Styled shoots

I have been very lucky to be involved in some fabulous styled shoots recently, it's hard to have to wait to show you all the cakes I made until the shoots go live, but I can now show you these few.

First up is something a bit different for me...well to be honest when I am asked to participate in a styled shoot I always try to use it as an opportunity to create something I might never normally have the chance to. I had pinned this picture some time ago, and I kept returning to it. I really wanted to create an abstract cake with lots of colour and texture. I showed the Pin to Erica from Mr and Mrs Unique, she thought a cake in that style would be perfect for her shoot at Tunnels beach in Devon...and she was right. You can see the whole shoot here.

• Photography: Babb Photo
• Styling: Mr & Mrs Unique
• Location: Tunnel Beaches
• Dresses: Wilden Bride
• Cake: Nevie- Pie Cakes
• Models & Cupcakes: Tattooed Bakers
• Stationery: Hollyhock Lane Stationery
• Alter: Curious Fair
• Flowers: Rock n Rosie
• Table Styling: Blue Fizz Events
• Rentals: Virginia Vintage Hire
• Make Up: Claire Bowring Make Up Artist
• Hair: Michelle McLeish
• 
  

I made this cake for a wedding fair, it was inspired by the James Taylor song 'Shower The People You Love with Love', one of my favourite songs of all time. When Erica from Mr and Mrs Unique saw it she knew that it would be perfect for a Summery shoot she had in mind. I made some cookie favours to go with the cake. You can see the rest of the gorgeous shoot here.

Photography: Binky Nixon Photography

Co-ordination & Styling: Erica @ Mr & Mrs Unique

Venue: Lodge Farm BnB

Models: Becky & Edd

Table & Marquee Styling: White Button Weddings

Flowers: Basement Florist

Cake and Biscuits: Nevie-Pie Cakes

Tents: Funky Monkey Tents

Dresses: The White Wardrobe

Stationery: Style & Joy

Hair & make up: Dollie Mixtures

This final cake is one I made for Sweet Magazine. I was asked by Fay Cahill (she was the guest editor) to create a cake in blush with ranunculous. I had had the idea to do a cake based on peeling wallpaper for a while and I knew that this was the perfect opportunity. If you are in Australia or New Zealand you can buy a copy of the magazine from your local newsagents or if you live further afield you can download a copy here.

Photography - Sharon Cooper

I shall be back soon with more cakey goodness!

From dress to cake

I made this wedding cake last week for the sister of a good friend. She was having a very small family wedding at home and wanted the cake to match her dress.

Lace is quite hard to paint, especially from a photograph, but I was happy with the results, and I have heard that it matched the dress perfectly.

xxx

Painted rose and hydrangea wedding cake

I made this cake last weekend for a really lovely couple who wanted a cake to reflect their wedding flowers but asked for my creative input too. I love having freedom to add elements that I think will compliment the bride and grooms choice, it makes for a lovely collaboration.

They also requested the bird toppers, but wanted to keep them as a memento of their day. So I placed the birdies on their own board, which was just sitting on top of the cake, and added a nest of hydrangea flowers for them to cuddle into.

I had a hydrangea cutter so I painted the fondant first and then cut them out, leaving them to dry for a day before they went on the cake. I decided to add some 3D interest to the cake so I included some of the cut out flowers on the sides.

They also wanted cupcakes to use not just as favours but also name places. The cupcakes didn't have to match the cake exactly but needed to have the same feel and vintagey colours. 

I did some simpler versions for the children attending the wedding.

This is a picture taken on the day by  Rosewarne Cox Photography, isn't it gorgeous? (The picture, not the cake!) You can see more sneak peeks of the lovely bride and groom here.

xxx

Shabby chic wedding cake

This is last weekend's wedding cake. It was based on fabric that the bride used for bunting and jam jar covers.

 I really enjoyed painting this design as it took me back to my textile designing years.

xxx

Cherry blossom wedding cake.

Here is this weekend wedding cake. The grooms surname is Morello, hence the cherry blossom and the brides name is Woodcock, so we made a nest of cherry blossom for a little woodcock to hide in.

xxx

A very personal painted wedding cake

This was a last minute cake for a couple who wanted to get married before moving away for work.

They had got engaged whilst skiing so wanted to incorporate that with some country flowers.

I suggested adding the Swiss chalet to the top of the cake rather than just the two figures, and I added some 3D butterflies for extra interest. The tiers were fruit, chocolate and vanilla.

xxx

Wedding cakes

I have been so busy recently, and feel that I have been neglecting you all, so I thought I should catch up and post some wedding cakes.

This cake was based on a design used for the lovely couples invitations. It was a repeated pattern of one rose. We decided to add a little extra interest with the border of roses.

For this next cake I never actually met the bride, we just communicated via e-mails and phone. It was ordered by a mutual friend as a wedding present and managed to survive a five hour journey to Cornwall.

The design is based on the flowers in the brides bouquet including Old Dutch roses, lavender, astrantia and ferns.

Finally, not a wedding cake but a fiftieth wedding anniversary cake. Daisy's are the ladies favourite flowers and she wanted a fairly simple design.

I have plenty more to show you when I get my archives sorted out (probably some time in March!)!

xxx

Birds and roses wedding cake

Things are going a little crazy around here at the moment but I've managed to find a few minutes to show you last weekends wedding cake.

The bride had a picture of a cake for reference (I think it was by Mich Turner).  It had tropical flowers and birds painted on.  But she wanted a more shabby chic English version, which is what she got!.

I hope you like it.

xxx

ps hopefully when things settle down we can catch up and I can share the exciting things that are happening.

Painted wedding cake

I delivered this cake last week to a gorgeous hotel, Michaels Manor in St Albans.  It was for a fabulous couple and I was very privileged to bump into the bride as I delivered it.  It's such a pleasure to see peoples faces when you show them their cakes.  I'm always really nervous that I will have done something completely wrong, but so far this has never happened.  The bride was totally thrilled and thought the cake 'perfect'.

She wanted a painted cake to match her bouquet of ranunculus,  hydrangea, peonies and pine cones.

I have never really painted any of these flowers before so I was quite nervous, I always am with new designs, until I have started and can see it will all be OK. I really enjoyed painting the ranunculus which are one of my favourite flowers.  They have an almost abstract feel, but so romantic.

   It was an absolute pleasure to paint this cake.
If you would like to learn how to paint on cakes, I have some spaces available in my next class.  It is 25th June in Berkhamsted, Herts (UK I'm afraid).  Please e-mail me at nevie-pie@hotmail.co.uk for details.

   xx

Indian/Irish Wedding

Myself, Mr Lemon Drizzle and the kidlets have just returned home after spending a very enjoyable weekend in Belfast with my extended family.

In January my cousin got married in Goa. I would have loved to have been there but circumstances meant that it wasn't possible.

Lucky for us though the newly weds held a party on Saturday for all those who didn't make it to India (and a lot of those who did!)

I had made cookies for the actual wedding (see above) but also made a cake for the Irish party.

 I decided that taking three tiers of cake, luggage and two small children on an Easy Jet flight would be impossible, so with much trepidation, I posted it!

Needless to say things did not go as smoothly as they could have, thanks to Parcel Forces 48 hour guaranteed delivery service not actually being guaranteed! Disaster was averted though when another cousin took control of the phone, and demanded (very politely) the delivery of the cake (she had to go to the depot in the end, but we got it.)  

The bottom layer was fruit and was in perfect condition. Unfortunately the top two cakes (chocolate mud) did not fare so well.  I managed to keep most of the damage at the back and had (with foresight into potential disasters) made paisley shapes to stick onto the design which also covered the dents.

The fondant topper was copied freehand from an original watercolour by my Aunt, which was used on the party invitations.

Check out her website for some gorgeous painting!

From the front the cake looked perfect, which was really all that mattered!

We had a fabulous time, and, to be honest, I'm still recovering!

xx