Just released this story is now available on Amazon.com as an eBook for Kindle. The story is about what happens when North Pole City is hit by an earthquake which destroys half of the city including the elves workshop and candy kitchen. Can Santa rescue the elves and save them from a large snow storm in time?
This is the first in the Santa Stories series. The paperback will be available shortly. For more children book titles see Jinglebooks.org
This 6″ cake is decorated with candy melt roses and the top of a butterfly box also made out of candy melts. The rose candy molds you can get from Michaels or JoAnns. The butterfly box mold I purchased through Kitchen Kraft.
With this year screaming by it is time to start thinking about craft ideas for Christmas. Last year I made little cook books for my family and friends. I found an binding system on the internet for $25.00 and my husband rolled his eyes. It wasn’t the greatest but it was perfect for this little project. Like this blog I put in little tips for making cakes and cupcakes. I attached the little cookbooks to bottle of extracts and also boxes of cupcakes as gifts last year. It was a fun project and I even caught my husband using the little binding system. You can also use this for pictures or even little story books. The sky is the limit just remember to have fun!
This is a fast and easy cake. I made a pattern with paper and used it to to cut the general shape out of yellow fondant. The rest was hand painted with gel food coloring and clear vanilla extract.
Everytime I make a Tinkerbell cake the hardest parts are the eyes and lips. I decided to do something different this time. I made the eyes and lips with fondant then hand painted them using with food coloring gel and clear vanilla extract. What a change! Since this was a two tier cake there was no room to write the name unless you do it in the hair. Instead I use my Printshop program and made a little sign. I hot glued two skewers on the back to finish this cake.
I had a little fun with this one. One of the guys at work was getting married and going to Hawaii. So this is what I came up with complete with a bobble head with his picture on the face, chocolate sharks, gold fish, sun umbrella and champange bottle and a painted plaster boat made this truly one of a kind cake. The sand is crushed nilla wafers and I put some plastic wrap under the boat and bottle head.
The second book in the Ark Journey series is now available as an eBook for Kindle or other eReader devices. The paperback version will be available later next week.
Come join the crew of misfits on their next journey to the Cretaceous to capture more dinasours. But the crew soon finds out that is not all that is awaiting them. Two pirates are watching their every move and are ready to pounce.
If your children are into sports and like to help decorating cupcakes, these are fast and easy. I used a grass tip for half and just picked which sports ball to add on top. The sports balls are chocolate I purchased at Party City. I made my own buttercream icing used gel food coloring for the grass. The other half of the icing batch I added two tbsp of chocolate extract and 1/4 cup of Hershey Cocoa powder to change the flavor to chocolate for the rest of the cupcakes.
The umbrellas were made using a Cricut Cake Machine and sugar sheets. The Cricut can make very delicate cuts. You can use the machine on fondant, gum paste or the sugar sheets. There are several different patterns of sugar sheets now available.
These fun little Jungle Animal Pics are great to liven up a cake or cupcake. The animals on the side of the cake is a candy melt that I pressed fondant into and then painted teh faces with clear vanilla extract and food coloring gel.
For something different try spelling out your message with cupcakes. Whether it is for a birthday, sports theme or other special ocassion all of the cupcakes are something different for your party. I used candy melts from several different molds to make the letters, hearts, flowers, party horns to decorate the cupcakes. I also fill all of my cupcakes as an extra surprise. If you take a long tip like a leaf or star and put it down in the cupcake. Gently squeeze your piping bag and pull it out. When you ice your cupcake it will cover the hole where you put in the filing.
My kitchen needed color so I decided to add the color with the light panels. The plastic panels I purchased at Home Depot for $6 each. Next the paint, Michaels has glass paint that works well on the plastic panels. I made a pattern on paper put it on the kitchen table they put the panel on top and started outline on the smooth side of the panel with black paint. Once that is dry than start filling in the areas with the glass paint. I did one panel a weekend and changed the colors of the butterflies on each panel. You can find lots of patterns on the internet or the local library. I tested the paints on a small mirror I purchased before taking on the kitchen. Amazing what a little paint can do to brighten a drab brown kitchen.
IceAge Cake – My grandaughter wanted a squirrel cake and had just watched Ice Age. The character and rings I purchased at the Orange County Novelty Company. The pack came with all the characters except Scrat. I found Scrat at Toys R Us. I make the accorn out of fondant. The matching rings were perfect for all of the cupcakes.
I get some strange request. One of my friends wanted a cake for a co-worker who was leaving. It had to have a girl riding a dragonfly on it. Needless to say that was something of a challenge. The Dragonfly I found at Michaels and the fairy from JoAnn. Add a little hot glue and I was back in business. Add some fondant flowers and she loved it.
When I’m not creating cakes I work at a company that has a large van pool fleet. Every six months we hold a drawing and their are all types of prizes for participation. One of those prizes is a van pool cake. This one I started with a loaf cake and tapered the front. Oreo for the wheels and piped in the rest. Even if it wasn’t the best cake I have made at least it tasted good.
lynndaviscakes 