Let Them Eat Cake!

Doesn't that just ooze with Marie Antoinette-ness in your mind?  Upon wiki-consultation, it appears that the above was NAY a famous quote of Marie Antoinette.  ..... Ok I admit it.  I had to wiki-consult the WHOLE thing.

My thought process went like this:

1.  Need to make a blog post about a pretty cake....
2.  Need a witty remark as a title....
3.  Didn't someone famous once say, "Let Them Eat Cake!" ????  I should google that.

Now, tell me truthfully.  Wouldn't YOU like to Let Them Eat THIS Cake??

Despite the fact that the colour on the cupcake liners bled and no longer matched the fondant ..... I was pretty happy with the result!  Not bad for 3 hours of time, well enjoyed! (including the baking process!)

I was faced with a bit of a challenge from the social committee at the agency where I work.  They asked me to make a cake for a baby shower, and stay within a $15 budget!  (I figure, it coulda been a LOT uglier.)  They also wanted a cupcake-cake.  Despite the redundant nature of the name, which always makes me a bit bonkers, I do thoroughly enjoy the pull apart, everyone dig in, easy clean up style that these cupcake towers offer.

I have to admit, I was proud of this one primarily because the image I had in my head was remarkably like the one I now have on my blog!  An Eiffel Tower meets Leaning Tower of Pisa.... Voila!  I particularly enjoyed the crunchy sugary coating on the top layer of fondant, which I glued on with a nice simple syrup brushed over the cake top.  Pretty, sparkly, and an added texture.  What is better than a bling-ed out cake that is delicious?  Nothing that I can think of.....  Nothing.  Ever.

It was great to be able to share one of my creations with the folks at work, and judging by the lonely 4 cupcakes that remained.... I'd say they enjoyed the fruits of my labour.  So yes, I Let Them Eat Cake!

And now, the waiting game until Jordyn Jacobs arrives!  All the best to Mom and Dad in the busy weeks that will follow!

Dear Blog World.... Here goes!

Ok, so it's official.  I suck at commitment.  I secured a perfectly fitting blog name and space, and over the course of 10 months I failed to commit any time to documenting my numerous crafting adventures.  (I hope the irony this commitment phobia declaration on Valentine's Day is duly noted by my 2, count 'em, 2 followers!)

Perhaps my lacking blog progress stems from the sheer number of UFO's (UnFinished Objects) that lay waiting in my little blue apartment, and my desire to showcase finished, pretty products.  Naturally, I am confident that an attack on the intricacies of my severe procrastination and perfectionism problems can wait for another day.

As for blogging, I say Carpe Diem!  It's high time I seize the day, and the haphazard nature of my crafting reports.

I shall provide for you..... an update!

Well, here goes.  Let's backtrack:

Christmas was nuts.  Totally nuts.  Got pneumonia.  Got 45 dozen cookies ordered.  Got 2 jobs, and a little bit of a life on the side.  Got it alllllll done.  

This year, under the pressured guidance of a dear friend, I chose to charge more for my homemade decorated Christmas cookies than I ever had before.  And get this.... I actually turned a small profit!

If I was a very organized blogger, I would probably be able to provide you with delicious images of nutmeg cookies flooded with royal icing in shapes that could make The Grinch yearn for Christmas.... but, alas, I did no such documenting.  As I re-commit to blogging, I will also commit to documenting better.  Hand in hand stuff, really.  For today, I find solace in the knowledge that those sorts of images would just make us both hungry.

I felt such a confidence in my baked items this year and felt like I had honed the look and exact number of menu options for my market.  Miraculously, despite a crunch on my time and energy (due to illness), and some last minute orders, I made it happen.  A happy ending to a busy story!

And, like all good fairy-tale-like stories, this one came with a moral - being too hard on yourself doesn't move you or your creative pursuits forward.  

I used to get so wrapped up in my own negative energy about things coming together and looking perfectly perfect, that I would find myself exhausted with no energy left to enjoy the journey, or even reach the end in one piece.  This year, I learned that my creative side is something that others are willing to contribute to, to enjoy - even if the icing gets smudged every now and then and the corners are a bit darker than the first few batches.

Lesson learned.

These days, I am willing to recognize that the little voice inside me, who demanded perfection of product, is just the little thing that has been holding me back.  For the record that little thing wasn't my 81 year old force of internal creativity.  That little thing was some remnant of anxiety that doesn't belong in my crafty world or this blog.

Onto more crafty adventures....