The Painted Cake

Never one to back down from a challenge, I've received just that from one of my July brides.  She brought me a gallery of hand-painted wedding cakes and would like me to paint an all-over orchid motif on a small, three-tiered fondant cake.  I think the look is incredibly beautiful and unique, and this bride is really into bright colors, so it fits perfectly with her overall vision.  The only thing is...I've never painted something this intricate on a cake.  Thus, I have enlisted the help of my artistic mentor, Carolyn VanSant, aka:  Grandma Strawberry.  Yes, she's my maternal grandmother.  She's also won awards for her watercolors, weaving, tapestries, you name it.  She made all of my Christmas and Easter dresses growing up, and my senior prom dress (stunning).  I have four of her watercolors in my apartment, a Hello Kitty tapestry (I know I know), and so many special little trinkets from her world travels I can't even start to mention them all.  I owe my mother for my birth and good genes, but I owe my artistic talents to my grandmother.

The coolest person you will ever meet:

Grandma on her 80th birthday

  As luck would have it, the watercolor queen is going to be in town NEXT WEEK for my cousin's graduation and she's going to give me a little lesson, help me pick out brushes, etc.  I'm looking forward to it so much! 

Here are some of the pictures Miss July shared with me for inspiration.  These are her colors:

Source unknown

 And these are the cakes.  We decided on a color version of the first one you see here:

 I'm waiting on a photo of what her actual flowers will be, but these are photos she shared with me of what she is hoping for:

What do you think of the painted look?  Tell me in the comments!

Love,

Rachel

The age of Aquarius

 Have I mentioned the weather here in St. Paul has improved and thus also lifted my mood?  LONGEST WINTER EVER.  I even wore shorts yesterday :)

And albeit a little cloudy today, we can still enjoy having the windows open and the views of trees with actual leaves!!!

So with spirits lifted and renewed energy, I'm thinking about summer projects.  A list:

1 - Start and finish a sewing project.

2 - Make a drinkable batch of hard cider (first batch was a fail).

3 - Find more houseplants the cats won't eat.

4 - Paint an accent wall (or two!).

White walls are so boring...

Via blushpaperie.blogspot.com

Via blog.styleestate.com

Via modresdes.com

Via housebeautiful.com

Via designtrackmind.com

Via thesweetestoccasion.com

Magazine Shoot Inspiration

I just fell in love with this cake from Ruffledblog.com.  Ashley has me obsessed with DIY wedding blogs.  I dig the addition of vintage-looking jewelry.

Milk glass is so pristine, but the texture makes it chic and, dare I say, quirky.  Again, playing with texture is so fun to me.

Another textile inspired cake with jewelry elements.  This one found on Loveandlavender.com.

Hmmm, what will it be, what will it be???

Rach

Musings on Ashley's Wedding Cake

My dear, darling, tall-glass-of-water friend, Ashley, is getting married this summer! She lives in our home state of Oregon, so I will be traveling home (I'm in Minnesota now) to be a bridesmaid in the wedding and make her cakes. I say CAKES, plural, cuz girl is having 250+ guests. That's how special she is :) So I'm designing a grouping of three cakes, a 4-tier, 3-tier, and 2-tier, in multiple flavors.

I put together some inspiration using magazine cutouts in my little sketch book. Her colors are pale yellow, pale pink, and gray. Shabby chic, but the gray keeps it from getting too saccharine. Her flowers are peonies, a personal fave also, for their full and ruffly blooms and delicate coloring.





Oh, I forgot to mention I'm also making 600 lemon French macarons for her favors! Overall, this is going to be a big challenge for me, but I'm excited to be doing it for someone I LOVE. I put my soul into every wedding cake I do, but rarely do they go to people I actually know personally. It means a lot to be part of their special day and I want everything to be perfect for her!

Love and cakes,
Rachel