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





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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!!

Let's get organised y'all!!

Hey guys!!  Hope you are enjoying this glorious day we are having!  I'm in such an organising mood today, thanks to a certain messy house that desperately needs tidying up!  LOL.  No, but I have been feeling rather drained lately, so I haven't spent much time organising the house.  I wouldn't go as far as to use the word 'neglect' because the house is not too bad...I still manage to do a quick tidy up here and there, but today I have made the decision to get my A into G - no matter how I am feeling!!

Remember how I shared with you this DIY storage box I made out of my boys' nappy boxes??  Well, since then I've made two and have already found use for them - it's awesome!!  Then I wanted to get my oldest son Javaughn to tackle his legos.  I did implement a system a few months ago, using buckets, and it was a great idea for a while, until I needed the buckets for something else...

I was at Kmart a couple of weeks ago and stumbled upon these cardboard storage boxes.  You get two for the price of 75c!!!  I actually thought it was a typo, so I went to the cashier to confirm it.  I grabbed 3 sets for Javaughn, to store all his lego.  

The boxes can be stacked two-high per shelf (see pic below), which is a great way to utilise all that space.  Having uniformed boxes really adds that special touch to his bedroom - it now looks awesome!!

He only ended up needing 4 because the boxes were pretty big, so I used the other 2 for my personal storage (to keep important documents together, etc).  And to make it even more efficient, we added labels on them (that I picked up from a variety store for $2) so we can see exactly what's inside without having to open up all the boxes!  (Please excuse this next blurry shot).

To ensure the boxes were being used to their full potential, I inserted dividers for those 'not so many' pieces to live in...

I love it when I see bargains that offers practical solutions!!  <3

Since we're discussing organisation today, here are some tips for how to get organised!  Laura, from I'm an Organizing Junkie, has put together a wonderful PROCESS to help anyone who is in need of some help on how to get started.  Her site offers sooo many different organising solutions, and I'm pretty sure she has answered (or can answer) any questions you may have.  Go on and check it out!  I promise it won't disappoint!!

So, if you've been ignoring the pile of clothes that desperately needs folding, or that kitchen sink that has a mountain of pots that need washing, why don't you join me today and tackle at least ONE area that needs attention?  Be sure to really invest a reasonable amount of time on completing that task, too.  I guarantee you will feel awesome afterwards!!  And one step closer to a tidier and more organised home!!

Happy organising everyone!!

xo

Psst...I'm currently working on two cakes...here's a progress shot of one of them...

...will tell you more about this next week, so stay tuned!!

Happy 1st birthday Bailey!!

Hi guys!!  Remember how I said I was working on two cakes on the weekend?  And how I shared this one with you early this week?  And then gave you a little sneak peak here?  Well, you'll be pleased to know that today I will finally reveal the cake to you!  So, let's not beat around the bush, shall we?

One of my hubby's colleagues, David, was adamant I be the one to make his daughter Bailey's birthday cake after devouring into one of my cupcakes.  He gave me one of Bailey's most loved toys, this sweet little seahorse, and wanted me to create a cake around that.  I must say, I love it when I get full design control!  It's awesome!!

So, here it is guys!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun making it!!

Top...

 Back...

And, of course, like any piece of art, there has to be the artist's signature...

Thanks for stopping by guys!  Hope you enjoyed today's cake feature!!  Many more exciting ones to come your way, so stay tuned!!

Have an awesome Friday and a wonderful weekend!!  Blessings!!

xo

In loving memory of our Kreamie...

Hi guys!!

Sorry I have been absent.  It's been one full-on week for me, and non-cake related either...more 'life' related.  Yesterday was a very sad day for my family.  My parents' dearest furry cat friend, Kreamie, died from a tragic accident, and everyone, most especially the kids, are mourning her loss.  It was one tearful day for us all, and we bonded together at my place, then continued at my brother's place to console one another.  We will be holding a small funeral this weekend at my parents place so that the kids can say their goodbyes and have some closure, which will hopefully help them move forward.  We love you Kreamie, and will always treasure you in our memories.

On a much more lighter and sweeter note, I've decided to give you a little sneak preview of the cake I wanted to share with you yesterday.  As I am still waiting to receive a picture of the birthday girl with her cake, I thought it would be a good idea to show you something now...even if it is only the early stages of the cake...maybe you can try and work out the rest of the cake...hehe.  Enjoy!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday and see you back here tomorrow!!

xo

Once upon a time...

...there was a little girl named Jerilee who absolutely loved her fairy tales, most especially Snow White.  One day, her dear friend Pauline made a wish to a fairy cake mother to make her friend a special cake.  Then after a sparkly wave of the fairy cake mother's magic wand, there was this beautiful fairy tale book that had all the classic stories Jerilee loved and cherished as a child, and her birthday wish came true and was as magical as Tinkerbell's fairy dust!!

Good morning guys!  Hope you had a lovely weekend!  I certainly had a busy one, but loved that every minute of it was spent with my family :-)

Today I am excited to share with you a vintage fairy tale book cake I made on Saturday for a lady named Jerilee, who turned the big thirty!  I made sure this cake wasn't too young or girly.  I really wanted to represent 'classic' and chose a more neutral colour palette as opposed to the bright pinks and full on sparkles!  I did, however, add a sprinkle of 'fairy dust' on the cake, just to give it that subtle fairy-tale-feel about it whilst keeping it old school (you can't see it on the photos but up close and depending on your lighting, you can see the pretty sparkles).

So, without further ado, here's the cake!  Enjoy!!

I hope you liked today's cake feature!  I can't wait to share with you another cake I worked on (whilst working on this one) for a little girl named Bailey who turned the big ONE!!  Stay tuned!!

xo