John Deere Cake!

I impressed myself with this cake! It turned out better than I ever imagined! The mom to the soon-to-be 3 year old contacted me at Sugar On Top Cakes & Sweets; she needed a John Deere cake! 

I remember Gavin when he was an itty bitty baby, now he has grown into a little country boy! I was sent pictures of his tools, a hammer and pliers, and the hat he loved to wear! From being born and raised in the South, I was delighted to get this order!

The cake is a delicious chocolate and vanilla marble with a vanilla buttercream. A neutral beige was chosen for the fondant color since it goes so well with the green. 

I used gumpaste to make an edible hat! It was quite easy to make; I just rolled out the gumpaste and molded it over a bowl. It ended up having creases and it turned out exactly like Gavin's hat! I added the yellow brim, drew a John Deere logo, cut it out and attached it to the hat!

Gavin LOVES his tools, so it was a must that they be included! These were made from fondant and molded into the shape of a hammer and pliers!

What little boy doesn't like to have another tractor he can play with?! Since it was a tractor cake, what better way to add to the cake then to add a little grass! 

The birthday boy looked so happy!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Gavin!!

Getting messages like this is what makes everything I do worth it!!

A Cake Fit For The Mighty Men!

Things have been so incredibly busy, there have been so many cakes! I kept telling myself I better write a blog post or I will fall behind, what do you know, I have fallen behind! I honestly don't even know where to begin!
On my mind this morning is twin boys, Gabe and Zeke, known to many as the Mighty Men. They have been patiently waiting in Ethiopia to come home to their parents in the U.S. Their parents got the much anticipated call last week that they could come get the boys! 

I went to school with the parents-to-be and had been so moved by their story of adoption. I've laughed, I've cried, I've danced with joy reading their blog & Facebook updates!

 The grandmother-to-be contacted me to make a surprise baby shower cake, an opportunity I was excited to have gotten! I was given a theme and colors and I couldn't wait to start! 

The bottom tier has green stripes and a brown stripe with a brown bow. The top tier is buttons (this fits perfect since the boys are 'cute as a button')! Both tiers are a moist chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream. The cake was finished with a little piping and then the edible elephant and giraffe was added!

The final product!

I couldn't resist, I had to share this adorable picture!

I know a lot of people are saying this, but I can't wait for the Mighty Men to be home with their parents! It has been a long journey for everyone involved, but it is all worth it! If you haven't already checked out their story, check out the AMAZING story of Cary, Amy, Zeke, and Gabe Hill at Hill Huddle!

Up, Up, & Away

I had a lot of fun working with a new member of Sugar On Top on this week's cake! A friend I went to high school with contacted me for a cake for her boyfriend's birthday. He is currently in training to be an air traffic controller so what better idea was there than to make an airplane cake! 

 The inside of the cake is a favorite of mine, it's a moist red velvet cake with a cream cheese icing dyed blue! 

The birthday boy, Sal, loves performance looking planes. His girlfriend that was ordering the cake for him sent us a couple pictures of what he likes. The airplane we made is completely edible and made out of rice krispy treats and fondant.The propeller even spins! 

To finish the cake, homemade cotton candy was added to make it look like the airplane was soaring through the clouds!

DIY Cupcake Stands

I’ve been obsessed with all of the cute cake and cupcake stands that everyone seems to be DIY-ing lately on Pinterest. So, I headed to my favorite thrift store and picked out some supplies to make my own!

What you will need:
-glass plate
-glass candle holder or very small glass vase
-hot glue gun
-glue sticks

For my cake stand I used a glass candle holder and a large glass plate. I bought the plate and candle holder at Goodwill for only 55 cents a piece! How can you beat those prices?! They didn't have a huge selection of plates and candle holders so I also went to Walmart and bought a plate for $3 and a candle holder for $2. $5 is still super cheap!

Here is what I bought:

 I chose the square glass plate and candle holder I bought from Walmart.

I placed glue on the candle holder and firmly pressed the plate into place, holding it in place for about a minute. 

And here is the final result:

 I did the same thing with my thrift store finds which included a beautifully designed round glass plate and a small vase.

 

If you want a taller stand, you can take 2, or even 3 candle holders and glue them together before adding a plate. 

 

Add the plate and this is the finished product:

 

DIY Edible Glitter

Here's what you will need:

1/4 cup sugar

food coloring

Mix 1/4 cup of sugar and a few drops of liquid food coloring. Mix the to together until the color is evenly distributed.

Line a baking tray (I used a cake pan) with aluminium foil. Pour the colored sugar onto the baking tray and spread the sugar thinly and evenly on the tray. Preheat your oven to 300ºF. Place the baking tray with sugar in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove tray from oven and let the sugar cool completely. Use a fork or spoon to break up clumps of sugar that may have formed.

Voila! You have edible glitter!

Happy New Year!

First and foremost, Happy New Year! I can't believe it is 2013! 2012 was a fabulous year, I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for me! I was extremely blessed to be able to start two businesses that I have fallen madly in love with. I was looking over my records for Sugar on Top and from June until the end of December I had a little over 60 cake and cupcake orders! I'm hoping to continue this great adventure into the new year and I look forward to watching them grow!
This week I had two orders, both for return clients! The first cake was a Hello Kitty cake, and just like all the cakes I make, I had so much fun making it! I enjoy being able to see the cake come together, piece by piece, into a piece of artwork. I especially love it when my customers let me have free reign when it comes to the decorating on the cake. This cake is a 2-tier marble cake with a vanilla buttercream.

This next cake was a last minute order that I certainly didn't mind taking! I have a love for Alice in Wonderland, so making the Cheshire Cat cake was quite exciting! The customer had in mind how they wanted the cake and I made a few slight changes to make it my own. I started on this cake around 11am Monday morning and had it done a little before 4pm. Here is a one tier yellow cake with a vanilla buttercream that looks like the Cheshire Cat!

 Upcoming cakes for this weekend (01/06/13): a construction themed cake & a hunting cake!

MudArt & Cakes: The Merge

Finally, I’m back to blogging! I’ve been wanting to start a new blog for Star In The Sky Pottery and Sugar On Top Cakes, merging the two together instead of keeping them separate, and then throwing in crafts, DIY projects, dreams, and inspirations!

So, MudArt & Cakes is born!

I never thought I would own two businesses and in the process of starting a third (Shhhh, I’m not ready to share that yet)! I could not have made it this far without the support of my friends and family. A huge thank you must go to the people who have supported me and put their faith in me! Another huge thank you must go out to my husband who supports me no matter what and is allowing me follow my dreams (and footing the bill!).

Please take a minute to check out the Facebook pages for Sugar On Top and Star In The Sky! I keep it updated with works in progress and finished products.

facebook.com/StarInTheSkyPottery      facebook.com/SugarOnTopCakes

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