Marvelous Maureen

Last year, I made an 80s cake for Maureen's birthday.  I can't believe it was already time for her birthday this year!
Her cake this go round showed off some of her favorite things-- singing, music, shoes, purses, and monograms.  Also thrown in there was a passing reference to "Phineas and Ferb," one of her favorite shows. It's never too late for a happy childhood!
I love making cakes for Maureen.  She is a fun gal and I can't wait til next year!

A Few of Her Favorite Things

Last weekend, I delivered a cake for Jeanne.  She is now an Official Loulu's VIP-- this was her fifth (I think??) cake order, which I LOVE.  She always ends her emails to me with  "Well, you said you like a challenge!", and with her I have made some superfun cakes!
This one was to be for her mother, who was turning 70.  It needed to make it to North Carolina, so nothing too fancy, but she wanted to include her mother's favorite things:  Auburn, coffee, shih tzus, the stock market, her grandchildren, Fox News, yellow roses, and her husband.  Got all that?
I have done a cake similar in idea before (click HERE), so I knew it was possible.  I sent her a sketch, and off we went!  I love how it came out! 

On top is a shih tzu holding the Wall Street Journal, sitting in a bed of yellow roses.  Surrounding are the names of the grandkids. Off to the sides are a TV tuned to Fox News, an Auburn coffee mug, and a heart with her initials and her husband's.  Such fun and so personalized! I hope they enjoyed celebrating her special day.

Sour cream pound cake, cookies-n-cream filling.  All buttercream, with fondant topper, TV, and coffee mug. *sorry for the stinky pictures, I had to use my phone!*

*deep breath...* Go Vols!!

You know how hard it is for me, a born and raised Georgia girl, to support ANYTHING orange.  Still, I can support any SEC team when need be, and that's what this cake called for!

Casey contacted me to do a cake for her husband's birthday.  He's a Tennessee fan.  She bought him tickets to the UT/LSU game this year, and wanted a cake to tie in with that.  I sent her some ideas, and we arrived at this.  It's the Tennessee "Power T" logo, done in the signature checkerboards of the Neyland Stadium endzones.

When I delivered the cake Saturday morning, I was all bedecked in my red and black for the journey to Athens for game day.  Let's just say this orange cake didn't exactly match my outfit, but I think it came out cute nonetheless. Casey was happy, and I hope her husband was, too! :-)

Happy Birthday!!  (and Go Dawgs!)

Chocolate cake, done all in buttercream.

Running Man

Last week, I got to make a birthday cake for my Uncle Greg.  He's one of my top 3 favorite uncles.... out of 3. :-)  Within the last few years, we've seen Uncle Greg make a TREMENDOUS change in his life.  He started running, and before we knew it, he was completing 5ks, half marathons, and the Disney marathon this January.  It has been so impressive to see him meet these challenges, and to keep pushing onward.  A large group of friends and family will be running the next Disney half marathon (in 3 weeks!  Yikes!) with him-- by that I mean waving goodbye to his back at the start line and staggering up to the finish line an hour after he finishes.  Still, I look forward to spending that time together!
For his birthday cake, I decided to try a shoebox cake.  He's family, and therefore he's a guinea pig.  I also attempted to sculpt a running shoe out of rice krispies treats.  It was a learning experience, but Uncle Greg was happy with it and that's what matters!
Happy Birthday, Uncle Greg!  Love you!


Cream cheese pound cake, raspberry and lemon filling.  Top of box is foam, shoe is rice krispies treats.  Buttercream with fondant accents.

Pool Party

 
Yesterday I delivered this cake for Cate, who just built a very beautiful pool in her backyard.  It was her husband and nephew's birthday, and they wanted to celebrate with a day at the pool.  Cate sent me a picture of her pool and I created a teeny-tiny, stylized version with her husband, Doug, and nephew, Danny, enjoying the water.  I think it turned out great!
Though the weather yesterday wasn't exactly conducive to a pool party, I hope they enjoyed their time together.  Happy Birthday!!!

Here's the pool.....

And here's the cake!  Chocolate cake, buttercream frosting, fondant accents.  Hot tub is a cupcake turned upside down.  Pine tree is an ice cream cone!

A Grand Cake for Grandma

This weekend I got to deliver a very large cake for a very great lady.  My very dear friend Catherine, and her husband Justin, were celebrating the 90th birthday of his grandmother.  She is probably the spunkiest 90 year old you'll ever know!  She lives in a very beautiful house on Lake Burton, and she, like so many others, suffered some damage in the awful tornado this spring.  This party was a fabulous opportunity to put that behind and celebrate her life.
This cake needed to feed 100, so it was massive.  I certainly didn't want Catherine hauling it up to the mountains by herself (it can be stressful!), so I volunteered to deliver it.  Works out well, because Grandma's house is about 20 minutes from my family's house on Lake Rabun.  Sister came with me, and we were able to swing by and say hello to our family while we were in the area.
This delivery was a bit tricky-- 72 miles with a huge cake in my lap, ending on 3 miles of the windiest, bumpiest gravel road you've ever seen. Still, we made it, with much laughter along the way.  Best delivery assistant ever!!

Top tier is orange pound cake with buttercream filling.  Middle tier is 4 layers of chocolate with fudge filling.  Bottom tier is sour cream pound cake with alternating raspberry and lemon filling.  Buttercream with fondant accents.

Thirty, Not Flirty!

This is a cake I did this weekend for Jesse's surprise 30th birthday party.  Man cake-- so tricky!  His wife, Angel, sent me some ideas of cakes that she liked in tones of silver, gray, and black, and asked to add in some blue as well.  I think the color combo worked out GREAT!
The entire time I was making it, I kept forcing my husband to come in so I could say, "Does this still look like a man cake?  Is the silver sparkle too much??"  His response, and another reason why I love him, "That's not silver sparkle!  That's STEEL!" We'll go with that!

Bottom tier is sour cream pound cake with alternating raspberry mousse and fresh raspberries.  Top tier is chocolate cake with mocha filling.

Happy birthday Jesse!

Sixty and Sassy!

I spent the majority of this week on a cruise to the Bahamas.  It was so very lovely.  It was my first cruise, it allowed me to spend time with 8 of my favorite people, and it helped me overcome my not-so-love affair with the ocean.  (Love the beach, hate the water.  Something about the Caribbean makes it all okay, though!)

I am back to the land of the living, which means I am back to cakes!  This is one I did right before I left.

Cacey contacted me, after seeing a 30th birthday zebra print and pink cake I had done, to see if I could make something similar, but bigger, for her mother-in-law's birthday.  I am NEVER one to turn down a zebra print cake, and I say the bigger the better!  Cacey wanted to add in some splashes of aqua, which I think worked perfectly.  When I dropped off the cake (on the most GORGEOUS family property), it looked like they were set to have a ball.  I hope everyone, especially the birthday "girl", enjoyed it!

Bottom tier is chocolate with chocolate filling.  Middle is pound cake with cookies and cream filling.  Top is chocolate with white chocolate mousse filling.  Buttercream with fondant accents.  I slightly tapered the sides for a tiny bit of the "mad hatter" look.

"Naughty Kitty", Naughty Puggies!

This week I had the pleasure of making a birthday cake for my Aunt Nesie.  She will forever be one of my very favorite people, and it tickles me that she loves my cakes so much.  Her daughter, Millicent, asked me to make a cake and decorate it however I pleased, so I had fun!
Nesie and her girls refer to leopard print as "naughty kitty," which I think it hilarious. I have been wanting to experiment with leopard print (I've got the zebra print down pat!), and decided to use my sweet family members as guinea pigs.
When Nesie was in high school, she was the pink and green  80s queen.  I brought that in, and decided to crown the cake with her two puggies, Ellie and Meaty.  Those are the silliest dogs you'll ever meet, but they sure love their mama.  Their mama sure loves them, too!
Thankfully, Nesie was quite pleased with this experiment of a cake.  Love you much!

Cream cheese pound cake, fudge filling, buttercream frosting.  Pugs are fondant.

Puppies, Penguins, and Panning for Gold

What do they all have in common, you might ask?
They are all the favorite things of Doug, for whom I created a birthday cake today.  His wife sent me that rather motley assortment of items, threw in UGA and the mountains for good measure, and asked if I could do something with it.
I had just recently seen a cake similar to this on CakeCentral (go there some day and try to not spend 3 hours.  Just try!  And then go to CakeWrecks and laugh until you cry!), and was dying to try it.  Wendy, Doug's wife, was up for anything, so I gave it a go.
I. LOVE. THIS. CAKE!

 A few of the details--

Puggies...

Black Lab....

Mr. Doug, panning for gold atop a mountain, decked out in his Georgia wear, with a penguin peeking in to say hello.

This cake is a surprise for Doug, and I hope he loves it!  Happy birthday!

Marble cake, cookies-and-cream filling, buttercream with fondant accents.  First time with a technique known as "spiral carving" to make the path.

Sweet Caroline

I sang that song the whole time I made this cake!  One of my very favorite names!!

This cake was made for Caroline's 21st birthday.  Her mom, Cate, asked for something that "looked like a party," had the 21 and some sort of beverage glass on it.  She asked me to incorporate Caroline's favorite colors of pink and purple, and here's what we got!  I think it definitely fits the bill for a celebration of sorts, and I had such a good time making it.  I am crazy about zebra print cakes (have you seen my logo up there? No surprise!), and I loved how this one came out.  I hope that Caroline and her family enjoyed it, as well.  Happy happy birthday!!

Chocolate cake made with a hefty dose of Godiva liqueur, fudge filling made with MORE Godiva liqueur (hey-- she's legal!  Let's celebrate it!), buttercream frosting with fondant and gumpaste accents.

Princess Madi

Final delivery of the weekend-- Madison's 16th Birthday party!
Madi is my sweet sweet little cousin who is so dear to my heart.  We are told at least 10 times a day that we look exactly alike, and we have extremely similar personalities.  When my aunt Nesie asked me to help with her party, I think Madi knew she would have an ally in the "the sparklier, the better!" party philosophy. :-)
Thankfully, after all was said and done, Madi was THRILLED TO PIECES with her party, and her cake.  A gumpaste tiara, sitting atop a pillow, sitting atop a zebra printed base.  I built a cake table backdrop to make a focal point for the room, and I'm pleased with how everything came out.  Nesie knows how to throw a GREAT party, and Madi knows how to work it like the princess she is. 
Love love love them both!

Happy Birthday, Madi!

Bottom tier is pink sour cream cake with fresh strawberry filling, top tier is marble with fudge filling.  Buttercream with fondant accents.

A Captain for All Seasons

Last night, we had the greatest time giving my daddy a surprise 60th birthday party.  He had NO IDEA it was coming, and his reaction was priceless!  About 30 of us met for dinner, followed by Whirly Ball (if you don't know about Whirly Ball, you should.  It is the most hilarious thing ever created!).  We had a blast, and Daddy was very happy with it all.
I was asked to make a cake for him, and I immediately knew I wanted to try to replicate his sailboat.  My whole life, we have been "boat people," but the sailboat is a recent addition.  Dad is happiest when out on the water, and I wanted to try to bring that to his cake.  Enter... Fondant Ed!

Complete with wee little boat shoes and Dad's trademark "lake hair" that he gets after a day on the water.  The "EE" on his shirt is what his grandkids call him.  Except for the time that Emma Jean quite randomly said, while on his boat, "EE, you are a captain for all seasons."  It stuck!

Dad was thrilled with his party and especially with his cake.
Love you, Daddy!  I hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration.  Now you HAVE to take me out on the Constellation.  :-)

Tie Dye Guitar

I do not love anything more than experimenting with strange and usual cake techniques, and today was no exception!  Courtney (a repeat customer, LOVE those!) asked for a guitar cake for her husband, Wayne, and she asked if it could look tie-dyed.  "Hmmmmmm...." I thought, "A new adventure!"  After much research and trial and error, I am quite pleased with how this little cake turned out.  I am also pleased that all six of the strings piped with no breaks!  Small victories in the life of a cake decorator!
Wayne is a rock star (really, he is.  Go learn about his band The ISSUES HERE), and I hope he enjoys this cake.  Happy Birthday, and "Party on, Wayne!"  (couldn't resist. :-))

Chocolate cake, buttercream frosting, fondant accents.

Just for the Taste of It

.... "DIET COKE!" Visions of the Paula Abdul commercial popping into your head??

Today I delivered a cake for Courtney, a very very old dear family friend.  She grew up on the same street and was superfriends with my sister.  I tormented them endlessly trying to be just like them.  Her sweet mom is celebrating her 60th birthday today, and she is a Diet Coke ADDICT!  When I talked the cake over with Courtney, she wanted to incorporate that and have something out of the ordinary and fun. I think we did it!

Sour cream pound cake, fudge filling, buttercream with fondant accents.  "Coke" spill is piping gel.

Life is a Fairway

Today I created this cute little golf cake for Ryan's surprise 30th birthday party.  His lovely wife had chosen the design, and I was asked to recreate it.  I thought it was such a fun idea for a golf lover!  I hope Ryan has a wonderful time as he turns the big 3-0!

Sour cream pound cake, vanilla buttercream filling, all buttercream outside.  Ball and flag are fondant.

Sunny Days

Today might be the absolute polar opposite of a sunny day, but hopefully this little cutie-cake will bring some brightness to Caroline's birthday!.  Caroline's daughter had asked me to make a cake for her mom, and she wanted it to have a "giant sunflower" on it.  Done!  Love these little minis-- perfect for small celebrations.  I'm pleased with the way it turned out-- summery and bright, and I hope Caroline and her family enjoy it!

Sour cream pound cake, hazelnut filling, buttercream frosting with fondant accents.

Winter Wonderland

Today I delivered a cake for Cate's birthday party.  She's turning the big 5-0 2-9 and was celebrating with a silvery white winter themed bash.  I sent her a few ideas and cake sketches, and this is what we decided upon-- silvery white with a whole lot of "bling"!  I made the topper out of fabric ribbon and a rhinestone Christmas ornament snowflake.  The cake board was embossed with snowflakes to tie everything together.
It should be a gorgeous party in her gorgeous home, and I hope everyone has a wonderful time!  Happy birthday, Cate!

Chocolate cake, chocolate hazelnut filling, buttercream frosting.  Handpainted with edible silver glaze to give a little sparkle. :-) **click on pictures if you need to, the details are hard to see!**

Man Cake

Why is it that women seem to be the cake orderers in life?  Not that I mind-- women clients enable me to have cute, polka-dotted, flowery cakes that are whimsical and fun.
My dear friend Catherine (a woman, naturally) ordered a cake last week.  For her husband's 35th birthday.

I was momentarily stymied.

Justin is, quite simply, a "man's man" kind of guy.  He adores sports.  He eats big old steaks.  He's outdoorsy and loves to be at the lake. Not a man for whom flowers, polka dots, or cute would do!
Catherine asked for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and to somehow incorporate UGA and sports.
 After much hemming and hawing and readjusting of my design, I arrived at this conclusion:
For a Man Cake, less is more.  Make it taste good, and he'll be happy.  The rest is, pardon me but I have to, "icing on the cake." :-)

Chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream, fondant sports balls.

*the Georgia G is my first attempt at a frozen buttercream transfer.  Not perfect, but not a bad first effort!*

I Love the 80s

Today I got to deliver a superfun cake for superfun gal named Maureen-- a former co-worker of my husband.  She's turning 25 and wanted to do so in style, so she sent me a request to make a *much* smaller version of something seen on Cake Boss.  Let me tell you, I am certainly no Buddy Valastro!
Still, this was a fun one-- the "spiked collar," the wire topper, even down to the cake itself!  The tiers are alternating layers  of red velvet and butter cake... I hope Maureen gets a picture once it's cut!
Probably my favorite part of this cake is not very visible in these pictures-- Maureen lost her mother to cervical cancer and asked me to turn the exclamation point of "80s Rocks!" into a remembrance ribbon.  Love that!

Have a totally radical party, Maureen! :-)