Christmas Cookies!

Here is a delicious tray of Christmas Cookies!

Merry Christmas Cakes!

This was the year for Christmas cakes!

I had a friend who I made the exact same cake for a few weeks ago

for our dinner we went to

She fell in love with and asked for me to make it again

for her family for Christmas.

So I recreated the same cake for her to take to

Greensboro over the holiday weekend.

Then I made two simple sheet cakes for our dear friend

who is the music minister at our church.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Cupcake and Cookie Challenge 2010

The Ballantyne Resort Cupcake and Cookie Challenge 2010!

My second year entering this competition and though I didn't win,

I had a blast participating.

I even got my other cake friend Angela to enter too!

Here is my entry, I went with a breakfast theme this year.

French toast and bacon cupcake

yes you heard me, bacon cupcake!

with a Mocha Chocolate Chip cookie

the cookie had cinnamon and cappuccino chips in them!

Yummy!

Yes, I know bacon....but a little sweet with a little salty

complemented with a maple syrup buttercream,

yummers!

Then my friend Angela

Here is her display, she made double dark chocolate cupcakes

with crushed peppermint!

CUTE cupcakes!

Happy Birthday Christmas style

I'm finally on to post a few cakes that I've done these past few weeks!

What a blur the holidays can be!

Here is a simple, Christmas theme cake done for a friends sister.

Happy Birthday Kelly!

Go Panthers and Happy Birthday too!

My son's best friend, Jay, who lives in our neighborhood

and who has been in his preschool class the past two years,

was having his older brothers' birthday this past weekend.

His dad had gotten tickets to the Panther game on Sunday,

so of course the theme of his party was Panthers.

For any of us Carolina Panther fans this year, we know the 2010 season has not been a good one, but despite the many losses this season,

we did have a few good games.

However, yesterday game was not one of those.

But I do hope that they had a great time anyway enjoying the game,

and having some father son time, despite the COLD temperature and rain!

Happy Birthday Will!

We wish Jay, Will, and their family a very happy holiday this year

as that they are moving to South Carolina at the end of this week.

Nicholas will surely miss his buddy Jay at school!

Best of luck with your move and Merry Christmas!

Skateboarding Cake

I've never made a skateboarding cake before,

but I was excited to try this one out!

A little boy in Olivia's preschool class was turning 5 this weekend.

His theme was skateboards!

So I found a picture of this on Cake Central

and both mom and birthday boy approved!

Happy Birthday Anselm!

Merry Christmas!

Our family was invited over to a friends house

on Saturday evening for a holiday dinner get together.

They have three children who were very excited

to have our two little munchkins play with them!

In honor of the Christmas holiday

I wanted to se my Wilton Christmas pan

my mother in law had handed down to me.

I made my favorite and most requested almond cake

and quickly decorated this cake for us to share.

And not realizing it, their middle child Julia,

turned 13 on Saturday!

So this cake was also party birthday cake as well.

Happy Birthday Julia & Merry Christmas!

Look Whooo's Having a Baby Boy!

A co-worker of my husband is having their first baby in February.

They were having a baby shower this past weekend,

so I was asked to make their shower cake.

I LOVE the theme they picked.

A Daddy owl and a Mommy owl with their little baby owl.

I really loved how the owls turned out, I hand carved each owl out

and dusted the owls with a variety of

dusting powders to give them a rustic brown/orange look.

I made the leaves and green polka dots shimmer

with some green and little bit of bronze luster dust as well.

Congratulations to Anthony and Jennifer!

Double Birthdays!

A friend of mine (who recently got engaged) asked me to make her

niece and nephew's birthday cakes.

Her niece was turning 5 and the little guy was turning 3.

They had a combined party at the Harris YMCA.

I LOVE how these cakes turned out!

For the young man, who is into action figures, Batman was his choice!

Gotham city surrounded the base of the cake with a gold fondant pearl border.

For the princess, another glass slipper on a pillow cake was her surprise.

Yes, the pillow is cake and the shoe is made from chocolate

dusted in rainbow disco dust!

LOVED this too!!

Happy Birthday Taylor and Jack!

One of Many Birthdays to come...

It seems so many people I know have birthdays this time of year. Here is a simple chocolate cake I did for my neighbor's brother. I made her a small 6" vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream and milk chocolate shavings both inside and around the bottom.

LOVED the look!

Happy Birthday Kyle!

Gobble, Gobble!!

Happy early Thanksgiving!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Turkey Day

and enjoy spending time with family and friends.

Myself and another mom from my son's preschool class

were in charge of their Thanksgiving party today.

I offered to make the cupcakes...

Can you say Gobble Gobble?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pretty In Pink

For a sweet little girl who was turning 4.

She was having her party at Gymboree and the theme was pink.

Sweet family of three little girls

and the birthday girl herself shares my birthday next week!

Happy Birthday Vivian!

(made a dozen of these yummy cupcakes too!)

Happy 70th Birthday!

This special cake was for a friend who was throwing a

surprise 70th birthday party for her close friend.

The family and her friends are BIG fans of my cupcake bites

so I decided to incorporate them on the cake.

I made the number 70 out of gumpaste

and painted it a bronze color

to go along with the fall feel I was going with, with the flowers.

I also did a brush embroidery technique on the sides of the cake.

After I drew the flowers on the side,

I took a damp paint brush

and pulled the edges of the design in toward the center.

First time trying this and I like the look,

needs more practice, but good first try!

Happy Birthday!

A New Little Princess

I was asked by a friend in our neighborhood to create

a beautiful princess theme baby shower cake for her best friend.

I love how my crown came out, it is made with gumpaste,

and painted silver with non-edible jewels on top.

The cake matched the colors of the invitations and the theme of the party!

A little Pumpkin on his way....

I LOVE this time of year, fall weather, leaves changing color, chili and football on Sunday afternoon, Halloween, followed by my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. Who doesn't love this time of year? And with this beautiful fall season comes pumpkins. Lots and lots of recipes and ideas do with pumpkins, from carving them, pumpkin butter, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cookies to pumpkin pie and so much more!

So when our close friend Carmen told us she was expecting I was thrilled to help throw her a shower. So her sister in law and I decided to go with a pumpkin theme baby shower on October 30, to perfect, right? Well we had a blast planning and putting this together. Here are the pictures from the event!!

We carved a pumpkin and put in some beautiful fall flowers.

I also carved some mini pumpkins and put in tea lights too!

We wrapped candy pieces with baby shower sayings.

Then the cake!

Since our theme was pumpkin related, I put a little baby in a pumpkin patch.

With a few baby items to go with him.

We put the cake up high with fall candy corn in a dish.

This time I made baby shower cookies and

decorated them with fondant instead of royal icing.

We also made a pumpkin theme diaper cake!

These were a hit, a Pregatini!

sort of like a martini but without the alcohol.

Just LOVE the fall colors and how it all worked together!

And these were our favors for everyone to enjoy...

Pumpkin bread!

Congratulations to Carmen and Sean on their new bundle of joy to be!

Thank you to my friend Narja with all her help hosting the shower

and to her wonderful husband Peppie who helped make some of the food!