Sunday, October 17, 2010

Kayleen's Wedding Cake

A dear friend of my sister-in-law's got married yesterday and I was fortune enough to be asked to do her wedding cake!!

Kayleen's wedding cake Oct 2010

The bride added her own cake topper, which she described to me as a gold wire tree with fall colored crystals for leaves. That sounds really pretty and very unique!

There were a couple of firsts for me in this cake, but I think they turned out well and i was pleased with the end result.

Kayleen's wedding cake Oct 2010

This was my first three tiered cake and my first attempt at using fondant.

Kayleen's wedding cake Oct 2010

I brushed the fondant with copper edible glitter to dress it up a little more for a special fall wedding. I also thought the shimmer might go along with the cake topper.

Kayleen's wedding cake Oct 2010

And I added 24 cupcakes to go with it. She picked the most delicious flavors.

Kayleen's wedding cake Oct 2010

Decadent chocolate with peanut butter cups baked in and peanut butter whipped butter cream in between the layers of cake AND lemon cake with raspberry filling. And then the whole thing covered in vanilla butter cream. Delicious!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Spool's Hand-Sewn Bird Mobile - Part 3

Now that the birds have been finished, it is time to turn them into a mobile!

I played around with the layout on the floor; there are no right answers, only what looks good to your eye.

bird mobile step by step

But there are some things to consider:
  • different birds together
  • different sizes together
  • which birds would be alone
  • where they'd be on the sticks
  • which direction they'd face and
  • how they would balance the mobile once they were in place.

bird mobile step by step

For some of my birds I simply hot glued them to the stick. But for others (below) I added black thread to help anchor the birds so they didn't pitch forward. The added bonus was that the black thread could just look like their little feet perched on the branch!

bird mobile step by step

Next, I added little eye screws from which I will hang my mobile. I was able to just tap them into the wood to start the hole, then screw them in by hand.

bird mobile step by step

I added them in intervals which I thought would give some balance, but when I added the fishing wire to the eyes and tried to make it all balance, it took some trial and error. There isn't a way I can tell you to "get it right", I think you just need to keep experimenting until the balance works for you.

bird mobile step by step

When I was finished, I put a white cup hook in the ceiling and hung the mobile.

bird mobile step by step

It twirls a bit, but for the most part, I haven't had any trouble with it swaying or the birds pitching forward or backward.

bird mobile step by step

And I love the way it looks! It is whimsical and playful without being too goofy and I think it will last for a bit in a little girl's room without feeling "baby-ish" in a few years.

For Part 1 Instructions, click here: Spool's Hand-Sewn Bird Mobile - Part 1.
For Part 2 Instructions, click here: Spool's Hand-Sewn Bird Mobile - Part 2
Link to the pattern doesn't work?  Read this: Michael Fulkerson's Hand Sewn Bird Mobile - UPDATE

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Noah's First Birthday Cake

Noah's first birthday party had a jungle safari theme. It took me a while to decide how I might turn this idea into a fun cake for a little boy. The invitation was a great inspiration, so I started with a purple zebra on a round sugar cookie...

Noah's first birthday

...and then added an elephant....

Noah's first birthday

...and a lion...

Noah's first birthday

...and a goofy giraffe!

Noah's first birthday

I placed them all on cupcakes for the little ones to enjoy.

Noah's first birthday

Then I made some other shaped cookies and placed them in the cake jungle.

Noah's first birthday

This zebra was not as cute,

Noah's first birthday


... but I do like how the lions came out!

Noah's first birthday

And of course I made a smash cake for the birthday boy!

Noah's first birthday

Monday, August 16, 2010

Stephie B's Wedding Cupcakes

My sister-in-law recommended me to her friend to do her wedding cupcakes.

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

She had the most fun and vibrant colors.

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

She asked for 150 vanilla cupcakes

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

with fun designs on them

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

and some with their monogram.

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

I had a lot of fun playing with different fonts for their last initial.

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

I used candy melts

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

in a piping bag

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

and played with different sanding sugars

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

and nonpareils.

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

And made sure she got some extras

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

to freeze for her first anniversary

Steph's Wedding Cupcakes

or taste test before the big party!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Spool's Hand-Sewn Bird Mobile - Part 2

This little birdie...

bird mobile step by step

has some new friends!


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I've finished hand sewing all of the birds I'll be using to make Baby Girl Alix's mobile!

There are BIG birds

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Small birds

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and original sized birds.

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There are even extra birds!

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(These birds were made from test fabric to see if I liked how they turned out.
I'll likely use them throughout her room for more decorations,
but not necessarily on the mobile with the others)

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The next step is to gather some branches

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and arrange the mobile!


For Part 1 Instructions, click here: Spool's Hand-Sewn Bird Mobile - Part 1
For Part 3 Instructions, click here: Spool's Hand-Sewn Bird Mobile - Part 3
Link to the pattern doesn't work?  Read this: Michael Fulkerson's Hand Sewn Bird Mobile - UPDATE 

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Spool's Hand-Sewn Bird Mobile - Part 1

I kept coming across these beautiful bird mobiles in nursery pictures


Photo credit: Mrs.KLF

and after a Google search, learned they are all made from a free pattern provided by Spool. (click here for Spool's website and find the bird pattern on the left sidebar, or click here) They even have a whole Flickr page dedicated to them! I fell in love with them! I love the fantastic prints on the fabric and how the composition is really simple and incorporates the natural branches.

The directions are on Spool's pattern, but I thought I'd give you a play-by-play with pictures! The Spool pattern is for one size bird, but I used a copier to enlarge and shrink the pattern so that I would have three different sized birds.

I cut out the three different sized patterns; an enlarged bird, 2 original sized birds (because I knew I wanted the most of this size and wasn't sure the paper pattern would hold up to repeated use) and a smaller bird.

bird mobile step by step

For the purposes of photographing and showing you step by step, I thought it would be easier to use the enlarged bird pattern. The pattern is enlarged to scale, however, so this should be identical, proportion-wise, to the original pattern.

bird mobile step by step

The beauty of this project is that it could possibly be done for free using only materials you probably already have around your house! I used scrap fabric that I already had and loved, but didn't really have enough to do much more with than this!

bird mobile step by step

Scrap fabric from Amy Butler Collection


bird mobile step by step

After I had made a "test" bird, I purchased some fat quarters in fabrics I wanted to use in the nursery. These were the three main fabrics/patterns.

bird mobile step by step

And here they are again with the additional complimentary fabrics. I'll use different combinations of these fabrics for the birds backs and bellies.

bird mobile step by step

Begin by selecting the fabric you want to use for the bird's body. Fold the fabric and line up the Bird Body pattern so that the bird's back is running along the folded edge.

bird mobile step by step

Pin it in place and cut out the bird.

For the Bird Belly, select another fabric and cut out one piece. (This does not need to be doubled or placed on a fold, so there is no photograph.) You will now have one Bird Body and one Bird Belly.

bird mobile step by step

Place the two pieces right sides together (Body right-side-up and then the Belly wrong-side-up on top of it).

Slide the Belly over so that the curves of the tail on both pieces line up. Pin in place.

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Work your way all along one side, matching the edges together and pinning in place. At this point the fabric will not lie flat - remember, your end product will be three dimensional!

bird mobile step by step

Stitch all along the path of pins you have made along the edge of the fabric. I used a clear nylon quilting thread so that my stitches were guaranteed to be invisible. I also used a backstitch so that it would be a little more reinforced when I stuffed the bird later on. Place your stitches about 1/8 to 1/4 inch from the edge of the fabrics.

bird mobile step by step

Repeat the whole process on the other side by first lining up the curve of the tail and pinning, then lining up the edges of the fabric all the way around, using the Bird Belly as your guide.

bird mobile step by step

You will use the Bird Belly to know where to line up the fabrics and at the point of the belly your Bird Body fabric should naturally come together.

bird mobile step by step

Once it does, line up the two edges of the Bird Body (by folding it where it was folded when you cut the pattern out of the folded fabric). This will line up the head and beak for you.

bird mobile step by step

Stitch all along the length of the whole bird, starting at the tail and then stitching around the Belly and continuing to the remaining Body and around the head. Do NOT stitch the tail together!

bird mobile step by step

At this point you will have an inside-out un-stuffed bird.

bird mobile step by step

Because you left the tail open, use this to begin turning the bird right-side-out.

bird mobile step by step

You may need a long thin object to help you turn the beak - I used sewing scissors, but be careful!

bird mobile step by step

To help keep frays to a minimum, I folded the tail over and then began stuffing.

bird mobile step by step

I used small amounts of poly-fiber fill that I worked all the way to the beak first (again, sometimes using scissors to help push the fibers all the way into the small beak).

bird mobile step by step

Continue stuffing until you have filled the head and body and are close to filling the tail. Then, stuff the tail; being mindful of leaving some fabric to neatly stitch together to close the bird.

bird mobile step by step

Fold your rough edges in, starting at the sides and then along the base of the tail, pinning as you go. For some variations I have seen ribbons and feathers added here to make a more dramatic tail.

bird mobile step by step

Stitch along the edges to finish the bird. I used a whip stitch so that the seam resembles the
other seams (no top stitching). This is another reason I chose to use the clear nylon quilting thread.

bird mobile step by step

You now have a finished stuffed bird!

bird mobile step by step

With a beautiful belly and

bird mobile step by step

a beautiful back!

bird mobile step by step

You can add variations to this such as eyes, wings and tail feathers. Get creative! I'll show you how to add feet in the next post, when we put the birds on a branch and balance the mobile!

For Part 2 Instructions, click here: Spool's Hand-Sewn Bird Mobile - Part 2
For Part 3 Instructions, click here: Spool's Hand-Sewn Bird Mobile - Part 3
Link to the pattern doesn't work?  Read this: Michael Fulkerson's Hand Sewn Bird Mobile - UPDATE