Bakin' It Pretty

I have some fun things to share, guys..

In anticipation of the cupcake bonanza that will be overtaking our kitchen in the coming months/weeks, I've picked up a few accessories. Mostly, I just want to share how awesome this site is: Bake It Pretty. They have everything from novelty cupcake toppers to "baking emulsions" and candy-making supplies.

Here's what I got:





A couple weeks ago I found a really cheap piping set, from Wilton, I think. But all of the tips ended up being kind of small for regular cupcake frosting. I'm hoping these jumbo guys will do the job.

Okay, so here are the really fun things:




Yes. Unicorn molds. Why? Because they are awesome. Obviously. I'm not actually sure how they'll wind their way into the wedding (cupcakes or elsewhere), but I'm sure you'll see them somewhere.

Anyway, I couldn't really keep that to myself. Hopefully this weekend, I can whip up some frosting with my new fiance the KitchenAid and play with the new tips!

It's an Update! From Joe!

Well the ball's really rolling now. After much deliberation, we have an officiant lined up. We'll be meeting him as soon as both our schedules allow. We're working on patching together the ceremony program, and we're having a great time looking for readings. I like this one. What do you think?

Other than that, Gabby's got her dress well underway and the tuxes are almost picked out. (I'm still torn on the number of buttons. And sequins.)

With crunch time now upon us, it won't be long until the day is finally here! Yay!


photos from our date night earlier this week

Cocoa Cupcakes

A couple weeks ago, I whipped up a batch of chocolate cupcakes--the cocoa version of the Alton Brown Chiffon Cupcakes--for an end-of-year studio potluck. And because these cupcakes are definitely going to be on the dessert menu, I thought I'd share!

These pictures seem to focus on the frosting, though, because I was also testing out a swiss buttercream recipe (soooo good). The pairing of the two are pretty great. Since the cupcakes are so light and not super-sweet, you can go pretty decadent with the topping--and it is decidedly decadent.
Mmmm.. buttercream..

Showered!

So I was treated to a really nice afternoon this past Sunday at the bridal shower that Karen (Joe's mom) threw for me. I have to thank everyone that came out--friends and family on both sides--for giving me such a nice party.

Here are some photos:

 

You can see the rest of the photos on flickr.

Oh, and guess what? I totally graduated!

Needless to say, it was a busy weekend.

RSVPs Welcome

Now that everyone has (hopefully) received their invites, I thought I'd post the completed suite.

Behold:

Now let's hear those RSVPs! We'll take them via email, phone, text, Facebook if you're on it... you could even comment on this post if that works for you! June 30th is your deadline!

Check back in soon!

Love,
Gabby

Flowers?

So this past Friday was my official last day of classes (hooray!), and though I still have exams this week, I took a little break over the weekend to soak up the amazing (AMAZING!) weather and work on a few wedding-related projects. I'm not sure if we've broached the topic of flowers yet, but I do plan on making fabric flowers for my bouquet and for various other applications. I guess it depends on how well it goes. I can totally imagine freaking out at the eleventh hour and running to Wegmans to buy fresh, overpriced grocery store flowers. But in the hopes of avoiding that moment, I spent a couple hours Saturday afternoon looking up tutorials and messing around with the scraps of fabric I've collected from sewing bridesmaids dresses. Long story short, here's what I came up with:

Pretty basic. Just petals sewn on to a small ball of wool. To clean up the edges, I plan on just trimming the petals a bit, then painting on some fray-check or even acrylic matte medium. I know that if you use synthetic fabrics, you can flame-seal the petals, which also gives them a little shape, allowing the edges to curl slightly. This was pretty good for a test run, I think.

How this is going to translate into a bouquet, I'm not so sure yet. But this is some of the inspiration I've collected:

I'm thinking I might bleach or dye some of the scraps I have to get variations of the coral color. I'll probably play with some other fabrics to add some textural variety, like the charmeuse and chiffon that's leftover from my dress. I've seen some amazing felt flowers out there too, like these ones. I can't wait to have my slaves bridesmaids here to help me make them!

If anyone has ideas or projects (or better yet, templates!) they'd like to share, I'd love to hear about it.

Talk to you soon!
Gabby

P.S. Have you gotten your invitation yet? Let me know if you'd like to RSVP!

Sneak Peek

Here's a little peek at our invitations fresh from the printer, which I am hoping to get in the mail today.

Look out for those soon!

Holy crap, guys, we're getting married in less than three months!