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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The Fightin' Irish!

I love new challenges...and this was a challenge! My client asked for a cake for her son, who was graduating from Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. She wanted something "leprechaun" and "Notre Dame" all in one. We came up with the iconic Golden Dome, with the leprechaun mascot clinging onto the side.

The dome was an octagon, which was not easy to get even a little symmetrical! I put a round blue base under the dome with the ND logo. "Patrick-2012" was on the bronze banner in front, complete with a little green clover.

The Fightin' Irish...he did look mean! I wish he wasn't so mean, but I couldn't really have a sweet, happy-faced leprechaun. My favorite parts are the curled coat tails and his shoes!

Okay, actually my favorite part was that my client's son requested that the cake be "fun-fetti" flavor inside! I always work so diligently to use fresh, all-natural ingredients and then I tossed in a handful neon confetti pieces, flecking my perfect white cake with the most unnatural greens, pinks, and yellows! Men!

Patrick, I hope you enjoyed your confetti-compromised cake and had a wonderful graduation party! Congratulations!!

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Happy Nesting!

So...real life has an amazing way of taking over your life, doesn't it? I hate to say it but I have had to actually turn down cakes this spring because I had more important things in real life going on! The most ironic part of life recently is that some of our family members were diagnosed with over a dozen food allergies, including eggs, all dairy, yeast, soy, wheat! Since these are crucial cake and real life ingredients I had to do some major rethinking in the baking and cooking department. We went back to basic survival skills...gathering berries and eating nuts, but I am proud to say that I now have some pretty good allergy-free recipes down!

I was thrilled when I felt settled enough in our new normal to finally accept a cake order! One of my favorite clients ordered a baby shower cake for a friend. I call it "Happy Nesting"...

We went with a blossoming branch topped with a Momma bird and egg snuggled down in their nest. I had made the bird white with pale pink and brown accents but the top needed more weight. I decided to go darker with slightly iridescent hues to bring out a delicate elegance.  The pink pearl-y egg is lightly speckled, perfect for a spring baby girl. A small wooden plaque with a curled piece of paper reads, "Happy Nesting".

A few small feathers peak out from between the nesting material. I love adding these "soft" elements to birds nests, which are especially cozy for a baby shower. And, of course, I had to add some flowers around the nest and the base of the cake.

I love flowers and birds...and branches, too...and I love the way this all came together. It was a relaxing and refreshing way to return to my cake life! Pin It

Year of the Dragon-2012

Happy Chinese New Year! I received an order from a frequent client of mine for a dragon cake. She wanted it small but with these elements: dragon with five claws; red, orange, yellow and gold; clouds; and a fire ball. Here is what I came up with:

I wanted a traditional dragon, like in a New Years parade. This dragon was sitting up in the clouds guarding his fireball.

A close-up of the dragon shows all the details that went into finishing this piece. The layers of colored scales on the dragon back were topped with gold spikes. The head had four feathery layers fanning out form the face. Each little detail was cut and placed with precision, from the teeth and the tongue, to the eyes and the gold ridges on the nose.

I always love working on cakes for clients...new styles and subjects, always and new challenges! This was no exception. Happy Chinese New Year!!

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Paper Doll Birthday Cake

My oldest daughter, Kate, turned 7 and she wanted her theme this year for her party to be paper dolls. I loved it! That was a fantastic idea since the party decorations, favors and crafty things could all be out of paper. But when it came to the cake it was a little trickier. After days of drawing and redrawing the cake we decided on two paper dolls around a party table. Around front of the cake was a scene from a doll house.

Kate and I spent one day making all the little pieces...the lamp, pictures, rug, table and party treats. After the pieces dried we painted each item. Often I would color the gumpaste before making pieces but we wanted the give this a watercolored look, like something that was from a storybook.

We modeled the dolls after Rebbecca (American Girl) and Ana dolls. I rolled very thin gumapste and then cut out the basic shape of the dolls. I let them dry for about five days before I painted them with lemon extract and petal dust.

Kate wanted ice cream bowls with strawberry ice cream and a cherry on top. And of course she had to have a three-tiered cake! We made little silver edged plates and a doily for the cake stand to sit on.

This cake was very pretty and delicate...perfect for Kate's 7th birthday! Pin It

Lucy Cake

I recently was blessed to have another opportunity to work with Icing Smiles. If you have never been introduced to this organization you should check out their site at http://www.icingsmiles.org/. Icing Smiles is a nonprofit organization that provides custom celebration cakes to families impacted by the critical illness of a child. I absolutely love being able to use what I can do to encourage others. This is not a job for me, this is my passion!

Sweet little Lucy turned four last weekend. She and her family, including her big brother, are going through a battle but that is not getting this brave girl down. She has a team behind her, supporting her, and we pray that she only grows stronger and healthier as the years go by!

According to Lucy's family, she is the biggest 3-year-old Beatles fan around. And of course, being that her name is Lucy, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is among her favorite songs. We wanted to put together something spunky and fun for a girl turning four while incorporating a Beatles theme. We went for an interpretation of Lucy's song and ended up with this:

The Lucy doll, with her big angelic eyes, sits on clouds holding an armful of sugar diamonds. Varying sizes of diamonds are scattered around the clouds and sky. Happy 4th Birthday, Lucy!



Please take this opportunity to pray for Lucy and her family, for health and encouragement through these times. Also consider ways in which you could support Icing Smiles as they endeavor to lift up families with critical medical needs.

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Norah and the Muppets!

Oh my, it has been a long time since my last post! These holidays have been so busy with traveling and family but I have somehow managed to squeeze in a few cakes ever so often. Here is a Muppet cake I did for a girl name Norah. But this post is mostly about Norah...

When my client ordered a Muppet cake for her little girl turning two, I was happy to come up with a fun design. Always in the back of my mind when I do cake for really little ones, I wonder if the kiddos are going to enjoy it as much as the parents. After spending hours laboring over these crazy little Muppets-things I was pleased with the result. I was going for the stage and theater signage with Muppets in the balcony. I really wanted pinks and purples instead of the red theater curtains since we are having a two-year-old party!

The time came for my client to pick up the cake for little Norah and my heart just smiled! Norah took one look at the cake and began signing "piggy". She hopped around and ribbeted like Kermit and squealed and pointed at all the other Muppets! I told my client how excited and meaningful it was to know that Norah appreciated this cake.

This is what she said: It's a special "Daddy-Norah thing". Norah and her Daddy have special time when he gets home from work. They snuggle up and watch the Muppets! 

I am so glad that I could contribute something special for sweet little Norah on her second birthday. And I am glad that she liked it! Pin It