Cake Decorating Class - Week 3

Week 3 of cake decorating class was all about cupcakes. I was kind of ahead of the curve on this one. At least when it comes to frosting. I have that down!

But we also got out the practice boards and learned some borders, flowers and leaves.

Shell Border with Drop Flowers

Drop Flowers with Leaves

Shaggy Mum Flower with Leaves

Next week is my final cake decorating class. I have to bring a filled and iced 8 inch cake to class with me. Then we will learn how to make some ribbon roses and some other flowers before finally making a complete cake. We were asked to pick something out of the book to recreate. I am trying to decide between these two:

 

They are actually pretty similar. I guess it will just depend on how confident I feel about my decorating skills that day. But I do have a cool new caddy to carry all my tools.

I will be sure to post photos of my final project. And now that I am about to graduate, I am ready to register for another class or two. Wilton offers two more classes - Flowers & Design and Fondant & Gum Paste. I am thinking about taking both at the same time. 

Cake Decorating Class - Week 2

As part of my 20II (yes those are I's... for me), I decided to sign up for a cake decorating. I decorate cupcakes all the time and can use a pastry bag, but I thought this would be a great way to learn how to use all the tips in my decorating kit. Also, the class teaches you how to make frosting flowers. Personally, I am not a fan of frosting, so I don't like the flowers. But I am sure it is a technique I can utilize in creations for friends (and maybe customers) in the future.

I had my second class this week and we actually go to do some decorating. The first class was just about loading a pastry bag with frosting, attaching the tip, etc. As you can imagine, I was pretty excited to get to work.

Here is what we were suppose to create:

Unfortunately, the instructor had us thin out our frosting a bit too much, so I didn't get the exact result. She also had us do a different border. Anyway, here is my finished product:

Not bad for my first try. I am excited to think of all the cool things I can do once I have better frosting to work with. Next week is all about cupcakes, which should be easy and fun. We are going to learn a filling technique and also start learning some of the flowers and border designs. I will be sure to post photos of that project too.

Breakfast At Tiffany's Cupcakes

I had the honor of making cupcakes for another friend's bridal shower. This time the theme was "Breakfast at Tiffany's" to compliment the wedding colors and story of the couple's romance in New York City. 

The first step was to figure out the bride's favorite cake and frosting combo. I really can't believe how easy this was. The bride has actually been one of my biggest supporters for starting a cupcake business. A couple weeks ago she asked me to set up an Etsy page to sell some of my creations. Then we both decided I needed a menu. So I sent an email to a couple friends asking their favorite flavor combos. Of course, the bride was the first to respond. She had a long list of flavors, but there it was at top - Red Velvet with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (my favorite). 

Ok, I had the flavors down. And as for decoration, there was no other choice. They had to look like Tiffany boxes.

The cupcakes fit in perfectly with the theme. And everyone seemed to enjoy the frosting and cake combo, especially the bride. That makes me very happy!

Up next, some baby shower cupcakes for another friend. I have some ideas for that one too. Hopefully they turn out just as cute as these.

Hello Kimmy Builds A Hello Kitty

Last night, I met up with a friend to catch up and celebrate my marathon success. We chose to do it by building a Hello Kitty at Build-A-Bear. Unfortunately, there was only one Hello Kitty left in the store. :( My friend was nice enough to let me have the honor of building her.

First, I pressed the pedal to fill her with stuffing.

Once that was done, I made a wish and gave her heart a little kiss and stuff it inside.

Then it was time for Hello Kitty to get her first bath.

And do a little shopping for a new outfit.

Finally, I registered Hello Kitty and received her birth certificate.

Isn't she pretty?

It's kind of ironic and symbolic that I waited until this year to finally build a Hello Kitty.  I am kind of in a rebuilding phase right now. I am taking stock of what and who is important and exposing myself to new and exciting opportunities, like starting a cupcake business, taking dance classes and getting out more. I am definitely learning a lot and am much stronger and happier for it. So be on the look out... Hello Kitty and I are taking 2011 by storm!

Cheesecakes, Tiaras and a Bachelorette

I skipped running over the weekend to have a little fun with the girls. We traveled to Orlando for a bachelorette party for one of my friends. The weekend kicked off with some pampering at a spa, complete with food, champagne and robes (or in my case a mobe - men's robe). I received a pedicure with OPI's The Show Must Go On as my polish. It is a really neat red with lots of sparkle. Two other ladies jazzed up their toes with the hue.

After the spa, we went to our hotel to get ready for dinner and dancing. We had so much fun in the room. We had cocktails, ate some treats and some yummy chocolate covered cherry jello shot cake. I made some tasty caramel chocolate chip cheesecakes for the bride-to-be.

After our little pre-party, we met up with the other ladies joining the party and headed to dinner at Pastamore in Universal Orlando's City Walk. The night followed with some drinks, dancing, a female stalker and a tranny. Despite the rain outside, I think everyone had a great time. 

The weekend came to a close with some outlet shopping in Orlando, where I found some wine glasses for the Disney marathon. My friend and I had planned to each grab one after the race in January, but they were all sold out. So I was delighted to find them at the outlet and half off. 

After some power shopping, we made the drive back to Tampa to watch Super Bowl XLV and get some much needed rest. Overall, it was a great little mini-vacation weekend. It was nice to get out with the girls and let loose a bit. I can't really remember the last time I did that. 2011 is turning out to be quite an adventure filled with belly dancing, cake decorating, bachelorette parties and weddings. I can't wait to see what will happen next.