Bring Hawaii Here

If you can't get to Hawaii, bring Hawaii to you.

That is what last weekend's bride and her fiance decided to do. A destination wedding was what they had originally thought to do, but with 1 recently graduated and the other still in school, bringing the Big Island feel to there Minnesota event was where our planning started.

Two pairs of flip flops, his and hers, and a traditional pig roast helped set the mood for this casual celebration that took place a week after their more intimate and formal ceremony.

You Need It When?

Celebrations can sneak up on us. Especially birthdays. It's not that we don't know they are coming. It's that we keep telling ourselves that the birthday's in a month and we'll need a cake along with everything else. It's just that sometimes the actual ordering of said cake doesn't always make it off of our internal check list. Or it did get ordered but something happened. I have had everything from 6 months notice to a frantic plea for something that same day and there are times I am not able to fit the cake into the schedule.

Last week I had a request with not much lead time.

About midday last Tuesday Lisa called me hoping for a cake by end of day Thursday. My thought was: you need it when? She was not aware that I had an event keeping me out of the shop all day Wednesday. Hmm....I gave it a few seconds thought. It was going to be tough for me to make it fit into the production schedule. I hate saying no......

Isabel's cake was ready by 2:30.

Happy Birthay Isabel.

Exceptional Properties

I have fallen behind again. Too busy sending events out the door to talk about them. Time to catch up.

Wednesday morning I attended Edina Realty's Exceptional Properties Vendor Showcase at Nicollet Island Pavillion. A gathering of the companies top agents, we vendors were there to showcase how we could enhance their clients' buying/selling experience. My focus was on open house sweets and thank you gifts.

It has been so gray and glum that I decided to bring my samples as a colorful, edible garden to brighten the day.

To highlight the theme of the day, my cake was Sold!

Congratulations To The Graduate

My niece Casey's graduation celebration wasn't a huge affair but it was a lot of fun. We saw all of the playbills from her extensive theater career throughout high school as well as some footage from her last show choir performance.

Auntie of course did the cake. The design was for her-silver streamers from the invite, red shoes with some shimmer from her last costume/show. The flavors were for her mother, but since she couldn't make up her mind which flavor was her favorite, each tier was a different combination. Casey took a bite for photos since she never has been a cake eater, and then moved on to her choice of sweets: brownies and double chocolate chip cookies.

I think the rest of us managed to eat plenty of cake in her honor.

Congratulations sweetie!!

Hey, do I look short in this photo?

Round Barn Farm and B&B

Saturday's wedding was at the Round Barn Farm and B&B in Red Wing. Amalia and Gordon had planned a beautiful day to be spent in and out on the grounds. Mother nature had another plan.

The day was a bit soggy so the celebration moved indoors. It was intimate and romantic. Eric from Floral Logic worked his magic, Fabulous Catering made mouths water with the menu. Shelly Mosman will have captured the day's memorable events.
Her shots of the cake will do it better justice than my attempts to soft focus the cake to bring out the tables in the background.

Calling All Cupcakes

Just in case you were still in doubt about cupcakes being the right thing, here are some ideas involving cupcakes. Edible gardens, garden paths, summer time on the river, contemporary towers, you name it and cupcakes will fit in just fine.

Style Board images courtesy of Style Laboratory.

Cupcake Garden

I planted my last pot yesterday with lavender. Too bad it's one of the few plants that I can name. I had the best help at Tanglewood Gardens but can't remember any of the new plants she chose for me. The ornamental pepper and coleus are it for these 3 pots. If anyone knows what else I have....

At least I can identify the floral cupcakes I made for a lucky little girl this weekend. A lover of all things ladybug, no pink and green cartoon bug would do for her. It was the real thing or nothing. A selection of daisy and grass green cupcakes added to the celebration.