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Queen City Cake Studio
Where cake and creativity combine
Flowers…
I stumbled across this beautiful collage of cakes featuring fresh and sugar flowers….
(photo by www.lesfleurvisualjoy.blog.com)
Below are some of our cake creations using both fresh and sugar flowers
This is one of my favorites! Probably because I believe that there are few things greater than chocolate ganache. Chocolate ganache + Cake= Heaven! This is a two tier topsy-turvy cake cover in delicious chocolate ganache. The beautiful golden yellow open rose was skillfully crafted from gumpaste by friend of Queen City Cake Studio, Paulette Lundy. The pop of color against the chocolate background is absolutely beautiful and the simple, understated cake allows the beautiful flower to remain the center of attention.
This was the wedding cake for Antwon and Marcia Maxwell. The three tier square cake was covered in white fondant with a grey fondant ribbon bordering each tier. Fresh lavender roses were arranged cascading down the cake and rose petals were scattered around it.
In this three tier round cake, we iced it in buttercream and arranged sugared rose petals cascading down the front of it. This was a simple technique that added a little drama to the finished look of this cake. Again, a very simple and understated cake with the floral element stealing the show.
Enjoy
~QCCS
Kandace’s Tea Party
I’ve wanted to make a teapot cake for a while now and finally had the opportunity to make one! On of my good friends, Kandi, called a couple of weeks ago to say that she was pulling together a Tea Party themed party for her baby’s fifth birthday. Kandi dressed up her house in Pink and Green and invited all of her daughter, Kandace’s, little friends in their special tea party dresses to come and party with her. I LOVE the way she decorated!
Like me, Kandace loves the Disney movie, “The Princess and the Frog”, so Princess Tiana made a special appearance:
For the cake, I stacked (4) 8″ Rounds and one 6″ round and carved. The handle and spout are both gumpaste. The cake was covered in fondant, sprayed with Americolor Deep Pink, followed up with Duff’s Pearl. This definitely gets counted as one of my favorites!
Happy Birthday Kandace!!
Nicole’s Oriental-themed Baby Shower
Last year, when I landed in Charlotte, I decided to pick up jewelry making as a new hobby. Soon after, I discovered a fantastic bead shop, The Bead Lady, in Concord, NC. After a few regular visits, I befriended Kathleen, the owner of the shop. It wasn’t uncommon to find me lost in the bead shop for hours on any given Saturday afternoon. While working on my projects, I’ve meet quite a few nice people, but one kinda stuck. Nicole is Kathleen’s BFF and has one of those fun and artistic vibes that you can’t help but fall in love with. I encourage anyone with anything creative to share to visit and register at Nicole’s Call for Creativity. This is an awesome new site for creative folks wanting to share and connect with others.
I was honored over the past weekend the be included in Nicole’s Toddler Shower where we celebrated Nicole’s pending adoption of a beautiful toddler from China, hence the theme. I suggested bamboo be included…Nicole suggested pandas…and we ended up with both.
To make the bamboo, I first colored some fondant green and rolled a smooth ball. The size of the ball will depend on the length and thickness you’d like the bamboo to be. For a piece to be about 6″, I rolled a ping-pong sized ball. Play with different amounts to determine the right amount for the size you need.
Next I rolled it into a log about a half-inch thick.
I then pinched together randomly placed sections along the log.
Be sure to smooth out the sections between the pinches.
Next, I used this handy little shell tool found in my Wilton Gumpaste Tool Kit .
Using the flat side, I pressed the ridged edge of the tool into the pinched section of the fondant log. I repeat on each wide of each pinch.
Now the fun begins (I love my airbrush). I wanted to deepen the green, so I sprayed my (already green) bamboo with Americolor’s “Avocado” airbrush color.
With my airbrush machine at its lowest setting, I sprayed brown on the raised, pinched portions of the bamboo. Some brown will escape to the sections in between and that’s okay. I loved the overall look of it.
Let it dry long enough for the paint to dry. The longer the fondant sits out the more firm it will become. Have fun!
Bridal Shower
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a fun brunch bridal shower for Nikki. 
Her cake was inspired by her invitation which featured soft pink colors and beautiful script that provided the details of the celebration.
Nikki’s cake was yellow cake with vanilla buttercream. The 10″ and 8″ single layer rounds were cover in pink fondant and air brushed with pearl. I scored a bottle of pearl airbrush (no-color) spray at the ICES convention and I love it! I’ve p
urchased another brand of luster airbrush colors and they constantly clogged my airbrush. I was already a huge fan of Americolor products and this spray didn’t disappoint. The color flowed nice and evenly through my gun and didn’t clog once. This is a product that will always be in my stash.
The torso portion of the dress was made from gumpaste and the bottom of the dress was carved from and 8 and 6-inch round. Pearl dust makes everything prettier!
Enjoy!
-T
Eclectic Indeed
Twice a week, I treat myself to the musings of artist, Tina Lassiter, by visiting her blog, The Eclectic Eye. On her blog she shares everything from photographic moments captured on her morning walk to recipes for her favorite foods to her musical selections to coverage of a recent trip to Egypt, usually with a little extra of her own personal art intertwined in each posting. 
It’s always fun to see what Tina’s up to now.
If you live in or will be visiting the DC area, please stop by to view “Lush”, her latest collection of collage art and photography at Busboys & Poets @ 5th & K Streets NW, Washington, DC through October 31, 2011 to see why I am such a fan of this fabulous artist.
I checked in with Tina and asked her if she and her art could be a guest on this blog and she happily agreed. Learn a little more about Tina below:
Who are you and what do you do?
An eclectic collage artist, writer, & photographer who loves to cook, has a serious flair when it comes to interior design, and is newly passionate about international travel!
How do you work?
I have established a ritual. Before I sit down to make a collage goddess, I first bathe then put on Pheromone oil, lipstick and earrings…always earrings…and yes clothing! My hair has to look acceptable to me or else I wrap it in a scarf. I load up the CD player with female vocalists, whomever I am feeling that day, turn off the phone and light a candle. When I sit down, I take a moment to meditate and call forth the creative spirit in me. Sometimes things happen, sometimes they don’t and if they don’t I get up and go on with my day.
With the photographs, I shoot what calls out to me preferring to close in on a single image instead of a group of things. Some days, I play a game of point, focus and click; the goal is to get whatever the subject is in one shot. Other days, I stand for who knows how long to capture something or shoot the same subject repeatedly. But much like when I work on a collage, I know exactly when I’ve got “it”; what a rush it is to see a photograph so stunning, it renders me speechless…and then I can’t believe I took it. Talk about humbling…
What’s integral to the work of an artist?
Being able to get up and walk away from the table when nothing is coming; trying to force something when the flow is not there is works against the creative spirit. But in order to be able to flow, one must rejuvenate their being and have other interests that serve as inspiration. For me, it’s spending time with people I care about who care about me but also making sure I have “just me” time…phone & computer off and it’s just me roaming a flea market, tucked into a movie theatre, out amongst nature with my camera, or at the spa. And nothing beats a rainy day in bed with a book, magazines, an old black & white movie and my sweetie (when I have one!).
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been offered?
It wasn’t advice but a quote, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Before I actually came across this passage I had written on my blog the words, “…as we step forward, let us embrace our past as we live each day in the present with a careful, mindful eye on the future.” So when I read Buddha’s words, I felt affirmed.
What wouldn’t you do without?
The first breath I take each morning…it lets me know I have another opportunity to be better, to start again. That said, thankfully this question did not read what is the one thing I wouldn’t do without! So… all six senses, the gift of creative talent and vision that I was blessed with as I have no formal training in any of the creative disciplines that are my passions and of course friends, family, earrings, a tube of fabulous lipstick and KISSING!!!
What food, drink, song inspires you?
Food – Homemade biscuits, stewed corn and succotash remind me of learning how to cook everything from scratch from both of my grandmothers (I never leave home without my biscuit and brownie recipes tucked neatly in my purse). Being equipped with a serious foundation for how food is prepared unleashed a desire to play in the kitchen that has never gotten old; learning how to make a palatable meal when I’ve messed something up became a metaphor for how to manage life’s messes.
Drink – Champagne, oh there can never be enough bubbly…it makes me giggle, giddy and happy!
Music – I used to be a disc jockey so it’s hard to name one song. However, I am very partial to female vocalists, remember hearing Billie when I was just a wee one, and Nina when I was a little older…I now have almost all of their music, never tire of listening to either one. I love Brazilian and African music…anything that makes me dance! Dance helps me shake off the worst creative block, lifts me out of a funk!
What is your dream project?
Designing home and lifestyle products for an international market; combining some of those products with my other creative interests to style a bed & breakfast…preferably near the water.
-Tina L.
Like most cake folk, I see cake in most things that catch my eye. Around the Independence Day holiday, I was intrigued by the pictures she shared in her posting entitled ‘fourth’. I loved how vibrant the pics were and how they seemed to…pop!
These images stayed with me and below is the cake that they inspired.
Its funny how Tina mentioned walking away from a project when the creativity isn’t flowing, as it took multiple stops and starts before I figured out exactly what I wanted this cake to look like. But, here she is….
Stripes
So, as I mentioned last week, I’ve developed some sort of fascination with stripes. Not really “any” stripes…blue and white stripes. On a recent trip to the mall, I was lured into eight or nine stores to try on the dress or shirt featured in their store window. I did escape with a cute number from Ann Taylor, but I am proud to have resisted the other dresses and two shirts that were calling my name. I’d like to say it was my own discipline that forced me to leave those pieces behind, but instead I’ll be honest and admit that it was hearing my husband’s irritated voice asking “Aren’t they all the same?” that really made me walk away.
It is safe to say that I’ve been bit by a “Nautical” bug.
A couple of years ago, a friend of mine asked me to make a cake for her husband’s birthday that resembled his beloved boat. I’m very envious these days, cause it seems like such a wonderful way to escape and relax.
Last week, I shared this nautical themed inspiration board. I love the feel of the different elements included in this collection. I love, love, love the coral which is something that I have fallen in love with through my dabbling in baubles and beads as I make eclectic jewelry pieces for my personal collection. So, incorporating the red coral was a must.
To make the red coral , I used the coral in the picture on the inspiration board as a guide. I loved the texture on the coral and wanted that to come across in the cake version. I used “Candy Clay” to mold the coral. Candy clay is so easy to make. You can visit your local craft center, such as A.C. Moore or Michaels’ and buy a bag of candy melts. These are usually sold in the same aisle with, or near, the cake decorating supplies.
The simple recipe is:
14oz candy melts
1/3 c. corn syrup
To make the clay, you melt the candy wafers per package instructions, stir in the corn syrup until blended. Wrap in saran wrap tightly and let cool at room temperature. Once it hardens, you can break of small pieces at a time and knead it with your fingers to soften it. You can then mold it to your desired shape.
Since the warmth of your fingers softens the clay, I’d recommend that you pop your piece in and out of the fridge as your working on it to enable it to hold the shape you’re creating. You can also keep a ziploc bag of ice nearby that you can occasionally touch to cool your fingertips as you work.
Once my coral was shaped, I brushed it with a thin layer of piping gel and drizzled clear sugar crystals on it. I let that dry and sprayed it red with airbrush color.
For this project, I also created a couple of other nautical decorations- like the anchor- from gumpaste. Here is the completed project:
See you next week…
Hello!
Welcome to the first post on the “Queen City Cake Studio” blog! 
I am so excited to be launching this blog! Each week, I will bring you cake creations from myself and fellow artists. I am a self-taught cake artist who has been at it for five short years. I crave all things cake and am always eager to research and practice new techniques, which I also intend to share with you on this blog.
Be sure to visit next week for my “Nautical” themed entry, where I will visit my recent obsession with blue and white stripes with bursts of red! This is the inspiration board I created to get my creative juices flowing on pulling together the project. Can’t wait to share it with you!
