Puppies for Kate

My little client, Kate, knew what she wanted for her birthday! She loves dogs and actually wants to be a vet when she grows up. Here were the cake requests: hot pink and lavender, puppy theme, and a 3D chocolate lab. She also wanted chocolate cake with cream cheese butter cream. I'd say that Kate got what she ordered!

So from left to right, we have Dachshund, Bulldog, Chocolate Lab, Yorkie, and Bloodhound. Each of the puppies has a toy or bone and the lab sat on a quilted dog pillow. I used paw print elements around the sides and butterflies in various places to sprinkle around the lavender.  Around the bottom I made a dog collar with stitching around the edges and a little tag that read, "KATE". Pink and purple are very difficult colors to work for because they fade so quickly, even when kept out of direct sunlight. I painted the majority of the pink and purple elements to keep their vibrancy.

The Yorkie and Bloodhound...I think they are so cute!

Here are closeups of the other pups. My references for these dogs, and lots of other animals, are real photos and polymer clay pieces. I like to reference polymer clay sculptures because people usually construct the elements with more detail than other mediums. The only dog that is directly from a polymer clay piece is the bulldog, but I thought it was so adorable. See http://www.etsy.com/transaction/9096256.

Well, Kate, I hope you enjoyed your puppy cake and your happy birthday! Pin It

Baby Jack's Ark

Baby shower cakes are always so fun! Everything is cute and soft...and so fun! This, obviously, is a cake with a take on Noah's ark. I like to call it "Jack's Ark" instead. My client brought in designs for her grand baby, Jack's, bedding for reference. It was mostly browns and oranges but we wanted to bring in some light teals too.  

I used all of the animals on the bedding, down to the little fishies around the bottom and the birdies perched various places among the animals. I decided to make the ark a simple round design, for cost reasons, as well as I liked the simplicity of the tiers with more focus on the animals.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to make a rescue tube on the side. I always like to find creative places to put the client's message. "Jack Allan" fit perfectly on the tube!

I formed little paws and arms for each of the animals. The animal "heads" really looked out of place before, like they were just floating with no bodies. Now I think they look even more childlike, which adds to the adorable nature of baby cakes!

Okay, so the pandas were not pictured in the bedding! But I had to make some more animals to fill the emptiness on the back of ark. I could have done rhinos or cheetahs or tigers or something that made more sense with the safari animals...but the pandas were so cute!  

Finally, I added a little white dove on the top of the cabana. In the Biblical narrative of the Noah when the storm and rains had passed, the dove returned to the ark with branch in its beak. This symbolized new life after the washing of the rains. I love how that relates to us...Even in the midst of storms God gives us a glimpse of his renewal, the new life that only He gives. And sometimes we have the privilege to witness that in the life of a precious new child. Baby Jack, may God bless your little life, and may you one day understand the washing that was done for you so that you may receive renewed life through Jesus.

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What's Grillin'?

What do you get when you have a "grilling out"-themed couples baby shower and the daddy's birthday all at the same party?? The Grill Cake...

The colors were, obviously, yellow and grey and chevrons were to be incorporated. Oh, did those chevrons give me problems!! This was a rush order, too, so many things that I usually do 5 days ahead had to be done the day before. But, it turned out cutesy enough to be on display at a baby shower all the while gently declaring, "man".

I wanted to set the grill on something so it wasn't so lonely on top. We settled on a weathered grey deck. I think it turned out well. I love the nails...I actually always love doing nails! I do them every chance I get because I think it adds such nice dimension. On the charcoal bag I used the spaces for the labels to write, "Happy Birthday, Sam". Any other time I would have made a bag with more charcoal-bag colors like red and blue, but I didn't want that to distract from the color scheme we had going. On to the food! The burgers and hot dogs took 10 seconds to make and I think they are my favorite part!

I extended the deck to the base of the cake for some added detail. I know the chevrons are already plenty of detail...but I wanted to balance out the busyness on the top. I couldn't resist adding this neoprene and yellow quilted BBQ mitt. I even made little stitching around the bottom! It was really cute!

Happy Birthday, Sam! And congratulation on the baby! Pin It

Hawaiian Sweet 16

I love that I can do what I do (make cakes, among other things) while supporting a cause that helps save lives! Last year I had the honor of donating a silent auction gift certificate for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Gala in Peoria. And the winner is...a very sweet girl, Emily, who turns 16!

Emily had her idea all ready...she wanted Hawaiian hibiscus flowers and a turtle somewhere. We waffled between purple and blue-green, but eventually landed with the washed up sea foam for the backdrop for the flowers. I am so happy with her choice! Though she didn't need a three tiered cake, we both really liked the look. I made the top tier out of foam so that Emily can have the effect of a big cake and keep part of it for the memories!

I love the blue bamboo sign...so beachy but pretty and delicate too. I used "tiki"-style letters to write the birthday message, complete with little nails. I needed something to make the sign pop so I added the pink and orange hibiscus on the corner.

This little sea turtle is adorable! I wanted to incorporate the flowers and Hawaii into the design. I found a clip art drawing on a similar design and thought it would fit perfectly. I love how it turned out!

Well, Emily, I hope you have an amazing Sweet 16!

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