Gym Cake Topper

Is anyone up for a workout today? 

Gym Theme Cake Toppers

One of my good friends got married recently and those cake toppers were made for her husband's groom cake. I was not quite sure how to get started on this project since I also intended to make human figurines (bride and groom; with the groom lifting the bride) which proved to be challenging. To be honest, this project was quite intimidating but I was up for the challenge. 

At the end, I created a gym floor and gym accessories to go with it but I didn't have as much luck with the 'bride and groom figurines'. It was not for lack of trying though. Let's just say that I have a lot more work to do in terms of sculpting humans. I'm going to continue to work on it though. 

A mixture of fondant and gumpaste was used to make these toppers. Some gum-tex was also kneaded in. The toppers had to be shipped so I wanted to be sure that it dried very well.

• Bigger weights - lollipop sticks were used as the support and varying sizes of the round cutters were used for the 'weights'.
• Smaller weights - lollipop sticks cut into shorter pieces and covered with fondant/gumpaste were used for the support. The round end of any decorating tip can be used to cut the smaller 'weights'.
• Workout bench - fondant covered lollipop sticks were also used to create the frame that the work bench sat on. 
• Gym Floor - this tutorial can help!

Thanks for visiting today! Don't forget to share pics of your edible 'kreations'. Till next time, "Happy Baking!"

Little Gentleman's Themed Birthday Cake - Happy 1st Birthday to the Perfect Gentleman

Gentleman themed ombre smash cake!

I had the pleasure of working on a 'gentleman themed cake' for the perfect little gentleman. I thought that the theme embraced everything about the little guy. When his mom contacted me about making this cake, I was beyond excited. I had the joy of making his baby shower cake, his dedication cake and now his first birthday cake. Now that I am writing this, I'm realizing that I am about a year into cake decorating. You see, I started cake decorating not long before our little guy was born. In a previous post, I mentioned that that particular baby shower cake allowed me the opportunity to make the first of many; '... my first tiered cake, my first pillow cake, my first gum paste shoes...'. This birthday cake was no different; this was my first three tiered cake, first fondant bunting, first number topper, first fondant puppy and my first ever smash cake. Now you must surely understand why I just love making cakes for this little guy. Also, it was the first time that I saw one of my cakes so beautifully displayed. This brings me to the beautiful decor.

Favors done by our gentleman's mom!

Our little gentleman's mom did such an amazing job with the decor. I was so elated to see the cake table.  The tablecloth, the flowers etc made the table look so beautiful. The other tables and park space were also beautifully decorated. The colors and all the favors were alluring. Everything matched the theme including the 'bow tie shaped pasta' and the napkins 'tied to the cutlery in the shape of a bow'. The park where the birthday party was held was transformed to 'a gentleman's dreamland' finished with a beautiful photo booth. What a creative mom who has so much love for her son! I am so happy to have been part of our little gentleman's first birthday!

Cake Sketch made before working on the cake

This is the sketch I came up with using the Cake Sketcher web app. The design was based on the pic that I was sent and information garnered from discussions with our birthday boy's mom. The final cake doesn't match the sketch perfectly. I actually use the sketch as a guide but I'm sure that I will get better with time. I do wish that I had remembered to add a small piece of fondant to the top of the hat as illustrated in the picture. Every detail matters in cake decorating; that is what I think anyway.
Hopefully there will be a next time and note to self, 'refer to the sketch while decorating'.

First Birthday Gentleman themed cake

There were some great tutorials that helped me with this project!
Puppy

I thought that it would be nice to bring the family dog along bearing gifts!

Cake (fondant) Bunting
Template for the Number Topper 
Name Template (I messed up the name plate that I had made so I didn't use it but check out the link)
Fondant Roses

*Cake Recipes
Bottom Tier and Smash cake - Elissa Strauss' Vanilla Cake
Two top tiers - Paul Bradford's Chocolate Cake
Home Made Marsh mellow Fondant 
I used about 2/3 and 1/2 respectively, of the required sugar for the cakes.

Lessons Learned: 
I made a rose bud to use as a boutonniere. I inserted the bud with the wire into a flower spike and then inserted it into the cake. I thought that that was a good idea until I noticed that the tip of the spike remained in view and that the flower wouldn't stay in a position to cover up the spike. I should have tried this at home before getting to the location; that way I would have had a chance to fix it but I didn't. Oh well I definitely learned my lesson. Next time I will simply use royal icing or candy melts to attach the flower to the cake.

Improvements made:
In recent posts, one of my lessons learned was that I needed to work on my time. I think that I achieved this with this cake. I made the roses, puppies and other cake ornaments in advance. Also, I got the cake baked, decorated and ready hours ahead of the delivery time. I still have to work on my timing but I am happy to report that I am well on my way!

Side Note: 
I was up decorating this cake when the recent earthquake hit the Bay Area. At that moment, the first thing I tried to protect was the almost finished cake. Oh man, the things you'd do for your 'baby' aka cake!!

Thanks for visiting today! Don't forget to share pics of your edible 'kreations'. Till next time, "Happy Baking!" 

I look forward to reading your comments!

There's fun in Volunteering and I'm Loving it! - Complimentary Classes by Cake4Kids

I know that I've mentioned Cake4Kids several times, but I just wanted to reiterate how exciting it is to work with this organization. The team is very organized and makes it wonderful to work with the organization.

Not only do I love making cakes for foster kids but I also get an opportunity to meet with cake decorators, in the area, who are also volunteers. Cake4Kids organizes several events that bring volunteers together including socials and complimentary classes. I've attended several of the classes and I have been very impressed by the volunteers who teach the classes; I absolutely love it. Hopefully one day I will volunteer to teach a class; I have a lot more to learn first though! 

So far, I've attended:

• Piping Calligraphy and Basic Floral Decorations by Gosia Hoot 
• The Basics of Fondant by Lisa Rauchwerger
• Fondant Flower Class by Joanne Bui
• Fondant Modeling Class by Joanne Bui

... and there are other exciting classes like 'Cake Baking' which I plan to attend! I'm very excited about all the classes. I've taken the cake decorating classes offered by Michael's Craft Store, so is some overlap sometimes, but it is good to learn new techniques and refresh my skills.

Cupcakes from the Basics of Fondant class

Figurines made during the Fondant Modeling Class; my relaxed panda and my timid bunny!

Did I mention that I signed up for the upcoming CakeOff scheduled for September 13th at the Domain Hotel in Sunnyvale at 6pm. Come support Cake4Kids; check it out!

'Krafty' Birthday Present for My Talented Hubby

I have learned a lot along this journey that I have embarked on to learn more about my creative side. Not only have I learned about cake decorating but my journey has also led me to paper crafting/scrapbooking.  It is so much fun learning so many new techniques and meeting other people who share my interest.

Here's a project that I worked on and presented to my hubby for his birthday. It was fun making it and I'm glad that he loved it!

Valuable Tutorials that guided me in the process:
http://thecreatedhome.blogspot.com/2011/06/wooden-letters.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Mod-Podge
http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2013/07/alphabet-wall-art-take-2.html

And here's the finished product.

The components of the design represent the things that he enjoys, for instance the background paper represents his love for writing and reading. As you may notice he also enjoys singing, playing the guitar, riding, taking photos, and smiling. One thing that's not represented is his love for gaming which was instead portrayed on his Mario birthday cake. Oh we're missing his cars as well! Oh well at least I have something to use for his next birthday!

It also made a debut at his birthday party!

Thanks for visiting today! Don't forget to share pics of your 'kreations'. Till next time!

I look forward to reading your comments!