Golden Anniversary

Happy Anniversary!

This cake design came from Studio Cake Design. You will find truly amazing cake designs there. Make sure you check them out!

Another Sweet Celebration!

This was a fun cake for a 13th birthday celebration! To add to the fun was the
teen friendly cake flavor...
chocolate cake with peanut butter filling and peanut butter cups!

It was a huge hit!

Checking off my Christmas List!

Well, its happened...I already feel like I am running behind for Christmas and it is only December 4th! If you are wondering what could have caused such dismal feelings, I'll warn you that it is something quite simple actually. Christmas cards! I received the first one in the mail on December 1st! Every year I say that I am going to send cards out early...no wait, to arrive before Christmas...oh, who am I kidding, to arrive on Christmas Eve...oh alright, to arrive before the New Year.

But this year I will not be overwhelmed by my to-do-list. I really want to enjoy the season and reflect on what is important about Christmas. So to help me with this endeavor, I am going to use photo cards from Shuttefly! I have been spurred into action by receiving that December 1st Christmas card and by Shutterfly, who currently has a fantastic promotion for bloggers who share about their Christmas cards.

I have already picked out my card (I think!) and was amazed at the selection they had to offer!

No matter what your taste, from trendy to traditional, they have something for everyone. I also love the idea of sitting in my cozy home, ordering a fabulous Christmas card and having them shipped right to my door! This gives me time to focus on something else from my list. Oh, they also offer another time saving service...they will address, stamp and mail your cards for you (for an additional fee)! In addition to photo cards, they also offer a myriad of other photo gifts from mugs to photo books to calendars. I love these options for grandparent gifts!

So head over to Shutterfly, take care of your Christmas cards, maybe a gift or two and then remember to simply celebrate the sweet things this Christmas!

For Little Boys of Every Age: Lego Cakes!

What little boy, or big boy for that matter, doesn't love Lego's? This is such a great party theme for the birthday boy and all of his guest! The decor ideas are endless for a party with a Lego theme. So, while you mull over the idea of a Lego party for your little man, here are a few cakes to look at!

Funky Fourteen!!

I received a call from a mom who wanted a fun, different cake for her daughter's 14th birthday. The only request she had was that it be lavender with leopard print and that it have 2 layers.

I really debated on what application to use for the leopard print...paint it on or apply it with fondant. I choose to make the print from fondant. Looking back, I think that I should have painted it on. However, I still like the outcome.

I was so pleased with how the numbers looked and I was thrilled with the bow. I thought it had just the right amount of sophistication for a 14 yr old girl!

How Beautiful!

I just had to share this stunning dessert table!




Isn't this incredible? You can read all of the details at Amy Atlas' blog.

Sigh...this is what I want to do when I grow up!

A Designer Birthday

This cake and 2 dozen cupcakes were inspired by the designer Betsey Johnson. It was for a 21st birthday.

Lexi's Cake!

This was such a fun cake! The theme for this party was...can you guess? Of course, scooters! The birthday girl wanted all of her friends to bring their wheels and ride together for the day! So much fun for a group of energetic 6year olds!

Coming Up Roses!

Love this sweet cake! A friend called with this specific cake in mind (not sure where she found it so I, unfortunately can't give credit to anyone for the design). This was for a birthday where the birthday girl would be given a pink rose from each lady attending the party! What a wonderful show of appreciation!

Flavor, you ask? One of my favorites...lemon with lemon curd and white chocolate lemon buttercream!

Fondant Quilling

I wanted to try something different for this cake and the only stipulation was that it have bright colors on it! I decided I would like to make fondant decoration based on the paper art of quilling. I found a picture of an amazing wedding cake that was covered with quilled fondant pieces. It was so beautiful that I decided to try a similar design. I thought that the result was very fun!

I love how bright and cheery it turned out!

The process of making each piece was a little time consuming but I think that in the end it was worth the effort. I can't wait to try this technique again!

A Cowgirls Birthday!

I knew that this cake was a success when my son told me the hat looked too "girly"! The birthday girl's mom loved the horseshoe next to the hat!

Happy Birthday, Cowgirl!

Graduation Celebration!

I love this graduation cake! Not your typical cake for a grad. This one is very pretty and fun!

Baby Shower Goodies!

I love parties! Another reason to try new recipes and decor ideas!

The theme for this shower was simple...PINK! I thought that everything turned out so sweet!

I absolutely love the pom poms. It is such a great way to dress up a room. You can find a simple tutorial here from Martha Stewart. You can also buy them pre-made or kits to make them. The tale coverings consisted of a white table cloth, pink fabric remnants, and ribbon left over from another project! Pretty easy on the budget!

french macaroons

I was really excited for an excuse to try out this recipe for french macaroons. Another great place for macaroon recipes is My Tarlette. (She has a lot of other amazing recipes as well!) These sweet little treats were surprisingly easy to make and oh, so tasty with the chocolate ganache filling!

cake pops

I am sure that everyone has heard of the amazing cake pops that Bakerella makes, well I thought that I would try a few for myself! I made strawberry cream cheese cake pops dipped in white chocolate and topped with pink sprinkles. I displayed mine more in the style of Sweet & Saucy.

(Oh, and in case I have never mentioned it...I love, love everything that Sweet & Saucy does! They are so creative and have such an amazing style about them! Definately, check them out!)

meringues

Another fun treat to make were these cute little meringues! This recipe came from The Tom-Kat Studio. These little sweets are so darling and added touch of whimsy to the table. Did I mention how easy they are to make?

In addition to all of these goodies, I made frosted sugar cookies, a little cake, white chocolate dipped pretzel rods, and some raspberry tarts.

I can't wait for the next celebration!

Happy Sweet "Sixty"!

Another fun birthday cake! I think that this one is full of whimsy and yet
elegant enough for a 60th birthday!

This was inspired by a cake from Rebecca Sutterby at Sugar Creations

Pretty Little Cake

I absolutely love this little cake! It is so sweet and feminine... perfect for a
sweet little baby shower!

Wedding!

I was so honored when my husbands cousin asked me to make her wedding cake! It was simple but elegant...perfect for her wedding!

Congratulations and best wishes for many happy years!

For the Little Trash Man!

This was such a fun cake to make!

The birthday boys parents own a waste disposal company so his first birthday was "trash" themed. I love how this cake turned out and it fit the party perfectly!

Sweet Sixteen!

Sweet describes this cake and the birthday girl as well. She was such a sweet girl and she knew just what she wanted her cake to look like!

This sweet birthday girl knew without hesitation what flavor she wanted as well! Red velvet with the always yummy cream cheese frosting!

Sweet Start to the Day!

Now, I had read about these cinnamon rolls awhile ago and decided that it was time to try them! Previous attempts at making homemade cinnamon rolls hadn't gone so well and the kids liked the canned variety just fine. However, now that we have had the Pioneer Woman's rolls, there is no going back!

Make it a priority to try these this weekend! You will thank me later for this assignment! They turned out better than I expected...pretty much perfect! They looked beautiful and tasted so amazing! One warning though...the recipe makes way more than anyone should eat (trust me on that one!!). So, not only do you get to enjoy a wonderful treat you get you treat your neighbors, friends, family, teachers...anyone you love!

Oh, by the way, Pioneer Woman is hosting a giveaway today!

Hope you have a sweet weekend!

"Coffee Cake!"

My husband is addicted to a local coffee shop...seriously, addicted! So, for his birthday I thought what could be better than a cake that looks like his favorite cuppa'! He really like it and loved the fact that it came with a gift card. The kids were excited as well. They love the smoothies, hot chocolate, and hot tea at Joe Beans! They also like the fact that we were able to keep the cake at our house. They usually go to someone else!

The cake flavor was vanilla with fluffy chocolate frosting!

Bowling Birthday

I love how this cake turned out! My customer wanted a red and black bowling themed cake for her daughter's birthday. I really wanted it look girly as well...I think that I got it!! I love how sweet it is but still has the bowling elements. Can't wait to see their reaction!

Sweet Celebrations!

These are two fun birthday cakes for two of the sweet girls in my life!

How fabulous would these be when you celebrate the sweet girl in your life?

Perfect for any age or celebration!

Little Cupcake Baby Shower

I co-hosted a baby shower for my closest friend over the weekend. She is expecting her first girl after having three boys so of course there was pink everywhere! I did a desert table with the theme of "my little cupcake"! I made a large cupcake with the Wilton cupcake pan, mini cupcakes with cupcake toppers, pink m&m's, white chocolate dipped pretzels and cookies.

We had such a nice time! It was so much fun pulling the cupcake theme together! I can't wait to help with another shower!

For the Grad!

Hard to believe that the school year is coming to an end already! Graduations will be here before you know it! This is a cake I did for a kindergarten graduation. The children were putting on a patriotic play as well which is why it has a patriotic theme. I love how this turned out! The customer was pleased as well!

The flavor was the yummy lemon cake with lemon curd and white chocolate lemon cream cheese filling!! Perfect for spring celebrations!

Play Ball!

I thought that this cake was appropriate for the season...baseball season that is! My siblings and I grew up on Atlanta Braves baseball. My grandparents always took us to the ballpark. We even went to spring training in Florida one year! We had such a fun time and made wonderful memories.

My brother and I don't live near each other now so when I found out we would be spending his birthday together I knew that this was the perfect cake!

I had a lot of fun making this. The bill of the hat was a little challenging though. I definitely need to research how others make hats before I try again.

Flavor, you ask? Vanilla pound cake with vanilla buttercream and marshmallow fondant! My brothers favorite...he doesn't eat chocolate! Hard to believe, I know!

Blast Off!

This is another fun cake! This customer planned a space themed party for her son's birthday and she went all out! She had moon rock candy, space shuttle cups, and space food! She wanted a space shuttle cake for the party but didn't want it to look to "cartoonish" since this was her

son's 13th birthday.

I love how this cake turned out and I love how it looks with the space fabric underneath it. I definitly plan on using fabric on cake boards again!

Rock Climbing!

This fun cake was for a customer who was having her son's birthday party at the local rock climbing gym. The invitation was too cute and this cake was absolutely perfect!

Since they didn't need a very large cake, I built the bottom up with rice krispie treats. The cake was chocolate with vanilla buttercream and marshmallow fondant. I had a lot of fun making the little boy. I would really like to improve on my "people skills"! :) But I thought he turned out pretty cute!

Great Giveaway!

Half Baked - The Cake Blog is hosting a most amazing giveaway!

Make sure that you head over to find out how you can win a $50 gift card from PlatesandNapkins.com. They are so much more than just plates and napkins! They have some really cute cupcake kits that would be just the right touch for any party!

Visit Half Baked today to find out you can enter this fun giveaway!

Precious!

I have always loved silhouettes of children and so I decided to try making one myself. It really wasn't that hard to do!

First, I took a profile picture of the child. Then I copied it on a copier to the size I wanted. I then cut out the copy and traced it onto black paper. Next, you cut out the traced image. The black paper was attached to white card stock and then I framed it in a black frame. The hardest part was finding the perfect black frame!

I love the way it turned out and can't wait to give it to my friend! I know she is going to love it! This is such a sweet way to capture a moment in your child's life!

Sweet Music!

This cake was made for my father-in-law's 70th birthday! He is a piano player so I thought that this was perfect for him. I originally saw this online with roses on top but I opted for strawberries. The strawberries were so yummy!

The cake itself was chocolate with pecans and chocolate chips. It was filled with chocolate cream cheese filling and frosted with a vanilla buttercream. The piano keys were made from fondant.

One problem arose though...the juice from the strawberries started to run down the side of the cake!!! Anyone know the solution for that??

Fun and Inexpensive Table Decor

This is one of those times when I had more time than money. Although my time was limited as well! But it does prove that you don't have to spend a fortune to have a lovely table. Truthfully, I lean toward "spend a fortune"...my husband always tells me I have expensive taste! I tell him it is not expensive just tasteful! Anyway, I'm getting away from the topic.

So, I was asked to plan a Valentines Dinner for our church. Since I had to cover food, gifts, and childcare costs my funds for decor were limited!

I decided to make tissue paper flowers for the tables instead of buying fresh. I used red tissue paper (and discovered that the quality of your paper does make a difference, so don't use the dollar store kind!). I cut the paper in squares that measured approximately 6x5. Change the size depending on how big or small you want the flower to be. Layer 4-5 pieces of the tissue paper and cut the longest side in a scallop. Then, fold accordion style and wrap a chenille stem around the middle. After that just unfold the tissue paper and fluff until you achieve the desired effect!

For the table runners I used brown craft paper and paper napkins that I purchased on clearance!

I cut the brown paper in the width and length appropriate for the size of the table. Then I cut the flowers and the borders out of the napkins (this is where the more time than money thing comes in!). I hot glued the strips of red to the edge of the paper and put the flowers in between each
strip. I was so pleased with the results!

After the candles were lit, everything really came together and proved that a little time and creativity can be just as nice as spending "a fortune"!

Swirly Cookie Pops!

These are the cutest cookies! You need to check out The Decorated Cookie. She has some of the most amazing cookies.

When my daughter needed a treat for a class party, I had the perfect excuse to try these out! They are fun and fairly simple to make. They were a hit with the kids and grown ups as well! I think these cookies would be the cutest addition to any party. Maybe standing in flower pots with jelly beans at the base...so many possibilities!

So, here are how mine turned out...

Cute and yummy!

In Honor of the Winter Games!

I love to watch the winter Olympics! I love the music of the opening ceremonies. I love the patriotism. I love hearing the stories behind the athletes...how they persevere and overcome adversity...how they work so hard towards their goal! (Hopefully, I will use it as inspiration to start running again!) I have to admit that the tear-jerker this year has been the commercials for the P&G products; the ones where they say "a proud sponsors of moms". Oh my word! Gets me everytime!

Anyway, in honor of the winter games here is an ice skate cake that I made for birthday. The birthday girl is a skater at the local rink. I have made this cake with several different colors. The blade is fondant painted silver.

Thinking warm thoughts!

Well, we woke up to about 7" of snow this morning! And it is still coming down! While it is incredibly beautiful, I have to admit I am a little chilly. I thought I would post about a summer cake today! Maybe it will help me thing warm thoughts!

This cake was for Ellie's sixth birthday. Ellie was having a pool party and knew exactly what she wanted her cake to look like! She was very cute as she described how tall she wanted it, what colors she liked and what flavor it should be! I ran the idea by her parents who just laughed and told me to go for it! I did bring the cake down to two layers though!! This cake was so much fun to make and the flip-flops were easier than I thought they would be.

Ah, flip-flops! Those warm, summer days will be here sooner than I realize. So, for today I am just going to enjoy the beauty of the snow fall, the warmth of the fire and a nice cup of hot cocoa!