I don’t think there is much to say about this project since it’s the same ad from last time. If you want to learn more about this ad, you can access my old post here.

GIVEAWAY

I “soooo” love cake stands (I’m a hoarder)! Every time I see one, I must get it or I will die wishing. Collecting them can be so addicting! Several of my favorite cake stands are made by a company called Mosser Glass. Their milk glass cake stands are quite heavy, super solid and extremely durable. I’ll be giving away a brand new 9 inch milk glass cake stand to one of my readers!

I purchased mine at Cambria Cove (just closed) but you can also check them out at the My Sweet and Saucy Shop.

HOW TO ENTER

Just simply answer my question by leaving a comment:

I love cake stands and tableware. What type of things do you love? 

You can also enter a second time by clicking the “like” button on the Art and Appetite Facebook page. If you have already done that, it still counts. Leave another comment here (on this blog post) letting me know you’ve liked our Facebook page for an additional entry.

One winner will be picked through Random.org
Contest ends on Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 11:59 pm PST
Open to international readers
Your number may change due to deletion of spam comments and addition of pending comments

Congratulations #239 Debbie Nguyen! I will contact you shortly.

For updates, you can subscribe HERE, follow me on Twitter or join me on Facebook. Good luck!

Okay, so I’ll keep this post as short as possible so we can proceed with the giveaway. You can scroll down at the end of this post if you really can’t wait. GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. Check below for winners.

Here are some of my recent works:

Cake Central Magazine October-November Issue

This black and white cake was featured in the Now & Then article on Cake Central Magazine. I was asked to recreate Rod and Kathy’s vintage wedding cake and make something a little more updated. The vintage cake had the traditional pillars that were very common during that time. Since I wanted to challenge myself, I decided to incorporate that element in my design. But instead of using the actual pillars, I asked my dad to build me a cake stand that would mimic the architectural details of the columns. I think he did a fabulous job! What do you think?

Honestly, this was actually my very first square cake. At first, I could not get the edges look as sharp as what I envisioned. After many attempts, I had to settle down with the paneling method (think of laying tiles). Once the panels were attached, I spackled the seams with royal icing. It was so time consuming that I would never do square cakes again!

As you can see, the birds have finally evolved its wings and ready to fly away from my mind. Maybe those eggs will hatch one day and once again appear on one of my cakes. The bands and ribbons were made of  gumpaste while the monogram was painstakingly hand-cut by hand. Now, does anyone want to send me a Cricut Cake Machine?

I was also asked by Cake Central Magazine to create an Asian inspired cake for their issue. I wanted to think outside the box (too much, maybe?) and stray away from the bamboos and cherry blossoms. So, I came up with this design using handmade, silicone molds of Chinese coins and ornate carvings. Again, I used a paper puncher over gumpaste to make the scalloped trellis border and then used a fluorescent light cover to leave the quilted impression on the bands. I wished the camera captured the actual shade of yellow but unfortunately, it didn’t. The magazine got it close with editing, though.

Last but not the least, the book finally came out! Two of my cakes were featured in the book 1000 Ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies and Cakes by Sandra Salamony and Gina M. Brown. The cake pictured above is one of the two cakes that were printed. It was such a pleasure working with the authors! I’ll be giving away two copies of this book to two lucky winners! Take a look below for details.

GIVEAWAY

To enter, just simply answer my question by leaving a comment below:

What do you enjoy making the most? Cupcakes, cookies or cakes?

Two winners will be picked through Random.org
Contest ends on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 11:59 pm PST
Open to international readers
Your number may change due to deletion of spam comments and addition of pending comments

Congratulations #126 Elena and #18 SheBakesCakes! I will contact both of you shortly.

For updates, you can subscribe HERE, follow me on Twitter or join me on Facebook. Good luck!

I’ll keep this post short and simple. All you have to do is guess how many pieces of chocolate chips are on the photo above. You can enter by leaving a comment on this post and/or leaving a comment on the Facebook page (look for the official “status” post). I will pick TWO winners; one from this blog and another one from the Art and Appetite Facebook page. You may only enter twice; once on this blog and once on Facebook. Yes, you may ask anyone from your household to enter. Prizes are not redeemable for cash. You must have a valid email address to enter (so I can contact you).

The winner on this blog will recieve four books:
Wedding Cake Art and Design by Toba Garrett
Sugar Orchids for Cakes by Alan Dunn, Tony Warren and Tombi Peck
Sugar Roses for Cakes by Tombi Peck, Alan Dunn and Tony Warren
Satin Ice Sugar Craft by Mercedes Strachwsky

The winner on Facebook will recieve two books:
Wedding Cake Art and Design by Toba Garrett
Satin Ice Sugar Craft by Mercedes Strachwsky (autographed copy) 

Contest ends on Friday, October 22, 2010 at 11:59 PST. CONTEST IS OVER. WINNERS  ARE ANNOUNCED BELOW.

What a close match! Thank you everyone for participating! The chips are triple checked by two people for accuracy. The total number of chocolate chips is:

968

Congratulations to the winners! Blog winner Lily #227, guessed the correct number of 968 chocolate chips while the Facebook winner, Valentine Chandra was the closest at 969 chocolate chips.

For updates on future giveaways, you can subscribe HERE, follow me on Twitter or join me on Facebook. Good luck!

Have a nice week!

I know, I know. I told you this will be my last cake with buds and birds. I did this cake way before the Sweet Country Birthday Cake.  Anyways, Jackie wanted a cake with a dark base and colorful accents. I would have used bright flowers but since I only had a few days to work on this cake (shipping of supplies took days to arrive), I settled with the gumpaste buds instead. 

I love the look of chocolate on chocolate–I think it gives the cake a contemporary aura. I added stripes to create texture without the busy appearance. The stripes were easy although time consuming. If you are a cake decorator, you’d know how difficult it is to make a single band straight. The rest of the elements are made of gumpaste (yes, it is all edible). I then used a Martha Stewart cake stand to add some extra height. 

Overall, I’m very much satisfied with the cake (although I wish I could have made a grander cake). The magazine was a big hit! Sold out everywhere. It was such a pleasure to be on Cake Central Magazine with all these talented decorators. Thanks Cake Central Magazine!