Matt and Carrie Ann

I had the funnest time shooting Matt and Carrie Ann's engagement pictures today. We started on the top of her apartment building, and then walked around the neighborhood a little bit to get some fun "urban" shots. It was great, and they are just the cutest, gooey-est couple!

This picture is my favorite from the whole shoot:

Congratulations Matt and Carrie Ann!

I love brush embroidery

So my newest fun cake decorating technique that I used last night is called "Brush Embroidery". You use a flower shape fondant cutter to lightly mark where you will outline. Outline the indentation with thin icing, and then immediately brush the icing in towards the center using a damp artist's brush. It was so easy...and it looks so pretty!

This cake is for my brother's family. They just had a baby, and I needed to practice my decorating...so they get a cake! Happy baby!

P.S. My sister-in-law was confused about the description above...the brush embroidery is the little purple flower. The top tier is kinda "quilted"...I used a sharp knife to cut the lines and then put small dots in icing in the line intersections. I hope this clears things up!

Wedding Cakes

Next month I am shifting (or sifting, I am not sure) my focus from wedding photography to wedding cakes. All I know is that I need to stay home with my beautiful children, and I need to help make ends meet. My friend and I were supposed to work together on the wedding cake business, but after 7 years of decorating wedding cakes, my friend has had enough. So, she is helping me get started and then she is done, and glad about it. Hum...I wonder...

Anyway, I am starting to make "demo" cakes and experimenting with different things that I have seen in books and magazines. I made a cake Monday for my friend that is pregnant. I had to cover a "boo-boo" with a drape, but overall, the effect was pleasing. I had fun doing this little cake. It took me a while to do, but I was experimenting, so I wasn't really rushing anyway.

Here is a picture:

Turned out pretty. This next one is my favorite picture:

After I took these pictures and before I took the cake to my friend, my wonderful daughter ate 4 of the fondant flowers! I put the kids in the car and went to get the cake and noticed that something was a little funny...then I realized! I asked Evie if she had eaten the flowers off the cake, and she said, "No, I only ate 3 flowers." Shame on me for not being more specific! But, it made my friend laugh when I gave her the cake, so I guess everything turned out okay.