Black and White stripe cake!

I come across a lot of cake designs that I think are cute, some are elaborate and way over the top, and some are pure art. When I came across this cake I fell in love, why didn't someone design a cake like this long ago. I love black and white, simple design while being chic and fun at the same time, usually hard to find. This cake embodies all of those things, I found it on pinterest and couldn't stop starring, it's just so perfect. So nect birthday I have this cake is a must, even if I have to make it myself.........LOL!

Pink Cake!

I found a picture of this pink cake and I fell in love with the light and frilly way it is decorated and the cupcakes are an added bonus!!

Picture courtesy of Polka Dot Bride
www.polkadotbride.com

Butterfly Birthday Party Ideas

My grandmother has another birthday coming up this summer and I wanted to start planning early this year, she has always loved butterflies and I think this is the year we should throw her an amazing butterfly themed birthday party. I have found a lot of inspiration for butterfly themed birthday parties, but they are mostly for kids. However, it did give me some idea's on how to change up the butterfly kids party and make it more adult friendly. Here are some of the party ideas that I found, I hope they inspire you as well!

These Butterfly cupcake toppers are a must have! Can you believe they are made out of sugar and are completely edible? I found them on etsy, simply adorable.

I was looking for a more adult looking invite and I think this one may serve as an inspiration!

These are a couple of invites that I designed for a kids butterfly birthday party!

Valentines Handmade Cards

I love card making and I love valentines day as well, so it's no secret that I would love making my own Valentine handmade cards this year. I found a ton of cute inspiration pictures and I think I have an idea of the direction I want to go in, use lot's of pink glitter and unique folding techniques that will reveal a surprise inside!

What about you, do you like to make Valentine handmade cards?

Orange Chicken Recipe

Orange Chicken is by far one of my favorite Chinese dishes, with my food allergies is hard to eat it out in a restaurant, so I am always on the lookout for a yummy new orange chicken glaze recipe! I made this one tonight and took a few pictures to share so you can see just how delicious it really was. I use success white rice because it always turns out perfect and I love buttered white rice with any dish. I also got onion, red and green peppers fresh from the farmers market and sauteed them in a little butter. Then to make the Orange Chicken Glaze I combined orange juice, soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, rice wine, and cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I also fried my own small chicken pieces and then poured the glaze over the chicken and served on rice with the peppers and onions, it was some of the best Chinese food I have ever cooked!!



Orange Chicken

Purple room ideas

The more I see purple popping up in the market the more I begin to like it again. When I was small purple was my favorite color, well an odd mix of pink and purple together was my favorite, but that's a story for another day. Anyway back on topic, purple rooms are beginning to grow on me, especially when mixed with silver and cream accents. Although I normally would'nt go for a dark purple wall, the lighter colors appeal to me with dark plum accents. Here are a few examples of some of the purple rooms that I found while perusing on Pinterest!


 I think this purple room exhibit's the perfect balance of the color, not too dark, but dark enough you would need a good mix of lighter furniture and accessories. The purple chair in the second picture would be a great way for someone that only wanted to add a hint of the color in their room. I adore the third picture, if I were going to use purple walls in my bedroom, this is the way I would go, it look elegant and calming, LOVE!

I love the color of this lavender lemonade, wouldn't that  make a stunning addition to your party decor!

Mason Jar Mugs

I adore Mason Jar mugs, I have watched as they rise in popularity and are being used in wedding and party planning, so when I saw them with bows I thought they were just adorable! Check these mason jar mugs out here: www.jbeedesigns.com for your next party or event!

Valentine's day Inspiration

I love Valentine's day so i wanted to offer a little inspiration if you are thinking about what to serve for your special day!

I found these brownie strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, yum! You take a brownie mix and fill half way, then take a strawberry cake mix and fill the other half, top with cream cheese icing and you are done.

Then I came across these sweet treats that would be perfect to serve your kids when they wake up, what a fun treat to wake up to on Valentine's day.

Free Cakes

January 3, 2012   Category: Cakemechanic Blog  

 

By the end of this post someone will have just finished working 12 hours and 20 minutes working on a cake for a birthday, baby shower or wedding. They will have skipped sleep, missed a day with their family and spent a good penny on ingredients. Pushing themselves as they juggle between sleep and sanity. All for a free cake! Yes you heard it here. FREE CAKE!

How is this cake free you ask? I’m sure you want to grab one of these for your next event. You too can have a cake “as seen on tv” for free!

Let me explain something to you. When cake artists are at work. They usually put in about 300% more work than most people. Like many artists they are in this for the passion and love. Like they say “love don’t pay the bills”.

Well the reality is, the bills have to get paid. No matter how appealing a free cake sounds and you would love to get a great deal. Its like stealing! Yes you are robbing someone, who has worked incredibly hard to make you edible art that will adorn your function. Feel guilty yet? If the answer is “NO” then my time is wasted on you. I suggest you go to your local grocery store to get your next dream cake. If you have little respect for the artists then this cake is not for you.

So perhaps stealing is too strong a word. But borrowing implies you’ll be giving it back. I’m not sure rent-a-cake is going to catch on. Or whether anyone would want their “borrowed” cake back after you’ve had a slice.

Wondering why I am against the free cake idea. Well lets say many of us in the industry have been asked for discounts that are often insulting and sometimes a little crazy. Its understandable that we all have reasons to save money and love a good deal. But this is not the place for a bargain. Cake decorators don’t exactly make a lot on cakes. Well you have a few who do. But thats only the ones you usually see on television with brands that represent them. The majority are not on television and are equally talented. They do not demand remarkable prices. Many undervalue the costs of their cakes. So when someone requests a 3 tier cake with all the trimmings and sparkle for under a $100. Well its just unfair.

So lets make a resolution starting this year. Lets forget about the “free cakes” and start appreciating the workmanship and time these artists invest in your cake.

Movie star prints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre to be moved???

When I read the title of this article I had to look twice thinking I must have read this wrong,............. right?

Nope. In the future some of the most popular movie star hand and foot prints may need to be moved in order to preserve them. The more I read the more I understood why, but I am still not sure they should be moved. I remember my first trip to Hollywood and that was one of the things I wanted to see first were the hand/foot prints of  Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable in front of Grauman's. I do believe they should be preserved, maybe put some sort of covering over them to protect them forever and not have to move them. Here is the link to the story from the LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-graumans-20111229,0,5878832.story

What are your thought's on this matter, should they be moved?

Pretzel Pie Bars

Here at Painted Preppy we do have a few people with food allergies, one allergy on that list is Pecans. I love Pecan Pie, Pecan Pralines, anything to do with pecans, unfortunately I have had to give up a lot of my favorite foods that used pecans. So my mother came up with this great recipe for mock pecan pie, use all the same ingredients as a pecan pie just substitute pretzels or the pecans and voila! You won't believe the taste, you hardly miss the nuts, they are chewy, gooey, crunchy, salty, sweet, and just down right delicious!