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Friday 30 September 2011

Ahoy Scallywags!

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of making a cake for a special boy's 1st pirate birthday - Joaquin aka Wacky.  It was such a great party, with lots of fun-hearty games (for both children and adults), piratey-licious food, and arrrsome decorations!  My family and I had a jolly good time!

So, what cake did I create for this special day?  Well, a pirate ship of course!  Liz (Wacky's Mum) contacted me via FB a while back asking if I could make Wacky's 1st birthday cake.  She knew she wanted a pirate ship, but left me in full control of the design (which I thought was really nice and trusting of her).  I also made two dozen cupcakes as our gift to the birthday boy.

Now, before I reveal the pics, I have to say how much I enjoyed making this cake.  Definitely learnt so much in the process (which I heart).  And (as per usual) I ran outta time (even after eliminating sleep) so I had to work as quickly and efficiently as possible.  With that said, I was (and am) still very proud of the final outcome!   Here are the pics for you all to enjoy...

 Click to see more pics after the break...

Thursday 29 September 2011

Red velvet

One flavour combo I absolutely adore is red velvet with cream cheese frosting!  Ahhh, sooo yummehhh!  Last week my friend ordered  some cupcakes for her partner's birthday.  She was curious to try red velvet (since hearing other people rave about it) but she wasn't entirely sold on the cream cheese frosting idea.  So, she ordered half with cream cheese and half with buttercream.  Let me tell you, she texted me that night telling me how much she loved the red velvet with cream cheese!  Here's her actual text (that I still have saved):
Hey jackie its Mia...Red Velvet cupcakes with creamcheese frosting was Devine :)...I Love, love, love...I'm in love with these cupcakes.  You are the best baker in the world.  Thank you from me & the whole family who were in love with the cupcakes:)...Great touch to T's bday
*blush* Thanks Mia for the lovely words!  I'm glad you all had a great night!

Let me tell you, she didn't wait that long 'til she ordered her next batch (which she's picking up now actually, hehe).  She sent me another text saying how she was "craving" them cupcakes.  :-)

Now for the show part of show and tell...here are those yummy red velvet cupcakes!  Enjoy (and try not to lick your screen).
I really love how the chocolate toppers turned out!  So abstract, so Pollock-ish :-)

Here's a close up for you all

Yum!
Hope you enjoyed this velvety post guys!  See you again tomorrow for the big week finale!  Arrr!  (That's a hint about what's in store for you tomorrow btw, hehe).

xo

Wednesday 28 September 2011

Ribbony madness solution!

Hey guys!  Today will be short and sweet...well, not sweet as in cake, but sweet as in cool.  Over quite some time now I have accumulated a lot of ribbon.  I have a bin to put them in, but often when I need to look for a particular ribbon, I have to rummage through everything before I can find it.  I almost always end up in quite a tangle.  Here's what I mean...

It's been this way since the last ribbony madness post I made here.  I realised (finally) that this was getting too crazy for me.  I definitely needed to find a more practical solution to this (growing) concern.  Then I remembered one of the cool storage solutions I saw online over at Mrs. Jones' blog that I thought would be perfectly practical for me (and cheap-as).   Like Mrs. Jones, I wanted to use what I already had, to omit any extra spending.  Honestly, you can find so many storage solutions in your home!  Just look around!  My absolute favourite are egg cartons!  But more on that another day...

After cutting out small pieces of cardboard (using my twins' nappy boxes) I started paper-clipping and rolling the off-cuts ribbons I had.  This is probably the only time-consuming part, but oh-so-worth-it!  Check out this space now -

Close up

Top view
Pretty cool, right?  I absolutely love it!  Now, searching for the right ribbon doesn't have to be such a chore any more.  I especially love how I can see all the pretty colours in one little container.

And for a before and after pic, just 'cause I can...
Ahhh!  Love!
What cheap and clever storage solutions have you come up with lately?  I would love to see them, so send me a link in the comments section below.

Thanks for stopping by guys!  Come back tomorrow for cupcakes!!!

xo

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Graduation

Good morning peeps!  Last week I had the pleasure of making a cake for a special lady who graduated from University.  Her sister was actually the one behind it all.  Moka had contacted me about a month ago regarding a cake she wanted to surprise her sister with.  She sent me a pic of the cake she had in mind and upon seeing the graduation cap I couldn't be more excited!

Now, sure, as simple as it may seem, it was actually quite a challenge for me because I was working with chocolate, as opposed to fondant.  Chocolate is a bit more temperamental and tricky to work with.  Once it's melted you don't have much time to play with before it goes rock solid again.  Then cutting it to shape, now that's what I found most challenging.  I used a sharp knife that was run under boiling hot water, dried, then cut.  But sometimes it can still cause the chocolate to break, so you really want to work at a sluggish pace (which was very hard to do when there's a deadline involved).  Anyway, after what felt like hours, I finally got it right.  

This cake is a chocoholics dream!  Rich chocolate cake filled and frosted with chocolate ganache and topped with even more chocolate!  Talk about chocolate overload, huh?  I'm sure they didn't mind it at all.

Well, without further ado, here is my very first graduation cap!  Enjoy!

To see more pics click after the jump...

Monday 26 September 2011

NZ Proud!

Good morning everyone!  How was your weekend?  Hope it was productive and fun!  Mine was both, but I forgot to also add TIRING!  On Saturday was my son's soccer prizegiving, followed by Wacky's 1st pirate birthday party, then a spectacular All Blacks win against France (that my lucky brother got to watch LIVE at Eden Park - sooo jealous),
Daniel Carter
Image source: NZ Herald online, Photo: Getty Images
topped with the Warriors' victory over the Storm that put them in the grand finals (which will be against Manly in Sydney)!!
Warriors centre Lewis Brown as the final hooter blew.
Image source: NZ herald online, Photo: Getty Images
Wow, and that's just one day!  All I can say is I am very proud to be a NZer right now.  :-)

But, what about (yesterday) Sunday?  Well, more rugby for me and my family of course.  We managed to catch Manu Samoa win against Fiji, and Argentina's nail-biting win again Scotland!  My son Javaughn was sooo thrilled his adopted country Argentina won 13-12.
Image source: NZ herald online, Photo: Mark Mitchell
But, of course, even though I missed the game, I have to mention how proud I am of Ireland's charging win against Russia yesterday, too.  Ireland is one of my fave's in the RWC ever since their win over Australia.  They're definitely one to watch out for.
Image source: NZ herald online, Photo: Alan Gibson
Wow, I have to say, I am going to miss the RWC when it's over.  But, until that day comes, I will live in and savour the moment.

Before I go, here's something sweet from me to you for breakfast...
Cinnamon swirls baking in the oven...
Ahhh!  Fresh from the oven, and drizzled with a delectable vanilla bean icing...just lovely.
Have a sugary Monday guys!  See you all again tomorrow for even more sugar!

xo

Friday 23 September 2011

Birthday for two

Last weekend we held a small family gathering over at my parents place to celebrate two birthdays - my little brother's and I!  It was a lovely day.  Lots of delicious food to eat with plenty of laughs with the fam bam.  And of course, there was cake!  But not only that, we also had cupcakes!  Even better!

My dear sister-in-law Gaile (who unfortunately was sick to attend the gathering) made my brother's birthday cupcakes as well as my birthday cake.  I loved it!  Sooo pretty and cool.  It was also nice not having to make my own cake (which honestly I didn't really mind too much because I would really be making it for the family anyway).  Here are some shots I took for you all to see.
My beautiful birthday cake
My bro's cupcakes
Pretty cool, huh?  It was super delicious, too!  Thanks again Gaile!  Hope you're feeling better now.

Now, I wanted to give my bro something small and special.  I decided to make him something small and sweet.  With my sister-in-law (his wife) Ruthie's suggestions, I decided to go for the Starbucks coffee!  I've been wanting to do a mug cake, so this was perfect!  Click to see after the break...

Thursday 22 September 2011

What an egg!

Hey guys, I thought that title would make ya look :-D  I'm not actually referring to anyone, just so you know.  What I am referring to is literally an egg - or eggs.  I have made the switch guys!  Ever since taking part in this year's SPCA Cupcake Day, I have made the decision to switch to ONLY SPCA approved uncaged eggs.  Yep, no more caged eggs for me!  My cakes and other sweet creations will now ONLY be made with uncaged eggs.  Yes, it does cost a little more, but it's something I consider good investment.  But don't be fooled by fancy packaging with the words FREE RANGE and ORGANIC.  The only one you should really trust are the ones with the actual SPCA blue tick of approval - "your guarantee of humane farming".

If you would like to learn more about this, visit rnzspca.org.nz, or click here.

If you haven't made the switch already then I would really like to encourage you to do so (soon).  Sure, this world will never be perfect, but we can all do our part to help make a difference, however small it may be.  A little food for thought to get your Thursday started...

xo

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Project 'N'

Hi guys!  Today's post will be very short as my schedule this week is ca-razy!  Going through my collection of 'stuff' in the garage, I found a beautiful wooden frame I purchased on trademe last year for five bucks.  I didn't really know what I wanted to do with it at the time, I simply fell in love with its style and unique quality.

I am currently working on a secret project at home - my WALL OF FRAMES!  Okay, so now it's public knowledge!  One of the pieces I wanted to put up there was our family initial, which is the letter 'N'.  Then I thought, why not make a monogram out of scrapbook paper and put it in that wooden frame I love so much?  Don't you just love it when light bulbs start working?

So, I went through my scrapbook stuff and selected two vintage designs I wanted to use.  I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut away.  I didn't bother outlining the letter in pencil first, I was kinda in the moment so didn't want to disrupt my creative flow.  I just let my hand do the cutting and my eye do the guiding.  Stick that to another scrapbook paper and voila!  Project monogram complete!  And all within five minutes, if that.  Not bad, huh?


I love how something so simple can mean so much.  Adding personal touches to your decorations can really transform a house into a home, which I heart!

Click after the jump for more pics, including the detail-shots...

Tuesday 20 September 2011

JR turns Thirty!

As I mentioned on this post, two Friday's ago was my big bro's thirtieth birthday (it was also the first day of the RWC).  We celebrated this special day on Sunday over lunch at Daikoku Japanese restaurant in Takapuna, followed with more celebrations at his place afterwards.  It was a great day!  Delicious food + family = HAPPY TIMES!  And of course, there was cake!  Or shall I say CAKES!

For a few weeks before my brother's birthday, I had his cake in the back of my mind.  I have pages of doodles sketches, and everyday I managed to come up with a new plan.  Talk about confusing!!  By the time I had to make the cake, I managed to narrow my design ideas down to three...then as I was making it, it changed yet again.  Talk about indecisive, huh?  No, I really just had trouble with my original idea and it didn't quite work out with the cake I had in mind.  Sooo, I had to start over, as in from the baking!  I was actually in tears on Saturday because I hadn't slept yet, and my plans weren't working as well as I hoped.  Maybe it was the sleep deprivation that was finally affecting the outcome of my work?  Anyway, I didn't give up (as defeated as I felt that day).  I actually had to repeat my fave verse to get me back up again, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  I knew there was another design my brain was yet to unveil...and sure enough, there was.  Thank you Lord!!  I went from rock bottom to the top of Mount Everest!

The first cake I worked on was the shoe - the most challenging in terms of design.  But I was grateful I only had to make one, as opposed to two like these MJ tip-toe shoes I made last month.  I wanted to recreate these basketball shoes my brother loves.  They are the Concept 1 APL (Athletic Propulsion Labs) shoes.
Click to read more and to see the cake after the break...

Monday 19 September 2011

Rugby birthday to ME!

Good morning peeps!  Hope you had a great weekend!  I sure did!  It was my birthday yesterday!  It was a Rugby-filled Birthday weekend for me!  Whoop whoop!
Image source: Sky sports
As much as I loved the fact that the All Blacks crushed Japan (which really was a given), I especially enjoyed the Australia versus Ireland match on Saturday.  I was a mad woman running up and down my house, cheering for Ireland!  My poor hubby was looking at me in a scared/strange manner, lol.  He knew not to spoil my moment, so he let me be.  During the conversions I'd be saying screaming, "com'on Sexton!  Do it!!!"
Image source: BBC Sport
My poor son got outta bed and came into the lounge (not very happy with my behaviour) saying, "Mum, show some respect please!  I'm sleeping!"  Ooops, sorry Jubs!  Yesss, I am guilty of enjoying my rugby too much.  But, hey, who doesn't?  Okay, I do know 'some' who don't...actually, scratch that, I know ONE person who doesn't...and that is my bestie (Keshia), hehe.  She switches off when you start talking about rugby, she even snores!  Don't worry, she's getting better.  She has no choice because her hubby-to-be loves the game.  :-)

Switching codes for a moment, another game I really enjoyed watching was the Warriors versus Tigers.   Man, first half looked pretty discouraging, but I knew not to give up on my Warriors.  Come second half and they owned that game!  It was super close, though!!  22-20!  I was praying while watching that game I tell ya!  The player that stood out for me was Maloney, even though he didn't get Man of the Match.  He was phenomenal!

Image source: 1Click
AND, another league game I thoroughly enjoyed watching was Broncos versus Dragons.  Talk about nail-biting!  13-12!  So glad the Broncos won!  My hubby's cousin Ben Te'o plays for them, so gotta show some love!  Man of the Match for me was Darren Lockyer - simply sensational!
Image source: Couriermail
Okay, so no cakes to share today, but don't be discouraged!  I have plenty of cakes in store for you in the days ahead.  I still have my brother JR's 30th birthday cake I made the other week to share with y'all, plus a special cake made by my sister-in-law (Gaile) for me and my youngest brother, Jan.  Sooo many sugary delights in store for you guys, so be sure to come back!

xo

Friday 16 September 2011

Fathers' Day 2011 continued...

FATHERS' DAY PART THREE
...with my side of the family

Okay, so remember how yesterday I said I would show you my favourite part of the new-look Viaduct?  Well, without further ado, here it is...the giant bench(es)!
I really wouldn't mind takin' one of these babies home (to my backyard).  The perfect siesta bed slash reading chair slash kids playground, hehe.  Love it!

Click after the jump for more highlights...

Thursday 15 September 2011

Fathers' Day 2011

I know, finally!  The Fathers' Day post I'd been wanting to post since LAST WEEK!  Thank you Broadband for being kind to me today!
FATHERS' DAY PART ONE
...with Lui's side of the family, celebrated on Saturday 4/9/11
On the weekend Two weekends ago, we held a small get-together at my place to celebrate Fathers' Day with Lui's family, as well as his Aunty's birthday.  It was a lovely day!  All we did was eat, eat, oh and eat!  hehe.  So what did we have on the menu??  Let's see, shall we?

















Read more after the jump...

Tuesday 13 September 2011

RWC spectacular!

Hey guys!  Who enjoyed the RWC opening last Friday?  Did you see it live?  Or on tele?  Or did you miss the whole thing?  As for me and family, we decided to join in on some of the RWC hype on Friday night.  We watched the super cool fire works display from under the bridge!  It was the best view!  There were lots of people, but nothing too crazy like town.  We managed to find parking ten minutes before the fireworks started.  We even found a perfect spot next to the water.  It was a beautiful, clear night.  My three boys enjoyed it sooo much!  My twinnies were glued to the sky.  There were different colours exploding everywhere.  The patterns that came out were spectacular.  It was sooo big and loud you could feel the ground trembling.  We thought this would scare our little ones, but they loved every minute of it!  It was nice to see so many families there.  Our eldest boy imagined the whole thing was a Pokemon battle, he was lovin' it!  I was sooo gutted I forgot to bring my camera to capture the fireworks, but I think it was meant to be.  I think it was one of those 'better to live in the moment' moments.  Had I been taking photos all night, I would have missed the whole experience, so by the end of the night I was quite grateful I didn't have the camera.  It was a nice time with the fam :-)  Of course, knowing me, I still managed to find a way to document this experience (with my phone) - although unclear, they're enough to remind us of what a great night it was!

Okay, now I confess for the following pics you're about to witness...definitely doesn't paint the picture I described above, but it really was a beautiful night!  Sorry, again, this is all my Nokia X6 was able to produce...I'll see if I can put some more pics up later that my hubby took with his Android...maybe we'll get better pics, we'll see...





Afterwards, we rushed outta there and headed to Massey to my sister's casa where we watched the All Blacks play Tonga.  The one most talked about highlight of that game was when Sonny Bill Williams (SBW) took his super tight shirt off when one of his sleeves were ripped off during a tackle.  You should have heard the (ladies in the) crowd roar, haha.  While all the men were rolling their eyes (jealous much?), hehehe.  I gotta admit, my sister and I were one of those roarers, lol.  For those who missed out, here are some pics I found online...



Anyway, enough about shirtless rugby players!  Our internet is still giving us grief, so the Fathers' Day post I promised y'all will have to wait yet another day.  Hope you're all warm and cosy in this cold weather!  I pray no more tornadoes come our way - too scary!  See you all again soon!

xo

Friday 9 September 2011

Day 1 - Rugby World Cup 2011

Good morning peeps!  First of all, I'm sorry, I know I said I was going to share our Fathers' Day highlights with you today, but our broadband connection is super s-l-o-w, so I can't upload too many pics, etc.  I will just have to try again next week.

Today, I'll keep it short and sweet.  Are you wearing black or red today?  As you know, tonight's opening match will be NZ versus Tonga.  I swear it's bleeding out there!  There's red EVERYWHERE!  It's sooo nice to see so many Tongan supporters.  We even have Tongan ninjas!  If you don't believe me, check out the pics below..

My cousin (in-law) Dos was supposed to be one of them!  hehehe.  Now, I have to say, that's loyalty right thurr!  I absolutely love the Tongans and their culture.  I have so many Tongan friends and having had the opportunity to teach Tongan kids, as well as be part of our high school Tongan group three years in a row, I feel like I'm part Tongan.  However, I have to say, I'll be wearing black today.  Maybe with a little bit of red to support my Tongan friends, who knows :-)  I'm excited to see what the other nations come up with when it's their turn to play.  I love how creative people get!

If you're up for a short quiz to test your knowledge on the RWC, then click here.  My aunty emailed it to me just this morning.  My hubby forgot to eat his HUMBLE PIE today and emailed back boasting that he got 20/20 - LOL.

Anyway, the front of my house is a proud All Blacks supporter - I have the whole flag and bunting thing goin' on.  Not as cool as my neighbour's one, who actually has the bunting with all the flags on it, but still pretty cool.  My bunting's on the cheapo side - made of black rubbish bags and gift wrapping paper, hehehe.  When your budget is low, you tend to get crafty, hehe!

Before I go, I would like to greet my big brother a VERY HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY today!  What a great day to have it!  See you this weekend bro!!

That's it from me folks!  Have a wonderful Rugby day and see you all again next week!!!  Blessings!!

xo

Thursday 8 September 2011

DIY decorations

Hi guys!  I know, it's about time I put up another DIY project, huh?  I've been so caked out lately I haven't had much time to do any 'other' projects.  Well, I do some every now and then, but I just haven't had the time to post them up to share with you all.  Sorry!!

Anyway, today's DIY projects were done last week for our Fathers' Day and birthday celebration.  Here are sneak peeks of the goodies I have in store for you today :-)


Click after the break for details on HOW TO plus more pics...

Tuesday 6 September 2011

August in a glimpse...

Good morning everyone!  Hope you had a great Fathers' Day weekend!  My hubby sure was spoilt with love, laughter, and cake!  Will share more of that tomorrow, so be sure to come back.

Today I am delighted to 'begin' a monthly summary, where I'll be posting little glimpses of what I shared with you each month.  Not sure why I didn't think of this sooner.  Enjoy!

CUTEST
I started August off with sweet cake pops, which I renamed PARTY POPS!  A sweet treat made from left over cake scraps and covered in sprinkles!  Yum-oh!

COOLEST
Then we shuffled the streets of London with dancer Kimberley from Vibe One, who asked for a special cake delivery for her bf in Auckland!  How sweet!

MOST PINTEREST-ING
Of course goes to the Pinterest Challenge we did with Katie, Sherry, Lana and Emily.  Everyone shared amazing work!  Good stuff guys!

OLD SCHOOL
...goes to our trip down  memory lane where we visited my life as a dancer in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! Good times!

RANDOM-EST
...has to go to the 'deer' action we had on our street.  Random and cool!

FASTEST
...goes to the little quickie action in the car with a cake!  There's gotta be a first for everything, right?

BEST MUSIC
...goes to DJ Kiwa who rocked the house!

BEST DANCE
...goes to this awesome dancing!!

BEST ROMANCE
...goes to the 'Love' cake I made for my hubby xo

MOST CHALLENGING
...undoubtedly goes to the MJ tip-toe shoes cake.  I can still remember the sleep deprivation, lol!

MOST SIGNIFICANT
...goes to the colourful confetti cupcakes made for my eldest son for making significant progress in his reading.  Well done! :-)

MOST THOUGHTFUL
...goes out to the bake sale held at Delish Cupcakes where I, along with so many other volunteers, baked lots of goodies to raise funds for those affected by the Christchurch earthquake.

MOST FASHIONABLE
...goes to Fashion Friday, where I shared some of the latest fashion trends I'm diggin'.

MILLENNIUM AWARD
...goes out to my Uncle who turned 50!  Made him a vanilla bean cake to celebrate via skype.  Love technology!  

MOST COMMITTED
...goes to the first wedding cake I made!  This is the first of many more wedding cakes to come, I'm sure.  :-)

and last but not least we have...

MOST CARING
...goes to the SPCA Cupcake Day!  

Well, there you have it!  August in a glimpse!  I can't believe it's now September!  Yay, my favourite month ('cause it's my birthday month, hehe, and it's SPRING).  See you all again soon for more cool cakin' and creatin'!

xo