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Monday, October 29, 2012

Cupcakes for the Cure

This past weekend I volunteered in Destin, Fl for the 2013 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. I decided to donate three dozen cupcakes to the event. These cupcakes were vanilla with a little cinnamon and frosted in buttercream. It was nice to give back for the cause of breast cancer awareness.

This was a big event with over 1,000 participants. Pink, which is the color for breast cancer awareness, dominated the event. Golf carts were decorated in pink streamers, and the participants went all out with some creative breast cancer awareness outfits. In the picture above some participants are getting ready to walk for the cure.

 
I met some really awesome survivors at this event. There were a lot of survivors at the event, but one particular survivor stuck out to me. This lady has fought breast cancer for a long time. She has been a survivor from 1961-2004.

The participants at the event enjoyed my cupcakes and I was glad to bring a smile to their faces and especially brighten the survivors day with a little sweets. In the picture above two mini walkers are about to enjoy my cupcakes with their Mom close by.

One of my goals this month was to volunteer at an event for breast cancer awareness by donating cupcakes. I'm glad that I met that goal while giving back and meeting some great people. I also met an awesome photographer who gave me a great source on where to get my next camera lens.

Giving back is what it's all about. It will bring a smile to the faces of others, while making you feel great.

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Gumpaste Work

This week has been very busy for me. I have a lot of gumpaste and fondant work to complete in the next few weeks for upcoming projects. I am sharing with you all my completed projects as I go.

The first completed project that I wanted to show you is an adorable gumpaste pumpkin patch barrel that I made for a Halloween cake. I made the barrel look like distressed dark wood with holes and nicks in it. I filled the barrel with pumpkins complete with the stem and vines. I am really proud of how this turned out and can't wait to show you the completed Halloween cake.

This second project that I am working on is for a new floral arrangement. I will be doing a floral arrangement with an Asian flare to it including bamboo sticks and different orchids. This is the first orchid that will be in the arrangement. This orchid is named the Cattleya Orchid and is known for its simplicity. I enjoy making sugar flowers and am learning a lot through trial and error. Making them is therapeutic for me.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and are having a blessed week.

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

 

Friday, October 12, 2012

Feature Fridays: Recent Gumpaste Work and YouTube Feature

I have been doing a lot of sculpture work and using a lot of gumpaste in the last few weeks. I wanted to share with you some of my most recent gumpaste work. Some of my gumpaste work takes days to complete, while others may take a few hours. I love creating new pieces and pushing my limits to what I can achieve.

 

These two praying angels are so special to me. I have them side by side in the apartment so that I can look at them everyday. These angels were fairly easy to make. The hair on both angels was done by using an extruder.

This is a cherry wood gumpaste floor that I made to go on my Halloween cake. It will be a part of the pumpkin patch. I love the detail of the wood in this piece from the scratches to the nail marks. This piece is about 4 inches wide.

As always I have been learning all that I can through YouTube and I recently came across this great cake artist, Elizabeth Marek of Artisan Cake Company. Here she is sculpting a dinosaur out of Rice Krispies and modeling chocolate. I have enjoyed watching her videos.

 

I hope that you all have a great weekend and that you enjoyed this blog post.

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

 

 

Friday, October 5, 2012

Feature Fridays: Upcoming October 2012 Projects

I have two very exciting and special upcoming projects to share with you. One is related to Breast Cancer Awareness and one is related to Halloween. These are the sketches that are related to both of the projects. I hope that you enjoy this blog post and that it will inspire you to give back in the month of October.

One of my goals for this month was to donate baked goods to a Breast Cancer Awareness event in my area and I am excited to say that I have met that goal. On October 27th , 2012 I will be donating cupcakes to a Breast Cancer Awareness walk that will have over 1,000 participants. Along with the cupcakes on my display table I will be making two gumpaste figures wearing clothes that are promoting Breast Cancer Awareness.

The sketch above is of the two outfits that I will be putting on my gumpaste figures. I wanted one of the outfits to have a more relaxed feel to it so I thought that a simple shirt and some capris with the breast cancer awareness ribbon would be cute. The second outfit is more dressy with a pink pencil skirt and a tank top with feminine details. I will be posting both of the figures in a blog post when they are complete.

The second project of the month that I will be donating to is for the Church that I attend. On Halloween they will be having a Trunk or Treat where people will decorate their trunks and dress up for Halloween to give candy to Trick or Treaters. If you haven't heard of Trunk or Treat before,like me, there are some great ideas on Pinterest.

Along with the Trunk or Treat event my Church will also be having a cake auction. I will be donating a decorated cake for that. Above is a sketch of what I want the cake to look like. There may be some changes with the finished product, but very few. All of the decorations will be made of fondant except for the bear cake topper. That will be made of gumpaste. I will have a blog post with the finished product.

Are there any events that you are donating to or participating in this month? I hope that you have a blessed weekend.

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Sugar Flowers

I love making sugar flowers. They look just like real flowers, but they last forever. Sugar Flowers are made from gumpaste, which dries hard just like clay.

Above is a gumpaste floral arrangement that I made. In the floral arrangement is the stargazer lily, cymbidium orchids, hydrangea, stephanotis, sweet peas, and daisies. The flowers in this floral arrangement took about a week to create, along with the drying time and adding little details to the flowers to make them look real.

The cymbidium orchids took the longest to create because they had the most parts to their flower. I also had to add color dust to all the leaves and paint the throat of the flower. This is one of my favorite flowers to make. I love the color of it.

The next big flower in the arrangement is the stargazer lily. I love the pop of color that the pink brings to this flower and I also love the simplicity of it. Allowing the leaves to dry is the longest part of creating this flower. The rest is pretty simple.

I will be creating some more floral arrangements and sugar flowers in the next few weeks. I look forward to sharing them with you. Have a blessed week.

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

 
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