Sugary Sweet Confections

Last night I spent a wonderful evening with my mom's group friends at the Sugar Factory making a beautiful Sugar Spring bracelet- you've gotta check out this amazing place! Gay Isber, the owner and hostess with the mostest, was so welcoming, and opened her shop and home to us to host our annual Mom's Group Christmas. She led us on a journey of artistic creations, and we all had such a blast creating our own bracelets to take home. She has the most unbelievable beads to choose from, and led us step by step in the creation of our bracelet. Her shop is a work of art, with gorgeous beaded confections everywhere to purchase, as well as chandeliers and artwork hand painted by her. I can't wait to take my girls there during the Christmas holidays to make a bracelet and have some girly time together! Thanks Gay, for a wonderful evening of food, wine and art. Here is a picture of the bracelet I made, as well as the wonderful little mini Snowflake Cakes I made for the party. They originally started out in my head as a petit four, which traditionally is a one-bite pastry, but ended up a "grand four", as they were about 3 inches in diameter and about 3 inches high! They were delicious little personal cakes filled with apricot preserves and milk chocolate ganache....yummy! I piped the snowflake design on the top, and embellished with a silver dragee in the centre. A sugary sweet confection to enjoy with our Sugary Sweet experience!

Happy 3rd Birthday, sweet Harriet!

Today is our youngest daughter Harriet's 3rd Birthday! We wish you the best birthday ever, sweetheart, and we are so proud of you and amazed by everything you do! We love your sweet little personality, and we can't wait to see what's in store for you for the future...we love you so much, darling. Happy Birthday.

Scent Association

I just pulled a lovely white cake out of the oven, and the fragrance OVERWHELMED me. Freshly baked cake has got to be one of my all-time favourite smells in the kitchen, right up there with chocolate chip cookies, freshly brewed espresso, or a loaf of homemade bread. It just evokes such wonderful childhood memories for me, ones in which I arrive home from school to find that my mom had been baking for someone's birthday, or maybe just because she craved something sweet (I think I inherited that gene-thanks, mom). Now, don't get me wrong, we didn't eat cake all the time, it was definitely a special treat to have a yummy cake once in a while, but I guess we tend to associate the smell of a delicious baked good with a happy memory or two. I think maybe my desire to bake has something to do with reliving happy memories...wow, I think I just had a Freudian moment!

History and Landscape

I know that this has nothing to do with CakeChic, however, I said I'd post some pictures of my trip for those of you who are interested. (for those who aren't, you can wait for some cake-related posts, alright?!?) We stayed just outside of a beautiful fortified town called Carcassonne, which has been recently restored to it's former glory. It was constructed in the 1200's, so I'm sure you can appreciate how amazing this structure really is. It was the home to the Trencavel family, a noble family and his entourage. We also visited many wineries and vineyards, including the Ligniere family winery, who welcomed us most graciously into their vineyard and wine-making facility to taste their most exquisite wines. I will certainly make a concerted effort to get some of their wine shipped here, as I have found a wine I truly enjoy while sampling their wines!

Joel and I travelled independently from the group we were with, and discovered so many amazing places I never knew existed in France. For me, this trip was entirely about the landscape and the history, and not about the shopping (for once in my life!). We scaled mountains, valleys, and gorges. We sampled the local goods. We enjoyed our surroundings to the fullest. What a great trip it was, indeed.

What time is it in France???

We're home, and we're tired...sooooo tired! What a difference 7 hours can make to a person's internal time clock! We had a WONDERFUL trip, and I will certainly post some pictures and blog a little about our trip very soon. I need to recoup first, though. Sleep is good...

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to France I go!

This time tomorrow I'll be leaving for the southwest region of France, known as the Languedoc-Roussillon region for a lovely holiday with my husband. I'm SO excited, I can hardly contain myself!! We have a lot on our agenda, and we look forward to seeing many beautiful places. Oh, did I mention the food?? I think I'm a little TOO excited about the food... I love French food... I'll be certain to post a picture or two when we return. Well, bon voyage, and a bientot! (I have to warm up my French, it's a little rusty!)

My own personal Cheerleader

I have to say that my biggest supporter in this new endeavour has been my wonderful friend, Christine. Not only has she gone out of her way on several occasions to photograph my cakes (did I mention she's an amazing photographer with her own business? Check out www.clickphotography.ca) but she's published my cake photos on her own blog. How awesome is that?? I feel like she's been my own personal cheerleader for about a year now, encouraging me right from the get-go when I had the hair-brained idea that I wanted to design cakes. She's always had an encouraging word for me, and has allowed me to use her as a guinea pig for several of her special occasions-brave girl! I wanted to acknowledge Christine, because I don't think I could have accomplished what I have without her amazing support. You're inspiring to me, Chris. I thank-you for all you've done.