Sweet Catastrophe

Stars + Moon Baby Shower Cake

2011-10-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

A stars and moon baby shower cake for Brittany!

3 tiered cake bordered with fluffy frosting clouds, fondant stars, and topped with a moon and sleeping baby.

Congrats!!!

DIY Wooden Wedding Cake Toppers

2011-09-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

I had to blog about these because they are so freakin' cute! My friend Archna just made wedding cake toppers for a friend of hers. She got these plain wooden dolls which comes in a pack of one girl and one boy doll and paints. You can also pick up different colored paints at your local craft store such as Michael's or Joann's.

Before:

((you can find them on etsy at goosegreaseundone's shop))

After:

How darling are they?? What a great way to get creative with your wedding cake and put some personality into it-- I love!

"I do!"

See more painted toppers here!

Chandra + Tony's Wedding Cake!

2011-09-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure and honor of creating Chandra + Tony's wedding cake which took place yesterday evening. It was a gorgeous outdoor ceremony and I hope they had a wonderful time!

Chandra is an extremely talented florist (check out her creations at Chandra Abel Designs) and we met on the TOMS South Africa Shoe Drop almost 4 years ago! Her and her new husband are absolutely one of the most beautiful and nicest couples I have ever met.

The cake was a 3 tiered lemon cake with lemon curd and cream cheese filling. The groom is not a fan of fondant so it is finished off with buttercream frosting and adorned with gumpaste peonies and garden roses. This was one of the heaviest cakes I have ever made-- thank you to Vikki and Eddie for helping to carry this monster through the house, down a flight of stairs, and through a crowd of people to get to the dessert area!

It was wonderful working with All You Need Is Love Event Planning-- Vikki, Shannon, and Molly are awesome and made the delivery easy and the wedding looked amazing! I am also obsessed with their blog-- so many cute ideas (not that I am getting married anytime soon lol).

{9.10.11}

Congraulations Chandra + Tony! Wishing them many many years of happiness and love!

Penguin Cake Tutorial coming soon!

2011-09-08T19:49:00.001-07:00

At the request of Amy D, I will be posting a tutorial on how to make your own penguin cake! Stay tuned...

Frank's Painting Birthday Cake!

2011-05-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

It was brought to my attention that I had not posted this cake on the blog! I made this last March for a good friend of mine who was turning 40. He has an actual painting of himself that I made into cake form. I really liked making this cake and making it look like a painting!

It was a lemon cake with cream cheese frosting.

Happy birthday Frank!

Hello Kitty & Batman Birthday Cakes!

2011-05-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

It was Jamison, Natalia, & E'sia's birthday party this past weekend! The girls got a Hello Kitty cake while Jamison got Batman.

Hello Kitty was chocolate cake with a whipped raspberry filing.

Batman was chocolate cake with chocolate ganache.

Portions of proceeds from both cakes will be going towards feeding the children at The Ebongalethu Educare Center in South Africa.

Thank you Tamar for this order!

Check out the post for these cakes at The Yummy Year Project as well!

Isabelle's Pixie Hollow Cake & The Yummy Year Project!

2011-04-21T20:13:00.001-07:00

I feel like I just posted about Isabelle turning 2 and she's already turning 3! This year's theme was Pixie Hollow! The photos and descriptions, along with a recipe for modeling chocolate, is posted up on my new blog-- The Yummy Year Project!

I am very excited about this new project called "The Yummy Year Project"! I am trying 365 (vegan) recipes within one year and sharing them on the blog. It is also a fundraiser to provide food for the 60 children at The Ebongalethu Educare Center in South Africa. Proceeds from cakes will also be going to the EEC as well. I learned about this project through Food4Africa and am glad we will be able to support one specific project.

Please check it out and like on facebook! Thank you!

Sweet 16 Birthday Cake

2010-10-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

This Sweet 16 was designed by the Birthday girl herself! (It was quite a design I have to say!)

Bottom tier has a vine design and black bow, Topsy turvy tier has the same pattern on her dress with purple airbrushing on half the cake, round polka dot tier, and top tier has zebra stripes and a sweet 16 topper with a crown.

All vegan chocolate cake with vegan chocolate ganache.

Happy Sweet 16 Adreauna!

Isabelle's Sleeping Beauty Cake

2010-05-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Isabelle! Her favorite movie last year was Pinocchio; this year it's Sleeping Beauty-- one of my favorite movies of ALL TIME! So needless to say, I was excited to be making this and even watched a few clips of the movie on youtube for "research". (I love the "Once Upon A Dream" scene when Aurora is dancing with the owl and then Prince Phillip cuts in :)

The 2 tiered cake features Princess Aurora, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather dancing in the forest and the castle on the top tier. The cake is adorned with a #2 topper, fluffy clouds, and some sparkle!

I leave you with some Sleeping Beauty Trivia: did you know that even though Princess Aurora is the main character she appears in the movie for less than 18 minutes?

Happy Birthday Amora!

2010-05-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

A portrait of Amora for her 7th birthday!

The peanut butter honey cake was decorated with light cream cheese, carob + peanut butter dough, carrot slices, and peas. 100% dog friendly :)

Dr. Seuss Themed Cake

2010-04-03T12:14:00.001-07:00

A Dr. Seuss themed birthday cake!

Topsy turvy with red and white stripes on the bottom, and sky blue with swirls on the top.

Happy Birthday Francis!

Vanilla cake with raspberry preserves and raspberry buttercream filling.

I leave you with some wise words from Dr. Seuss:

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking a tlife through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities."

"All the turtles are free- as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be."

"I do not like green eggs and ham I do not like them Sam I am."

Snow Engagement/Birthday Cake

2010-04-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

This cake was made for a couple that got engaged on the same week of both their birthdays, which was only a few days apart. They love snowboarding and skiing as well as their black lab. The cake is adorned with figures of them, trees, and sanding sugar snow.

Congrats to the happy couple! I love this photo of them making a wish :)

Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

Present Birthday Cake

2010-04-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

A present birthday cake featuring a black box with gold swirls and gold ribbon. The cake is adorned with a figure of the birthday girl in her dress and Harry Potter scarf, as she is a big fan!

Chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and whipped raspberry topping on the side.

Personalized Birthday Cupcakes

2010-04-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

Vegan birthday cupcakes, each with a special meaning for the birthday girl!

Features: a snowboarding girl, the couple's new puppy, a dopey looking turtle, "I heart You" NY tshirt style, #32, and a silhouette of a soccer player.

Vegan chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache, and vegan red velvet with a vegan cream cheese glaze.

I got an awesome email from the client saying his wife loved them and couldn't believe they were vegan!

Happy Vegan Valentine's Day!

2010-02-28T16:14:00.000-08:00

Vegan cupcakes topped with personalized icons for this fabulous duo's Vday! They feature a duckbill platypus, DJ-ing bear, royal cat, hat, lake scene, and a heart.

This was lots of fun to make! It's a great gift idea that is thoughtful and can be shared :)

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Vegan Chocolate Ganache

Vegan Red Velvet Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Glaze

Calendar Theme Birthday Cake

2010-02-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

A calendar themed birthday cake featuring all 12 months with personalized to-do's and dates.

The birthday girl works in the fashion industry, so a replica of an actual swatch of fabric is off to the side and the calendar has icons of different holidays as well as post it notes so nothing is forgotten!

Vegan

Chocolate Cake with Vegan Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Preserves.

75th Birthday Present Cake

2010-02-28T15:14:00.001-08:00

A white present with a blue and silver ribbon birthday cake. The ribbon on the cake matches the actual ribbon used on the center pieces.

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache.

An additional White Cake with Raspberry Filling was made as well.

Happy 75th Birthday!

Lego Star Wars Birthday Cake

2010-02-28T14:59:00.000-08:00

A Lego Star Wars themed birthday cake.

It features the Star Wars logo, Lego Darth, Obi, and Yoda with a number 8 topper and stars adorning a lego block.

Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Frosting w/sprinkles.

Happy 8th Birthday Christopher!

Sushi Cupcake Toppers

2010-01-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

Sushi toppers for mini cupcakes! I made some California Rolls (crab, avocado, and cucumber inside), Kappa Maki, Tekka Maki, Salmon and Tamago Nigiri. I used them to adorn mini vegan cupcakes. The cupcakes are presented on a wooden sushi plate with chopsticks.

I had so much fun making this (even each little grain of rice) I might have to try to make a Spicy Tuna or Rainbow Roll in the near future!

Happy Birthday Victoria!

2010-01-14T21:19:00.000-08:00

A birthday cake for my friend Victoria! She owns a cute, mint green vespa, which became the inspiration for her cake.

Happy Birthday Victoria! Hope this year brings you much happiness! Next year, you get a sloth cake :)

Vegan chocolate cake with vegan chocolate ganache

Happy Birthday Princess Destiny!

2009-12-12T23:28:00.001-08:00

Princess cupcakes for Destiny's 1st birthday party! The cupcakes are topped with handmade toppers inspired by the party's decor. It includes a replica of the princess crown, polka dotted #1s, and a heart with her name on it.

Chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and sour cream vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream.

Volcom Cake

2009-12-12T23:18:00.001-08:00

A cake made for the birthday boy who loves his Volcom clothes!

Chocolate cake with chocolate fudge filling.

Penguin Birthday Cake

2009-12-12T23:13:00.000-08:00

A penguin cake for a penguin lover's birthday! She is adorned with a pink bow (to match the birthday girl's pink hair) and standing in some fresh snow.

Chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and vanilla buttercream.

Lobster Cake

2009-11-29T19:13:00.000-08:00

One of my all time favorite cakes! This lobster has vanilla cake inside and filled with chocolate ganache. No pot of boiling water neccesary!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-29T19:10:00.000-08:00

Gobble, gobble, gobble!

Our turkey has a pilgrim hat on and red, yellow, and green colored feathers. The inside is carrot cake with cream cheese frosting-- the perfect turkey for a vegetarian!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Teddy Bear Baby Shower Cake

2009-11-29T18:35:00.000-08:00

This baby shower cake was made to match the black, white, and yellow decor for the party!

The top features a gumpaste teddy bear with a yellow bow in her hair, and the cake is covered in polka dots.

The cake is red velvet with cream cheese frosting.

Congratulations!

Here's a great photo of Kelly, who I worked with to make this cake, with the lovely mom-to-be :)

Myra's Birthday Present

2009-11-29T18:06:00.000-08:00

This is a very big present cake that I have made. This one matches the party's decoration colors of royal purple and white. All the adornments on the cake are personal touches for the birthday girl. Ms. Pacman represents her first birthday cake from her big bro, her favorite rag doll she had growing up, a fondant family portrait, a rabbit to represent her pets she had growing up, and a stethoscope because she is currently going to school to be a nurse.

This is 10" square and it was HUGE!!! It was lemon cake with cream cheese frosting inside.

George & Maggie- Sheepdog Birthday Cake

2009-11-29T18:01:00.000-08:00

This cake was made for my boss who has the 2 most awesome sheepdogs ever, George, and Maggie (the one with one blue eye). Both dog figures are handmade from gumpaste and handpainted.

Cake was layered with fondant circles for a different texture than the usual fondant covered cake. Lemon cake with cream cheese frosting.

A Present for Jamie

2009-11-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

This present cake was made for Jamie's birthday. The present is wrapped in polka dotted paper and finished off with a black bow and a "Happy Birthday" tag. A rose, chrysanthemum, daisies, and tiny white flowers adorn the sides of the present.

This cake was red velvet with cream cheese frosting. Jamie's husband had the awesome idea of keeping the present in a black and white color scheme so that when you cut into the cake, it matches the red inside and has a great contemporary color palette! It was a great idea!

Happy Birthday Jamie!

Emma's Birthday, brought to you by the letter E and number 1!

2009-11-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

This 1st birthday cake was made for Emma and her friend, Elmo! A muppet version was drawn up for the invitation which was used as the inspiration for this cake.

The cake features cut outs of Emma and Elma with

hand painted details. The cake is decorated with scallops at the base, polka dots, and a #1 topper.

The top tier is Chocolate Fiesta Cake with Vanilla Buttercream, and the bottom tier is Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Buttercream.

Super Jerrod's Super Hero Cake!

2009-11-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

This Super Hero cake was made for an awesome Vegan Super Hero named Jerrod! It features Spiderman, Batman, and Superman details on the cake and is topped off with silver stars.

The entire cake is completely vegan: it was vegan chocolate cake layered with vegan peanut butter frosting. Fondant and gumpaste used is also vegan.

I got a wonderful email from the birthday boy's mom to let me know that the vegan cake was a hit with everyone (vegan or not)!

Sweet Catastrophe is continuing to develop new and delicious vegan cake recipes to kick off an all vegan cake line-- delicious and animal cruelty-free!

Corgan's 2nd Birthday Cake!

2009-10-04T11:39:00.001-07:00

A cake for Corgan of his favorite red monster! Corgan is the cutest two year old around, when he saw the cake he said, "Cake!!!" and "Elmo!!!" Kids are definitely my favorite clientèle :) Hopefully I'll be able to post some pics from his party soon.

Thank you Melissa always for your support and helping to raise 78 meals for Food4Africa!

Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream, all decorations are edible.

TOMS Shoe Drop Family Reunion Cake

2009-09-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

A pair of TOMS for the Shoe Drop Family Reunion! The cake features a 3-D pair of TOMS, the classic red representing the original shoe drop location, Argentina, and the white "Style Your Sole" with all the guests names written on it. (Thanks to everyone who came to my Style Your Sole party :) I think they were the biggest shoes I have made so far!

Chocolate cake layered with Vanilla Buttercream

Golf Ball Birthday Cake

2009-09-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

A golf ball birthday cake made for my good friend Archna's dad's birthday! He loves to golf so a golf ball was appropriate with him sitting next to it, ready to get a hole-in-one!

Vanilla cake layered with a whipped strawberry filling topped with chocolate cake.

If you have any baby showers or children's birthdays coming up, check out Archna's online children's boutique, Parasols!

She carries the cutest clothing for babies, girls and boys, as well as great gifts such as handmade quilts, daybag, and toys. A percentage of proceeds from all sales go to Room To Read, which helps children in the developing world gain the lifelong gift of an education.

http://www.parasolsboutique.com/

Check Us Out In Other Blogs!

2009-09-21T20:02:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to share some other blogs Sweet Catastrophe has been featured in!

Club Adorable-

http://www.clubadorable.blogspot.com/

My friend Amy's blog that features different artists from a variety of industries to inspire others to be creative and follow their dreams!

Alpargata Sailboat Cake has been featured in:

Active Blog-http://people.activerideshop.com/toms-shoes-party-for-the-cheif-shoegiver

TOMS Shoes Blog- http://www.tomsshoesblog.com/?p=2860

Blake Mycoskie's Blog- http://blakemycoskie.blogspot.com/2009/08/birthday-celebration.html

Mbokodwe

2009-09-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to share with you Food4Africa's "Mbokodwe" project that is empowering women in the community to not only uplift themselves but their families as well!

On a very cold winters morning the Food4Africa team happened on a group of desperate but talented South African ladies who personally create exquisite wares. The initial discovery was made in Emondlo, a township just outside Vryheid in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. These ladies are the inspiration behind MBOKODWE.

MBOKODWE was born amongst heaps of laughter, tears of joy and the promise of a future income.
MBOKODWE is the
Zulu word for Stone or Rock. The original Mbo
kodwe stone was used to grind corn and maize. The team decided that this word symbolizes all that they as women stand for - Women with strength, endurance, perseverance, dedication and, most of all, usefulness through all spheres of life.
Each item is “INDIVIDUALLY HANDCRAFTED” with Love, Blood-sweat and tears. Thus uniqueness is guaranteed. No two items will ever be identical; nor can this item be re-created. A similar item can be crafted but the color of the beads and fabric will differ from the original.
You too can support and contribute to this Upliftment project through you purchase of an MBOKODWE Hand Crafted item.
Please click here http://www.food4africa.co.za/history.asp to check out their products!
These crafts will enha
nce your wellbeing and self-worth as well as help Food4Africa to feed the many families suffering from malnutrition, mainly children. The proceeds from all sales of the crafts will be ploughed back into the Community through Job creation, Food hampers, Uniforms, Training and Education.
I urge you to purchase any of the Exclusive Mbokodwe Hand Crafted items in order to aid Food4Africa in our mission to nourish empower and sustain those that are in need.
My favorites are their handmade holiday and everyday cards that feature beading accents, handmade pap
er, and other adornments such as feathers. They are great as birthday, thank you, and holiday cards! They also offer other items such as jewelry and home decor.

The children of today are the future leaders of our world tomorrow, let's feed them.

August 2009 Monthly Newsletter- 594 Meals Raised

2009-09-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

594 meals were raised for the month of August!

Here's a snapshot of the monthly newsletter. To subscribe, please go to the www.SweetCatastropheCakes.com and type in your email address

into the space provided at the bottom of the home page.

Gay's Game Night Taboo Birthday Cake!

2009-08-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

I made this replica of a Taboo game box for Gay's Game Night Birthday Extravaganza! It was so much fun, although I strongly feel that "SWAK" should be removed from the game. (Can anyone even tell me what "SWAK" is?!) Another tip, don't misread "Ad-lib" for "Mad-lib".

Happy Birthday Gay!!!

Deep Chocolate Cake layered with Chocolate Ganache and Chocolate Buttercream.

Daniel's Spongebob Birthday Cake!

2009-08-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

An under the water scene featuring Daniel's favorite sponge was made for his 3rd birthday! The cake is also decorated with edible sand and seashells. Delivering this cake was awesome, when Daniel saw it, he said, "Ohhhh!!!" lol it was very cute :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Daniel!

Deep Chocolate Cake layered with Chocolate Ganache and Chocolate Buttercream.

Blake's Alpargata Sailboat

2009-08-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

A replica of Blake Mycoskie (with his Captain's hat of course) and his sailboat, The Alpargata, for his birthday! Blake is the creator and owner of TOMS shoes: for every pair of shoes that are purchased a pair is given to a child in need.

Sometimes we take the little things in life for granted-- like the shoes on our feet. A pair of shoes can help prevent a child who walks miles every day to go to school or do chores from getting diseases, cuts and scrapes that can lead to infections, etc. and makes their life a little more comfortable. Check out the new fall styles at www.TOMSSHOES.com

Happy Birthday Blake!

Vanilla Cake with Fresh Strawberry and Whipped Cream Filling. Chocolate covered strawberries accented with the TOMS blue and Red Velvet with Vanilla Buttercream sheet cakes for also made for the event.

Thank you to Katie for sending me photos from the birthday bash :)

Gag Baby Shower Cake

2009-08-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

This was for a Gag Baby Shower/Birthday Party! It's a baby who resembles the birthday boy (thus the goatee) who is bent over looking through his chubby baby legs. Across his diapered butt is "Mini Thaw". I had a lot of fun making this cake!

Deep Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream.

Blue Roses Wedding

2009-08-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

Blue roses adorn this 6" cake for Mike and Julie's wedding! This cake was made for the cake cutting ceremony and is adorned with handmade gumpaste roses and silver band at the base to match the wedding colors. A sheet cake was made to serve the guests which had matching roses and fondant plaque. Congratulations to the newly weds!

Deep chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese filling.

Javie's Big Burger Cake

2009-08-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

My third hamburger cake! This huge one was made for Javie's 21st Birthday! Includes lettuce, tomato, onions, cheese, a big patty, and sesame seed bun.

July 2009 Monthly Newsletter- 308 Meals Raised

2009-08-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

Here's a snapshot for July's cakes and meals raised! It includes photos of all the cakes that have been made for the month, how many meals were raised, and the importance of one meal.
Please visit the site, www.SweetCatastropheCakes.com and enter your name in the box at the bottom of the page to sign up for the newsletter!

308 meals were raised for Food4Africa, thank you so much for all the orders and support!

Nini Vatere Jewelry

2009-08-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yasmine also has an awesome line of jewelry that I wanted to share! It is called Nini Vatere and each piece is hand made and designed by Yasmine. Each piece is very versatile and I think there is something for everyone's style and taste!

Check out her website: http://ninivatere.com/ as well as her etsy shop: ninivatere.etsy.com. Here are some photos of my favorite pieces!

Curious Matteo Birthday Cake!

2009-08-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

A cake of Matteo's favorite Monkey for his 2nd Birthday!!! He was so adorable, when I delivered the cake he said, "George!!!" and "Moneky!!!" then I think he got scared of the cake lol but then he wanted to look at it so I think it was OK! :)

Thank you Yasmine for this order, it will help raise 42 meals for Food4Africa!

Cookies and Creme Cake: Chocolate cake layered with Marshamallow Buttercream with crushed oreos!

Fondant with handpainted details.

Jack Johnson, one of my FAVORITE musicians of ALL TIME did the soundtrack for the movie along with some other great artists! Great soundtrack for kids and big kids too!

90th Birthday Crochet and Sewing Themed Cake

2009-08-02T19:23:00.001-07:00

A 90th birthday cake for Shizu! It is inspired by her Japanese heritage and features her "mon" or family emblem that is made from royal icing embroidery and her love for crocheting and sewing with balls of yarn and spools of thread. Cake base is different cherry blossom fabrics sewn together.

Deep Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream.

Happy Birthday Shizu!

Thank you Faith for your order, it has helped raise 40 meals for Food4Africa!

Purple Hydrangea Wedding Cake

2009-08-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the bride's flowers and colors for her wedding, this 3-tiered display wedding cake features cream colored fondant layers with purple fondant ribbon at each base, royal icing painted swirls, and a sugar hydrangea, stephanotis, and rose bouquet topper at the top tier.

A display cake means it is made with a styrofoam base without any cake. Display cakes are a great idea for good photo ops and the cake designer has more time to work on the design since there is no need to worry about the cake going bad! It is also a lot easy to transport and can sit out in hot weather and not melt!

I also made a matching 6" cake for the bride and groom to cut into for the cake cutting ceremony. Additional sheet cakes were made to serve all the guests. The cakes were deep chocolate cake w/chocolate buttercream, and white cake w/lemon cream cheese frosting.

Congratulations to the lovely bride Allison and Brad!

It was a pleasure working with her and she has helped to raise 187 meals for Food4Africa!

Ms. Penguin Cake!

2009-08-02T19:08:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday Jessica and Cheryl! This all edible 3-D Ms. Penguin cake is Chocolate Fiesta Cake with Vanilla Buttercream. She lived in Jess and Cheryl's fridge for awhile, then finally was eaten :)

Big Burger Groom's Cake

2009-07-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

I think hamburger cakes are officially my favorite to make, they are just so much fun!

This Groom's cake was 10" wide and 8" tall of pure chocolate cake and buttercream in disguise as a cheeseburger. It included tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and a big honkin' piece of "meat", all on a sesame seed bun.

Thank you Patty for your order, 100 meals will be donated to Food4Africa!

Congrats to the Bride and Groom!

June 2009 Monthly Newsletter- 558 meals raised

2009-07-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a snapshot of the new and improved monthly newsletter! It includes photos of all the cakes that have been made for the month, how many meals were raised, and the importance of one meal.
Please email olin902@gmail.com to sign up for the newsletter.

558 meals were raised for Food4Africa, thank you so much for all the orders and support!

The Busy Bee in Spring

2009-06-30T20:18:00.001-07:00

A 3 tiered topsy-turvy cake adorned with handmade gumpaste flowers including: anenomes, roses, chrysanthemums, daisies, and small 5 petal blossoms. A gumpaste bee has flown through the garden and is hanging out at the top!

This cake is a dummy cake, meaning the tiers are actually made out of styrofoam pieces. This is great for cakes that need to be displayed for long hours, will be outside in hot weather, as well as for weddings (with a smaller cake to cut into for photos and cakes in the back to be served to the guests.)

Here is a photo of the sketch, the bare pieces, and finished cake! This was a project made by myself and Jovan Culpepper.

TOMS South Africa Shoe Droppers Reunion

2009-06-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

I made this cake for a South Africa Shoe Drop Reunion! Thanks also to everyone who chipped in to help raise some meals for F4A (especially Liza, who got her co-workers to give her their change :)

Cake features different TOMS, including the the Tyler Ramsey's and Palms.

Dark Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream.

It was good times reminiscing and catching up! Without that trip, I don't know when I would have found out about F4A and if Sweet Catastrophe would even exist!

Dave's Star Trek Birthday Cake

2009-06-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

A 40th birthday cake for Dave, inspired by his love for Star Trek! Dave actually produced the director's edition of the first star trek movie: http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/creative/bio/4405.html-- very cool! I got the idea for this cake after checking out Mr. Spock's outfit! It's his top with his black strap and logo on the chest. Dave is also in his Star Trek gear (with pointy Mr. Spock ears) and sitting on the cake in front of the "40" painted with gold stars. "Live Long and Prosper" Dave!

Thank you to Julie for this order and for helping us raise 56 meals for Food4Africa!

Lemon cake with Vanilla Buttercream.

King Korey's Castle Cake

2009-06-14T11:42:00.001-07:00

A castle cake fit for King Korey's 8th birthday! Castle cake settled on a rocky island with a moat (a must for any castle!), flags, and King Korey overseeing everything :) This was a super fun cake to make, it reminded me of the sugar cube missions back in elementary school!

Thank you to Kimberly, Korey's mom, for this cake order and helping us raise 62 meals for Food4Africa!

Marble cake with vanilla buttercream filling.

Rachael & Her Furry Friends

2009-06-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

This cake features Rachael (who is one of the wonderful people who work at The Lange Foundation, a no-kill shelter in West LA) and her five dogs (Astro-Golden Retriever, Guido- Pug, Nacho- Chihuahua, Charlie- looks like Benji, Bianca- has the white spot on her forehead) hanging out in some green, flower dotted, hill. Good luck to Rachael and all her future endeavors! I was happy to have made this for her.

Here is also a photo of her dogs, look how cute and good they are!

Visit Lange's website to see all of the great dogs and cats waiting for a home! They also have a ranch in Canyon Country (in case you want a horse :)

Roy Emerson Adoption Guild Tennis Tournament Cake

2009-05-31T19:59:00.001-07:00

A Roy "Emmo" Emerson inspired cake was donated to the Adoption Guild's Ron Emerson Tennis Tournament Event. I was more than happy to help out such a great cause. Please visit their website for more information.

Here is a photo with Janie Merkle, President of The Adoption Guild.

www.AdoptionGuild.org

Vanilla cake with Vanilla Buttercream.

Gumpaste Flowers

2009-05-24T10:14:00.001-07:00

Here is a more traditional styled cake decorated with swags and gumpaste flowers.

"I'm a Real Boy!"

2009-05-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

Pinocchio cake for Isabelle's first birthday! Pinocchio is Isabelle's favorite movie and the only thing she will sit still for :) She is so adorable and was a little confused by the cake at first, but then pointed to it when her dad said "Pinocchio!"

40 meals will be donated to Food4Africa thanks to Ed & Kathy.

All decorations are edible, it was vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream. I don't like using wires in cakes so I found these great plastic lollipop sticks to use for the stars instead. The cake also includes hand painted stars and the "wood" is made up of different colored fondant and hand painted details. One of my favorite cakes to make and deliver :o)

Some great Pinocchio quotes:
"A lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face. "-- The Blue Fairy
"I'm a real boy!"-- Pinocchio
"Pretty, huh? I'll bet a lot of you folks don't believe that, about a wish comin' true, do ya? Well, I didn't, either. Of course, I'm just a cricket singing my way from hearth to hearth, but let me tell you what made me change my mind."-- Jiminy Cricket

More photos to come of Isabelle with the cake!

Lisa's Graduation Cake

2009-05-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Lisa who is graduating from Occidental! She is a big animal lover and went on a trip to Thailand to study doggies and visit an animal sanctuary. Her cake is inspired by her love of animals and other activities she is involved in.

Lisa's cake will help donate 33 meals to Food4Africa. Thank you Kyle for this order!

First Dog Cake!

2009-05-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to have a doggy cake order! It was for one of the lovely ladies at the Lange Foundation, Megan's dog Amora. Amora was only expected to live for 2 years and today she celebrates her 6th birthday! I love stories like that :)

For every dog cake/treats, $1 will go towards the Lange Foundation. $75 will help to rescue an animal from a kill shelter so I hope that all the dollars will add up so please spread the word! In addition, 13 meals will also go towards F4A.

Here's what's in this cake concoction: banana and honey cake (bone shaped), veggie/cheese treats (candles), carrot treats (circles that say "AMORA") topped with cream cheese frosting, and carrot/pea/carob finisihing touches.

Here are pics from the party! :)

Masquerade Themed Cake

2009-05-09T19:28:00.001-07:00

A masquerade themed cake for Samantha's Sweet 16! 3 tiers of vanilla cake with chocolate ganache filling. The design was inspired by the birthday invites and colors. Bottom tier has a diamond pattern with gold dots, middle tier has a hand painted "Samantha" using the same font as the invitation and floral designs, and the top tier has hand painted strips. All gold accents are hand painted on. One of the heavier cakes I have made-- feels heavier than Lucciano! I took it up 2 flights of stairs too! Good thing it made it in one piece :) Whew!

Teacher's Pet

2009-05-05T12:39:00.001-07:00

This cake was made for the Juan Cabrillo Elementary School annual fundraiser! Last year SC donated a dolphin themed cake. This year, the cake featured a bright red apple to give to your favorite teacher along with a calculator and number 2 pencil. It says "Juan Cabrillo" in blue at the bottom and there happens to be a bookworm tagging along too. It was a chocolate cake, layered with chocolate ganache and a light chocolate buttercream.

Eyeballs Everywhere

2009-05-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

An eyeball cake for Marcee! I think this would also be great for Halloween :) She came across an eye cake one day and sent the pic to me. Her birthday happened to be coming up so it just seemed appropriate to make her an eyeball cake with additional eye cupcakes. The cake was marble cake with cream cheese filling, covered with fondant with hand painted details. My favorite picture is the one of it peeking out of the box lol

2009-04-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons why I am a huge supporter of Food4Africa is because they are helping children. This is the next generation, that if given a chance to survive, can change their futures and the futures of their communities and eventually their countries. These children did not make any bad choices or follow the wrong path-- they were just born in a different place than where you and I were. If our fates were different, we could be there.

Another humanitarian crisis that I am trying to learn more about and help is the plight of the abducted child soldiers by the LRA in Uganda. This is a war that has gone on for over 20 yrs and so many children have been forced to kill or be killed, seen things 10 and 11 yr olds should never see, and live a life that nobody ever should.

This is a 30 minute documentary that I just watched last night about the LRA, lead by Joseph Konys' abducted child soldiers. http://www.samsonsociety.org/video/the-rescue-of-joseph-konys It breaks my heart to hear their stories. If nobody cares, nothing will ever change. How can we watch this and still not care?

If you have 30 minutes to spare, I hope you take the time to check it out and learn more about this ongoing crisis. Children are being abducted to kill or being killed RIGHT NOW. Please learn more and share this with your friends to raise awareness.

Other resources for information:
War/Dance- documentary you can rent at Blockbusters
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/home.php- the official website

Happy Spring!

2009-04-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring everyone! This cake shows a family of birdies sitting in their nest. The nest is made with fondant pieces and threads of sugar. Chocolate branches finish off the cake.

Bridal Shower Cake

2009-04-01T21:24:00.001-07:00

A bridal shower cake for Lori. It shows a silhouette of the bride with purple (her favorite color) flowers and sanding sugar jewelry. This cake can be customized for any bride and use elements from their wedding.

This is a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream filling.

Baseball Cake

2009-04-01T21:19:00.001-07:00

A baseball cake for Hilary and Mike! Inspired by Mike's love for baseball and the camp he runs, www.KidsofSummer.com. The "S" represents these two Syracuse alumni, and the stethoscope is for Hilary who is a social worker at a hospital (she might not use a stethoscope but she listens to people and helps them everyday!)

This was a chocolate cake layered with chocolate ganache and chocolate buttercream. Everything is edible!

Monkey Onesie

2009-03-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

A monkey onesie cake for Elizabeth's baby shower. Includes the monkey from the invitation with yellow trim, buttons, and red thread. Thank you to Diane for the order and helping us donate 37 meals to Food4Africa this month!

Food4Africa in Paul Mitchell ad

2009-03-03T18:59:00.000-08:00

I was flipping through "Glamour" magazine and came across an ad for Paul Mitchell featuring Food4Africa! Paul Mitchell is a big sponsor of F4A and it was great to see exposure for them here in the U.S. Hopefully it will lead to more meals being donated. Click on the photo to check out the blurb.

Xmas Toys

2009-03-03T18:53:00.001-08:00

This past Christmas, my friend Fana who works with children in South Africa, asked if I could help raise toys for the kids because "most of them don't know what Christmas is all about." With help from friends and family, I was able to send out 2 boxes of stuffed animals, stickers, and toys. Below are the pictures Fana sent. It's amazing to see these toys that were right in front of me and now they are half way around the world on top of the little girl's head! :) If anyone is interested in donating toys for next Christmas, please contact me!

Designer Shoe Cake

2009-02-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

A blue satin Manolo Blahnik pump with rhinestone detail on show and pillow. Pillow is cream colored with blue rope at edges and tassles with rhinestone.

84 meals will be donated to Food4Africa, thanks to this cake. Happy Birthday Mahogany!

Lange Foundation Holiday Cupcakes

2009-01-06T23:49:00.000-08:00

These are cupcakes I made for the Lange Foundation for the holidays adorned with their logo and holiday nonpareils. The Lange Foundation is a no-kill shelter that saves so many animals and gives them a second chance. I can go on and on about them, but for more information please go to www.LangeFoundation.com.

I adopted Lucciano from them 2 months ago and it has been so awesome! (He's the furry white guy at the park.) There are a variety of dogs there-- they range in size, breed, age, but the thing they have in common is they are good pets and just want a home. Terry (the white dog), Pika (a Chihuahua mix), and Trevor (a lab mix), are just some of the furry friends that are available there. If you are an animal lover who cannot own a pet at the time, please think about volunteering there, you will love it! Below is also a youtube video of Trevor made by a volunteer. Trevor has been at the shelter for a long time, maybe due to his larger size, but we hope to see him go home soon. As you will see in the video, he is just a big lovebug!

Bachelorette and Bachelor Party Cakes

2009-01-06T23:46:00.000-08:00

Bachelorette cakes have been my best selling cake surprisingly, although I am not able to show photos on the blog due to its...graphic nature ;)! So if you are thinking of a bachelorette or bachelor party cake, please email me directly for photos and ideas. Contact@SweetCatastropheCakes.com
Thanks!

Samantha's Baby Shower Cake

2009-01-06T23:44:00.000-08:00

A onesie baby shower cake with a lion taken from their baby blog! It is light yellow with light green trim and sewn on buttons. Congrats to Samantha who is about to pop any day now!

Myle's Basketball Birthday Bash

2009-01-06T23:40:00.000-08:00

A 3-D basketball cake with matching cupcakes for Myle's 2nd birthday! He's an NBA star in the making-- watch out Kobe!

Bachelor/Bachelorette Safari Cake

2009-01-06T23:34:00.000-08:00

A South African Safari inspired cake for a joint Bachelor/Bachelorette party. The almost newly-weds are going to South Africa for their honeymoon, so their cake includes safari animals as well as some brush for them to hide out in and a dirt trail.

Emma's Crab Birthday Cake

2009-01-06T23:32:00.001-08:00

A crab cake for Emma in honor of her sign, Cancer. This was a pretty big crab with big claws, edible seashells, and sand.

Jessica's Black and White Cake

2009-01-06T23:28:00.000-08:00

Inspired by her black and white party theme, Jessica's birthday cake is also B&W with an Asian theme. Cut outs of cherry blossoms and fans adorn the cake. The top was left empty to put tall silver candles into for some wish making!

Happy Birthday Kat

2009-01-06T23:23:00.000-08:00

A birthday cake for Kat inspired by her work with Pigs For Kids. Pigs for Kids is an economic and educational program to aid and empower families in rural Waslala, Nicaragua. This project gives the families in Waslala the resources to raise healthy pigs and send their children to school. Her cake is adorned with herself in a hammock with piggys, as well as photos from her recent trip to Nicaragua. For more information on Pigs for Kids and how you can help, visit: www.PigsforKids.org

Welcome to CA Sue & Steve!

2009-01-06T23:20:00.001-08:00

Matt's parents were both in town for a visit and I wanted to make them a welcome cake! It is beach inspired, with seagulls, sand, sun, a crab, and starfish!

Bon Voyage Mr. & Mrs. Brown!

2009-01-06T23:12:00.001-08:00

A Bon Voyage cake for the Browns from Australia! They went to several different places while in the US which are featured on the cakes: Montana, Arizona, Hollywood, San Francisco, Vegas, Mexico, and wine country.

Caleb's Onesie Cake

2009-01-06T23:10:00.001-08:00

This was a baby shower cake for little Caleb! It's a blue onesie with white trim and snaps.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-01-06T23:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Father's Day Angel Sr.! The top of this cake is adorned with things he likes: the History channel, reading, bright colors, and his family surrounds the base of the cake with him in the center.

Stars and Hearts Cupcakes

2009-01-06T23:03:00.000-08:00

Stars and hearts cupcakes made for a baby shower celebration.

Bratz Cake

2009-01-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

This Bratz themed birthday cake was created for Leiya, who is in the center of this cake, with a Bratz style make-over, big lips and all!

Amabel's Hawaiian Birthday Cake

2009-01-06T22:55:00.000-08:00

A birthday cake for Amabel inspired by her motherland, Hawaii. Volcanoes, pineapples, and Amabel adorn the landscape.

Hello Ballerina Birthday Cake

2009-01-06T22:53:00.000-08:00

Hello Ballerina! A kitty ballerina birthday cake made with a real tutu!

Doug's Australian Birthday Cake

2009-01-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

A birthday cake for Doug, inspired by his recent trip to Australia. He went on a scuba diving excursion and even got to hold a real live koala!

Rainforest Baby Shower Cake

2009-01-06T22:44:00.000-08:00

This was a super fun cake to make with Amabel! The theme was the rainforest, so we made a big tree with all the rainforest animals surrounding it along with a brook that runs through the landscape. Congrats
to Michelle and Fernando on their new baby girl!

TOMS Intern's Cake

2009-01-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

This was a cake for the interns at TOMS shoes. It was for their last day with them, so the theme was to incorporate everyone into this cake! All of their names are on it as well as their photos.

VW Surfer Cake for Candice

2009-01-06T22:33:00.000-08:00

This was a birthday cake for Candice of a light blue VW bug with her surfboard on top! HONK HONK!

Juan Cabrillo Elementary Fundraiser Cake

2009-01-06T22:20:00.000-08:00

This was a cake as well as a gift certificate was donated to the Juan Cabrillo Elementary School auction fundraiser. Their dolphin mascot was the inspiration and a mama and baby dolphin are swimming together. All decorations are edible, including the dolphins.

CHOC Fundraiser Cake

2009-01-06T22:12:00.001-08:00

This was a 3 tiered cake donated to the "A Starry Night" fundraiser for CHOC (Children's Hospital of Orange County) The theme is a combination of the painting "A Starry Night" as well as Hollywood "stars". The top tier is the Hollywood sign, the second is of the painting, recreated with icing, and the bottom tier is the background of the CHOC website. Children and the teddy bear logo adorn the cake. It was great to be able to help CHOC, please visit their website for the amazing work they do and ways you can help: www.CHOC.com

Monica's Graduation Cake

2009-01-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

A graduation cake for Monica that includes a cap and diploma on her athletic training book. Wishing Monica the best of luck in all her future endeavors!

Bethany's Graduation Cake

2009-01-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

This was a graduation cake for Bethany who was making her family very proud by graduating with honors. The gold seal and a mini version of her in her cap and gown adorn this cake. Her mother, Isabel, who ordered the cake sent me this wonderful email: " You can't imagine the look on my baby's face when she saw her cake. she said it was like nothing she had ever seen before...I want to thank you again for making this possible and for helping us bring a HUGE smile to my daughter's face on this very special day." This is what I love about making cakes. I am so happy to be able to contribute to Bethany's day of celebration and wish her all the best in her bright future.

Rachel's Hamburger Cake!

2009-01-06T21:55:00.000-08:00

One of my all time favorite and fun-est cakes to make! It was for my friend Rachel's birthday. Rachel says that the 4 basic food groups are all wrapped up in one delicious package and that would be the cheeseburger. The woman loves her burgers!

Melissa's Froggy Birthday Cake

2009-01-06T21:51:00.000-08:00

This birthday cake was for our co-worker Melissa. The deal with the frog is Melissa and Jeni work together and hide this stuffed frog from each other. Jeni thought it'd be great to make her a cake of this frog and Amabel had the AWESOME idea of hiding the frog inside it-- so the froggy is saran wrapped a bunch of times and hiding in the tummy of the frog cake!

Welcome Baby Kaliska!

2009-01-06T21:48:00.001-08:00

This cake was created for my good friend Tenaya's baby shower for her little girl Kaliska! It included blocks with her name spelled out as well as an animal topper.

IPhone for Richard

2009-01-06T21:43:00.000-08:00

This Iphone was created for Richard's birthday! The fun part of making this cake was all the little icons.