A Brisbane Winter's day..................

.................. is like no other winter's day- when it reaches over 30degC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously though- you would not have thought that we would get not one but almost a week of high summer temperatures at this time of year. By the time out extremely hot summer arrives, we have been slowly coaxed into it, and are seemingly ready for the long hot days of high humidity- but when it is a top of 20degC one day- and 33degC the next- it wears you out!

So despite being blindsided by this sudden spike in the temperature- I had allot on this last weekend (22nd/23rd Aug). It all started with this Very purple three teir mad hatter design for a Wedding in Kingscliffe- going from a deep purple through to a ice lilac one, with bright yellow daisies- it would be certain to be a talking point.

Colour was certainly in order for this weeks cakes. The next cake is probably my favourite for the week- just because it is some thing I have never done before- and it looked so pretty ( my picture certainly doesn't do it justice).
This colour was a lighter shade of the bridesmaids gowns ( they actually wore almost a deep sea green- so I made the colour to match the gowns- then lightened it with white.) The colour was almost a "Tiffany" blue, and with the chocolate brown flower leaf and vine detail- it looked divine!


Like I said- my photo just doesn't do it justice- it was so pretty- fingers crossed I get to see a professional image from the bride and groom themselves!

The next cake was for the Aunt of my Trainer - Marita. to counteract all of the cake it eat (LOL!)I do outdoor training and Marita took over the group at the end of last year- and is a really fabulous trainer.


I was lucky enough to be asked to make her Aunt's 70th Birthday cake. Her Aunt is a Nun, so Marita asked me if I could please make a Nun Cartoon topper- cute isn't she!

A little bit of "unusual" was on order for the next cake design.
This cake is for a couple who I use to do outdoor training- and who Marita began training with years ago (funny how people interconnect) and when Marita came to collect her Aunt's cake- Daniel came to collect his wedding cake.
Daniel and Gail were getting married out at Mt Mee and Daniel had decided to collect the cake from me the morning of the wedding. A VW Beetle theme was poignant throughout the wedding- and what better way to top the theme off by having a car "crashing" into the top of the cake. So this could be done in a Hygienic manner- I firstly carved the shape of the bonnet/wheels etc.. out of the top tier- then I iced the cake- once dry- I fixed the car into place with a bit of royal icing- Viola! a vertical car on top of the cake!


Regular readers would know that my family are very involved in my cake business, and when my mum came over to see how I was doing on the Friday- she saw the cake ready to be boxed in my cake room- did a double take and said "Is that a car in that cake???" Yes mum it is! Despite being not the "norm" it looked pretty funky indeed!


I had cakes travelling as far north as Maroochydore- South to Kingscliffe and West to Marburg on Saturday- this next cake went to Maroochydore.
A pretty two tier cake with White and purple Singapore Orchids.

The Brides Florist was kind enough to take her cake up to Maroochydore for her.
Just lovely.It wasn't all here there and everywhere on Saturday- I also went to one of my regular venues "The Marriott".

This three tier Classic design was just the picture of pretty!
I really love monochromatic cake designs- I think that their timelessness really lures me to love them.

I had a cake for Gusto da Gianni at Portside Wharf too- this cake had the invitation pattern replicated over their tiers. Pied in white then hand painted in silver- it looked just gorgeous.


I had to take a picture of it before it was painted- as I really loved it just as it was- My husband too loved it white and begged me not to paint the piping...... But the order was for the silver piping, and once finished Steve ate his words and loved the silver design too!

Why are the shots "wonky" you ask- well I am not a photographer- and I operate with a point and shoot pentax camera- and it was dusk and basically - what I think looks great on the 2" back screen- often is blurry or just almost black when I upload the image....... all in all these pics were the best of a bad bunch really.

Last but not least was the Grandest cake for the week.
Nea and Matt ( Nea's cousin is the uber Photog Toni Snell) got married out at "The Woodlands" of Marburg- in the Marquee.

When Nea and Matt came to see me- they knew exactly what they wanted- they had seen this cake done by me before, and this was THE cake for them. This four tier cake- filled with Dolce Vita roses- was almost my breaking point for the week. I so wanted this cake to be every bit perfect- not only because Toni had referred Nea and Matt to me- but especially because she did!
Don't get me wrong- I want every cake I send out to be fabulous- but when you have been commissioned to make the cake for a fellow vendors family member- the pressure is really on.
The cake inside and the icing were in the bag- but working with a fresh product can be unpredictable.
The Dolce Vita roses are just beautiful, but unfortunately they are a bit too large for this style of design. I had collected the roses the day prior and knew that I needed to extend the gap between their tiers to fit them in. This rose variety is also one that doesn't really "open" to a full soft bloom- it has a really large firm head, which means there is no "squishing" them between the layers to fit. As beautiful as they are I will be on the hunt for a variety very similar if I ever need to use this rose variety again.


Anyway- back to the awesome cake- I left this cake to the very last delivery of the day- It had fresh roses, and it was over 30degC, in a room with no aircon- so I was taking no chances. I must have looked a treat setting the cake up- my usual nerves and excitement from setting up such a big cake, coupled with the heat and getting too hot- it was all too much.
As the venue coordinator, DJ and the Event girls looked on as Steve and I assembled the cake- it came together quite well in the end. With all the self imposed pressure from this design- I almost had a "crazy cake lady" moment- but I breathed through it all and finished the cake. A fitting gorgeous design for a more beautiful couple and a stunning venue!

Each tier was swirled with a royal icing overlay- with extended gaps between the tiers, and close to 140 roses in between and on top!
I hope all of my Brides and Gooms had Fabulous weddings and enjoyed thier cake! This weekend gone has reminded me that some weekends there is close to 1000 people sampling my cakes at events across SEQ- it freaks me out- but in a good way!


Well I think that is it for last week, I hope to get the weekend just gone blooged later this week!
Thanks for reading!

Powder and Lash Parties........

Many of you may have noticed- or even used- Cherisse form Cherisse Make Up Artistry
Cherisse is a fully qualified Napoleon make up artist, and has decided to share her talents to others through her innovative "Powder and Lash" Parties! So if you are looking for something different to do for your Hen's night- your birthday- or even for a bit of fun before a big night out- this may be for you!

Each participant learns how to apply Make Up professionally- before being let loose with a full Napoleon Make Up kit to create their own special look.
Catering for groups from 6-18 ladies, it is sure to be a fun experience!




I asked Cherisse to prepare a little blurb to describe her parties:
Hen’s Night?... Girl’s Night in?...Birthday Parties? Want to try something different? Why not grab a group of your friends, crack open a bottle of champers and book a Powder and Lash Party! As you’re sipping on your champagne, enjoy learning some tips and tricks from a professional Makeup Artist whilst applying the makeup to your own face! These parties have been a big hit and are a lot of fun!

For more information, do not hesitate to contact Cherisse from Cherisse Makeup Artistry on 0415 741 905 or check out my newly updated website and send me an email www.cherissemakeupartistry.com

Powder and Lash Parties are a great way to get your group together and looking fabulous!
A party that has you pampered and looking fabulous- what more could you want!
Contact Cherisse today!

A new Wedding Website for Australia

I have recently been asked to become an advertiser on The Knot.com.au- I know how big the Knot.com was- so I was delighted to join thier site.
This morning I received this email from them :

The Knot is the #1 wedding website in the world. So with the launch of The Knot Australia in October all from both near and abroad will be looking to the site to see what makes the Australian wedding so special. And this is where you fit in. We are asking for submissions of recent weddings to feature in our Real Wedding section. We know Australian couples hold some of the most beautiful weddings, now it's time to show the world how.

Here's what to do. First choose about 20 professional photos that tell the story of your wedding day. Please keep in mind that we want to see detail images that show off your wedding style (your cake, bouquet, escort card display, bonbonnieres, etc.) with a mix of the key moments from the day. And don't forget to include a few couple shots of you and your spouse and wedding party! Then email your photos to us at realweddings@theknot.com.au in jpeg format. If your wedding is chosen to feature in The Knot Real Weddings we will be in contact with you shortly. So simple.

So if you are interested - send them an email!

here we go again.......

I had a huge day of delivering on Saturday- I mean BIG! I was delivering for 8 hours- and travelled from Redcliffe to Marburg and everywhere in between.
I capped of a huge day with dinner at my parents- only to return home late that night to find an email from the lovely Kylie Lambert of Le Cupcake.

Kylie had been the victim of another Sydney based cupcake maker stealing her images and posting them on her website ( and facebook group) as her own. Kylie wasn't the only cake decorator whose images were stolen, Mine were also included- as well as others including Planet cake.
Kylie was kind enough to alert me to this, and I lodged a DCMA form- which alerts the web host of intellectual copyright infringement. I also contacted the lady who was using my images to ask her to please remove them and to let her know the action taken.

To say this "lady" is ruthless is an understatement- she flatly refused to acknowledge that she had stolen the images. Even my watermark had been cropped off- so that they had no "cake that!" stamp in them. While the images have been removed by the web host- it is still disturbing that a fellow "Australian" would be so arrogant and inconsiderate to pass off others work as her own.
Regular blog readers will know that this is not my first instance of photo stealing- in fact my third this year!

Despite this blatant disregard for other decorators work, there is a good side to this story- Having other fabulous decorators -like Kylie- out there who can recognise your work and alert you when someone is fraudulently using your images is a godsend.

I hope all of my clients realise that although not always perfect- my cakes are mine- not someone else's image that I aspire to create/replicate- but the actual cakes I have made.
I actually found the picture of my first ever "stacked" three tier cake the other day!!!!!!! OMG- it wasn't very good at all- in fact I am quite perplexed that my family and friends continued to encourage me to make cakes. LOL!!
Anyway- for know my pictures are only on my site- and if you happen to notice someone posing my cakes as their- drop me an email- it is certainly appreciated!

Thank you Kylie for letting me know- lets hope Karma has a way of sorting this rouge cake maker out!

Crystal Couture

A few weeks ago now I received an email from Bek at "Crystal Couture" asking if I would be interested to see her wares. I often get asked if I am interested in products, but rarely reply, as many ore just not suitable and are looking for a bit of free advertising. This was not the case with Bek's fabulous Crystal cake toppers.
Bling is IN! And I know that this style of cake topper is definitely something I would want to adorn one of my cakes with!


While there are some Crystal cake toppers out there- many are from Overseas ( And Bek is right her in Brisbane) and they also only come in one or two fonts.
I invited Bek over to my home studio to take a look at her stuff and talk about what options there were. With Bek basically anything is possible- the toppers can be made to suit the needs of each couple- size, font- even the amount of "bling" can all be tailored to a clients request.

I have invited Bek to create some toppers to be displayed in my studio- and will create cake designs to match- that way my clients will be able to see the quality, size and overall beauty of these toppers.



Crystal Couture isn't just about monogram letter toppers- there is a whole range.
And if you just want csome brautiful stainless stell monogram letters without the "bling" - well thats fine too!
I have had Bek write me up a little "blurb" about her business and what she offers.
Here it is:

Crystal Couture - Swarovski Crystal Cake Toppers & Accessories

Celebrate your special day in style with our exquisite range of unique Cake Jewellery & Swarovski Crystal Cake Knife Serving Sets.

Design your own Cake Topper - Choose from a wide selection of fonts and designs embellished with Swarovski crystallized elements to match your weddings theme colours.

From single monogram toppers to triple letter toppers, anniversaries, birthdays and christenings... Crystal Couture can create the perfect blinged out cake topper and matching serving sets for all of your special celebrations!

Check out our range of Swarovski Crystal Havaianas - These Blinged Thongs are perfect for beach weddings or the Bride that wants to kick off her high heels and dance the night away!

Order online today - We post Australia Wide!

www.crystalcoutureaustralia.com.au

Totally Eclectic

If variety is the spice of life- well I led a very spicy life indeed this week!

I love that my clients choose different cake designs- and that each one is individual to its event.

The most outstanding of the designs this week would have to be Rini and Javed's explosively fun Engagement cake- that I have labeled as " Tutti Fruiti"!

This cake is an adaptation of a pink cake box design that they bought to me, changing all of the colours to suit their theme and adding hearts to make this Mad Hatter design theirs!

The cake inside was Kahlua Mudacke, Traditional Mudcake and Macadamia Mudcake- choc on choc on choc!

I also had a Surprise Birthday cake for this weekend. an adaptation of the Fantastic 50 design form my website- this cake had a gold and blue colour theme to match in with the room decorations!

Long chocolate chards encased a double stacked ganache covered Hazelnut Frangellico Mudcake!

I hope the Birthday boy enjoyed his surprise!

I was back at the "Brisbane Club" this weekend- delivering this beautiful classic three tier design. Each sugar rose was dusted with either a soft lilac or soft pink colour, and ice green leaves dotted throughout the design.

The rounded cake edges added a different element from my usual sharper edged designs. I actually had to stop and think when I was covering theses cakes- to keep the edges rounded and soft! It is weird how you get use to a technique, and when you have to go back to old ways it can be a little challenging.

Last but not least for this blog was a two tier cake with a cute cartoon family.



With a small boy climbing onto the top of the base tier, and a baby at his parents feet- it was all too cute indeed!

I had a lot of driving this weekend gone to deliver the cakes- and this week ahead is no different!

It will be head down behind up this week, Jam packed with some awesome cakes that I have been waiting to make for months!

Thanks for reading

SJ

Happy Birthday Kate!

As mentioned in the Previous post- I now have 4 family birthdays in 12 days!!!!
My fabulous Sister Kate celebrated her 31st Birthday this week.
To be honest- we are all sick of my cake, while it does taste great- when you eat it week in week out, you crave something different!
Masterchef set our mouths watering when Adrian Zumbo created the devilish 7 layer Mousse cake for the contestants to recreate- since then, it has been Kate's request to have this cake as her birthday cake. I wasn't able to make Kate's 30th Cake as she was in the UK- so I thought I would give this a crack for her. Not exactly to the recipe ( I had to use what I had on hand- As I was busy with "real" orders- but I made a mousse cake for her- in my own way.
I made the Salted caramel and the Sabayon chocolate mousse, the sable base layer- and added a layer of caramelised pears and a thin layer of mocha fudge cake- all wrapped up in a white chocolate collar, with a chocolate plaque and fresh strawberries to finish.
With only a few hours to make the cake ( and no I don't own a blast freezer to enable me to complete it in 3 hours like on the show- let alone have someone pre weigh the ingredients for me too ;)) phone calls to answer, and in general a business to run- I ended up with the cake above.

My Dad thought it Apt to call me Poh- seeing as I had changed the recipe to suit my needs- such a dad thing to say- at least he thought it was hilarious.
Anyway- with a dozen of us to celebrate Kate's birthday dinner- only 1/2 cake was eaten. It is super rich- more than a litre of cream and 250g butter, as well as an enormous amount of sugar and chocolate go into this cake.

All 12 of us Squeezed into Kate's 4 room 1880's cottage. Kate cooked an awesome dinner for us all too!



the cake was layered- vanilla sable- mocha fudge cake caramelized pears, salted caramel, double batch chocolate sabayon mousse with salted caramel on top, and a white chocolate collar around the sides. No time for macaroons or decor sponge- sorry Kate!

I am not normally a caramel fan- but I seriously could have eaten the entire pot of this salted caramel! Just delicious!

Happy Birthday Kate- I hope you are still enjoying your cake!

Weddings, Babies and more!

Well this past week has been a full one for sure- I wasn't barely over my baby sisters 21st- when I was back into the swing of wedding cakes.
My favourite cake for the week had me running across Brisbane to get the images printed. My local wholesaler's edible image printer is not up to scratch when it comes to black images- so I headed to Seventeen Mile Rocks to get this one done.
The band of edible image was print of the wedding stationary.


The top tier featured and enlarged cut out of part of the invite pattern too.
The room was themed so well- Black table cloths- with black chair covers and red sashes- the cake table was clothed White- I wish it had have been black too- it would have looked so striking!

The next wedding cake was taken down to hope Island Resort.
With a gold and Ivory theme- this cake looked the part.


The "Round Square Round" combination is not a very requested one- but adds another element to the design.

the last cake- I am afraid to say- I do not have a decent picture of. I am not a photographer- so taking images at dusk without a flash doesn't seem to work.
The couple had a cartoon bride and groom on top- With this popular wedding gown style proving really difficult to replicate.


Pinched fabric forming a big puffy princess skirt is Very Hard to make from soft delicate sugar! Practise makes perfect-and I have a few Brides coming up with similar gowns!

I headed to the Ekka last week- to check out the cakes- no luck for me- maybe next year, but there was some fabulous ones there! There is always kooky people at the show- and this very well trained dog was no exception. He pranced around on command from his owner- with a toy jockey/doll strapped to him. Check out his out fit- the glasses bandana and all!

Last but not least- This Tuesday afternoon (11/08/09) Despite meeting with 6 couples- I was a tad distracted by the fact that my Brother and Law and His Wife - just welcomed our newest niece into the world! Imogen Rose Wicks weighed in at a healthy 7lb 9oz. She is as cute as a button! A gorgeous baby sister for our first niece Scarlett.


So now I have August all tied up with Family birthdays 1st, 2nd 11th and 12th!

Who is on the 12th????? Check out my next post for more info!

21 Years Ago........

......My sister Kate and I got to have the day off from school- while we waited at the hospital for Mum to give birth to Alex! It was a LONG day for a 11yr old and a 9 year old. We had our Nanna to look after us in the waiting room, and buy us packets of chocolate biscuits off the tea trolley ;) We waited ALL DAY- until Alexandra Judith Margaret was born at 3.33pm! We Loved her so much- and still do!

So after reminiscing about how it only feels like yesterday that we had our 21st birthdays- it was time for us to prepare for Alex's.
My sister Kate is the master of poetic speeches, she has a knack for being witty and heartfelt all rolled into one- but we went a different angle for our speech to Alex- we went Gen Y! Having been born into a generation who has not known life without modern technology- we decided to make a "speech" for Alex that she and her peers would understand. Kate created a series of quirky "text" messages to be read out, and I created a movie montage. After spending more than 20 hours creating a video that ran for under 6 minutes- I have a new appreciation for movie makers- and the money they cost to make.

All timed to music- I scanned in old photos, and created tittle and credit effects, but I am not thinking of switching careers just yet.

Being the family chef- I also took on the challenge of the food. I had Alex come and help me prepare the canapes, I taught Kate to make Sushi, Mum ran around for all the bits and pieces, while dad erected the Marquee's and got the yard just right! So all in all it was a family effort.



The Theme for the party was Black White and Bling! (Yes we made the invites too!)
The invites were double sided personalised printed Gloss invites- they looked the part!

I knew from the start what "I" wanted for the cake- it was just convincing Alex that her opinion counted that was the hard part. The cake design had been drawn up for months, I was excited by how it was going to look- and so glad when it all came together!!!!

I always warn my clients that while black icing looks very impressive- it really isn't practical- your teeth and tongue go a blue black colour, which is mighty attractive to say the least! Seeing as though Alex was only entertaining around 100 of her closest family and friends- I decided it OK to taint their mouths all in the name of design!
The cake was a three tier cake- each tier double stacked, with a black iced base tier, surrounded by icing pearls and a pearl finish hand cut "A" (thanks Mum!!). The "A" was Alex's own design- and god help us if she is ever a Bride- as she got a bit demanding when mum was cutting it out! LOL!!Alex Painting her "A" pearl

The Middle tier was my favourite part of the cake- wholly encrusted with 2-6mm cachous- it was the "Bling"! I knew how I thought I would do it- and IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was stoked!

The Top tier was iced white and painted pearl (thanks again mum;)) - well I was busy with paying clients too! with a black sugar bow at the base, and a sugar silver 21 on top- with hand rolled icing pearls just sitting randomly on the top!
Alex was keen to have a cartoon person too- but to me the cake just didn't need it.
Inside was a different flavour in each tier- the Base- Dark chocolate Hazelnut Mud with Frangellico- The mid tier Marble with Grand Marnier- the top tier Kahlua White Chocolate. Each tier was carved, then sandwiched with white chocolate ganache, before being iced in a thin coat of plastic icing.

The Cake weighed a tonne- and despite probably knowing better- I put it together and transported it as one! It arrived safe, so all was well.

The cake, and Savoury food wasn't all for Alex's big night- I also (with a huge Thanks to Karen at Bliss Floral for the loan of Vases) made a Lolly buffet for the party!!!! I love lolly buffets- and everyone was so excited by it- the Child inside all of us wanted to dive right in and pack a bag of goodies to take home. Choosing Black and White lollies to keep in the theme was hard. I hate Liquorice! We did have liquorice on the buffet- but I avoided having too much aniseed flavour. I made Melting moments,cupcakes and white chocolate rocky road- then we had chico babies, bullets, kool mints, sweet popcorn, fizzy chews, Jelly beans and more! Buy the end of the night it was totally empty! A success indeed!

I had been thinking all week about the candles for the cake- I had the sparklers, but totally ran out of time to find some matching candles- The sparklers worked a treat though!Say one last goodbye to the cake!

Cutting the cake.It is ready to be destructed!!!!Alex didn't want to cut her cake- but I made her! hehehe!

This cake was a large scale cake- carved 12" 10" 8" double height rounds- standing close to 70cm tall - including the "21" this cake was a monster!

I cut some of each flavour for Alex's guests to eat- There was more than enough to go around!
So All in All- Alex had a fantastic 21st! A bloody Awesome cake ;?
And a family that still dotes on her and enables her every whim!
When will we learn??? hahaha!
BTW- don't you just love her hair!

Happy Birthday Alex!
Wishing you all the very best for the 21 years ahead!
Lots of Love
SJ

A Beautiful Show

My first week back hasn't been that slow start back to work we all dream of- quite the opposite in fact.

I love a challenge, so I am proud to say I made it through the week sane. I had wedding cakes, display cakes, and Ekka Cakes to make, plus organise and cater for my baby sisters 21st (more on that in another post), as well as make a "Pink Princess Castle Cake" for my niece's 3rd Birthday!
My consultation room has had a display cake overhaul- with all new display cakes and a full bowl of minties- I am ready to meet with clients again this week.

These cakes- whilst some on show at the Ekka- will become part of my new display.
The first is my favourite! I love the shape- the colour and the roses, it just "feels" beautiful to me. I find it really hard to make display cakes, not that I can't think of new designs- but I have to factor in what potential clients want to see, what they like, coupled with a touch of "me" in the final design. If I had the time to make 100 display cakes I would.



This stencil design is a two person job- but well worth the effort. For a Vintage Romantic or Elegant Theme, I could stare at this cake all day!

A bit of fun, and the "colour scheme" of the moment- this black and white design with custom cartoon couple is sweet!

I often get asked if I make the toppers- Yes I do. Each couple is made to resemble the actual couple on their wedding day- right down to the wedding dress design.Unfortunately for those who are having their cakes made elsewhere- the toppers are not for individual sale.



The Last cake is a latte coloured cake with an embroidery overlay.
A double barrel base tier and single top tier, each tier banded with a cornflower blue ribbon, and a crystal brooch detail on the top.

My Favourite "real" cake for the week has to be the Cake I made for Candice's wedding on Saturday at Boulevard Gardens.


This four tier all white wedding cake is the epitome of classic beauty! Monochromatic cakes (to me) always look just divine!

Last but not least for this post is the cake I made for my niece Scarlett's 3rd Birthday on Saturday- with the instructions to create a "Pink Princess Castle Cake" I think I fit the criteria. I took inspiration from one of Debbie Brown's Castle cakes and added a bit of "client requests" and a princess Scarlett- and Viola! One smiling Niece!

Everything pink- what was I thinking wearing black???