My first attempt using fondant

I thought it was about time that I stop just watching and admiring Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes, but finally try to create a cake of my own using fondant.  I was always weary of using fondant because it seems very complex and time consuming, but to my relief it was very simple!  

My roommate and I decided to make a cake for my friend's birthday that looked like a gift.  When we went to Michael's the only fondant they had was white, all the colors were sold out.  Oh well, at least I had food coloring at home.  I was hoping to create a colorful package with ribbon, but due to time constraints was only able to color the ribbon.  

When using fondant you have to be very careful that it doesn't dry out and become brittle because that can happen relatively quickly.  I found it very helpful to put whatever fondant you are not using at the moment in a zip lock bag.  

For the cake we used funfetti (we are still in college after all).  Make sure the cake cools completely.  Then clear a large area where you can roll out the fondant.  Lay down wax paper and sprinkle the area and the rolling pin with corn starch because the fondant can become very sticky.  Once fondant is rolled flat, you can place it over the first layer of the cake.  Tuck the fondant under the cake and to smooth out the edges, slit the fondant that is on the corner of the cake so it is easier to fold under.

To make the ribbon I had to dye the fondant pink.  Wear gloves because this part gets pretty messy and it takes a while to fold in the coloring.  I used about 4 drops of the red dye to get it the shade I wanted.  To make the ribbon, roll out the fondant so it is flat, cut strips (using a knife or special fondant cutter), and then fold the strips and lay them on their side to harden.

Once the strips are hard, begin to attach to cake with icing to form a bow.  We used about 18 of these strips so that the bow would be really full!

I think for my first time it turned out pretty well! I can't wait to bake for St.Patty's Day!

DIY Honeymoon gift bag

There is nothing better than giving that special bride and groom in your life a gift that is both functional and personal.  For my sister's wedding, I gave her and her hubby a special going away bag with honeymoon essentials.  This is such a great gift because you can personalize the package as "his" and "her", while providing much needed (and some not-needed but cute) supplies.  I found most of my material at Michael's and online sites.

The bought a black and white tote bag and ironed  "Just Married" onto the straps with iron-on rhinestones.

Items to put in the tote:

• "His" and "Her" towels- I bought a black towel and white towel and ironed on "His" and "Hers" with fabric letters.
• "Just Married" flip-flops 
• Sunscreen 
• Lip-balm 
• Luggage Tags
• Do Not Disturb Sign
• Lotions
• Champagne
• Extra Batteries

Get creative and cater it to the honeymoon destination =)

Mad Hatter Tea Party

For my sister, Jenn's, bridal shower I wanted to do something fun, classy, and unique. I didn't want to throw the typical, tacky bridal shower. After much thought I came up with the Mad Hatter Tea Party theme and was excited to use some DIY tactics to decorate. I was able to find inexpensive teapots at local Ross stores and used these as vases, filled with colorful daises.

The mad hatter theme came to me because I wanted guests to come dressed up and feel involved in the festivities. All guests were required to wear a "goofy" hat.

To go along with the theme, "drink me" labels were attached to everyone's teacups. I made these using colorful card-stock, glitter glue, and ribbon to attach. Likewise, "eat me" labels were placed near the food. Everyone thought this was so cute!

The menu consisted of yummy finger foods and crust-less tea sandwiches

• Egg-Salad sandwiches
• Tuna with cranberry sandwiches
• Crackers topped with crab-meat salad
• Cheese and crackers
• Fruit salad
• Quinoa spinach salad
• Cranberry-ginger punch with raspberry sorbet
• Peach Bellini

Whats a party without dessert! My mom and I made cupcakes and decorate them with mini hats toppers, cake stand wrappers, edible gold and pearl emblems. All materials can be found at fancyflours.

We also found mini desserts with a tea-cup shaped chocolate base filled with cappuccino mouse. They disappeared as soon as we set them out!

Don't forget the games! We played numerous games throughout the shower. We gave scratch off's as prizes and some even turned out to be winners!

• Who knows the bride best- Create a 10-15 Q quiz, make them fun and include embarrassing events from the bride's past! I printed them out on paper with tea cups and cupcakes as the header. This is a great game to pass out as people finish eating.

• How much does the bride know about her groom- I emailed the future hubby a list of questions about himself ahead of time. The bride has to answer the questions correctly and if she doesn't she has to stuff a marshmallow in her mouth! By the end of the game she couldn't even talk she had so many marshmallows in her mouth

• What's in your purse- Make a list of things both common and uncommon that a woman may carry in her purse and assign points to each item. Gather all the women into a room and call out the items on your list. The guests have to go through their purse and if they have that item they get those points, the one with the most points at the end wins! Its a fun game that gets everyone involved and you will be surprised what women keep in their purses! It depends on your audience on how inappropriate/funny you want to get, but items we listed included pens, paper, floss, granola bar, gum, aspirin, midol, tampons, condoms, vitamins, nail polish, prescription medicine, hair brush, makeup, gas-x, and the list goes on...

• Toilet paper bride- This game involves forming teams, 2-3 depending on how many guests you have. Each team get rolls of toilet paper and they have 10 minutes to design and create a wedding gown. When time ends, the toilet paper bride must walk down an "aisle" and the real bride judges the best design. Warning, if you have competitive players this game can get rowdy =) We had 2 close contents, it was hard to choose a winner:

And one interesting design...LOL

Don't forget to have someone make a bridal bouquet out of the ribbons and bows on the gifts. The Bride uses this bouquet for her rehearsal. It's extremely easy to make- use a paper or plastic plate, cut a hole in the middle, and insert ribbon and bows through the hole! It comes out beautiful!