2011 is off to a good start!

Wow... it's a new year with new opportunities to create some fabulous cakes, beautiful cupcakes and maybe a few cute cookies. With this new year and the suggestion from someone who has a popular blog I thought I'd give it another try. I've always been self conscious about having people read what I write so previous blogs have not gotten too far. After a post or two, I lose interest and the blog is left alone and fairly empty. Let's see how this one does :)

Where to start? How about I tell you about a wonderful opportunity I had last week? Well, after creating a couple of beautiful cupcake bouquets for a baby shower,  Bobbi-jo (the lady who requested the bouquets) showed them to Paula and Paula loved them! She loved them so much that she asked me to make one for her table that would be set up at the bridal show in Courtenay! Why does Paula have a table at a bridal show? Because she owns the fabulous party and event store "Balloons 'N' More Party Shop" here in Willow Point! I've ordered balloons from her a few times and when I've needed a last minute cake board, I've gone to her store for those too! All the times I'd been in her store I never told her what I did or any of that so it was a happy surprise when I received an e-mail from her with the bouquet request. After meeting with her it was decided that I could make a bouquet or a wedding themed cake... whatever I felt like doing was fine with her. I love creative freedom! So, I went home, told my hubby the great news and started planning what Iwould make.  While I thought about the style of cake (Paula had suggested that my topsy turvy cakes were cute) and wether or not I wanted to make a cupcake bouquet I figured I could make both... why not, right? I had time to make them both before Saturday when I'd be leaving for Vancouver to see the Flames beat the Canucks. I could deliver them friday afternoon (the bridal show was on Sunday) get a good nights sleep and head to Vancouver in the morning for a fun night away with my hubby! I was set! But then my brain started thinking... what about those wedding cookie cutters you have in the drawer? What about that great idea you have for an individual cookie box for wedding favors? Let's make some of those and see if they turn out as pretty as we think they will. That's when I decided to make a topsy turvey cake, a cupcake bouquet and some wedding themed cookies. Here's how they turned out:

In case you're thinking "why didn't she put flowers on the top?" I left the top open to show that there's room for a cake topper should it be needed. And I love that the cake board is covered with fondant to match the cake. I'm happy that this is something that I can now confidently do.

I love the colors in the cupcake bouquet. I used twice as much tissue paper as I had in the ones for the baby shower bouquets to try and make it look leafier. (I'm not sure if that's a word, but you know what I mean)I'm so happy with the results, though I will admit I get a little frustrated when a little buttercream gets on the tissue paper. I know it's gonna happen, but it's that little buttercream that leaves me feeling it's just not quite as perfect as it could be. 

COOKIES! I had a hard time deciding how to decorate both the wedding dresses and the wedding cakes so I googled both to find some inspiration. I think the top left dress is my favorite, and then the two that have a little ribbon hanging down are next on my list.

And for these ones... I like the top middle one and then the two bottom corner cakes the best. I LOVE how they look after I've luster dusted them too:) I really like shiney, sparkly things.

The first individual cookie box. I of course loved it when I first finished it, but then my hubby said "why is the bow in the middle? It's covering up the cookie!"

Point taken. So here's the next box I made. I love it even more than the first one!

And then I wrapped a few cookies in these little bags just to show that there are other options for cookie wrapping.

Okay. That's it for my first post. I can't believe how long this all took. I've been sitting in front of the computer for just over an hour now. Hopefully the next one won't take as long now that I've figured out how to add pictures and move them around.  

 Let me know what you think!

~Rachel