Positively Pink Truffle Trees!

This past weekend I had the honor and pleasure of creating my yummy truffle trees for Bubbles and Baubles; a benefit event put on by Positively Pink Packages to provide continued funding for much needed care packages to recently diagnosed breast cancer patients. Founder and survivor Jennifer Tom hosted a fabulous champagne and dessert event at the Holiday Inn at Carrier Circle with a silent auction and this year there was also a casino room! I do wish we could have stayed to enjoy the event but it was a super busy weekend for us and it just wasn't in the cards.

Next year I hope to donate a cake or other wonderfully pink creation! So many wonderful items were donated by other businesses in and around the CNY area, show them your support! For more information about Positively Pink Packages, contact Jennifer Tom at Jenniferatom@aol.com.

Jamie and Niall's wedding cakescape

Ok, so I've said before, I get some pretty great brides. But Jamie; she takes the cake. (yeah, I went there) And I've also said before that I love it when I get to work in tandem with Erin; that rocks too. Jamie was awesome. One of the most - no scratch the "one of" - she was the most easy going, happy to be getting married, can't wait to party, puts her trust in the ones she's hired brides I have ever had the privilege to design for. And after a year of being booked, when it came time for final confirmations she (like most brides who book me a year ahead) had some changes in mind. She no longer wanted the huge, over the top cake that she thought she had wanted. That's so outdated, now is the time for simple elegance - I'm pretty sure that's what she was thinking anyway.

Well, so how do you do simple elegance on a grand scale? Still be over the top without doing waaaay too much? Let me show you! You do a cakescape. A display of complimenting cakes, tiered or not tiered, making up a beautiful table full of edible bliss. I love this look. And it really is a great way to incorporate several ideas when it's too hard to pinpoint a design.

For example, Jamie loved so many different elements but putting them on one cake would have been so busy. The scroll work would have really clashed with the petite dot to dot replicating the motif from one of her custom invitation suite items. And that would be where Erin comes in. She supplied me with the approved and 2nd choice pieces she designed for Jamie and Niall, and I reproduced them in sugar. The crissy-crossy ribbon straps inspired by her save the dates would have been too much to combine with the angular detail from the bodice of her dress...on one cake, but but doing 3 cakes I could incorporate most of the things she loved and as shown in the shots below, it totally works.

Thanks Jamie and Niall, for choosing me to be part of your memories...it was a joy!

Every girl's first cupcake should be this grand...

I had so much fun creating this little cutie, it was a real joy to design this cake for one of my favorite families (between mom and daughter #1 they've become welcomed regulars). The cake for Audrey's first birthday was based on a handful of photos that were sent to me and a copy of the invite - with a cupcake on it of course. We needed to pump up the colors just a tiny bit, and make the cupcake the focal point. I love that Audrey's mom let me sort of do my own thing with the cake within the idea range she sent me. They loved it!

Birthday girl was napping at delivery time so I'll have to wait to see her reaction in photos; I especially hope to see her with her very own little coordinating "smash cake" sitting to the side of the cake. I make those for every first birthday cake I do as my little gift - hey...gotta get 'em hooked young! ;-)

The bottom cake is a 4 layer 10" round Caramel Apple cake (one of my signature flavors) and the cupcake was made using a couple 6" layers, a 7", and half of a ball pan. No giant cupcake pan here, just a little carving and voila! Add some delicious butter cream, made from scratch fondant and a chocolate #1 and there you have it - a first birthday cupcake fit for a princess!

After delivering the cake, I took my own little cupcakes out for a great day of some very last minute back to school shopping. It was a terrific day all around!

That stand is the Boss, man!

So I finally did it...bought an awesome cupcake stand instead of making them all the time. Because let's face it, at some point one really just needs to eliminate unnecessary work and make things just a tiny bit easier. Picture me, planning and baking, baking and creating; wondering just how in the heck am I going to get that stand made for a last minute order when I am already neck high in sugar and butter?

Boss Manufacturing to the rescue!! I'd had them in the back of my mind for some time, but just put off buying anything in the past. I am so totally at the point where saving a buck does NOT always overrule my own time and effort. And really, sometimes it's ok to just buy it elsewhere...not to mention one tiny little detail...this stand is AWESOME!

I looked them up online at www.bossmanufacturing.com, I gave them a call very early in the morning expecting a machine to answer and low and behold I got a live person and Julie helped me place my order for this stand in silver powdercoat. I was done in less than 10 minutes and because I needed the stand right away we went with 3 day shipping...can I just tell you I got it in 2 days!

For the cupcake tree pictured above, I removed one of the plates, so they are slightly versatile in that way. The event planners that ordered the cupcakes loved the display and the stand itself. it's easy enough to dress it up just a bit if you like that sort of thing, but really it can totally stand on it's own.

So thanks Boss...your customer service and your stands rock!

This stand is now in my arsenal of items you can use with your cake orders or rent when it's available.

Some clients really pull it off!

This adorable yet bold, black/white/pink cake was made for a favorite customer of mine for a bridal shower she was hosting. She lets me just do whatever I want for her cakes but usually has it based on the invites or decor she's using at the parties. Upon delivery to the venue, we see she has the place fully decked out in coordinating and complimenting party ware. It looked great. Apparently she hosts quite often and has become very good at it. She finds it very rewarding and enjoys the fun part...but from the twinkle in her eye I can see she enjoys the DIY Party Planner thing too.

For this particular party, she used these cute bridal invites from PeekABooPumpkin. She sent me a sample set of what she received so I could use it for cake ideas. As you see, I went pretty literal with it, but we love how it turned out. The ribbon roses at the bottom of the heart cake were so cute! Oh wait, we're talking about my client's skills...she also used some paper products and decor ideas from a site I hadn't heard of; Rosemary Company to pull the decor together a bit more.

Using your invitation as inspiration is always a great idea and one that always works. It allows you to really pull elements together at the party, no matter how small or big your budget. Hmmm, I think they used to call that a "theme"? didn't they? wink* Hey, it also comes in handy for when you attend an event at a venue with more than one party going on...just go to the recognizable decorations! LOL

Now, we all know I'm a big fan of incorporating design elements from invites. I've been doing it with my partner in crime, Erin of Bride Design, for a few years now. We're like super heroes...fighting bad themes and promoting great taste in Syracuse - get it...great TASTE! sigh, sorry. So Erin and I provide what we consider to be the best of the best in our local area, custom cakes, custom invites and coordinating stationery, a great team for helping you pull it together.

But my favorite client whom this post originated about proves every time she calls with an order, that if you can choose only one area to splurge, you can do the rest of the event beautifully with a bit of research, a bit of planning, a bit of online ordering...but always with taste. Pick your priorities people! If you can't afford an elaborately expensive cake, don't get one! Dare I say...it's just cake! If you want the cake to shine (I<3U) reserve some funds elsewhere by purchasing something other than custom, hand made products. If you do want the best of the best for your paper products then go to my friend Erin and cut your corners elsewhere.

It just goes to show, you can have great taste and share it with your guests no matter what the budget or style. And hey...if you're driven by that DIY Party Planner bug that my client has - go for it! You can do it! Great job Carolyn, and thanks again for having me do your cake!

Ruffles and rucching and ribbons, oh my!

Ahhhh, another dress cake. I love those. I don't think I'll ever tire of them. There's just something about trying to duplicate the movement and fluidity of fabric. Bridgette's cake of soft pink and chocolate brown did just that. Her dress had the most beautiful rucching, the bridesmaids dresses the most delicious pick ups and, the cake had it all. And oh my did it smell good!

A monogram is always a nice touch and can be used quite easily on a cake. Sugar flowers adorn the top layer and I devilishly added an unexpected sparkle with some crystal initials as well as a gift for the bride and groom. And can I just say that they chose an absolutely beautiful venue; Bellevue Country Club in Syracuse.

Thanks to you both, glad you enjoyed your cake as much as I enjoyed making it!