Jenny Haas

strawberry shortcake

2010-04-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

my mom always makes strawberry shortcake the best. hands down. ok..so maybe it's not that complicated :)

i love this recipe because it is so simple and quick to make..and tastes so good, especially when company is over :)

shortbread:

3 cups of bisquick
1/2 sugar
1/2 milk
3tbs melted butter
mix ingredients in a bowl. then scoop spoonfuls of the mixture into a muffin pan. bake at 400 degrees for 8-9 min.

homemade whipped cream:
[once you make it you will never go back!]
i'm not sure where i got the recipe but it is modified by me

16 fl. oz. of heavy whipping cream
4-5tbs. powdered sugar
2tsp. pure vanilla extract
1tsp. vanilla bean paste or seeds of one vanilla bean [optional]

whip the heavy whipping cream in mixer [approx. 8 min] until it starts to firm up, but not so much that it has peaks.
add the powdered sugar and the pure vanilla extract. continue to whip until peaks form and the whipped cream stiffens up..but do not over beat. this will affect the texture.

top with strawberries :)

hope you enjoy!!

mini wedding cake

2010-04-03T10:20:00.001-07:00

Introducing: sweet things & apron strings!!

2010-03-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to introduce you to my newly designed creative blog! Rita from over at the coffee shop helped me out, and made this all a reality for me. I had plans at the beginning of the year to have it all updated, but things didn't really work out. I am very limited in my knowledge when it comes to web, graphic design, and honestly, don't have the time, or drive to figure it all out. That is why I am extra thankful for Rita. She originally created something for me with more of a swirled line, but i love how she ended up making it look somewhat like lace [all her idea too, can't take credit for that one!], I think it added a feminine touch to it! [I also love the pink!!]

The ideal to include a vintage apron and the word "apron" was simply because I bought out almost an entire flea market last weekend. There was a lady who had a rack full of aprons and I was in love. It's as simple as that :)

I hope you all enjoy looking through a few of my pictures for the slide show! The last few didn't make the cut..but i liked them enough to share. I will be updating this more frequently now, and have some fun things coming up! Thank you for checking it out! i am still in the process of updating a few things too :)

Oh yes...and i cannot forget to thank my good friend Jill who came up with the name!! In that area I am just not talented!

2010-02-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

some baby bottle suckers i made for a baby shower this past weekend. kind of fun.
probably should've bought a few molds though..they took forever!

first attempt at royal iciing

2010-02-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

let me just say..

these are horrific. haha.
my friend laci came over yesterday as we had planned on having a valentine bake, but due to four children being in the house [two of them babies] things didn't go so well.

i've been looking forward to trying royal icing on cookies for a while. laci made it and you can find the recipe link on her blog.
i will be perfecting them in the future..i had made two that looked really pretty and my husband ate them, so these are what i was left with..

if you want good tasting cookie over beautiful i would stick with buttercream :)

a good book

2010-02-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

after consulting a bride in the coffee area at barnes and noble, i usually try to take a second to track down a good book or two..and just hang for a while. it's not often i get a date with myself..so why not take advantage.. found this one the other day and brought it home..now i just need to read it :)

it was so nice of my mother in-law to keep the kids today so i could get some things done for the business. I got a lot of my pricing worked out for 2010 and finally got a chance to work on my website! It's amazing how much you can learn in a year. I was going back through all of my pictures and just amazed at how much i hated every single one of them. i'm ready to rock some shoots this year..i hope you are all ready to see them ;)

I have a valentine shoot scheduled for next week..pretty excited about it. how can you not post for valentines day! one of my favorite holidays...mostly because of all my memories at grandmas as a little girl..

night..

orange cupcakes

2010-01-24T19:29:00.001-08:00

yes. i have been away for a while. trying to get things squared away with my new blog-site.

i will be posting more pictures shortly and probably some recipes...got a few wedding cakes coming
up that I am really excited about as well.

these were so good! orange cake and homemade whipped cream with orange zest. i really like whipped cream
because it tastes so much lighter than buttercream. not as rich and heavy. [although I try not to make mine too rich,
no matter what it is!]
I've been trying not to bake as much because we really don't need it around the house. I did some cupcakes for
a wedding this past weekend and ended up throwing a bunch of the extra ones out. bittersweet really :)

snow ball cookies [my grandma's recipe]

2009-12-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

My grandma makes these cookies every year for christmas so I thought I'd share the recipe! They are really easy to make and they don't have egg so you can eat as much dough as your heart desires ;) [they are some of my favorites!]

Ingredients

2 cups butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup pecans

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Cream softened butter thoroughly. Slowly add sugar.
Stir in vanilla; add flour and mix well. After the dough is mixed, add the pecans and fold in with your hands.

Form cookies into small balls and place on a baking sheet
Bake for 10-12 minutes [or until golden brown on the bottom]

After the cookies are done cooling roll them in the powdered sugar

Greenlee's vintage tea party

2009-12-16T13:29:00.000-08:00

I kind of felt bad about putting my name on these images [Kristen took them!]. I had been looking forward to my friend Kristen's little girls first birthday party for a while, but it ended up working out that my sister's graduation in TN was the same weekend..so I wasn't able to go ;( I made the cake so I got to be a part of it a little bit..and I can't even tell you how anxious I was to see the pictures! Kristen and I have talked about all of the details so many times that it was exciting to see it all come together.

I was flattered to be Greenlee's personal photographer for the past year ;). It always makes me smile when I go over to their house and see the portraits I've taken of her [and her brother Ridge]hanging on the wall..but I must say I think Kristen has given me a run for my money, because she took all of these pictures and did a GREAT job!

anyhow..hope you all enjoy looking through them ;) I did!

The picture I took for her invitations...

[the cake made by Moi[me]. Lace inspired by a Martha Stewart wedding magazine..but I didn't have much time so I had to use the real stuff instead of attempting fondant lace]
ranunculus flowers from the flower man in Centerville, they resemble peonies [my FAVORITE!]

My favorite table setting! Love the flowers!

My birthday cake

2009-12-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

Me, my best friend Amanda, and good friend Phil all share birthdays close to the same day. This year Amanda and I got together to make a cake and decorate it. I always underestimate the time that will need to be put into it, even sometimes when it seems like it will be a simple task. Good thing amanda's boyfriend came along to help watch the kids, because I don't think we would've achieved anything without him! [My husband is finishing up his evening classes for the semester..so he wasn't home that day..but he's getting his MPA so it will be worth it!!]

so to explain the cake: one side was a tent and campfire to symbolize our favorite thing to do..which is camping

Phil's side was a Mac apple [I was jealous], mostly because he is Mr. brains, and a computer geek. He also got a math equation on his side[with edible marker]. Ha, and I had no clue what it meant!

Amanda's side had a tree and leaves to symbolize the outdoors and hiking. We were going to paint a scene but ran out of time.

My side[well the top because apparently I'm a cake hog ;)] was an owl..to symbolize my obsession with owls ;) although I wasn't too sure about the color I chose..[My inspiration for the owl came from a little wooden owl I bought at Michael's craft store].

I am so thankful to have good friends to share my birthday month with ;)

Our craft show booth

2009-11-15T22:30:00.000-08:00

So it has come and gone already! I have to admit I am so anxious to get everything in my house back in order! [and so is my husband!] Overall it went pretty well. Kristen sold a lot of her adorable hats and hair pieces...and me..well, mostly people said "oooo what a fabulous idea..what kind of glue did you use?" haha. Oh well. I did pretty well though, and I also passed out around 150-200 of my business cards! [sheww]

Hope you all enjoy the pictures! We were in a little corner, and I didn't really do our booth justice by my photography..I guess I had other things on my mind at the time!

and oh yeah..I guess you could say I have an apron fetish..although I am always hesitant to buy them because they make me feel fat when I wear them ;) but there was this girl there who sold her handmade aprons..and I had to get one! Isn't it great! Have no fear..I am going to meet up with her sometime and take some pictures of her goods so you can all purchase one for yourselves! I will post her info soon!
[and i'm not really sure why I decided to hold a little wood spoon..ummm yeah..like i said ;)]

[I think my cake dummy was my favorite thing! I only had a few minutes to make it though..I thought the rose turned out pretty good! I am trying to find a good lace cutter for Gi Gi's first birthday cake..she is having a vintage tea party, but i think I might just use real lace..can't wait to show that one to all of you!]

I had a lot of fun with you Kristen! Thanks so much for putting up with me this weekend ;)

CLC's craft show is finally here!

2009-11-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

[the pictures were kind of just for fun ;)]

My {hand}made cake stands

2009-10-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

I started making cakes stands a few months ago in hopes to sell them on etsy, but for now my friend Kristin and I are going to have a booth at the Christian life center craft show. I haven't had a booth for about 6 years now! I grew up going to craft shows with my mom..so it would be hard to remember a time without having something to do with one. Years ago I re-finished old chairs, and made some pillows, and ornaments. This year I'm going for something a little different ;) My friend Kristin is making some cake diapers, hair bows for little girls and hats! [Can't wait to get some for annie;)]

Anyways..I am excited about showing a few of them to you all! I will probably be posting more pictures under this post. I am hopefully going to talk Kristin into taking a few of her things so you can glance at her creativity also ;) Hopefully you all can make it out..second weekend in November! More info to come soon!

{clear glass cake plate and red base with vintage turquoise serving plate}

An affair to remember [Dreamy weenies and kickball]

2009-10-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am all about partie's with a theme. They keep things interesting and fun. Last year our fall event was hosted closer to Halloween so we had our guest dress up..this year I was going with more of a harvest theme.and it was the perfect evening for a campfire

Gold is the perfect fall color..
brownie truffles, and brownie white pumpkins on a "stick" [easy to make and yummy]
Leaves[free] you can use them anywhere and everywhere, pick out the nicest ones.. and they make the perfect accent!

Pumpkin sugar cookies, decorated with orange buttercream icing [always homemade] accented with licorice and the end of candy corn cut down in pieces to look like eyes.
I bought the yellow flowers at walmart and picked the rest of the sticks,leaves and plants on the side of the road

old tables and chairs look perfect outside! I wish I could eat outside every night..
My table cloths were old curtains that I found at goodwill [washed of course] Had I had more time I would've found something other than blue[for fall]..and something that fit a little better ;0)

ball jars and birds..all very popular in decorating right now, but I couldn't resist. The bird I found while my husband and I were scouring the thrift stores last week..I bought a big roll of twine at a hardware store for $1.29 and barely used it! It can go a long way and has endless possibilities. I wrapped the top of my vase in it also.

leaf banner= twine and leaves traced with a cookie cutter and cut out of scrapbook paper.

The theme of the night was Dreamy weenies and kickball I made menus [this one was out of brown paper from lowes that I bought in bulk for $10]

and of course candy corn is a must....

Kickball=a really good time...make sure to host your event with enough time to play. I think I forgot that the sun is starting to set a lot earlier now ;)

The beginning...

2009-10-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to change my blog up for some time now..I guess it was really just trying to think things through [and finding the time] before I did so. So this is the day folks..I am re arranging my ideas from the original. I had originally started a cake blog mostly because I wanted to keep track of my progress because I just started baking in January. My daughter turning one was a huge inspiration and I fell in head over heals with my oven and baking goods ;)

Now I am changing some things, and fall seems like the appropriate time to do so. [after all it is my favorite season so why not] My goal for this blog is to put decorating, fashion, and any other creative ideas together in one place [a callaboration of fine ideas]....for those of you interested in spending your money wisely, but getting the most for it... Growing up in a family of six children with little money at times has taught me many things..creativity was a must and my mom taught us well. Mostly I have just always loved the idea of entertaining. Family, friends..even people I don't know..you name it..I love putting things together.
I also can't get enough of fashion, and always know how to find a good deal..[which is important even when you do have money.]

I would love to gather ideas from other people..if you ready this and have an idea, or throw a party and would like me to post pictures and ideas [especially weddings..because I am obsessed] please let me know! I'd love to support your creativity as well...

Thanks for reading! Hope you all find some of this useful!

[I have quite a few things that I am really excited about coming up so stay tuned ;) and please bare with me while I find the time!]

A {fall} cake

2009-09-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make chocolate marshmallow fondant...I saw this cake as the perfect opportunity ;) My fall themed cake was for a teacher's fall birthday celebration. I only had a day's notice, so it was a busy baking day! This was a chocolate marble recipe, with chocolate buttercream icing. [my sister claims I make the best;]

I had a different idea in my head, but my fondant didn't turn out as dark brown looking as I hoped it would.

[Acorns made of fondant, leaves of gum paste]

Zoey's first birthday cake[s]

2009-09-12T17:27:00.000-07:00

Homemade marshmallow fondant..I made the bow out of extra light pink gum paste

The bottom layer was pink and I put a layer of white fondant over top and carved her name out of it

Avery Jeanne's first birthday cake

2009-08-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

This was Avery Jean's cake for her first birthday this past weekend..(might I ad that Alisha threw a great party for her;) I didn't get the best pictures...

There are a million things I could point out as far as what "went wrong" but I won't.. I will say that the bottom was supposed to be a light purple and for some reason the icing color I used turned it blue instead..just so you know it wasn't intended to be that way. I worked on this until the very last minute because I had to revise my plan. I think for carving it out I did a pretty good job. The cupcake cake pans are too expensive to buy so I had to put the knife to it. I haven't had much luck icing my cakes after carving them..but that's another story..over all I think it turned out pretty cute..

P.s. Thank you to my incredibly talented husband who rolled the big cherry (he loves to help)and made me some awesome cake boards this past week! Love you William ;)

Strawberry cupcake

2009-08-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

I am working on a cake for Avery's first birthday, and while I was google-ing something today I found strawberries! So obviously I had to try one out real quick ;) As I was making it I thought of a really cute strawberry cake I could make..if anyone's interested in a cake let me know!! I have some really good ideas in my head for a few different ones..I can't just make them and leave them sitting around our house because then we would eat them..and eating cake all of the time isn't good on the waist ;)

mini cupcakes

2009-08-27T13:37:00.001-07:00

chocolate peanut butter cookies♥

2009-08-19T14:20:00.001-07:00

Made these mostly for my husband because he LOVES peanut butter..and we are going out of town this weekend to my grandparents lake house so I thought I'd take some to share..

I knew these were good because annie had to sit in time out a few times..(sometimes she doesn't act like a big girl if she doens't get what she wants;) (like after the first one she wanted another one, and another..etc..)

I have promoted her to official taste tester..

this is what I get for trying to take pictures in our living room with my annie around..

she wouldn't let me get many pictures...

Makes 32 cookies:

better homes & gardens

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons course sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl beat together butter, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the 1/4 cup peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Beat in as much of the dry ingredients as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining dry ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon. Form chocolate dough into 32 balls about 1-1/4 inches in diameter. Set aside.

3. For peanut butter filling, in a medium mixing bowl combine powdered sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup peanut butter until smooth. Shape mixture into 32 (3/4-inch) balls.

4. On a work surface, slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Shape the chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling, completely covering the filling. Roll dough into a ball. Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and peanut butter filling balls.

5. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

6. Bake cookies in preheated oven for 8 minutes or until they're just set and surface is slightly cracked. Let cookies stand for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool.

To Store: Place in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Snicker doodle cupcakes

2009-08-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

Snicker doodle cake

1 pkg. (18.25oz) plain white cake mix
1 cup whole milk
8 Tbls. (or 1 stick) butter (melted)
1 pkg. 3.3 oz. white chocolate pudding
3 extra large eggs
1 teas. vanilla extract
2 teas. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350º and grease/flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a large mixing bowl add cake mix, milk, melted butter, pudding mix, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon. Blend with a hand mixer for 1 minute at low speed. Stop and scrape down all sides of bowl and increase mixer speed to medium for 2 more minutes. Pour batter into 9x13 pan and spread out evenly.

Bake at 350º for 30-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Frost with the following Butter Cream Frosting recipe:

Butter Cream Frosting

8 Tbls. butter (slightly softened)
3 3/4 cups confectioners` sugar
3-4 Tbls. Milk
1 teas. vanilla extract
1 teas. Cinnamon

My second wedding cake ;)

2009-08-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

so proud ;) After all the challenges I do believe it was a success..I painted all of the gumpaste roses and leaves by hand after creating them myself.. this was my first time at piping..so as you can imagine I was pretty nervous about it. The second layer of cake was supposed to have drape/curtain like things hanging from it and it turned out a complete flop. My husband so kindly ran out around midnight to get me some more fondant so we could recover it and just do it like the other layers..as intense as wedding cake making is..it is so rewarding..in the sense that I feel proud to say.."hey! I made that!" haha..

I told my husband that one day maybe I could actually make some money off a cake..since it seems every time I turn around I'm buying something else to "fix it"..maybe I need to take some classes..but sometimes I think it can help to just learn through trial and error..(it's just maybe a little more expensive that way;)

*Thank you Will for all of your help this past week, and for loving me even when I'm frustrated, and for being frustrated with me ;) I think in a weird way that's my favorite part...that you are into "this" as much as I am..(although you will probably never admit it)

<(not the most proffessional I could've looked..but it was a late night and an early morning;)

Beach cupakes

2009-07-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

Brown sugar beach themed cupcakes that I saw in a magazine..just thought they were really cute. These turned out SOOO good! I used blue vanilla icing for the waves and brown sugar for the sand. The beach balls were big mints! My husband bought me the umbrellas for them..I had looked at hobby lobby and the only ones they had were snowflake covered (not sure why) I thought it was funny that he came home with really big ones (compared to the size of the cupcakes anyways)

Brown Sugar Cake From the Southern cakes cookbook

Cake Ingredients 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup milk One 1-pound box (about 2 3/4 cups) dark brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened 5 eggs

Heat the oven to 325ºF. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan, or two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a fork to mix well. Stir the vanilla into the milk and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar in 3 batches, and then add all of the white sugar, beating well after each addition.Add half the flour and then half the milk, beating at low speed only until the flour or milk disappears into the batter. Add in the rest of the flour and then the remaining milk, in the same way.

Quickly scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 325°F for 1 hour and 10 minutes (55 to 60 minutes for loaf pans), or until the cake is nicely browned at the edges, springs back when touched lightly at the center, and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack or a folded kitchen towel for 20 to 30 minutes. Loosen the cake from the pan with a table knife and turn it out onto a wire rack or a plate to cool completely, top side up.

Homemade Peanut butter frosting

2009-07-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

First wedding cake!

2009-07-15T07:16:00.001-07:00

My first wedding cake! I had a few mishaps, but I think for my first one it turned out pretty good. This was for my beautiful sister's wedding.

MOCHA buttercream frosting

2009-07-10T10:21:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite buttercream recipes! I put it on top of a chocolate espresso cake last time, but decided maybe it was too strong of a coffee taste. (At least for me) I made a double fudge chocolate cake this time.

Mocha buttercream frosting:

* 4 oz. 62% cacao bittersweet chocolate baking bar

* 2 tsp. instant coffee granules

* 3 tablespoons milk

* 2 sticks butter, softened

* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

* 1/8 tsp salt

* 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Microwave chocolate in a small uncovered microwave safe bowl on high for 45 seconds.; stir just until melted. Cool to room temperature.

Dissolve instant coffee in milk in a small glass. Beat butter, vanilla extract and salt in a large mixing bowl for a few minutes. Beat in melted chocolate until blended. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in coffee mixture one tablespoon at a time until desired spreading consistency. (sometimes I add extra instant coffee to make the coffee taste stronger)

Burlap ribbon/chocolate cupcakes

2009-07-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

Blue flower cupcakes

2009-07-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

green worm cupcake

2009-07-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

gumpaste flowers

2009-07-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

french vanilla cupcakes

2009-06-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

Gumpaste flowers and roses. I had big dreams for these cupcakes, but they fell flat when my 15 month old kept crying and the little guy needed to eat. Made them for a going away party. I have some fun ideas for cupcakes but I will have to share when I get some more time! I really enjoyed working with the gumpaste. It was so much easier than fondant.

Kenzie's 1st birthday cakes

2009-06-24T18:37:00.001-07:00

My first attempt at buttercream stripes and writing. (wasn't really happy with how either cake turned out) I had just come home from the hospital with our son so Heather baked the cakes and helped make the icing which was a huge help.

we decided to sit the cupcake down in the round one because it was too windy. things rarely go as planned..

cherry cupcake

2009-06-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

The cupcake we made to go on top of one of Kenzie's birthday cakes. I'm not so great at icing the big cupcakes yet.

baby shower cake

2009-06-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

The cake I made for my sister's baby shower. Not quite what I had envisioned in my mind, but it came out ok. I think sometimes I am too much of a perfectionist, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. The icing I made ahead of time just incase I couldn't make the cake because there was a good chance I'd be in labor..but it ended up not working out that way, and I got to finish the cake. The icing was thinner than I would've liked, although I added more powder sugar to it, I never did get it just the right consistency. (That's why it's not as smooth as I usually try to get them) Anyways..it turned out decent. Next time I work with these kind of flowers I will make them up so that they are flexible. They didn't do what I was wanting because I made them ahead of time too, and it would've looked better if they would've been able to bend over the edges of the cake.

YELLOW roses

2009-06-07T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have been a little obsessed with the color yellow lately. Just thought I'd give some roses another try. I am making a wedding cake in August with some roses on it, so it doesn't hurt to practice making them. Hopefully I will have them down really well before then ;) Or at least the bride should hope so.

white flowers with yellow sprinkle center

2009-06-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

These are some flowers I am working on for a baby shower cake.

zane's birthday cake

2009-06-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

This is the birthday cake for my nephew's first birthday. I didn't bake it, I just decorated it with my sister in-law. We got our inspiration from his invitations and cut everything out by hand. I normally find it the easiest to work with cookie cutters, but this time it was just with the exacto knife. Thank God for exacto Knives. I cut out the border while Saba worked on the lettering and we both made the different animals. I was on my feet for a long time today working away, so it feels really nice to sit down. Now I need to go to bed ;) I think we were both pleased with the results! Hopefully everyone tomorrow at the party will be too.

graduation cake

2009-06-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

I made this cake for my sister's graduation party. It was really good. The top layer was french vanilla(because it's my mom's favorite) and chocolate on the bottom.

The icing was vanilla buttercream.

The cap was made out of black fondant. I used a small bowl of Annie's for the base and just covered it with the fondant. The tassel my mom found at a craft store, and I attached it with some wire that I had.

roses

2009-06-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

My first try at a rose. Not too bad, but can definitely use some perfecting. They are really fun to make.

second fondant cake

2009-06-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

My second fondant cake for my sister's 16th birthday party

first fondant cake

2009-06-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

This was my very first fondant cake! I took a class at a small cake store in Beavercreek this past winter. Sometimes I think it would've been a lot simpler just to have learned by watching a you tube video ;) but it was fun to get out and take a class with my good friend Jenny who also had been wanting to learn. I wouldn't mind taking more extensive classes but I haven't really found anyone yet who offers them, so for now I just learn what I can by searching the internet. Fondant is a lot of fun to work with, yet very time consuming. this lettering for this cake was done in about five minutes. I didn't have time to finish it in class so I threw the rest of it together in the morning before I took pictures of it. The actual cake was strawberry (just box cake) which since then I have begun to perfect. I will share the recipe I have for a really good strawberry cake in a future blog.

favor bags

2009-06-05T20:46:00.001-07:00

I made these favor bags for annie's party and completely forgot to hand them out! I cut the different shapes out by hand and glued on sequins and added some really cute stickers I found at hobby lobby. They were full of a popcorn mix. I was actually supposed to use kettle corn, but used butter popcorn instead, so they were somewhat a flop. The recipe consist of kettle corn, honey graham cereal, pretzels and a sprinkle of cocoa powder. I think it would've been good with some nuts too. Definitely wouldn't use the wrong kind of popcorn again..but than again no one ended up taking them with them anyways ;)

brownie flowers

2009-06-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

These were actually more complicated than they look. I have to admit that I did not end up decorating them..I was in charge of a lot for annie's party, so my sister came over to help with these. The wilton brownie tray I bought was sort of a let down though. I think if there is a next time I will probably just try cookie cutters!

annie's cake

2009-06-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is the cake annie got to dig into for her first birthday. It was chocolate with vanilla pudding in the middle. Lucky girl. The flowers were actually left over from the original idea I was going to do with her big cake..so I put them to use on her smaller cake. I love the cake stand I found for this one. I am always on the lookout for unique cake stands!

tiered birthday cake

2009-06-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

This was my daughter's birthday cake. I actually took a buttercream cake class and one fondant class to get somewhat prepared for it ;) I feel like my pictures don't do it justice, but I was so busy getting ready for the party it for some reason wasn't my top priority to get good pictures of it. I just lost track of time. the bottom layer was chocolate with chocolate buttercream icing underneath the fondant, and the top layer was french vanilla, with vanilla buttercream icing. I had the entire cake "idea" planned out way before her party, and at the last minute I changed my mind. literally the last minute. I decided to cover the top with flowers at about 7pm the night before I had to have it done...so I was up somewhat late..and my fingures were pretty sore the next morning! I feel like it was worth it though. It was all my original idea..and the other idea I had would've been a cake I had seen on someone's website. I felt a lot more creative and successful using my own ideas.

chocolate buttercream

2009-06-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

I made this cake for my mother in-laws birthday. I ventured out and added chocolate pudding in the mix this time.. and it was successful. Well at least I thought so. It was very moist, and almost tasted more like a pound cake. The icing is chocolate buttercream, my favorite! I will post some of my buttercream recipes soon.

chocolate cupcakes

2009-06-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

So I've been really bad about doing this lately...I was due to have my baby boy today, but I guess he is waiting to make his grand appearance. Saba(my sister in-law)came over tonight and we made Zane's first birthday cake. It is an honor to be a part of such an occasion ;) I just thought I'd go ahead and post pictures of the rest of my cakes so far. Keep in mind, I really haven't done to many, so some of the very first ones are a little rough. Hopefully I will get better at taking pictures of them too..It's all a work in progress. These were my first "homemade" cupcakes. By that I mean I didn't use a box cake. The attempt to make these from scratch didn't turn out so good. It has almost inspired me to use the box cake instead. I think I have discovered that adding things to the box cake is really the way to go. The icing was made out of heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar. Also a flop. I made these for our valentine's tea party this year, and although I thought they were really cute..they didn't taste as good as they looked! It's all a part of learning I guess! ;)

first cake

2009-05-18T09:11:00.001-07:00

This was my first cake. I haven't made too many so far, but I feel like I've come a long way just in the past few months. Needless to say it's not very exciting, but I did feel proud that I actually made a cake ;) icing and all. This was a wilton buttercream icing I used for my class and I didn't like it. It was basically just shortening, powdered sugar and clear vanilla extract. I have discovered other recipes since that I love and will share them with you in upcoming blogs. I wasn't a huge fan of the first class I took, or maybe it's just because out of the four I was supposed to go to, I only made it to two due to the crazy weather of January. Either way, I did learn how to bake and icing a cake. The rest has pretty much been self taught. I find you tube is tremendously helpful. And cheaper ;)

cake classes

2009-05-18T09:08:00.001-07:00

I started taking cake classes back in January, and have been thinking about making a page for a while now. It's really more for myself than anything. I really enjoyed the entire experience much more than I thought I would. Growing up my mom was "the cook" and I never really felt any inspiration to help her. The only cooking I had ever done before getting married was maybe for a boyfriend here or there. I had made one cake before I decided to take a class..and the class I took was so that I could make a cake that was at least decent for my Annie's first birthday party. I guess I figure if I have the ability to do it, why pay someone. The funny thing is I hate cake. Well, let me rephrase that. I did hate cake.. until I got pregnant with my first child. Now I pretty much eat everything and love it. Not literally love it, I don't love the fact that I need to mentally prepare myself that I can't just stop and eat a snickers bar anymore. It's almost time for me to rid the freezer and cupboards of all the junk I've been keeping around. Which was never really an issue for me before annie. Well, now that I have gone off on that trail..I will just explain my goal for this blog quickly..because there's not much of one, other than the fact that I found something I really love to do because of the challenge and sense of accomplishment after I have completed a cake. Sometimes I find it hard to sleep because I want to come up with the perfect idea. A new way to use my creativity I guess you could say. Anyways. I hope you can enjoy my post, If anyone even sees this blog ;) It will be fun for me..