Birthday cupcakes and cookies with airplanes, boats and cars

These cupcakes and cookies were made for a joint 1st and 3rd birthday party.  The cookies were wrapped as a set of three so each child received either a set of cookies with an airplane, car and boat, or a set piped with the requisite 'boy' sounds - 'vroom!', 'roarr!' and 'beep!'.

21st birthday cake and cupcakes

The theme was 1920s flapper.   The colour combination is striking on its own merits.  The cutting cake has a bit of boldness with the red bow and the black dots, but delicate too with the small pearls.  Some of the cupcakes had a flower embossed off the side; some had quilt patterns and black pearls; and some had black swirls.  I love how these cakes are elegant and sophisticated, yet has a certain edginess to them.  Perfect for a confident young woman.  

Under the Sea birthday cake

A last minute request from a friend of a friend.  This cake was made to celebrate the birthday of her father-in-law who was an avid fisherman.  Given more time, it would have been really neat to have a fisherman lying on top of the cake holding out a fishing rod!

Peekaboo Magazine shoot: A Circus Lion Cake

Sharnel Dollar, a brillian stylist, asked me to make a circus lion cake and matching cupcakes for the circus party spread she designed for Peekaboo Magazine.  I used the striped paper cups as a reference for the shades of blue on the lion cake.   

 

I *heart* this chocolate birthday cake

The story goes like this.  A little girl fell in love with a picture on one of her books.  The picture was of a heart-shaped cake with ruffly icing and upside-down hearts and lots of tiny coloured dots.  So when her birthday came around, her mum sent me a photocopy of the picture and I made this for specially for her!

Wedding cutting cake and cupcakes

A simple but pretty cutting cake and cupcakes with rose-like swirls of icing to match.  Ivory and pale pink makes a sweet, romantic combination.

 

Pooh Birthday Cake

A Pooh-bear birthday cake for a little girl.  I had to dig out the kids' old Pooh-bear books so I could use the pictures as reference for making the decorations and putting the cake together.  I enjoyed making the honey bees best of all, particularly the one buzzing around the top of the honey pot. 

"Thank you very much for the cake.  Zarli had a really wonderful time on Saturday.  Everyone liked the cake.  We all enjoyed the taste of the cake as well.  We will definitely get in touch with you next time.  Thanks again."
-  S, Brisbane

Bridesmaids' and Groomsmen's Cookies

Will you be my bridesmaid?

Will you be my groomsman?

Vanilla sugar cookies given out to special friends to ask them to be part of the bridal party.

"Thank you so much for the cookies!  They were an absolute hit (and delicious too)!  I could not have imagined that they would turn out as well as they did.  Thanks for the photo as well.  I was very disappointed that we had given them all away without taking a photo!  Thanks again."

-  L Connors, Brisbane  

Princess for a day

Is it not every little girl's dream to be princess for a day?

Chocolate mud cupcakes with soaring towers,

elegant tiaras and glittery butterflies.

A grandmother ordered these specially for her granddaughter when they were here in Brisbane for a short holiday. 

"Yes, we all had a wonderful stay in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, arrived back into Perth on Thursday and home to Norseman on Friday night.  Mikayla loved her cupcakes especially the colours and the toppings, thanks very much for the photo, will add it to the holiday album.  Again, thanks very much for your assistance and providing a special treat for our little girl."

-  A Drew, Western Australia 

Tiara Cookies

Pretty tiara-shaped vanilla sugar cookies with hearts, pearls and gold embellishments for a princess birthday party.

Pink, white and black 21st birthday cake

Pink, white and black is a very popular colour combination for birthdays and weddings.  There's something appealing in mixing the sweetness of pink with the edginess of black and white.  I enjoyed making the flower for this cake, with all the wispy bits flaring up and to the sides.  Pretty, not with the usual softness of flowers, but in a strong, confident way.

Violet's naming day cake and cupcakes

I made these for the naming day of a lovely little girl, Violet.  The cutting cake was a fruit cake that Violet's mum saved from her wedding which I covered with sugarpaste and decorated to match the cupcakes. 

Pom-pom cupcakes for Ellise

Chocolate mud cupcakes with ready-made carnations for the 15th birthday of Ellise, the daughter of a good friend.  Perhaps because of Ellise's age, making these cupcakes reminded me of all the girly, giggly nights I spent with friends back in high school.  Those were great times. 

Orange, green and purple birthday cupcakes

Orange, green and purple to match her dress.

Frilly, ruffly flowers.

I love these flamboyant birthday cupcakes.

They make me think of flamenco dancers.

And a night spent with music that beats through your soul.

"Thank you for the photos.  The cakes were a hit with all my guests.  I was lucky to save a couple for myself."

-  B Lamond, Brisbane

Fantasy Cake for a 21st birthday

The brief for this 21st birthday stacked cake was colour - lots of bright, happy colours.  I've been wanting to make fantasy flowers for a cake since I came across Colette Peters' work, and this was the perfect opportunity.  It was fun to make flowers and vines and scrolls in a riot of colours, be able to put them on the cake randomly, and still have a cake that looks just right for the occasion.

This is the front of the cake.   

And this is the back.

"My daughter absolutely loved the cake... everyone at the party commented on your work of art and almost everyone wanted to sample... and they all loved it."
-  B Enkera, Brisbane

White and silver butterfly cupcakes

White, silver and glass... I love this combination.

Something Ivory, Something Blue

These wedding cupcakes and cutting cake have very simple designs, but with pearly ivory and pale blue details, I would describe them as stylish and very, very elegant. 

" I just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU for the wedding cake it was absolutely beautiful!!!  The top cake tastes amazing and we have put half in the freezer for our first anniversary.  Thanks again, if I know someone who is looking for a cake you will be my first recommendation."
-  J Dowling, Brisbane

Life's a beach at 40!

This is a tribute to all those girls who painstakingly cut out and played with paper dolls when they were little.

I made this vanilla cake for a 40th birthday party with a beach theme.  The birthday invitation had a mermaid that I used as a template for the cake.  I cut out her hair, face, body and tail separately then fitted them all together.  Then, I painted her eyes with food colour.  It took a couple of hours, but I love how she turned out.  The bubbles floating on top of the cake were based on a beach ball that was also on the invitation.  

Making this cake was like a blast from the past, except instead of cutting paper with scissors, I was cutting sugarpaste with a knife.  

"The party was a huge success... even the rain went away for a fine evening... the beach was good.  Your cake was also a huge success... it not only looked beautiful but was also great to eat.  Thank you so much.  I will continue to refer friends as the need arises."

-   C Thomson, Brisbane 

Quintessentially Elegant: A Dress and Three Little Pigs

I had a bit of cookie dough leftover and some new cookie cutters which happened to be a long dress and a pig.  So I made these - an evening gown in black and white, and ...

... three little pigs wearing pearls.  It would be amusing to give these sophisticated pigs to guests as a party favor at a black tie event.  Can you see the smiles and hear the chuckles?

Wedding Cookie Favors: Doctors and Nurses

These vanilla sugar cookies favors were specially designed to celebrate the wedding of a doctor and nurse.  What can I say except... it's just like all the happy endings in Mills & Boon, don't you think?

Dinosaur and Dragonflies

What are little boys made of?

Paws and roars

and dinosaur tails.

What are little girls made of?

Glitter and pearls

and fairy wishes, too.

These cupcakes were designed for the birthday party of twins.  I made the dinosaur and dragonflies to match the birthday invitations.