Cake decorating can be fun but it can also be a little stressful if you are not prepared or do not allow yourself enough time. I started getting into cake decorating for my nieces and nephews over the years and have learned to make sure I allow myself enough time so that I can take my time with the details and enjoy the process. If I rush, I tend to make mistakes or get a little sloppy and am unhappy with the final result. So... with my latest cake I decided to document my process and share with you all. This cake was for my nephew's 8th birthday and he is a HUGE hockey fan! Special Request: sports theme
Step 1: Pick a theme/image you want to decorate. If it's your first try to keep it simple! What you decide will determine the shape and size of your cake. Here, I chose the Boston Bruins logo.
Step 2: Bake the cake and let cool.
Step 3: Make frosting. My favorite frosting is this
Italian Meringue Buttercream I found on Martha Stewart Recipes. It makes 4-1/2 cups which is more than enough to frost a cake. It's not the best option for decorating but it taste great (not too sugary) and works well. The photos below show the process of making this frosting, from making the syrup, beating egg whites, adding syrup to egg whites, and finally beating in butter and vanilla to finish frosting. The directions are pretty straightforward!
Step 4&5: Level cake (all layers) and frost. I wanted a white background so I added a few drops of white coloring gel to brighten the buttercream. Buttercream tends to have a buttery yellow tint to it. This is a double layer cake and I always add frosting between layers as well. The leveling will help keep the top of the cake flat. The layers do not have to be completely flat, but enough to remove the round bump in the center.
Step 6: Divide up remaining frosting and color. Depending on how many colors you will use, you'll need to divide up the frosting accordingly. For this cake, I have 2 colors: yellow and black. Now, this was my first time making
black frosting or icing so I would like to share a little tip I learned. After dividing the frosting, I melted some dark chocolate and added it in (about 2 TBSP for about 1-2 cups of frosting). Then I used a black gel food coloring. The chocolate will help with getting a true black quicker without having to add too much coloring. Adding too much food coloring can alter the taste of the frosting. It is best to add the coloring in small portions and mix to see the results. Add more if necessary. Another tip ... while mixing the black color in, the frosting turned a silvery gray at first but in time (by the time I started the decorating) it darkened and turned black.
Step 7: Decorate! With the colors ready and pastry bags filled we are ready to start decorating (I like to have pastry bags ready for each color so there is no need to clean anything once the decorating starts). Depending on what you are going to decorate, it is best to have a plan on where to start and end. You can also use a knife to carve it out first to make sure the sizing is appropriate. Here, I started with the outside first, then the middle and then I filled in the rest.
Finishing touches ... filling in and the side of the cake. For the side of the cake, I filled it in by creating single layers around the cake, starting at the bottom (or you can start at the top) and working my way around and up to the top.
Step 8: Put candles on it and sing Happy Birthday!!!
I have posted a few images of cakes I have made in my Flickr account:
Cakes
pillow covers for my house. It's a great way to change the look of the room or even to spruce up the couch, bed or chair. I had a few extra throw pillows so I measured them and made some removable pillow covers to coordinate with the sofa slip cover and some existing pillows. I found some great home decor upholstery fabric at Joann's. It's 100% cotton by Waverly Modern Essentials. Love the way they look!
Are you a knitter or would you rather purchase an already knit pair of SNUGGS(c)? SNUGGS(c) are Knitstyle by MMC's original design for suede knit baby booties. They are completely lined with the softest plush yarn that any baby would love!
SNUGGS(c) in Purple
DIY Pattern and 2 Yarn Kit
DIY Pattern and Suede Yarn (Blue)
DIY Pattern and Yarn Kit (Pink)
I can remember the early days of June.. as a child, my grandfather would bring me along to help him pick freshly ripened strawberries at one of our local farms. I looked forward to going each year and since then, I have always enjoyed strawberry picking and have made a habit of it almost every year. For the first few years, I would bring along one of my 
nephews, who at the time was 3 or 4 years old. He is now 14 and probably too cool to go strawberry picking with his Aunt Megan! Nonetheless, I have a growing supply of young nephews and nieces and continue to bring 1 or 2 kids along with me every year. A few years ago the farm closed and re-opened under Whippoorwill Farm CSA. This meant the U-Pick Strawberries was only open to CSA members so last year I decided to join the CSA, primarily for the strawberry picking!!! The rest of 
the CSA season was absolutely amazing I had to join for another year! Last week, we received the CSA newsletter letting us know that the strawberry patch wo
uld be open on Friday for strawberry picking... so, I bagged the TGIF gathering after work and left work early to get there for the last hour of picking time on Friday afternoon. My 3-1/2 year old niece, Sydney, joined me for the fun this year for a second year in a row. We had fun picking strawberries (and some 
daisies) and I hope that this tradition is creating memories that will last...
In past years, I've made strawberry pie, strawberry muffins, strawberry lemonade, strawberry margaritas (yum!), strawberry margarita squares, strawberry shortcake...
Cake decorating can be fun but it can also be a little stressful if you are not prepared or do not allow yourself enough time. I started getting into cake decorating for my nieces and nephews over the years and have learned to make sure I allow myself enough time so that I can take my time with the details and enjoy the process. If I rush, I tend to make mistakes or get a little sloppy and am unhappy with the final result. So... with my latest cake I decided to document my process and share with you all. This cake was for my nephew's 8th birthday and he is a HUGE hockey fan! Special Request: sports theme
Step 1: Pick a theme/image you want to decorate. If it's your first try to keep it simple! What you decide will determine the shape and size of your cake. Here, I chose the Boston Bruins logo.
I have posted a few images of cakes I have made in my Flickr account: Cakes
Visit Knitstyle by MMC today, 11/29/2010, and receive 25% off your entire purchase (prior to shipping). Discount with be refunded via paypal within 24 hrs of purchase. 
Goldfish Cloth Play Blocks (Heather Ross fabric) have been a big hit in my Etsy shop. I only have a limited amount of fabric left and soon they will be all gone! The Automobile themed fabric is just as fun.
Next, I came across these stripes, stars and circles fabric by the same designer, Riley Blake. These looked fun, colorful, perfect for making my blocks and great for learning shapes. Here's a Medium Cloth Play Block I call ALL STAR!
Hello!
patterns/kits section in my Knitstyle by MMC shop if you'd like to purchase your own copy of the SNUGGS(c) Pattern ... The pattern includes 2 full pages of instructions with lots of photos to help guide you through the steps.
I recently signed up for a knitting class to learn the "Lizard Ridge" knitting technique. It was a last minute decision to join the class and I am so happy that I did. I haven't had a lot of extra time to dedicate to knitting lately and it was so nice to pick up my knitting needles again and start knitting something. So, the idea of the class is to knit a bunch of Lizard Ridge Squares (about 12"x12" or so) and then stitch all the squares together to make a beautiful blanket. Here is one example of a finished blanket (not mine!) Click on photo and it will bring you to the lizard ridge knitting instructions.
Knitstyle (by MMC) now has a Facebook Page! For all those who are on Facebook please check out Knitstyle by MMC on Facebook and become a fan- you'll automatically be entered into a monthly free giveaway of 1 Medium sized Cloth Play Block. All fans will automatically be entered each month and 1 winner will be selected at random on the 15th of each month. First drawing will be held on March 15th and one lucky winner will receive a MEDIUM sized AVIARY Cloth Play Block (made with Joel Dewberry Fabric in 100% cotton)... so hurry and become a fan today! Winners will be posted on Knitstyle by MMC's Facebook Page.
Cyber Monday - November 30th, 2009
