Spring has Sprung!

From top left to bottom right: Poker cake, Bear cupcake toppers, Valentines Day cake, Snickers cupcakes, Peek-A-Boo Ducky Cake with edible blanket, Fruit pizza, Nexus cake with minerals from StarCraft, Cow skinned Horsehoe and a John Deere combine tractor.

Well, it's been an interesting few months and from what you've just seen through the pictures above, it's been a busy few months, and with spring "sprunging" (yes, that's right! I made up my own word!), it's time for me to turn my attention to my blog and starting "anew" throughout my life in general. I'm so excited to share with you a little of what I've got in store and you'll see new additions to the different parts of the blog each week- that's right, my dream is to write on here at least once a week and it's actually written on my calendar which means it should get done as long as the day goes like I want it too....when does that ever happen?!?

Anyway, back to the topic at hand- SPRING! With Easter coming this weekend, I've been focusing on spring-type designs. I'm making a family favorite for our Easter gathering this weekend- Orange Fluff Jello Salad! It's so simple to make and so delectable! Thanks to the Six Sisters at sixsistersstuff.com for sharing their mother's recipe through their blog and when searching for a family event recipe a few years back, I found their site! Check out their site for more amazing recipes, but make sure to come back and see what else I've got for ya!

For today, here's the Orange Fluff Jello Salad recipe from their blog but you can see from my picture that I've added candy eggs on top for that extra Easter-touch! I'm sure the kids will pick those off immediately then the adults can get to the good part- the salad! It's salad so it's healthy right?!?

Orange Fluff Jello Salad Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 large package Cook and Serve vanilla pudding
1 large package orange jell-o
2 cups water
1 16 oz Cool-Whip (lite or fat-free is fine)
1/2 bag mini marshmallows 

1 can pineapple tidbits (Any size, depending on your preference)

1 can mandarin oranges (Any size, depending on your preference)

2 bananas, sliced (Optional, put in before serving so they don't turn brown in the fridge)

Directions:
Mix together pudding, Jell-o, and water over medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate until mixture has thickened (about an hour). Beat until creamy. Fold in Cool Whip, marshmallows, and fruit. Chill about an hour before serving.


What does your family enjoy at holidays? Is there anything that you've found that you've become known for or ask for again and again? I'll be posting some more of my favorite recipes from other blogs over the next few weeks so make sure to check them out....the next one will be my favorite homemade granola recipe- 5 simple ingredients that everyone seems to keep on hand!

New Look, New Year!

Well, as with every year- when the new year rolls around so do the changes! I've been really contemplating what to do with this site and a total revamp seemed in order so let me know what you think of the changes! Invite your friends to check it out and let me know what you'd like to see in the coming year!

My goals for this year are to focus on each holiday or event and practice by making cakes for each one in advance so by the time it rolls around, I'll be more prepared. Of course, with life in general, if that actually happens we'll see. For the new year, I've decided to do a New Years cake and a birthday cake for my husband's uncle whose birthday is a few days into 2013. I'm still working on design and would love ideas if anyone wants to share. I'd love to get more creative than what I can search for online and thought about combining the two into a stacked cake which I don't do often. I'm afraid if I make a cake that big, that none of it will get eaten, but at least I'll have made it and practiced my skills- that's all I really want for this year.

The instructor who I've taken all of my classes from so far, is done teaching as a Wilton instructor so I'll be doing more online classes I think, but also trying to practice more which means more pictures to share with you all and plenty of cake for my hubby's work. Who wouldn't mind that?

Here's a few design ideas that I'm thinking of for New Years. First off, the birthday cake- his uncle loves playing at the casino so I'm going for something like this.....



Thanks to cakecentral.com for all of the ideas. I love their site and have posted so many things on there, and even taken a part in one of their contests. They have a whole section of just casino type cakes so take a look if you want to see all the different ideas. 


For New Years, I'm thinking a combination of two- something with a clock face on top and then wired silver, gold and white stars coming out the top and around the sides. Normally I'd go for making my own fondant, but since I'm making 2 cakes and taking other things including a taco salad in my new trifle bowl (thanks to my in-laws) I'll keep it simple probably. Again, trying to come up with ideas on my own, but we'll see what happens. Come back in the new year and keep checking back each week for posts to see what I'm up to. I've re-dedicated myself to this and hope others will as well! Looking forward to a great year!

Christmas Has Come To My House!

 

Ok, So it's been awhile since I was on here, but I've had good reason! I've been busy in the kitchen preparing for all of the Christmas hub-bub of the holidays that will be here in 5 days! Yes, I'm 5 days away from Christmas and all of my baking is pretty much done!

 

Ok, I'll admit it- this year, I've used a few mixes to help out the cause because I wanted such a variety of cookies but had a limited budget. I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to supplement my normal baking with some extra. The cookies that are special to me and the people I bake for I made from scratch though- snowball cookies for my mother-in-law, peanut butter blossoms for the hubby, and I tried a few different kinds like the cool whip cookies or jello cookies that just looked neat! Overall, I think they turned out really well- keep an eye out for those later! Boy do I love pinterest!

Along with all of this, I've been doing a few cakes but it's backed off a little for the holidays and I'm glad for it! Of course for 2013, it's starting back up again with 2 in less than the first week of the New Year- Happy Birthday Rick Eisenhour and Happy Scrapbooking to all of my buddies with a Scrappy cake. Who's Scrappy? That's for the scrappers at the winter retreat to know and you to find out! You'll have to wait....maybe we'll reveal it later!

Well, with all of that there- here's a little preview of what I'm taking to one of our Christmas gatherings for the year.....I'm pretty excited about this one! Wilton makes a cookie tree kit that is either offers premade gingerbread pieces (sorry Wilton, ewww!) or the cookie cutters but I haven't been able to find the cookie cutters set. So, I made my own! Using Wilton's 4 piece snowflake cookie cutter set, I cut each size snowflake out of sugar cookie dough 3 times and baked then stacked and decorated! I think it's so cute surrounded by cookies, decorated with candy and of course more cookies. I should have sold these to friends/family this year, but of course didn't think of it so it will go on the list of things I can sell for next year! Maybe I'll work on some Christmas cakes next week if I have a few days off from work.....I have so many ideas and no time!

Well, on that pretty note and until next time- Have a wonderful holiday!

New Digs and New Cakes!

Ok, so I know it's been more than a few weeks since I last posted and that just means you've got even more to see and read about now! We've been oh so busy, that this has gotten pushed to the back- so I apologize, but I'm here now! Since last posting, we've moved and have done everything from camping, surprise parties, birthday parties and I've started a new job, so I hope you can forgive the late post! At least I'm here now! Like I said, alot has been happening for us and it only seems to be getting started around here.

My biggest accomplishment recently has been the baking, decorating and presenting of my sister's wedding cake- it took quite a bit of time, but I'm so glad I was able to do something like that for my sister and new brother-in-law. Here's some previews of it....



The view of the cake from the front. A friend of mine made the figurines on the front of Collette and Chris. Everything is edible including the seashells and dark blue borders around the bottom of each layer. If they really wanted to, they could eat eachother since the figurines are made of fondant which is just an edible sugar!

The view of the cake as it was being finished- it didn't have the figurines yet, but I think it still looks great. Each layer is covered with cornelli lace (also called squiggles around my home) and all of the seashells are made of white chocolate. Some of the seashells are even hand and individually painted. I loved how they turned out! The sand is even edible because it's a mixture of brown and white sugars and I think it looks like real sand, as did everyone else! I think they were totally impressed and thrilled with what they got- they weren't expecting something so elaborate but if you now me,  I'm always wanting to go above and beyond.



Aside from her wedding, my nephew turned 2 so I was called on to make his cake. Well, again, above and beyond is what I go for, so instead of only one cake- he got 2! He loved the Elmo cake of all I think, but I thought the lawn mower cake was the best. I didn't find too many ideas for it, but thought the John Deere symbol turned out just like the one on my pop-pop's old tractor. I spelled it wrong, but no one seemed to notice :-)

Of course after his birthday, came his sister's and she's the princess of the family so she got a pretty princess doll cake and flowered cake on top of it. The toothy-smile on her face meant the world to me!

Princess cake- Skirt is made of cake, icing and fondant. Top of dress is fondant and icing.

Of course, there's plenty of holidays around the summer and even a few extra birthdays- for those that didn't know....Ryan turned 30 this year so of course I had to throw a surprise party for him with a bunch of family and friends! I had made a cake for his birthday beforehand so we ordered an ice-cream cake for his party as a surprise. I think that's his favorite type so maybe that's the new medium that I'll need to start working in? Now if I only had a gigantic freezer so I could decorate the cake and keep it frozen at the same time. Sounds more complicated than I would prefer because I love to spend hours on a cake...not minutes like in an ice-cream cake. We'll see- you never know what I'll come up with next.

As the close of summer, a friend of mine had to have an end of summer party for her daughter's friends so she asked for beach-themed cupcakes. Everything aside from the umbrellas is edible. Sand is made of brown sugar, teddy bears are graham crackers and the towels under them is a type of fondant. Of course the blue icing is tasty as always! The mini umbrellas just made these cupcakes even cuter than the teddy grahams!

The birthday boy holding his ice cream cake!

A small reminder of the 30 years he's been blessing and loving everyone around him! I'm so happy to be married to him- every day is a new joy and finding a new kind of love for him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, it's been a busy past few weeks and with fall rolling around, there's plenty of fall activities. I just found out yesterday that I have a new niece so there may be some cupcakes in their future. Welcome to the world, Eve Jubilee Peifer!

Have a great Labor Day weekend- here's a few pictures to send you on your way!

 Until we meet again!

American Flag Cupcake Cake!

Fireworks Cupcakes!

Uncle Sam Cupcake Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surprise! I'm back!

Wow! I just figured out the last time I posted was over 2 months ago- almost 3! Anyway, alot has been going on and I'm here to let you know that I didn't disappear off the face of the earth- I've just been so busy! Since I last posted, I've had 2 weddings within a week of eachother and one was out of the country. I've made so many cakes which I'll of course post here, but that'll be next week. We also decided to move into a house about 30 minutes away from each of our family's houses so we're slowly settling in.(Sigh of relief that the moving is over...for now!)

I've had quite a few cake orders including my first wedding cake for my sister's wedding reception here at home since she got married in Jamaica. They loved it, so I can't wait to show it to you! It was alot of hard work, but I wanted it to be spectacular and I think I did that- according to her and my new brother-in-law at least! I've also got cake and cupcake orders every weekend from now until the end of August and then it kind of stops. I'm okay with that, because I really feel like I want to work on my skills more and with so many orders, I'm still learning but I want to try out my techniques, so it'll be nice to get down to practicing again to see how much I can add to my portfolio.

This weekend I have a gender reveal party in which the inside of my cupcakes will reveal to the parents, and their families and friends, what gender of baby they're having! It'll be so exciting- I think I'll probably make a small 6" cake as well with the filling inside as the color too so they can cut into it and show it off to everyone- that and I get to decorate another cake! Next weekend, I have a Dove chocolate party at a family member's house, so I offered to make cupcakes- of course with Dove chocolates as the star! I may make whoopie pies or something too since we'll be camping that weekend with my cousin and her husband- just as a little special gift to them! After that, it's a first birthday party for another family member in which I'm making a butterfly-cupcake cake...I can't wait! I might decide to make stain-glass type butterfly cookies too as a gift for the parents after the party! After all of that, it's a surprise so come back at the end of August to see what the surprise was all about!

In amongst all of this, I've started a new health and weight loss program called Take Shape For Life and I've lost 10 pounds in between eating all the cakes above! I've got a little more to go, but if I can come this far, I can continue to lose the rest. I'm going to be a consultant for the program and will be starting to work at BWA again and for my brother-in-law, so I guess the lack of cake orders will be a good thing for a little while. Of course, the holidays arrive in only a few short months, so that will keep me busy as well!

I guess a tour of our new house is in order as well- that'll be next time! Thanks for checking in again and keep coming back- I can't wait to give all the pictures to you, but our internet is a little goofy yet from moving, so I can never guarantee if it will work enough for me to use it- hopefully it'll get fixed tomorrow! My goal is by next week to have a new post up with all sorts of pictures and all about my new organizing ideas for the new house. They'll all be posted on here as well, so keep coming back- I've probably got enough stuff to keep posting for the next 3 months!

Anyway, thanks for checking back with me, and I'll definitely see you soon!