Braden Digs His Birthday

So, you all have kept me busy this summer! It is a good thing that I like what I do...well, most of it! I love the design stage. I love taking clients' ideas, pictures, event decor and turning it a complimentary piece of edible art. I love the planning stage, although this is my most stressful step. This is where I go over and over and over in my head every detail that needs to be made and when. Since drying time is so critical the plan needs to be orchestrated perfectly. I also love the creating stage. I can get so absorbed in what I am doing that when I am in the zone several hours could flash past and I wouldn't know it. Which is why the planning stage is so important for me.

Then I get to the not so exciting parts, at least for me. The cutting of the many foam boards, the lining of the pans, the making of the batter, the waiting and waiting for the buttercream to whip, and the washing of the stack of dishes! Sometimes it's enough to make me never want to make another cake again. But then I get to pull out the fondant. And I get to put on all the elements that I so diligently labored over. Once it comes together in the end I decide that I actually do LOVE what I do. (You do know that this is really not what I do...I have four lovely children and they are what I really do!)

Anyway, on to the cake...a dear little boy, Braden, and his grandfather share a birthday. This year the theme is, I bet you can't guess, construction! He wanted a digger and that's about it. His mom helped out with a few more ideas. She wanted it to coordinate with the orange and yellow decorations. She also asked that I make a mini cake for Braden's grandfather with the two of them on top. Simple, but clean and cute...and perfect for a little boy who only really wants the digger!

 Generally, I do figures and big elements like the digger a week ahead so all the piece can dry and then be assembled. Thinner items, like the signs and rocks, I usually do while I am waiting for cakes to bake and buttercream to whip. (It really does take a while for that stuff to get fluffy!)

I am sure that a certain yellow "digger" company in Peoria will be contacting me soon wanting to get their hands on my new arm design! To be honest this prototype has not been field tested yet, but I am willing to sell the rights to the design as is. Sometimes I am so intricately detailed and real-life accuracy is very important to me, but other times I use a lot of artistic license. I love the "2" sign being hoisted up the side. It, also, brings a touch of whimsy to the cake.

An old wooden construction sign, with reflective orange flashers on top. It kind of reminded me of an abandoned gold mine...

Here they are, the construction crew themselves! Love how the hats and vests turned out. If you look closely you can see stitching and pockets on the carpenter jeans. The sign was just an adorable idea from my client. I just realized looking at the picture that I forgot the reflective orange on the flashers! Oops! Well, it's a good thing no one will ever know.

Well, folks, that's about all I've got for this post. Hope you enjoyed the fabulous pictures taken by my fantastic husband. And thanks to the new bulbs he bought me recently our colors for the last few posts have been so vibrant and true! Thanks for reading and have a great long weekend.

And...Happy Birthday, Braden and Pop!

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