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!

Sweet Sushi!

The perfect birthday cake for the sushi lover in your life!