When I see that email from the Mom (yes, let’s be honest – it’s 98% always the Mom), my first reaction is always, what?? There’s no way little John or little miss Jane can possibly be another year older already!! Time flies – it’s crazy. And then I get excited cause I know that whatever they have planned, it’s going to be totally fun!

For his big, special day, Eli wanted a Cars theme cake with his favourites: McQueen and Mater. I sent him some of my *fantastic* sketches – we could make a sculpted cake, or how about a race track? He decided on the ever-popular 2 tiered theme cake. Your wish is my command…

He did a little happy dance when I delivered it to their home. I think it passed the kid approved test.

Last year, for his 3rd birthday, he was all about Toy Story:

And the year before, for his 2nd birthday, we did a sculpted Thomas the Tank Engine cake… and of course I can’t find the picture.

He has an older brother – and I get to be part of his big day, too.

It’s a pretty cool thing.

We kept Jessie and Bullseye authentic and used a palette of brown, pink, and gold. We also had to add a very special little character… Peter… the bunny. Peter goes EVERYWHERE with Maddy – special little bunny for a special little girl.

Maddy’s Mom just happens to be Tanya Shields of Tanya Shields Photography – newborn/family/wedding/portrait photographer. I love my photographer friends not only because they’re some of the coolest cats I know, but because they send me great cake shots like these!

So, when MT&L contacted me for an 80s themed cake for their Christmas party – I was ecstatic. Instead of a fancy-schmancy sit down meal, these folks transformed the lobby of their building into a 1985 Prom – complete with an 80s band, balloon archway, and a “punch” bar. During our consult, we each brought a list of popular 80s things – we giggled, we laughed, we almost peed our pants… and we finalized the cake design.

Crazy sayings, Rubik’s Cube, Smurfs, PacMan, MTV, ghettoblaster, Michael Jackson Thriller, Memorex mix tapes, Pop Rocks, Bottlecaps, Ring Pops, Nerds….

Here are a few of my favourite things from the 80s:

LA Gear sneakers (the white ones!), Michael Jackson, Madonna, Duran Duran, PacMan, Nintendo, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Dirty Dancing, 16 Candles, Pretty in Pink, slouch socks, Sweet Valley High, Jem, big bangs, crimped hair, bad perms, and acid wash.

What are yours?

I wanted both.

Michelle wanted to surprise Rob with a special fire truck groom’s cake. He’s hanging on to the back and she’s driving the rig! I wanted to surprise them, too, so I added little flashing lights at the top (unfortunately, you can’t pick up just how awesome this little addition was via my photo).

Michelle and Rob kindly shared the following images, taken by the talented Layton Reid.

Judging by the photo booth pics up on the Layton Reid blog, this was a fun cake for a fun crew!

I had never been to White Point Beach Resort until I delivered these two cakes. I fell in love with the entire place. Of course, I am a clear sucker for any beach. My kids love the beach and we are lucky to have so many fabulous ones in Nova Scotia. I take them as much as I can in the summer and we even go in the winter. A totally different experience, of course, but they get a kick out of being at the beach dressed in hats, mitts, and winter coats. Doesn’t stop them from attempting to build a sandcastle. Who wouldn’t enjoy waking up and stepping outside onto this:

And… there are bunnies everywhere!

Less than two weeks later, a fire destroyed the main lodge at White Point Beach Resort. The troops have rallied and they are rebuilding and aim to re-open in Fall 2012. In the meantime, the cottages are still available… I’m thinking the kids and I will sneak away for a couple of days this summer and become beach bums.

Marie Antoinette. French opulence. Black. White. Red.

The cake for the dessert table (the devine desserts were make by the talented folks at The Prince George Hotel) was a three tier round with black ruffles, handpainted gold accents, large red flowers, and a gumpaste Marie Antoinette inspired lady as the topper.

Since I was having so much fun, I also made a cake inspired by a porcelain doll… ruffles, ruffles, and more ruffles! This cake went home with a lucky winner that evening.

My super talented friends at Applehead Studio Photography shot the event and kindly shared these pictures (thanks Liam and Steph!).

Thanks to my Grey Goose drinking buddy, Rob, who aptly titled this blog post when I posted a sneak peek pic on my Facebook page. There’s a debate as to whether Marie Antoinette ever uttered those words, but for today, we’ll pretend she did!

Kelly and Katelyn are not twins but have shared birthday parties because their birthdays are so close together. After last year’s whimsical candy themed cake (scroll down for a pick of that crazy creation), I was anxious to hear what these two sweetie pies would be requesting for their 2011 birthday cake and got excited when their mom said Barbie theme.

Hot pink, black, white, tiara with a reference to Barbie – and here’s what we came up with:

Fit for a couple of princesses:

love glitter…

Thanks to their Mom (Donna) for sharing this picture with me…

Here is a peek back at their 2010 cake:

This is a common scenario in my wedding cake business: bride sends an email describing her vision for the wedding cake. Bride/groom and I meet to discuss details of the big day – specifically the wedding cake, but I’ve been known to get WAY off topic. By the end of the meeting, the cake looks nothing like what was first mentioned.

In Lisa’s initial email, she described a 3 tier, maybe fondant draping, with characters representing her and Al and their pets. Perhaps also incorporating a bit of old world charm as they were getting married at Citadel Hill and then having the reception on the Tall Ship Silva. We set a consultation date and at the end of that email she said, “I will forwarn you my future husband has fallen quite in love with HIS idea of having the town clock from Citadel Hill as a cake.  Unless he changes his mind I fear that we may have to incorporate that somehow “.

I didn’t even need to wait for the consultation to know that this cake was not going to have a single fondant drape anywhere.

The transport! This cake was assembled on site.

Above: all set up on the Tall Ship Silva.  The personalized touches (my favourite part!!) – the clocks on all 4 sides read 2pm – which is when Lisa and Al got married and I etched “L & A” on the door.

For those who aren’t familiar with our city’s famous landmark, here is a picture I quickly snapped on my way home that day:

Al dropped by one evening shortly after the wedding. We chatted for a few minutes and he said the day couldn’t have been more perfect. Knowing these two, I suspect there were many, many smiling faces and lots of laughter. He handed me a card before leaving. Inside was a heartwarming message thanking me for the cake (which they loved! YAY!) and a pewter magnet of the Citadel Hill clock tower. It’s stuck to my commercial shelving unit directly in front of me when I’m sitting at my “desk”. Every time I look at it, I think of this cake and Lisa and Al – and then I will smile. I love my job.

Congratulations Lisa and Al!

I didn’t get to see Claire’s sketch but it was explained quite clearly. Claire and friends were going to be celebrating her 8th birthday at Empire Theater for the debut of the movie Dolphin Tale. She described her picture: dolphins jumping out of the water, with waves and white foam, rocks, and all against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset. She wanted this in a two tiered cake.

I always take a few days to let ideas bubble up in my head. My breakthrough ideas usually come to me the minute I wake up, in the shower, or during a run. This one was during a beautiful morning run around Lake Banook.

This was my interpretation of Claire’s described sketch:

I created waves with ruffled strips of fondant in different shades of blue (some marbled), added the white foam with royal icing, the dolphins playing in the waves, topped with the hues of a sunset as the sun settles for the day. Although she didn’t mention a flower, I wanted a bit more color and it ties in with the sunset.

Happy Birthday, Claire! Thank you for your amazing creative vision.

Isn’t that an awesome tag line for a modern rock radio station? LOVE it.

Live 105 – Halifax’s modern rock station recently turned one and when my buddy Chris called and asked if I’d be interested in making a cake for this momentous occasion, it was a no brainer. I’ve been a fan of this station since inception and it’s what’s usually playing in the cake cave on any given day. However, there was a slight issue. They needed the cake in less than 20 hours.

It was a stretch. Cakes need time to cool and settle (usually overnight) – and then the design work begins. But I couldn’t say no. I love the station, the image, the brand… everything!! They gave me full creative rights as long as the logo was displayed – so I sketched a basic idea, turned up the tunes, and spent the evening in the cake cave for my very own version of Cake Challenge. I browsed their Facebook page for inspiration. Love the speaker graphics on their homepage and knew I wanted to incorporate them somehow. This became the design for the middle tier.

I also noticed that rock horns are incredibly popular in the people pictures – had to have those, too.  Here it is in progress… rice cereal treats covered in modeling chocolate.

It was a really fun piece and they displayed it “loud and proud” in the entrance of the station. Congratulations to the Live105 team on a very successful first year!

Rock On…