Just a quckie...

I thought I'd pop in and say hello. I haven't been very good at keeping this diary, have I?

I have a couple of cakes this weekend.... a Pikachu cake and a designer handbag cake. Pikachu is marzipanned. The board is covered. I'm going to cover the cake in sugarpaste and place it on the board tonight, then go to bed.

The handbag cake is baked. I'm going to turn it out of the tin in a minute.

I had hoped to finish Pikachu tonight, but best laid plans and all that.....

Tired

I'm tired. Really, really tired.

I've finished the HUGE number 1 cake. I've finished the 20 cupcakes with fairies.

Now I'm just having a cuppa before I tidy up and crash into bed.

Dh is going to deliver the number 1 cake tomorrow. I don't usually offer to deliver cakes, but a) it's only in the next road to me! and b) it's really, really, REALLY heavy. And big. Because we've got room in the car, I think it will just be a lot easier if we take the cake to her. I really hope she likes it. It's quite something, in the size it is. And I've done something on it I haven't done before - as part of the picnic is a tea pot and each of the characters had a cup and saucer! 'ikkle teeny-weeny ones! LOL!!

My friend (and customer) Jennie is coming to collect the fairy cupcakes at about 9am tomorrow. So another early start.

Sunday is Mother's Day. And as my treat, we're all going here:

http://www.squires-exhibition.co.uk/home/

I'm really looking forward to it.

OK, off to clean and tidy up now, so I can go to bed.

MONSTER number 1 cake

Phew! I'm just taking 5 minutes to sit down before I cover the monster number 1 cake that I've torted, filled and carved.

It started off as a 13" square. But a cut here and there and it's now 13" wide and about 18" from top to bottom!

It's too big to cover and then place on the board, so I've secured it to the board and now I'm about to marzipan and sugarpaste it. Not a problem - I just need to be especially careful not to mark the board (which, incidentally, is 18" x 24" - 12mm MDF which I covered with silver paper before sugarpasting).

It all weighs an absolute ton - and I haven't even covered it yet!

Right... better get on.

Hello???

Anybody here?

Crikey! I can't believe how long it is since I've made an posting to this blog. And I'll bet the posting before this says pretty much the same thing.

I'll try and post more. But, fortunately, I've been really busy.

This week, I have a handbag cake and a fairy castle cake (although only a single tier... ) I'm on track, having baked both cakes, covered both boards and made the sugar towers for the castle.

Tomorrow I think I'll fill and cover both cakes (or at least get one completely covered and the other one at least marzipanned) although I think I'll concentrate more on the handbag. That's the plan, anyway.

Rest of this month is booked up (each weekend, that is). And I have one order and a few enquiries for April.

Nothing To Do With Cakes!

My husband just found out today that not only did he pass his master's degree (in criminology, at Cambridge University), but he got a distinction! He got over 70% for his dissertation and so it will be published in the Cambridge University library!!!!!!!

I'm so proud of him!

Mr C, MSt (Cantab)

hello....

I know it's been such a long time since my last cake diary entry. Almost a month in fact. But, oh my gosh, I've been so busy! I'm not complaining... just explaining. :o)

So, where do I start? In my last entry, I mentioned the possibility of doing a party and needing 7 x 3 tier cake dummies. It was for a 'Generation Game' type challenge. Well, that did go ahead, but the dummies weren't iced. I made a shed load of buttercream (only used cheapo margarine, though, seeing as it was only for decorating with and wasn't to be eaten) and the girls covered the dummes with the buttercream and then had to decorate it in a contrasting colour buttercream which was in piping bags with nozzles!!!! Ha!!!! What fun! And what a mess!! It was a long old day; and I was absolutely petrified beforehand. But I did enjoy it in the end and would definitely do it again.

It's been suggested to me that one reason why I get more 'party' cakes than wedding cakes is my business name; perhaps Pat-a-Cake Parties is a bit 'kiddy' sounding and that I could consider something more classy and elegant. Unfortunately, people do judge books by their covers. So, I starte the search for a new name - but just for the wedding cake side of things. Lots of ideas I liked were already taken. But finally, I found one (thanks to one of my on-line friends). I've bought the domain name www.thetoptier.co.uk and as soon as my darling husband has the time, he'll do me a website which I can then upload my wedding cake photos to.

And talking of wedding cakes, you may recall I had some pictures published in the magazine Wedding Cakes - A Design Source ? Well they must have kept my pictures on file because another one was published in the latest edition, too! AND I sent in a CD with some more pictures and I got an email to say they'd like to use my work in the next edition, too! Coooo!!!!!!

I've had a couple of wedding cake enquiries, one of whom said she'd like to go ahead with the order. So that's great news. It's for the last weekend in August.

The rest of this month is fully booked and, again, I've even had to turn work away.

Right, I need to photograph my son's birthday cake before we lose all the decent daylight! Ten! He's ten!! When did that happen?? (well, it happens tomorrow, actually. But I can't believe where the years have gone! My baby!!!!!)

January

Wow...  I can't believe how many enquiries I've had over the last few days.  I've even had to turn work away...  and believe me, that hurts, LOL!

Tomorrow, I'm working at the after school club, just for a couple of hours.  Then I have a BSG meeting in Romford at 7.30pm.  I'm really looking forward to this...  the demonstration is on how to make 'wonky' (or as they're also known, 'whimsical' or 'topsy-turvy') cakes.  I love these, yet despite having seen a couple of 'how to' articles on-line, I haven't been brave enough to try one...  perhaps by actually seeing someone do it, it will give me the confidence to have a go?

I've got a cake for Thursday.  It's for my friend; she wants a cake to remember what would have been her baby's 1st birthday.  I can't believe it's almost a year since she lost Isabella {{hugs}}.

23rd I have an order for a football shirt.

I have an order for 24th.  25 cookies and 23 cupcakes with fairies.  

I MIGHT also have a really big booking for the 24th; I'm just waiting to hear.  If it comes off, it's 7 x 3 tier cake dummies, iced.  One of them is to be decorated.  I'll also need to make 120 cupcakes; get 30 boxes; lots of piping nozzles; lots of piping bags; enough icing for 30 girls to decorate the aforementioned 3 tier cakes; enough icing and decorations for 30 girls to each decorate the aforementioned cupcakes and also spend the day in London.  I'll have to drive to the venue (I've never, ever driven into London)  It'll be a lot of work.  A heck of a lot.  But we'll see if it's to go ahead, before I start panicking!

I then have two cakes for the 31st (I didn't originally take two bookings for the same day...  one was supposed to be for the 28th - but then the customer phoned me up to say that although her husband's birthday is the 28th, she actually wants the cake for the weekend....  the 31st)  AND a cake for the following day, 1st Feb.  Actually, I lie.  It's not two cakes for the 31st...  it's three, because I said I'd do a small one for my sister's husband's birthday.  She'll let me know nearer the time how to decorate it, but it's to be a carrot cake.  I said only on the condition I can bake it this week and freeze it.  Otherwise, I don't have the time.  She said OK!!!

Little Mermaid Cake - finished!

I couldn't have done it without my dear friend Kelly's help. As mentioned in yesterday's post, not only did she send me her mold to make the head, body and arms of the mermaid, but she was on the end of numerous emails, texts and even on the end of the phone! Every now and again, it just happens that you get a mental block/panic about doing a certain aspect of a cake... and this happened to me. I couldn't have done it without Kelly! Thanks! {{hugs}}

Happy New Year

Coooo.... 2009 already! Even my 9 year old son said he can't believe how quickly 2008 came and went!

Well, I'm currently working a cake for delivery tomorrow morning. I'm copying it from a friend of mine http://www.craftyconfections.net/ - it's a cake with a model of Ariel on. Kelly very kindly sent me the mold that she made, so that I could use it to make Ariel... but even with that, it's still not easy.

I want to be Kelly when I grow up! ;o) I'm a huge fan of her work!!!

Right. Back to work.