Three-tier Wedding Cake: Arum Lilies - August 2008

First of all, i cannot thank you enough for all your support and confidence you have showered on me as a blogger. The comments overwhelms me !

This three-tier wedding cake was made for an young and beautiful Botswana bride, who is getting married on the next weekend. She loves arum lilies and leaves on the cakes.

Of all sugarcraft work, i love making wedding cakes the most, where the bride or the bridegroom will suggest you the flowers they want and how many layers of cakes they desire for their wedding. And the conversation will also include the theme and the ambience and the colours et al. It challenges your mind to do in accordance with the promise you make and then wait to see the reaction. It helps one to improve further and the journey continues...

Often, fruit cake will be the choice and you sit down to do some calculation on size/height aspect, then bake them and mature them with brandy over time, then cover with marzipan, followed by wrapping them with fondant icing and start doing the decoration, as wanted. I love to go through the process.

I hope you all like this cake.While making this cake, there were some requests and as you see, i have posted them separately.

Birthday Cakes:Purse & Train - August 2008

While making the wedding cakes, one request came from a doctor for a surpise gift for her doctor wife and my friend Christine and I thought about a red-suede leather purse. So, she baked the chocolate cake and we sat down yesterday at 12:00 in the afternoon to make the cake. Amidst laughter and ladies gossip, we managed to give the finishing touches at 4:30 for the party at 8 in the evening.

I hope you like the purse with bold and red theme.

The train cake was made in two hours on friday for the kid and i had received the request in the morning, whilst at work.The train-set are toys, which got from a friend. Did not have time to make sugarcraft train but will attempt it in future with time on my side. I hope i have not done it badly.

Blogger friends give me strength to carry on in my journey and here a few among others who feel that i can make the journey to perfection ! I sincerely feel honoured and humbled. I will surley pass them on, as it should be, in my later posts.

Ivy of http://kopiaste.blogspot.com/ had passed this gesture a while ago.

Kitchen Flavours of http://kitchenflavours.blogspot.com/ had passed this 'Wylde Woman

Award' award

and then further 'Best Blog Darts Thinkers & Beautiful Site Award'.

Indranee of http://spicesandcurries.blogspot.com/ had passed me this magic lamp and earlier frienship awards.

Thank you !

Sugarcraft : Celebrating one year of journey on Blogspot

It was on 14 August 2007 when something stirred my hubby to urge me to post my first cake on the blog world. I was not very keen to tread out in the unknown world but gave in to his encouragement and published my first post of wedding aniversary and birthday cakes that i had made for my friends in March 2007. I had received two comments from unknown bloggers but it changed my world from then on...and i began feeling comfortable in the blogging world. As i look back on the journey that i have taken so far and pause, i feel the road less travelled is worth taking further and remember the words of Robert Frost

The woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before sleep

And miles to go before i sleep !

As i read again several comments and the words of encouragement that have come from you all, i feel so happy..the journey is difficult but you led me the hand, cajoled me, coaxed and helped me to rise again and again...a beginner's journey is not easy, especially with studies, full-time job and family but i will not give up, i promise you all !

When i take account of what i have done....17 birthday cakes, 7 wedding anniversary cakes, 8 wedding cakes, 1 each of engagement cake,celebration cake and wedding reception cake, i ask myself.. could i have done better ? maybe by next year !

In this journey there have been sad times, interesting times and amusing times.

A sad occassion

One of my blogger friend wrote to tell me that i have been accused of copying a blogger's title in a certain forum. When i read, instead of being angry, i felt sad that without verifying the facts, can i be accused and my worth or creativity be questioned. When i told my hubby, he had simply stated to leave it and remember the Indian national emblem engraving "satyamev jayate"or 'truth alone triumphs'. However, he indicated that his hypothesis has failed again that all good creative persons will always have good hearts.

Well, as i look back , i feel my pride is still intact and you all have appreciated my uniqueness. I had created the blog way back but had uploaded my first post in August 2007.

An interesting occassion

When i wrote an e-mail to a sugarcrfter of 20 years to critique my work, she told me that your second cake of the four layer cake is not straight and now i have a spirit-level, which i use and it was a tip for a lifetime ! I have purchased tools from USA, UK, South Africa and have some indigenous tools , which my hubby made for me to make my work easy.

An amusing thought

Whenever i make wedding cakes, i always seek input from my hubby and it helps to make work easier. One of the remarks he makes is never to make butterflies and gives an strange connotation that butterflies remind him of people, who are selfish and self-indulgent and who do not come to a flower because it is beautiful but because it can feed on it. The flower may think that the conjugation will remain forever but when the butterfly has fed itself, it will fly away to seek another, and it will find excuses to break that trust and faith. Well i dont agree with his analogy and will make butterflies.

Reflections

All the cakes that i made so far were made in accordance with what the clients wanted. Never had really the chance to practice or experiment on what i feel i should make...maybe will get chance in ensuing year. The journey to perfection is long but i will keep on moving, with your support, with you judging me when i go wrong or lifting me up when i require you all. Thank you ...I feel so happy that i have over 7500 profile views till now. Thank you for your time that you give to me !

Birthday Cakes: Bratz & Hulk Cakes - August 2008

While busy in the decoration of the wedding cakes ( will soon post ..) , i was requested to make two birthday cakes for the kids as impromptu as possible...my friend Christine helped me in baking of the cakes and then quickly i sat in the late evening to make the cakes. I used the flood icing technique for the Bratz girls and made the Hulk standing among the rocks...did not get enough time to do it patiently and imperfections are quiet evident.

Birthday Cake: Ballerina Cake - August 2008

This fondant birthday cake was made together with my friend Christine for her daughter's birthday that was celebrated today. The two-layer chocolate and vanilla marble cakes were covered with fondant and the ballerina shoes were laid on top of the table-cloth. This involved a total no. of eight hours and we started the work on late saturday evening.

The cake decoration came out well but unfortunately, the fondant ballerina girl which i made could not be painted very well with silver and it left a very smudged look..can anybody help me on how to paint fondant with silver ? I have had no problems with gold earlier !

Surely, the path of sugarcraft is interesting and you face unknown challenges but i will keep on trying !

I wish you all a very HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY ! It's a lifetime treasure.