Christmas Cupcakes

It's that time of the year again for Holiday Cakes and Cupcakes.  There are always lots of fun ideas when it comes to Christmas like stockings, Santa stuck in a chimney, rudolph, a string of Christmas lights and so many more.

 

Even more fun, a cupcake tower topped with a big ornament cake with cupcakes decorated with sugarpaste christmas lights and ornaments.   Hope you enjoyed these cupcake ideas!  Happy Holidays to everyone!

 

Winner: Tetley Tea Gift Basket

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Tetley Tea Colour Therapy Gift Basket contest.   But before I get to the winner, a sneak peek of a 1st birthday cake I did this weekend.  What a wonderful colour palette:   chocolate brown and pale blue.

Now, onto the contest.... Thank you everyone for participating in the contest via blog comments, email submissions and leaving comments on the SweetThings' facebook page.  And a big Thank you to Tetley Tea Canada for providing the wonderful gift basket.
The winner of the wonderful Tetley Tea Colour Therapy gift basket worth approx. $70 with 2 containers of each tea, a canister/teapot and 50 mood influencing gift card is.....

Congratulations to edmontonjb!  I will be sending you an email to get your address to send you this lovely gift basket.  Have a wonderful day everyone!

Louis Vuitton Purse Cake

Fashionista cakes are always very popular cake inquiries.  I love making them the exact dimensions so people think that it is actually a purse.  I did one of the most challenging patterns recently... the Louis Vuitton Monogram Multicolore Speedy 30.  It was a surprise 30th birthday cake for my client's wife.

This cake was pretty big - 11.8" x 8.3" x 7.3" (LxHxD) - about 8 layers of vanilla butter cake.  

Here is a view from the back.  I really did underestimated how many logos I needed to paint.  But finally in the wee hours of the morning when  I finished handpainting each side - it was amazing to see it all come together.

Elephant-inspired Baby Shower Cake

I posted a sneak peek of this cake on Saturday - now here it is.  A very cute elephant inspired 3-tier baby shower cake.  The top two-tiers were vanilla butter cake with vanilla swiss meringue buttercream.  The bottom tier was chocolate velvet with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream.

 

I was sent this lovely inspiration photo from the Potter Barn Baby website.  Isn't that so adorable?

 And another view of this cake.  I just loved this colour palette.  And speaking of colour, if you are from Canada, I'm running a Tetley Tea Gift Basket contest until December 19th, so enter now.

Contest: Tetley Colour Therapy Gift Basket

A sneak peak of the a cute baby shower cake that I made this weekend.  One of the things I loved about this cake was the colour palette.  I will post more on this cake on my regular Tuesday blog post.

Speaking of COLOUR.... Tetley Tea has a new line of herbal teas based on how colour influences our lives every day.  Our surroundings and colour choices can have dramatic effects on our mood and well- being.  You can discover which tea will suit your mood by visiting their website.

Even better.... Enter this contest!  Tetley Canada has provided me with this gift basket for one of my readers to win.  Available in Canada, excluding Quebec.

Win this Tetley Colour Therapy gift basket worth approx. $70 with 2 containers of each tea, a canister/teapot and 50 mood influencing gift cards.  Deadline for entry is Friday, December 17th, 2010 at midnight EST.

How to Enter

1. Visit the the Tetley Colour Therapy website and tell me what tea or colour you selected
2. Leave a comment on my blog - make sure you leave me your email address so I can get a hold of you if you win.  Or send an email to info(at)sweetthings(dot)ca if you'd prefer.
3. For an additional entry, visit the SweetThings Facebook page and leave a comment.
4. A maximum of 2 entries per person.  Available in Canada, excluding Quebec.
5. Deadline for entry is Friday, December 17th, 2010 at midnight EST.
6. One winner will be randomly selected and posted on Saturday, December 18th, 2010 at noon.  Also notified via email.  The gift basket will be shipped to you.

Good luck everyone!  Have a colourful day!

A Birthday Surprise!

A cake can celebrate so many fun occasions.  It can also be used to announce a wonderful surprise like a baby on the way or something fun like this cake...

It was a 2-tier cake to celebrate a 29th birthday...

 Oh wait.... the top tier opens up and there is something inside....

And she said "Yes!"  Here's a note that I received from the newly engaged gentlemen:

"Everything went very well lastnight and couldn't be any better.  She had absolutely no clue when she saw the cake. I presented the cake to her along with a birthday card and she thought that was it. 
After a while, she was looking at the cake, admiring how beautiful and cute the cake is and she sort of shifted the lid over and realized that it is openable.
That is when I took out the male figure as she was opening the lid. So at that point, she saw the male figure and saw the ring box in the cake and realized that I was proposing to her.  She started crying and it was a very touching moment."

Baby Shower Cake

I was asked to create a baby shower cake with only 1 request, that it would have a pair of sugar running shoes on it.  Otherwise, I had all the design freedom.  I love cakes like these and I loved how the cute running shoes turned out.

I designed the cake based on a little wagon, inspired by my nephew who loves to pile things high and pull it around the house.  I can't wait to do a similar design this weekend.

Here is a view from the top of the cake.

And another photo of the running shoes.  I don't use a template - I just search for cute shoes on the internet and try to copy them.  I'm so happy how they turned out.

Toronto Life Cupcakes (and a cake....)

I was invited to be a part of a Toronto Life online article called The City's Most Beautiful Cupcakes.  And you know how I love creating Toronto-themed cupcakes....

We were asked to submit a sampling of our cupcakes, whatever flavors we wanted and whatever design that best represents our cupcakes.  A Toronto Life magazine is the perfect inspiration for cupcakes - so I made a magazine cake and then cupcakes with handmade sugarpaste toppers to match the different sections.

From top left and clockwise:  Food,  Drink, Cupcakes (of course), Shopping, Pizza and Weddings.

 

For more photos, there is a flickr page from the writer.

Interview over at A Cake to Remember

One of things I love about blogging and twitter is all the the wonderful people that I have met.  They share their thoughts, ideas, rants and cake designs.  It is always funny and comforting to see tweets from cake decorators late on a Friday night when I am doing the same.

I visit my favorite bloggers and twitter friends often to see what they are up to.  One of those bloggers is Kara from A Cake to Remember in Richmond, VA.  She has been making beautiful custom cakes for over 15 years.  She recently interviewed me and here is the blog post if you want to learn a little more about me.

This interview made me think back to my first wedding cake project in 2006.  I dug up this photo from a class I took at George Brown College.  I remember the teacher saying that she was very happy because I went "outside the box" and designed my own cake, instead of copying one.  That was an affirming moment for me.

Bar Mitzvah: Hockey Cake

Who is lucky enough to get 10 cakes for their birthday?  This birthday boy who celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at EZone which is indoor sports and entertainment complex.

I was able to blend in his love for hockey, Pittsburgh Penguins and personalize everything it for his special day.

I loved how it all turned out and everything was completely edible.  I would say the hardest part was making 2 matching skates.

When I made carved cakes, I always bake extra cake, just in case.  So, I added in these mini-cake pucks.  Wouldn't this be a great idea for a boys birthday and everyone gets their own puck!