Friday, July 20, 2012

Cake Party!


Lemon Zest with Raspberries and Chocolate with Caramel and Sea Salt
Linens by Napa Valley Linens  and photography by Bliss Fotography Thank you! 

After several months of projects to get the Tasting Room and Design Studio up and running I am pleased to say it is done. We painted trim (3 coats, and look at all that trim! ), refurbished and replaced the chandelier, built shelves to showcase cakes and had some great furniture pieces re-vamped for the space.  I have also been conducting cake consultations for wedding cakes this summer through fall and even for 2013! I spotted a semi-quiet week and figured if I didn't have a little celebration for my sweet space it just wasn't going to happen. So we had a party! Some really great vendors were involved and I am so proud of how beautifully everything came together. It was incredible fun to work side by side with such fabulous people! Here is a super fun video of the shindig itself followed by some of my favorite shots of the pre-party anticipation, enjoy!



Amazing florals by Soulflower Floral Design and me putting out cake


My tasting room furniture by Mignonne.  More on my furniture later.


Green Barrel Wine brought wine and even these little bottles for tastes of other special wines.


Some more of Soulflower's fine work on the snack buffet and more pom poms.
A display cake I made recently and pom poms hung from the chandelier in the tasting room.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Cake Tasting Room and Design Studio Part One!

About a month ago I signed the lease on our new Tasting Room and Design Studio.  I'm excited because I feel like this is somewhat of a new concept.  A design studio, open by appointment, for the sole purpose of meeting potential clients who will taste our delicious cakes while we design their dream wedding cake together. I'm focusing on what I am most interested in now which is custom made artful wedding cakes and the best service I can provide with a personal touch.  It will be a show room with cakes and other design inspiration on display. Some cake decor will also be made here so our guests can catch a glimpse of how these things are made. I think it will be really fun!  As for the space, it is a Victorian room and board building built in 1876. It has been restored beautifully and is now home to a wide array of businesses from Law offices to Massage therapy to Wedding planning, yay! Here are some pictures of the space and some pieces of furniture that are being completely or partially revamped for the studio. 

Vintage Chandelier find from Craigslist.

One of the two french chairs I am painting and having re-upolstered in a rich caramel velvet. 
Tiny closet. Will be painted in a pleasing blue, I think. Or maybe wallpapered.
I love the natural light from the skylight. I'm so looking forward to when it is complete but I'm having a blast designing the space.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

From Start to Finish

This has been a whirlwind summer of launching this biz, making wedding cakes, and swimming in a sea of samples for the world of wedding fairs.  I finally have a second to share some of what I've been working on and a little bit about my process. The calm before the storm as they say, since October is my first month of being fully booked for nothing but wedding cakes (and one birthday cake)! And they all started with a sketch.

When I first meet with a potential client we discuss their likes and dislikes, taste some cake, and I make a rather crude drawing.. Then after the meeting, I clean up my sketch, scan it in to the computer, very old fashioned I know, and pop in some color. These are a couple of cakes from this season that I especially loved the sketch and was super excited to make the cake.


Cecilia & Fredrick
vanilla bean with raspberries, lemon zest




This was Cecilia and Fredrick's wedding cake. They were married in Muir Woods and then had there party at Foreign Cinema in San Francisco.  It was a fondant finish cake, a modern take on the redwoods of Muir Woods. Wood grain on the tops and just a suggestion of bark up the sides. Their wedding was in August so we didn't want it to look too "christmassy".  I added the fresh flowers on site, and there were these great eucalyptus leaves and puffy seed pods there too which I was a happy addition.



Alexis & Emilio
vanilla bean with raspberries, carrot ginger



This is Alexis and Emilio's cake. They were married at The Log Cabin in the Presidio of San Francisco, one of my favorite venues. There invitations had this wispy grass and they love succulents, so of course I  was in love with this cake.  I'm somewhat succulent obsessed, you should see my roof, it's an addiction. 
These ones are painterly versions in sugar inspired by some of my collection.  Orange, burgundy and greens where their design colors. I opted for an orange middle band in the end to bring out the orange in the succulents. It fit in perfectly. 

Monday, May 2, 2011

Christine & Jeremy's Wedding Cake

 
I LOVE this cake.  It was hard to say goodbye.. It is a buttercream finish over a bottom tier of vanilla with raspberries and top is earl gray cake. The topper was made from real leaves from Christine and Jeremy's garden and I made the poppy out of crepe paper (so fun!). Sweet sugar buttons crawl up the side for some delicate and elegant decor.  Christine provided the ribbon and lace combo that I decorated the sides of the board with, such a great detail. Christine and I designed this cake together, and I really feel like all the elements fell into place.  Thanks again you two and congrats on getting hitched!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Sweet Spring !



I recently collaborated on a really exciting project with another local artisan.  We called it
The Spring Soiree and it turned out to be one of the most fun and creative collaborations I have had the pleasure of being part of!  I met Olivia San Mateo of Olive-Route Letterpress
http://www.olive-route.com/#  when my friend Hannah of Pie Bird Press http://www.wetfootpublications.com/ recommended her to print my business cards, which she did and every time I give one to someone they comment on how cute they are. I love them.

We became friends and being the supportive and inspired person she is, Olivia suggested that she host at her buzzing workshop a cake showcase. I often look at the invitation to an event as I am coming up with a cake design. So, for this event I (somehow) narrowed it down to five wedding invitations that Olivia had designed and made cakes inspired by those lovely pieces of stationary.
At the actual event we served cake bites in these flavors:
Meyer Lemon Zest, Earl Gray,Vanilla Bean with Rasperries, Toasted Almond and Carrot Ginger
We supplied champagne and Olivia demonstrated Antique Letterpress while printing a mini poster to commemorate the event. I carved the block that it was printed from and Olivia came up with the words( words to live by). So Thank you Via! Maybe we can make it an an annual welcoming-of-spring event!


We supplied champagne and Olivia demonstrated Antique Letterpress while printing a mini poster to commemorate the event. I carved the block that it was printed from and Olivia came up with the words( words to live by). So Thank you Via! Maybe we can make it an an annual welcoming-of-spring event!






Pictures from the event here: http://alisonevents.blogspot.com/
http://tidepooler.com/2011/04/15/eat-cake-and-print/