Jayden's 2nd Birthday Party!

Hi Ya'll!
As most of you know that I talk mostly about my experience as a cake decorator, but sometimes I do talk about my son Jayden. Well its kind of awesome when I get to talk about the both of them in one post:) Jayden turned 2 on November 6th so I decided to throw him a small birthday party at home the following weekend. Now for those that know me, know when it comes to my son I tend to over do things. LOL. Well this party was no exception. It was suppose to be really, really small let my hubby tell it he wanted like 5 people there. LOL. But it ended up being more than that. And since it was a kid's birthday party I decided to do a small dessert buffet which turned out not to be so small. I know its a bad habit that I need to curtail. Well any way I ended up cooking a nice late lunch for our guests and decorated our dining room Angry Birds style. I also made a few things like a wooden plaque with Jayden's name on it and the number 2. I also purchased a big letter J at Michaels Craft Store and painted it red to go with the Angry Bird's theme. I also got some small bird houses and painted them in a variety of colors. I had some extra Angry Birds I made from fondant that I glued to the posts on the bird houses to make it looked like they lived there. I thought that was soo cute;)

Now I am by no means as good as some of the other blogs that I follow like Amy Atlas or Kiddie Soiree, but I try. I also decorated the dessert table with yellow, gray and blue fabric along with some red beads for a little bling. For the table itself I made cupcakes, cake pops, white chocolate dipped Oreos and chocolate dipped chocolate marshmallow pops beside the 2 tier cake I made him ( I know.. I said I over did it lol). Well I was happy in the end.. but like always I felt I wanted to do more. My husband was impressed (which is hard to do nowadays since he has seen me do so many cakes) and Jayden had a blast!  He had a fun so that's all that matters, so I can't help but confess that I am already thinking about next year and what I want to do. 

Jayden's Dessert Buffet

Jayden's Birthday Cake- Top tier is vanilla with Oreo Buttercream filling and bottom is Black and White cake with Oreo Buttercream filling 

Close up of Top Tier- Everything done is fondant

Jayden's Name Plaque

Jayden & Me 

Jayden thinks he is cool LOL! 

Well that is all for now.. I do have some more fun pictures coming that I will be posting really soon..

Until then,

Peace & Blessings

Kima

How Can One Toddler do so Much!

Hello,
As you can tell this quick post isn't about cake or cupcakes..but about my son Jayden. It is amazing how fast kids grow, but I can say having a toddler right now is sooo not fun! I think I am convinced that it is just boys because everyone that I have spoken with that has boys all say the same thing.. at this age they are crazy! And mine is no stranger to the crazy train either. Besides doing typically toddler stuff..Jayden has to always add in the little extra that makes him Jayden. Like this morning he decides he wants to pull the tissues out of the tissue box! And then looks at me like I am crazy one! He thinks by smiling and flashing me a little smile that I won't be mad or yell but sometimes the crap that he does drives me and my hubby through the roof.  I now fully understand the expression "Terrible Two's". If anyone out there is going through the same thing... please let me know how you deal with it because trying to reason with an almost 2 year clearly does not work. LOL.

Oh and a couple of great cake posts will be coming soon I promise. I just have had a lot going on in the last couple of weeks, not to mention our first birthday party at the shop for this Saturday that I am prepping for. So I promise at least one if not two posts are coming your way this week:)

Peace & Blessing
Kima

Changes, Changes & More Changes!

So I know its been over two months since I last blogged but I got caught up in baking cakes and other things that time just flew by! Two of the most important changes has been moving into a house and moving my business into a shop! Yes I know, Kima's Konfections now has an actually store front in York, PA! I am so amazed and proud at the same time. So now that both moves are behind me I can start blogging again.. oh I had a major milestone in my life yesterday.. my adorable son Jayden turned 1! He is no longer a baby any more but a toddler who walks and has his own attitude to boot. So you guys will be hearing more from me from now on. I have so much going on with the shop that I will just share a little bit with you now and as I transform the shop into my dream shop I will keep you updated.

First I had revamped my pricing structure and product list. I did this for a few reasons but mainly because I thought it would be simpler to have one price for cakes for my clients. I also got rid of some products that weren't selling. I also just completed (yesterday) the most updated cake flavor list. It will be posted on my site in the next couple of weeks and is available in the shop now. Other changes include our Mommy & Me cupcake decorating class for parents and their children. Kids are allowed to come into the shop and decorated cupcakes with their parents. Its great fun for the kids and their parents. Another class that will be making its debut in December is my I Can Decorate too! Class for teenagers and young adults. More information on that class will be coming soon.

So now on to the good part... cakes and cupcakes!

Amaretto Dream Cupcakes- Amaretto flavored cake with Milk Chocolate Buttercream 

topped with a Dove Chocolate Square.

 Juicy Couture Handbag Birthday Cake- red velvet cake with swirled Strawberry and Banana Buttercream. All of the design elements I did myself by hand.

Fashion Diva 30th Birthday Cake- 2 tiers of Strawberry cake with White Chocolate Buttercream and 1 tier of Butter cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream. All of the handbags, shoes and makeup are all made out of sugar. Cake was delivered to Baltimore, Maryland.

 Tropical Theme Birthday Cake- Amaretto cake with Vanilla Buttercream.

 Sports Theme Birthday Cupcakes- a variety of cupcake flavors with sports theme fondant figures for 2 little boys.

 Fall Theme Wedding Cupcake Tower- variety of cupcakes on tower along with cake topper in lemon cake.

 Fall Rustic Wedding Cake- Chocolate & Cherries cake with Chocolate Buttercream. Decorated in fall inspired items like birds, pumpkins, leaves in fall colors and twigs. Wedding was at the Duke Farm in Fawn Grove, PA.

 Almost 60 Birthday Cake- Vanilla Bean cake with Strawberry and Cream Filling. Covered in Vanilla Buttercream and decorated with star gazer lilies and calla lilies. Cake was delivered in Yoe, PA.

 Princess & Frog Theme Cupcake Tower- variety of cupcake flavors with birthday's name, wands/crowns and lily pads. Cake topped with birthday girl's name on it and a little fondant frog.

 Coach Handbag Cake- Chocolate cake with Oreo Buttercream. Decorated like a Coach bag with fondant makeup pieces all done by hand. Picked up at the shop in York, PA.

 Ruffle Wedding Cake- 2 tiers of Chocolate cake with Reese peanut butter cup and chocolate filling, 1 tier of pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese Buttercream and the last tier is white cake with fresh strawberries and Vanilla Bean Buttercream. Square tiers have a maple leaf impression dusted in edible gold. Delivered to the Stone Mill Inn in Hellam, PA.

Piglet Birthday Cake- Chocolate cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream. Cake decorated to look like Piglet's face. There were cupcakes my client ordered to go along with the cake but the cake was the cutest. Picked up at the shop in York, PA.

I will be posting more pictures tomorrow and maybe Tuesday until I get all caught up. Until then.
Peace & Blessings

Cupcakes!!!

Hi Everyone!
I have been busy with weddings and booking weddings and cupcakes! I have been forgetting to take pictures of the last couple of wedding cakes trying to get them there on time. So I have to remember to take pictures before I leave for delivery. But I have been taking pictures of my new cupcake creations so I will be posting those. I also will be posting more pictures of some cookies I decorated, more pictures of cookies are coming they just take so much time to decorate. In other news.. I am a member of an online community called Cake Central where cakers and cake decorators get together and post forum posts about many different things. The one common thread I've seen lately has been clients either trying to negotiate on the price of the cake or coming with excuses in an effort to get some of their money back after they ate the cake. Now I for one think that this is crazy and thought it didn't happened but it does! I have read soooo many stories about how customers think decorator's cake cost too much and don't want to pay the balance and try to talk the price down. Now I understand cake is food but I'm pretty sure they don't do that to caterers in coming up with menus for their events or florists or even the photography.. so why do it to the cake decorator?? Our time is worth something just like everyone else and so is our art. Cake is edible art to me, it just burns me that everyone doesn't think that way and feels like we should be cheaper than what we are. I tell some customers that if they think I'm expensive call one of those bakeries where their pricing starts at $6.00 per slice or higher and then think how expensive I am. I know there are people out there they do appreciate good cake and the skill that goes into it. It's just a shame that everyone doesn't understand that.

I had to get that off my chest.. now for some pictures!

Orange Dreamsicle Cupcakes- Orange dreamsicle flavored cake with orange dreamsicle buttercream

Sample Cake Tasting- I always make cupcakes for tastings because it is easier and I can make extra for clients to take home. 

Tropical Breeze- Mango, Pineapple and Coconut flavored cake with a buttercream made of grenadine, mango, pineapple and tropical punch.

Rootbeer Cupcake- Rootbeer flavored cake with rootbeer buttercream

Vanilla White Chocolate- Vanilla cake with White Chocolate Mocha Buttercream

Raspberry- Raspberry cake with Lemon-Lime Buttercream

Chocolate Caramel- Triple Chocolate Fudge cake with Chocolate Caramel Buttercream, drizzled with Caramel Sauce and dusted with Cocoa Powder 

FYI: In Jayden news.. he is now crawling!!! Yes my 8 month old is crawling all over the house and pulling himself up on everything so he will be walking in no time. Time is flying by.. he is getting so big its crazy to think that just a couple of months ago he was so little and couldn't do anything. Babies are so amazing!

Peace & Blessings

Kima

Lots of Updates!

Once again I have fallen behind on my blogging :( It seems when I start to get into the groove I get busy and then I forget to blog. The main reason for my lag in blogging a little guy name Jayden. He has finally learned how to roll over so now I have to watch him whenever I place him down because he will just roll. I used to be able to place him on the couch do a couple of things while checking on him, now I can't do that anymore or the little man will end up on the floor. Bad for mommy and baby. He is also trying to slide around but mostly in a circle. He went from being non-mobile to the beginning stages of crawling like over night! He is also more vocal now, especially in his dislikes (i.e. when Mommy leaves the room)so I have been trying to find ways to keep him entertained while trying to clean the house, conducting business and baking cakes. But the big news is that he is finally sleeping on his own! Yah! Yah! And he is sleeping mostly through the night too! So it won't be long before he is sleeping all the way through the night.

On to the cakes:) So I have lots of pictures today since I haven't been blogging. I will post them below. So I finally have the picture of the shamrock 1st birthday cake. And I have a picture of the cute little munchkin it was for. She really loved her cake. I also have the picture of the little cake I did for my hubby's friend. Also in March I have pictures of the dessert buffet I did for my friend's bridal shower. Other pictures include cupcakes for my site. I am constantly making updates and revisions to my website as my business changes and I come up with better ideas to promote my business and to bring in more clients. So I have decided to start a new gourmet cake line for the more adventurous customer who likes exciting flavors combinations. In conjunction with the new line I am also running a cake giveaway for a 6" cake for the person who comes up with the most unique cake flavor combination. The giveaway ends on the 24th and the winner will be announced on the 25th. I am getting more and more local calls which is great and I think the bridal show that I am participating in this Sunday will bring in more customers. I have so much in my head that I will be blogging over the next couple of days to get it all out. So tomorrow I will be discussing my participating in the bridal show and what I plan on doing since this will be my first one. Today is all about my past cakes and cupcakes orders. I recently did a cupcake tree for a 7 year old birthday. The theme was hearts with lots of bright colors. So I made the cupcake tower, cupcakes and cupcake topper in the theme the client requested. The other big cake I got to do was for my sister in law. She turned 16 and we (hubby and I ) decided to surprise her with a big cake. I liked doing this because I had free range to do what I wanted to do so I made it square and round with zebra print and circles on it. She absolutely loved it and was soo surprised! I also made Oreo Truffles for one of my hubby's co-workers. Below are the pictures of the cakes/cupcakes. Enjoy!

Little Jayda enjoying her birthday cake.

 Shamrock 1st Birthday Cake

Dessert Buffet for Bridal Shower

Oreo Truffles

Heart Themed Cupcake Tower- 6" Strawberry Cake, Inside Outside Peanut Butter, Triple Vanilla & Red Velvet Cupcakes 

Sweet 16 Birthday Cake- Top tier Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Bean with Vanilla Bean Buttercream, Middle Tier Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter with Chocolate Peanut Butter Filling, Bottom Tier White Chocolate Pound Cake with White Chocolate Truffle Filling and Chocolate Chips

America's Oreo- Chocolate Cake with Oreo Buttercream 

Triple Vanilla- Vanilla Bean Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream and Golden Oreos

Inside Outside Peanut Butter Cupcake- Peanut Butter cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Buttercream topped with a Reese Chunk

Carrot Cupcake- Carrot cake with White Chocolate Truffle Buttercream 

Red Velvet Cupcake- Red Velvet cake with White Chocolate Truffle Buttercream

It's the Season!

Wedding season is officially here! As a baker this is the season that I love because not only am I contacted for regular cakes ( like birthday cakes) but wedding cakes as well. Tomorrow I have not one wedding cake tasting but two! So if they both go well.. that makes wedding four and five so far! God is definitely good to me! There is no other way I can explain it but its all God, how else can my business take off so fast after I decide that I really want to do this full time since I am home with Jayden. And speaking of the little man, he is getting so big so fast.I can't believe that is he almost 5 months already. It still feels like yesterday some days that I just had him. He is really starting to show his personality now and moving around more, though he still hasn't mastered to roll over yet. He tries to talk all the time and makes lots of noise which is so different because other than crying for the first almost three months he really didn't try to talk or make noise. Getting him to sleep on his own is still a challenge but we are making strides. He will now sleep by himself during naps, but at night he still wants to snuggle up under mommy. And I am such a sucker for my child that I let him. I know once he hits six months I am really going to have to force the issue with him sleeping by himself and being around other people because the last thing I want is for him to develop separation anxiety. It is already a problem some days now when I leave, my husband tells me that he cries for a little bit and gets upset. So we are going to have to think about putting him in daycare even if its only one day a week so he can be around other babies and people.
I am constantly trying to figure out new ways to market my business to its fullest potential to bring in more customers and now I have posted a discount on Google and will be putting it on Facebook for any couple that books a wedding with me between now and April 20th I will be giving a 10% discount on their wedding order and that includes cupcakes and dessert buffets as well as edible favors. This up coming week is going to be interesting because I have a cake tasting on Monday for a birthday cake to be delivered on Saturday in a camouflage theme. So I have come up with this really cute idea. The cake is going to be 3 tiers covered in camouflage fondant. I also will be making chocolate animal figures to place around the cake. I also purchased a hunter and a miniature tent to go on the cake as well. I think once I get it done it will be so cute. The client ordered it for her husband who is an avid hunter so the theme should be perfect. I also have a 1st birthday cake to do next week as well. This is going to be interesting because I am mixing pink with green due to the customer's request to have shamrocks on the cake for St. Patrick's Day. Both of these cakes are due on the same day which my dedicated hubby will have to deliver for me since I will be in New Jersey for my friend's bridal shower and my brothers' girlfriend's baby shower (which I decided to host not really realizing how busy I was going to be). I am also taking Jayden with me and doing some dessert catering so this going to be a jam packed week and weekend. Then I have to get ready when I come back for another tasting on the 27th for a big order. I will tell you more about that next week but it will be exciting because I will using some of my event planning skills.
On the event planning front, I know I announced some entries back that I have decided to add on event planning to my business which I am still going to do just not as soon as I would like to. I think I want to start with some of the smaller aspects of event planning first to get my feet wet and take the course to become certified in event planning before I start doing it full time along with baking. So I will be offering (which is already up on my site) specific event planning services for now like custom place cards and invitations. Also linen coordination and custom centerpieces, the more creative hands on side of the business. I think I will do those kinds of things for the rest of the year and then next year start with smaller events like bridal showers and baby showers and work my way up from there. Because doing a full scale wedding takes a lot of time and effort to make sure it goes off with out any issues plus Jayden will be older and not as needy as he is right now. I have also added some things to the konfection side of the business which just makes sense to me. I have added edible favors which are very popular right now and why not since I do dessert buffets now. The couple I met with last weekend is interested in cake pops as edible favors. I am going to see if the couple coming in tomorrow are interested to. I also will be offering mini cakes, which are cakes but just smaller (4 inch rounds) which are perfect for someone wanting to order a couple of personalized cakes for someone or for an event and they will go perfectly on the dessert buffet menu. They would also look so cute at a wedding, having a traditional wedding cake and then have some smaller cakes or they could even be used as centerpieces. I think by the end of the year, I will have a better handle on my business as far as what works and what doesn't and then I can move forward to build it up and hopefully God willing that  I will have an actual storefront in a couple of years. That is the ultimate goal for me. To be able to have my own bakery storefront that provides a one stop shop for couple looking to plan their weddings and for other looking to have someone not only dessert cater their event but to plan it as well. I think that is an untapped market waiting for someone to fill it and hopefully I am that person. :) So for now Good Night and God Bless.

New Ideas & Protesting Baby

Hello once again. So I had a customer order a birthday cake for herself about a week and half ago. I shipped it out yesterday. I think it came out cute though there was some things I wanted to change about it but didn't have the time. The cake was yellow cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream with strawberry and banana filling. I thought it was a nice pairing and my client loved it! I am confident that she will be a repeat customer. It was a modern design of circles in pink, black and white. Below is a picture of it. I also signed up for more cake decorating classes this week so I can get better and learn new techniques. In order to stay on top of your game, you have to constantly learn new things to be able to compete with the other cake decorators out there. I also made a brownie cake today for my husband's co-workers. I always use them as sounding board for new ideas and projects. So it is a brownie cake covered in chocolate buttercream and surrounded by chocolate creme wafer and milk chocolate shavings. I call it Brownie Chocolate Paradise Cake because anyone who loves chocolate will love this cake.

 

I am working on making my boards better for cakes like this. I am want to be unique in what I offer so I think I am going to work on more cakes like this. I also I like the way chocolate cigarellos look on a cake so I will be learning how to make those as well. I also saw on an UK website ( they offer some of the best stuff, but its so damn expensive!) chocolate roses made from modeling chocolate so I will be learning how to make those as well.

On to baby woos. Today with Jayden was a good day until it is time for him to go to bed. Now my husband works during the day so he doesn't get a chance to see  him until he gets home from work, sometimes later if he has something to do after work. So I encourage him to interact with him as much as possible in order to make their bond stronger because right now Jayden likes to cling to me. So I gave Jayden to my husband after dinner to put him to sleep so I can get some school work done and work on my newest creation (see above). Well Jayden didn't want none of it, he cried and screamed until I picked him back up. He then calmed down so I tried to give him back to my husband, the kid did the same thing again! Now my husband already feels some type of way because of the way Jayden acts towards him sometimes, this newest episode doesn't help. I ended up having to take Jayden back and putting him in the sling to get anything done. I don't know what to do, I think I will just have to keep at it by handing him over when my husband comes home and try not to get involved. I think that is the only way things will get better between the two of them.

More goodies to come!