For the Love of Louis Vuitton

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Gummi

 Close up view

Women love purses.  Actually us girls love all accessories from sparkling jewelry, to cute shoes and maybe a pair of styling sunglasses, but nothing else compares to the luxury of a Louis Vuitton purse.  Yes, there are other designer purses, but only a few fall into the same category of luxe as the Louis.  Our lucky client Sarah received this Louis Vuitton Speedy Purse cake as a birthday present from her husband. 
The Speedy Purse cake was covered in fondant and done in our Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese filling.  The sugar paste handles, zipper and buckle were all hand crafted.  This was one of our most labor intensive cakes and it took hours to hand paint each monogram and logo one at a time.  But it was worth it to hear all the great comments we got from the party goers.  Our client wasn’t there to receive the cake when we delivered it but here’s an excerpt from an email he sent and a picture from the party.  Sarah is one lucky girl!
Happy Birthday Sarah!

“Aloha Kristin, I just wanted to let you know that this is by far the most amazing works of art, I have ever seen! Thank you so much for taking this job last minute and being able create such an amazing, memorable piece.  Thank you very much…”

Posted in A Cake Life, Hawaii Birthday Cakes, Louis Vuitton Cakes | 2 Comments

Champagne anyone?

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Gummi

This champagne bottle and wooden crate cake was made for my friend Huy’s 27th birthday.  Huy and I have known each other for some time now when we met during my freshman year at the University of Oregon.  I’m not shy to say that during my freshman year, I was such a DORK!  Not that I still don’t consider myself a dork sometimes but at least I stopped wearing my over sized Oregon sweatshirt and hair in a bun!  But since then Huy and I have remained friends and he won’t let me forget my poor fashion sense during college.  
Over the last couple years Huy has become quite the wine-O and so I created this sculpted champagne bottle and wooden create cake out of Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese filling.  The box and cake board were embossed with wood grain texture and hand painted to resemble the colors of wood.  The label on the bottle was hand painted to resemble a Dom Perignon style crest and dusted with petal dust for an ‘aged’ feel.  The cake was finished of with white chocolate curls for the ‘shavings’.  
Happy Birthday Huy!
Posted in A Cake Life, Hawaii Birthday Cakes, Wine Bottle Cakes | 1 Comment

Happy Birthday Bessie!

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Gummi
Pictured: (on the left) the Twilight book, (one the right) the Twilight book Cake

My friend Bessie LOVES Twilight!  Until a little while ago, both Bessie and I had never seen the movie or read the books.  So when our friends wanted to go see New Moon, I confessed I hadn’t seen the first movie.  They were in shock and demanded we watch the DVD that night.  Bessie and I finally ended up watching the movie and, after that, we were hooked!  A few days later Bessie and I got together with our friends to see New Moon on opening weekend.

When Bessie’s birthday came around a few weeks ago, we began discussing cake designs for her special day and settled on a Twilight theme.  For her cake, we created a Twilight book cake to mimic the cover of the first book in the series.  I really wanted to create a realistic replica of the cover without using a computer printed edible image.  And so, I hand painted the hands and apple with LOTS of petal dusts and powdered food coloring which allowed me to achieve the textured and shadowy look.  The painting alone took 2 hours to complete!  I was very happy with the end result and this cake has become one of my favorites!  Bessie’s Twilight themed party was held at Tsunamis Bar & Grill and she got to play the movie on all the t.v. screens in the bar!

Happy Birthday to my very good friend Bessie!

Bessie and her husband Matt

You can see Bella from Twilight playing on the TV behind the bar ;0)

 The cake all cut up!

Posted in A Cake Life, Hawaii Birthday Cakes, Tsunamis Bar and Grill, Twilight cakes | Comments Off on Happy Birthday Bessie!

April & Richard’s Wedding

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Gummi
Photos courtesy of Mike Pham Photography
Aloha!  
On February 20, 2010 we had the pleasure of celebrating April & Richard’s wedding at the Dole Cannery Ballrooms.  When we first met with April & Richard for their consultation, they already knew what kind of cake they wanted.  April had explained the color scheme of their wedding was red and brown and the ballroom would be decorated with giant Asian lanterns.  In order to tie everything together April and Richard chose a Cherry Blossom theme cupcake tower so each of their guests could enjoy a Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Icing.  For their cake topper, April & Richard chose these super cute, and very original, Kokeshi Dolls.  The Kokeshi were the perfect crowing to their Cherry Blossom cake.  Kokeshi Dolls are traditional Japanese figurines carved from wood with an enlarged head and painted in a wide variety of dress.  Kokeshi Dolls can be purchased online at handmade marketplace Etsy.com or, if you live on Oahu, at Shirokiya.
When we followed up with April after their wedding, she said the cake was a big success at their reception.  April left this review on our WeddingWire.com vendor profile:
“Kristin was so nice and professional. We loved the cupcakes and the whole setup. She was so pleasant and flexible with the cake toppers that we provided. Our guests loved the delicious cupcakes!!! Amazing and yummy!!!” 
We had a lot of fun making April & Richard’s Wedding Cake.  Congratulations and we wish them a lifetime of love and happiness!
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Come Together – Celebrating 110 Years

Posted on March 14, 2010 by Gummi
Photos by George Kodama Photography
Full sheet cake with sugar flower cherry blossoms and handmade Torii Gate.  In Shinto Buddhism, the Torii Gate marks the entrance to a scared place.  In 2001 Honolulu’s sister city of Hiroshima, Japan donated a Torii Gate as a symbol of friendship and cultural exchange between the cities.  The Torii Gate now stands at the King St./University intersection.
 
 
 Me & Chairman of the Board of Directors Sid Hamada

Last week we had the privilege of making the cakes to celebrate the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce’s 110th Anniversary.  Attendants at the celebration enjoyed pupus, live music, Chamber member exhibitor tables, a drawing for a free to trip to Las Vegas and a complimentary Flora-Dec gift card. =)

The Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce is a major business organization and its members represent some of Honolulu’s largest businesses, industries and professions.  The Chamber was formed in 1900 and was originally named the Merchants Association.  In 1912 the Association was renamed to the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce and has since worked to develop business and trade relations between Hawaii and Japan.  Today the Chamber is dedicated to strengthening business and economic development for its members while preserving cultural history. 


Congratulations to the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce on its 110th Anniversary!

Below are a few more pictures from the Chamber event

Anniversary Co-Chair Dave Erdman

Famed local performing artist Jake Shimabukuro entertained attendants with his masterful ukulele music.


Posted in A Cake Life, Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce | Comments Off on Come Together – Celebrating 110 Years