Leopard Chic

Happy Birthday Katie!!

With the extra black frosting, I decorated a cake for Sunday lunch.  I was just playing around and this is what I came up with...

Roses Are Red

Recently, I have been browsing the web in search of inspiration.  While perusing, something caught my eye and intrigued my creative soul.  I saw Sandra Lee making a cupcake bouquet!

How cute!!!  What a great gift idea!!  As soon as I perfect this method, you will see many more cupcake bouquets at holiday get-togethers.  For my preparations, I started with the actual cupcake flower, itself.  Instead of just a swirl, I tried to make an actual icing rose.

I just love this picture!  I need to work on other types of flowers before I can create a bouquet.  My goal will be to have a completed bouquet for Mother's Day.

Oo-La-La

Sunday, a friend of mine hosted a lingerie shower.  She carefully created custom invitations that were bedecked with lingerie cutouts and tied with lace and ribbon.  She also made all sort of goodies to be served on her heirloom glassware and decorated with real flowers picked from her very own garden.  To top it off, she asked me to make a chocolate cake with a raspberry filling.  But, she wanted the cake to go along with the theme of the shower.  This is what we eventually came up with...

Nothing too risqué but still fun. The bride's colors were different shades of purple and i had the great idea to cover the cake board with black satin.  (tee hee hee)  In the end, it was a great success and much fun was had be all.

The baby shower of the century!!!

NEED  I  SAY  MORE?!

Biggest cake I have EVER made!

Happy Birthday Uncle Marine!

The other family some family members dropped by and asked me to make some cupcakes for my uncle's birthday.  He is turning 76, likes chocolate, and spent a lot of time in the Marines.  24 chocolate cupcakes later, I was armed with the Marine red and gold to cut out, dry and pipe these fondant circles.  I piped some detail on each round and let THAT dry.  When they were completely dried, I painted the details with gold shimmer dust mixed with vodka to make a kind of paste.

Don't get too excited!

The vodka evaporates faster than water so as not to make the icing soggy 
and leaves no aftertaste.  

ANYWAY...Painting the gold was difficult b/c you can't simply wipe off any mistakes.  It gets absorbed into the fondant as soon as your paint brush makes contact.  I really did enjoy trying out the new technique and look forward to doing it again.