Cakes by Rachel

2010-05-19T07:25:00.001-07:00

Girl 1st Birthday

2010-05-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hunter's 4th Birthday

2010-05-15T18:46:00.002-07:00

2010-05-15T18:46:00.001-07:00

60th Birthday

2010-05-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

2010-05-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

J Lo's Birthday

2010-05-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

Dora the Explorer

2010-05-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

Baby boy shower

2010-05-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

Baby Shower

2010-03-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

Emma's Birthday

2010-03-07T09:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Andrea and Ross

2010-03-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

Another 80's Cake

2010-03-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

Disco Skating Party

2010-03-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

One of my friends at Integrity, Damon, asked me to make a cake for his birthday party at the skating rink. We went with a disco skating theme and I think it turned out fun! Another great part was it was a marble cake...my first attempt! I used a recipe for chocolate buttercream from another cake friend, Beth Quave, and I was shocked at how delicious it was. I will never shy away from chocolate requests now :)

2010-01-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

So, I love my new job and the exciting world of music that I was completely clueless about until 6 months ago. One of our new artist, Kari Jobe, had her first album sell over 100k units in less than a year! I know that doesn't seem impressive in comparison to mainstream girls like Taylor Swift, but it is great in the Christian world.

We had a little celebration of the album's success and to show appreciation to all of our hard working employees (this is not bragging because this was before my time...not that finance really contributes to album greatness anyway). I was asked to make a cake to feed the label group and look like the album. Since this is my favorite album, I was very excited....until I remembered the artwork! Thankfully, our wonderful art/photographer/creative guy, Sam, came to my rescue with design ideas and enlarged copies of specific images in the cd booklet. Also, another coworker saved the cake by making a copy of the cd cover and putting it on top about 10 min before the party....I was super nervous but so thankful! (I'm glad that as I get older I'm able to "let go" and not be so obsessive...it works way better :)

My former running partner and good friend Annie asked me to make cupcakes for her daughter's princess birthday party. Thanks to Olivia, I am in the know on the obsession of princesses...and I'm super girly and love it myself :)

Okay, so I will brag and say that I LOVED the cupcakes and the little cake! But, my favorite thing was seeing Annalee's eyes full of excitement when she realized the small cake was just for her. It was priceless watching her carefully put her fork to the cake and continually glancing up at her parents to be sure it was ok...kind of like she was getting away with stealing candy or something! It was so cute to say the least.

Fall Cake

2009-11-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

Shannon, a new co-worker, asked me to make a birthday cake for her husband. Her only request was to be sure it had lots of buttercream...a girl after my own heart!!! We decided to go with a fall theme since they would be celebrating with their book club. I had so much fun making the leaves and using ribbon in a different way.

Jackson's 2nd Birthday

2009-11-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

Jackson had a train themed birthday party, and as usual Michelle ordered a challenging cake! As usual, it turned out better than I imagined something I could do! We found a few pics of cakes from cakecentral.com that were the "inspiration". As usual with the kids birthday cakes, my dad helped! He made the big 2 cake topper...and did a great job! Olivia also helped by cutting out the different colored circles.

Jackson loves to share...so sweet!

Sorry Michelle it took me a month to post the pics :(

Jeremy's Sax Cake

2009-11-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

Jeremy, one of my new co-workers, asked me to make him a birthday cake to celebrate his 30th birthday. Like most Integrity employees, he is a talented musician. Unlike most, he bought himself a new sax for his birthday...and went to CA to buy it! I commissioned my friend Kristin to make the saxophone, and I did the rest :) It was the easiest cake I've ever made...thanks Kristin!!!

September Birthdays

2009-09-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

At work, the Label Group has a monthly birthday party for our department. This month it was Sara, Nancy, Jeremy, Bob, and Patrick's birthday, so I made a cake for the boys and one for the girls. I've had the idea to make a plaid cake and was excited to give it a try...I definitely learned a few tips for next time!

Baby Shower

2009-09-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

Lauren hosted a baby shower for a girl we went to college with and asked me to make the cake. The nursery is in pink and green, so that was the theme. I thought the little feet on top were cute!

Mom & Dad's Birthday

2009-09-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

I made a lemon cake with a pineapple filling and iced with cool whip for their birthday a few weeks ago. It was fun to make a non-decorated cake...and it was delicious!

Thomas the Train

2009-08-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

My new friend Rhonda asked me to make a Thomas the Train cake for her son's fourth birthday party. I had fun making this cake and used lots of new "tricks". The round piece of Thomas (black part that his face is on) was baked in a soup can! I learned that trick from my favorite cake website, http://www.cakecentral.com/. I also used foam posterboard for the base (I've always used the Wilton "cake boards" aka cardboard from Michael's). It was sturdier and cheaper! This cake is on a full size posterboard...just to give you an idea of how big it was!

A special thanks my friend Steven who saved the day by giving me a ride in his huge Dodge truck to deliver the cake! I absolutely would have never made it alone in my Honda...maybe it's time for a new vehicle? :)

Crazy Kids

2009-08-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

I know this is not cake related, but I can't help myself! I have to explain for everyone to fully understand what makes this so funny.

We were at the beach celebrating Clay's birthday, and mine too. Jackson started doing this "trick" of falling backwards on the bed. I'm sure this isn't funny to anyone outside of our family, but we are the typical adults who think everything he does is hilarious. I got my camera to document this moment in his life when Olivia wanted in on the spotlight. She thinks I'm filming her, which I am, but mostly Jackson. I think this video is the best reflection of a typical minute with Olivia and Jackson.

P.S. The blog music needs to be paused before you watch the video. Sorry!

Judy & Tom's Birthday

2009-08-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

Another cake that my friend Ashley helped make. This one was for her mother and brother's birthdays. We had so much fun, and I can't wait to make another dreamsicle orange cake!

80's Cake

2009-07-29T19:22:00.001-07:00

This cake was for my best friend's birthday party. Terri had the party with her friend Jenny and everyone brought their A-game in 80's costumes...it was like totally awesome! Kristin came over to help me with this cake, and she brought it to the next level! A huge thanks to her and having so much fun!!!

I wasn't sure if I could do splatter paint, but oh did I figure it out! Kristin was a huge encourager because I was very scared to ruin the cake.

This is the dress I so wanted to wear but couldn't find anywhere. Thankfully my stylist/co-worker Katy helped guide me to a perfect and authentic outfit.

Of course, Kristin did this guitar, and I was beyond impressed....isn't she extremely talented?

And here I am in all of my 80's glory -

Me with Josh (aka Miami Vice)

Terri and I totally rocking the 80's...we were made for big tacky hair!!!! Please note the lime green fish nets and straight from 1986 purple pumps!

Josh & Heather's Wedding Shower

2009-07-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

Butter cake with white chocolate buttercream

Chocolate chip cake with vanilla buttercream

Almond cake with white chocolate buttercream

Strawberry cake with cream cheese buttercream

Lime cake with lime buttercream

Granny's Golfing

2009-07-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

This cake was for Shane's Granny's birthday. It was a red velvet cake with cream cheese buttercream.

Baby Shower

2009-06-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

Another cake compliments of Shane...his wife hosted a baby shower and ordered this cake. The design was taken from swatches for the nursery and a very cute painting that one of the hostess painted. I love how cute the animals are!

Girly Bowling Birthday

2009-06-23T19:43:00.001-07:00

This cake was for Alainah who had a bowling party. I made the mermaid cake for her cousin, so she wanted a cake with her bowling and it to be very girly. Being that Aerial was my first 3-D figure, I wasn't sure exactly how to go about making a girl bowling. I tried to make her in the bowling stance, but it turned out more like a "ta-da" stance. Either way, it is girly!

Melanie's Birthday

2009-06-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

Shane asked me to make a simple birthday cake for his wife, Melanie. He didn't give a design or color, so I made a cake that I liked!

Part of your world

2009-05-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

I LOVE The Little Mermaid and was so excited when I got this order. I wish I could have added more details for under the sea, but I'm sure everyone was thankful I didn't...I know I'm MS gaudy sometimes! This was my first time to make 3-D characters and a person. I definitely struggled, but love how it turned out. Thanks to Shane for making Ariel's head!

I love how her tail turned out! And, I like how the "wind blown" hair worked. Of course I wanted lots of big hair, but it started to tear from the weight!

A few dancing fish from "Under the Sea".

And the tuba fish...another favorite from "Under the Sea". Please note the pink flower on the corner with petals floating...recognize it? Yes, that is the flower Sebastian gave Ariel during the "Under the Sea" song and at the end she pulled the petals and did the he loves me/he loves me not!

Can you find the dinglehopper? "Humans use this baby to straighten their hair out"...if only it were that easy! I really loved how the water turned out...so much fun being messy!

Don't forget the Snarfblat that "plays wonderful music in pre-historic times when people used to sit around and stare at each other...very boring." All these Scuttle quotes makes me wonder why I didn't think to put him on the rock too?! Maybe next time :)

Star Wars

2009-05-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, I'm not a Star Wars fan, so I wasn't too excited when I was asked to make this cake for my boss' neice and nephew. I was given a specific design to follow because everything I suggested was vetoed immediately...constellations weren't a great idea?! I really did enjoy making this cake and thought the lightsabers were especially cool. I might watch my first Star Wars movie now!

I had too much fun making the lightsaber "glow"!

Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-11T04:01:00.000-07:00

I had a Fiesta for Cinco de Mayo, and made a cake for the occassion!

Corvette Cake

2009-04-19T15:31:00.001-07:00

A co-worker ordered this cake for her husband. He is a huge corvette fan and asks for one every year for his birthday...at least he got one on his cake! I know I'm super cheesy, but I love the road and my attempts to make a corvette driving on it.

Michelle's Equarium Cake

2009-04-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it is not "e"quarium, but that is how Olivia pronounces it...so that is how we all say it! Michelle decided she wanted to go to the New Orleans aquarium for her birthday, so that meant I had to make an aquarium cake. It helped that I did two cakes the same week with the same design. I know, I got a little carried away and it is border-line gawdy, but I LOVED IT!!! My favorite cake so far.

Little Einstein's

2009-04-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

This cake was for my boss son's 3rd birthday party. I must admit this was my first cake to do without a specific design and to just "go with the flow." Of course, I was overwhelmed and nervous at first, but once I got started I loved it!!! I was so excited to make the fish Nemo characters! Also, thanks to Shane for the cake board.

Wilder's First Cake

2009-04-03T17:19:00.001-07:00

My friend Ashley Wilder wanted to try out decorating cakes, so we made this cake together for her sister-in-law's birthday. It was so much fun to make a girly cake with a wonderful friend!

2009-03-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

Olivia's 4th birthday cake....a challenge to say the least, but in the least expected way. For the first time since I've ventured into this cake world, I had a cake fall apart, a cake that sunk in the center while cooling, a "valley" cut out of a cake while leveling, three cakes bubble over the pan while cooking, and on and on it went. I was so prepared for this cake, but it turned on me every step of the way! Although tears came twice, I did get in the groove of things just in time to have fun decorating and making it a success. As usual, my dad came to my rescue and helped out a lot with the construction of the castle and keeping me calm. He also was my voice of reason when my obsessiveness kicked in and there was no time for it! Olivia loved it and everyone seemed to enjoy eating it (which is truly my ultimate goal with every cake). So, here are a few pics from the party:

All the girls kept asking if they could eat the princesses or have a "green" piece...God love them! Moment of honesty...I had a tear come to my eye when I started to take apart the cake and cut it. All that hard work about to be devoured!

A few of the princesses. Haley Grace as Christmas Belle, Sara as Sleeping Beauty, Helen as Belle (original), and Olivia as the Little Mermaid.

Yes, all the girls wore their dress ups in the jumping castle. As you can tell, Olivia loved it!

Ever so the princess, Olivia opening her presents. A huge THANK YOU to my wonderful, wise sister who let Olivia sit on her "throne" to open her presents. I don't think I could have handled another repeat from last year with all the kids "helping" open the presents!

Awe, Olivia is just like her Aunt Rae Rae...eating only the icing! After most of the kids left and we were cleaning up, Olivia said she needed more icing....so I gave her the top of the castle. I think Michelle really didn't approve, but she's the birthday girl and this was her cake (and icing)!

All that was left :)

2009-02-17T15:00:00.001-08:00

Another cars cake....

Valentine's Day cake for a co-worker...as you can tell I had fun making the hearts. It was for two boys and I promised it wouldn't have too many hearts or be too "girly"....oops!

Olivia's Princess practice cake

2009-02-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

Olivia is having a princess party for her fourth birthday in two weeks and has requested a castle cake with princesses on it. I've never "built" anything, so I was unsure how to go about making a square castle on top of a round cake with correct deminsions, proportions, and support. I made a practice cake this weekend to make sure I was prepared and had an action plan for the big day. Here are few step-by-step pictures...let me know what you think! P.S. I didn't really decorate it but trying to make sure it was stable and proportionate.

2009-02-06T15:24:00.001-08:00

More cakes...

This was for my boss' son who wanted his fourth birthday party theme to be his daddy's new boat...I found out about the cake on Friday for a Saturday party that started at 11:00! No time to plan or make a mistake, so I played it safe and kept it simple.

Our family tradition is to go to my grandparent's house (on my dad's side) for Christmas Eve. My grandmother sings Happy Birthday to Jesus every year, so I decided to make a cake for her/Jesus. As usual, my writing is off-centered!

This cake was for one of my co-worker's son who plays city league football and is on the Redskins team. I was asked to make a birthday cake with the football theme for a 13-year-old boy and not make it look too birthday like...you know he has to be cool in front of his friends! He really liked it!!!! Please note that although my writing is not perfectly centered, the font is very boy-friendly and almost the same size!

2008-10-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

Jackson's First Birthday

2008-10-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from my nephew's 3 tier cowboy cake!