Dummies!

No, not that kind. I mean cake dummies. Just got my first sets! Can you tell I'm excited?! I ordered them from Shape Formation and got a great deal on them, cheaper than every other site I looked at (after the shipping). I got a set of rounds and a set of squares. They're both 6", 8", 10", 12", and 14". Here's what they look like...



And just some variations of stacking...




I can't wait to use them! Central Florida Fair, here I come!

Mini Classes...Part II

Saturday morning I headed to the world famous Nicholas Lodge Gum paste Bridal & Wedding Flowers class! To say the least, I was excited! And he proved to be just what we were all hoping for and looking forward to. He was very friendly, informative, amusing...all the things a great teacher could be! And everyone's flowers turned out so beautiful! I know, I am just an exclamation whore right now, but I can't help it! Here are my flowers...not the best in the class, but I wasn't disappointed either!

Dendrobium Orchid and buds


Stephanotis and bud


Calla Lily


Rose, rose bud and leaves


Close-up of Rose


And obviously this is me with Mr. "everything-my-hands-touch-turns-beautiful" Lodge!




It really was an amazing class! If you ever have the opportunity to take one of his classes, I would definitely recommend doing so! If I ever get a chance to take another one of his classes, you'll see me jumping through hoops to get to it!

ICES Mini Classes

I had a wonderful weekend! Hope everyone else did too! I packed my bags and headed for Orlando on Thursday. Our first stop was the hospital to see my sis. Then we went to my parents house...and had some freshly made brownies. YUM!

The next morning I was on my way to the ICES Mini Classes. My first was with Susan Carberry. Here we are...

She was a fun, entertaining teacher. It was my first time trying fondant on cookies. It was so easy and fun...but I just can't imagine eating it. Here's the cookies I made:






Next up was Kathy Scott's Mini Wedding Cakes and Petit Fours class. She (along with her husband) was a lot of fun as well. I started off with the petit fours. So simple and beautiful!

After the petit fours, we were supposed to make a mini wedding cake, but by that time I had a migraine too painful to continue. So I had to stop. But I brought the mini resin cake form and the molds used in class home so I will have to try it out later on. After class, hubby and I enjoyed a pizza and a few drinks at the hotel's bar...which got rid of that headache. And then we headed over to the "Flea Market". The First Impressions table (which sold molds) was like a riotous frenzy, but I managed to get a couple molds I was after. And not to mention at WONDERFUL prices! What a day! And the following day was amazing too...but you'll have to wait for that story tomorrow!

3...Not always the best

Three is by far my favorite number (literally have obsessive-compulsive disorder with this particular number). But they say bad things come in threes, and yesterday we had a bad dose of that reality. My husband woke me up to say goodbye as he was leaving for work. He came back about 2 minutes later to tell me our cat passed away. We've had her for almost 9 years, since she was a itty bitty kitty. He buried her in our back yard and left for work. About 20 minutes later my mom called to tell me my sister was in a car accident and in the hospital. She was conscious, but in pain with two broken feet (one which needed reconstructive surgery), a shattered knee cap, and bruising. Less than two hours later, my hubby called to see if I was okay and I told him about my sister. He said, "We're not having a good day are we?" My response, "No". Then he said he had to call me back , he had another call coming in. He calls me back to tell me it was his father. His cousin had accidentally shot himself while trying to clean his new gun. He died from the shot. His story was in the news: www.pnj.com/article/20100113/NEWS01/1130332

What a morning. But I felt even worse for my sister and for the parents of his cousin. Their day must be so much worse than ours. Makes you thankful for the people in your life. Give someone you know a little extra loving today...just because!

Today's post is dedicated to Geoffrey Wayne Merritt. I only knew him for a couple of years and only met him once, but it only took that one time to see what a wonderful young man he was. He was so driven and excited about the path that he saw himself on,from ROTC to an F-18 pilot in the Navy. He had a bright future ahead of him and will be deeply missed by many people. Deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Making new friends...

So, some of my New Year resolutions were to have more "me" time, make more cakes, and get some friends (since I normally only speak to 3 people a day, my hubby and two kiddos). Well, I've found a way to do all three...at once! I am planning on joining the local cake club SAGNFL. That's the Sugar Arts Guild of North Florida, I think. Heehee! I've been looking at the club for a while, but have always been a little hesitant (ie. my anxiety attacks start setting in) when I think about meeting new people. But I'm finally going to take the step and join to knock out those 3 birds with one stone! Nervous and excited at the same time. We'll see how it goes!

Christmas Presents!

I got so many wonderful presents for Christmas! I hope everyone knows how much I appreciate them! Here are a couple things I've taken pics of:






Notice how they are all kitchen/food related. Heehee! Who ever thought I'd loved working in the kitchen? Certainly not me, until recently. Isn't the apron adorable?! A little wrinkled from the package, but still adorable. Well, I wouldn't have been able to post these pics if it weren't for my new camera!!! And since I can't take a picture of it, here's one from the website:


Now I know it's not a top-of-the-food-chain type of camera, but it's a big step in the right direction from the one we had. Plus it's the prettiest blue-gray color (which is my favorite, too bad you can't tell by looking at the pic)!

And for next time, we'll look at what my crafty hubby (you know, the manly crafty kind) made for our girls!

The Holidays Are Over...

So, Christmas and the New Year have come and gone...and no cakes have been made! It is awful...I know. But the winter "break" was a busy one. I had to finish making and buying gifts (which I still haven't finished...sorry guys!) and just enjoyed spending time with the family (families, really). So, my first pictures will not be cakes, but a couple glasses I painted for the ladies in my life! There will be more later on, seeing as how I was in such a rush to finish that I didn't even have time to take pictures of them all (with my NEW camera, BTW! Thanks hubby!!!) So, here are a couple:







I had a lot of fun painting these! And I hope the girls liked them too. My family had a great Christmas. Everyone was once again very generous in their gift-giving. I got a lot of things that I love...but I'll post about that next time.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year! Here's to an awesome 2010 (which is said twenty-ten, not two-thousand, ten). We're trying to start something here...just go with it!