Teletubbies makes four

And then there were four... Teletubbies that is! I love their little dome-shaped cubby house they live in. Complete with flowers on windowsills!


If I were to live in a green dome-shaped cubby house, it'd have flowers on windowsills too. And maybe a skylight and Foxtel antenna.

This cake was taken all the way to Canberra by four friends of mine which I hope wasn't too difficult as everything was secured to the cake in some way. That's why I love fondant! The only one that had to travel separately was the purple Teletubby... I doubt he would have been able to balance on that dome in a bumpy car ride for 3 hours. He had his own first class seat in a tissue-lined cake box:


I realise this might be slightly disturbing to some kids but I had to share... the Teletubbies body parts before they were 'put together':


Almost got it together but two are still missing their heads, hehe:

It's even more disturbing when it's figurines of real people. But don't worry, I'd definitely not share those ;)

Triple dose of Dora

Here's a popular girl and her favourite monkey friend:


With matching cupcakes:


Popular because here she is again:

And again!

Lightning strikes twice

Next up, Lightning McQueen! I was extremely happy with how these worked out. The key was definitely in the carving...


Then in making a car look friendly:


If you thought they were one and the same cake, you've made my day! They are of course meant to look identical as they're the exact same cake but for two different orders, both in the same week no less. When it rains it pours Lightning!

Here is a before shot to prove it... one completed McQueen and the other before his embellishments:

Honey to the Pooh

Shame on me, it's been awhile since I've blogged! I've amassed quite a few children's cakes in recent months, so I might just do a kids blitz tonight.
First up is Winnie the Pooh and his mate Tigger enjoying some honey:


And here they are with matching cupcakes:


Too fun!

Technicalities

Ordered by a girlfriend for her boyfriend so no one was in trouble with this kinky lil number! He's a tech freak who is evidently also a hot-blooded male ;)
At the bottom of the screen are minimised windows of his favourite games. The keyboard is an actual representation of an Acer keyboard - I consulted a few different Acer laptops for the right sequencing.
I should mention the most tricky part - the standing cover (I'm sure there's a technical term for it) - it managed to stand with cake board inside, but had to be planted sturdily in a base, hence the layer of cake underneath. Very relieved cake decorator I was!

Flower power

Usually my cakes are based on a design or a theme. For this one, the message took centre stage. I used a simple decorative flower design with a little dotted detail on the side to embellish. The colour scheme flowed on from that. All flowers were individually hand-cut, some on the sides were 'standing', popping out from the cake.

Saw this and couldn't resist

I'll give anything a go. Even power tools I haven't heard of and even at short notice (I was glad I could fit this in with just 2-3 days to play with). When the customer mentioned jigsaw, the only jigsaw that came to mind was the type that kids play with that make up a nice picture. Lots of Google pix from different angles did the trick (what did people do before Google?! Btw Google over Bing any day). Just like cars, the main challenge with this was to get the shape right. Then little details added realisticness, even if I didn't know what all those little details represent in real life. I'm sure they start it or turn it up a notch or make it go bbzzzzzz or something. This one tho, is just good to eat!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Gong Xi Fa Cai to those who celebrate! Here is a touch of Chinese for my blog... even the taste had a hint of Chinese - I tried making green tea cupcakes for the first time. Still trying and getting there...!

Poker faced

I love themed parties and this one went all out. The cake was merely a small part of the occasion and it's so great to have seen the complete picture with outfits, props and decorations later on! My first poker cake and my first hexagonal cake - not sure if there is a significance with the shape? I can't even work out how to play poker (I most definitely cannot pull a poker face when I need to the most) but at least I can cake it.
I provided complimentary poker-chip-cookies coz I thought they were too cute to pass up. They ended up as a bit of an energy boost for the party planner that day!

Love Birds

When I get the chance, I always suggest some element of continuity that ties different aspects of a wedding or function together. With this one, I was asked to incorporate what I could of the invitation into the cake. The lace embroidery around the base of each layer (a bit hard to see here) is derived from the lace print on the invite and the pair of lovebirds is an exact replica. I think it gives such a lovely personal touch - it's the little things that make an occasion unique and memorable.
The figurines were customised for the couple's features and the Ducati is a dream toy of the groom (you may remember a Ducati cake awhile back... same guy!). Little trailing tin cans give it the wedding touch. Of course it all starts with a bride who is willing to be a bit adventurous with the design - thanks Michele!

The invitations were created by Katrina Lee, the 'Love And Papery' part of Love And, and gorgeous flowers were arranged by Stef Smrk-Dansey of Chic Floral Designs. Great to work with a team of gals who produce brilliant work and are so easy to work with, they made my life so much funner and the ease with which everything came together also created a positive flow-on effect for the bride!

Valentine's Day goodies

Here are some Valentine's Day treats to share with your special someones... you'll land right in the first page of the good books with these you'll probably also get to share some too. Score!
Let me know asap if you'd like to place an order, V Day is just round the corner... how did it come round so fast, feels like New Year's was just yesterday!

Horsing around in a Ferrari

It's extremely flattering to me when someone picks one of my designs and puts their own spin on it (pun intended). I love that they can see the potential to modify it to make it personally theirs. This one was given a touch of class with a Ferrari theme. The car may be too little to see but it was modelled on the birthday boy's fav Ferrari. I added the badges on the side to drive the theme home (another pun intended, heh heh).

All dolled up

I almost felt like I was 8 years old again dressing up my Barbies, except this time it's with cake and fondant. And I get to 'tailor' the outfit. So much fun deciding on dress design and working with a princess theme. We wanted to do more with her hair but it was too heavy. If I had my way I would have pouffed, pinned and sprayed. By the look on her face I think she looks mighty pleased with the outcome anyway!

By invitation only

A lil centrepiece for a bridal shower, this was based on the wedding invitation, to a tee. A different sort of task for the designing part - rather than designing from scratch, transforming a 2D graphic into a 3D cake. We kept it relatively simple using the main image for the top and continuing with the stripe border theme down the sides. But when someone's not expecting to see an edible version of their custom-designed invite, it makes quite an impact!

Guess the bag

Anyone who knows me knows this is a project that is so suited to me. The challenge of making it as realistic as possible, the little details that are so necessary to the overall look - and oh yes, it IS a handbag!

I thought the trickiest part would be all those perfectly round Gs but that went more smoothly than expected (hurray). The little details - buttons, rings, stitching, straps - the very things that make it look realistic or not, were the most time-consuming, but well worth the time spent I think.

It figures to make it personal

A really sweet and elegant cake that lets the toppers make the statement. It was only fitting then that the figurines were highly personalised, right down to the last hair spike. This wedding was held at the gorgeous Gunners Barracks with exquisite decorations that took your breath away, nevermind the view!

Hush lil babycake

Every lil bubba deserves their own pram. Here baby Zane is sleeping soundly in his custom-designed purple pram, based on the napkin above left. Cue lullaby...

(Btw the original title of this post was 'Pram slam'... tennis season... but thought that sounded a bit un-baby-friendly).

Suits the cake

Here's another idea for a birthday cake - design it in the theme of their present. However make sure you let them open their present BEFORE they see the cake!

Matching cookies in classic butter flavour lets them munch on their birthday goodies all through the week.

Sparkling hens

You might be able to guess I relished this job. Inside were a mixed bag of chocolate, vanilla and caramel. On the outside I played around with a sparkle girly theme with pink (of course) and purple in various shades which in my opinion is better than using 4 different colours altogether. The orderer for this usually gives me a good allowance for creativity and she also happens to be my most vocal BDM! I guess you could say she's a great mait!

Flowers picked for a lady

Another cake for a lovely lady, this one was done when I'd just come back from hols, so taking into account my jetlagged frame of mind, I picked this one partly because it wasn't too difficult. I actually got the inspiration for this sometime during my holiday... a little change in scenery is good fodder for the mind!