Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

My Grandson Tyler, aka Bubba, turned 7 this month and requested a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Party.  This brought back so may memories of my own boys growing up in the 1980's.  They even had TMNT underwear (briefs) for little boys.  The video game did not exist, but the action figures were a really big deal then.  I seldom get to do a cake that is all my own, meaning, I have no one else to impress but me...so I had a lot of fun with this one.

Dogwood + Sugarpaste Flowers + Diana Elizabeth

Growing up in the South, I learned about flowers, bushes and trees from my Mom and Grandmother.  The Dogwood carried a mythical fascination for me, as I was taught that it's delicate petals symbolized the Crucifixion of Christ.  The pale pink indentations of the petals represented the nails in his hands and feet and the thorny center represented the crown of thorns he wore.  I was fascinated with the symbolism, touched by the story of his love and sacrifice, and as I made these delicate sugar Dogwoods, I felt as though my life had come full circle.

Diana Elizabeth came into my life at a time that I needed someone to believe in me, someone to acknowledge the passion I felt for every design, every little detail, no matter how simple and delicate.  Her camera magically finds every painstaking crack and crevice, the details that sometimes I feel only I can see.  I open her email,  and there it is....my soul seems to be exposed with each image.  Suddenly it was worth every painstaking second it took to create this perfect little flower.  All of the imperfect ones I threw away, the seemingly infinite night, and hours of work were worth this one image. A naked mini vanilla cake seemed to be the perfect temple on which to balance this delicate, symbolic bloom.  Is this description too dramatic?  Not at all, not if you are a sugar flower lover, creator, or storyteller, then you get it, the effort is not wasted...ever.

If you are a cake designer and love sugar flowers, I suggest you get yourself over to Craftsy for tutorials from some of the best cake designers and artists in the world.  Maggie Austin and I shared a long evening together via her video, as I formed each of these little beauties with her expert help.

Bling + Bows Wedding Cake

Allie and Ryan wanted and elegant, classic, vintage cake for their celebration taking place this weekend at The Breakfast Club in Cityscape.   I was excited and anxious to try out a new technique for applying the silver and pearl for the bling effect on this cake.  Bows and subtle pleating replicated Allie's dress design.  The Monogram "C" is hand painted.  The couple chose Chocolate Toffee Crunch and Red Velvet for the layers, YUM!  The tall double barrel bottom layer can be split in half and serves twice as many guests.  I personally love the look of taller tiers, a very chic look.

Rainbow Princess Castle + AZ Air Time

I had never been to Arizona Air Time, until recently, I didn't even know that indoor trampoline parks even existed.  Only in AZ, take an outdoor activity, and create an indoor space for it!  This place was loaded with kids and their very smart parents, parties, air conditioning and lounge chairs. 

This castle cake caught quite a bit of attention as I wheeled it in on a cart (too heavy to carry).  It took it's place on Marley's sweet table beside rainbow covered strawberry cake pops, and lots of rainbow colored candies and treats. 

The inside of the cake was layered rainbow colors, I didn't get a picture of the inside though, maybe Marley's Mom will send me one to post.  This cake took MANY hours to create, but it was loads of fun and I kept dreaming about all of the possibilities for design, colors, Princesses, so many different ways to design your own castle.  Can't wait to do another, maybe for Promise's birthday??

Minnie Mouse 1st Birthday Cake

Minnie Mouse posing on the top of this red velvet cake was perfect for a cute little 1st Birthday cake this past Saturday. Ii am never quite sure how to approach a fondant sculpture, but it seems that if I have a good photo or model, the rest just happens.  Not bragging, just don't really understand how it happens, as I have never considered myself "artistic".  But, no matter how it happened, I was happy with how this one turned out.  Happy Birthday to little Julia!

BABY SHOWER ALPHABET BLOCK CAKES

A baby shower for 12 guests turned into an interesting project.  What most customers don't understand is the amount of time that is involved in each single cake, no matter the size or shape.  In this case, 13 cakes.  One large and simple BABY cake, and 12 blocks spelling out BABY TEMPLE, the last name of the newborn on his way.  5"x5" Blue Velvet cakes with blueberry butter cream, and each cake meticulously paneled with fondant, then hand cut alphabet letters applied.  The specific shade of blue was requested via a paint swatch. Can you spell, SIMPLY PRETTY?   The hostess sent me this picture after the delivery to Olive& Ivy in Scottsdale.  Each guest received one of these blocks in a gorgeous little white box to take home.

"Sweet Dreams" Sweets Table

Dessert Tables are sweet, but combine a dessert table with a sweets table and you'll have exactly "what dreams are made of".  This is the second half of the styled photo shoot that I recently styled at Creekside Estates, a private venue right here in the heart of the Northwest Valley of Phoenix.  Photographed by Diana Elizabeth, the sweetest little shooter ever, and such a blessing to have as a friend. Thank you, once again for making everything I create look like a dream.

Julie, of the famed Juju's Tutus, desired a styled shoot to show of her "Brights" collection of party wear.  So, I let my imagination run wild, or rather, I let my dreams run wild.  The design involved a space that felt like a kid's dream.  Floating on the clouds with feathers all around, with nothing in sight but bright, sweet, swirls of sugar.  I have to thank my newest intern, Christine Young for all her help with this shoot, there was lots of prep work, climbing on ladders and fighting a wild breeze that day. I couldn't have done it without her!

 The gorgeous invitation and feathery labels were perfectly created by the sweetness of Amy of Page and Mason, and they complimented my design perfectly.

The chuppa, which makes an appearance at many of our weddings, was topped off  here with ruffles to match the table skirt.  Flowing white chiffon gave the illusion of floating on a cloud, the gorgeous backdrop of the castle-like house certainly helped with this fanciful illusion.

 The spectacular center piece on this table is my favorite part of the design.  A whimsical creation using over sized super psychedelic jaw breakers! All of the candies were purchased at a local candy company with a 50 year history here in Phoenix.  The candelabra is surrounded by little swirly lollipops and mallow suckers dipped in white chocolate.

Blueberries floating on clouds of meringue topped cupcakes, and little candy boxes in all the colors of the rainbow.  Sweet Dreams cookies designed by The Baked Equation were a perfect addition to the super sweet collection.

 Raspberry french macarons filled with creamy vanilla butter cream dance sweetly with Marshmallow
 filled sugar cones.

 Milkshake shots in glasses rimmed with chocolate and sprinkles are surround by rock crystal pink ropes and topped with striped grey straws and even more sprinkles.

 This design could easily transform any event into something guests would never forget.  For a wedding, this would be a showstopper.  So, I had my super talented friend Ivy, of Garage by Ivy, create a bright, sweet bridal bouquet.  It looks almost good enough to eat! 

 Instead of vases full of flowers, I used vases full of candy, layered in bright colors and topped off with bouquets of mallow cones and sugar-filled straws in neon colors.

 Little Angels of cake drizzled with icing and perched on polka dot cups.

Feather details surround the rim of the table with a border of white lace, and floating overhead in the breeze, white roses tied up like candies in tulle. Brilliant design, again by Garage by Ivy.

This was such a fun design, and such a fresh project for me.  Sweets tables are still so popular for all kinds of events, sweetness will never go out of style.
 Lets don't forget the cute little reasons that I did this shoot...Julies little angels (models) which includes my gorgeous, and sweet little grand daughter, Promise. 

 

 
 

 THE END!  so cute...

Venue: Private Residence at Creek Side Estates / Event designer, custom linens, chuppa structure and props: Angela Saban Design / Paper goods: Page and Mason / Cup Cakes,candy and dessert shots: Angel Cakes Bakery / Cookies: The Baked Equation / Florals: The Garage by Ivy /  Hair styling: Mariana Marie / Tutus: Juju’s Tutus / Jewelry: My Sassy Sister / Hair accessories: Princess Pie Boutique / Shirts, leggings and bloomers: Mak May Designs