It’s been such a joy over the past couple of years to watch my friends become parents.  And what a joy it is to play with their kids and then give them back!  One of the little angles to join us recently was little Declan.  It seems like just yesterday I was making some yummy treats for his parent’s wedding reception, and now it’s already his first birthday!  His Mom requested a Monkey cake and sent me some great pictures she found on-line.  The top tier is vanilla cake with banana custard and the bottom tier is a strawberry shortcake made with fresh whipped cream.  Happy Birthday Declan! 

Last year it was Tomas the tank Engine and Lady Bugs, but this yeah Julie wanted Sesame Street to help celebrate her twins’ birthday.  Inside Ava’s pink cake, there is red velvet cake with thick layers of cream cheese frosting.  And inside Ethan’s blue cake, there are layers of rich chocolate cake and Oreo buttercream frosting.  So Good!  Julie also decided that she wanted some cookies as give-a ways for her guests and requested these Elmo cookies.  She let me go a little nutty with the colours and I was quite happy with how they came out.

Back in October, I was blessed with the opportunity to change jobs.  It was a scary prospect, but something was telling me to do it, and luckily it turned out to be an amazing decision.  Part of the reason I’m so happy with my day job is the people I work with.  It’s a small family run business and everyone here is very much like family, even with the practical jokes and teasing.

The youngest member of my new family is a cute, smart and talented girl named Samantha – who also happens to be the daughter of one of the other employees.  Samantha is big into Cosplay (she makes her own costumes!) with her favourite show being Stargate.  It’s really nice to have someone at work that I can geek out with!

As soon as her Father saw some of my cake work, he requested a Stargate cake for Samantha’s birthday – months in advance.  I was quite nervous about the project because I knew what a great eye for detail Samantha has, and I know how accurate she and particular she is with her costumes.  This Cake Had To Be Right!

After much crispy rice treats, fondant and airbrushing, I think the cake turned out very well.  My biggest regret is not being able to see Sammy’s face when her Dad brought it home to her – since she’s on her summer hours now and doesn’t come in every day.