Kayden's Sleepover Birthday Party

I spent the early part of today working on this sleepover cake for Kayden's 7th birthday. The cake is a quarter sheet, half chocolate and half vanilla. The cake was covered in Fondx Virgin White fondant. I have to say, after using Satin Ice fondant exclusively for the last few years, I had a very difficult time with the Fondx. It was much stickier and much softer than Satin Ice. It actually tore the first go round and I had to reroll it. I also had to roll it out on a dusting of powdered sugar, somthing I've never had to do before. I know there are cake decorators who swear by Fondx, but I'll pass.

All of the little girls heads and hands were made with gumpaste, including the eyes, noses and hair. I used Ballina gumpaste for the heads and noses (only because I already had it made in flesh color) and Satin Ice gumpaste for the eyes and hair.

The border on the bed ruffle and the quilt was made with an FMM Textured Lace Set that I purchased last year. I love this set. It's made of hard pastic and comes with four pieces. Three pieces are different impressions and one is the cutter that you fit into the grooves to cut out the excess fondant around the design. Even though the impression pieces are only about four inches long, they're made so you can keep moving down your strip of fondant making a continuous pattern.

FMM Sugarcraft located in the UK has some great products. So, I sent off an email across the pond to them today requesting information on establishing an account. Keep your fingers crossed...... With any luck we will be carrying some of their unique products in the very near future.

Please don't hesitate to forward pictures of some of your favorite projects along with some information on the products and tools you used. I would love to feature some of them on the blog and the website. Please send them via email as a jpeg attachment. Lets see all your hard work and creativity!

Cupcake Competition

This past April I was fortunate enough to attend a figure modeling class taught by Silvina Barboza. The class was sponsored by Diane Shavkin of The Magic Touch. Diane is best know for her gumpaste miniatures and her puffed embroidery technique. This September, Diane is hosting a cupcake competition in Beacon, NY. Beacon is about a 2 hr. ride from the Wilkes-Barre area out I84 through Matamoras, PA and just across the Hudson River.

The competition is scheduled for Saturday, September 17th at St. Joachim's School, 60 Liberty Street, Beacon NY from 9am to 5pm. Classes will begin on Friday, September 16 in McKinley Hall of the First Presbyterian Church of Beacon NY at 4:30pm. There is a great assortment of classes and the cost is very reasonable. The profits from the competition are going to the First Presbyterian Church to be used for those in need and there will be an additional fundraiser for Zoe's Foundation benefiting 6 yr. old Zoe who is the daughter of a fellow cake decorator and has a rare form of cancer. Here is a list of what is being offered and you can obtain more information at http://www.shavkin.com.
                                                   
                     

                           Buttercream Flowers; Sheila Miller                             
                           Jack-O-Lantern Cake; Kim Simons
                           Lace Painting; Betty VanNorstrand
                           Buttercream Figure Piping; Sheila Miller
                           Painting Trocan Bird; Kim Simons
                           Painting Koi; Alexandra Parker
                           Buttercream Shape Cupcakes; Sheila Miller
                           3D Color Flow; Jo Ellen Simon
                           Kids 4-6; Back to the Barn; Carolina Lara
                           Kids 7-12; The Fairy Bear; Carolina Lara
                           Pastillage Heart Box; Jo Ellen Simon
                           Gold Fish and Coral; Linda Milea

The competition on Saturday has several different catagories and you can pick which ever one you feel comfortable with or just come and browse. The tasting competition has four catagories: chocolate, fruit, vegetable and filled. You can enter one or all four. The decorative competition also has several different catagories which include buttercream, sculpted, centerpiece and tiered wedding cupcake cake. The theme for the competition is "Love in the Tropics". I can't wait to see the entries. Personally, I'm entering the tasting competition in the fruit catagory. This is my first tasting competition and so we'll be eating a lot of practice cupcakes between now and then.

The Ramada Conference Center in Fishkill, NY is offering a special rate of $99.00 per night for those of you who are interested in attending both days. The promo code to obtain the special pricing is on Diane's site.

I hope some of you will consider attending. If you've never been to a competition or taken any classes, you will have a great time. Cake decorators are the best people in the world and are always happy to share their knowledge.