Cherry Blossom Cake

My mom and I have had this big idea to make a cake to use as a centerpiece for every day decor for quiet a while now. After finding cake dummies (Styrofoam cut to size for use in long-term "cakes") we finally got together today to put our creative juices to work!

While the actual "cake" is Styrofoam, everything else on this pretty little thing is made from fondant and topped off with non-edible bees and a ribbon. I love the way the cherry blossoms turned out, and I love my Cake Cricut! I am excited to put this on my desk at work where I can enjoy it--hopefully it will cheer things up a bit. (I would leave it at home on my table as a centerpiece, but I have one crazy dog who has a love for frosting). *Doesn't it look cute on my homemade cake plate, seen here? *

My mom's cake turned out really cute as well, and so I wanted to post it along with mine. I am in love with her cute little bird, nest and eggs--as well as the color scheme she used!

We are hoping to make a cake for each season to display, so stay tuned for more in the future!

Graduation Announcement {Erika}

Erika was a pleasure to work with and when she came to me she had ideas in mind for what she wanted her announcement to be--including this fun color scheme! Who doesn't love pink & brown with a splash of green? I love the playful & spring/summer feel of this design & I think that mood is portrayed through the colors, the photos she provided me with, and the design itself.

Erika--Thanks for the opportunity to design your announcement, and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors!

DIY: Cake Stand

There are hundreds of tutorials in the blogging world for do-it-yourself cake stands and while I don't have an exact blog, from the top of my head, that I got this from I did want to make it known that I saw it out there somewhere--probably even multiple places.

My intention for this pretty little cake stand is to make a "cake" (from a dummy) to set on it and place above my cubicle at work with the rest of my little cake/cupcake decor. It makes working a little more bearable to look up and see those pretty little things sitting on my shelf.

Best yet, this cost a total of $2.00 to make--given I had the "Yellow Meringue" colored spray paint from a previous project and have not yet bought the adhesive to seal the deal. (But really...we're looking at maybe $5.00-$6.00 by the time all is said and done). I took a trip to the dollar store and picked up a glass candlestick and a 9" glass plate--I'm sure you could use any size and I probably would've preferred mine a little smaller but this was all they had. I then spray painted those puppies and am soon to be sealing them together with an adhesive that works on glass. Viola!

25th Birthday: Zebra Cupcakes

It's no news to most people that I am INFATUATED with zebra print. I love, love, love it (and have for many years now--which has escalated into an impulsion to purchase anything that is zebra print, keeping in mind it must be within the boundaries of "classiness" as it can sometimes be rather tacky). There is just something with the contrast of black and white and the sweeping stripe design that thrills me.

In celebration of my 25th birthday I decided I was going to whip out some creativity, fondant, and cake cricut and treat myself, and some family, to some super cute zebra print cupcakes! And while it may be a tad vain, what more of a perfectly fitting cupcake could there be for me?!

I'm not gonna lie, this was a LOT of work. Between the flowers and the 18 zebra discs that I made--INDIVIDUALLY, mind you-- I easily spent 2+ hrs on just the decorations, but it was SO worth it!

I started by making coral-red 3D flowers using fondant, the cake cricut, and some fondant tools. I then used my all time favorite "finishing touches" of pearl sprinkles in the center and lustre dust on the flower petals. I then cut circles from black fondant, added stripes of white fondant (one by one by one by one), and cut a mini circle out of the disc for the flower to sit within.

Pretty darn cute don't you think?

Jessi + Trace: The Wedding Photography

Here it is! My first wedding shoot! I can't even tell you how nervous I was....a wedding isn't like family photos where if you have a "mishap" you can gather everyone together again for a re-shoot. Seriously, it was almost terrifying to think about. I am so glad to say that once I got started and into "the groove" the nervousness went away and had I SO much fun. It helps that I love weddings. REALLY REALLY love weddings....someday I hope to be able to be involved in more (not of my own of course....of other's haha). That's my dream.

Jessi & Trace's wedding day was so great (I hope the love birds can say the same!). The weather couldn't have been any more nice, and the couple any more beautiful. The ceremony was great, the luncheon tight-knit and casual, and the reception was a lot of fun--they even had decks of cards on the tables for the guests to play with as they ate their ice cream sundaes!

I want to wish the happy couple a lifetime full of the happiness they felt on their wedding day! I also want to thank them (and the bride's mother, Kim) for taking a chance on me by allowing me to photograph & be a part of their BIG day. It was a dream day for me as well! :0)

Here are just a FEW of my fave photos from the wedding.