Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Love is Love

About a year and a half ago I had the privilege of making a wedding cake and cupcakes for a woman and her wife. A couple of weeks ago, a good friend of mine had the courage to admit for the first time that she is Gay and is now in a loving relationship with a woman. Last weekend, I became a Godmother to a child that has two mothers. This week, the US Supreme Court has a very important and historical decision to make concerning and recognizing their loves

This post is dedicated to those who love the same sex, because Love is Love. I support you. When the day comes for your love to be recognized, I'll be happy to make your cake in celebration. 
 
"Coming Out" Cupcake toppers
Love should be celebrated!

This cutie has two moms. That doesn't mean he and his sister will be loved any less or won't be raised with any values.

 ~Abs of Cakes~

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Cookie Decorating Workshop, Easter edition

Ever wonder how sugar cookies get a nice smooth decorated finish? Well, you can find out how just in time for your Easter celebrations. Fill your Easter baskets with your new cookie skills! Email me to reserve your spot (alodevico@gmail.com) or simply click on "Register Now" (fees apply). All ages are welcome!



Eventbrite - Easter Cookie Decorating Workshop 
with Abs of Cakes



Last month, I hosted a Valentine's Cake Decorating Workshop with my dear friend Feed My Sole, and Los Angeles Food Bloggers held at Art Share in LA.  It was a pretty successful event, so I decided to bring it back this month to celebrate Spring. My students fully enjoyed themselves and learned some good stuff. Here are a few photos from the Valentine's Workshop...

My students with their creations! They even got their own aprons to take home.
They did a great job with their cakes.
Feed My Sole's cute teddy topper.
It was most of their first time using fondant and covering a cake with it.
My students in action. They're so focused.

Valentine's Cake Decorating Workshop Special Thanks:

Christine Ver
Marketing, Venue, Refreshments, and Assistant

Los Angeles Food Bloggers
A portion of the proceeds went to their Meetup group. Feel free to join!

Art Share LA
801 E. 4th Pl
Los Angeles, CA 90013



Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Noble Ninja or Ninjette?

Welcome 2013!!!

With this new year comes new beginnings for many people and I'm happy that I'm able to be part of their milestone moments as their cake maker. I can name at least seven women who are either pregnant or have recently given birth. So many families are growing and a new generation is entering our young world. 

For the Nobles, they are excited and proud to become parents for the first time. I had the privilege of making their wedding cake last June, and I was honored when they trusted me to make the cake for their baby's gender revealing. 

Daniel and Kimmie Noble, the parents-to-be

Our first conversation went a little like this...


This wasn't just any ordinary cake order! I would be the FIRST and ONLY person to know the gender of their first child (besides their physician of course). Kimmie and Daniel wanted to find out the gender the same time as their family and close friends, which added pressure on me to get this cake order just right! 

My preliminary sketches


Did you notice that there's one "boy" eye and one "girl" eye on the ninja cake?
For gender revealing parties, people will usually cut into the cake to "reveal" if they are having a boy or a girl. (A blue cake means they are having a boy, and a pink cake for a girl). Instead, Kimmie and Daniel decided to bite into their own personal ninja and ninjette cake pops for their revealing.


So, what are they having, you ask? Well, here's a video (and countdown) to find out....


As Kimmie and Daniel bit into their cake pops, here is what they saw...
THEY'RE HAVING A.....NINJETTE!!!!

What an exciting way to start the New Year! Congratulations Kimmie and Daniel! Your baby girl is already so loved...you two will make amazing parents. I can't wait to be part of more of your milestone moments. 

~Abs of Cakes~

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Can you believe Christmas is already next week?? Precisely 7 days from today! I guarantee this week will be filled with all the Christmas classics on television like Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone, and one of my faves A Christmas Story. Another classic that has been around for decades is A Charlie Brown Christmas. This animated special reminds me of a cake that I created last year for a little boy's first birthday.

In honor of Charlie Brown (the original chevron wearer), Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts Gang, I share with you this cake (and cupcakes) that was inspired by Charles M. Schulz's timeless characters who will always help us remember what the real meaning of Christmas is.



There was no doubt in my mind that I needed to create Snoopy with Woodstock on top of his iconic dog house for this order. The house would be the perfect volume for a decent sized cake and a perfect focal point for the cake table.


Of course I could not ignore the rest of the Peanuts Gang. I remember as a child, I used to get the comic section of the Sunday newspaper, cut out my favorites, and staple them together to make little booklets for me to carry around. Did anyone else do this? 


Charlie Brown and the gang was definitely part of my childhood, and I felt the need to pay homage to the beloved comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. This also meant staying true to the 2-dimensional quality for this order. So for the cupcakes, I decided to make cupcake toppers of our favorite Peanuts characters.


With rolled out colored fondant, I recreated the faces of each of these characters using a food writer. Once their heads were cut out, I placed them onto a pick and left them to harden for a couple days. This way, they would be stiff enough to stand straight up onto the cupcake.


For the rest of the cupcakes, I created a custom cupcake pick that was personal to the birthday boy's celebration. Of course these too were inspired by the comic strip.

 Unfortunately, I was not able to be at the party to set up the cake display that day. But with the help of my friend Keena, the cake table was completed and was able to get a few photos from the final product and party. Thanks Keena!


Before you know it, Christmas will be here...then New Year's Eve, and new memories to be had! Whether you were naughty or nice this year, I hope you were surrounded by loved ones to share those special moments, to celebrate your successes, to support you through the downs, to inspire you....just as Charlie Brown had with his gang.

You can catch A Charlie Brown Christmas on ABC tonight, 8/7c. 

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope it's filled with lots of cake!

~Abs of Cakes~

Monday, November 26, 2012

Support Small Business!

The Vintage Emporium in Long Beach is so much more than your average local gift shop with "delightful gifts for you and your home." Not only do they carry an array of eclectic flea market and vintage finds, but they also support local artists! The Vintage Emporium is owned by a sweet vivacious lady by the name of Julie Woolley. Julie's story is so very inspiring. She turned her small dream into a thriving small business that does more than provide for her and her family, but engages the local creative community.

Every month, The Vintage Emporium chooses a Featured Artist at their sweet little boutique to showcase their unique crafts. I have the honor of being the Featured Artist for the month of November as Abs of Cakes. Join us this Thursday for their Sip 'N Savor where I will be showcasing and selling a variety of sweet treats.

Who: Abs of Cakes
What: Vintage Emporium's Featured Artist, November
When: Thursday, November 29, 2012 [1-5pm]
Where: The Vintage Emporium, 3423 Orange Ave/ Long Beach, CA 90807
Why: Support Small Business, Support the Artist

Here's a screen shot of Vintage Emporium's website. Visit their site at www.VintageEmporium.com
The Vintage Emporium
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday having passed, I'm pretty sure a lot of you got a lot of good deals and completed the majority of your Christmas shopping. If you are reading this post, I really hope you also participated in Small Business Saturday! I believe that EVERYDAY that you shop should be "Small Business Saturday". I can go on and on about how important it is to support small business, but I came across an article that explains it perfectly...Click HERE!


Come join us on Thursday, get a unique gift for your loved one, sip on some libations, pick up some sweet treats....I'll even be taking preorders for sweet packages. Hope to see you there!

~Abs of Cakes~ 

Friday, November 9, 2012

Twig & Willow

By the cross streets of 4th and Grand Ave. in the City of Long Beach, you might come across a quaint little boutique named Twig & Willow, run by partners Karen Quimby Lobo and Billie Gentry. Here you'll find things from jewelry and accessories, to clothes and gift items that cater mainly to women.

Last year, Twig & Willow celebrated their two year anniversary and "pre-web launch bash". Their dear friend, Robin Jones, Director of Events for We Love Long Beach (WLLB) and Living Long Beach, contacted me to make some special sweet treats for their big event. Long Beach supporting Long Beach! Gotta love it! As Twig & Willow's three year anniversary approaches, I'd like take this opportunity to reminisce on last year's festivities.


For the cake, I was inspired by Twig & Willow's logo. I decided to turn it into something more dimensional and focused on keeping it simple. I wanted their name to be the focal point with the red bird and brown twig serving as accents to the design...just like their logo.

Storefront Signage
Of course I had to incorporate Long Beach somewhere! I added We <3 LB to the back side of the cake.

Using wax paper over the We Love Long Beach logo, I traced it using melted chocolate in a parchment bag.
In addition to the cake, they also ordered two different types of mini cupcakes as a "thank you" to their guests. By the time I got to the party, they were all gone!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, topped with a Raspberry
Chocolate Cupcakes with a Cocoa-dusted Meringue Swirl, topped with a Torched Marshmallow
This time last year is also when I first started working at Sweet E's Bake Shop in Los Angeles, so I was unable to deliver and set up this order that morning. Luckily, I knew who I could trust for this....my partner in crime when it comes to events....Caroline Cervantez from Oh, Lovestruck Event Design and Styling! I've worked with Caroline on quite a few events already, and I know she has impeccable style and taste. I was blown away with how good she made this dessert table look, perfect and in theme with the look of Twig & Willow. She also invited Eloisa Hernandez from Storybox Collection to capture these AMAZING shots. (Twig & Willow loved the photos so much, that you can also view them on their website). 


It was a great turnout for Twig & Willow's 2nd anniversary and "pre-web launch bash". They even closed off a portion of Grand Ave to celebrate! There was a custom photo booth, live music, screen printing, and my personal fave...FOOD TRUCKS! It was a great way for the Long Beach community to come out and support their local business...not even the rain would ruin this day.

To view more photos from this event please visit www.eloisanadine.blogspot.com

This Rainy November day called for a clam chowder from the Lobsta Truck. YUM!!
Congratulations to Twig & Willow on approaching their 3rd year anniversary! Abs of Cakes wishes you continued success and prosperity. Long Beach appreciates you.

~Abs of Cakes~


Special thanks:

Twig & Willow, Venue

Robin Jones, Director of Events
We Love Long Beach (www.welovelb.org)
Living Long Beach (www.livinglb.com)

Caroline Cervantez, Styling
Oh, Lovestruck Event Design and Styling (ohlovestruck.com)

Eloisa Hernandez, Photography



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