Have you ever created something and thought, "dang, I'm awesome"? I get that feeling every time a client expresses their enjoyment of the goods I procure for them.
Humans have a natural drive towards seeking shared happiness. The desire to please others is an instinctual habit so our caveman ancestors wouldn't get shut out in the cold and eaten by bears. It comes at no surprise to me that this is one of my largest personal enjoyments in what I do. I love seeing a child's face light up when they see their favorite things in the form of cake, a bride with tears in her eyes when her vision is fulfilled, or a mother-to-be satisfying her sweet tooth with a delectable dessert. I won't lie - being responsible for such an important part of someone's big day is very stressful; sometimes I even have nightmares about it, but these are the moments that make it all worth it.
This project has been my favorite one so far! My good friend, Halle, has also been my most loyal customer from the moment I started my business. For her son Fisher's first birthday, she asked me to do a fishing themed desert, using total creative freedom, and without using artificial food dyes. She sent me a couple of inspiration photos for the bobber smash cake, and I just followed where the wind took me!
My vanilla cake and smooth vanilla buttercream are by far my favorite things to use; I think they pair perfectly for just the right amount of richness in both flavor and texture while not being overbearingly sweet. For the cake, I made two 4 inch cakes and slightly overfilled the batter knowing it would give me a slightly domed top. I then cut a bit of the bottom off of each layer, placed the first one upsidedown on the cake board, layered the frosting, then placed the second layer with the domed top up. I still did have to carve a bit from the top and bottom to get a perfect sphere, but hey, I'm never going to complain about being left with scraps - I mean, samples for "quality control" 😉
As for the cupcakes, I knew I wanted to do something unique and punny. I wanted to do something I've never seen before, otherwise what's the point of creative freedom? So a little fun fact about me: I am absolutely addicted to boba. I have bags of tapioca pearls in the freezer and enough flavors of tea to open my own little tea shop. I was talking with my boyfriend about things that have to do with fishing, and he brought up the popping boba that look kind of like roe - fish eggs. I wasn't sure how it would turn out. After searching the internet, I couldn't find anyone else who had done this before. Others have used the tapioca boba pearls for cupcakes, but not the popping ones (that I could find). Of course, I was up for the challenge! After weighing the pros and cons of making a dessert that looks like fish eggs, I decided to just go for it. And they were outstanding!
You can find a video of these cupcakes on my social media pages:
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8NHhuhc/
Facebook - https://fb.watch/mqIjMQ5ZgD/?mibextid=Nif5oz
Everything turned out to be a huge hit! Party guests loved the cupcakes, and Fisher loved his smash cake, too!
So how does the creative process work, start to finish? Well, it all starts with you!
My favorite orders are the ones with a request for creative freedom. I love when clients trust me enough to know what I'm doing and provide them with a product they will love no matter what! I usually take advantage of these orders by trying something I've never done before, while giving myself a little extra time in case things don't work out the way I want them to. I always have a plan B, C, and sometimes D for these kinds of orders.
This wedding cake was one of my favorites. It started with "our colors are blue and gold. We want 2 tiers, one chocolate and one red velvet," followed with "what would you like to feel on your big day? Romantic? Whimsical? Vintage?" Whimsical it was:
Other orders might start with a general theme or idea, like this mini cupcake bouquet. The client wanted something girly for a baby shower and sent me a photo of the invitation. I used the invitation to color-match the flowers, and everyone was incredibly pleased with the results!
The final category of order is when a client asks for a specific design. Now, I do remind my clients that I am a human being making everything from scratch, including mixing colors to match the inspiration to the best of my ability. As an art-based business, I do not copy other artists' work, but I can find inspiration through other artists while putting my own flair on the final product that I create. My favorite example of this is my mermaid kitty cake, which was such a pleasure to make!
No matter the type of request, I will work hard to bring my clients' visions to life. From the time I am sent an initial inquiry, I will be available to my potential client through the process of creating a vision, deciding on items, quantities, sizes, flavors, and designs, and be available after booking to answer any questions, address concerns, or navigate changes should there be any. In the end, my job is to give you, the client, a delicious experience you will never forget.
My products are 100% custom. If you can dream it, I can make it - although, I may give some professional opinions along the way!
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