And finally...

Gold award - Novelty cake
Finally, this is my entry. She's a medical graduate (Sheffield Uni - based on a friend), sitting on top of a large prescription pad with a pen and stethoscope. The pad is made of fruit cake and the top prescription is airbrushed and hand painted, everything else is modelling paste.
At the show someone knocked her head off but I have managed to repair her, replacing her hair and the mortar board.

 She suffered a second mishap on Saturday when I took her to a large charity ball in aid of www.getahead.org.uk which is a fantastic charity which raises much needed money for the treatment of cancers of the head.

She was there as an example of my work for an auction cake I was donating, a rather tipsy woman decided to shake hands with her and you can guess the rest, she now needs www.needapairofhandsstuckbackon.com rather urgently!

Now for Laurice!

What can I say about Laurice, she amazes me with what she can do, I mean, her untidiness amazes me, her ability to stay in bed all morning amazes me, but most of all her ability to make lovely cakes for the last three years and she is still only 11.
Here are her two entries for this years Cake International. Both were awarded gold and 1st place overall in the under 14s and under 18s at the NEC last week.
I love the cheeky look of Rudolph and the way the trees had an almost glassy look to them after she had airbrushed them to within an inch of their lives.

The inspiration for her second cake came from an old design in Cakes and Sugarcraft by Maisie Parrish. She wanted to make it last year but didn't have time!

Well done Laurice!

How cute are these sheep?

And Harry too!

Harry wanted to make a fishing penguin and drew a great design on paper. I think the finished product turned out to be even better even if looking scarily similar to Pingu! His practice trees were even more interesting than Millies but with the same switch to larger scissors when his centre started to lie a bit flat, it turned out pretty well in the end.
His penguin border was made using a lovely FPC penguin mould with snowballs made using a half ball mould.
My favourite bit is the fish with the line in it's mouth!

Well done Harry too!

Cake International 2011 Well Done Millie Moo!

Millies cake, gold award and second overall in the under 14s.
For her snowman border she used Karen Davies' lovely snowman head mould and added black circles for eyes and a carrot shaped nose.
Personally I think she did amazingly well with her tree, as some of the practice ones she made were a bit worrying. I couldn't stay in the room when she was cutting into this one and was amazed when I popped back for a sneaky peek. Just like her brother she was worried that the middle was going a bit flat so I gave her some slightly bigger scissors to use and it worked a treat!

Well done Millie Moo!

Back from a long blogging break!

I can't believe how much time has passed since I last posted on this site. I have still been making cakes but too busy to do much in the way of developing a business. We have all been very busy over the last few months with various projects. Laurice and Hannah (11) started secondary school in September so with the four kids at three different schools there's always lots going on.

Cake International has come and gone again at the NEC and once again I only managed to get one last minute cake made for it. This, despite last years promises of early planning and preparation (what a laugh!).
This year Hannah, who won a gold and 1st place overall with her first attempt last year, decided not to enter a cake, however Harry (13) and Millie (8) both insisted on having a go!
Laurice was determined to enter a cake in the under 18s birthday category as she had chosen a design last year but didn't get time to make it. We therefore ended up with Laurice (11), Harry and Millie entering Christmas cakes in the under 14s and Laurice with last years idea in the under 18s.

The children worked  very hard on their cakes during half-term, with Laurice starting her second cake and me on my novelty cake, in the week before the show, finishing around midnight the night before. A big improvement on the previous year when I ended up staying up all night two nights running to make and finish my cake. They each made practice models with white paste throughout the earlier part of the week before moving on to the real thing.

The work paid off and we all came away with gold awards for every cake. Laurice also took first place in both the under 14s and under 18s, with Millie and Harry picking up 2nd and 3rd overall with their gold winning entries.
Harry now wants to enter two cakes next year and always I dream of getting more than one made in time.
The head on my model was knocked off at the show before I had managed to take a photo so I have had to repair her hair and mortar board since then. Luckily she had already been judged.

I think a quick cup of tea and piece of shortbread is needed before I can pop back and start loading the photos from the show, followed by some pictures of the cakes I have been so busy with recently.
Anyway as I said tea and shortbread beckon!

A Lot of Cake!

Ruth wanted a very stylish traditional wedding cake, but then again she also liked my character bride and groom models. Decisions, decisions.

Well she had the best of both worlds. She chose a tall elegant cake styled on the orchids she would be carrying in her bouquet and then as a surprise for the groom, a small bride and groom cake for the top table.

She craftily sent lots of photos of their various fitting sessions for me to work on and hey presto!

And so to the main event, (cake)



Cymbidium and Dendrobium Sugar Orchids

This cake was 5 tiers high, each tier being 4" deep. Alternate tiers were decorated with delicate brush embroidered orchids. The sugar flowers trailing from the top tier featured 3 large cymbidiums with several trailing sprays of  tiny dendrobium orchids surrounding them. The cakes were traditional fruit and  rich chocolate mudcake.
The bride looked absolutely stunning and the groom, devilishly handsome!



Buzz Lightyear and his twin, Buzz!

It had to happen, eventually someone was going to ask me to make the dreaded Buzz Lightyear as a cake. You look at him and wonder quite where you will start.

Well that didn't happen, two people asked for the Buzz for the same day AAARRGH!!!

Being very busy, I decided I would make them step by step, side by side and here he is / they are!



 Buzz meets Buzz!





Hi, Buzz!



Pokemon - Charizard attends birthday party!

Tobias was 5 and wanted Charizard on his birthday cake, as cool as that maybe, my heart sank a little when I saw the picture of him with his huge wings held out behind, not easy!

Anyway here is in all his orange and blue winged glory, complete with fiery tail and poké
ball!
Click here to see Icing Heaven on Facebook                 

It's Official Dave the West Brom Kitman is Ancient!

Dave Matthews has been the kitman at West Bromwich Albion football club forever!

The club is celebrating 50 years of having him work for them and are celebrating in style over the next week with a merit award from Barclays Premier League, a presentation at the match against Arsenal on Saturday and a VIP dinner organised by the supporters club next week with many of Dave's favourite players and managers from his 50 years in attendance.

Oh and of course, a cake and here he/it is!

To read more about Dave's amazing 50 years at the club visit the club website at    http://www.wba.co.uk/page/News/0,,10366~2318685,00.html

 Dave's story will be featured tomorrow on Sky Sports News sometime between 12 and 3pm.

also on the Barclays Premier League Website  http://www.premierleague.com/page/Headlines/0,,12306~2318849,00.html

With his favourite Gaffer, "The current one", of course!

Dave (the sweet one on the cake) is sitting on what is known as a kit skip, this is what the kit is transported to and from the laundry to the Hawthorns and away matches. He has a drop of his favourite tipple in his hand "Team Spirit"

 At the formal dinner on Thursday I am donating for auction, a cake of the winning bidders choice, so please, if you are going, take your cheque books, it's for a good cause and you will get a fantastic cake as well!

Finally for all the cake lovers out there, a closer look at the cake rather than the real thing!

Toy Story News "Woody flattens Bullseye!" must have had a snake in his boot!

I have been quietly dreading anyone asking me to make a toy story cake as there are so many models that could be made and so much detail on each.
Well it happened.
This was for a friend's grandson, I decided to stick to one main character as a way of getting it finished at a time when I was really busy and it just go finished on time, phew!

"I'd like to join your posse, boys, but first I'm gonna sing a little song."



When Harry's gran collected the cake she said she wasn't going to let anyone cut it!





Gnomeo and Juliet

My beautiful twin girls Hannah and Laurice were 11 on Valentines Day and for their birthday treat decided to go to the cinema and watch Gnomeo and Juliet with some girly friends. They didn't mind what cake I made (they don't always get one) anyway Gnomeo and Juliet was an obvious choice.

I saw a promotional picture of the pair lying on the grass so I tied that up with a heart shaped cake and for quickness more than anything put the remaining printed characters around the cake behind a fence (I had another cake for the same morning).

I didn't quite finish Juliet, she should have a bit of gold stitching on her dress and a red line around her apron but the girls weren't bothered.

 The film was great by the way, I often shy away from watching cartoons these days but I absolutely loved this. I think the pink plastic flamingo stole the whole show!

 

Yee-haa cowboy!

Howdy folks,

I mynear got myself into a real old state with my cute little pardner here!

 Heck, only the night before he was due to ride off into the sunset, he had a bit of trouble with his legs. He took a tumble and lost a hand and a leg. Reckon he nearly didn't make it!
Hours of overnight tears, a total rebuild from the waist down and Y'all be glad to know it was all right on the night (well morning actually).

Two lovely little boys were waiting for him for their Wild West party, I hope he behaved himself!


Y'all be good now - ya hear!

My Baby is a TEEN!

The years have flown and my baby boy has become a teenager!

Harry was 13 on Jan 24th and for his party this year wanted a sleepover with friends, go-karting followed by traditional party food.
Two friends from his junior school and two new friends from his new secondary school joined him along with his twin sisters Hannah and Laurice (both talented cake decorators who will be eleven on Valentine's Day).

We went to a brilliant indoor go-karting venue in Walsall called Ace Karting http://www.acekartingplusinfo.co.uk/. They looked after us all so well. The team were taken off for a briefing before going onto the track in the karts. They then had to follow the Marshall around the track until he was satisfied they could manage the karts (including stopping safely).



Harry in a hurry, for a change!




Timed laps followed in stages until the Grand Prix Final itself. The Stewards and Marshall kept a close eye on each driver throughout although I had trouble watching some of the faster ones going round some of the tighter bends.








Afterwards the results were announced and the boys were presented with medals on the winners rostrum.

The Winners!



Paddy was the winner with Harry second and Ben third. Lots of pictures were taken which the manager emailed to us later that evening.

We all had a great time and I gave Harry his Go-Karting chocolate mud birthday cake, a surprise,as he was expecting it to be an Xbox!

Does anyone know the answer to 3 down?

Charlie is 90 and doesn't he look great!

I think this is one of my favourite cakes so far.
Charlie doesn't get out too much now but loves to spend time sitting on his favourite chair with a crossword puzzle.

 

Getting behind with posts!

Jan 5th and I still haven't got round to posting pictures of any Christmas cakes, plus several more made around Christmas. I have one cake to get on with today and tomorrow then I will get down to posting more pics!