the cocoa cakery

Mini cupcake!!! Thumb is only included for size comparison ;)

Detail - a little kitty sitting on the back of a chair for a special grooms cake!! Actual size: 2”

Runway to Spring - Easter Seals Fundraiser

My mini cakepops and mini sugar cookies were a big hit in the food vendor section!!!

a very sweet (haha) interview written by the talented Adrienne Alexander of asquared blog - check her out!!

This is a cookie jar we received in the mail today from Steves aunt in Lunenberg! Lol. Too funny :)

What suits a romantic blush pink and ivory wedding better than some vintage glass cupcake towers! Can’t wait to see it filled with sweet cupcakes!!

I was so inspired by all of the sweet little cupcake towers that I was seeing made from various bits of pottery. So with this wedding around the corner it was the perfect time to create something unique for my very romantic and vintage styled bride! (She loves it!) I’m even throwing it in as a bit of wedding gift since she’s such an awesome client.

It was a simple project - the hard part was deciding at the thrift store which plates to take home. Then I just took some super duper glue and stuck them together. I waited for each tier to dry - just to make sure my pretty plates didnt break. Ok - fine, there was one that broke… (it was so precious :( ) oh well. ce la vie!

Have fun and be creative!

We re-did our main bathroom upstairs and I thought it was high time for a project.. So I found an old canvas I had downstairs (2’x3’) and got to work.

I loved the idea of using a cheap decal and making it look goood… =) So I ripped up an old perleys and made sure I saved all our maps of our current and past neighbourhoods for the top layer of maps.

I used a natural glue (basically flour, sugar, water and a touch of vinegar) to paste it all on.

Once it was dry (or mostly dry - I’m a little impatient) I water down a bit of white paint a gave it a once over with a brush to tone down the brightness of the colours.

Then I placed the decal on top - you could also just paint or stencil your design on - but this is what I had and liked the design of..

Then I antiqued it - by using tea and slopping it all over the face of the canvas. It was menant to be random and I was happy with the outcome. I guess you could technically also have a cup o`joe on hand too for a different tint and mingle and mix them up. This served the purpose for my project - but just food for thought…

Then it was time for the clear coats - I didnt like that you could see the sheen of the sticker against the matte finish of the maps and tea stained paper. The first medium I used didnt do the job completely. It sealed it, but it was too thin and didn’t give a thick gel finish. So I just went to the local art store and picked up heavy gel medium (just glop it on wherever you like) and presto. It was complete!

My last and final touch was the frame - I really wanted a chunky look to the picture, since it also had a thin frame. So since hubby was already working on doing new trim for the bathroom, I had him make me a frame (like a box) to put around it and give it some depth. Worked perfectly and with a fresh coat of paint to hide the corners, it was just as I imagined it! =)

My whole project was pretty inexpensive- here’s the breakdown:

Canvas (had it on hand - but might set you back about $15)

Map (just use old outdated ones)

Decal - $2 at the dollarstore!

Bit of white paint/tea - pennies!!

Gel medium - this was the expensive one! $12.99 for a jar - but i just needed one.

Trim - leftovers! but still needed long chunks for the sides - probably about $30

Have fun!

Pink and white birthday cake

Pink peonies

this is how i feel today!

the week is a little different than most - hubby is away for work, so i’m home with the two little ones, with a very full plate of both work and all the social life i was trying to fit in…. the outcome so far is that i feel tired and worn out already, it’s only wednesday. but my mind is full of the ideas that i want to get out into cake form - mostly for the style shoot i have coming up.

i am very excited about it- we shoot tuesday, and it’s for Lavish Dulhan, a south-east-asian wedding mag (stunning) that will come out in print. i can’t really tell you anything about it - other than i’m leading the team, (a team of rock-star vendors) and it’s something i haven’t really done before. if it all comes off as good as it looks in my head - we’re golden. (that’s a little clue for you)…

but of course - i am creating this monster of a cake while two kiddo’s are in the background - admist - trying to keep the house in some order of organized chaos, make (ahem) dinner, and keep my sanity. i don’t think i succeded on very (or any)many levels but thank goodness for daycare - k will go for thursday and friday - so i can get everything done and welcome hubby home on friday night.

i really am going to make an effort to blog more. i have been really busy doing projects around the house and what better way to share them, then on here? so keep an eye out… pics will soon come of… my finished master bedroom and then hopefully some new (to me) re-done furniture to replace our old stuff, as well as painted kitchen cabinets in the summer!! can’t wait for that project!!

well - think the little chick has finally fallen asleep - back to the cake ;)

Lucille Ball. (via edatrix)

Oh so true.

That’s me!!!! The cocoa cakery featured in Toronto Life Mag (wedding edition) yay baby!!!

so i’m a little late with the post - but happy new years!!

it seems like people are really looking forward to this year, ready to leave 2011 in the dust and move onto bigger and better things… are we like this every year or is it just me? it seems i am seeing a LOT more posts on blogs and facebook about all the anticipation of this new year and all the wonderful things its going to hold. maybe people really think the world will end and have decided to really giv’er this time around.

i on the other hand and happy and sad to see it go - 2011 was the year of a lot of changes. i was pregnant for half the year, gave birth to my most beautiful sweet son, stopped working outside the home and finished my first full calendar year of business. it had a lot of challenges (pregnancy was not as kind to me this time around) - or i should say to my husband (read: raging hormones) and i was happy to have that over with. my daughter is coming up to her third birthday and i have so enjoyed seeing her little big personality develop over the last year.

this is also the year that i will be turning 30…. oh dread, oh dear… i’m not quite ready for it - it feels a little scary to be coming out of my 20’s and moving into full-on responsible adult life (although what could more more responsibility than 2 kids, a mortgage and a personal business???) however the shear number is slightly terrifying… ah well - i’m sure i’ll survive…its the new 20 right??

i am excited to see where things will go with the cocoa cakery - i have been so blessed by all of the opportunitites that have come by, along with some great relationships forged with some other wonderful vendors in the business.

all in all - i do look forward to it and will hopefully do a little better in keeping my blog updated with this and that of life and home =) thanks for all the love and sweetness!

So this has been my latest project - outside of the kitchen - my laundry room. My husband started the mini-makeover by painting it blue for me and hanging the chandelier. I then saw this post on pinterest and was totally obsessed with the pattern and knew that i needed to do it somewhere in my house! soooo - go to the tutorial if you want to see how its done (no point in me re-explaining) and have fun!!

heres the break-down of my costs.

blue paint - leftover from the nursery - FREE

white paint - leftover from the trim - FREE

paintbrushes - quarter inch flat artist brush - $2.50

stencil - FREE

chandelier - $12.50 from the Re-store

black spray paint - leftover from another project - FREE

new pulls for the cupboards - $20

total cost: $35.00

the best present ever!! re-doing a room, barely spending a cent!!!

Merry Christmas!

working with the very talented Rachel A Clingen wedding & event design - a rustic red & purple wedding set in a snowy outdoor theme…. everything looks so beautiful and enchanting!! so honoured to be a part of this amazing shoot! check out my cake & mini cake

the cocoa cakery

Fine Folk

from one blog to another - an interview by asquared of the cocoa cakery

the crazy baker

new year - new opportunities

the cocoa cakery - featured on Green Wedding Shoes!! yay!!!