You are never too old to pursue your passion!

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. 

Yes, I'm still alive (a whole decade older as a matter of fact). 

No, I no longer work at Sweet E's Bakery (as mentioned in my last post). 

And Yes, I still make cakes!

This summer has been an eventful one filled with weddings, travels, birthdays.....life. Back in June I turned 30! And I must say that I'm loving it so far. Unlike some, I actually embraced turning 30, and wanted to plan something special but not typical, classy yet whimsical, chill but engaging...so I threw a "Feathers and Bowtie" themed thirtieth birthday bash fully equipped with some Abs of Cakes sweet treats and crafts.

Peacock feather, Abs of Cakes creation.

I made 30 origami bow ties, no two exactly alike, to represent each year of my existence.

I crafted this bow tie necklace from an old neck tie and chain as part of my birthday outfit.

I provided my guests with a random food spread selection...some watermelon (I LOVE watermelon!), Spam musubi, li hing mui apple, and some "bow tie" snack bags...give me a theme and I run with it. I also served meatballs, truffle cheese potatoes, and Sio Pao made specially by my cousin Nerielynn (love you).

With my experiences of organizing events to raise funds for certain causes, I saw my birthday as an opportunity to not only celebrate with my friends and family, but also as a Benefit to send me to Pastry School in New York one day....because you are never too old to pursue your passion! 

Pastry School is expensive. New York is not cheap! I could use all the help I can get to offset the costs of this dream of mine. In lieu of gifts, I asked my guests to help donate to my dream....but of course I wasn't expecting a hand out (even if it was my birthday). I wanted all of my guests to know how serious I am about my craft, without feeling obligated to invest in it. So what did I do? I gave them the opportunity to "win" an Abs of Cakes creations. 

I created five mini cakes with the "feathers and bowtie" theme, Hello Kitty cake pops, and feather/bowtie cake pops.

I really don't know why I stood right in front of my cakes and blocked them out of this shot. Silly me.

Art + Cakes = Love

Some awesome artists, including my amazingly talented friend Ritchie Ramirez, donated their works of art to my cause which were raffled/auctioned off. We raised a good amount of money to kick start this next step into my cake career....and we had fun doing it.  

This is Ritchie Ramirez, ladies and gents. Can't thank this man enough...I owe you :)

Original Art by Ritchie Ramirez...they come as a pair.

Special Thanks goes out to my friend Kenny Rojes for being the highest bidder and proud owner of Ritchie Ramirez original art. Congratulations!

Shout out and thanks goes to the Gallery fam for winning the bid on this Abs of Cakes Bow Tie Cake.

Congrats to all those that won and contributed to my Cause. Endless thank yous for your support. 

In order to be inspired, I think it's important to surround yourself with creative positive people. I truly am blessed with some incredibly supportive friends and family that believe in what I do and continue to inspire me with their presence. 

To my cousins Ron and Joy, thank you so much for opening up your home aka "The Gallery" and for helping me organize my special day. You both are inspirations both individually and as a couple. I love you guys!

 To explain my dream and the objectives of my party in more detail, I created a website for it.....you can check it out here...and even donate to the Cause if you feel compelled.  

Thank you for stopping by. I'll try to visit here more often ;). 

~Abs of Cakes~