Easter Blessings to you all!
Wishing all my family, friends and customers a fun-filled and blessed Easter!
Easter Blessings Time!
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Ballerina Sugar Art Figurine Debut!
In my previous post I described our Ballerina Sugar Art Workshop with Grace Stevens of Cupcakes by design and I posted the photos of our pretty completed figurines. As the theme of the workshop was creating this dramatic cake topper which would delight any girl on their birthday cake, I thought I would share our sugar dance with you and show you how we completed our graceful sugar figurines.
Act 1 … Perfectly Pointed Toes!
After Grace had taught us how to add the correct amount of CMC to our sugar paste we carefully added colour to our white paste to get a perfectly pale skin colour for our ballerinas who Grace reminded us spent many hours inside the studio practising resulting in their pretty pink skin. We then formed our supporting leg before adding a second leg gracefully bent at the knee and resting on the supporting knee. Their perfectly pointed toes were then slipped into pink pointe shoes with dainty ribbons around the ankles. This was the first tricky bit working with such small ribbons of sugar paste that had to be neatly stuck on to their ankles. My daughter has the most gorgeous long graceful legs and a beautiful ballet point and I tried to recreate that in my sugar work below.
Act 1 … Perfectly Pointed Toes!
Act 2 … Twirls of Tutu!
During this Act 2 of adding frilled twirls of tutu to our ballerinas’ legs I learned that I really battle with the art of frilling a circle of sugar paste. After much frustration and many demonstrations by Grace and help from Vicci, I managed to ruffle up 3 layers of tutu as everyone sailed through 4 or more layers! I definitely had more fun photographing the tutu twirls than I did making them but I know what to practise for the next ballerina.
Act 2 … Twirls of Tutu!
Act 3 … Creatively Choreographing her Core!
Grace deftly showed us a tiny waisted body for our ballerinas and we had loads of giggles as these bodies went on to our figurines as then came the careful art of balancing the body and getting our figurines to hold their cores tight so that they would not fall too far forwards or backward. We added our embellishments in the form of bodice markings and straps, roses or glitter to our bodies once we had added her slim arms gently resting on her tutu.
Act 3 … Creatively Choreographing her Core!
Act 4 … A Whimsical Face and Wisps of Ballerina Hair!
Grace teaches the most whimsical faces for her characters and it was these little faces we added after a lunch, coffee and chat interval. Tiny eyes, nose, eyebrows and eyelashes finished the stage look before we added wisps of sugar paste hair worked into a neat bun. As you can see my figurine was well adorned with rolled pink roses but she seems really pleased with her overall look for her debut.
Act 4 … A Whimsical face & Ballerina Wisps of hair!
Act 5 … En Pointe and On Time for her Debut!
We all did well finishing on time and even managed to get a few photos of all our ballerinas together in the dimming Joburg light before we carefully transported our creations home to show off to family and friends. We were all really chuffed at what we had accomplished and in awe of Grace and her ability to teach us a tricky figurine, share stories and laugh with us all in just 1 day. I couldn’t resist these photos of my completed ballerina with her sweet smile and graceful pose … she looks perfectly primed for her debut on any cake and ready to show off her pretty new sugar tutu! Thanks Grace for another fabulous and totally fun class.
Act 5 … En Pointe & On Time for her Debut!
Ballerina Sugar Art with Grace Stevens
Last Thursday, 10 aspiring Ballet Figurine Sugar Artists welcomed Grace Stevens to Johannesburg where she presented her Ballerina Figurine Class. It is always a pleasure to be taught by Grace as she fills every moment of her classes with her remarkable talent, which she shares with carefree abandon, as well as her wacky sense of humour and her genuine passion for her craft. I must be honest I did have a sense of trepidation when I saw Grace’s beautifully balanced ballerina in her advert for her class and I was nervous that my figurine might end up a rather a dying sugar creation crying into her tutu rather than the sweet graceful sugar figurine pretty enough to grace a cake! We need not have worried as Grace patiently and expertly showed us how to create a standing sugar figurine in this class and we all went home rather proud of our petite creations.
Thank you Grace once again for travelling to Johannesburg to share your invaluable skills with us, we can’t wait to see you again!
Amy & Rick’s Wedding Cake Topper
Congratulations Amy & Rick!
It was a glorious Saturday for Amy and Rick’s Wedding Day and their wedding cupcake topper looked perfect on a beautiful wedding cake and cupcake display by Janet and Kate. This sugar bride and groom had the best view of the day in the tranquil Kloofzicht setting and they were the first to see the bride and groom and their guests walking up to them after the wedding ceremony.
Amy had a picture of a bride coaxing her groom away from the 19th hole and this was the inspiration for the sugar couple. Rick was fun to create and with his gentle face and broad smile it was easy to portray a naughty groom not quite willing to leave his golf bag. Tracy, who made the most beautiful mother of the bride on the day, gave me photos of Rick and his golf bag and I tried to make as close a likeness to both him and his bag. (Thanks here to Angela for the golf clubs which along with the veil were the only non-edible elements in this design). I have to say that my groom here has a cheeky look but he looks really keen to be getting married to his gorgeous girl!
The Groom …
Amy was exquisitely radiant in all her wedding photos and I tried to capture her petite face and soft hair from the photos I had of her. I knew her dress had lace detail and silver detail around the waist and so I embossed my white sugar paste with a fine floral pattern before draping on her sugar torso. Tiny silver beads around her waist and the stitching and bow at the back completed her delicate dress. I added blonde sugar curls to Amy’s head and then attached a fine veil,(thanks Lisa TQO), before completing her hair with a blonde fringe. I made her a tiny bouquet of white roses for her to hold. My bride looks just as happy as her groom standing next to him.
The Bride …
It was a pleasure Amy and Rick to make these characters for your wedding cake and my wish for you is that you take all the joy, friendship, hardwork and meticulous planning that went into your special day and use it in the rest of your married life together!
… And they lived happily ever after!
Garden Fairy Cake for Jan
The Story of Jan’s Garden Fairy Cake!
Every famous fairy story has a great beginning and there would be no exception in the story of Jan’s Garden Fairy Cake. One fine Wednesday a couple of years ago in the tranquil setting of Weltevreden Farm I met Jan when I attended my first scrapbooking class at The Memory Shed. Jan was one of Lisa’s first students when she opened her beautiful shop and has stayed a loyal student every Wednesday morning. We have celebrated a few of Jan’s birthdays and as I learn more sugar art tricks the cakes to celebrate these days have slowly improved. And so her story starts….
Once upon a time from a humble ball of peachy sugar paste a dainty fairy started her little life. Her legs were shaped from 2 tiny balls of flesh sugar paste and gently folded underneath her gathered peachy skirt. Tiny peach blossoms were then added to the top of her skirt. Every fairy needs a naughty face so this too was added above a collar of peach blossoms. Sugar pearls made the perfect buttons down her tiny dress and her fairy head was adorned with auburn curls to match Jan’s gorgeous locks. Cheeky blush & smile, naughty freckles, a glint of white colour in her eyes and roses and hydrangeas to accompany her to her fairy garden meant that she was ready for the next chapter of her life.
Chapter 1… Once upon a time…..
Jan’s garden fairy could now sit quietly on her green embossed cake and all her pretty roses, flowers and leaves could be added to compliment her beauty in the garden. As her garden grew a few pastel blue butterflies decided they should join the party too and they fluttered onto the cake whispering secrets next to the fairy in her garden. As she sat quietly I couldn’t resist a few pictures of her and of course she obliged by sitting and smiling serenely for me.
Chapter 2 … Garden Fairy and Her Flowers
Even as I moved her around to try out different backdrops for all the photographs she was quite well behaved and was the perfect sugar paste model for the camera.
Chapter 3 … a different backdrop.
The garden fairy on her cake behaved beautifully on the way to the Memory Shed in my car just delighted to be going to share a special celebration with her Jan. She arrived and the twinkle in her eye brightened as she saw Jan and was met with delighted oohs and aahs from Jan and all her friends. She showed off in pure style and portrayed everything joyful and cheeky that Jan brings to each Wednesday morning as well as a few tears for all the sadder moments she has bravely shared with us. Of course she was then photographed again outside in the pretty garden and then again inside as Jan blew out her birthday candles and opened her gorgeous gifts.
Chapter 4 … Quite at home at the Memory Shed
After a busy morning the little garden fairy kept her composure as she was finally transported home to be admired once again by Jan’s family and to spend a quiet night reflecting on what how much fun she had had. If she could have told a few secrets here she would have had a few that Wednesday but she just smiled and giggled inside as she left us thinking … what a crazy and fun group of friends and family Jan has around her, so glad for her!
Chapter 5 … Ready to go home
Chapter 6 … What a wonderful birthday celebration for Jan!
Kitchen Tea Cupcakes for Amy!
Amy & Rick celebrated their wedding day yesterday and I was delighted when her mom, Tracy, asked me to do cupcakes for her kitchen tea a couple of weeks ago. I can’t resist posting the picture of all the dainty sugar art I made to decorate the cupcakes. Tracy chose a pastel colour scheme for the day and I played with sugar paste for a couple of evenings making all the traditional kitchen tea rolling pins, tea pots, teacups, cakes, eggs and tea towels. The aprons I made using a dress cookie cutter and embossed sugar paste. The minute dragee and blue apron ties completed their look. I braved an egg whisk and Kitchen Aid as these are essentials for any bride to be in her kitchen. Tracy put hours of thought and loving care into preparing a wonderful kitchen tea for Amy and I was delighted to hear how the cupcakes complimented the day! Wishing you many exciting hours in the kitchen Amy preparing wonderful meals and tasty treats with and for Rick!
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