Finished Object Friday: A Cake on Fire

Well, not real fire.... unless you are counting the candles. As I mentioned earlier, Mark's brother Ryan turned 30 on Saturday and we had a little party for him. I can't resist a new challenge for a cake! Ryan has worked as a volunteer fireman in one of their local communities. He still has a fireman's heart, so I made him a fireman cake.

I did "cheat" just a tad - the fireman is actually a toy that I found. However, I was glad just to get it pulled together - I was still recovering from that nasty sinus infection. The "fire" idea was from a cake I pinned a while back. Unfortunately, the "fire" did cause some structural damage to the rice crispy house. It eventually fell apart (Much to the joy of several of the guys... they gladly ate the damage!) :) I recommend letting the rice crispies set up more before trimming, and maybe it would be helpful to cut the spots for the flames with a knife before shoving them in. Live and learn I guess. The fireman was pretty pleased with his cake.


How do you like that fire truck? I discovered that it isn't easy to find a simple fire truck... even in the biggest toystore in town!! I actually found this little toy set - fireman, truck and a few signs - at a closeout store. How random! I had a blast with that truck - the lights lit up and a siren went off when you pushed the button!!

The cake was made of my basic chocolate cake recipe... in retrospect, due to the popularity of the "house" I probably could have made the whole thing of rice crispy treats and everyone would have been just as happy! :)

The second cake for last weekend wasn't quite as detailed. In fact, I don't even have that great of a picture of it. However, the attraction was more in the flavor anyway... Mark requests his Mocha Truffle Cheesecake each year. I've never made him a "fancy" cake because cheesecake is his favorite. I must say, it is pretty yummy!!! (This is the recipe I use, although I make the crust quite a bit different.)

Happy birthday to my wonderful hubby!!!! 

How about you? Anyone else got a project to share? (You even got a bonus week to post something this month... aren't I nice?) ;) Maybe you've got some secret Christmas project you couldn't share until after the big day? (Or if you're like me, you did very little Christmas crafting this year... Here's big hopes for an earlier start for that next year!) ;) 

Finished Object Friday - 40th Anniversary!

Well, the second Friday in August just flew past me! I did think about this poor neglected blog, but just didn't get any posting done. Nope today is not Friday, but tomorrow is! :)

Part of my busy-ness last Friday was helping to plan a 40th Anniversary celebration for our pastor and his wife! What a wonderful thing to celebrate!!! Basically all of my Saturday was spent baking and decorating a cake for them. ("Thank you" my friend Clara for her help!!)



It was my first time doing a cake like this - I've never done tiers before, and I enjoyed it! Each tier was a different flavor - starting with red velvet on the bottom than chocolate and strawberry on the small top tier. I love doing those frosting roses - so easy and yet, it looks so pretty!!

I assembled the cake "on site" so it was hard to get a good picture of just the cake... ;)

Happy anniversary to a wonderful couple!!


And of course, a cake cutting picture:

Now it's your turn!! Maybe you have some fun school project or fall decorating! :) It's hard to believe that it's that time of year already! Where, oh where, did the summer go?? :)

Finished Object Friday - A Candy Cake

A friend of ours turned the big 3-0 a few weeks ago. And to help him celebrate I, of course..., made him a cake! I had a hard time figuring out what kind of cake to make because I had already made him an ambulance cake a few years ago. When I saw this cake (and another similar) on Pinterest, I knew it would be a good one for him!

It was very easy, quick and fun! Also a big hit! Funny thing though, several people thought it was a bowl of candy! (It fit right in with all the other candy bowls on the table.)

I ended up making a three layer cake (If I'm remembering right, I actually tripled my cake recipe. It made enough for 3 9 in. round pans with a little extra to make a couple of cupcakes) The three layers were just right to make it tall enough for the Kit Kat around it, and to make it like a bowl. I also used Mini M&Ms which I thought were more in proportion to the cake size and much cuter.

Anyway, it was a big hit, and chocolate OVERLOAD! YUM! :) Welcome to the 30's, Andrew!! :)

I know it's late in the day... but I'd still love to see what you have been up to lately! We can just have a "Finished Object Weekend!" :) 

Finished Object Friday - S'mores Cake

You may have noticed I have been out of pocket for a while! Sorry about that. I had something unexpected come up that was out of my control and it took up several days. But I am recovering from that busy time and am getting everything back on track. (Washed several loads of laundry last night... now to just get it all folded!!) :)

So, FOF is a week late, but we'll just pick up from here, if that's alright with you! ;)

I made this cake a few weeks ago.

You talk about YUMMY!!! The cake recipe is the one that I use for basically all the cakes I make. I realized recently that I have never posted the actual recipe here. It is always soo yummy and moist - and VERY easy. A good "first cake" for young bakers.

Here's the recipe:

Wacky Cake (or Chocolate Stir Cake)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

sift:

1 1/2 cup flour

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add:

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup water

Stir in liquid ingredients until flour is consumed. Pour in 9x9 in pan. Bake 30 minutes or less (until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.)

Just some tips:

•  Greasing the pan isn't necessary unless you are removing the cake to decorate it. In fact you can mix it all up in the pan you are going to bake it in if you wish!
• For a 9x13 in pan, I double the recipe.
• And yes, there are no eggs!! I love tasting the batter! :) (and I've made it enough, I would probably know if I missed an ingredient!) 
• for something yummy, quick and simple, you can do as I did in the picture above. Just top it with plenty of marshmallows and chocolate chips and broil until the marshmallows are toasted. SUPER yummy! And you for this you can bake the cake the day before then add the toppings and broil just before serving.

So maybe you've made this cake before? Or maybe you've made something else in the last few weeks! Anyone else ready for some spring crafting? :)

Finished Object Friday: A Castle for Two Princesses

The absolute highlight of making cakes - especially theme cakes - is the reaction! And this cake was a big hit with two little princesses, but especially Faithie! I did share a brief preview of this cake back when I made it, but I wanted to give a few more pictures... plus it's time for FOF! ;)

I found the perfect candles for this cake! I was looking for sparkler candles, but didn't find any in pastel colors, but was so excited to find these "magic wand" candles. ;)

 

I got the main idea for a castle cake from the book Creative Cakes Anyone Can Make. (A great book on cake decorating made easy!) Faithie actually looked through the book with me and when we came to the castle cake, we knew it was the one! ;)  I also got some inspiration from Pinterest, of course! I have pinned so many fun cake ideas!!


The two "birthday" girls with their big sister. (We celebrated her birthday last fall, if you remember... with her cake made to order!)

Of course the fun part was eating the castle "turrets!" :)

So what have you been crafting lately (or, like me, not so lately...) :) If you are wondering what Finished Object Friday is, this link is for you! :) Happy Linking!!

December Daily - Day 20

Chocolate cake with peppermint frosting.... YUM!!

Days of Christmas - Day 17!

Whew! It's been an exciting, fun-filled day!!!! This evening we welcomed Angie back home!! I think she's been singing "Home for Christmas for quite a while! :)

But before that we celebrated some special little girls - especially the youngest two, since we celebrated Gracie's birthday back in Sept.

This little sweetheart turned five today.

I think she likes her glasses from "Auntie" Chari and "Uncle" Mark! :)

Like I said, it has been a full day! Now I just need to put my kitchen back in order after all that cake decorating!! Tomorrow morning - our children's Christmas program!

Finished Object Friday - Chocolate Swirls

Yes, it's time for another Finished Object Friday! Whew... I was not sure WHAT to post... I haven't been too crafty this week (although I am coming close to finishing the mitts for my sister - yes, the ones I started over a year ago... oh, well!) :) ... but then I remembered a cake I did last month! :)

It has become a tradition for me to make our pastor and his wife a cake for Pastor Appreciation Day... (2009, and 2010 cakes.)

I love how the swirls turned out on the cake! I got my inspiration from this cake on Pinterest... (LOVE it!!) :)

                                                                    Source: glorioustreats.blogspot.com via Charity on Pinterest

So, my swirls aren't quite as crisp as the original... and ... I kinda ran out of frosting (shame on me for not keeping my powdered sugar stocked...) but it turned out pretty good anyway and the BEST part - it just tasted good! And I think they liked it... :)

So what have you been working on recently (or, like me, maybe not so recent...) :) I'm excited to see! Happy Friday, and Happy Veteran's Day!!

Finished Object Friday - Cake Made to Order

A few weeks ago I had a talk with a couple of girlies. We were talking about what they wanted for their birthday cakes! On her birthday, I made sure I had "Gracie's" order correct for her little party the next evening. So here's the cake - made to her specifications with a little embellishment on my part...

And here's the whole cake:

(and yes, it had her real (actual) name spelled out on it, I just choose not to share it on my blog...)

I think she liked it!

She is such a dear, special girl! She is soo tender and loves Jesus with all her heart! Her parents couldn't ask for more than that!!

Here's the whole trio!

I had so much fun making this cake - I usually do! :) And let me tell you... it's pretty yummy!!! I'd much rather make a birthday cake myself than have to eat a dry grocery store one. heehee! :)  (but don't tell anyone... they think I'm doing the favor!)

So what have you been up to? I'm doing good this week and actually getting the post up early! :) I can't wait to see what you have been creating! (If you're trying to figure out what this is all about, read my intro post to FOF here.) Happy linking!

The FINISHED Finished Object!

Yay! The cupcakes are done!




We had lots of help from our friend, Debi. This was my first time working with fondant. It was fun... it isn't necessarily the best tasting stuff, but they sure turned out cute!! :) Unfortunately, the papers didn't work out quite as well as I thought they were going to... they pulled away a bit from the cake. But they are still cute! :)

Finished Object Friday

Whew! I don't know about you all, but I've had a whirlwind of a week!! Our church has been in VBS this week and I've been heading it up. We've been having a blast and the kids have been loving it! ...but boy, does this stuff wear you out! :) But on to FOF!

Before all the craziness of this week, we had a surprise birthday party for one of our good friends. And for me? a party calls for a cake! And if I can make a fun one I will. (Remember this one, and this one?) And since I had made an ambulance for our friend Andrew, I figured Jacob needed a cop car!

 

I didn't model this cake after his squad car, but I did the next best thing... Can you guess what car this cake is modeled after? (Here's a hint!) :) 

(The other side)

I have such fun making cakes!! (And really I'd much rather make one, than eat a dry grocery store cake. No offense to those of you that may like them...) :) Oh, and starting September 1 (happy birthday, me!) I can legally bake and sell my cakes from my home, thanks to our governor for signing the Texas Baker's Bill!! Who knows? Maybe you'll see more cakes here? 

Oh, and one last picture...

I think he liked his cake. :) It was fun to really surprise someone! (Unlike our last effort at a surprise party....) Of course, it was a bit easier since his birthday was still about three weeks away! heehee!

Now it's your turn!! I can't wait to see what you all have done!! :)

Finished Object Friday

Happy Friday, all! Are you ready for the holiday weekend? It's been a really busy week for me - but a good one. Although kindof bittersweet because yesterday was my last day at my part time job. I will miss my coworkers and my "regulars!" :) My summer schedule is just so busy, that something had to give. Change is tough. always. for me. But I will have more time at home - and I'm looking forward to doing more "crafty" things! :)

But enough of my news.... I want to share a cake I made for a friend's very special birthday a few weeks ago! :)

We did a cowgirl themed party - so we needed a nice hat to go with it!

Close up of the cake:

And how about some cupcakes (with fun toppers?!) :)

One of the reasons I did a hat AND cupcakes was special for Lorie. She is allergic to gluten, so the hat (except for the candy band) was gluten free!! The cupcakes were just a mix - and quick.***Eta: Lorie's cake was from a mix as well. From the baking aisle in the grocery store. There are some good gluten free cake recipes out there - I just went the easy/cheaper-for-me route. :)  ***

Lorie sure enjoyed her cake! Of course, the fun part is blowing out the candles!

And it's always good to have a "little" help with that! :)

The fun part of her party was the "surprise!" We originally wanted to make the whole party a surprise, but she kept making big plans! Her surprise was that her parents were able to make it down and then spend the weekend here - she even got to go fishing with them (and Angie too...) Fun times!! :)

**Photo credits go to my cousin, Nathan. I thought I had left my camera at home, then realized after the party was mostly over that it was in my purse! Oh. well. It was nice to let someone else take the pictures!! :) **


Now it's your turn!! Maybe you've had more time than me to do some crafting this week. Or maybe you're like me and remembered a project you forgot to share! :) Happy linking!!

Finished Object Friday

Last month was Pastor Appreciation Month. (I hope you "appreciated" your pastors!) :)  We had a "card shower" for our pastor and his wife - everyone wrote them a thank you card and included a gift card. They really liked that! :)  After church that morning we had a church potluck at my parent's home. Thankfully it was a beautiful day and everyone could be outside! :)

I made a cake for the occasion. Who doesn't love chocolate?

I had fun decorating this one... although in retrospect, I wish I would have made the top "layer" square... it would have looked less like a hat. But anyway... Here's what it looked like before the flowers.

(In my fridge - chilling out.)  :)

And most importantly, they really liked it! :)

So what crafty things have you been up to? Sorry this is a bit late... I should have posted last night but oh. well. :)  Happy Friday!! :)

Oh, and the linky tool will be open all weekend - so don't worry if you don't get something posted today. :)  We'll have fun anyway! :)

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1. Nikki 2. Vintage Mixer

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Finished Object Friday

I don't have a big flashy project to share this Friday, but at least I have something that is finished! :) We helped my Grandma celebrate her 80th birthday her first Sunday here. I made her an angel food cake - a family favorite! :) I thought it turned out rather pretty and was so simple!

I just slathered it with whipped topping and fanned some strawberries for the top.

But most importantly it was yummy and Grandma liked it!! So Happy 80th, Grandma! (even though your birthday was in January...) We're so glad you are here!! Love you!

So now I want to see what you all have been up to! (For more info on FOF, see this post.) Happy linking and sharing!!

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My bedroom - finished object Coffee Table Redo!

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Finished Object Friday

Wow! It seems like it's been ages since we did FOF! The last few weeks have been so busy...

I've made another cake... This one was fun, and different from others. It was an ambulance!

(Mom did the writing for me. I need to work on that, but I don't like my handwriting!) :)

Here is the design. (My thoughts on paper!)


I did a thin layer of chocolate frosting to help seal in the crumbs and make it easier to decorate.

I was really excited about accomplishing this design because it has the possiblity of becoming so many things... a dump truck, a semi, or even a fire truck.

Andrew is a friend from church who is also an EMT. He leads a small group meeting on Mondays. We are doing the Truth Project. We wanted to do something special for his birthday and to thank him for his dedication. I believe we surprised him! :)

Think he liked his cake?
It was just perfect that he wore his uniform that evening. Before we did the cake, one of the guys asked where his ambulance was. I said "Here it is!" and handed him his cake! Perfect timing.

Mark and I went up to visit his family last weekend. Sunday they have kids club at church and needed to have a snack for the kids. They wanted to do something special for Easter (they aren't having kids club on Easter day.) With all our heads put together, we came up with this idea out of cookies and I decorated it.

I don't know if you can see the "stone" to the right. We cut it out while the cookies were still warm and shaped it. These were just frozen cookie dough. (Oh, and this is an example of my writing... I need a little more space between "He" and "is!") I thought it was a good idea for a fast Easter dessert for kids! :) Fun too.

I'm excited for this FOF! I can't wait to see what you've been up to. :) In case you've forgotten how, the guidelines can be found here. Don't forget to check back to see who all has joined in, and to drop by their blogs.