Peachy Keen

This weekend I casually stopped by Home Goods to look for some new sprinkles.. 

I only planned on running in, taking a quick look, and rushing out.  I was so dead set on being quick, I actually threw my bathing suit on and cover up, as I figured I'd be in, out, and would rush to my parents' pool right after.  I wasn't going to actually do any shopping while wearing my bathing suit..

I cannot help myself in Home Goods. Even though I love all aspects of the place, nothing compares to their plate selection. I am a sucker for beautiful plates, for obvious reasons!

So a plate I picked up about two years ago made a reappearance this Saturday, and it turns out they had the entire set! I was in my glory.  I instantly thought of the wedding I am doing at the end of August.  We were going for a vintage/rustic feel and these were perfect.  So there I am in the middle of the store, in my bathing suit and cover up, taking pictures of these plates and sending them to the bride, shuffling ten into my cart like a mad woman who just struck gold. The detail in the edges are so beautiful.  I couldn't pass them up.

 

At the checkout the woman looked at me like I was crazy probably thinking "Why does this girl need ALL of these plates?" and "Why is she wearing her bathing suit?"

So I displayed them all out today for the bride and groom to see when they stopped by to taste test some cake pops!  I know I am going on and on about these plates but, I certainly plan on keeping them a secret until the wedding! 

I will however, reveal some of my ideas for the wedding!

I went with a few different shades of peach, green, gold, brown and added whites and silver in there was well. 

 

I also went with different flower molds to give the bride the choice of what she likes best!

 

No wedding is complete without romantic fondant ruffles! My heart melts for these little sweets.

Peach hydrangeas were very delicate, and happen to be one of the bride's main flowers. These will be a beautiful focal point in the whole display.

This color palette is beautiful and gives me so much room for creativity. It will surely be a beautiful display for a beautiful couple!

-Elena

Lions and Tigers and Cake, Oh My!

Animals invaded my kitchen this weekend..

Some were cute with their tongues sticking out, waiting for flies to catch!

Some were ferocious beasts..

HA HA Ok, not so much ferocious, but they were little sugary beasts that definitely put a smile on your face!

The elephants are my favorite..

 I love the fondant ears!

I made 40 cute pops for a 1^st birthday party, and my talented friend Becky put it all together with other treats and made it the cutest little display!

These were fun. I want to make them again!

Hope your weekend was relaxing and full of sunshine! Mine was full of both, plus sugar of course! 

-Elena

The Beach Themed Wedding Sampler

This mini project is one of many firsts for me!  

This is my first sampler, where I've put together my best and favorite flavors for a couple to try.  Going to taste wedding cakes is an exciting milestone for a couple during the wedding planning process, one I can't wait to do someday, and I have been thinking a lot about how I want to replicate the same process on a smaller scale when I am asked to bake for friend's wedding.  After trying different plates and numbers of flavors, I came up with this long tray of 2 pops per flavor using what would be the theme of the entire display..

Which leads me to another first -- beach theme!  I got close to a beach theme with the Little Mermaid Cake Pop Display, incorporating sea shells and coral, but I have been dreaming about a gorgeous beach wedding display with pearly blues and pops of coral pink, with sand dollars and edible sand..

The colors had to be just right.. I didn't want blue like a baby shower, the colors needed to be muted by distinguished. A lot of chocolate was mixed in all sorts of combinations in order to find the perfect shades. 

I am on a total fondant kick lately and have been doing a lot of research on how to texture it and use it in different ways,which leads me to my third "first" in this display-- the ruffle pop. 

A little cake pop dipped in chocolate and adorned in pretty ruffles.  For me, this pop evokes the feeling of sitting on the beach and watching calm sea waves float by.  

I used my variety of ball tools to achieve the ripple effect, and plan to do a lot more ruffling in the near future.

The finished product looked like this..

Finished off with a little card adorning the flavors of cake inside each little creation. 

We decided on a few color tweaks and are adding a few other beachy items and I have a feeling this display is going to be my most favorite yet!

-Elena

A Little Disney Magic

Every summer when I was little, my parents packed up the car with suitcases, snacks, pillows and car games and we made the drive from New England to Florida to go to Disney World.  My aunt, uncle and cousins came too, and together the eight of us made the best memories of our childhoods. Hot, sticky days spent waiting in lines to meet Mickey mouse, looking forward to the ride lines that had the fans that blew mist onto you... buying waters and making them last as long as possible because they were like $10 a bottle... spending days at the pool or at the beach.. picking out our souvenirs.. We had so much fun.. Disney definitely holds a special place in my heart.

This display has been in the works for months. An old high school classmate of mine reached out to me to create a display for his sister and her fiancee's Jack & Jill that would be completely Disney themed since the couple is planning to be married there in a few months! Obviously I was thrilled to do it!

This display included a lot of fondant work. I wanted it too look authentic and fun! We went with the classic red, white and black colors to capture the essence of Mickey and Minnie.

These Mickey sprinkles were a great find on Amazon that added a great touch!

I picked up some Mickey scrapbook paper and put it together to make a mat that the plates would sit on.  I also included some romantic quotes from famous Disney movies and typed them into a Disney font generator which I thought was so cool!  The Disney font is so distinct, and this really added to the authenticity of my display.

Recently I have invested in a lot of fondant tools so I can start enhancing the displays and getting more into detail.  I created dresses for Belle and Cinderella, as we decided to include them in the display as well!

More details.. Aren't the Mickey & Minnie so adorable! I feel like they are looking off into the distance at their future together.

 

 A plate of Disney treats! Mickey & Minnie, Cinderella's glass slippers and Belle's red roses.

 Finished display! I love how you could see the mat through the clear glass plates.

 Cinderella and her carriage and glass slipper!

And Belle with her red roses!

I really loved doing this display and I hope everyone enjoyed it! The details really made it and I love this color scheme! Disney themes are the best themes and this one definitely brought me back to my childhood.

-Elena

Fondant and the Fourth

Fourth of July weekend was a total blast! Though it rained like crazy all day Friday, it still beat having to go to work! I was able to get so many things done around the house, as well as bake some yummy treats for a party we were attending on Saturday! 

I had peanut butter cake in the freezer for like two months, waiting for the right time to use it and this was it.  I did peanut butter, chocolate and vanilla cake balls with marshmallow fondant festive accents!

Making fondant was a messy but easy task. I had been wanting to try it because buying fondant at the store is so expensive ($17/lb) and I’ve been going through it so fast lately! So I found a recipe and went for it… and it was delicious. Obviously, anything marshmallow based is going to be awesome.. I melted two bags of jet puffs, mixed with confectionary sugar and a little bit of water and done!

Here is what a pound of melted marshmallows looks like.. yes, it looks like heaven.. 

It sounds easy, but the mess was insane and I had to literally put my hands in shortening first so it didn’t stick so bad to my hands as I mixed (it stuck anyways so it was a lost cause) and I think I got more sugar on my floor than in the mix but it was an experience and I will definitely try again!  Not sure if I would use it to cover full cakes until I master it, but definitely good for accents and fun things that go on top of cake pops!

So I made some vintage looking red white and blue stars and streamers to put on top of the pops and they were perfect! Everyone ate them right up and just like that, I am back in the zone!

The weekend was filled with friends and family.. Louis and I got to see basically everyone we are close with during different parts of the weekend and it was great catching up with people!  Not sure I can eat any more hamburgers for the rest of the summer though… I am definitely BBQed out!  

So on Sunday, we decided to grill up some pizzas with my parents while sitting by the pool for the day.  I loved grilled pizza and I definitely want to post a tutorial soon!  We topped them with fresh mozzarella, various other cheeses, spicy Italian sausage, grilled chicken breast, vegetables and basil pesto! So delicious and filling, without the fat and oil in take-out pizza. Such a refreshing way to BBQ!

Hope everyone’s holiday was relaxing and fulfilling! It was a great three days to be with the people we love and reflect on our freedom we all sometimes take for granted!

-Elena