A cake for Daddy..:)

It was my husband's birthday last Saturday which gave me a reason to bake a cake! The other reason why I opted to make one (instead of buying a yummy ice cream cake from Coldstone) is that I need to practice because I have a cake order in May. 

It's been awhile since the last time I made Marshmallow Fondant and I saw this new recipe online that I just had to try. I also want to make sure how much cake batter I need to make a 10" round cake (2 layers) and 6" (2 layers).

I was looking for a moist, dense cake recipes because it works well for tiered cakes. For Greg's cake, I tried the butter cake recipe I saw on the Wilton website. I found it to be too sweet and turned a bit dry as well. So it's time to try some other recipes to find the best cake.:)

As for the design of Greg's cake, I still didn't have an idea of what to do until I covered the cake with fondant. At first I was going for the design I'm suppose to make for the cake order so that I can actually practice. But I felt that it's so unfair for the birthday boy if I give him a cake that won't actually represent him.

So after I covered the cake, a design came into my mind.

I thought of just making a figure of Greg with the things he likes....computer and his camera!

I'm not used to making sculptures so I'm so surprised that the the figure turned out ok.:))

The figure is made to look like it's lying on it's tummy because my father-in-law told me that this is Greg's favorite position when he was still a kid while he watches tv.:)

It's a simple cake but made special for our Daddy Greg. Happy Birthday again and we love you!

Crayon cannisters and Art box

So while I'm into organizing my crafting supplies I decided to organize my kid's art supplies too. Paolo and Lily are now fighting over crayons that I have to make 2 separate containers for them. With that I also made an art box for Paolo where he can put all his supplies in one container. It's time to pull my bag of recyclables and craft away!:)

For the crayon cannister I used empty milk cans, printed tissue papers (that was used to wrap some glass bottles I got from a craft store), assorted scrap paper, glue and ribbons.

I started by removing the label from the milk can. I tore pieces of tissue paper so it will be easier to glue it on the can. You can use decoupage glue or you can be "kuripot" (thrifty) like me and just use regular glue and water. I found these glue from the dollar store (2 pcs. for a $1) that I don't need to add water anymore and it has the right consistency. With that, I started gluing the tissue paper to the cans.

As soon as it's dry, I started decorating the cans and added the ribbon as handles.

After I was done with the crayon cannisters, I made an art box for Paolo. Still into recycling so I used a shoe box, more assorted scrap papers, box board, transparency and of course lots of glue. I designed a box that will have a frame on top of the lid that we can put some of Paolo's art work.

I glued assorted paper all over the box and used permanent marker for borders around the paper. It gives a modern look to the box. Instead of using glass for the frame on top of the box, I used transparency. There's an opening to one side of the frame where I can slid Paolo's art work. I added his name for a personal touch.

I liked how the box turned out and wanted one for myself and for Lily too. I need more shoe boxes! That gives me a reason to go shoe shopping.:))

Multi-Purpose Wall Art

Since I re-arranged my work area, the walls on that corner seems bland. I couldn't put shelves because I'm not sure if this area will become my permanent work space. I was thinking of a more practical use for the wall and still make it look like art. Here's what I came up with.

I used 4 clipboards that I got for a $1 each at Walmart and used small nails to hang them. Now I use these clipboards as frames and hang anything that I want that can inspire me to be more creative. Either my kid's latest art work, a project I'm working on, a magazine that I can get inspiration from or just a nice scrapbooking paper.

What I like about this wall art is that it doesn't restrict you to a certain look on your wall. It will even be nice if you can do a theme every month or during holidays. I just think it's so cool to have your own inspiration wall!:)