catch-up cakes...

whew - i needed that break...did u miss me? ;0)

here are some cakes that i've done while i was gone...there's still one really important cake missing...more to come on that tomorrow!

first, was a wedding cake that traveled 2 hours away...i drove to Petersburg WVa to set it up - what a beautiful drive too!

it was 5 tiers of alternating carrot cake & wedding white cake...all filled & iced in my cream cheese buttercream...i added a diamond shaped embossing on the sides of the tiers, & accented them with edible fondant pearls...the ribbon border & fresh flowers were not edible


then came a special birthday cake for 3 year old Kadin...i've been making cakes for Kadin & his parents since before he was born (his mama's baby shower cake, their wedding cake, etc)...he LOVES trains - especially Thomas! so this year, he got a Thomas cake for his train party

it was 3 tiers of fudge chip cake, filled with chocolate fudge ganache & iced in buttercream...i made Thomas from rice krispie treats & fondant...all the other decorations are fondant too...100% edible!

& Kadin loved his cake too! here's a note i got from his mom, Heather...
"I don't know if I have ever seen Kadin as happy as he was today when he saw his cake!!! Thank you so much it was amazing!"

i also made some cupcakes for a special birthday girl this past weekend...my customer's mother was turning 60 & she wanted to get her cupcakes that showed her 3 main loves...wine, reading & the beach :0)

i made white & fudge chip cupcakes, all iced in buttercream...then i topped them with fondant wine bottles, books & seashells (with a little brown sugar sand)


& lastly, this yummy cake that went to my inlaws yesterday...Curt's mom & aunt are 2 of my biggest fans...so i always have to show up with cake when we visit ;0) it was 2 layers of wedding white cake - filled with a layer of chocolate fudge ganache, then a layer of red raspberry buttercream...all iced in my original buttercream & topped with chocolate jimmies...YUM! if i do say so myself ;0)

thx for looking!

blogging break...

well guys, i think i need to unplug for a bit...i'm running out of things to talk about here lately, & i just can't seem to find the time to take pics, or write posts...plus, i have a pretty epic cake week coming up...i will be posting a special announcement about that, so stay tuned

but, i'm going to go ahead & take a blogging break for the next week or so...hopefully, i'll be able to recharge, & come back with some fun stuff to share!

until then...here's a little something i'm dancing to today - hope it makes u smile...

wordless Wednesday...mama said knock you out!

(something Gabby worked on in the car the other day...click to enlarge)

swingset fun...

i looked out the window this past weekend, & spotted the girls doing some kind of routine on the swingset...so i grabbed my camera to go check it out...they're too cute!

weekend cakes...

this weekend, i had 2 groom's cakes...& 2 wedding cakes!

1st up was this racecar...from what i understand, #11 is Denny Hamlin...i don't know anything about Nascar, but the mother of the groom was thrilled with the cake that i made for her son! ;0) it was fudge chip, iced in buttercream, then covered in dark chocolate fondant (tastes like Tootsie Rolls)...i hand painted the car with food coloring gels

the 2nd groom's cake was for an avid hunter...his cake was red velvet, iced in cream cheese buttercream...i made everything on top out of fondant/gumpaste...the tree is a sugar cone, with icing leaves

both of the weddings i had were Fall themed...the 1st was decorated in realistic fall decor - pumpkins, gourds, indian corn, acorns, pine cones & of course, leaves...everything is 100% edible!

the cake was alternating tiers of white chocolate almond cake, filled with raspberry buttercream...and german chocolate cake, with the traditional coconut & pecan filling...all iced in buttercream...i made all the decor from fondant/gumpaste & hand painted it with food coloring gels...the bride also made sure to include a little surprise for her groom...a fondant figure of their beloved boxer, Shatzi ;0)

the 2nd Fall themed wedding cake was a little more modern...the bride had found a similar design online & asked that i create something comparable...

this cake was all fudge cake, filled with chocolate ganache & iced in buttercream...i then covered each tier in ivory fondant...the tree branch is dark chocolate fondant & i made the leaves & border ribbon from fondant/gumpaste

here's a comment i received from the bride:

"Thank you sooooo incredibly much for our cake. I feel like we can't thank you enough. That cake was beautiful and delicious! My Husband says "Best cake I've ever eaten!" :) Thank you again!!!! Sooooo many comments on how beautiful our wedding cake was and we definitely agree!!! LOVE IT! :)"


thx for looking!

{this moment} best buds

{this moment}

"Photos - no words - capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

inspired by SouleMama - a Friday ritual

dancin' in the rain...

did u see this last night?

anything that Jimmy & Justin do together is awesome! (have u seen The Barry Gibb Talk Show? hilarious!)...but then add The Roots too?! got me dancin' in my seat!

it's pouring buckets here!

we've been getting some MUCH needed rain these past few days...then last night, the heavens opened & it's been pouring non-stop...there's now a flash flood warning for this area, & i know some of my friends back in the boonies are saying roads are already getting pretty bad...i hope everyone stays safe! we desperately need this rain (haven't had any in like 4 months!)...just not quite so fast!

wordless Wednesday...adding color...

accountability - down 8lbs...

ok, it's been almost 2 months since my original post...& it's not much for that amount of time (IMO) - but 8 lbs is something...& for real - i'm still struggling with eating right & finding time for me...so this is pretty good progress! in fact, it's gotten harder - with the kiddos starting school, the girls starting to cheer, fall wedding season kicking in...i was honestly surprised to lose anything at all...i hadn't even been weighing myself, just hoping to see results in the way my clothes fit...but then i had like 3 doc appts in one week & i couldn't help but find out my weight

i'm working on doing better - i need to make some more big steps towards creating a healthy lifestyle overall...but i'm happy to be on the right track
:0)

weekend cakes...

only 2 cakes this weekend because i had Sunday plans...so on Saturday, i delivered 2 cakes then was done for the rest of the weekend!

1st, was Tyreeq's 12th birthday cake...he loves Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets, so i created his jersey for Tyreeq's cake...it was almond cake, iced in buttercream & accented with fondant details

then, i had a wedding cake to deliver...Charo & her fiance picked out a beautiful design...

it was butter yellow cake, filled & iced with buttercream, then each tier was covered in fondant...

i made the swags, the blue ribbon roses & the pearl border from fondant as well...

i think it turned out great...& i heard from the wedding photographer that...
"The wedding cake was a HUGE hit! AND it was absolutely delicious! And I'm pretty much the wedding cake critic, since I eat a piece every weekend! GREAT job!!"

thx for looking!

i couldn't resist...

Jaden's werewolf costume arrived Thursday...& well, since there was still a full moon out...

i couldn't resist!

{this moment} 1st game...at MY old high school!

9/21/10

{this moment}

"Photos - no words - capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

inspired by SouleMama - a Friday ritual