Okay, I am biting the bullet and entering a cake decorating challenge!

I have decided to enter a state-wide cake decorating competition and I have only been decorating cakes "professionally" for about seven weeks now!  WOW!  I thought I would share with everyone what I am aspiring to do.  I have decided to go all out!  YEP, I want to recreate the Taj Mahal in cake and fondant!!!!  YIKES!  I found some pictures, one of the real landmark and others that are cake recreations, to share.  This will be a true challenge to push my skills to the limit but I am so ready for it.  Next summer cannot get here fast enough! 


       "The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.  What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value."


                                                                                               ~ Thomas Paine

Thomas and Friends!

 

The Birthday Boy Brett and I!

 

I had the pleasure of meeting a very sweet little boy who was just about to turn three!  He, and this is an understatement, is in LOVE with anything Thomas!!  What would make his birthday absolutely perfect???....a Thomas the Train cake of course!  This cake had to look like a scene out of a Thomas movie, as if we reached into the television and pulled out Thomas and his Friends and placed it on a display board just for sweet, little Brett.  There are so many things to look at on this cake and it just flows from one scene to the next seamlessly.  Starting with the tunnel in the mountain, crossing the bridge over the river, to the rolling hills dotted with trees, climbing to the top of the rocky mountain, seeing Harold flying in the sky pulling the birthday banner behind him, and back again to the beginning.  The look on Brett's face when he saw his birthday cake for the first time melted my heart.  I believe that I captured Thomas and his Friends beautifully since I received such a delightful reaction from a boy who is truly an expert on anything Thomas!!  Happy wonderful third birthday to an amazing little boy!!!

Where Dreams Come True

There are few things on this Earth more magical than Disney and one of those would have to be the imagination of a little child.   I had the honor of creating a magical cake for a little girl inspired by the Disney princess, Belle, from Beauty and the Beast.  The challenge was to create a cake that would be almost as magical as this precious birthday girl.  Here was what I knew.....she LOVED Disney princesses, she had brown hair, and was turning four.  So what better cake to create than one with a princess that would resemble the birthday girl and look like a real doll on the cake made completely out of fondant.  The beautiful ball gown had to appear to be floating on the cake as if the princess was dancing on the most magnificent ballroom floor in the most magical castle.....as if she could come to life if you just believed!  Surrounded by yellow, pink, and purple flowers, and draped in crystals, this princess cake is truly one of my greatest accomplishments!!  I hope that this princess cake made a special little girl's dream come true for one day.  Happy, Happy 4th Birthday sweet little Katie!




          "They say if you dream a thing more than once, it's sure to come true."
                                                                               
                                                                                 ~ Disney

Love Grows a Garden!

What do you get when you combine a love of vegetable gardening, reading and education, and thirty-eight wonderful years together???  Well, a unique creation that includes all four!  I wanted this cake to be well-loved, aged, worn, treasured, and bountiful....all the attributes I think of when I ponder a long marriage.  Every bent page, wrinkle in the leather, scuff on the corner tells a story and holds a memory and the lush vegetables radiate the bounty of life.  The worn leather book and vibrant vegetables capture this beautifully.  The authors could be no other then this extra special couple that the cake was designed for.  The book symbolizes the story that these two have been writing together for the last thirty-eight years that they have been married AND pays tribute to her love of reading and education.  She is a retired learning disabled teacher and he is an avid vegetable gardener who enjoys growing tomatoes, green beans, lettuce, and a host of other yummy treats!  Congratulations to you both for spending thirty-eight wonderful years as a couple and may you enjoy many, many more happy years to come!!




              "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."


                                                                              ~ Sao Keo

A Golden Dragon for a Lady with a Heart of Gold!

This cake is my favorite creation to date!  Where did the inspiration come from??  .....world history, friendship, family, and a myriad of other things.  The lady who received this special cake teaches world history and one of the topics she covers with her students is China.  I chose the dragon because it is such a strong symbol in Chinese culture and this amazing friend is one of the strongest ladies I know.   The color red is considered a lucky color and who doesn't need a little extra "luck" in their life!!  :)  The four Chinese characters that were included represent things that are important to her; health, happiness, love, and peace.  I wanted the top of the cake to resemble an elegant table setting with a bit of Americana, the fortune cookie!.....what would an American-Chinese dinner be without one?!  There was a special treat hidden in the decorations on this cake that I thought was so touching......a list of fifty things that we all love about this birthday girl in celebration of the fifty years she has touched others with her kindness, compassion, and love!  What a heartfelt addition to make this cake absolutely perfect!!  Everything on and in this cake was hand made and hand painted with love and appreciation for this dear, dear friend!  Happy birthday to someone who is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside!!

A Tribute in White

A dear friend just suffered the loss of her beloved father from a heart attack.  What pulls at my heart the most is that three beautiful babies will grow up not knowing the joy and love that a special grandpa can bring.  I know what they will miss out on since I had that special grandpa.  My grandpa passed away much too early from lung cancer but he lives forever in my heart and in my treasured memories.  Why the tribute in white?  This amazing dad, grandpa, friend, son.....always dreamed of hosting a party in all white.  To celebrate the life he lived and the person he was the funeral and reception will be in white.  For this beautiful and loving family, I wanted to make a special cake in white that represented his love of gardening and the three most beautiful grand babies, the delicate butterflies, that he is now watching over from above.  The cake is full of flowers from roses, dahlia's, wisteria, a large center magnolia, and smaller daisies.  I wanted this cake to resemble a magical garden, tended to by a very special angel, and visited by the most magnificent of God's creations. 


       "In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing."



                                                                                                             ~Robert Ingersoll

Fit for a Princess!....or maybe Three!!

This cake was inspired by my childhood fantasies of being a princess.  When I was thinking about how to decorate this cake, I thought about what I would have wanted as a little girl.  The soft pinks and greens look SO beautiful together.....and what is a princess without pink roses and LOTS of pearls!?  I also LOVE the Tudor's period in history and wanted to incorporate some medieval aspects in the design.  I think it turned out absolutely delightful and so I had to share this creation with three little girls next door.  Their reaction.....overjoyed with excitement!  It was wonderful to make some little ladies feel like they are princesses for a day!  Enjoy the pictures!