn't use any one in particular's instructions, I just kinda made it up as I went along. After searching more online, I found these instructions and might try them next time. Especially since it's a no-sew project! After a few days of work, this is how mine turned out!

I really like how it looks! I especially love the flowers on the top and lining the top of the skirt.

On the invitation I asked for everyone to bring a hair bow for the birthday girl, to add to her new bow holder. It just looked so darling with all the little bows. I'll have to get more pics of that later!

Until next time...

Poof...It's Gone!

2010-08-17T19:47:00.007-04:00

It has been too long since I posted, so I signed in today to update you all with some of my latest projects. After writing and adding pictures for the last 3 hours, I went to post it, and it all disappeared! So, now you get the short version.

I have been MIA lately because my youngest daughter had her birthday this past weekend! If you know me, you know that I like to DIY as much as I can! I love crafting and birthday parties give me so many ideas and such opportunities! And it also leaves me with no time for anything else, even blogging!

I had decided on a ballet theme party for my now-3-year-old(!) because of her love for all things ballerina. The first thing on my long list was the invites. I had planned the design 2 or 3 months ago, then I got me a little something called the Silhouette! (New obsession starts here.) Jealous, aren't you? I know I was envious after not winning any of the dozen giveaways I entered, at least until I read the winner's blog and realized how deserving they were. BUT I still wanted one and finally talked my hubby into buying it for me!!! Gotta love him! And yes, I started playing with the machine as soon as I got it out of the box!

I made some borders...

Then I cut out some circles, pictures, and the card itself with the words "You're Invited". I added a strip of black sparkly paper to the inside of the card, so that you could see it through the cut out words. Here's how the front of the card turned out...

For the inside, I wanted a simpler design, but still something that would match the theme. This is what I came up with...

I layered another piece of the sparkly paper over the back of the other strip. Then I glued down the beautifully cut pink ballet slippers. The rest of the invite was just the details for the party. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out and everyone else was impressed too. Of course, I love anything that has my daughter's pictures on! And the rest of the party was too cute...but more on that later!

Yes, seriously, that was the short version! LOL! So...what comes next for me? Thank you notes! I'll be back with more projects and pictures soon...I swear!

An Elmo Birthday

2010-08-02T15:42:00.006-04:00

My nephew turned 2 a week ago! My sister, Jillian, had been planning on an Elmo birthday party, so of course I started looking for some cakes on my fave site, Cake Central. I found the perfect one (from CC member brea1026) and sent the pic to her. She was smitten too! Yay!

About a week before his party, I started by making some decorations for the cake. I mixed all my primary colored fondant with some tylose powder and got to work. I made an Elmo (of course!), some balloons, and lots of bow pieces to be put together later. After a couple days of drying and hardening, I went back to my pieces and painted details on Elmo and the balloons.

The day before the party, I baked a funfetti cake. And the next day I iced my cake, applied the fondant, and added all the decorations, including all the balls for the border (which my other sister, Jennifer, lovingly helped roll by hand!).

This is the final product!

And here are some pictures of the cake with the birthday boy! Love this first one, he just has the cutest smirk on his face, like, "Oh, yeah! That's MINE!"

If you hadn't noticed, the top tier has sharp corners but not so much on the bottom tier. No, I didn't perfect my skills after the first cake (I wish)! I just used a dummy cake for the top tier since there were less guests than my sister had first estimated, meaning we had to cut back on cake, but I didn't want to change the design. Plus, this way my sis got to keep the top!

Hope you enjoyed your cake, Jordan! Can't wait for #3!

2 Weeks Notice

2010-07-28T13:22:00.013-04:00

Just in case you didn't notice, it's been 2 weeks since my last post! I remember thinking last week "Wow! I can't believe it's been a week since my last post!" And now another week has flown by! I know I have been busy, but geesh! I will have many more posts coming up about all my recent projects, but for today I'll just be leaving a short post as I have to devote SOME of my time to cleaning the house, before my family gets lost under all the mess! AHHH!

Anyway...about 2 weeks ago, my sister called and asked about a cake for her coworker's daughter's birthday. I happily agreed. Her coworker, Kathy, wanted a coconut cream cake. I love trying out new flavors! I looked online and found a recipe for coconut cream filling from a lady you may have heard of...does Martha Stewart ring a bell? Coming from her, it had to be good right? So, I baked a white cake, adding a little coconut cream pudding to the mix. I made it a four layer cake and iced it all with a coconut buttercream. I then added sweetened shredded coconut all around the sides.

Kathy had asked me to use whipped cream for the piping. I piped large shells on with a 1M tip, but in ten minutes time, the beautiful shells turned into a drippy, melty mess! So I had to redo the top of the cake and soak up the drips down the sides and bottom of the cake. Luckily, I got it all off in a decent manner, and it didn't need too much repair. I then made another batch of the coconut buttercream and repiped the shells. And last, but not least, added a cherry on top!

I should have taken a before picture, but at the time I was too devastated, so I didn't. But here's a few after pictures...MUCH better than earlier!

In the end, Kathy said her family loved it, and that's really what matters!

Help Me!

2010-07-14T15:34:00.005-04:00

Don't worry...I'm not in any real danger! Unless the hubby finds out that I am planning on making another order from Global Sugar Art soon. Hehehe! And I'm thinking about ordering some back issues of Cake Central Magazine. But here's the real problem: I can't buy them all. :(

Seeing as I have an obsession with weddings, I really want the wedding issue!

But then I wonder if June or July might have something more valuable to use, instead of just pretty to look at?

Or should I wait another week or two and buy the new August issue?

Too many choices!!! Please help a fellow caker out here! Do you have a subscription? Or have you bought every issue? Any ideas as to which issue would be the best purchase?

Whichever issue(s) I decide to buy...I can't wait to see the pictures and read the articles!

It's a Jungle In Here

2010-07-07T15:01:00.010-04:00

My sister called me up saying there was a baby shower at her work and was wondering if I might be able to make a cake or cupcakes for it. I love baby showers, with the pastel color palettes, the cute little clothes, and the enormous amount of food...how could I possibly say no? Even if it was needed in 3 days...I still happily agreed! But with the design I had planned, I had to start working right away.

I started making the cake topper first, giving it a full day of drying. I found great instructions for a bow here. I mixed my fondant with tylose powder to make it dry faster and more durable. I cut and formed each loop separately, as well as each curly ribbon, and in the main colors of the shower...pastel blue, green and yellow. I made about 24 loops, allowing extra for breakage. I usually make 18 1" loops, but since I was making smaller (about 3/4") loops this time, I needed to make more for this bow.

The next day, Blue mixed all my cake batter and 3 batches (at once!) of buttercream. She's such a hard little worker!

I baked 36 cupcakes (18 vanilla and 18 chocolate) and used the rest of the batter to make 2 halves of a 6" cake. I divided the buttercream into 4 equal quarters...one stayed white, while the others were dyed blue, green and yellow. I used my white buttercream for filling in the cake and then a crumb coat before I applied the fondant.

I iced all my cupcakes with a Wilton 2D tip and then stored them for transport (after taking a couple pics, of course).

That night, I melted some Wilton candy melts and "glued" my bow topper together. I let it chill and harden for a little while in the fridge, then I took it out and placed it on my itty bitty cake with a dab of the melted candy. I added a fondant rope border and I was done!

I brought it to the shower the next day and set it up. I added Wilton jungle wrappers and picks since the theme matched the baby's jungle bedding.

And I got about as much "Ooohhhh"s and "Aaahhh"s over the cake, bow and cupcakes as a newborn baby!

On Independence Day

2010-07-04T23:25:00.009-04:00

Hope you all had a great 4th! I have been super busy spending time having fun and relaxing with the in-laws, so I haven't had any time to bake. :(
But I thought I'd leave you with a couple pics for the holiday!

I made these 2 years ago, right after I first got bit by the cake decorating bug...

Firework Cupcakes-I know they're not perfect, but I was pretty proud of them at the time!

(FYI: I did NOT make any of the following.)

Speaking of fireworks...

How cute is this?

After I saw this, I fell in love and really wanted to make this for a July 4th snack! But I never did get around to it.

(Can't remember where this pic came from. If you know, fill me in!)

One last awesome idea that I would love to try (found here)...

It doesn't seem to be too hard, but the end result looks amazing!

Happy Independence Day!

Word World

2010-07-01T07:34:00.004-04:00

I recently won a giveaway from a blog I frequent...Mom vs. the Boys! It is the first thing I've won online, and I was super duper excited! I have looked at so many vinyl wall decals but could never see myself buying them because they're pretty expensive. But when I won a $40 gift certificate to Right on the Walls, I figured I couldn't go wrong! There was too many cute/fun/inspirational/sentimental decals to choose from! Should I get something for the girls, the hubs, the family, or for myself?! AHHHH! They have something for every room, in every style you can think of, not to mention you also have the choice of designing your own! In the end, I chose to get something cake related...yes, I am obsessed! HA! I love it!

I had also thought about "Let us eat cake" and (an idea from another Cake Central member) "Oh My Ganache"! But I kinda couldn't wait to order, so this is the first thing that came to mind! Maybe next time. And in case you're wondering...yes, that is Christmas lights hanging in my dining room. :)

You Know You Want It!

2010-06-30T17:31:00.003-04:00

A Silhouette craft cutter, that is! If you're like me and you love doing artsy/crafty things, this machine is to die for! Just a Girl is hosting a giveaway for one with a bunch of fun accessories! I would love to win this, and I'm sure you would too! If you want to know how to enter, see here.

Good luck! And remember what your mom taught you to do...SHARE! LOL!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-27T20:54:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I know I'm a week late here...but better late than never, right?! Well, I did say to watch out for my Father's Day crafts and I think I'm done making you wait.

First off, I made a brag board for my dad. My girls are constantly making something for the grandparents and when I saw this idea I thought it would be perfect for him! Now he can just switch up his pictures/drawings from the kids and have something new to look at. I'd love to give credit here for the person that made this first, but I can't seem to remember where I saw it from! But thanks anyway for the inspiration!

Secondly, I was visiting a new-to-me blog and saw her project from last year...an awesome Father's Day frame. As soon as I saw this, I knew what I'd be making for the hubs! I think it turned out amazing, and I'm a little jealous that my hubby gets to see it everyday at the office! Maybe when Mother's Day rolls around again I'll make one for myself! Hehehe!!

Both of these projects were easy and barely took any time (not that they weren't still made with tons of love)!

For the brag board, I just bought a wood plaque and two 2 packs of magnetic clips. I used paint and brushes I already had at home to paint the plaque. After it dried, the hubs screwed the clips on and added a picture frame wire to the back so dad could hang it up. Easy right?

The blog where I first saw the frame has instructions for photo shop users. But I, unfortunately, don't have photo shop. I do however have another photo editing program I use that I downloaded for FREE(!) from here. It may not be as fancy as photo shop, but I like the price much better! So, with this program I went into the editor button, picked my picture from the left sidebar, clicked on the filter button and picked region option. In this area, click on the grayscale and try to get the circle right around your letter. I had to go back a few times to make sure most of the photo was grayscale by reversing the area and filling in some colored spots. If you are going to try this and need more help or explanation, contact me and I'll try to help you get 'r done!

SO, there you go! You now have about 357 days to get this done in time for Father's Day 2011.

Good luck! And have fun!

Calorie-Free Cupcakes!

2010-06-25T14:07:00.005-04:00

I went to my monthly cake club (SAGNFL) meeting last night and learned how to make the cutest little cupcakes! And guess what!? They are calorie-free, but they probably don't taste very good either. Wanna see?
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Don't you just love it? We also learned how to make another kind, but I don't have a finished one to show you...yet! But there is a video if you want to see how these gorgeous things are made that show both cupcake styles (Yummy and Delicious-love these names)! If you want to make one yourself, you'll have to buy the template (which does include both cupcake styles)...but at $5.99, it's a pretty good deal considering you can use it as much as you want! It is also a fun and easy project that kids will have a ball with! Or you can use it to make as favors by including some hidden candy, chocolate, or other little goody inside! The possibilites are endless...and calorie-free!

Enjoy!

Wishful Thinking

2010-06-23T00:37:00.003-04:00

I must be a little behind...I am just now learning of something called the Silhouette. It is like the cricut machines, used for cutting vinyl, paper, glass etching, etc. It looks amazing, but also has a nice big price tag like the cricut. So, if you don't have the money, but would like the chance to get one, check out the giveaway here.

Good luck to you all! Now, I'm off to bed and will be dreaming about all the projects I can do if I win this machine. Good night!

Pop for Pop

2010-06-22T01:10:00.005-04:00

My dad has always had a fondness for popcorn, whether it was stove top popped, microwave popped, store bought, etc. Thus leading to this year's Father's Day theme...a popcorn party. And of course, I had to make a cake for the party, popcorn and all! So I revved up Blue and made the german chocolate cake batter. I divided the batter between the bottom of the giant cupcake pan and a 12 cup cupcake/muffin pan.

As the cake and cupcakes were baking, I starting making the "popcorn". I cut an "x" into the top of marshmallows (using clean scissors), placing them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. I also left some plain, uncut marshmallows. When I had the tray full, I sprayed them with the yellow Wilton Color Mist food color spray.

After that I mixed a little tequila with brown food color gel and used a paintbrush (only used for cakes) to dab some brown in the middle of various pieces. I iced my cupcakes and added some "popcorn".

I iced the cake then wrapped it with wax paper, then scrapbook paper and added a "Dad's Popcorn" sign. I cut and shaped wires and added them to a wax paper-wrapped board and put the board on top of the cake. For the finishing touch, I added the rest of the popcorn to the bucket. There you have it...delicious, buttery popcorn!

We all had a fun Father's Day! Hope you all did too! Check back soon for the Father's Day crafts I made for my dad and hubby!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T07:45:00.006-04:00

Just posting real quick before I head out to visit my Dad!

More to come tomorrow! Hope all you dads out there have a wonderful day!

Ice, Ice, Baby!

2010-06-19T10:19:00.005-04:00

I brought my new baby home yesterday. She is so beautiful! I named her Blue and was so excited to put her to work! Here she is in action...

That's right, I have now joined the league of Kitchenaid users!

When I woke up this morning, I thought I had dreamed that I got one last night. But when I walked into the kitchen, she was just sitting there, gleaming at me! She's so pretty, I just can't stop staring!

Oprah's Cake-Off

2010-06-16T10:05:00.005-04:00

I was flipping through the channels last night and caught a glimpse of some famous cakers...and seeing as I don't have cable, and therefore don't get to ever watch the cake shows, I had to stop flipping! It turned out Oprah was having a Cake-Off. The contenders were (1)Marina Sousa, (2)Duff Goldman, and (3)The Cake Girls. And here are their cakes:

I was pretty excited about watching this until it was over shortly after it started. The contestants were basically announced, allowed to show and tell their cake, and then hear which cake the audience liked best. Then it was over. I hadn't heard O's show was about reality TV, and not just cakes. Booooo! A whole 10 minutes of cake reality TV. Better than nothing, I guess!

Onto the creators!

Marina Sousa created "an O cake", as Oprah stated. It was a multi-tiered masterpiece with thousands of handmade sugar beads, flowers, inspirational quotes from Oprah and lots of "O"s, including a large, sparkly, spinning one on top. It really was a sight to see!

Duff Goldman was the oddball out here, and created a non-Oprah cake. But, in my opinion, it was still awesome! His pie in the sky cake weighed an impressive 170 pounds, with ice cream and a cherry bomb to top it off!

The Cake Girls (Mary and Brenda Maher) created a huge Oprah mosaic made from about 5,000 fondant circles, which had faces drawn (or printed?) on them. Then they made other pieces which were important to Oprah and Chicago, like a book for her book club, a plaque for the Oprah Angel Network, and so much more!

And the winner was....The Cake Girls! Not my first choice, but nicely done anyhow.

Did you watch the show? Which cake is your favorite?

*Update* After searching the web, I found out this is a rerun from October. So, if you already saw/read about it, sorry! But it's new to me and I was excited!

Countdown to Summer

2010-06-14T09:58:00.004-04:00

Since summer is only a week away, I thought I'd remind myself of the beautiful things spring has sprung...flowers! Not the one's made by mother nature, but the sweet, sugary ones, made by...me (excluding the Nicholas Lodge ones)! Now, these may not be as beautiful as the originals (in my defense, these were all made B.N. (Before Nic), but I had fun making them anyway!

Carnations

Daisies

And A Colorful Spring Combo

Hope you all enjoyed your spring, and have even more fun in the summer!

Go, Sharks!

2010-06-10T15:45:00.005-04:00

WE'RE #1! Lately the hubs and I have been going to the AFL games here in Jacksonville. And right now, we're the best in the league! Since he's been getting into the games so much, I thought it would be a good idea to make a cake with a Sharks theme. If you know my husband, then you know he is an avid hat/cap wearer. And since I have the Confetti Cakes Cookbook, I already had the directions on hand for how to make a hat cake.

I started on Sunday to make the brim and let it dry but I had a little trouble with my fondant. After 3 days it was still not dry, so I had to prop it up and (thankfully) it stayed up the whole night. The rest of the fondant (to cover the cake) I microwaved for half the time, and it still came out too soft. After checking Cake Central, I was reassured it was not only me having that problem. But in the end, it covered rather well, and smoothed out awesomely! Check it out for yourself...

Now, there are some concave-y spots, but that was intentional to make it look like a real hat. The cake was chocolate, filled with hot fudge and chocolate sprinkles (or if you're from up north, jimmies), then covered with ganache and finally Duff's black fondant. The story behind the filling goes something like this: My husband and I met at Twistee Treat (an ice cream parlor) where I was working and he would always come and order the same thing, chocolate ice cream with hot fudge and chocolate sprinkles. I already know the hubs likes chocolate cake best. But as I was concocting the idea for a filling, this just popped into my head. And it tasted rather delicious, if I might add!

My husband's real Sharks hat has "Jacksonville SHARKS" written/sewed on it, but I opted for just the actual shark logo since I was doing this by hand. It came out okay, but boy do I wish I had the Cricut Cake when I make stuff like this!

Then I made some finishing touches with the lines, rivets and the button on top. I also made an AFL board (seen in the 1st pic) which took longer than expected after cutting out the lines and all those numbers! But it turned out great and looked awesome with the cake!

No one believed it was cake at first, but as soon as we cut into that bad boy, and the chocolate scent hit the air, we had ourselves some believers!

Happy Birthday, Honey! Hope it was as special as you are!

The Duff!

2010-06-07T09:04:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I don't really know who he is. Nor have I ever seen his show (Ace of Cakes). *GASP* Or read his book. But I have seen his new line of products at Michaels. Does that count for anything?!

Well, for my hubby's upcoming birthday, I will need to cover the cake in black fondant. And if you've ever tried to make black fondant, you will understand why I gave up before even trying! Hehehe! Plus I heard Duff's fondant tasted pretty good. So I figured I'd give it a try, and off to Michaels I went (with coupon in hand). A little of a sticker shock with it's $10 per pound price tag ($20 for a 2 lb tub)...since I usually pay $20 for 5 lbs. of the Wilton fondant. Anyway, I got it home and read the directions. It says to microwave for 10 seconds on power 3. I did just that and it came out too soft. But I do have a super duper microwave that cooks everything faster than it should, so microwaving really does vary. Next time I will try for less time. And I will try not to follow directions so diligently (it's a bad(/good?) habit of mine).

Then I tasted it...and others were right. It did taste better than any other fondant I've tried (which has only been Wilton and Satin Ice). I will actually let guests eat this when I hand them their piece!

Now, I had to make the first part of the cake in advance to let dry and hold it's shape. So I mixed about a quarter of the Duff fondant with a tsp and a half of tylose. I tried picking it up right away, but it was still way too soft. So I let it sit for a couple hours and still too soft. So I decided maybe overnight will do the trick, but that didn't work either! I tried picking it up and it just stretched and tore. Eventually I started over by using my Wilton practice board with a ton of powdered sugar sprinkled on it so that I could just flip it over and let the fondant fall off. Well, it didn't fall off, but I finally got it to slowly peel away.

In the end, the piece came out pretty cool (pics later...can't let the hubs see yet)! It still hasn't hardened, but I've got a couple more days.

To review, the Duff fondant (which I've heard is the Fondarific brand) tasted great, looked good, would probably work just fine if you don't microwave it for too long, but costs a little more than I would like! But, if you're like me, the only way to get decent fondant (especially different colors) is to buy online, and who always has the time for that (not to mention the extra moula for shipping costs!)?

If you try it out, let me know what you think. Happy caking!

Ganache and Raspberries...Yummmeeeee!

2010-06-04T18:02:00.005-04:00

My husband's birthday is next week (on Wednesday) and he's treating himself to a week of no work and lots of fun! So, I had made a cake for his work this week so no one would be left out of a piece of birthday sweetness. And sweet is definitely what it was...a white cake filled with red raspberry jam, then covered with whipped ganache and another layer of ganache for some extra chocolatey goodness! Top that all off with some whipped ganache rosettes and fresh red raspberries. You know you want a piece!

Well, I know I wanted a piece! I was patiently waiting all day to see if the hubs would bring me any that may have been left over. Not that I didn't get enough ganache last night while I was making the cake. Let's just say, I licked the bowl clean!

Okay, so I didn't really lick this bowl clean, but I did have my fair share of the leftovers with some strawberries I had purchased in anticipation of extra ganache! And at the end of the day, my dear hubby did bring me a piece of cake, albeit a very small piece of cake. But I still love him! As long as they enjoyed their cake!

BTW, Happy National Doughnut Day! Did you get your free doughnut today?

The Thirties

2010-06-02T08:56:00.010-04:00

With my husband's birthday fast approaching, I've been thinking about his party last year. Since my hubby and my bro-in-law's birthdays are pretty close (and since my sis and him were out of town on his actual birthday), we decided to celebrate with a joint party for the guys. They were both turning 30 and they are both interested in history. So, I came up with the idea to have a '30's party...as in 1930's! It was a blast and most people turned up in their best '30's attire. It was awesome and I only wish I had some pics to show you. The only one I have is of their cake...

Nothing too fancy for the guys as I hadn't been decorating cakes long at that point. But their expressions are priceless! And the font matched all the decorations and games I had made. I hope everyone had as much fun as the hubs and I! And maybe I'll find and post some pics that someone else took soon! You can check out a special page for the party here, complete with 1930's slang (which translated the words I used on the invitation).

If you weren't there, you missed out on a hell of a wingding!

Par-Tee Fore Bobby

2010-06-01T11:59:00.010-04:00

Did you get all those golf puns? Par, Tee, Fore. Hehehe!

Well then...My sister, brother-in-law and their friends were having a golf weekend get-away, so my sis decided Bobby should have a golf cake for his birthday on Saturday. I looked through 1,452,396 golf cake photos and found nothing spectacular (I don't mean well made, but how can you make something golf-related spectacular?). So I went the simple and traditional route. What do you think?

It was a vanilla cake filled with fresh strawberries and strawberry glaze, then iced with buttercream icing. When I filled between the layers, I knew I had put too much in there, but I was hoping it would be okay. But after the 3 hour car trip to an Orlando resort, the cake started bulging and the back had filling seeping out. But it still tasted amazing...which is really the most important factor! The flag was made of gumpaste (with a lollipop pole), while all the other decorations were made with fondant. As we were trying to rush out the door I never took a final look at my cake sketch to make sure I didn't forget anything. And oopsie! I forgot the hole around the base of the flag (please tell me you didn't notice!). Besides that blunder, I really had fun making this cake, especially the argyle pattern. Doesn't it look so cute?!

Hope you had a golf-tastic weekend, Bobby!

A is for Armadillo

2010-05-26T10:37:00.007-04:00

When I'm making a cake for a family member or friend I will ask them what they want, and the usual response is, "Whatever you want to make". Not Cameron, my husband's co-worker...he knew exactly what he wanted!

"Have you ever seen Steel Magnolias?" "Yes, I have."

If you have seen this movie before, you probably already know what cake I'm talking about. If not, be prepared. It doesn't really look like something you'd want to eat!
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(Actual picture from Steel Magnolias)

Yuck! Now, if I could choose any cake to make or eat, it most likely would not have been this one. But what the birthday boy wants, the birthday boy gets! So I started researching armadillo cakes. I ended up making a more realistic version...and I actually had a lot of fun making it! Plus, the hubs helped out a lot on this too, since we only had one day to make it! Check it out...

It was a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, covered with fondant. The head, ears, feet and tail were all made with gumpaste. I used a dresden tool for the striped texture on the back bands and I used a straw and frosting tips for the spotty texture. Then to get the gray color, the hubs sprayed it all down with black Wilton Color Mist food color spray. My favorite thing about this cake ended up being the tail! (Get it? "End"ed up? heheh!) Anyway, I thought it came out perfect!

I heard this cake was like a tourist attraction at hubby's work. People were lining up to see it! Hope everyone enjoyed their piece of armadillo!

Happy Birthday Cameron!

Is He NUTS About Carrot Cake?

2010-05-25T09:20:00.005-04:00

My husband's co-worker requested a carrot cake for his birthday...with no nuts! Now, I have to agree with the co-worker here, only because I am not a fan of nuts at all! But I'm pretty sure I've never seen a carrot cake without nuts before. My husband loves nuts on carrot cake and said to just put some on anyway since I had already drawn out my design with nuts being a majority of the cake decorations. What's a girl to do? I came up with a new plan that would give my hubby (and others who agree with him) some nuts and others (who agree with me and the co-worker) a nut free slice. Here's what I came up with...

What do you think? Perfect, right?! So, he can have his carrot cake and eat it too, with no nuts! He was very thankful for my brilliant idea. And I heard him and his wife were fighting over the last piece!

Hope you had a great birthday, Joel!

Insanely Gorgeous!

2010-05-18T14:04:00.006-04:00

I just had to post this for everyone to see! I was browsing my online addiction site, Cake Central and came across this picture made by cake central member Peecheekeeno...

I feel like I can't breathe! It is fabulous in so many ways. I can't imagine how much time, effort, and pure talent went into making this cake! It was made for the Canadian National Wedding Cake Competition and only placed 2nd. The judges must be crazy! I really can not imagine anything being more beautiful than this! It is pure elegance, from the flowers on top to the fabric ruffled bottom! I am in LOVE!!!

Hailey Angel Silent Auction

2010-05-12T09:14:00.003-04:00

If you haven't ever visited Fabulous Fun Finds, you're missing out! They have great products, reviews, and giveaways! But today and tomorrow only they're having an auction for a very sad cause. You can find the story here. The auction includes so many fabulous items. If you bid and win you are not only recieving one of these awesome products, but you'll also be helping a family out in their time of need. If you have a chance, check them out and bid for a fabulously fun find! I know I will be bidding on a couple items. All you need is a paypal account. There is already a lot of bidding going on...so start bidding! Good luck!

Jewelry, Anyone?

2010-05-10T10:38:00.005-04:00

Thanks to Alisa from The Tidy Nest for giving me a fun little project idea with her great tutorial! I have seen those cute tile necklaces and loved them, but I didn't know that they were so easy and fun (not to mention cheap) to make! I've already made 5 necklaces. Here are 2 that I made for/with my daughters (one who just happens to also be named Alisa) and 1 that I made for myself...

I made one for my sister's birthday last week and everybody was asking me to make one for them too! And since they are so versatile...you can literally make anything you want to fit each person's interest! Plus the tiles come in different shapes and sizes. My next project is to use a bigger tile to make a photo magnet for the fridge. And I think I will also be making a ring with a cake picture. I can't wait! If you want to see how she made these, just check it out here! Now go have some fun!

Finally...There's Cake!

2010-05-07T10:07:00.005-04:00

It seems like forever since I made a cake! But I finally got to make one this week for my sister's birthday! Her birthday is on Cinco De Mayo, but I didn't use that as a theme. I had seen the cutest purse cake on Cake Central and wanted to give it a try, TRY being the main word! It didn't come out as cute as the original, but it wasn't too horrible either. Take a look...

My sister has always loved giraffes or anything that looks like one. So, when I saw this cake made by Cake Central member mrsmudrash, I knew it would be perfect for her! I made her favorite cake, German chocolate with coconut pecan filling, which I now know is not the easiest thing to carve. Then I frosted with ganache and finally covered in fondant, with chocolate fondant for the spots. This was also the first time I made this type of ganache, and it was amazing...both in taste and to work with !

Now, I had tried to make the gumpaste bow and handle super bright red, but it never got bright enough, kind of orange-y. But as I was looking through my cake supplies I saw the red sprinkles and thought, "That just might work!" For these, I just used water and a paintbrush to "paint" the entire handle and the top part of the bow. Then I laid them in a pile of sprinkles that I had dumped on a plate. And shook off the excess. Pretty simple, but cute and sparkly! And what girl doesn't love sparkly?!

And so, I applied them to the cake board too! After I covered my board, I spread a thin layer of piping gel onto the board with my small offset spatula. Then, over a larger plate, I poured the sprinkles on and let the excess fall off. I love how it turned out and I will be doing it more in the future!

Thanks for looking! Enjoy! I know we did!

Cuttlebug

2010-04-29T09:11:00.003-04:00

Cuttlebug Challenge Blogspot is a great little blog with so many cute ideas! They are also doing a Cricut Cake giveaway, ending tomorrow...so get your butt in action and get over there now!!!

Good luck!

Another chance to WIN!!!

2010-04-22T10:54:00.004-04:00

I know I already posted about a Cricut Cake giveaway...but I also know you won't be disappointed to learn there's another one! Check out this video from the ladies over at DIY Dish:

For more about the Cricut Cake, visit here.

Now, go try and win it!

And, you're welcome!

Confetti Cakes

2010-04-22T09:50:00.005-04:00

I just bought the Confetti Cakes Cookbook because I plan on making a cake from it for my sister's birthday. I have checked the book out so many times from the library, but recently got a 40% off coupon from Borders, so I thought "Why not?"

Now it's all mine! Hehehe...

I know it's an older book, but there's a lot of good stuff in there! There's another cake in it I would love to make for my hubby's birthday coming up in June! Can't tell though, in case he reads this...but it fits him perfectly!

Elisa Strauss is a cake genius! She also has a book Confetti Cakes for Kids, which is adorable! Her work is amazing and I can't wait to try this book out!

BTW,

Never enough time....

2010-04-17T08:30:00.006-04:00

So, I had planned on making 4 cakes for Easter weekend...a bachelorette cake, 2 birthday cakes, and an Easter cake. I got the bachelorette cake and half of the first birthday cake done. Half? Yes, half. Can we say pro-crast-i-na-tor?! And to be honest, I wish I could have done more with the bachelorette cake too. Oh well, that weekend is long gone and other cakes will be needed soon, which I promise to start earlier on! Really...

Anywho, here's the bachelorette cake (and no, you don't have to hide the children for this one!)...

It was a yellow cake with chocolate frosting (a childhood favorite) then covered with fondant, fondant decorations, black cake sparkles around the top border, and a handwritten message for the bachelorette! I tried copying the print from the invitations/decorations...and I think it came out rather cute! And I know the bachelorette had a great last night out!!! Congrats girl!

As for the half birthday cake for my dear sister, Jennifer, I didn't take any pictures of it as it wasn't finished, but my sister said it tasted absolutely delicious! It was a chocolate cake with buttercream and raspberry filling and buttercream icing. I also made a high heel shoe from a mold and followed the directions by Jennifer Dontz from here. It came out cute, but I never did finish painting it red, so I didn't get a picture of that either. Next time I will! And then I also made calla lilies but, you guessed it, I didn't get pics of them either, but mostly because I wasn't thrilled with how they looked (reminder: don't make flowers without my Nic Lodge instruction book...ever!!!)

So there you have it, my very disappointing cake weekend, plus or minus a few mental breakdowns. But I'm better now and we'll have to see how the next cake goes!

The Cricut Cake!

2010-04-14T10:35:00.004-04:00

So, I'm sure if you are into caking and decorating, then you have already heard of the Cricut Cake!

It is very similar to the regular Cricut machine, just making it eaier to use with gumpaste, fondant, and such. You can get an idea about their differences and similarities here when you scroll down.

Not sure of the actual price for one of these babies, but I can bet they're not on the cheap side...probably over the $300 mark! So, if you're like me, you'd LOVE to win one! That's right, Party Cupcake Ideas is planning on giving one away! Check them out here, or become their fan on facebook. Good luck to all those who enter! And if you want to share with me, I won't complain!

New Obsessions with Cake!

2010-03-26T10:29:00.005-04:00

I was searching online for "earrings cake" because I am planning on making my aunt a cake shaped like a jewelry box with earrings inside. Well, instead of a bunch of edible treats coming up, I saw a lot of jewelry instead! And OMG, were they cute! So, I have a new obsession! Here are a few pictures I saw...

Can you believe how real these look? It makes me want to take a bite! And to make them so tiny...wow! I think these people are so talented, just like many cake artists out there! And there isn't just earrings...there are rings, necklaces, bracelets. You name it, it's out there! Just too amazing! I am either going to have to try (keyword:TRY) and make my own or pick out some favorites to buy!

The weekend is so close! Hope everyone's had a great week!

I'm getting bizzz-aaay...

2010-03-23T13:37:00.008-04:00

But not like that...Get your mind out of the gutter! JK! Okay, so I have 4 cakes coming up! My cousin's bachelorette party, my sister's birthday, easter, and my aunt's birthday. 4 cakes, 3 days...this should be fun! But you're going to have to wait to see what they're all about! And speaking about your mind being in the gutter, I will not be making another cake like I made for my sister's bachelorette. If you don't know what I mean, you can scroll down and see...just make sure there are no kiddies around before you do so!
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Just making sure...
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Here you go, but don't say I didn't warn you...

It's not that I didn't have fun making that one! But my sister is so easily embarrassed, I knew she'd be the perfect recipient! She was a good sport though, and everyone else thought it was great! The cake was delicious...Chocolate cherry cake with almond buttercream. I carved the "top" part and covered it with fondant...which no one would eat! LOL! I then made fingers out of fondant and used watered down food gel to paint the fingernails. And the "finishing" touch was just watered down powdered sugar. Yummmy!

But I would like to try something new for my cousin...we'll have to wait and see what I come up with (since I really don't know what I want to do yet). Hehehe! I do have ideas for the other three, but you'll still have to wait for those too!

Until next time...

C.F.F. - Take 2

2010-03-17T10:09:00.007-04:00

There were so many awesome entries at the Central Florida Fair!

Here is my favorite cake at the competition, made by Melanie (find her blog here)...

A Shrek and Fiona wedding cake! Such a cute idea! And perfectly executed! Just look at the details...
Snail borders, worm "c" scrolls, and swampy colored fondant for the Shrek side...
Beautiful draping, string work, and pearls for the Fiona side! I just loved the whole thing! I think she got 2nd place for this, but she was definitely tops in my book!

Some of the other amazing cakes at the show (not sure who made the rest of them, so if you know, let me know and I'll update the post)...

So much fun at the fair!!!

By the way...

Central Florida Fair

2010-03-12T12:05:00.006-05:00

The Central Florida Fair was a couple weeks ago (I know, I'm a little late!). It ran from February 25 through March 7. My family and I went to the fair on the last day and we had a blast! Plus, I entered in the cake decorating competition! It was my first time ever entering a cake in a competition (unless you count Cakewrecks World Tour, which will be featured in a future post)!

I've been to the fair numerous times, and not once do I remember seeing cakes there. But I usually went for the rides and snacks...candy apples, funnel cakes, and cotton candy, oh my! Not to say I still won't go for those things! Hehehe! But since I've been playing with cakes for about 2 years now, I figured I would try this out. I have been a little obsessed with peacocks lately, so I thought I'd try to use a mild peacock reference, mainly the colors.

So, without further ado, here is my entry...

I know...nobody really sees the peacock reference, but that's okay! Since this was my first time entering any sort of competition, I thought I would try a few new things. Actually, I tried too many new things and didn't have time to finish the cake, but I entered it anyway! Some of my firsts were covering cake dummies, making pleats, making rope borders, making bead/pearl borders, making drapery, making jewels (which were supposed to be hard candy, but that didn't turn out so well), and using my clay extruder and molds. I will not try so many things out at once again, especially not for a competition! Some of the things I didn't get done because I ran out of time. There was supposed to be a bigger flower on the bottom tier, but it broke, there was supposed to be piped scrolls above the bottom tiers rope border and around an initial plaque on the first tier (which didn't make it on either, but that was by choice). There was also supposed to be borders around each "jewel", even more on the ones on the hearts, as they were supposed to represent peacock feathers. Overall, I was pretty happy with the way it turned out though. Plus I had a lot of fun making it!

A few things I learned this time that will hopefully help out next time:

1. Start extra early (I'm talking months in advance if possible)
2. Don't try too many new techniques
3. For this competition at least, do not get bold, the winners all seemed to stick with traditional wedding colors and flowers, and modern, popular choices
4. Also for this competition, judging didn't seem to be based on technique, as much as what "looked pretty" (in my own opinion, I'll show examples later)
5. I didn't get ANY feedback from judges like I thought and had heard I would, which was really disappointing

I'm looking forward to entering next year!

The next post will feature some of the other entries, including my favorites!

Cake Central, Baby!

2010-03-11T09:17:00.003-05:00

I just finished reading my first edition Cake Central magazine, from the website of the same name! Loved this issue...beautiful pictures, great interviews, and new ideas.

The next issue is (if I can remember correctly) for April/May and is a wedding special since it's almost wedding season. So excited for the next issue! Now, I haven't yet ordered a subscription, 'cause the $60 price tag is a little much for my hubby to handle at once...even though it cost me $15 for the first issue (after $5 shipping). I'll have to see if I can change his mind...'cause he should already know that I'm probably going to buy each issue anyway! Hehehe!

No Cake For You!

2010-03-03T09:05:00.004-05:00

So today is another non-cake post, but I'm so excited so I have to do it! I got a new phone! I had a (actually 2) Motorola RAZRs. I got them less than a year ago and they have seen better days. Usually my phones last a looong time...but not these (one was actually supposed to be my hubby's, but he decided against it after he bought it). So, I used my pink one for a while until the screen would no longer show up at all, the front glass was shattered and the battery door wouldn't stay on. Then I switched to my hubby's blue one, and the same things happened in a very short time, minus the shattered glass. I decided it was time for a new phone! Our contract was up last december, but around Christmas we couldn't afford a $100 phone (which is how much the phone I had my eye on cost). But we happened into the Walmart phone section yesterday and saw my phone for...get this, $0.00 (with the new contract which we would've gotten anyhow)! So now I have my new Sony Ericsson Equinox! It's a pretty little thing with too many features to name!

Here's what it looks like...

I'll try to name a couple features, but you can read about everything else here. I actually have the 717 version, but most of the features are the same.

3.2 Megapixel camera with video capture
FM radio
Different colored pulsating lights to let you know who's calling
Video, Camera, and Music editing software
Gesture control, lets you mute an incoming call or alarm
And so much more!

Now if only I can figure out how to use all these features...

Nan's Non-Birthday

2010-03-02T11:17:00.005-05:00

So, my grandmother's (a.k.a. Nan) birthday was over the weekend, if you can call it that. See, she was born on leap year, so her actual birthday/date is February 29th, which only comes around every four years...and this was not one of those years. Not that it means that we can't celebrate! And we did with some delicious food and of course cake, provided by myself. Now, she loves cardinals...seriously everywhere you look in her house, you'll see one. It's like watching a movie again and noticing something you didn't before. Look around her house and you'll see more cardinals every time! Not that that's a bad thing, really Nan.

Okay, so this is where my cake inspiration came from. Searching for cardinals online, almost all the pictures have them sitting in pine trees, hence the rest of the cake. I had fun making this one, and even more fun eating it!

I started with 3 layers of marble cake, filled with ganache. Then I added a ganache crumb coat. As I'm crumb-coating, my daughter was telling me she wants to make her own cake with orange buttercream. What a little genius I have! So, I made orange flavored buttercream and covered the cake in that. YUMMY! What better combo is there than chocolate and orange, I ask you? Hmmm...can't think of one right now! Then I decorated with buttercream cardinals, tree branches, and snow (sprinkled with sanding sugar for some sparkle). I had made pine cones out of fondant and royal icing, also sprinkled with sanding sugar. I thought they came out fairly well.

And a close up of the pine cones...

With left over cake batter (yellow cake) I made mini cupcakes and iced some with the remaining ganache and others with the orange buttercream and topped them all with maraschino cherries. I can't believe (well, really I can...they were delicious!) how fast these got gobbled up!

Hope you had a great birthday Nan!

Chocolate and Strawberries...Mmmmm!

2010-02-23T10:42:00.004-05:00

So, to add to my busyness last weekend, I also had to make a cake for my sister's co worker's birthday. I made her birthday cake last year too, and she decided she wanted the same thing this year. I gladly obliged! She had a vanilla cake with sliced strawberries and glaze filling, buttercream icing, strawberry glaze on top, then fresh whole strawberries, all drizzled with ganache. It's hard making these cakes sometimes, you know, like when all I want to do is grab a fork and dive in!

Here's the yumminess...

Hope you had a great birthday Susan!

I've been a busy bee...

2010-02-15T13:26:00.008-05:00

I've actually been doing some caking! YAY! I know it's a little late, but I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day! I was a little busy seeing that my daughter's birthday is the day before V-day. We had a fun fiesta for her this year, which she has been asking for one for a while now. The whole family made it as well as some of her friends. And on friday we sent her a special treat to share with her classmates for her birthday/Valentine's Day. I figured I didn't want to send in anything too big, knowing that the kids would already have their fill of sweets! So, I decided to go the route of cake pops! I've never tried them before but have wanted to for a while. Heard they were quite easy and yummy! Here's the actual cake balls...

And here's mid process, some with sprinkles, some without, but all pretty! (Just don't pay attention to how un-circular some of them look. Heehee.)

And here they are...all wrapped up and ready to go!

You can google cake balls or cake pops and find a bunch of sites, but I think Bakerella's is best! She has a ton of different ideas that are oh-so-cute! If you would like to try them, here's how I made them...

1. Depending on how many you want to make and what size you make them you can either bake a cake using your favorite cake mix or just use cake scraps from another cake. I only used 2/3 of my cake and ended up with about 50 balls, using a 9x13 pan.

2. Let the cake cool, then crumble it all up in a big bowl.

3. Mix in a store bought frosting, such as Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines. The recipe calls for a whole can if you use a whole cake, but I only used 1/3 of the can with 2/3 of cake (from a 9x13 pan). So even if I had used a whole cake, I wouldn't have used all the frosting.

4. Time to get your hands dirty! Roll some balls (you can make them as big or little as you want, but the norm seems to be 1" to 1 1/2"). Place them on a wax/parchment paper lined baking sheet. Then add some lollipop sticks, about half way in.

5. Pop those babies in the fridge for about a couple hours, or in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.

6. Melt some chocolate, almond bark, or candy melts as the package describes.

7. Take the cake pops out of the fridge and dip them in your coating. You may also have to spoon some of your chocolate/candy over the pop to thoroughly coat. Tap the pop over the bowl to reduce drippage. Then I stood them up in a styrofoam block and poured some sprinkles over the top, then let them stand to dry. From here they are good to go! For a little added decoration, I just wrapped them in lollipop bags and tied with a little bow. Cute and delicious!

Now watch for more caking experiences to come....

They say it's your birthday!

2010-02-04T20:26:00.005-05:00

Well, maybe not your's. But it was mine yesterday! I had a blast with the girls to celebrate last night! And of course I made myself a cake. Now, it wasn't what I had planned, but it worked out okay. I wanted a two tiered cake (one being a dummy, just to practice with one!), with the top matching the ribbon I had picked out for my cake plate. But I ran out of time, so I ended up with only my one tier. :(

Plus I didn't have time to practice my perfect buttercream skills I learned via Sharon Zambito from SugarEd Productions, whose videos are just ingenius! And hopefully one day I will actually have the time to watch the WHOLE video and take LOTS of notes, and then practice, practice, practice!

Here's what my little cake looked like, with the help of my "assistant" (my sis-in-law...heehee!) who decided a "J" would make the top! I think she was right...great job, Heather!

The cake was a chocolate fudge cake, with Nutella filling (had to try it out since I've heard it tastes amazing), and buttercream icing. I wasn't the biggest fan of the Nutella, but most nutty things aren't for me, so don't take my word for it! I also got to try out my diamond impression mat for the first time, and boy do I need more practice with that! For the intersecting diamonds, I used Wilton sugar pearls. And I used my new tweezer thingy (technical term) from Nicholas Lodge!

Dummies!

2010-01-25T13:48:00.004-05:00

No, not that kind. I mean cake dummies. Just got my first sets! Can you tell I'm excited?! I ordered them from Shape Formation and got a great deal on them, cheaper than every other site I looked at (after the shipping). I got a set of rounds and a set of squares. They're both 6", 8", 10", 12", and 14". Here's what they look like...

And just some variations of stacking...

I can't wait to use them! Central Florida Fair, here I come!

Mini Classes...Part II

2010-01-20T11:28:00.005-05:00

Saturday morning I headed to the world famous Nicholas Lodge Gum paste Bridal & Wedding Flowers class! To say the least, I was excited! And he proved to be just what we were all hoping for and looking forward to. He was very friendly, informative, amusing...all the things a great teacher could be! And everyone's flowers turned out so beautiful! I know, I am just an exclamation whore right now, but I can't help it! Here are my flowers...not the best in the class, but I wasn't disappointed either!

Dendrobium Orchid and buds

Stephanotis and bud

Calla Lily

Rose, rose bud and leaves

Close-up of Rose

And obviously this is me with Mr. "everything-my-hands-touch-turns-beautiful" Lodge!

It really was an amazing class! If you ever have the opportunity to take one of his classes, I would definitely recommend doing so! If I ever get a chance to take another one of his classes, you'll see me jumping through hoops to get to it!

ICES Mini Classes

2010-01-18T11:37:00.010-05:00

I had a wonderful weekend! Hope everyone else did too! I packed my bags and headed for Orlando on Thursday. Our first stop was the hospital to see my sis. Then we went to my parents house...and had some freshly made brownies. YUM!

The next morning I was on my way to the ICES Mini Classes. My first was with Susan Carberry. Here we are...

She was a fun, entertaining teacher. It was my first time trying fondant on cookies. It was so easy and fun...but I just can't imagine eating it. Here's the cookies I made:

Next up was Kathy Scott's Mini Wedding Cakes and Petit Fours class. She (along with her husband) was a lot of fun as well. I started off with the petit fours. So simple and beautiful!

After the petit fours, we were supposed to make a mini wedding cake, but by that time I had a migraine too painful to continue. So I had to stop. But I brought the mini resin cake form and the molds used in class home so I will have to try it out later on. After class, hubby and I enjoyed a pizza and a few drinks at the hotel's bar...which got rid of that headache. And then we headed over to the "Flea Market". The First Impressions table (which sold molds) was like a riotous frenzy, but I managed to get a couple molds I was after. And not to mention at WONDERFUL prices! What a day! And the following day was amazing too...but you'll have to wait for that story tomorrow!

3...Not always the best

2010-01-13T10:46:00.006-05:00

Three is by far my favorite number (literally have obsessive-compulsive disorder with this particular number). But they say bad things come in threes, and yesterday we had a bad dose of that reality. My husband woke me up to say goodbye as he was leaving for work. He came back about 2 minutes later to tell me our cat passed away. We've had her for almost 9 years, since she was a itty bitty kitty. He buried her in our back yard and left for work. About 20 minutes later my mom called to tell me my sister was in a car accident and in the hospital. She was conscious, but in pain with two broken feet (one which needed reconstructive surgery), a shattered knee cap, and bruising. Less than two hours later, my hubby called to see if I was okay and I told him about my sister. He said, "We're not having a good day are we?" My response, "No". Then he said he had to call me back , he had another call coming in. He calls me back to tell me it was his father. His cousin had accidentally shot himself while trying to clean his new gun. He died from the shot. His story was in the news: www.pnj.com/article/20100113/NEWS01/1130332

What a morning. But I felt even worse for my sister and for the parents of his cousin. Their day must be so much worse than ours. Makes you thankful for the people in your life. Give someone you know a little extra loving today...just because!

Today's post is dedicated to Geoffrey Wayne Merritt. I only knew him for a couple of years and only met him once, but it only took that one time to see what a wonderful young man he was. He was so driven and excited about the path that he saw himself on,from ROTC to an F-18 pilot in the Navy. He had a bright future ahead of him and will be deeply missed by many people. Deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Making new friends...

2010-01-07T09:42:00.003-05:00

So, some of my New Year resolutions were to have more "me" time, make more cakes, and get some friends (since I normally only speak to 3 people a day, my hubby and two kiddos). Well, I've found a way to do all three...at once! I am planning on joining the local cake club SAGNFL. That's the Sugar Arts Guild of North Florida, I think. Heehee! I've been looking at the club for a while, but have always been a little hesitant (ie. my anxiety attacks start setting in) when I think about meeting new people. But I'm finally going to take the step and join to knock out those 3 birds with one stone! Nervous and excited at the same time. We'll see how it goes!

Christmas Presents!

2010-01-05T10:02:00.005-05:00

I got so many wonderful presents for Christmas! I hope everyone knows how much I appreciate them! Here are a couple things I've taken pics of:

Notice how they are all kitchen/food related. Heehee! Who ever thought I'd loved working in the kitchen? Certainly not me, until recently. Isn't the apron adorable?! A little wrinkled from the package, but still adorable. Well, I wouldn't have been able to post these pics if it weren't for my new camera!!! And since I can't take a picture of it, here's one from the website:

Now I know it's not a top-of-the-food-chain type of camera, but it's a big step in the right direction from the one we had. Plus it's the prettiest blue-gray color (which is my favorite, too bad you can't tell by looking at the pic)!

And for next time, we'll look at what my crafty hubby (you know, the manly crafty kind) made for our girls!

The Holidays Are Over...

2010-01-04T17:29:00.006-05:00

So, Christmas and the New Year have come and gone...and no cakes have been made! It is awful...I know. But the winter "break" was a busy one. I had to finish making and buying gifts (which I still haven't finished...sorry guys!) and just enjoyed spending time with the family (families, really). So, my first pictures will not be cakes, but a couple glasses I painted for the ladies in my life! There will be more later on, seeing as how I was in such a rush to finish that I didn't even have time to take pictures of them all (with my NEW camera, BTW! Thanks hubby!!!) So, here are a couple:

I had a lot of fun painting these! And I hope the girls liked them too. My family had a great Christmas. Everyone was once again very generous in their gift-giving. I got a lot of things that I love...but I'll post about that next time.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year! Here's to an awesome 2010 (which is said twenty-ten, not two-thousand, ten). We're trying to start something here...just go with it!

Here goes!

2009-12-18T20:31:00.001-05:00

So, I'm a hobby cake maker/artist and my friends and family are insisting I make some sort of "portfolio" of my "art". So, here I go! As I said, I only do this as a hobby and I am not a licensed professional.

Plus I figured, what better time to make a blog? You know, since Christmas is a week away, I haven't started shopping for gifts yet, nor have I finished any of my Christmas crafts, or sent out our holiday cards. Yeah, no better time than now, right?! Right? Please tell me I'm right! Before I stress myself out!

And on that note, I enter blog-land. I will randomly be adding my cake photos and posting for all to see and comment, if that is what you wish to do. Happy viewing!