Here's the honest truth, when you're a creative, people who know you and love you send you tons of pictures they see online of inspiring projects. It's hilarious because sometimes I'll get 3 of the same picture from 3 different people all on the same day! Recently it was a sewing machine cake that was making the rounds (I've searched for the original creator to no avail :( ). Brightly coloured and with lots of fun details, it quickly landed in my in-box as a "can you make this??" Sure! I'll give it a go! I don't like to directly copy anyone's work as much as possible, so I did my own take on it. I'm including some of the steps I took to show you all how it came together! A couple notes, I knew this wasn't a large cake, so I didn't need a metal structure. If I was creating this ALL out of cake, I would probably have gone that route which would have been more stable for serving/transporting etc. However, this one lasted just fine and the family was THRILLED with it! Step one! … [Read more...]
Ruthie’s Tea for Two Garden Party!
Ahh my baby! She's TWO!! I feel like I just had her first birthday bash (a Parisian bash, which you can see right here), and now we're already celebrating TWO years??? I feel like when we become mothers we get programmed with the same sayings "I think time just needs to slow down", "How are they .... old already?" or "Where's the pause button?"... But it's because we really can't even fathom how quickly they go through all of these stages and change so much. Ruth is our youngest and my last baby, so I feel like I'm saying these things a lot, however I'm also really enjoying seeing her grow up and be able to do the things she really wants to do with her siblings. And I also am not a huge fan of the toddler phase ... soooo.... part of me isn't wishing this time would slow down, but maybe just go at a normal pace ;) I decided it would be fun, (and was inspired by a friend who also did a similar concept) to have her party on a weekday morning with a bunch of mom friends who were home … [Read more...]
Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
So I was thinking, what's the BEST way to say "thank you!!!" and "Merry Christmas" to my clients and friends?? How about my FIRST video and show them how to make these infamous sugar cookies?? So I connected with Amanda from Digital Girl Consulting who was more than happy to jump on board and capture the cookie on film! (Please go check Amanda out - she's absolutely lovely to work with, knows her stuff inside and out and caught my vision immediately, plus she's kinda social media guru). [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSAQOAjp_54&w=560&h=315] These cookies are soft and thick - just the way I like my cookies! If you're looking for ways to decorate check out my instagram accounts and facebook for quick little videos on hand painting and ideas! So here it is!!! My first video (please give me grace there's a few things I'd already change about what I did for next time, but maybe there will BE a next time!!) The Ultimate Rolled Sugar Cookie (Yield - 40 large, 60 … [Read more...]
Donut miss this party…
Alright in all honesty, we LOVE donuts, but we don't eat them all that much... because they're... well, DONUTS! And I know it sounds crazy, but we really try to eat as healthy as much as possible because I make cake. I realize that's an obvious statement, but when have that much sweet in the house - all.the.time- you NEED to make the effort to be healthy. My oldest had her seventh birthday approaching (the birthday was only FIVE months away, so planning the details was high on the list of priorities (insert eye roll here). We went through a number of options but with a little gentle shoving nudge I got her to pick DONUT, because why not?!?!?! (I'd always wanted to make a donut cake!) We planned on having her party at a local pottery painting place which makes the party planning soooo easy. All we needed to do was show up with food and decorations!! And cake. of course CAKE... The kids "helped" me make the decor before. Which really should read, started helping me colour in … [Read more...]
Simple Swiss Meringue – my cheater version
I am very excited to share with you my very own Swiss Meringue buttercream... but it's far from traditional.... I LOVE a good meringue based buttercream. Be it Italian or Swiss or any other method, they're all delicious. My favourite attributes are their silky texture, their less sweet flavour and simple fresh ingredients. However, the method is always a royal PAIN. Heat the sugar, double boil your eggwhites, cool that.... sheesh... When you have to make 8-10 batches of buttercream in a weekend, you need a quick buttercream that will come together in minutes. All the time. None of this fussing around stuff. I first saw a cheater recipe over at Artisan Cake Company. Loved it. Except one thing... I still tasted a bit of the grit of the icing sugar rather the completely smooth texture of typical SMB. Then one day I was playing around with a macaron recipe and failed at the meringue portion (must have had oil in the bowl somewhere) and almost pitched my eggwhites and sugar when I … [Read more...]
Wedding Cake Trends for 2016
Congrats!!! That ring is sparkling, the champange still has bubbles and you've already cracked open your wedding planning book!! Of course you're going to plan all that important stuff like a venue and a photographer, but what's REALLY got you excited is CAKE. Yes.... that beautiful centerpiece in your wedding that will pull all your beautiful curated choices together. Tall and elegant, lighting the room with a soft sweet scent of butter and sugar... whether it's covered in florals or trimmed neatly in ribbon, it's you. You've made your statement in your wedding cake. What you're really wanting to know WHAT to order for your wedding cake. Heaven knows we don't want to be ordering something SO over-done, but not toooo trendy that people raise an eye-brow wondering how they'll eat it. So that's where we come in. The cake-artists, who spend precious time scouring tutorials and a million wedding websites and magazines to bring you the best for the new season of weddings. These are … [Read more...]