Happy Birthday Maurice!!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Skateboarding is not a crime
My daughter's friend, Maurice, had his 10th birthday last weekend. I made this skateboard half pipe for him. The logo for Tony Hawk is on the side, and I found a cool silhouette of a skater, which I cut out of gumpaste and put inside the ramp.
Happy Birthday Maurice!!
Happy Birthday Maurice!!
Auntie Lisa's Birthday cake
My sister in law had her birthday last Sunday. She is such a kind soul, who just happens to find stray dogs and take them in. I declared their house "hotel for dogs" a while back.
And, our doggie just loves her. So, I made her a cake that looked like our mini weenie, Bee.
Bee's wearing a hat that says 'I heart Auntie Lisa'. This cake was coconut, Lisa's favorite. I used coconut milk in the cake batter, and added shredded coconut to both the batter and the buttercream. Then I added crushed pineapple to the filling, which really tasted great!! I think I'll have to use this combo again.
Happy Bday Lisa!!! Love you !!
and here's a picture of Bee:
And, our doggie just loves her. So, I made her a cake that looked like our mini weenie, Bee.
Bee's wearing a hat that says 'I heart Auntie Lisa'. This cake was coconut, Lisa's favorite. I used coconut milk in the cake batter, and added shredded coconut to both the batter and the buttercream. Then I added crushed pineapple to the filling, which really tasted great!! I think I'll have to use this combo again.
Happy Bday Lisa!!! Love you !!
and here's a picture of Bee:
Princess Cake
So, a friend of a friend of a friend ordered this princess cake for her daughter's first birthday. She sent me a picture of the dress her daughter would be wearing at the party, and asked that I replicate it in cake. She also wanted a tiara, so I decided to make a separate princess pillow cake for that. And, she was making 4 dozen cupcakes, and wanted tiara toppers too, so I piped out 52 (some extra) royal icing tiaras and hand painted them. Whew!
Maleah's cake
My friend's daughter, Maleah, just turned 5, and for her birthday, her parents turned their backyard into a carnival, with a ton of sand, carnival games, popcorn and cotton candy machine, everything you would find at the boardwalk (except I didn't see churros, my fave)
She asked me to make a cake for the party, so I made this carousel horse cake, with gumpaste horses, and a bumper car cake, with rice krispie and fondant bumper cars.
I also spelled out her name on gumpaste surf boards, and made "sand" out of cake crumblies.
She asked me to make a cake for the party, so I made this carousel horse cake, with gumpaste horses, and a bumper car cake, with rice krispie and fondant bumper cars.
I also spelled out her name on gumpaste surf boards, and made "sand" out of cake crumblies.
Rob's cake
So, my hubby is a nurse in the burn unit, and once or twice a year, he gets a patient who he grows attached to, and really takes a big place in his heart. One of them is Jacob. You can read all about him and his family here : www.journeythroughfire.com
Jake's brother, Rob, just turned 20, and his mom ordered a cake from me. It was really fun to do, because it was a very personalized cake. I made little gumpaste figures of the three brothers, doing what they love to do most, one was reading, one was holding a bike helmet and sitting with his feet on his bike, and Rob was playing his guitar, with his djembe drum nearby. All of them were sitting atop a trampoline.
I'm so happy I got the chance to make this cake for the family. It was so nice to meet all of them. They are so positive, despite all the trauma they've gone through. I swear, they're the strongest family in the universe! Now go check out their blog.
Jake's brother, Rob, just turned 20, and his mom ordered a cake from me. It was really fun to do, because it was a very personalized cake. I made little gumpaste figures of the three brothers, doing what they love to do most, one was reading, one was holding a bike helmet and sitting with his feet on his bike, and Rob was playing his guitar, with his djembe drum nearby. All of them were sitting atop a trampoline.
I'm so happy I got the chance to make this cake for the family. It was so nice to meet all of them. They are so positive, despite all the trauma they've gone through. I swear, they're the strongest family in the universe! Now go check out their blog.
Arrrrrgh!
I made this pirate cake for Camren's 3rd birthday. It was all made out of two sheet cakes that were strategically stacked and carved. I made the sails out of gumpaste and wooden dowels, and some cannons coming out the side, also gumpaste, had sparkler candles in them.
The treasure chest is made of rice krispie treats and fondant, and the little pirate hat is gumpaste. I added some royal icing water and a black feather boa.
The treasure chest is made of rice krispie treats and fondant, and the little pirate hat is gumpaste. I added some royal icing water and a black feather boa.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Grignon gang beer party
Andy made his own hefeweizen, and the official unveiling was at the special Grignon bbq on labor day. It was also a potluck, so I brought some dessert. I had casually asked if they had made a label for their beer, and Mandy sent me a copy of the label they created, which I used to make a "label" for the cake.
They were surprised, even though I think they were sort of expecting me to bring dessert in some form of a cake. They're onto me now, I better send them over a casserole to throw them off so I can keep surprising them in the future. :)
Great food, and great beer too! It was the first one I drank since I was 15. After that it was nothing but fancy drinks for me. Yep, I'm a foofy screwdriver drinker now! ha ha
They were surprised, even though I think they were sort of expecting me to bring dessert in some form of a cake. They're onto me now, I better send them over a casserole to throw them off so I can keep surprising them in the future. :)
Great food, and great beer too! It was the first one I drank since I was 15. After that it was nothing but fancy drinks for me. Yep, I'm a foofy screwdriver drinker now! ha ha
Moo Moo Cake
Rebecca loves her stuffed cow, and for her 6th birthday, her mom ordered a cow cake. I just love this cake! I really hope to make more animal cakes like this, it was a lot of fun!
My assistant (my daughter) cut out the flowers, which I painted and then wrote on the centers to spell out happy birthday Rebecca
The body and head are round cake that I carved into dome shapes, and the snout is rice krispie treats.
My assistant (my daughter) cut out the flowers, which I painted and then wrote on the centers to spell out happy birthday Rebecca
The body and head are round cake that I carved into dome shapes, and the snout is rice krispie treats.
Happy Birthday Mikey !!!
So, one of Ron's friends, Mikey, was having a birthday party, and I had asked Ron for a few days if he wanted me to make a cake. He knew I had other cakes to make, and with school starting I was doing all I could to keep from pulling my hair out from stress, so he didn't really say yes right away, until Saturday morning, the day of the party, I convinced him that I could whip something up for the party if he wanted. So of course he said "ok".
I must say, making a cake in one day is a tremendous challenge.
But, here it is. I made a record case (Mikey is a dj / owner of Oaklyn Records), which, again I modeled after one that Ron had. This was also my first attempt to paint (and spell) camouflage.
The two bridge cutout is made of gumpaste, which is the company logo, and it is leaning against the platinum records. The lid of the case is made of rice krispie treats, and the hinges and handle are all made out of gumpaste.
Happy Birthday Mikey!!!
I must say, making a cake in one day is a tremendous challenge.
But, here it is. I made a record case (Mikey is a dj / owner of Oaklyn Records), which, again I modeled after one that Ron had. This was also my first attempt to paint (and spell) camouflage.
The two bridge cutout is made of gumpaste, which is the company logo, and it is leaning against the platinum records. The lid of the case is made of rice krispie treats, and the hinges and handle are all made out of gumpaste.
Happy Birthday Mikey!!!
Lightning McQueen Cake for Om !!
Another ebay employee ordered a cake for his son, Om, who turned 3 and loves Lightning McQueen. So, I made them this cake.
The squares are all hand cut fondant, and the car is made of rice krispies and covered with fondant. Om was very excited when I showed up to deliver the cake, he was so cute and very happy to be 3!
The squares are all hand cut fondant, and the car is made of rice krispies and covered with fondant. Om was very excited when I showed up to deliver the cake, he was so cute and very happy to be 3!
Yee-Haw !
So, Adrian (baptism cake in June) and his brother, Aidan, had a birthday party with a cowboy theme. I made them this little star shaped cake with a red fondant bandanna that I piped with royal icing, and two little cowboy hats on top with their names and ages on stars.
Then I made 4 dozen cupcakes with fondant toppers, little cowboy hats, sheriff stars, horseshoes, and cacti. Whew! They turned out really cute. I love making little cupcakes!
Then I made 4 dozen cupcakes with fondant toppers, little cowboy hats, sheriff stars, horseshoes, and cacti. Whew! They turned out really cute. I love making little cupcakes!
Congratulations Dr. Danni !!!
One of our friends from ages ago, like back in the day when we were in high school, cutting class, partying way too hard for being 15, and going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show in down town San Jose, just graduated and earned her M.D. in naturopathic medicine. So, her parents threw her a grad party, and her mom contacted me about a cake.
Now, I don't usually have the pleasure of attending the party that I make a cake for, but this time I dropped off the cake, went home and made another cake, and then returned to the party at night for a drink and some catch up with Danni. It has been 15 years since the last time we hung out, after all.
The coolest thing was that I could hear people telling the guests as they showed up "go look at the cake" and they would come to the table and go, where's the cake? All I see are some plants and a doctors bag. :)
It was fun, everyone loved the cake, and even though they didn't eat it while I was there, I heard that it was finally cut up and devoured later in the wee hours of the night (I was there until 10, but I had the kids, so I had to leave-they were getting all glazed over and delirious)
Congrats Danni!!! Great to see you again, old friend !!
Now, I don't usually have the pleasure of attending the party that I make a cake for, but this time I dropped off the cake, went home and made another cake, and then returned to the party at night for a drink and some catch up with Danni. It has been 15 years since the last time we hung out, after all.
The coolest thing was that I could hear people telling the guests as they showed up "go look at the cake" and they would come to the table and go, where's the cake? All I see are some plants and a doctors bag. :)
It was fun, everyone loved the cake, and even though they didn't eat it while I was there, I heard that it was finally cut up and devoured later in the wee hours of the night (I was there until 10, but I had the kids, so I had to leave-they were getting all glazed over and delirious)
Congrats Danni!!! Great to see you again, old friend !!
Happy Birthday Ray !!
Ray is a pilot, whose daughter goes to the same school as our kids. He's also a 49ers fan, so it only made sense to make him a 49ers airplane cake for his 40th birthday, right??
His wife said he was surprised and really enjoyed it, which is the best compliment I can possibly receive, and I have some more orders coming in the future from them too :)
Happy Birthday Ray !!
His wife said he was surprised and really enjoyed it, which is the best compliment I can possibly receive, and I have some more orders coming in the future from them too :)
Happy Birthday Ray !!
Happy 10th Tahnee!!
My wonderful niece turned 10, which made me feel so old. I don't know why, my daughter is the same exact age, but when my niece gets older I feel older. Hm.
Anyway, this year she wanted a Paris themed cake. She's the one who ordered the monkey cake a long time ago, which caught me off guard. So Paris, not too unusual.
She has always loved shoes, so I knew that a shoe box would be perfect for her. We were having a small family get together, so I couldn't go too crazy with size, anyway. But I also wanted to make her a cute handbag.
I made the shoe out of gumpaste, and on the box, I attemted to paint leopard spots for the first time. It's way harder than it looks!
Anyway she loved the cake, and I was really happy. Anything for my favorite niece!!
Love you T!! ~ XOXO
Anyway, this year she wanted a Paris themed cake. She's the one who ordered the monkey cake a long time ago, which caught me off guard. So Paris, not too unusual.
She has always loved shoes, so I knew that a shoe box would be perfect for her. We were having a small family get together, so I couldn't go too crazy with size, anyway. But I also wanted to make her a cute handbag.
I made the shoe out of gumpaste, and on the box, I attemted to paint leopard spots for the first time. It's way harder than it looks!
Anyway she loved the cake, and I was really happy. Anything for my favorite niece!!
Love you T!! ~ XOXO
Harry Whoo's 50th
One of my husband's friends, Harry Whoo, turned 50. He's a very popular guy, a dj and an awesome photographer. A bunch of friends threw him a party in honor of his b-day at a park, with a hawaiian theme, who-aii 50, instead of hawaii 50, I thought it was really clever~
And although neither one of us could make it, I sent this cake with a friend to help celebrate.
This was the first "moving" cake I ever made, it took quite a bit of pre-planning, which is usually not my cup of tea. But, after a trip to Target and some brainstorming, I glued the cake board to the bottom of one of those spice turny thingees that i dismantled, and figured out how to create it.
This cake was huge, with enough for at least 150 to 200 people. It was two sheet cakes side by side, with a 14 inch round cake in the center. I cut out a hole in the center of the sheet cake rectangle first, then iced and covered it with fondant. Then I created the circular cake separately, and beveled the edge, iced and fondanted it. Then I drank a cup of coffee and stared at the two cakes for a while as I figured out how to macguyver the round one into the hole, finally settling on using loops of tooth floss to lower it down slowly. Hey, I never claimed to be a "good" structural planner. Besides, it worked!
The record, tone arm, and other buttons are all made out of gumpaste. Lucky for me, my husband is a dj, so I had a real turntable to use as a model. My hubby even signed the record too.
I heard that the cake was devoured, and that Harry enjoyed it :)
And although neither one of us could make it, I sent this cake with a friend to help celebrate.
This was the first "moving" cake I ever made, it took quite a bit of pre-planning, which is usually not my cup of tea. But, after a trip to Target and some brainstorming, I glued the cake board to the bottom of one of those spice turny thingees that i dismantled, and figured out how to create it.
This cake was huge, with enough for at least 150 to 200 people. It was two sheet cakes side by side, with a 14 inch round cake in the center. I cut out a hole in the center of the sheet cake rectangle first, then iced and covered it with fondant. Then I created the circular cake separately, and beveled the edge, iced and fondanted it. Then I drank a cup of coffee and stared at the two cakes for a while as I figured out how to macguyver the round one into the hole, finally settling on using loops of tooth floss to lower it down slowly. Hey, I never claimed to be a "good" structural planner. Besides, it worked!
The record, tone arm, and other buttons are all made out of gumpaste. Lucky for me, my husband is a dj, so I had a real turntable to use as a model. My hubby even signed the record too.
I heard that the cake was devoured, and that Harry enjoyed it :)
Andy's Cake
The last remaining member of the Foster cake family had his birthday, and Mandy, his wife, ordered a surprise cake. He's building a wine cellar in his office, so we thought it would be appropriate to make him a wine cake.
He loves German chocolate cake, so I had the honor of making that yucky filling with the coconut and pecans. It actually wasn't that bad. But the wine bottle is chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling for the non-yucky filling lovers.
Happy Birthday Andy!! Hope it was a surprise!
He loves German chocolate cake, so I had the honor of making that yucky filling with the coconut and pecans. It actually wasn't that bad. But the wine bottle is chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling for the non-yucky filling lovers.
Happy Birthday Andy!! Hope it was a surprise!
