Guitar Cake

I finished making a Birthday cake for my friend Joel's 21st today. I decorated the cake to look like his guitar. I didn't have straight wire so I used really thick thread for the strings. The cake is red velvet (so I guess the guitar will bleed when stabbed o.O) with vanilla buttercream. I LOVED making this cake and just HAD to add a cute little dinosaur (inside joke lol). I can't wait to give it to him this afternoon. Happy Birthday Joel! Hope you enjoy eating it as much as I enjoyed creating it ^__^
PS I just made business cards so hopefully I will have more cakes to play with!

BP Oil Clean Up Solution - Save the Beaches!

The Wisconsin-based textile company Monterey Mills has a big heart - they were one of our generous donors at Maker Faire. They've proposed to BP a huge improvement to the booms being used to soak up oil from the water in the Gulf, but their proposal has gotten lost in the tens of thousands of suggestions BP has received, and BP has yet to respond. Check out this amazing demonstration of what wool can do, then spread the word until BP can hear us.

Feeling Creative

There were a ton of cute and very original items being sold this past weekend at Animazement. One of these, which I mentioned in my last post, were sushi pillows. They were very expensive and not very detailed. I decided I would make some instead! I love building and crafting things and, even if the cost of supplies ended up being the same as buying a pillow, I would have that feeling of achievement by doing it myself. So the next day my mom and I went to the fabric store and bought enough for me to make a couple large pillows and then several small. I had never used a sewing machine before so my mom had to help me get started but I got the hang of it pretty quick. I just finished tonight and, even though it's not perfect, I am very happy with it. Not too bad for my first time EVER sewing more than a couple little stitches by hand. I look forward to making more pillows and maybe coming up with my own ideas for crafty, fun toys like at the convention.

Animazing Weekend!

I had an amazing Memorial day weekend! I was able to finish the birthday cake and get ready in time to go to Animazement Saturday. The car cake did not quite turn out like I had wanted it to and in the rush I forgot to take any pictures. I made the car out of chocolate cake layers with vanilla buttercream in between. I carved it into a car, covered it with buttercream, and instead of fondanting it like I should have, I decided to try just using buttercream. I was afraid that if I used fondant that it would cover up the detail work I did when carving the car. I should have know better though since I don't decorating with just buttercream very often. I mounted it on a yellow sheet cake and then decorated it. It looked like a car when I was finish but I didn't feel it was good enough. My client knew it was my first carved cake though and her son loved it so, at the end of the day, that's all that really matters.

Vendors

We headed to Animazement around 3pm which was a LOT later than I had hoped. It wasn't cheap for the all day pass so I wanted to be there as much as possible. We still had a great time though. There were so many amazing costumes and vendors selling their adorable and unique items. There was one lady selling sushi shaped pillows. I thought they were adorable but when I looked at the price I couldn't afford what she was charging. I just can't find reason in blowing that kind of money on a pillow... I did, however, find a stuff Ryo-Ohki for a very low price. I have been looking for that silly thing for at least 6 years now and have only been able to find it for at least $50 or more.
We went to dinner later on and then came back for the Rave. It was my first and it did not disappoint. Hundreds of people cosplaying and dancing around it a lot of fun. People were also dancing with glow sticks which made for some amazing pictures.


I got to go on stage with a group of people and dance! I have never done anything like that before either but I didn't feel nervous at all. It was just a room full of people, having fun, and dancing however the music moved them, there was no judging. We ended up not getting home until around 2am and then watched some Anime until 4am. My feet were killing me since I spent half the night in high healed boots but otherwise I had a great night with my friends. Next year I really want to cosplay. I would have this year but we decided to go the night before so I didn't have time.

Killer Week

I have been on the go non-stop this week... I have had 2 cake orders needed for the same day. I believe my teachers have no life because I've had to spend hours sitting at my computer reading online lectures, stories, and writing papers. I am finally caught up (for the most part) now and look forward to at least one day of fun with my friends at Animazement tomorrow. The first cake I made this week was a graduation cap cake for my friend from Panera. Once again this was a first time for me and it was the cake from hell... Everything seemed to go wrong, especially the fondant. I'm wondering if the extreme humidity that has hit NC has something to do with it. I swear when you walk out side it feels like you've run into a wall. Anyway, I finally finished it this afternoon and ran it out to my friend's house.She and her family loved it. I saw her graduation cap and it's the exact same color as the cake. I had been worried about that since it was such an unattractive color but I was right on. I made the top out of fondant and cardboard (yum!) and she wanted a vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream again. Hope she and her family like it and that she has a great day at her graduation tomorrow! :) Now I'm working on the Dukes of Hazzard General Lee car. Having never made a carved cake I was really nervous but it's turning out pretty well so far. I just have to finish it tonight since the birthday is tomorrow and I won't be here. Totally off topic, I spent 2 hours and $50 on Joanna at the vet today because when I put her in the tub yesterday she had a hard time breathing. The vet looked her all over and in her mouth. She said she looked totally healthy and her lungs sounded fine. Turns out, lizards can have panic attacks... At least I know she's healthy. She's also gained 150 grams since her last visit about 2 months ago, so she's growing fast! Hope everyone has a great memorial day weekend! I will have more pictures for the cake and Animazement soon! <3 style="color: #cc66cc;">

Girly Polka Dot Cake

I have been dying to make a colorful dot cake! I see them all the time on cake sites and in decorating books but I pretty much only make what other people want. A lady I work with told me she needed a girly cake and left the decorating up to me. She loved my polka dot idea and gave me a few more details like flavor and colors. It was so easy and fun to make. I made the chocolate cake recipe I made in my last cake and my layers didn't shift this time! I think I have finally figured out my evil freezer. Anyway, vanilla buttercream and, as always marshmallow fondant. Her daughter didn't know she was getting a cake from me but had requested that I make one for her. I feel so loved ^.^ She loved it when she picked it up and later told me how good it was. Making 2 more cakes for next weekend...Not sure how that happened but I will be kept very busy for the rest of the month. One more birthday cake and a graduation cake. I love having a different kind of cake order every time :)

Hope you had a great birthday Emily!

Win a Razer Mouse!

Razer Naga!

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Click on this link and enter for a chance to win an awesome Razer mouse! I LOVE mine and would recommend them to anyone. So go check it out. Even if you don't win the mouse you could still win a T-Shirt. Who doesn't like a free shirt?! :)