This week we will be taking a look at a selection of my favorite cakes from the Delaware based custom confectionery, Patty Cakes.  The shop was established in 2005 and since then they have created a fantastic custom cakes and cookies.  If you are intrigued by my selection of cake photos, you can see more of their great work at www.pattycakery.com.




That dog is soooo cute!  I think this is one of my all time favorite cakes.


I absolutely love the pink ribbons and flowers on this cake!  How can it not catch your attention?

















The detail on these embroidered flowers is amazing!

















Notice the baby on top...too cute!
















Mmmmm turkey....almost looks real right?











Any girl's dream cake!















Thank you Tricia at Patty Cakes for sharing your cakes with us.  Make sure you stop by her website, www.pattycakery.com!

I just came across this cake made by one of my Food Buzz friends, Brown Eyed Baker.  My mouth is watering just looking at this cake! Visit her blog, Brown Eyed Baker for this delicious recipe.

About the Company

CheapCookieCutters.com has recently sent me their Mini Small Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutter to review.  It is a family owned business based out of Tampa, Florida.  The family owns many different Internet sites so be sure to stop by www.CheapCookieCutters.com not only for affordable yet durable cookie cutters, but a link to many of their other sites as well.  This is a dedicated family worth buying from!

My Experience

Now, I have reviewed cookie cutters from this company in the past.  When testing their Christmas Cookie Cutter Set, I made sugar cookies with my kids.  This time around I wanted to try something different so, we made Mickey Mouse pancakes!

It was easy.  First I made the pancakes then, I let the kids use the cookie cutter to cut out Mickey shapes.  It was a ton of fun and a huge hit. (Photos coming soon...I am currently having technical difficulty with my camera)

The cutter made Mickey heads that are about 2 - 2.5 inches wide.  A perfect size for kids.  If you are looking for something bigger, CheapCookieCutters.com has those too. This cookie cutter gets a thumbs up from me so here is how you can buy one...

Where to Buy

This cookie cutter is very durable and of great quality.  You can buy it for just $5.99 at CheapCookieCutters.com.  I would also recommend checking out what else they have to offer.  They have just about every cookie cutter you can imagine and then some.

Today I would like to share with you cakes from another fellow Mommy decorator.  Shena Lawson has been decorating cakes for 7 years now.  She does great work and blogs about her experiences at www.everythingelseiscake.com.  These are just a few of Shena's favorites so stop by Everything Else is Cake to see what else she has been up to and if you live in the Birmingham, AL area, I'm sure she'd love to make a cake for you!


This cake definitely gets my vote for most creative!



















I really love the waterfall and rocks in this picture.  Most people don't realize that fondant really does make all the difference.




















Great work on the Elvis picture!



















Great topsy turvy cake!  I have been wanting to have another go at one of these since my decorating class.

















I love the flowers.  Simple yet beautiful.




















I think this is my favorite cake.  It is too cute!













Thank you Shena for sharing a few of your favorite cakes with us.

Remember to visit Shena's website Everything Else is Cake for more information.

When decorating a cake you need to be careful with your icing.  If you let it sit out while decorating, it will crust up and become unusable.  Simply cover your icing with a wet paper towel to prevent this from happening.  It is an easy way to keep moisture in your icing. 

I love getting the chance to feature home decorators.  There are tons of talented people out there that the world does not know about because they do not have that professional title.  Kimberly is one of those people.  She started decorating cake because her daughter wanted a Blue's Clues birthday party.  Now she is making cakes for friends and family that are amazing.  Visit Kimberly's blog, CakeAfide, to see more photos and read about her adventures in cake decorating.





Make this a Mickey version and my boys would go nuts!

















Very creative and extremely detailed!












                                                   Almost looks real!









I keep seeing these suitcase cakes and now I really want to make one.  I love the patches!






Thank you Kimberly for sharing your cakes.  I can't wait to see what you create next!

About the Company

I have recently been given the opportunity to review a great beach towel from BeachTowelsonSale.com, a family owned business based in Tampa, Florida.  Above is a picture of just a few of the beach towels on sale.  As you will see when you read about my experience, I chose the pink stripe towel.  Other towel themes are college football, cartoons, superheros, NFL teams and so much more.  It is definitely worth stopping by BeachTowelsonSale.com to see what they have to offer.

My Experience




This towel is great for laying down on the grass or sand for a snack or a craft.  As you can see, that is exactly what I did here with my boys.  The pink in this towel is so bright and vibrant that the picture just doesn't do it justice.  A few days later we pulled out the towel again to blow bubbles and read books outside.

All in all, this is a great and very affordable towel.  I would recommend these towels to anyone looking to keep extra pool towels around the house or to have something to sit on when you go to the beach.  The beach towel will also work well to dry yourself off but it isn't very thick so you will only get a few uses out of it between drying times but then again, that probably means it will dry faster.

Where to Purchase

The price of the towels average at $16.99.  To buy, simply visit www.beachtowelsonsale.com and place your order.  Your product will ship via USPS within 72 hours of order placement when your order is placed Monday - Friday. 

Now, I've never claimed to be a professional and aside from my minimal training from Wilton's cake decorating classes at my local AC Moore and Food Network's cake shows, I'm am pretty much self taught.  However, along the way I have fixed disasters and learned tricks to help me become a better decorator and baker.  In the coming weeks I plan to add a new section to my blog focusing on these tips called 'Tricks of the Trade.'  In this section I will also share answers to the questions you have been e-mailing me.  So keep asking away and you might just see your question on my blog.   :)

I get so excited when I stumble across cake shops in NJ.  This week's spotlight is put on Cake Fiction, a cake boutique in South Orange, NJ.  Owner Paula Tosonotti has studied under great chefs in Paris, Argentina, Buenos Aires and New York.  Her natural creativity shows in all of her creations.  Make sure to stop by her website www.cakefiction.com for more pictures and information.  In the meantime, check out some of my favorites from her wedding, specialty and special occasion cake galleries.






This first cake can also be seen on her Twitter page.  I love the rustic feel and it is by far my favorite. 


















I love the way the cakes are stacked in this one and of course the orchids!














This cake is called 'Done with Shopping' but I see myself after the kids go to bed :)














These Tiffany boxes are in honor of a recent cake of mine.  Of course fondant and a professional make a world of difference.  Great work!



















Again, I just love the orchids. 



















This last cake is too cute!  The baby Nike shoes are perfect!