Wedding Archive

I just found this image of a wedding I did over the summer and thought I would share it with you. The tower measured 5 feet+. The bride wanted a tower that would make a statement. She got what she wanted!

A Spot Of Tea

Okay friends, here it is. My way of making a tea cup to hold a cupcake. You can also make these to decorate a cake. Before I start, I have to warn you, these beauties take time to make. It's like making them out of clay, you have to wait for them to dry before you can decorate them.

Here are the things you will need: Gumpaste (you can also do this with Fondant), Rolling pin, Cornstarch, Box cutter (or very sharp knife), Scissors, Gum glue, Edible paint and a tea cup.

Step 1:

Start with Gumpaste, dye it the color you want (using edible paint, I use AmeriColor) or leave it white. Work the Gumpaste until it's soft. Roll it out using your rolling pin on a surface that has been sprinkled with cornstarch. Dusting your rolling pan with cornstarch is also a good idea. If you are using Fondant, replace cornstarch with confectioner's sugar. Roll out Gumpaste until it's thin, like 3 mm or less. Cut a u shape similar to the image above.

Step 2:

Place gumpaste in a tea cup. Using gumpaste glue, glue the seams and start molding the gumpaste to snuggly fit the tea cup. You can use any cup you want.

Step 3:

Using a knife, cut off the excess gumpaste from the edge and smooth the edge a bit.

Step 4:

Then tug at the Gumpaste a bit to make sure it is not sticking to the cup. But leave it in there, it needs to dry. You will also notice that at the bottom the cup is not covered. No worries, we will fix that later. Set cup aside overnight or until dry.

Step 5:

Remove gumpaste and you will notice that there is a hole at the bottom.

Step 6:

Cut out a flat circle of gumpaste and with the gumpaste glue, glue on the circle to the bottom of the outside of the gumpaste tea cup.

Step 6:

Put the gumpaste tea cup back in the tea cup and using your fingers press down along the bottom to mold. Be careful not to press to hard or you will crack the gumpaste. You can also do this when the gumpaste tea cup is still a bit soft to avoid it cracking. Let it dry completely.

Step 7:

The handle is made by rolling out the Gumpaste to a long worm like shape. Cut the Gumpaste so you are left with about 3 inches. Curve the Gumpaste to look like and S, but reversed. Cut the part that will stick to the cup so it's straight. Let the handle dry overnight or until dry.

Step 8:

Glue on handle using gumpaste glue and let it dry completely. Then you are ready to paint your new tea cup! I use AmeriColor Edible paint. You can find it at www.CakeDeco.com

Step 9 (optional):

If you want to create a dish to go with the tea cup. Roll out more gumpaste and use a small dish to cut out a round circle using a knife. Mold inside the dish so that you get all the indentations. Leave the gumpaste there overnight or until dry. Then paint!

Here We Go

Well, the business has been sold. Sad but I'm a bit relieved as now I can focus on creating without the stress of running a business and most importantly, I can focus on my new roll as a mom.

As for my upcoming posts and demonstrations, my goal is to have videos on the site. But until my wonderful mother and sidekick returns to the US, I am going to have to start with step-by-step images. I know it's not the best way to demonstrate, but please bare with me.

I took some time to figure out a good outline and where I should begin. I tossed some ideas and spent countless hours figuring out exactly what I should start with. And honestly, I just got frustrated. I want to cover everything....and now!

So this is my plan: I don't have one. I am going to just create as ideas come to me and pepper in recipes and tricks I've learned along the way. My first show and tell is going to revolve around my Baby Shower as that is coming up. The theme for the shower is Sunday High Tea. I will devote the next several posts to the items I will be having at the shower. Here are the posts planned for the next few weeks:

Gumpaste Tea Cups: Individual tea cups made from gumpaste. Each cup will contain a cupcake topped with buttercream and will be placed in individual boxes. These are going to be my favors to give out to guests.

Baby Cookies: Baby item shaped cookies to serve during the shower. Decorated with sugar and dragees.

Baby Alphabet Cakes: I saw these on Martha Stewart and just fell in love with them. I will be making these to serve to guests during the shower. Kinda like a cupcake but square!

Tea Sandwiches: I know, I'm all about cupcakes and sweets. But I thought adding a bit on tea sandwiches would be great. Especially if any of you are going to host a high tea for a baby shower, bridal shower or just because.

Tea, coffee, Hot Cocoa and Flavored Simple Syrups: A post dedicated to the beverages. There are so many things one can do to be creative with beverages. For now I am just going to focus on tea, coffee, hot cocoa and the simple syrups. I may venture into creating a champagne drink for my guests.

Thoughts anyone? If you have ideas, I'm all ears!

Bye Bye Blushing Bakeshop

Hello my dear followers! Well again...TONS of changes. As you all know, I am expecting my little bundle of joy in January. I thought I would be able to bake but unfortunately I was told no more. The lifting and the being constantly on my feet was too much. So I have sold the business!

Honestly, the decision to sell was not a difficult one because I thought it would be hard to sell in this economy. And I probably could pick it back up next year. So I put the listing on Craigslist and within a week I got calls and emails. Some people wanted my recipes while others just wanted the brand and logo. But I just couldn't break-up my company into pieces like that. It's my baby, so to speak.

Then I got a call from this lovely young lady. After chatting with her for a while I knew she was the right person to own my little company. She is equally as passionate about cupcakes as I am. I really never thought I would find someone that lived and breathed them like I did. She came up to visit and we settled over the weekend. The coolest part about this situation is that she is planning to open a store very soon. So my dream is coming true. There will be a fabulous cupcake shop selling delicious cupcakes with the name The Blushing Bakeshop. The new owner plans on opening in South Carolina. She will also have a blog on the website. So you all must follow her journey. I know I will be paying very close attention.

So what am I going to do. Oh, no worries. I am going to continue with my blog. But it will be more of an instructional blog. I am going to do what I love to do. Create unique recipes and designs. But instead of using them to sell cupcakes, I am going to be sharing them with you.

My blog's website for now will be cupcake-goddess.blogspot.com. But that may change to something easier to remember. I hope that all of you will still follow me as I transition out of the cupcake selling business and into a show-and-tell blog.

Hope all of you are doing well.

Happy baking!

Oh How Life Can Change

It's been what? Forever since I have written? I feel like a big goober for not updating my little blog. But so much and I mean so much has happened. I feel like my life has been and is a walking sitcom. I have made myself a pot of mint tea and am ready to put all out there. So grab a mug and read on.

Last I wrote I was trying to raise money to open a little bakeshop. I had brought on a friend to help me raise the money as I have a huge problem asking people for money. Well we were working on it having little events and presenting my brilliant Business Plan. All was going well. My business kept multiplying and soon I found myself booked until August. Well, the end of May came and I was running around like a chicken without a head. One wedding after another and another. I was on a roll! But something felt odd. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I just felt like something was missing. Then one day I fainted. Yup, landed on my carpet to awake to my dog licking my face. Being the hypochondriac that I am I called my doctor. He thought it was my iron levels as I have always had low iron. The next day I went to see my doctor and as he drew blood and said he would call me in a few days. Well, a few days flew by and the nurse called. She said my iron levels were down and that I should go have a burger or two. This was something I could totally handle. However she said that the doctor also wanted to chat with me and if I could hold. This I could not handle. In those 3 minutes I thought I had cancer, a brain tumor or maybe some freaky diseases. But nothing like that, oh no, just a little something called pregnancy. I didn't say a word. I was shocked as I was taking EVERY precaution that a normal couple can take to prevent this. But God had a different plan for us....obviously. I demanded a re-test. It had to be wrong. Got blood drawn again and the nurse called again with the same news. But this time she said, and I quote " you are extremely pregnant". I'm not sure what the difference is between pregnant and extremely pregnant, but the conclusion is the same. I am with child. Although this was not planned I fell in love with my little cupcake immediately.

Life picked up the following week but by the end of June I was exhausted. I just couldn't get out of bed. I was pooped and I looked pooped. I felt like I had ran a marathon every day. I called my doctor and of course, the cupcake was the cause. Guess the first trimester is a brutal one. But I had all booked weddings to fulfill and raising money and well, everything else. With help I managed to wrap up my wedding orders and at the end of July I decided to close up shop for the month and travel. This was going to be the last time I would be able to go on vacation and visit family for a while, so as painful as it was to leave my business for a month. I did. And I am so glad I did.

So where am I now. Well, I look like a balloon and have a little somebody twisting and turning inside me. I pretty much live in the bathroom as the only alternative is to buy Depends. Which I refuse to do. It's a pride thing. Under doctor's orders I cannot bake as much as the volume I was doing is too physically hard. So sadly I have stopped pursuing the raise and have cut down on my orders. Instead I am taking the business in a different direction for now. Don't get me wrong, one day I will open a shop. But for now I'm going to use my expertise in marketing and creativity to take The Blushing Bakeshop into another direction.

What direction is that? Well, I will be sharing everything. All my recipes, creative decorations and ideas. My e-shop will be evolving. And oh boy, it is going to be awesome!!!! I want to inspire others who want to open a shop and will share everything I learned through my journey from the business plan to pricing and marketing. Like the saying goes, if you can't do...teach!

So stay tuned and follow along as my little blog will have a lot of juicy stuff for anyone who loves to bake and entertain.

Of course, I will keep you updated on my little cupcake as be pregnant has it's amusing moments.

I LOVE MY JOB

Every time I feel like maybe my mission to open a bakeshop is a silly one and go into one of my "what am I thinking" moments, I receive a wonderful note from a past client. It seems that the universe has a way of reminding me that what I do is what I should be doing. If clients love my products (cupcakes or gumpaste decorations) and are willing to take the time to write such touching letters to me, then I am on the right track. I thought I would start sharing these as they are just wonderful pieces of encouragement everyone should read. I am confident that if you love to bake and create quality cakes or cupcakes or decorations (or anything for that matter), responses like this one just wants you to do it forever. Now mind you, I didn't make the cupcakes for this one. I made the decorations to top her dream cake and cupcakes. 

Hi Paola!

I had the best intentions to send you a note much earlier; however, please know that this email is still every bit as sincere!  Our homemade gum paste snowflakes specially shipped all the way to West Virginia for our snowy destination wedding in February were a huge hit!  Suzanne, who baked our French vanilla wedding cake and coconut cupcakes, did an amazing job of creating my vision which was inspired by your webpage featuring your “snowy” cupcakes.  I never got to meet Suzanne either; we only communicated by phone long distance.  It was a delicious and beautiful cake meticulously decorated with your extraordinary handcrafted snowflakes which made for a very unique wintery confection.  The luminous silver cupcake wrappers along with the silver balls (ordered from you) completed the display!

Thank you so very much for your kindness, enthusiasm, and talent!  Everyone was so impressed that you had willingly shipped the delicate snowflakes to West Virginia.  The cake and the cupcakes with the addition of the snowflakes was the most perfect cake ever and totally exceeded my expectations.  

I am very grateful for your help and wish you much success with your business.  Please know that I am spreading the word!  

J

Ford Cupcake

I was contacted by representatives of Ford to drive one of they new Hybrids. I jumped at the chance! How cool is that? I get to drive a brand new car for the weekend. Woohoo! And what a perfect weekend for this awesome treat as I have cupcake orders to deliver. 

They delivered the car this morning and I felt like it was Christmas in May. I woke up and got on a conference call at 10am. I sat in bed in my jammies yawning through the whole thing. I then strolled out of bed and went down stairs to pour myself a bowl of Weetabix cereal. As I walked across my kitchen wiping the sleep from my eyes, I caught a glimpse of something unusual in my driveway. I opened the door and almost dropped my breakfast. There she was, a beautiful cream colored car. She looks a bit like my vanilla buttercream. The only thing that would of made the moment even better was if they had put a red ribbon on the car with a card saying Merry Christmas in May Paola. I opened the door to my new set of wheels for the weekend and was in awe on how stunning the interior was. It's really chic. Ivory seats accentuated with black. So I am nicknaming the car Cupcake, because when you sit in it, you just feel delicious.

I am taking Cupcake on some cupcake adventures and will let you all know how she does. I'm very excited about how much room this car has. I can put all my deliveries in and not have to make multiple trips. Yippee!

The car, by the way, is the Hybrid Mariner. So gas mileage is going to be a real plus!!!