{Insert Cheeky Fashion Title Here}

We are having a very odd beginning to winter here in MN.  Last year = snowpocolypse, this year = unseasonably warm.  We had a record-breaking high of 59 degrees on Thanksgiving!  While I am thankful for a milder winter this year, I do look forward to cold-weather fashions.  These are some of my most enviable looks from my favorite fashion bloggers. 

Jessica Quirk of What I Wore does an awesome job of mixing prints.  I would die for this kitty print top and chevron cape!  Slim-fitting cords in unexpected hues are also on my list.

I recently picked up a great fitting blazer for $20!  Hats make me look bald, perhaps a headband instead?  I'd rock the heels like Jagger.

Fashion Zen's Iris makes me want to grow out my hair every time I visit her blog.  If I didn't have watermelons for knees I would wear the heels and socks combo, but in this case I'd swap in tights.  Loving the cranberry and mustard palate and houndstooth coat (Black and white, how I love thee...)

So dramatic, so glamorous.  Atlantic-Pacific blogger Blair is too much...in a good way.

Needs tights for MN, but how chic!?  Camel and black could be the new black and white...

Let it be known - If I had the opportunity to wear sequined pants, I would, a la The Man Repeller.  Bonus point for heels with bows.

And there you have it:  What I would wear every day if I weren't in chef pants and Keens. 

Tell me which are your favorite looks!

Love,

Rachel

"Everything's Coming up Roses"

I want you all to meet Ben.  Ben is 12 years old and likes to make cakes.  The thing is, he's really good at it.  When his mom contacted me about setting up a class, I had no idea what to expect.  We spent and hour and half together on a recent Saturday afternoon, and it still brings a smile to my face. 

Over the years, I've come to realize artistic abilities don't always come naturally for people.  Likewise, art can be expressed in so many ways, whether you sketch, paint, weave, or make cakes.  One can learn the elements of an eye-catching, pleasing composition, studying size, scale, balance, the color wheel, but others seem to those concepts innately inside of them.  Being one of those people, I immediately recognized it in Ben. 

Ben got to decorate a 6" cake however he pleased.  I pulled out all of my colors, fondant, chocolate, buttercream, cutters and tools.  We talked about a design concept first, which went from fall, to winter, to Christmas, to spring.  He selected a really pretty palate on his own, and we got to work learning some icing and fondant skills.  You have to know that I helped ice and cover the cake in fondant, and made a couple roses, but after that I did not touch the cake!  It was all Ben!

Attaching fondant flowers with simple syrup.

Painting on gold luster dust, which he was very excited about.

Surveying his work...

The finished masterpiece.  Wow!

Working side by side with Ben was such a rewarding experience.  He has a bright future ahead of him, no matter what career path he takes, but with such natural talent, I hope he sticks to cakes!  He also has some slick dance moves.  Thank you, Ben, for sharing your personality with me!

-Rachel

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October Weddings - Part 2

Remember this sketch I shared a while back?  I finally had the pleasure of making it come to life two weeks ago!  Once again, the pictures don't do it justice, and the couple opted out of a professional photographer.  I really need to find a photography buddy at some point!  My camera doesn't pick up the shimmer of the black and white glitter.

The topper is from Etsy.  So fun!

Someone from the family made the sequin-lined stand for the cake. 

This last photo shows the imprinting best.  I'm pumped about how all the little details came together so that there was a lot going on without it becoming "busy."  Bride Cassandra was very pleased and wrote me this sweet review on Weddingwire.com:

"Rachel Wille is AMAZING! I wanted a wedding cake no one would ever forget and that is exactly what I got! I simply gave her an idea of what I wanted and her creativity exceeded my expectations. The cake impressed by appearance and taste equally! Delicious, elegant, unique and memorable, thanks Fresh Fields and Rachel!"  


I couldn't ask for more :)  The inside was all chocolate cake with Bailey's mousse and ganache (always a winner!).


This next cake was so much fun to work on, I almost felt guilty about it.  Shweta and Naman knew from the start they wanted a sculpted topper of the two in their tradional Indian ceremonial dress.  Their reception was small, so there was no need for a large cake.  After emailing me photos of themselves in their wedding attire, I got to work creating their gum paste likeness as closely as I could.

Mr. Scott and I decided they look like either Play Mobile toys or old-school claymation characters.  I think they are so freaking cute.  Sculpting people definitely takes a lot of practice, and I know I will improve over time.  Each of these had a skewer down the center to keep them straight and also for stability, poking down into the cake.  The gum paste we use dries very quickly, which can work for and against you at times.  In total, I probably spent about three hours sculpting and adding piped and painted detail this couple. 


Working on a Halloween post next!  I gotta get it up before Thanksgiving!

Love,
Rachel


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