Beach balls, babies, and baking!

Of course I haven't written any sooner like I thought I would! But this month yet again, has been a busy one! I had my best friends baby shower, got to fit in a mini vaca, and of course baked some cakes!

My friend, Daniela, is having a baby boy!  I had the pleasure of throwing her a baby shower!  The theme was blue, green, and alligators and of course, very pinterest inspired! The party was to be simple because there was a lot of friends and family attending and games are not Daniela's favorite so we tried to keep those to a minimum as well but, we still wanted the guests to enjoy themselves.  There are so many trends going on in the party world now a days with pinterest being one of the major influences on these trends.  So for Daniela's baby shower something's we did was asked for a book instead of a card, did a diaper raffle (because a new mom to be can never have enough diapers) and also had the very trendy candy/dessert bar!  Oh yea, and I can't forget, we had to also celebrate Daniela's heritage and include a piñata for fun!  It was a great turn out and I was glad with how it all came together!  I can't wait to meet baby Harlen!

The Pinterest inspired decor!

Dessert bar! Candy included! 

Me and my bestie! 

Table center pieces

I rarely get two days off in a row and when I do I always contemplate getting out of this heat forsaken place.  Even though I am born and raised in AZ it is not my favorite state but nothing can take me too far away from my family and friends here.  But this week I had 2 days off and the beach was calling my name.  A couple girls from work helped plan a 2 day 3 night trip to San Diego and it was just the trip I needed!  We got to ride bikes, play on the beach, eat good food, and LEARN to SURF!  I have been wanting to learn to surf ever since I fell in love with the ocean and San Diego about my freshman year of high school.  I tried it once years ago and was very unsuccessful but this time, I was determined to at least stand up once!  One of my amazing employees took us 4 girls out and was a great coach and I think each of us at least got up once if not more!  So thankful to cross yet another thing off the bucket list this year!  Surfing...Check!  It is a great experience and I suggest if you love the beach and being active to try it out!  

The clan in San Diego! 

Me and my god daughter who lives in San Diego! 

Preparing to surf!

Our surf instructor, Jesse.

 And after my trip to the beach I was VERY inspired to make a birthday cake for Mr. Ethan who is turning 2 and having a beach bash!  I made his first birthday cake last year, which was a monster!  And this year was another challenge with making the beach ball.  I was a little intimidated at first, only because it was something new.  I purchased the Wilton sports ball kit for baking cakes and it made it so easy! 

The cakes turned out perfectly round and I started out by frosting the bottom half before assembling the whole ball and then placed it on the cake assembled the rest and finished frosting it with the star technique.  (AKA: each "star" is one dot of frosting...quite time consuming and hand cramping but the effect is cool and I was happy with the outcome!)  

The beach ball turned out great and I can't wait to try other sports balls or sorts.  I also had 2 other cakes to make which didn't have fondant and the customer was going more for taste which is nice to do those simple cakes from time to time.  I did a carrot cake and a chocolate espresso cake with raspberry and white chocolate filling and they both were frosted with a homemade cream cheese frosting (which my sister finished off the leftover bag that same night...so I assume it was tasty.)  The customer loved the cakes and like I said its nice to do something simple once and a while!  

The red was prob a little too harsh with the roses but it still looked good and according to the customers tasted great!

I have a few more cakes coming up that I can't wait to share about including a Frozen cake and a shabby chic rose cake!

Until then..Stay Classy Readers!


Sincerely,
Sarah :-)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...?

Life has definitely been keeping me busy lately.  I feel that is the the beginning of each blog post but really, it is. As I have been trying not to bake too much in the 100+ degree weather I don't want to turn people down. I have had a few projects which I am happy with the turn out but not impressed with it. Of course, I am my own worst critic but it is hard to immerse  myself 100% with everything that is going on lately and I never want to give out a product that's less than 100%.  So as we enter a new month I have set some goals for myself that I think will help in my personal, financial, and social life. 

But isn't this blog about baking and creativity!? Yes so moving on..

I have been blessed to be employed at Pita Jungle Arrowhead for 6 years now! There have been ups and downs but I wouldn't trade it for anything! And mostly,  I am SO THANKFUL for the people I have met and the way they have impacted my life. So with that being said, I made a Pita Jungle happy 6 years cake using the logo . The flavor is chocolate with a graham cracker bottom and s'mores cheesecake center. (It was quite a hit! And a good treat after working a shift!)

Next was a cake for a family friend who has recently retired! I love when I'm able to have the creative freedom to do what I want for a cake.  The request was "something small, chocolate, retirement, and golf.." And this is what I came up with! The cake was my grandmas secret chocolate cake recipe which is to die for and I put a chocolate filling!  I was happy with the turn out of this cake!

It's a meee Mario! Ok so, look at this picture...

Now look at this.. I can admit I'm not perfect and Mario is in need of a facelift ASAP! I don't know what I did wrong but clearly I didn't do something right. Not to mention it wasn't easy trying to support the huge rice Krispy treat head of Mario on top of the small cake. Practice makes perfect so next time maybe a little more research before constructing. 

Last but not least.. Well ok maybe least it's not one of my favorites. Ironman cake for a boy's birthday. Again, the head is made of rice Krispy treats and there was no facial sag this time! Thank god! And yes that is a real tap light! Which was actually pretty easy to construct into the cake. The cake did have a lot of structural support in it the customer still got to enjoy it! It was cool to do something different (adding the light to the cake) and having it turn out how I wanted. 

So although my baking creativity hasn't been flowing I still crave to be creative in other ways and I have kept up painting! I tried some acrylics and using Elmer's glue to try to make a cool design. Next time I think ill use a caulk or something thst doesn't dry clear so the pencil marks don't show. But, if your looking for a fun easy project here's a fun diy art project.

What you need: 

-a canvas for painting

-Elmer's glue or caulk or white puffy paint

- a design or idea 

-pencil

-acrylic or watercolor paint 

Draw,with the pencil, a design on to a canvas that can be outlined in the glue or caulk. 

Now trace the pencil outline with the glue or caulk. 

Now is where the patience comes in, you have to let it dry. Make sure it is COMPLETELY dry! And then using your paints add in the color and don't color outside the lines this time! 

And here's the end product! Clearly, not the most intricate picture but something simple, fun, and relaxing! A good gift or decor in your house! 

As July proceeds, one of my goals is to keep up on my postings so hopefully you will hear from me sooner!  So here's to July and doing things for me! 

"When things aren't adding up in your life... Start subtracting!" (A new motto for me to live by!) 

Sincerely, 

Sarah ;)