Archives for May 2019

A Kate Spade Inspired Graduation Cake!

May 19, 2019 Leave a Comment

I was visiting my in-laws at their farm house in Indiana when my sweet friend Sara reached out to me about a last minute surprise cake for her sister-in-law that they needed the day after we got home. Once she sent me details of what they were thinking, I just couldn’t say no! I love when my customers give me a bit of “free reign” on the design of things, and decided to go a bit “Kate Spade” on this one!

The stripes on the top tier are edible sugar sheets (they come in all kinds of colors! Shop them here) cut to size for a nice, clean line.

They wanted her name to be on the cake to personalize it a bit. I wanted to add some sparkle! So I used my Cricut to make a custom topper with glitter cardstock.

The little plaque on the front is one of my custom sugar cookies to incorporate the quote that they wanted but keep it edible. The topper is the only non-edible part to this whole cake!

For the cap base, I molded rice Krispy treats and covered them in black modeling chocolate (I will have to share that recipe with you guys sometime!). The mortar board is just a square of white chocolate covered in modeling chocolate and topped with a piece of sugar sheet.

The one request Sara did make was that she wanted flowers on the cake! I perfected my buttercream frosting (Praise hands! I’ve been at it for years!) and piped a mixture of sizes and colors cascading down the side of the cake. (Pastry bags are your friend for these types of things!)

My initial vision was for the “confetti” to be a metallic gold, but Amazon lost my package, so black it was! I am actually really happy with the way that it turned out though. If I have learned one thing in my baking adventures, it is that sometimes things are out of our control and we just have to roll with the punches and work with what we have!

At the end of the day, the cake turned out to be one of my personal favorites! My customer loved it and it was the perfect addition to celebrate a beautiful lady as she accomplishes a huge milestone in her life! I am so blessed and honored to be a part of celebrating life’s special moments, and I hope that I can continue to do so for years to come!

Bee Cookies for Baby Banff

May 10, 2019 Leave a Comment

When my friend Kim asked me if I could do cookies for a bee themed shower for her grandson, I was absolutely giddy over it! I have been dying to tackle these forever, and this was my chance! These Ann Clark cookie cutters were the perfect set, so the came together pretty easily.

For some contrast, we mixed in the baby’s name, initial, hives and honey jars. I used my favorite food coloring pens (get them here) to add the detail work. I seriously LOVE these!

She also asked me to take on the cake! I don’t usually do much with fondant, but I am really happy with how it turned out! I opted for modeling chocolate because it tastes way better. The hive is a giant cake pop and the bee cookies were the perfect addition.

There ya have it! The cutest cookies for the cutest shower!

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

May 9, 2019 Leave a Comment

I love super easy, low maintenance recipes! It seems like fixing a healthy meal can take hours sometimes, so these things that come together super quickly are my go-to. And you guys, this one is SO easy!

Simply throw chicken (we used one breast per person) in the crock pot with your favorite BBQ sauce and let it cook until easily shredded. For me, this was about 7 hours on low. You could also do about 40 mins on high pressure in the Instant Pot (LOVE this thing!)

When the chicken is close to done, cook your spaghetti squash (microwave method here), and dice up a red onion.

When the squash is cooked, scrape out most of the insides and mix it with the chicken and chopped onion.

Place mixture back In squash shells and top with cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted and then enjoy!

That really is it! So delicious, and its veggies-most if you are a 2B Mindset-er.

Waiting on the Promise

May 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

When you are in the thick of infertility struggles and miscarriage, it is so easy to feel forgotten. As women, we tend to bear the silent pain and struggle of waiting without the world knowing. We field the well-meaning questions. We meticulously track cycles. We get poked and prodded. We take the tests and then cry alone at the negatives, only to do it all again the very next month. We pick up the pieces of broken dreams when our pregnancy ends. We face Mother’s Day with empty arms, hoping and praying that maybe next year will be different.

But Psalm 115:12 promises us this: “The Lord has not forgotten us; He will bless us.” His promises are good. This scripture, as well as the one above, brought me so much comfort during my season of waiting. My journey to motherhood was definitely not one that I would have chosen for myself, but the Lord used it to teach me so much. To mold me and shape me. To give me an empathy and compassion that I would not have had otherwise. His plans are perfect.

I want to encourage you, sweet friend, if you are in that season of waiting to simply cling to His promises. Pour your heart out to Him and accept His perfect comforting peace. Sometimes He makes us wait to teach us. Sometimes it is to protect us. Sometimes it is because someone down the road will need us and our strength in their time of weakness and pain. Sometimes it is simply because our blessing is not ready yet. As you face Mother’s Day, simply know that you are not forgotten. You are loved beyond measure and your rainbow is coming.

Woodsy Cookies for Baby Baylor!

May 2, 2019 Leave a Comment

Custom sugar cookies are my new go-to gift! (Get my recipe for cookies here and royal icing here). So with the impending arrival of my sweet friend Claudia’s beautiful baby girl, I knew I had to make a set to take to the hospital. Baylor’s nursery theme is floral and woodsy, so I went with that for the cookie theme as well!

The antlers were done using an edible watercolor paint and then the flowers are piped on using royal icing.

I loved my little Easter Bunnies, but wanted something that felt more “baby” so I made a few cute little sleepy bunnies for this set.

Of course, what is a set of “welcome baby” cookies without a few of the baby’s name?! (I do my black detail work with these fantastic edible markers). I absolutely loved doing this set and the family loved eating them!