Wedding Anniversary Cake: February 2008

This cake was made for one of our friend's from Indian Army, currently posted in Francistown, who celebrated their 13th marriage anniversary on 22 February 2008. Despite very busy schedule at office, i had promised myself that, like last year, i will make the cake for them, this year too ! A promise is a promise, it has trust and faith and moment of truth, whether to others or oneself. Well, i had a night and so spent late hours to complete the cake. My heart leaped with joy, when out of affection they said that this cake was perfect for the occassion and to cherish the memories, the moment was captured in the camera - our friends, the cake and me ! I could feel the pure joy, like the reverbrations of pure innocent creativity.

The cake was vanilla sponge cake with three layers of strawberry and cream fillings. I used natural flowers this time to decorate the cake with royal icing decorations and frilled border.

Two-Tier Birthday Cake: Chocolate Ganache Marble Cake with Cigarellos - February 2008

This two-tier chocolate ganache marble cake was made for a very good doctor friend from Indian Air Force, who is in Francistown. This birthday, we all wished for a fairy in his life, as he is still a bachelor and we could not think of a better theme of combining his birth with a wish for a lovely girl in his life. He was happy with our warm gesture and we captured the moment in a camera of him blowing the candle and making a wish. The party was organised in a Indian Restaurant with the perfect ambience among severals friends.

The rich moist chocolate cake had the flavour of coffee mocha and cinnamon. It was just chocolate and chocolate and nothing else!
With love in the air and Valentine's Day around the corner, I made this cake with lots of hearts, chocolate flower embellishment and roses for our sweet friend to be struck by a Cupid's arrow !
And I found it worth for carrying a wish , to go as a submission for Pooja's theme for Valentine Day http://creativepooja.blogspot.com/2008/02/theme-of-week-valentines-day2008-round.html

Three-tier Wedding Cake - Pink & Gold Theme: January 2008

Hi friends, I was working on this wedding cake for almost ten days. This was made for a lovely young Sri Lankan couple, who recently got married and are on their way to Australia. The theme of the cake was pink with gold trimmings. I made the scrolls and hand painted them with gold. The arum lilies, roses and blossom flowers were made with hue of pink and gold to match the ambience. The wine glass was painted gold to hold the top tier of the cake. I made the date cakes for the second and top layer and the bottom layer is a madeira cake. It really makes one feel so happy to see smiles on the faces and take one step further as a sugarpaste artist in search of excellence ! In the world of infinity, as a learner, one keeps building the foundation slowly, and your words and comments (i value them) helps me in this journey to move on.

Birthday Cake: Animal Farm - January 2008

While working on the wedding cake project on 25 January 2008, a request came to make a cake for a five-year old kid's birthday on 26 January 2007. As i cannot refuse anything for kids, i said 'yes' and off i went on a spree to spent two hours in the evening to make the cake. The kid's mom just wanted the letter '5' but i had just casually asked, 'what does the kid love ?' and he loves animals. Well, it gave me an idea and this is what i could do - a buttercream icing cake with the theme of the animal farm. Except for the animals (which i purchased in a rush-rush moment from the supermarket), everything else was made using buttercream icing. After i had made the cake, then i realised..hey, i should used a little more of orange colour to qualify for pooja's theme of the Republic Day http://creativepooja.blogspot.com/ Anyway, there is always the next time, isn't it ! Will soon post the pics for the wedding cake.

Sugarcraft inspiration from an African Creeper

As I get more involved in sugarcraft, a transformation has occurred. I have become closer to Nature and its perfect sytem. I had waited patiently for this African creeper above, to bloom despite skeptism, but I knew that one day it will ! It did, and my faith and trust in Nature's system is re-inforced. Currently, its raining heavily in Francistown and I can see a dramatic change in climate of Botswana. And I wonder, if to change, like other things, is inevitable. Here are some flowers that are dancing in the rain in my garden.

The pictures are of high resolution & can become screen savers

I am working on a cake and will soon post the pics.....

Birthday Cake: Powerpuff Girls - January 2008

What a wonderful way to start the year. One of my close friend's daughter is fascinated by powerpuff girls cartoon and wanted blossom, bubble and buttercup - the three kindergarten girls,who have the mission to save the world, for her birthday.

I looked for inspirations to conjure a theme for the cake. I thought of the powerpuff girls, who will wake up at midnight, place a cake on a table on their bed, stand on a pillow and sing the birthday song for her. And this is what i could make, using marzipan and fondant on a madeira cake. An attempt to bring joy on the face of the little girl and match her imagination with my brave ability.

Our office opened after the Chiristmas holidays, before the birthday (6 January 2007) and I was caught up with new year plans, meetings etc. Considering me as a learner, please overlook the imperfections and the finesse. I was short of time, had just one and half day and it has been raining in Francistown.

As for my little darling, her gleeful smile said it all !

I would also like to offer COMPLIMENTS FOR NEW YEAR to everyone and a big 'THANK YOU' to all who visited my blog and accepted me as 'The Sugarcrafter'. Your comments and words means a lot and I know the worth of my everincreasing 'circle of inspirations'. In retrospective, 2007 has been a happy year...I passed my first year of MBA, tried to make wedding cakes, anniversary cakes, engagement cakes, birthday cakes, experimented with different techniques of cake decoration and look forward to the new year with you all around to critique me.

Among several e-mails that i received for the new year, here's few i liked:

'Everybody sees how you seem, however, only some know who you are'

'Perhaps God would want you to become acquainted with many different people in the course of your life, so that when you meet the right ones,

you can appreciate and be grateful for them'

Birthday Cake - The Mermaid's World : December 2007

5.The waving mermaid

4. The closer view again

3. The closer view

2. The front view

1. The mermaid cake

This birthday cake was made for a little girl in Botswana, who wanted a mermaid for her 4th birthday. It was a challenge to meet the little angel's imaginations & expectations ! Well, I tried to be a little girl and think from her point of view and i could see the star-fish, colured sea-shells, rocks, reefs of different hue, marine plants, octopus and a lovely mermaid, sitting on a rock and resting her hand on it. A brave attempt to fulfil a girl's fantasy of the little mermaid in her world, using fondant and marzipan.

Four-tier Wedding Cake - Rose Bouquet : December 2007

5. The display at marriage hall

4. The final cake arrangement

3. The top layer view

2. The top layer cake

1.The preparation at home

This four layer wedding cake was made for a Bostwana couple, who adore rose bouquet on a white cake. The rose bouquet has blossom flowers and a ivy creeper. The sides of the cakes are covered with scrolls and patchwork of small rose flowers.

Three-tier Wedding Cake - An African Theme : November 2007

This cake was made using the sugarcraft, modelling, painting and icing techniques. It was my first experiment to make a wedding cake using an African Theme, as this is what was expected of me to do. The wedding couple from Botswana love the traditional wedding cake and I tried to use my imagination, after having lived here for 10 years. The masks, the quills, the woven pottery, the giraffe and zebra skins are an important theme and I tried to make them using fondant and marzipan, from what ever i know till now. Everything was edible.

Three-tier Wedding Cake : November 2007

The wedding cake made in 9 hours on special request from a person, who i could not refuse. It was made for a lovely Bostwana Couple.

Five-Tier Wedding Cake - Indian Bridal Theme 2: November 2007

I was happy with my experiment of fusion of art.The wedding was at Gaborone International Conference Centre, Grand Palm Hotel.

Five-Tier Wedding Cake - Indian Bridal Theme 1: November 2007

It involved making 65 roses, over 250 little blossom flowers & 35 leaves

The preparation started at Francistown and the six cakes were taken in a car for 460 kms for the marriage in Gaborone. The classical multi-layered cake was blended with the indian theme of marriage to give it an ethnical indian appeal. I spent three long nights to make the preparation for the cake and the last night was spent in giving finishing touches to the cake. The drapes and the cake itself, luckily, remained intact during the journey.

Sugarcraft inspirations from a bonsai bloom

The flowers bloomed after 15 years on a bonsai plant (species still unknown to me) here in Botswana in November 2007. I manged to capture few shots digitally but what awes me is it's pure sheer pristine beauty ! My camera could not capture it's perfection enough ! The edges kept on blurring even with very high resolution..such is Nature's perfection.

It has become again my source of inspiration for sugarcraft !