Project: Hello Kitty cake

Hello kitty cake

Was asked to make this cake for a young girl's birthday.  Her name is Carla, daughter of our friends Allan and Vivian.  The dinner celebration was held last Saturday at their place, which we had to miss out on unintentionally because we had so much stuff to organize after moving in.

Through this blog post, I'd like to apologize to Carla for the not-so-nice cake.  I hope she gets to read this someday.

I know I could have done it better but I had two other cake projects due on the same day.  It was a bit short notice too, so I didn't have enough time to prepare and think through the design.  Plus the fact that we've been really busy packing and moving our things. 

Project: Chocolate hedgehog cake

This was made for my boss's eldest son.  The little boy wanted a chocolate hedgehog cake as his birthday cake.

I had no idea how to make one so I did a research.  Found this site that had a detailed step-by-step instruction.  

http://www.parsleysoup.co.uk/hedgehogcakeinstructions.php

Was unable to replicate it fully though.  I was on the verge of giving up when I couldn't get it right.  But I still tried and tried until I was satisfied at the end product.  

Project: Farm-themed cake

Farm-themed cake with tractor

Up to this time, reality hasn't set in yet...  Who would have thought that something as big as this project would be offered to me by none other than, the boss himself, the owner of Dome cafe.  Never in my wildest dreams.  But who was I to say no to this opportunity when it could only come once in a lifetime...

When he first told me about it, I fell speechless for a moment.  More than the fact that my skills are limited and basic, I still haven't got my self-confidence.  But every time a new project is given to me, my hesitations and uncertainties have to be set aside.  The mere fact that there are people out there who choose to believe in my creative ideas though they know I'm just a nobody in cake making, is just overwhelming.  In a way, it helps me be the driven, motivated, inspired person that I want to become.

Farm-themed cake with cow

For his wife, he wanted a farm-themed cake, featuring a cow and a tractor.  From what I heard, the wife recently bought a farm.  That would have been his reason for choosing such theme.  

The project's design was created by creatively putting together two different concepts.  I personally love the idea of having those tiny flowers clung on the vine as it stretched around the cake.  The tractor was still the main attraction on the cake.  Although I must say it was one of the most simple/easy hand-molded figure I've ever made.  I prefer not to comment anything about the cow... 

Doc Benjamin's Birthday (August 1)

We had been honored to be invited and be a part of the special dinner that Kumare prepared for her husband.

Doctor Benjamin Rimando is the husband of our lovely Kumare Jeraldine. He is a well-respected man of such noble profession. On the 1st day of August, he celebrated his birthday, a day after mine.

When I came to know about the dinner, I instantly thought of making him a cake. So I baked the cake that same morning and decorated it in the afternoon. Hubby didn't wanna come to the party because of his eyes, at least he allowed me to go on my own.

It was basically the same group of people who usually come together for dinners held at their place, so there was no reason to feel left out. Food was superb, definitely no question about that. I can attest to the goodness of Kumare's cooking.

When dinner was over and some of the guests have gone, we continued the fun doing the only thing that we love to do. Nothing less than cam-whoring. Seriously, how could someone resist the sight of camera, especially when presented with all those shoes? Yes, Kumare brought out, well, "just a part" of her massive shoes collection and we all went mad about them. Each pair looked so divine that I just couldn't let the moment pass without trying them on. And then the rest of the girls followed. That little part of the room suddenly turned into like some of those photo shoot studios. 

Click link for photos:  

41st Family Day (Nov 20)

A memorable day for me and hubby as this marked our last week, last Sunday in our present house. Next week, on Friday, we will start taking some of our stuff in to the new place.  It located just across the highway, next door to the Umali's.  Not very far away...

Before the set of keys were even handed to us, we made use of the front and the side of the house for our photo shoots.  We know we are not allowed to but who cares, they won't even know it *laughs*. 

Click link for photos:  http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/sherylsantos31/2011%20Family%20Days/41st%20Family%20Day/

Project: Ben 10-themed birthday cake

Another cake order due weekend. Woohoo!

Marlyn messaged me on Facebook that she wanted a cake for a 5-year old boy's birthday. She didn't specify any theme, though she mentioned that the boy likes Ben 10. Somehow, that gave me an idea of what samples I need to look for and what design to make. That night I began searching the web, bit excited to get started

Just as I was all set to go, an unexpected message coming from her changed my plans. She wanted to cancel the cake order. Apparently the mother of the boy was sick. Lucky I haven't started making the base yet so it didn't really matter. Blessing in disguise it meant I could look forward to a relaxed weekend, which I desperately missed having in the last couple of weeks because I had cakes to make. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining or something. Of course I love what I do and it gives me the eagerness to learn and improve more on my skills. But when you've got a full time job that practically occupies your whole day, you have to really make extra effort.

Didn't really expect that things was gonna get better the next day when again I got a text from her, this time telling me to push through with the cake. Okay was all I could reply, at least she advised me ahead of time. I normally require two days to complete a project; one day to make the base and the next day to cover it up. She'll get it Sunday afternoon anyway, so there was no need to rush.

Omnitrix watch

Got this from Good Sammy and thought it would be perfect for my project.  I honestly have no idea whatsoever about superhero characters nowadays.  If not for my nephews who are obviously more up-to-date than I am, I'd be totally lost.





Now, here's the photo of my accomplished project.

Started off a bit late, so I finished just right before midnight.  Good thing it wasn't as complicated as my other projects in the past.  First time to use the letter press set I got from garage sale that morning; one reason why I had the cardboard covered with fondant.  The black liquid color has always disappointed me.  It turns gray when mixed with icing sugar.  That border was supposed to be black but failed to achieve my desired color, even after I've put so much black liquid color in it.  In some way, the omnitrix topper gave it a more distinct look.

39th Family Day (November 6)

A rainy Sunday it was.  But none of us would want to miss out the chance of coming together even just to hang out. Our less photos only showed that there was not much stuff to discuss in this album. Although it still won't be complete having dinner together, sharing fun and laughs at small things, exchanging not-so-serious conversations about practically anything. Those things form part of our only time off, after an entire week of work, work, work.

Link for photos:  

38th Family Day and Bunso's Birthday (October 30)

Two in one celebration - Bunso's birthday and Family Day.  Held at our place where they invited over some of their friends to join us for merienda/dinner.  Anekh organized the setup for the karaoke so others could sing along at the lounge area.  Everybody enjoyed the food prepared by the couple Winnie and Bunso.

It was another memorable Sunday.

Click link for photos:  

Project: Pink and girly shopping bag themed cake

I've made several cakes before but none of them could equal to all the hard work and effort that I put into this project.  This had to be the most intricate design I've ever done. 

order slip

One morning (last week), Boss called me in the office to hand me this piece of paper. Before I could even comprehend what was written on it, he threw a look at me as if he was waiting for my confirmation. It was noted on the paper, but the girl wanted a shopping bag themed cake. I've completely forgotten about all my apprehensions and gave him a confident yes right away. No idea where I got that answer from but something inside me was telling me that if I choose to believe I can do it, it will happen.

I did some research on similar projects to make sure I've got sufficient details in my head.  I've already got an idea in mind but I wanted to give it a touch of my own creativity and style.  Honestly, I was so pressured to give it my best shot.  They expect a lot from me. More than anybody else, I can't afford to disappoint myself if I mess up.  And I wouldn't want my boss to feel bad about recommending me to his friend either.

mini handbag, thongs, make up set

mini sandals

Don't they look cute?  These tiny ones got me working for hours the other night.  I've never tried working with hand-molded fondant figures before but I must say, it was very challenging.  The inspiration came from various works of renowned cake masters that I've seen on the web.  Never did it occur to me that I could soon be able to come up with such delicately crafted minis.

I've always felt thwarted by my lack of techniques and knowledge but this time, I thought I might give it a go.  That decision was probably just what I needed to make me open to opportunities of learning and improvement.

When I brought the cake to work this morning, they all gasped in awe, including my boss.  They couldn't hide their appreciation at how the whole idea of the theme was nicely put together.  The simple request for a shopping bag cake has gone far beyond their expectations, they affirmed. I was like floating in the air hearing all their good comments.

Project: Funny wedding anniversary cake

The client wanted their wedding anniversary cake to have some sense of humor, something different from the typical.  Instantly, I recalled an image of a cake I once saw at a cake shop in SM Fairview during our recent holiday.  The cake was in the shape of a bed made with fondant and on top of the bed lay two hand-molded figures of a male and a female curled up under a blanket.  I thought it might be the perfect inspiration for my project.

I've never tried doing faces before; I always get the notion that it's complicated.  But, I had to force myself to try no matter how hard it may seem.  Tried as much as I could to copy every detail of each head; the distinguishing feature was their hair.  There should be no confusion on their gender *laughs*. 

As soon as they were done, I couldn't stop myself from smiling because they looked so much like "Pido-Dida".

Project: Bride and groom cookies

When Rhianna came over to pick up the cake that she ordered, she saw the photo of a bride and groom cookies on my Ipad.  It was there for a reason.  It served as a guide for the joint cake project that I just finished making before she got there.  To my surprise, she wanted me to make her 25 pairs of those cookies for her wedding day.  But before I could actually say yes, my mind seemed hesitant to confirm.  First of all, I've got two cake orders due on the same weekend.  So how am I supposed to fit all those in my schedule?  I gave her a "yes", still. 

Thursday night, had the cookies baked; cooled overnight, ready for their outfit in the morning.

Friday, started the day early to accomplish orders.

First in line, cookies.  Was all set to proceed when I felt like there was a need to check Facebook, not really knowing there was something I was about to find out.  A message notification got my attention.  When I clicked on it, it was from Rhianna.   "Hey Sheryl I don't know whether you got my MSG or not I was just going to say not to worry about those biscuits!! I've been so busy and so it's a bit late now , hope you have a good day at work xxx".

Couldn't help but smile after reading it.  Somehow I was partly anticipating she would cancel but not on the last  minute.  I believe it was neither her fault nor mine that the message didn't get to me.  To be honest, I was even happier that things turned out that way.  That meant, I could concentrate on my two other projects.

Since it was supposedly my first time to work with fondant cookies, I didn't want to let that chance just pass me by without actually trying it. So I started doing the groom in tuxedo which took me almost an hour to finish. Every detail literally required so much effort. And because they were tiny, it was hard to control my hands from shaking.

To sum it all up, I've consumed nearly two hours just dressing up those two cookies. How much time could I've spent in order to finish the remaining 24 pairs?

A joint birthday dinner (October 29)

We were invited to be part of a unique celebration of two birthdays, actually three, in one event. Manang Vering's (Jeraldine's sister-in-law) actual birthday was last weekend; her husband's birthday followed in only a few days after. Bunso was the third person to complete the trio, although he had planned to celebrate it on the same day of our family day.

Link for photos: