A Little Apology

Well I have to apologize for an earlier promise, made on a previous blog post, that I will unfortunately not be able to keep.  I desperately wanted to share pictures of the wedding cake I just completed for "The Wedding Cake of the Year" competition and according to competition rules, I am unable to do so.  I will just give you a little sneak peek of me working away on making flowers and pearls for this elaborate creation. 

studying the cake, getting ready to make fondant pearls

hand cutting all 1000 pearls....time consuming but the effect is stunning!

forming each tiny accent flower for the cake

A flower is taking shape

It turned out stunning.....literally blew the vision in my mind out of the water!  (sorry....not trying to toot my own horn....just shocked that it actually came together as easily as it did without any major catastrophe's!)  The competition will be judged in mid-May 2011 and as soon as the winners are announced I will be able to share the pictures with everyone!  

With Much Appreciation!

Today we are celebrating Thanksgiving and I wanted to express how truly thankful and very grateful I am for all of you who have supported me with your well wishes and encouragement.  It truly means the world to me.

I absolutely love what I do, and it's a blessing to be able to share it with you. A very heartfelt thanks for the time you take to visit this site and read my blog posts. It would not be a success without you!

Inspiration

There can be inspiration everywhere and in everything.  I needed inspiration for an upcoming wedding cake competition and in the following pictures is where I found it.  I fell in love with the simple elegance of these beautiful images and the colors!! ....oh my!, got the creative sparks flying inside my mind!!  Enjoy!

          The following pictures are "borrowed" from google images and are not my creations.

I LOVE tulips in the Spring, especially the bright orange tulips against a very lively Spring green backdrop.  The color scheme and feel for the wedding cake design floating around in my mind includes this color scheme with bright orange tulips in full bloom made from sugar with handpainted details.  My dream for this cake is that is has a fresh, bright, Spring feel....one that could be the centerpiece to a beautiful botanical garden wedding set in May.  Pictures of the finished wedding cake will be coming soon!  Stay tuned!!


         "The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."

What a Ride!

WOW!  What an AMAZING ride it has been!  A very short three-and-a-half months ago I ventured into the unknown to start my very own cake decorating business.  It was with a LOT of support from family, friends, and a dash of fear, that I began selling my cake creations.  In that short three-and-a-half months I have received rave reviews from clients and fans alike.  The responses I have received have been both uplifting and reassuring that there are people in this world who appreciate you and your hard work.  


Although I have loved the compliments from so many local clients and fans, it wasn't until I received an email this morning that one of my cake creations had been selected to appear on the cover of Cake Centrals (global) Newsletter, that I nearly jumped out of my skin! Cake Central is a company that publishes a worldwide cake decorating magazine for those who appreciate these magnificent works of sugar art!  If I had the words to describe the feeling that swept over me this morning, it would be elated to the 100th power times ten!!  

The following BEAUTIFUL CAKE pictures are from Cake Centrals world renowned magazine and courtesy of cakecentral.com



Five days ago I happened to get up the nerve to submit several of my cake photos to this website (Cake Centrals website is one that promotes other cake designer's to critique your work).  Imagine how nervous I was considering I am so new to this industry!  One of the cakes I submitted was my Fall Themed Birthday Cake.  Having my cake photo moved to the "most saved" category the very day I submitted it was a complete surprise!.....but NOTHING compared to actually seeing it on the front of the magazines newsletter!!!


The cover of the Newsletter and my cake in the bottom right hand corner!
Newsletter courtesy of Cake Central

Larger view of my Fall Cake selected by Cake Central

It is now that I know without a doubt that I am doing what I was always meant to do.....to bring smiles and joy to others through food and art combined with love and affection.  This is the beginning of something special and I cannot wait to see where this road takes me! 

"So often,

we believe that we have come to a place

that is void of hope and void of possibilities,

only to find that it is the very hopelessness

that allows us to hit bottom,

give up our illusion of control,

turn it over, and ask for help.

Out of the ashes of our hopelessness

comes the fire of our hope."

~Anne Wilson Shaef

This quote is dedicated to all of those who believed in me and were there to lift me up when so many tried to tear me down.  I love you all and will never forget the strength you gave to me to follow my dreams and to believe in myself!  You are the Angels sent to me to give me wings so I can fly.

       With All My LOVE,

            



Welcome to Rio de Janeiro!

Inspired by the elaborate costumes worn during the Rio Carnival, I created a cake that is over-the-top with big,  beautiful feathers similar to the huge headdresses of Rio, bright colors, and bejeweled to the nines!  The little girl receiving this cake, as I understand, is just as over-the-top as this cake is.  The crown is made entirely of fondant with fondant emeralds, Ceylon sapphires, rubies, and pearls.  To match the elaborate crown is a beautiful monogram "A" for the birthday girl, Aubrey.  The purple harlequin pattern, additional jewels, and detailed piping adds the perfect opulent touch.  To finish it off, a large, shockingly pink bow was added off center.  Now this cake is ready for the party-of-the-year!  Have a Wonderfully Bright and Over-the-Top 7th Birthday Aubrey!!

Inspired by Cinderella, Created for a Little Princess!

Is there any little girl who has never dreamed of being Cinderella?  In fact it was the very first book I read all the way through when I was a little girl!  This special cake was designed for a sweet little girl who is very much a little princess.  What better way to celebrate her fourth birthday then with a Cinderella inspired cake?  The design started with Cinderella's beautiful ball gown, made entirely of fondant and painted in metalic blues and white.  I love to take the traditional and give it my own spin, and that is what I did with her hair.....a mixture of Cinderella's traditional up-do with a bit of a twist!  As I was dreaming up this cake, I began to envision Cinderella as the stunning center piece on a beautiful flower.  Each of the six cakes were set next to the other until the flower base was complete.  With Claire's favorite colors being pink and purple, the cakes had to be PURPLE!!  The pink roses nestled in between the cakes were made to look as if they were hand made from ribbon.....that could have been sewn onto Cinderella's first ball gown made lovingly by her little animal friends.   It is always a delight to see the expression on the children's faces when they see their cake for the first time and this was no exception!  Little Claire was the sweetest princess, decked out in her own princess ball gown for her party!  Happy 4th Birthday Princess Claire!



                               "Like star dust glistening on fairies' wings,
                                Little girls dreams are of magical things."


                                                                       ~ Sherry Larson


 

Relay for Life Cancer Event!

The "Crew"

From Left to Right (Austen, Cydney, Debbie (mom), Me, Doug (dad), and Staci)

The "Tree of Life"

(rock base = cake, tree = chocolate!)

Close-up of the hand painted rocks, moss, and mushrooms.

Serving the cake to the Relay for Life participants!!

A slice of cake.....french vanilla, double chocolate, with cookies and cream filling, YUM!

The leaves......representing those fighting cancer, cancer free, or in memory of.

 No words needed.

The top tier of the cake has now been consumed.....looking like a floating tree!

My mom (an exceptional baker) and I!

Relay members checking out the cake and hanging leaves on the tree to support those with cancer.

The sweetest little frog EVER enjoying a cupcake!

Double chocolate mousse cupcakes with shaved, dark chocolate as a garnish!

White chocolate ganache, raspberry cupcakes!

Apple Streusel cupcakes with pecans.

I had the pleasure of designing a cake for the Halloween Costume Relay for Life event this past weekend.  I thought long and hard about what it means to fight cancer and ultimately survive cancer and came up with the design.  It would be called, "The Tree of Life."  This tree had to be one that overcame all odds of survival and literally "came to life" with the names of individuals who have battled this awful disease.  The huge rocky boulder, void of any life giving qualities was the main body of this cake.  I surrounded it with rocks, mushrooms, and moss and as it turned out, eerily missed anything life giving and beautiful.  Yet out of this God forsaken boulder grew a large, beautiful tree full of life, transforming before our very eyes......a miracle!  As more names of cancer survivors and cancer fighters filled the tree with leaves, this tree literally became a "living" representation of life and hope.   Hope that out of dispair, uncertainty, and challenge comes life, miracles, and peace.  This was a moving experience for me to be a part of and one that I will always remember as a highlight in my cake decorating career!


                     "Once you choose hope, anything's possible."
                                                                      ~ Christopher Reeves