Construction Themed Birthday

We threw Arlo a construction themed birthday party when he turned 2 and I just realized I never shared the pictures!  It was such a fun party and he really loved all the trucks and construction themed things.  

I hung up construction signs through the house and a little board that summarized Arlo's favorite things.  We had just taken pictures for his birthday so it worked out great to print a few and hang them up as well.

Here is a spread of the food and main decorations.  I found a truck table cloth that I knew Arlo would love to tie it all together.  I made the signs with big stickers that I got on amazon and mounted them onto yellow and black paper to look like traffic/construction signs.  I also got CAUTION tape and made a few decorations with that as well.

I bought little construction toys for the cake decorations.  My son was really excited about these and wanted them the moment he saw them on the cake.

I made a chocolate cake and topped it with crushed chocolate cake to look like dirt.  The little cupcakes were piped with a "grass" tip to look like landscaping around the site.

I made half of the little cupcake toppers with stickers and I wrote on the other half.

Scooter Cakes

If you live in Tucson, Arizona and you are celebrating a special occasion or love sweets, give me a call!  I am now taking custom cake orders.   I would love to make your day special.  You can find me at Scooter Cakes.  I love making bright colors, cute cupcakes, and simple favorites like strawberry shortcake.

I am also throwing cupcake decorating parties.  These would be perfect for bridal showers, tea parties, your child's birthday, or a night with the girls. More info here.

Cupcake parties are a great way to keep your guests talking about your party long after the favors are gone.  Each guest will take home 6 decorated cupcakes.

I will provide 6 baked cupcakes for each guest, icing, and piping tips and bags.  Please have a space large enough for your guests to sit and decorate.  (ie: long table with chairs, plastic tablecloth, and good lighting!)

WHO AM I?

 I am a sweet obsessed, chocolate loving, trend following, dessert maniac.  I started my journey on the road to SWEET HEAVEN long ago when I would run around the house with cake and whipped cream hiding from my mom.  Butter, whipped cream, sugar : these are my partners in crime.  Eggs, flour, vanilla : these are my accomplices to bigger and better things.

WHAT KIND OF TRAINING DO I HAVE?

 I have a degree in Pastry Arts from the Culinary Institute of the Pacific in Hawaii.  I also have 3 1/2 years of experience in large scale production kitchens making the wonders of the dessert world.  Cakes, pies, tarts, mousses, ice creams, breads, and smiles.  That is my specialty!

Call Scooter Cakes today and plan your next party!

Tips for Setting up a Desert Buffet

No party is complete without an amazing desert buffet.  There is more than just making the deserts and picking out candy though.  The display and set-up of the buffet is just as important as what you put on it.  One of my main responsibilities at my last job was to prepare each buffet and set it up.

 Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning/setting up a desert buffet:

1. Think height.  It is visually appealing to have items staged at different heights.  Use cake stands, platforms, risers, stack plates under linen, etc.

2. Think color.  You don't want to place all items of a similar color in one place unless you are going for a one colored buffet.  It tends to look blah.  As in the photo below, you can alternate colors and still carry a theme.  ( ie: pink and orange )

3. Think pairs.  If you have similar items, put them together.  Ex. sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies/ brownies and blondies/ chocolate and vanilla cupcakes.  These fondant covered sugar cookies and madeleines look great together, and have more of a wow factor when paired.

4. Think grouping.  If you have a lot of different items all over the buffet, try to group them together so they look more appealing.  The cupcakes have been placed into little groups with the candy.  They look more unified and bring out the color scheme even more.

5. Think Signage and Decor.  You can't expect people to know what you are serving, and who wants to eat a raisin cookie you thought was chocolate chip?  

Simple signs and decorations make your buffet look more put together.  No one will be guessing if that is Grandma's fudge cake, or Vanilla Raspberry Cupcakes.

Little cupcake decorations, plants, flowers, etc. can make your buffet POP!

Other things to consider:

People love chocolate, always have at least one chocolate item.

Cookies are a no-brainer.  Everyone will eat a cookie.

If you put it on a stick, it is instantly SO COOL.  Try it.

If you are running out of ideas, try filling in your buffet with candy.

Guests will appreciate little bags to take home goodies.  You can find color coordinating paper bags at most local craft stores.

Top your cupcakes with toppers.  It adds extra height and color.

You can find tons of cupcake topper templates on-line, buy them at Wal-Mart, or make you own with paper and toothpicks.

All of my photos are from my friend Glorianne's beautiful wedding.  She made a huge variety of sweets and did a fantastic job getting everything ready to set up.  She pre-filled her candy containers, packed her items neatly and labeled them, and had a list of everything that should be on the buffet.  She also had the signs ready to go, as well as decor and flower petals.  All I had to do was come and set it up.  It is easy when you are prepared and ready to let your buffet sell itself.  

  

Bridal Shower Fun!

My mom threw me an amazing bridal shower last month and I never had a chance to share!  My mom threw me an amazing wine tasting shower with dinner, cheese, and games!  We had dinner catered by Zia's in Kailua.  It was awesome!  The cheese was from Costco and was a huge hit, and the wine was a collection of splurge vs. steal!

The girls waiting for the games to begin on my parents top deck.

Well into our 5th bottle of wine perhaps.  I think we were making our own blends by this photo.

My husbands family and my grandmother taking it all in.

The famous steal vs. splurge!  What a great idea.

CHeers!

Kaela and Janine

Getting ready to begin.

We set up 4 different types of wine, ie: merlot, cab, chardonnay, then we had one splurge and one steal for each type.  They were covered in burlap and you had to try to guess which was the splurge and which was the steal.  It was a great way for everyone to enjoy themselves and get a little wild!  Thanks mom, it was a GREAT party!