Happy 22nd birthday to the Godfather!!

Happy Friday guys!!  Hope you've had a fantastic week!  I've been feeling so drained this week which is why you haven't been seeing much of me.  Hopefully with some good rest I'll be back with more energy ;-)  Today I have the pleasure of sharing with you a cake I did this week for my friend Kenneth.  He celebrated his 22nd birthday Mafia styles, hence the post title.  His wonderful girlfriend Chanelle requested a pretty cool cake idea, and I was more than excited to give it a go!!

Chanelle wanted a stack of cash with a single red rose on it, with blood dripping down the side.  How awesome is that!  Definitely something different, and exciting!!!!  To give this cake an even more 'pow', we decided to make the cake green inside to mimic money.  Kenneth loves red velvet, so it was an easy switch to green.  And I love how the green turned out, too.  It was more of an olive green than a vibrant one, which is truer to the colour of money.  Who would expect to cut into a cake and see green right?  That element of surprise was definitely what Chanelle was hoping for, and I thought it was a neat idea! :-)

If you know me, you know that I usually go the extra mile in everything I do.  So, I decided to make this cake do just that by personalising it and painting Kenneth on the cake!  You know the American hundred dollar bill with Benjamin Franklin?  Well, that was my inspiration, but I didn't make it exact, just got ideas from it.

So, without further ado, I present to you Kenneth's mafia birthday cake!  Enjoy!!

I know a lot of you like to see progress shots, so click after the break to see a few pics I snapped up in the process.

Sleep? What is that?

So, I was on the herald online catching up on some news and saw this very interesting article on sleep.  Or in my case lack of it.   Here's the link, it's worth the read: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10800027 .  It definitely hit me from the title "The dangers of not getting enough sleep: study" and I knew I had to read the full article.  Let me tell ya, it's scary!!  Some of the things I already knew, but this article just made it that much more real.  This is one area I need serious help in.  It's hard when I can only work on my cakes after hours (once my little cake monsters are asleep and I know my creations will be safe, hehe).  But I should find another way that's not going to compromise my health!  This is in my to-do-right-away list for sure.  We'll see how it goes!!  Today doesn't count though, because I'm still up from yesterday.  :-(  Super tired!!  Lord, please give me the strength to get this cake done soon so I can rest my eyes because I know I can't do it on my own!!  Amen!

Hope you all have a lovely day today!!  Enjoy the sun!!

xo,
Jackie

Happy 2nd birthday Kadyn!!

Good Monday everyone!  How was your weekend?  Mine was great!  Here's how it went...

SATURDAY MORNING -

Watched my boy Jubs score a try at his league game, which was awesome!  Forgot to mention last week he played an exceptional first ever game, where he earned Player of the Day!  Very proud Mum over here :-)

Side stepping

Player of the Day!

SATURDAY NOON-

Celebrated my friends' daughter's 2nd birthday straight after the game, where I had the privilege of making her birthday cake (more on that later!)

Carlyle exploring

Javier playing with the raining balls

Jubs having a blast!!

The ever-so-cute Kadyn xo

SATURDAY EVENING-

My boys Prestige won first place at the SDNZ National Dance Champs that night, meaning they will be representing NZ at the World Hip Hop Champs in Las Vegas this year (woop woop!!).  

Prestige!

SUNDAY-

Then went to church in the morning, chillaxed with my fam, played indoor netball in the afternoon, and chillaxed some more.  

Now that I gave you a glimpse of my weekend, here's the fun cake I made for Kadyn!!  She wanted all sorts of lollies on the cake, so that's what she got!  Enjoy!!  Oh, and just a warning, this cake contains excessive amounts of sugar and must only be consumed on special occasions - lol!  

Presenting Kadyn's candylicious cake!!

Lollies lollies and more lollies!! 

Rainbow magic inside!!

Can I have a tall glass of ice cold water please?  My throat hurts!!  hehe.  I actually used a lot less sugar in the cake batter just because I knew it would be sweetened by the white chocolate ganache and lollies.  

Hope you enjoyed today's cake feature!!  See you back here tomorrow for more goodies!!  

xo,

Jackie  

Rose Wedding

Wow, I am super thrilled to share with you Wedding Cake #4!!  Can you believe it?  I am truly blessed and honoured that there are people out there who trust me enough to make their cake for their special day!  I still can't believe I have now been a part of four weddings.  I look forward to many more for sure!!

This cake turned out to be quite a stunner.  It is classic and elegant and definitely captured the look Mythreyi and her fiance were going for.  Mythreyi came to me excited about her wedding cake.  She had heard from me through her friend, who happens to be Deepana's sister!  What a small world hey?  Well, Mythreyi came over to meet me one day and we discussed her ideas.  I must say, she knew exactly what she wanted and came prepared with inspirational photos.  She wanted three white tiers with pops of deep red against the white cake.  She wanted cascading roses from top to bottom.  She also wanted to personalise the cake with their initials on the top tier.  And of course, she wanted chocolate, and even requested for the middle tier to be vegetarian so that all guests were able to enjoy their cake.  Mytheri is wonderful and so organised!  It was such a pleasure to be chosen to be part of their special day!!

So, here are a few progress pictures I snapped up to share with you all.  Enjoy!

I have never made this many sugar roses in my life!!!!!!!!!  

My DIY flower hanger...aka stick!  lol

Dusting the petals to give the roses colour and depth

Wee pretty thing

More dusting and adding that pop of deep red to the bunch!

Chocolate haven!

And now, for the big unveiling...click 'Read More' to see the cake!!

Donald Duck turns 21!

Hi guys!  As you know, I haven't had the time to make regular posts since last week because I have been really busy working on two cake projects.  The first one I want to share with you this week is a special character cake I made for a 21st birthday last Friday.  His name is Lewys-D'Von, and ever since he was a little boy he has been given the Disney character Donald Duck.  I think it's awesome!  I was always the 'Tweety' in my family, so I understood the significance of this particular cake request.  His Mum (Me') rang me one morning asking if I could make this cake for her son.  She really loved the cake I made for Xanda and Noah that she knew I had to make her son's one!  First of all, it was such a blessing and honour just to be called!  So, I couldn't say no!

Here are some progress shots of the cake for you to see...

Mmm...red velvet/cream cheese and chocolate/chocolate!!

Cover that with chocolate ganache goodness...

...then top that with fondant...

...and there's your canvas ready to be decorated!!

Now I know you want to see how this cake turned out, so click on 'Read More' to find out!!

Inspiration, motivation...

I just want to let you all know that I am still here and okay...hehe.  I've just been busy with exciting projects that I haven't been able to pop in and say hello.  So, now that I have a moment, here's my HELLO! 

I hope you're all enjoying this sunshiney day!!  Gorgeous days like this definitely inspire and motivate me to be productive!  I've already done my washing, a bit of cleaning, and our dinner is already cooking in the slow cooker and let me tell ya the aroma is divine!  Now, you're probably wondering what project I'll be sharing with you today...well, sorry to say but I won't be sharing anything until tomorrow.  Today I want to share with you one thing I did that helped me get inspired and motivated when I was feeling really defeated. 

Last week I worked on two projects, and they were pretty big for one weekend.  I definitely underestimated how much work and time would be involved, which meant I had to go without sleep for over three days...not good at all!  One of the days I was feeling really defeated, my body was exhausted and my brain was slowly switching off.  I remember telling myself "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" over and over and over again.  Then I decided to get up and stop everything and just take a small break.  I looked at myself in the mirror and it was a depressing sight, hehe.  There was no inspiration evident in my reflection.  So I decided to spice things up a little with a classic/contemporary twist.  I did my hair, put on a little bit of makeup, and got changed.  What did I end up with?  Well, a more happy and inspiring me!  And honestly, I felt more energised afterwards and I was ready to get back into some serious hard work!

Have you ever experienced something like this before?  If so, what worked for you?  How did you get back on the inspiration wagon?   Do tell!

xo,

Jackie

March 2012 in a glimpse...

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter break!!  We had a lovely time just cruising with our family.  More on that tomorrow!

Now that it's April, it's definitely time for a glimpse of last month (before I forget, like February, lol).  So here we go...

CAKES
We started March with another Pixar Cars themed birthday cake for a boy named Keanu who turned 4!

Then we had our second cake of the month, my very first iPod touch cake for my hubby's niece Xanda's 18th birthday!  It even got voted top 2 favourites on Cake Central!!  Woop woop!!

We had a vintage fairy tale book birthday cake for a lady named Jerilee who celebrated her 30th birthday!

Then we ended the month with a fun seahorse birthday cake I made for a wee girl named Bailey, who turned the big ONE!

DIY
We got crafty with nappy boxes and wrapping paper to make our very cool storage box.

Then I found some pretty cool and el cheapo storage solutions for my son Javaughn's lego mayhem.

And then I shared with you a nappy cake I made (after a long rest period from making them) for my Mum's friend who was expecting a baby girl.

FAMILY TIME
We had some family bonding time at this year's Pasifika.  We got to eat island food and enjoy the different island cultures.

Always love having bubble time with my boys!  It's one of our favourite things to do at home.

Then we paid a special tribute to our dear friend Kreamie, who left us too soon.  We will always cherish you in our memories!

Still can't believe it's April already!!  I have sooo much to do in sooo little time!!  Can't wait to share with you the good things I have in store for you this month...excite!!!!

Enjoy this glorious sunny day!!

xo,

Jackie

February 2012 in a glimpse...

Wowzas!!  Talk about LATE!!  I can't believe I FORGOT to give you a glimpse of February!!  And it's now April!!  I really don't know why or how this happened...I guess February was so full on that I didn't even realised we were already in March...then Marched right into April!!  Well, let's get right into it then, before the Easter break!  :-)

We started the jam-packed month with a simple and sweet engagement cake for Deepana's friends.  Yum-oh!!

Then we travelled to Madagascar to celebrate my nephew/Godson's first birthday Safari/jungle style!  We met Tarzan and Jane, saw all sorts of animals, and had cake fit for the occasion!

We flew back to Auckland to make a small but special birthday cake for my sis-in-law Kat's Dad.

Days later, I revealed my online bakery...hehe, if only it were real...maybe one day??  We'll see...

Then the family birthdays continued, starting with...

...my nephew Tristan's BMX birthday party!

...then my twins Javier and Carlyle's 3rd Cars birthday party!

After that, we managed to squeeze in two special birthday cakes - an Alvin birthday cake for our friend Cylah who also turned three,

and a wine bottle birthday cake for my sis-in-law Kat's Grandmother who turned 80.

And last but not least, we celebrated my oldest son Javaughn's 10th birthday Quest Crew styles!  Yeahhh buddehhh!!

Now that's a wrap!

Have a wonderful Easter guys!!  Enjoy the break with your loved ones and see you back here kilos heavier (from all the chocolate eggs and hot cross buns) next week!

xo,
Jackie





...

Frangipani Wedding

Good morning everyone!  I am thrilled to share with you wedding cake #3!  A Rarotongan themed wedding cake I made last week for my friend Carissa's wedding.  When she first contacted me about this cake months ago, she didn't have a specific design in mind, but was sure she wanted to incorporate Rarotonga into it, so frangipanis were a definite must!!  I came up with different sketches for this cake, and she fell in love with the bouquet idea I had.  Here's a little sketch I did using Paint...excuse the imperfections...it was my first time to use this program and a lot harder than it looks using a mouse, hehe.  I think it turned out okay though.  The main purpose was to see what I was envisioning in my head.

I'm sure you've been waiting patiently enough with my sneak peeks yesterday and last week.  So, I think it's about time I revealed the cake to you.  Hope you enjoy this gorgeous cake as much as I loved making it!!!

The green ribbon is the only thing that's not edible on this cake.  Carissa provided me with this ribbon to tie in with her wedding motif.  I think it looked great against the different shades of green!!

I have never made this many sugar flowers in my life!!  Actually, it's my first time to make frangipanis!  Very time consuming, but so worth the final outcome!  I was sooo proud at the way each flower turned out :-)

The initial 'T' represents their surname and is made of fondant.  It's kind of hard to see the shape of the letter because of the invasion of the frangipanis, lol.  

Now, I absolutely love the angle of this next shot!  So pretty!!

Carissa loved the cupcakes idea from my girlfriend Keshia's wedding in Rarotonga last year, so I made a dozen with single frangipani flowers on each cupcake to surround the cake.  Simple yet stunning!

I hope you enjoyed today's wedding cake feature!  I haven't really done many wedding cakes, but I know this is one of many to come - can't wait!!  I have sooo many ideas I want to try!!

Have an awesome day guys!!  See you again soon!!

xo,

Jackie

Update: Carissa sent me this lovely message yesterday.  It is definitely worth sharing!!

...On behalf of myself and my husband, hehe a MASSIVE Thank-you for creating such a beautiful wedding cake for us. It was absolutely stunning and I couldn't have asked for anything more beautiful. It captured the essence of Rarotonga with the tropical frangipani theme. All our guests raved about the cake and cupcakes, not only because it was soo beautiful but also because it tasted devine !!

Once again, thank-you thank-you thank-you !!...

I'm glad you and your hubby loved your wedding cake.  Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day!!  xo

Hi 5!!

Five in the air

Let's do it together

Five to the side

Who cares about the weather?

Five on the floor

The party's on at your place

Five to the front

There's a smile on my face

Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi

Together

One, two, three, four

Hi-5!

One, two, three, four

Hi-5!

One, two, three, four

Hi-5!

Aaaaaaaaaaaah!

Five in the air

Let's do it together

HI-5! 

Gotta love that introduction, right?  Hehe.  I remember singing that song with my oldest along with the actions!  It was a lot of fun!!  :-)  Today I am excited to share such a fun cake with you guys that I made on the weekend!  It's a HI 5 cake (if you didn't get the hints already) for a little boy named Noah, who recently turned ONE!  Remember last week how I said I was working on two cakes for the weekend?  Well, this was one of them.  I must say, I had so much fun making this cake (even with my lack of sleep) because it was cheerful and had a very vibrant colour palette that oozed pure joy out of it.  Love making kids cakes!!

So, because I am still exhausted from the cakes last week, I won't babble too much longer.  With that said, here's the cake!!  Enjoy!!

And here's a collage for the details...

Well, hope you liked today's cake feature as much as I had a blast making it!!  Before I go, I will leave you with some more sneak peek for the cake I'll be sharing with you all tomorrow!!  Can't wait!!!!

Can you see where I'm going with this?  You'll have to come back tomorrow to find out if you're right!!  Have a beautiful Monday!!

xo,
Jackie

Special shout out to my brother-in-law Stan who celebrated his birthday yesterday!!  Here's a cake I quickly whipped up for him.  His favourite - chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling and peanut butter buttercream frosting!  He also likes simple cakes, so that's what he got!!  He sent me a txt last night: OM.G!  THIS CAKE IS AWSOME!!  Glad you liked it bro!!  Happy birthday again!!