emie cakes

Where have I been?

2010-11-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

Where have I been? CRAZY BUSY! I cannot thank you all enough for your support and business! I have been extremely busy and I love it! But alas, my blog has suffered greatly. Here's a brief glimpse at just a few of the cakes I've worked on since we last chatted:

happy 1st birthday hadley...

2010-08-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

happy birthday anna...

2010-08-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

happy 5th birthday madelyn...

2010-08-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

happy birthday mykelyn

2010-08-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

happy birthday avery...

2010-08-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

happy birthday josh...

2010-08-18T15:00:00.001-07:00

happy birthday geavonna

2010-08-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

yummy, yummy, yummy!

2010-05-01T18:42:00.001-07:00

After a busy few days of baking and filling orders, I decided to make something for us to enjoy (something I NEVER do). Since the Earnests were here for a visit, I knew that it had to be something really special. Earlier in the week, I made some pink lemonade cupcakes. They were a little....sour...ok, REALLY SOUR! I adjusted the recipe a little and the outcome was divine! These yummy cupcakes have a cream cheese frosting...delicious! We began the day with 24 cupcakes...We're down to 14 now...I won't tell you who put the biggest dent in the supply! :)

I had a little help in the kitchen today...my favorite kind of help!

happy birthday holton...

2010-05-01T18:41:00.004-07:00

fire truck

2010-05-01T18:41:00.003-07:00

Walker is 3 and his mommy ordered this cake for his fire truck birthday party.

minnie mouse

2010-05-01T18:41:00.001-07:00

Lacey ordered this adorable cake for her niece. My own sweet Emie LOVED it...in fact, she got a little upset when I told her that it wasn't for her "party".

lingerie shower...

2010-02-25T19:55:00.001-08:00

happy birthday mr. rick...

2010-02-25T19:50:00.001-08:00

Earlier in the week Heather called and said that she needed a cake for her dad's birthday. Sadly, Heather and her dad are huge Florida fans. I won't hold it against them. :) While it was hard for this GA fan to put these colors together on a cake, I think they were pleased.

Aren't you proud of me Jess?

the birthday girl

2010-02-20T11:53:00.001-08:00

Even though today is Emie's birthday, we won't be having her party until next week. Still...what would a birthday be without cupcakes?!?

happy birthday emie!!!

2010-02-20T06:54:00.001-08:00

Today is my sweet Emie's second birthday...we love you!

happy birthday renae...

2010-02-17T18:44:00.000-08:00

it's a boy...

2010-02-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

Chase and Brandie are expecting their first baby (a boy!) in late March. They had a baby shower on Saturday. We were honored to attend and I was thrilled to make the cake. Brandie is a new friend of mine and I'm so glad that we met...she is sooo sweet and sooo funny...I know she'll be an amazing mom and I can hardly wait to meet her little one! (name to be determined)

happy birthday brandy...

2010-02-17T18:30:00.001-08:00

happy birthday maelee...

2010-01-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

Maelee (aka "Maelee Bug") celebrated her second birthday with a Dora party at Burger King! Maelee is the adorable daughter of Kandiss and Anthony, two very dear friends. We were honored to have been invited to share this special day with the little "princess" and I was thrilled to be able to make her birthday cake. This cake was bright, colorful, and lots of fun to make. The only downside was that the Dora theme song ran through my head the entire time I was working on it! D-d-d-d-d-Dora! D-d-d-d-d-d-Dora! (Are you singing it now, too?)

happy birthday lee...

2010-01-23T17:28:00.001-08:00

I am very lucky to be able to work with an amazing group of people. The staff at Appling County Elementary School is top-notch for many, many different reasons. One of the special people that I am so fortunate to work with is our school counselor, Melody. Hands down, she is the absolute nicest person I have ever met...seriously...days at an elementary school can be very stressful, but I don't think I've ever seen her without a smile on her face. On top of being super sweet, she is also smart, funny, and too pretty for words! I'm sure that her husband, Lee knows exactly how lucky he is!
Melody (being the thoughtful person that she is) wanted to surprise Lee with a cake for his birthday...I hope he likes his surprise!

emie

2010-01-16T19:48:00.000-08:00

Mommy's little helper...

happy birthday ME...

2010-01-16T19:40:00.001-08:00

M.E. is the daughter of Eva and Shannon. I've known those two for as long as I can remember and it has been a joy to see their little one grow to be such a cute and sassy little girl. When Eva first asked me about doing M.E.'s cake, we had an idea to do a princess cake. Miss M.E. had other plans and she wanted a castle cake. I was happy to oblige.

M.E.: I hope you had a wonderful birthday! Next time, please invite me to go to Disney World with you! :)

happy birthday slater...

2010-01-16T19:27:00.000-08:00

It's always great when I take a cake order for a new customer, but there's something extra special about repeat customers...Tomorrow Slater will celebrate his birthday with a "camping" party. Slater's family is no stranger to emiecakes...in fact, some of my favorite cakes have been made for this special family. Remember Madelyn's pink crown cake? Mykelyn's precious girly cake? The "Belly" cake?

The fondant accents on this cake were SO much fun to make!

happy birthday erica...

2010-01-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

Sarah called to order a cake for her daughter, Erica's twelfth birthday. I've never met Sarah, but I know Erica and she is a very special and beautiful young lady. I hope her day was special and that she enjoyed her cake. I certainly had fun making it!

christmas bake-a-thon

2010-01-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season was definitely a busy season for emiecakes. I really enjoyed baking and decorating cakes and cupcakes that I new would be a part of families' Christmas celebrations.

Even though every order I filled was special, one holiday order definitely stands out...

My grandfather, aka "Pa", aka "Sheriff" ordered cakes for all of the fabulous people he works with at the sheriff's office. In fact, he ordered a cake for EACH of them...60 cakes in all! Yep, that's right...I said 6-0! When he first approached me with the order, I wasn't sure if I could do it, but after my fabulous assistant (my mom) agreed to help, I knew that emiecakes could pull it off.

We began our planning session by making a grocery list. I wish that I'd saved the list so that I could quote it for you and make your jaw drop, but I don't have it anymore. I will tell you that it included 180 eggs, 5 gallons of milk, and more butter than Wal-Mart carries at any given time.

I have to thank my mom and my grandmother, aka "Ma" for chipping in and helping me to gather all the supplies. (And for letting me use their refrigerators for storage!)

We decided that we would start baking on Saturday and see how far we could get. Here's what the scene looked like before we got started.

Before you think I'm completely nuts, let me tell you that these cakes weren't decorated cakes. I don't think I could have tackled the task of decorating 60 cakes! We did four types of "old fashioned" cakes: red velvet, coconut, chocolate, and carrot.

We baked and baked and baked! Each cake had 3 layers so there were 180 layers in all...there were cake layers EVERYWHERE!!!

At the end of the first baking day, we completed 28 cakes!

The next morning, we started bright and early and were determined to finish before the sun went down. We tweaked our system and finally finished all 60! That's 60 cakes in two days!!! As you can imagine, taking pictures was the last thing on my mind. However, I did grab my camera to capture the HUGE mess that my mom made! (It's very amusing to me because I am usually the one to do things like this!) I'm not sure exactly what happened...

This was definitely an experience and an achievement for emiecakes! Thanks again to my Mama...I love you!

50th wedding anniversary...

2009-12-17T19:47:00.001-08:00

This cake was ordered for a couple's 50th wedding anniversary celebration. I was interested to see how white fondant accents would look on a white cake, and I really liked the way it turned out! The three different designs for each tier give the cake interest. My favorite tier is (of course) the top layer. I think it is a classic, but fun look. Congratulations to the happy couple...what a milestone!

go eagles...

2009-11-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

Diana ordered this cake for a tailgating birthday party. I first made a cake like this back during the summer for Toby's birthday. I changed the basic color from crimson to navy and voila...a cute design perfect for cheering on the Georgia Southern Eagles!

cute!!!

2009-11-22T14:54:00.000-08:00

This cake takes the record for my favorite cake of all time! Candice sent the idea over for her twin daughter's second birthday party. The cake itself was only a 6" cake because it was going to be the topper for a cupcake tree. I made the pigs and ducks out of fondant. I can't wait to see the pictures from the party...I hope Molly and Jency approved

fenway park...

2009-11-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

You may remember that I've mentioned before that Jake was one of my all time favorite students. Seriously...you can't get much better than that kid! Jake recently had a birthday and his mom surprised him with a cake of Fenway park. The Red Sox are his favorite baseball team and after doing a little research, I learned that Fenway Park is one of the most famous and recognizable parks in the country.

I didn't come close to doing the park justice with this cake, but I tried to include the most important aspect...the "Green Monster". I hope Jake and the boys enjoyed it...it was definitely a "learning experience" for me!

under da sea...

2009-11-22T14:41:00.001-08:00

This bright and fun cake was ordered for a Little Mermaid birthday party. My own kids have recently discovered the movie and it's one that I don't mind watching over and over again. What's not to love? I didn't get any pictures of the cake topper, but it was the beautiful Ariel herself. I have to say "thank you" again to my mama for helping me...she was personally responsible for all of the bubbles!

fall cupcakes...

2009-11-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like cupcakes are the forgotten dessert. (Aside from kids' birthday parties.) My cake orders definitely outweigh my cupcake orders. Personally, I LOVE cupcakes. They are super easy to serve, you can get the same cake taste and you don't have to sacrifice cuteness. I did these adorable cupcakes for Stacy and Mike's wedding shower. The combination of coconut, carrot, and chocolate offered something for everyone. Personally, the coconut were my favorite!

super scary sweet sixteen...

2009-11-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

Bri had her sixteenth birthday party on Halloween. I believe the official theme was "zombie prom". Sounds like fun! I absolutely love the funky colors and the mixture of the zebra and argyle prints.

Hunting Cake

2009-11-22T14:15:00.000-08:00

A customer ordered this cake for her husband's birthday. Collin was sad to see it leave...he's decided he wants a hunting cake for his birthday....we'll see about that! (I only have a few more years of cute kid themed cakes and I intend to put my foot down!)

I'm still here...

2009-10-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know about your "to-do" list, but mine never seems to get any shorter! (even though I stay crazy busy from morning 'till night) Right now, it's 10:15 pm and all I want to do is crawl in my bed and go to sleep, but I'm checking one more thing off my list by updating the blog. I've been really slack lately...please forgive me. Here's a look at what's been going on in the world of emiecakes:

Mandy ordered this cake for a family member's baby shower. The inspiration came from a baby shower invitation that I've seen in Target! (The fondant is still wet in the pictures...that's why it looks so "shiny".)

Andrea ordered this cake for her son, Kolten's birthday. He loves GI Joe and he shared his birthday cake with his classmates. I tried a new technique on the camouflage and I really like the way it turned out!

You know how some pizza places offer a "personal pan pizza"? Well, here's the cake version! Mindy ordered a "personal pan cake" for her sister in law's birthday. Being a fellow GA fan, I was more than willing to help her out! You have to see this cake in "person" to understand how cute it is...I baked it in a 6" pan!

I'm guessing that the reason Mindy ordered a small cake for her SIL is because she also ordered this cake for her son, Brayden. Like most boys that I know, Brayden loves Transformers. While the action figures fit perfectly atop the cake, it was an ugly scene in my house when I had to explain to Collin that they weren't his and he couldn't play with them. (And for those of you who don't know, I was informed by my husband that Transformers came to the earth on meteors...not stars. I guess that means that the cake is technically inaccurate. Oh well, I still think it's pretty darn cute!)

And finally, a birthday cake for a bowling party. This is definitely one of my favorites! (And again, for those of you who don't know, the bottom hole in a bowling ball (the one that you put you thumb into) is slightly larger than the other two. (Another pearl of wisdom from my husband...another cake inaccuracy...oh well!)

we did it!!!!

2009-10-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I blogged about my running training and how I'd been preparing for my first 5K...Well...I finally did it! I finished my "Couch to 5K" program. That was an accomplishment on its own! I know that there are lots of people who are "natural runners" and can spit out 3-5 miles easily (I'm married to one of those people), but I've never been that person and this was a very long, hard, yet rewarding experience for me.
To top it all off, the week after I finished my training program, my running partner (and best bud), Teresa and I completed a 5K at Animal Kingdom. I am so proud of us! The race was amazing! There were people around every corner cheering us on and running through such an amazing Disney park at night was surreal. It did start raining as we were finishing and we were soaked to the bone, but that didn't damper our mood.
The experience was awesome and I'm beginning to see why people enjoy this "running thing". In fact, we've already signed up for our next race in mid-October. Here are a few pics from our big day. Some of them were taken from my phone so the quality isn't the greatest.

Here's a shot of a FRACTION of the runners. I'm not sure how many thousands of us there were, but we were separated into 12 "waves". We were wave 5 so what you see in this pic is waves 1-4. It was a little overwhelming to see how many people there were!

Here we are right before we started running.

Teresa and I had matching running outfits, but next time we're really gonna have to step it up! Some teams (as you can see below) really got into it! The wigs didn't slow them down, though...they smoked us!

After waiting for what seemed like forever, it was finally time for our "wave" to approach the starting line...

As we were finishing, it started to rain. No, not rain, POUR! At this point we really didn't care. We ended up finishing the 5K at 34 minutes and 43 seconds. That definitely wasn't the fastest time, but if you'd told me six months ago that I would be able to complete a 5K, I would have laughed at you. We were so proud of each other...Thank you SO much, Teresa. I would never have done this without you!

Next time we've got to remember to wear waterproof mascara...just in case!

oh baby!

2009-09-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, Cristy told me about a cake that she wanted me to make for a baby shower that she was hosting. She said that it was the...umm..."chest" and belly of a pregnant woman. The more she described it, the more confused and scared I became. A while later, she brought me a picture of the cake that she wanted. It was exactly as she'd described it, but it was beautiful! I just couldn't wrap my mind around the idea before seeing it for myself.
It is an amazingly creative idea for a cake, but I agonized about it for weeks...I just didn't know if I'd be able to pull it off without making something that could very well end up o n cakewrecks The time finally came when I just had to go for it. It was definitely a challenge and about half way through, I contemplated chunking the entire thing in the garbage, but I stuck it out and was THRILLED with how it turned out!
This definitely wasn't a solo job. The cake was HUGE and there were lots of times where two sets of hands was necessary, so I enrolled the help of my unpaid assistant...my mom! Thanks for all your help, Mama...I couldn't have done it without you!

copy cake...

2009-09-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

There are lots of inspirations for my cakes. Sometimes, a customer knows exactly what he/she wants and I do my best to help them. Other times, I'll get ideas from pictures I've seen in books, magazines, online, etc. This weekend, I was asked to make a cake for three kids who were celebrating their birthdays with one party. There were two birthday girls and one birthday boy. The challenge was to make something that was not girly and not too boyish. Several ideas came to mind and I tried a couple things that just didn't work out. Then, I remembered seeing a cake made by an amazing cake artist named Carrie.
Carrie owns Two Cakes...a part of Savannah Wedding Studio. To say that she is amazing is an understatement! Seriously, this lady never ceases to amaze me!
I won't even begin to compare my cake to hers..(I'm purposefully not posting a picture of it here so that you can't compare them side by side! If you're interested, look on her website.) She had a fun color scheme and a simple, but cute combination of stripes and dots. I thought that something similar would be perfect for the party so I did my best to imitate it. Thanks, Carrie for being such an inspiration!

happy birthday lacey...

2009-09-13T19:18:00.001-07:00

Lacey said she wanted something "sporty" for her birthday. Apparently, she likes to play football at recess with the boys.
So, we decided to make her a football cake...with a girly twist.
I decided to go with an old-school technique and cover the shape with piped stars. There's something really neat and nostalgic about it.

happy birthday cally...

2009-09-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

A co-worker ordered an unusual cake for her daughter's birthday party. Let me start by saying that we share an affinity for going "all out" for our kids' birthday parties! She is hosting a baking party for her daughter and 20 of her closest friends. (I'm thinking she's one of the bravest ladies I know!) In keeping with the theme, she asked me to make a cake in the shape of a chef's hat.
I usually don't completely cover cakes in fondant because I prefer the taste of buttercream, but I felt like completely covering it would make it look smoother and more realistic (and I hid plenty of icing underneath!) The red heart on top and the checked band at the bottom matched the party decor AND the birthday girl's apron. I hope the girls had as much fun at the party as I did making the cake!

welcome baby lilly...

2009-09-10T20:24:00.001-07:00

happy birthday mary addison...

2009-09-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I made a cake for Emma. Emma happens to be the little sister of one of my favorite former students, Jake. Tonight, I kept up with the trend and make a cake for Mary Addison, the little sister of another favorite former student, Griffith. Both Emma and Mary Addison are a couple of years away from being fifth graders, but I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get to teach them, too. In the meantime - Mary Addison, I hope you have fun at your pool party and that you like your "froggy" cake!

a blog for jess...

2009-09-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

Jessica is one of my all time best buds! Jess is quite the baker herself, but we have a lot more than that in common. For one, our kids "match". She has a son that is a few weeks older than Collin and a daughter that is two months older than Emie. To top it all off, we are both teachers. In fact, we met when we were teaching in Savannah, but we've both since left good 'ole Gadsden Elementary School and I miss her dearly!

One of the things I loved most about working with her was the fact that we were both creative and we could bounce ideas off each other. A while back, she asked me to send her some pictures of my classroom...here ya go, Jess!

I have these cute little guys all over the room. They're hot glued to clothes pins so I can switch out student work frequently.

This is the bulletin board outside my room. This monkey's been "hanging" around in my classroom decoration arsenal for a while! (I've used him since I was a first year teacher...thanks Oriental Trading for a great product.)
This is on my white board. Everything is magnetic. When the kids come in each morning, they move their card to let me know what their lunch choice is. It makes attendance and lunch count SO easy.

This is my classroom door.
Here you see our "While You Were Absent" crate and our "Can Tab Frog". We collect can tabs for our 4H club.

The crate has 31 file folders, labeled 1-31. Whenever a kid is absent, we put his/her work in the folder that corresponds with their absence date. When they come back, they check the crate to know what they missed.
This is also on my white board. I like the fact that everything is magnetic...that way I can move groups around quickly whenever we need a change.
This is "command central". It's where I keep all the supplies for students, extra books, and copies that I use during the week. I've also had those multi-colored supply drawers since my first year!
These maps are actually fabric. Whenever we read a book or story, we talk about where the story takes place and sometimes where the author is from. There's none on here yet, but we put little gold stars on each location when we talk about it.

The sign reads: "Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it chased it." hmmm....

Classroom library...I found the lamp at Lowes for $19! (Right now I'm using the pocket charts for my word wall, but soon the "Wild About Reading" bulletin board will be sacrificed for that!)

Each student is expected to read 25 books each year...this is how I track it.

An easy bulletin board that I can keep up year round...

scooby dooby doo...

2009-09-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was able to have fun with a cake for a very special person. Today is Mrs. Diane's birthday and I was so happy to make a cake for her surprise party!
One of Mrs. Diane's favorite cartoons is Scooby Doo...she even spoils my kids in church with Scooby Doo fruit snacks. So, I started with fun and "groovy" colors from the show. Then I added appropriate fondant details: retro flowers (that you'll find on the Mystery Machine), spooky/shifty eyeballs, and of course, the Scooby Snack.

happy birthday taylor...

2009-09-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend, cutie pie Taylor celebrated her first birthday! Her Aunt Stacy ordered a pile of sweet treats for her fun Winnie the Pooh party. The sheet cake was for the adults. There were fun cupcakes for the kids, and little Miss Taylor had her very own "Hunny" pot cake. (The Hunny pot is officially my all time favorite!) Taylor's mommy has promised to send me pictures from the party...I can't wait!

Happy 90th Birthday!

2009-09-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend was very special...Mrs. Frost celebrated her 90th birthday! She is feeling a little under the weather this weekend and her family plans to celebrate this momentous occasion in style at a later time, but her sweet daughter, Glenda couldn't let the day pass without a special cake. Happy Birthday Mrs. Frost!

happy birthday lana...

2009-08-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was able to make a cake for my dear friend, and co-worker, Lana. Her girls gave me complete creative rights with this cake. I know for a FACT that Lana likes the pink and green combo and if you've been anywhere near her classroom this year, you know that the cute little frog was a perfect touch! I hope your birthday is wonderful, Lana...you deserve it...you're the BEST!

I was also very lucky to have good company when I made this cake. Usually, John Paul and the kids stay clear when I'm baking. Partly because they understand there'll be a lot less fighting and yelling if they do, but mainly because they really have ABSOLUTELY NO interest in what I'm doing. Tonight, Lexi joined me in the kitchen. She's the sweetest girl you'll ever meet! She's interested in baking and I'm more than happy to share any tips or techniques that I know...that's how I learned! I can't wait to see what she "cooks up" when she tries her hand at "cake art".
She also got along GREAT with my kids, which is always a plus...I think we may have found our back up babysitter. (Don't worry Miss Kristen, we could never replace you, but for some reason you went and got that "real" job like our $10 an hour wasn't cutting it or something!)

weekend update...

2009-08-24T17:59:00.001-07:00

If come to realize something: WEEKENDS ARE TOO SHORT!!! This one was super short and I did not want to wake up this morning and discover that it was Monday!
It was a very busy weekend...On Friday, we celebrated Laken's birthday and I actually got to have a piece of an emiecake. (cute paisley cake) (Bad for the diet, but oh, sooo good!) John Paul and Collin spent the night in Savannah so Emie and I had the house to ourselves. On Saturday morning, I got up with all intentions of getting a head start on the cake orders I had for the weekend. Instead, Emie and I snuggled up on the couch with our blankets and watched Elmo...and then we watched Elmo...and then Elmo...seriously, the girl had a fascination! That's all she wants to watch and she's just so darn cute, you can't tell her "no". (Especially when she brings you the TV remote and oh so sweetly says, "Eemo".) She can even (kind of) sing the theme song and it hasn't left my head in a week! I'm hoping she grows out of it before her next birthday...I've already made one Elmo cake (for Collin's 2nd BD) and I have my heart set on something cute and girly!
I finally did get a start on my cake orders and I did a REALLY cute polka dot cake for Annette and a dirt bike cake for Tami's son, Brent. I didn't get a picture of the polka dot cake, but I really hope that Annette's coworkers enjoyed it. Tami managed to get a quick picture of Brent's cake before the family dug into it so I hope to share that one with you soon. I did manage to get a pic of this cake: I used my mom's camera...it is SO much nicer than my little "point and shoot" and it makes the cake details look SO much better! I think I may have to borrow it more often.

In other news: I didn't run at all last week. I'm really glad I've been sharing my running news on my blog because a few of you have asked me how I'm doing and I feel accountable now! I didn't run last week because I somehow managed to hurt my ankles...yes, both of them! I don't exactly know what I did, but I do know that they were almost unbearable for a few days. Being the graceful creature that I am, I'm sure I just stepped on them funny or something. So, I convinced myself to take a week off to let them rest and heal. I'm glad that I did because they feel 100% better, but getting back on the wagon this week was ROUGH! Teresa and I convinced each other to repeat week 6. That would put us finishing the program one week before our 5K...makes sense to me! It's amazing how one idle week can mess up your routine. I pushed through it, though and I'm back on track! Wish me luck in the weeks ahead...7 through 9 seem brutal!

my new favorite tool...

2009-08-20T19:09:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was in Hobby Lobby and I stocked up on a new fondant cutters. While I picked out flowers, circles, hearts, and stars, I saw a set of leaf shaped cutters. At first I just glanced over them...I was trying to be frugal and practical and I didn't know how much use I would get out of them. But, I decided to go for it and I'm really glad I did!
I still haven't used them to make leaves, but I used them to make birds on two cakes last week and I used them to make this adorable paisley cake tonight. The shapes are perfect and I was excited to use my favorite color combination...pink and green! It's for my cousin, Laken. Tomorrow is her birthday...Happy Birthday, Laken!

chocolate!

2009-08-19T19:54:00.001-07:00

A very wise 10 year old recently said: "There just aren't enough chocolate cakes in the world". Add that to the list of reasons I love you, Em!
Kandiss ordered this cake for her mom's birthday. This chocolate icing is definitely one of my favorites. Not only is it chocolate (where a great deal of the appeal lies), but it holds up well to piping.

sweet 'lil bird...

2009-08-13T20:23:00.001-07:00

Tonight I made a cake for a very special little girl. Her mom ordered the cake and said that she wanted it to have birds and flowers on it. I, thankfully, have the privilege of knowing the birthday girl and two words that immediately come to mind are "cute" and "sweet" so I knew the cake had to match! I was able to use some of my favorite colors and techniques and I LOVE how it turned out!

gentlemen, start your engines...

2009-08-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, Andrea called to order a cake for her husband's birthday. She was very laid back about what she wanted and named several things that he was interested in: power tools, boats, and Nascar. We decided to go with a Nascar theme. I'm not a huge Nascar fan so I had to do a little research. (My dad IS a huge fan, but growing up, Sunday races were just a perfect excuse for my mom and I to take a three hour nap!)
I immediately knew that I wanted to decorate the sides of the cake with the infamous racing checkerboard. I used black fondant and a mini-square fondant cutter. Yes, it took a LONG time, but it was perfect! I tossed around the idea of putting a model car on the top of the cake, but I couldn't decide on a specific car. Andrea said that her hubby didn't really have a favorite, but I know my fair share of Nascar fans and while they might not always have a favorite, they ALWAYS have drivers that they don't care for. (I couldn't imagine putting a Jeff Gordon car on a cake for my dad!) So, I played it safe and tried to mimic the Nascar logo in the design.
You'll have to excuse the poor photo...I can't ALWAYS have a professional photographer for my personal use! :)

fabulous 50...

2009-08-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, but that's not because we haven't been doing anything...quite the contrary...it has been VERY busy 'round here!
Collin is adjusting to his life as a preschooler. He still cries when we take him in to school, but his teachers have reported the last two days that he hasn't been crying throughout the day. He also has lots to tell me when I pick him up so I know he's having a good time.
Emie is thoroughly enjoying staying with "Doo Mama" (that's what the kids call my mom...I have no clue where they got it from) without her big brother. I was a little worried that she would get bored and miss him, but she seems to like not having to fight over toys or fight for attention.
School is well underway. I have a brand new group of fifth graders and I can tell that its going to be a good year. The classroom is super cute (pics to come in a few days) and we are getting settled into a much needed routine. It has been hard to adjust to being up so early, but we're getting there. I think I'm going to ask Santa for a Keurig coffee maker for Christmas to help in that process.
You will also be proud to hear that I am well on my way to reaching my 5K running goal! Last night I finished Week 6, Day 1! I made it through week five and that ever so scary 20 minute run last weekend. I actually did the run twice. I did it once on Friday, but nine minutes into the run a breaker tripped and I: 1) almost face planted the front of the treadmill and 2) lost my concentration and determination. I finished the run, but it was MISERABLE! I spent the whole time watching the timer. Overall, I give it a C-. So, on Saturday I tried the run again...I unplugged everything in the room to make sure the breaker behaved, filled my headphones with Black Eyed Peas and I DID IT!!! I was so proud!
While everything else has been busy, I'm proud to say that emiecakes has been busy, too. A few weeks ago, I got a phone call from Kristin L. Kristen's mom is turning 50 and she and her sister have been planning a party to celebrate the occasion. She sent me a few pictures of cakes that she liked and I drew up a sketch, taking all the best features from each cake.
When I dropped off the sketch to her sister, Kaitlin, she showed me the plates that they found for the party. They were the cutest things ever! They were bright and colorful and fun. I immediately wanted to change the design of the cake to compliment the plates. Thankfully, the girls agreed and it turned out to be ADORABLE!

When Kristin picked up the cake today, I asked her if it was a surprise. She admitted that her mom was "nosy" :) and that she thought she had an idea that something was up...
I know she is very lucky to have such sweet and thoughtful daughters and I hope that she had a wonderful time at her party.

collin's first day of preschool (in 2009)...

2009-08-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember that last year, we tried our hand at daycare. Well, we're putting the past behind us and we're starting over!

Today was Collin's first day of 3 year old preschool! There were tears, but we survived it. His teacher said he cried off and on throughout the day and he was very teary when I picked him up, but he also told me about all the fun things he did and the friends he made. When I asked him why he cried, he told me that he was a little "nerbous".

I don't want to talk about it anymore because I have to leave him again tomorrow and I'm already "nerbous", but I'll share these pics from this morning:

We got up a lot earlier than usual...everyone wasn't this happy:

Here's Collin with his new "book pack". Teresa looked EVERYWHERE to find the perfect orange one. (Orange was Collin's request...still trying to figure that one out.) (BTW: Collin's hair is wet from his morning bath.)

While we were taking pictures, Collin kept saying, "Hurry up...I don't want to be late. My teacher will be so worried about me."

And now we're in the car...notice that Collin has his "bank bank"...I'm wondering if he'll let it go by the time he goes off to college?

I love you Collin and I am SO proud of you!!!

update...

2009-08-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

The best advice I can give anyone who is interested in any kind of fitness goal is this: GET A BUDDY! Last night after the kids went to bed, I did the final run for week 4 of my 9 week program (couch to 5K). I'm not gonna lie...it was HARD!!! All in all, it was a miserable run. I was seriously doubting myself and I thought that I might have to extend week 4 before moving on. The fact that there is a 20 minute run at the end of week 5 didn't help my outlook.
Today was a pretty busy day...it was Collin's first day of preschool (I'll post pics later tonight.) so I took my mind off things by working in my classroom. (Thanks for your help, Laken.) To get back to the story, I was EXHAUSTED and looking forward to getting home and relaxing while I caught up on some DVR'd shows. I grabbed my phone and checked my Facebook page and what did I see? Little Miss Teresa had already finished Day 1 of Week 5!!! After I called her an ugly name...right out loud, I decided that I couldn't let her beat me. So, I laced up my running shoes, grabbed my ipod and hit the road! (Actually the treadmill, but whatev.)
It was definitely hard, but I cannot tell you how proud I am of myself every time I finish a run. I'm still dreading Day 3 (20 minute run) and I'm too exhausted to even get off the couch right now and eat dinner with JP and the kids (thanks for taking over tonight, babe), but I did it!!! If I didn't have my running buddy to push me along and keep me accountable, I'd be halfway through a back episode of Rachel Ray right now. I still plan to squeeze that in after the kids go to bed, but now I'll be able to enjoy it without guilt. Thanks, Teresa for the motivation...we're gonna rock that 5K!!!

happy birthday mykelyn

2009-08-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

I've had the pleasure of meeting little Miss Mykelyn many times. She is a petite, sweet little girl who will be turning three very soon. She's having a birthday party tomorrow and when her Daddy asked me to make her cake, I knew that it had to be extra special.
Just like her cousin, Madelyn, she is a "princess" so a crown was definitely in order. The soft colors and piping details make this the perfect cake for sweet Mykelyn. Happy Birthday!

Photos courtesy of memoriesnmore.

down...set...hike...

2009-08-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

It's almost that time, friends...my husband's favorite time of the year...Christmas? No. Football season...yes! Before you know it, it will be time for tailgating and cheering on your favorite team. (Go Dawgs!) This is a cake that I made for Toby's 34th birthday...he's as big a football fan as my husband. (Even though his game day attire is generally crimson, not red.)
Here's a pic of the cake before I personalized it.

And now a proper birthday cake for an Alabama fan...

One of the best things about this cake was that we got to help eat it! Collin could hardly wait...he'd been patient all day long!

Emie ate a little too much and eventually crashed from her sugar high...

This cake was a lot of fun to make and it was extra special because I made it for a very special friend. Happy Birthday "Mr. Toby".

All pics courtesy of memoriesnmore

My new headshots

2009-07-31T18:54:00.001-07:00

On our way home tonight, Teresa yelled (yes YELLED ;)) at John Paul to pull over so she could get some pics of me in front of this COW GATE. I hope she isn't trying to tell me something.... I kinda like this one!!

leeanne

the star of emie cakes (and collin too!)

2009-07-31T18:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight we drove out to Screven with our friends the Earnest's, who are visiting from Savannah, for dinner at Reedy Creek. Teresa took these pics of Emie and Collin and I just had to share.

Gotta scoot! I am off to finish up 3 birthday cakes for very special friends of emiecakes!

leeanne

run cake girl, run...

2009-07-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

With the new school year approaching, I've been a very busy girl! In an effort to make my day a little easier and to appease Hayley who is utterly tired of seeing "Happy Easter" every time she checks my personal blog, :) I have decided to combine my personal blog with my emie cakes blog. I hope you don't mind...

Today's post has absolutely nothing to do with cakes. (Unless you count the fact that yesterday I baked and ate a substantial amount of butternut cake, which requires me to spend a lot of time on the treadmill.)

A while back, two very special ladies (aka "divas") began a program called Couch to 5K. I'd heard about the program before and even thought about starting it a time or two, but I always chickened out. Well, after seeing these two get motivated, I decided it was time to give it a try.

The C25K is a 5K training program that you can find at coolrunning Before I go any farther, let me say that I am NOT a runner! I've always admired those people who run to de-stress and to "clear their head"...me, I prefer to de-stress by watching Lifetime with a hand full of Oreos and a cold glass of milk! Even in school, I was always the one who finished the mile run at the back of the pack. (But hey, someone has got to be last!)

So about eight weeks ago I embarked on a 9 week journey to transform me from a (kinda) lazy and (somewhat) out of shape lady to someone who can run a 5K (That's 3.1 miles!)

Week 1 was great. Week 2 was okay. Then I fell off the wagon. I got sidetracked and missed a few days. Then, I started over and got to week 3. Week 3 kicked my booty so I went back to Week 2...bla, bla, bla...you get what I'm saying. It seemed like this one would go down in the book as something I never finished...

About two weeks ago, Teresa called to tell me about a 5K run at Disney's Animal Kingdom that just happened to be held during our family vacation in September. What?! That was the motivation that I needed! She signed us up and now I am (seriously) serious about finishing this program. Today I finished Week 3, which is farther than I have ever gone before! I'm expecting you all to hold me accountable...this is something I REALLY want to do!

I would still prefer to eat Oreos and watch Lifetime, but I'm starting to see the appeal of this running thing.

BTW, one of those "divas" who was only a week ahead of me when we first began is now getting ready to enter her 9th and FINAL week of training! Stacy E., I am SO proud of you!!! And Teresa, WE CAN DO THIS!!!

posted by leeanne...

2009-07-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

I know all the blog entries say "posted by Teresa", but they're by me...I swear! I'm still trying to work out the kinks (and remember to sign in as LeeAnne). Thanks again to Teresa for helping me set up the blog and for all your encouragement!

- LeeAnne

pictures?

2009-07-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

If any of you have pictures of any cakes I've made for you, I would REALLY appreciate you sending them my way. For some reason I ALWAYS send them out the door without taking a picture! I'd love to add them to the blog.

Thanks!

happy birthday madelyn...

2009-07-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

Miss Madelyn is my kind of girl! When her mommy asked what kind of cake she wanted for her 4th birthday, she told her that she wanted a "pink cake with m&m's and a crown". Wow! Somehow, her mom (Cristy) talked her out of the m&m's, but the "pink" and "crown" requirements stuck.

Cristy brought over a real crown that Madelyn wanted on the top of her cake. Madelyn also wants to wear the crown at her party so I'm thinking that the cake will be cut pretty soon after the party starts!

This cake was so much fun to make...Happy Birthday Madelyn!

happy birthday mema...

2009-07-17T08:42:00.001-07:00

My grandmother (aka Mema) recently turned 70. Would you believe that in 70 years, she's never had a real birthday cake? This cake had to be special! I must say that it is one of my favorites! How cute would this be for a baby shower or bridesmaid's luncheon?

Please excuse the poor picture...it was very late when I finished this cake and I didn't have good lighting.

aargh!

2009-07-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

Collin's third birthday was pirate themed...and what a fun theme it was! We had grown adults that spoke "pirate" for an entire day...very entertaining!

For his cake, I wanted something clean and simple. I ordered a "jolly roger" cookie cutter to help me make the fondant shape on top. The cake is iced in buttercream...the red and black decorations on the cake are made of fondant.

an emie cake for emie...

2009-07-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

When my little Emie turned one, I knew I had to have an extra "sweet" cake. I am all about "themed" birthday parties and I used a cupcake theme for her party. I'd planned to just make cutie-pie cupcakes in lieu of a cake and then I decided that I would incorporate the two: cake + cupcake = giant cupcake!

The colors that I used were bright and girly and the over sized confetti sprinkles finished it perfectly. I used icing tip #723 (basket weave) to make the "cup" part of the cupcake...I alternated the sides to give it the right texture. It was a big hit!

roll tide?

2009-07-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

So this GA fan was recently asked to make an Alabama groom's cake. As hard as it was, I think I pulled it off. The groom (Chris) pretty much gave me free reign to do whatever I wanted to with the design. Chris graduated from the University of Alabama and loves Alabama football. When I think of Alabama football, I think of Bear Bryant (and his famous houndstooth hat).

It's always a good thing when I have a while to think about the design and execution of a cake. I can also practice different techniques before I have to put the cake together. So, one Sunday afternoon, I whipped up a batch of black icing and tried to practice piping a houndstooth design. Wow! It was really hard and it didn't look like I wanted it to. But, since I had time to spare, I was able to come up with a different solution.

I did a little research and found a great product...printed, edible paper. I know this stuff has been around for a while, but the quality and designs have come a long way! I found an adorable houndstooth print and instantly knew what I wanted to to!

Chris also likes to play golf so I was able to incorporate the two interests into one great looking cake! I substituted the golf balls you see in this picture for a set of Alabama golf balls which tied everything together.

a birthday down on the farm...

2009-07-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

All the cakes I make are special, but some are extra special...just like this one! This is the cake I made for my son, Collin's first birthday. We decorated his nursery with a farm theme and the fascination "stuck". He has always been interested in farm animals, tractors, and anything farm related. So, it seemed appropriate that his first birthday party would reflect this obsession.

I love the bright colors and I was able to use a few of his favorite toys for extra decorations. (I washed them thoroughly first!) I also enjoyed making the grass on this cake. I used decorating tip #133...one of my favorites! I think the "ruggedness" of the barn and the writing makes it looks like children's art.

All in all, it was the perfect cake for a perfect party!

a sweet cake for a sweet couple...

2009-07-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

Katie and Charlie are just about the sweetest couple you'll ever find! Katie is a no-nonsense girl who has a great sense of humor and Charlie is the epitome of a southern gentleman. They had their rehearsal dinner at the Isle of Hope Marina and decided to serve their groom's cake there. (Great idea!)

Charlie requested a German Chocolate cake. Most of the cakes I make use buttercream icing because it's easy to decorate, but I'm a BIG fan of German Chocolate and I knew we could figure out some way to jazz it up to fit in with their "coastal chic" theme. And of course, cupcakes on the side are always appropriate!

photo courtesy of memoriesnmore photography

welcome to emie cakes...

2009-07-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved to watch Mrs. Diane bake and decorate cakes.

That's pretty much how my story begins. Mrs. Diane is a dear family friend and when I was a little girl, she used to let me watch while she made birthday cakes. Being the patient woman she is, she taught me simple techniques like how to mix cake batter, how to make buttercream icing, how to smooth icing....you get the picture.

Over the years, I've made lots of cakes for family and friends, but it wasn't until recently that I decided to take my "hobby" and turn it into a little something more. With the encouragement and support from my family and a few good friends, Emie Cakes was born.

My dear friend, Teresa suggested the name and I think it's perfect! As many of you know, Emie is my daughter and she's sweet and cute...just like my cakes! (Teresa also designed this blog...thanks, T!)

So...it is with great pleasure and pride that I present my creations to you! Every cake has a story and I look forward to sharing these stories with you. Please give me a call if I can help to make your next celebration or special occasion "sweeter". 912.670.0007