Birthday Cakes of Times Past

As promised, here are some priceless photos of some of the birthday cakes my mom has made me over the years.

Age 2: Panda cake.

Please note: the excited expression on my older brother's face, my OOOH! expression, the disembodied arm & the surroundings: you won't be seeing them again. We move to Verner, where my parents still live, between now & ...

Age 4: pink cake. Maybe a heart? Maybe with sprinkles spelling 4?

Please note: my pregnant mother (so we'll give her a break for not being more creative), the Ninja Turtles table cloth (my brother's birthday is 7 days after mine), the disembodied arm & the surroundings: our place in Verner.

Age 5: pink cake. Yep - really, this isn't the same year as before! My mom really wasn't creative this year! Tsk, tsk. But, please note the baby bottle on the table: my younger brother was less than a year at that point.

Also note: same ice cream, same ice cream scoop, same milk jug, same mugs & SAME DRESS as the year before. HA! And doesn't the background outside look almost fake?

Age 6: butterfly. One of the most memorable cakes.

Please note: the awesome bunny sweater I'm wearing in my school picture (my gramma made it - there was a matching skirt to wear as a skating outfit if I remember correctly), the cool pelican ornament in front of the encyclopedia, the disembodied arm & the recognizable background outside.

Age 7: bunny. Another one of my most memorable cakes.

Please note: the sweet floral dress I'm wearing (I remember wearing that to grade 3 .. maybe the first day, maybe picture day?), the disembodied arm, the lovely scalloped paper plates:

Wait - that looks like an old sheet as the table cloth.... mom?

Age 8: castle. This cake was almost a fail, but mom made it work. I still remember being pleased as can be.

Please note: the happy baby John, the Simba & Nala (from The Lion King) stuffed animals (one of my most memorable birthday gifts), the awesome perm I'm sporting & the shirt my mom is wearing which we got at Canada's Wonderland. She still has that shirt...

Age 9: pool. Another awesome cake.

Please note: the new curtains, the dress I'm wearing, which I LOVED, the disembodied match box & the table cloth only covering half the table.

See? Why??? But look at that cake! Awesome! Please note: the LEGO picnic table & people swimming in the blue jello, the licorice ladder, the profusion of candy...

Age 10 (probably): ghost. My brother's & I all wanted this cake this year. It was decidedly cute all of a sudden & we fought over it. My birthday being first, I won. Ha!

Please note: the decorations on my chair, which I made with my baby sitter that day; the new hutch, which my dad made; the umbrella in my grampa's mouth....; my brother trying to cover the picture with a plate; my aunt trying to get out of the picture. HA! And my shirt, another one I LOVED! Oh - and the egg shell eyes. We had been saving them on the counter to decorate the cake a bit later in the morning. My gramma, being ever so helpful, was cleaning up the kitchen & "Oh! What are these egg shells doing on the counter?" Chucked them into the garbage. Oh how we laughed! What a great memory!

Age 12(ish): fish.

Please note: the large amount of necklaces I'm wearing... so cool!

Well, that's all my mom was able to rustle up - we weren't so diligent keeping track of pictures after that. But next time I go home we plan on sorting through a whole bunch - you might be seeing lots of baby pictures in the near future! Speaking of which, I have a couple of baby pictures here that I might scan to show you tomorrow - stick around. In the meantime, I'm enjoying MY day!

Friday Feature: Cake Decorations

So, obviously, my (online) birthday party wouldn't be complete without a cake. How does chocolate sound?

As you can see in the photo I posted today & in those I will post tomorrow, my mom always made us a cake in whatever shape we wanted. We would choose & then help decide how to decorate it, picking out icing colours & candies. So much fun!

Today, I sort of did the same. I browsed Etsy & found some handmade edible cake decorations to show you! Take a look at 3 shops I'd love to order from:

First up is the cute from LCcakes. Her figures are made out of completely edible gumpaste & you can get them in different flavours! Just look at this adorable octopus with his jaunty party hat:

This would make an awesome beach-y cake! Add a few of these beach balls & some coloured sugar for sand & you're set:

Next up is a shop I've featured before, but SugarRobot has such beautiful butterflies, it was impossible not to include them.

These delicate treats are made out of wafer paper & edible ink - meaning they're all hand-painted! Some of these birthday leaves would make a great addition to any birthday cake:

Last but not least is the lovely sweetpetalbakery. Just try not to gasp at the beauty & realism of these flowers:

Made of gumpaste & fondant, these peonies, the hydrangeas, the lilies - they would all transform a simple cake into a work of art. Not only would these make a little girl's day, but they'd look amazing on a wedding, anniversary or baby shower cake too. These pink cherry blossoms were what first drew me to this shop:

Aren't they sweet?

So ... are you hungry yet? Lucky for me, I get cake at lunch today - that means soon! Unfortunately for you, you'll have to go find your own cake.... Let me know what kind you go for!

What's your favourite cake decorations to use?

(I'm partial to sprinkles & coloured coconut myself.)

Friday Five

Unfortunately, as I mentioned yesterday, no new pictures from this week. My camera will be fixed in 7 to 10 business days......... I CAN'T WAIT!

But until then, I still have a few to show you ... Let me explain:

1. I baked. On Monday I made both a strudel & streusel & decidedly memorized which is which. I used up some of my fresh nectarines & raspberries to make a strudel following this recipe (I found some old phyllo pastry in my freezer that needed to be used up ... as such, it was a little less crispy than desired). But I had some leftover filling, so I threw together a quick crisp topping, which can also be called a streusel (basically just means a crumbly topping). YUM! Except not so much for Pat, who "doesn't like baked fruit" ... Right. So.....
2. Wednesday I made him a mixed berry cobbler using this recipe (with berries I found on my freezer-cleaning expedition)... which we didn't eat that night because we went out to Mandarin (FINALLY! I've only been asking since May!). It was delicious reheated yesterday though.
3. I asked my mom to get my dad to scan & email me some photos so that I can blog tomorrow. It's my birthday tomorrow, have I mentioned that? I thought I'd show you some awesome cakes my mom has made over the years. Here's a little preview (me at 9):
4. Speaking of cake, I'm supposed to get some at work today... it's a lab tradition. They always get me some decadent chocolate cake - they know me well! Can't wait for lunch!
5. I still have some pictures on my laptop (thankfully!) so I'm still listing new things. Like this tissue cozy:

Besides all that, I crafted a lot, went to the post office a lot & read a bit. Trying to stay busy to keep my mind off those gifts waiting to be opened!!! One more day!

Item of the day: Tiny Piñata

Our birthday party wouldn't be complete without some fun & games. I thought this teeny tiny piñata by glittermill would bring a few laughs:

If not because of its sheer cuteness, then because of the not-impressed look of this kitty, trying hard to ignore the thing.

I may have to get myself one for pure entertainment value... I can't help but giggle when I look at the little guy, his empty-headedness conveyed through the wide, blank stare.

What are your favourite party games?

A Birthday Gift to Myself

I received a package in the mail yesterday - well, 2 packages actually - one was from my mom, the other was a birthday gift to myself.

First - the parcel from my mom. Inside? Birthday presents! I so want to show you pictures except:

1. my new Nikon camera is broken - Pat is supposed to bring it in to get fixed / replaced today
2. I can't find the UBS key that will allow me to transfer pictures from my old camera to my laptop

Can you say ARG? How frustrating! I'm hoping my Nikon will be fixed soon - I miss it...

Anyway, mom sent me 2 small gifts, 2 larger, flat gifts tied together with ribbon, 2 tissue-paper wrapped gifts & a bath poof. One of the tissue-paper wrapped gifts wasn't taped & may have unrolled in my hand. OOPS! How fortuitous though, since it was soap to use with the poof. The rest sit on the TV stand, tempting me to open them. Only 2 more days!

Now - my gift to myself. I went so far as to take pictures of them on my hand, which is when I discovered I had no idea where that dongle is! But here are the awesome photos Janet of galla15 took of my 2 new rings:

I love the versatility of this gray colour. This blue one will also work well with a good part of my wardrobe:

I love them both - they're a perfect fit & quite comfortable. The fun cut of the Swarovski crystal makes them especially reflective & sparkle-y. A great accessory!

Thank you Janet for the lovely rings!

Item of the day: Button Bouquet

For the centerpiece of my handmade (online) birthday party, I'd like this gorgeous green & yellow button bouquet by kottonkandy52:

Besides a cake, what do you use to decorate your birthday table?

Wordless Wednesday

(my new friend & first exploration into art dolls... well, first since childhood)

Item of the day: Birthday Banner

What's a birthday party without some decorations? Streamers & banners are a must - and PaisleyHandmade has some great ones to choose from. I particularly like this birthday bunting: But this - 6 feet of these cute circles - is hard to resist!

Besides balloons, what are your favourite birthday party decorations?