And I thoroughly enjoyed it..  I purposely slowed down the last few weeks and took a week off entirely to celebrate my 40th bday.  We rented a cabin outside of Asheville and spent time driving through apple orchards and exploring the area.  

But now it is time to get back to work and this week didn't disappoint.  Before I left for my birthday trip, I was introduced to an okapi.  

Next up, we have a sweet painted flamingo cake with sugar leaves and flowers.  

Here is a subtle 40 cake for a friend of mine.  Most of the inspiration cakes we came across were very bold in black with neon.  But this idea of more muted pinks and gold really hit home.  We completed the look with toppers or a Rubik's cube and a can of Aquanet!

And I could not get a great picture of this one.  The trap doors were causing some issues and ended up being cut in half so you could see Slimer better.  But I think it went well with the birthday boy's movie marathon night!

My oldest pixie turned 10 years old this month.  Double digits.  A decade of having him a part of our lives.  

We have done cakes to feature Transformers and cakes to look like a snake and a dragon.  But he decided to go very mature this year.  He wanted an indigo bunting.   A bright blue bird that I grew up seeing at the home my parents built when I was younger.  

And I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try a new shape I have been seeing pop up here and there.

This summer has been a blur of activity.  It's been full of swim lessons, hot days, and checking places off of our bakery bucket list.  We have introduced desserts like tiramisu, baklava, and the biggest cream puffs I have ever seen to our children.  

I have fallen a little short on posting cakes so here we go!  First up, is a vintage Winnie the Pooh cake with an adorable honey pot smash cake.  I was able to mold the cake and cover in buttercream.  The only portions in fondant are the "Hunny" plate and the tiny knob on top.

Next up is a "Two"tti Fruitti cake complete with all the bright colors you can find.

I also completed a different take on a Frozen cake.  This one featured a painted Anna and Olaf.  The birthday girl is obsessed with carrots and carrot cake so I added a pile of carrots on top in front of the reindeer. 

This next cake was for a gorgeous woman I know.  Her sweet husband ordered the cake and surprised her at dinner with it.

And last, but not least, we got to celebrate my adorable nephew turning one.  It was the first time we have all been able to gather for a family event since the pandemic hit so we had lots of reasons to celebrate this little man in our lives.  

Every one has that one story that immediately brings them back to being a kid.  For me, it is the Velveteen Rabbit because it was my mom's favorite growing up as well.  I had a cake this weekend inspired by Beatrix Potter.  The mom grew up loving her stories and is working on passing them down to her daughter now.  This cake was definitely inspired by a Marcia Marie cake and you can see her gorgeous work here 

Here is a closeup of the detail.

All of the characters were hand painted with food coloring and vodka.

The kids celebrated their last day of this crazy virtual school year on Thursday.  We got a parade in, some dancing, and lots of ice cream.  I'm excited for the cakes on my upcoming schedule but I am also taking fewer orders this summer in order to hang out with the kids.  It has been lots of PTA work and orders and lots of screen time for the two of mine.  We have all been in under one roof and still don't feel connected some times, you know? So I am hoping this summer will change that a little!

Here is a sweet Minnie cake for a ministry group I volunteer with.

Here is an awesome Buzz Lightyear cake wings and all.

And finally to the high school (and college) graduates who made the most of this insane year...congratulations.  

The days of my bench against the painted wall as my photo background are coming to a pass.  I ordered new surfaces and I'm hoping for a more professional look in the process.  I even ordered a ring light for the days that my house is awash in dark clouds.  Definitely felt like the "geriatric millennial" I am when I pulled that thing out of the box.  

Before all that could get set up properly though, I had this wonderful Alice in Wonderland cake.  It had everything.  Hand drawn characters (the top Alice is from the bday girl's tattoo), ombre purple buttercream, and fresh flowers.  

Next is a giant mermaid tail for a new 9 year old who was ecstatic when she saw it.  What do you think of the new background?

I also got a small Among Us cake out the door.  I love these characters.  They are so easy to recreate!

I've been battling a bad back and tons of cake.  That's a combo that just doesn't work sometimes.  Nonetheless, I have had some happy clients these last few weeks.  First cake up was for my cousin's postponed wedding/rehearsal dinner.  We wanted to combine his love of golf and their dog, Maggie, to celebrate the groom with this order.

Next up is an Animal Crossing cake!  The toys were plastic and purchased off Amazon but I made the house and tree topper to tie it all together.

I met up with my friend Kathryn at the Homemade Baker in Raleigh to get an edible print for the Rocket League logo on this next cake.  My kids fondly call this game "car soccer" and the bday boy loved it.

The final two cakes were for the same sweet family.  Both kids have a birthday in May and we went over the top this year in design.  First up is Skye.  Her days revolve around her love for her guinea pigs, Biscuit and Gizmo.  They even have a TikTok account!!  I made sure to give their edible versions bowties for the special occasion.

Their second cake was for Jacob who loves sushi, ramen, and pho.  This was my first ever anti-gravity cake and I was super thrilled with how it turned out.  

My busy season!!

These past few weeks have been crazy and will continue to do so till the end of May!  Here are just a few of the cakes I have made in the kitchen lately.  Below is a massive Minnie cake (psst...some tiers are fake to get this awe inspiring look).

Next up is a super detailed dino cake complete with the birthday boys favorite dinosaurs, the T-rex and velociraptor.

I had a request for a Prodigy cake.  No no...not the band from the 90's.  But a school math computer game that the local kids get introduced to starting in 2nd grade.  My son knew exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned the order.  This is an "infernewt".  The characters remind me a little of Pokemon in that you get to level up and evolve your creatures into different forms!

I actually got to make this last cake twice.  Two young men from the Progressive Taekwondo school recently tested and received their black belts!!  

It's officially the start of my busy season.  And what better way to start off the spring than with an adorable wild animal cake.  The mom and I combined a few cake ideas to come up with something of our own. 

And I am pretty excited by how the final cake came out.  The added billy button flowers I found at Trader Joes were my favorite part!

This shiny cake for a 2 year old used a container and a half of gold luster.  The air in the kitchen was even sparkly.  

And this cake below was so fun to make.  I have known this family for a few years now so it made it extra special.  The "piece de resistance" was definitely the topper.  I went internet searching for something different.  I saw lots of toys and action figures and let's face it. They are just tricky to stand up right most of the time.  And then I saw it.  A plastic piggy bank.  And most of the reviews were trying to do the same thing I had in mind!!  So I ordered without a second thought and consulting the client.  And we both loved the result.