Tinker Bell Costume

For Halloween this year, we decided to go as a group costume. My husband would be Captain Hook, I would be Peter Pan, and Diva wanted to be Tinker Bell. As I looked around at Tinker Bell costumes on-line, I was really disappointed. None of them actually looked like Tinker Bell! There was only one thing left to do... I had to make it. Seeing as how last year's costume wasn't a total disaster I felt up to the task.

I created a tube dress out of some satiny fabric and sewed it to a flesh colored leotard (good thing too since we had a freak snowstorm in NJ just a few days before Halloween!). For the wings, I was a total sucker and made them myself too... note to whoever thinks about trying to make their own fairy wings. DON'T! Just buy the cheap-o ones... you'll thank me later. I also made her a matching pixie dust bag to hold all of her trick-or-treat goodies. I used this tutorial, but modified the size.

All in all I was happy with how it came out, and she had fun in it.

Quilted Christening Cake

As the family baker, I was "commissioned" to create a cake for my nephew's baptism. I decided to try something I had never done before... always a great idea for when 100+ people will be staring at it. But what the heck, I'm a gutsy gal (not).

I decided to try my hand at "quilting" the fondant. It always looks so pretty in pictures, and I read a ton about how to achieve the desired effect. So I bought the tools and off I went with a wing and a prayer.

The cake was a 3 tier white butter cake with cannoli cream filling. I covered it with a buttercreme flavored fondant that was quilted and tufted it with edible pearls. The monogram plate and roses were handmade with white chocolate and the cross and bows were hand-sculpted with gumpaste. 
Looking at it now, I'm pretty happy with it, but at the time all I saw were the imperfections. I think cake decorating is kinda like giving birth. While you are doing it you curse and scream and say you will never do it again, but then after some time has passed you look back and admire what you see and get excited to do it all over again. 

Peacock on Parade

 So, the whole purpose of me buying a sewing machine and learning to sew in the first place was to be able to make my daughter's Halloween costume. The experience was... interesting... and not having any patterns or templates to go by I just had to wing it (no pun intended).

So for my Diva's 2nd Halloween, and my first unsupervised "clothing" sewing project, I decided to make a peacock costume. The costume was 25% store bought, 25% hot glue gunned, and about 50% sewn. Not too bad considering I had no idea what I was doing,, or how hard it might be. This project was all about short cuts... whatever it took to create the desired effect!

I started off with a store made leotard. Because my daughter is so small, and because she is still in diapers, I needed to make a few adjustments. I shortened the sleeves, and added snaps to the crotch for easy access.

For the skirt, I cut a "circle" skirt from some satin fabric, though it was more oblong, to create a short in front yet long in back look. I lined it with a cotton fabric of the same color and sewed in some elastic to give it a stretchy waist. Then, using a store bought boa from the dollar store, I edged the entire hem. The underskirt consisted of tulle of various peacocky colors that was tied to another piece of elastic to fit her waist.

The tail, which is my favorite part, was by far the easiest to make. I bought a fan from the dollar store and hot glue gunned the peacock feathers onto it. It was super easy, and kept the feathers perfectly fanned out. Then I just pinned the handle of the fan to the skirt and added a bow to cover up the pin. A store bought headband finished the look. Viola! My first unsupervised sewing project. Not too shabby.

Tote Bags

This tote bag was the very first sewing project I did all on my own. I had made a similar one with my instructor in our second class but I didn't like the material she had asked me to use... a shapeless, lackluster cotton. So, as soon as I could, I got myself to the local-ish fabric store and picked up some quilted, reversible fabric. I also modified the design a bit to include a large magnetic snap. Because the bolt of quilted fabric was a tad bigger than the cotton, but bad came out larger... which was totally fine with me! I use it for everything. I think next time I try one, I may attempt adding some pockets somewhere, or a zipper if I ever learn how.

Princess Tea Party

Ever since my daughter's first birthday cake, I seemed to have claimed the title of family cake baker... For her very special 5th Birthday party with all of her friends, my niece decided that she wanted a "Princess Tiana Tea Party." My sister-in-law asked me if I would consider making her a special cake to go with the theme. I agreed under the condition that I could just do something and show up with it with no direction from her, my brother, or the birthday girl. What I came up with was this:

I surprised her with this teapot cake, which include some of Princess Tiana's favorite colors and lots of edible glitter! The cake itself was a strawberry cake, made with fresh cut strawberries, and a light cream cheese filling. It's covered in fondant, and all of the flowers and embellishments were hand made. I even make the candle holders which were purple gumpaste rosebuds.