One Sweet Girl

01/11/2014

Here's a project I worked on with The Bouquets Of Ascha Jolie and Ambiance Image Photography. We were inspired by the classic movie 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' - the cake was inspired by the possibility of "what happened next" - Holly Golightly getting married of course!

01/11/2014

30/10/2014

Tomorrow is Halloween here in Australia, so to celebrate, here's a little look back at my spooky, glittery and ghoulish project from a couple of seasons ago... the amazing floral work is by The Bouquets Of Ascha Jolie

27/10/2014

This week marks the end of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month... so in hinour of all things pink, here's one of my all time favorite cakes (that also happens to be pink!).

25/10/2014

Here are the trio of cakes I created for our family friend...

Cake 1 is three tiers of 8"/7"/6". The base is wrapped in silver leaf, the centre tier has been detailed with a Jem strip cutter that I used as an impression mat, and the top tier has a wash of white lustre. Two large white fantasy flowers add a touch of romance.

Cake 2 is two tiers of 7"/5". Both tiers are plain, and the cake is finished by another large fantasy flower to tie it back to the design on Cake 1.

Cake 3 is a little individual cake of 5". This cake has the same Jem strip cutter embossed pattern to tie it back to Cake 1, and also sports a large bow for a touch of whimsy.

All 3 cakes were finished with my Italian sparkle ribbon in silver.

25/10/2014

A little preview of a trio of wedding cakes I put together for a family friend... more photos to come!

20/08/2014

I'm sitting at my desk today, drawing up possible cake designs for classes (the possibilities are endless!) - and I wonder what it is that YOU want to learn?

Besides my Petal Skirt Cake of course (cause that's No 1 on the list - seen the new header??!!)

Gold and Silver leaf are big, but what about geometric designs? Do you think wafer paper is here to stay, or just a passing fad (cause humidity kills wafer paper, and one of Melbourne's prime cake seasons is quite sticky)

So, tell me what you'd like to learn - and it can be ANYTHING!

We are planning on covering all mediums - fondant, butter cream, cupcakes, cookies, techniques (like piping) - so don't think you should just tell me a cake design... what is in your head?

Tell me!!!!

01/05/2014

As I write this, I look across the screen to my right and see I have gathered more than 28,000 fans. Wow. You guys all rock, thanks so much for being here.

Unfortunately for all 28.206 of you, this is not a happy post with lots of pretty pictures of cake, it's a bit sad and a bit down, but it's also happy, because I'm just glad to have made the decision and now be moving on.

Effective as of today, One Sweet Girl is no longer taking on client commissions, and the business as it is now, is closing.

BUT, don't despair, the page will stay, as will the website, as I will still be doing cakes, and cupcakes, cookies and desserts, but I will do them to show YOU how to do them yourself (as well as the odd cakes etc that I create for my family and friends).

Also, there is a chance that I will be teaching one or two techniques here and there in the not so distant future too, so I'll keep you all in the loop as to what develops on that front.

So, I hear you asking, what brought this about? Well, after 7 years of working 7 days a week, I'm just tired out. Don't think for one minute that I don't still love what I do - because I absolutely do, I just need a break, I need to spend time with my family and my friends - be available in sociable hours! Being a one-woman band requires a 24/7 commitment - one that right now, today, I just can't give, and I don't think any one person can. Even when it's your own baby, a mirror of yourself, you still get to the point where the two flames that burn meet in the middle and start to splutter out.

I''ll still be posting here - I have such a backlog! And I have projects to do, things to show you - there is still so much living in my imagination that I haven't had a chance to bring to life yet, and I want to, for you all to see, and hopefully spark your own imaginations... I'll be here, I promise.

Thank you to every single one of you who took the time to like, comment or just lurk - you have made this journey what it is - a complete and utter marvelous success. Now it's onward to the next part of my journey to who know where - but as soon as I know, you will too!

Have a great week everyone!

25/04/2014

Can you Sing A Rainbow?

I got to create this cake that sings happiness to celebrate the 10th birthday of some lovely twins.

Inside the cake are rainbow layers in the same colours of the cake (except for red, which I cake-subbed for pink)

The cake itself is an extended tier 7" diameter, and decorating the outside are rainbow hearts in an ascending diagonal pattern. I've topped the cake with a large red sugar bow, which was brushed down with shortening to remove cornstarch, and results in a velvety smooth sheen after the paste absorbs the excess (it looks shiny in the pictures due to the light, but in reality the sheen is much more subtle).

Red and yellow and pink and green
Purple and orange and blue
I can sing a rainbow,
sing a rainbow,
sing a rainbow too.
(Lyrics by Arthur Hamilton)

22/04/2014

Here's the first of three posts I'm going to share with you about Alice's Tea Party project, featuring "the cakes". Second will cover the desserts, and third will be the florals (so brought to you by the lovely Gin of The Bouquets Of Ascha Jolie) - if we covered it all in one go, the post would be so big it would probably break the interwebs, lol!

So, away we go!

The theme for this project was very obviously inspired by the story of Alice In Wonderland and the un-birthday tea party she stumbles across during her pursuit of the White Rabbit. But I wanted to take it in a more modern interpretation of a tea party for grown ups, in a private forest setting, with more than a passing reference to being wed, and using this as a jumping off point to stage your own Wonderland themed wedding.

So, besides the Cake Table, there is also (coming in part 2) a fully laden tea table set in a private forest glade overlooked by towering trees.

A trio of pretty cakes is the main feature of the cake table, featuring floral work, jewel tones, and metallic accents. The colours are all taken from the Wonderland storey, so pink, blue and white.

The main cake also carries a sugar watch as a reference back to the White Rabbit, who Alice was pursuing through the forest when she stumbled upon Mad Hatter. The second cake carries just a touch of blue, for Alice's dress, and the third cake is adorned with hearts to include the Queen of Hearts in the story as well.

All cakes are decorated with the same pink peonies to carry unity across all three cake designs, which in themselves are quite different, but together, thanks to the flowers, all co-ordinate.

Rounding out the table are cupcakes in Robert Gordon cases, and feature glittery heart toppers in the same jewel tones as the cakes, again to continue the co-ordination throughout.

At each end of the table is a floral arrangement, again echoing the blue, pink and white colours of the overall story, presented in cut glass vases.

The base of the table is overlooked by a pair of flamingos (source: eBay) that I painted gold, and some boxwood topiary balls (the balls and flamingos are a subtle reference to the croquet game).

I hope you've enjoyed seeing part one of this project - stay tuned for part 2 coming soon!

Florals - Virginia | Bouquets of Ascha Jolie (fb won't let me tag you twice, sorry!)
Images - Carly | Ambiance Image Photography
Location - Yarra Ranges, Victoria (under Permit)

19/04/2014

This is the second of the two cakes that I created for the Bride to Be Magazine Australia 2014 Cakes Annual.

Of course, what else could it be but my signature ruffled petals?! This time in a palette of pale orange and white in a random ombre effect, plus a contrasting colour top tier. I love the play between the clean modern aqua and the unexpected orange tones.

I topped everything with glittery hearts, all in gold, but with three different textures - gold leaf, gold glitter, and gold lustre. The gold glitter is then mirrored in the ribbon trim (love my Italian glitter ribbons!) on the cake and the board, and the gold leaf is picked up again on the presentation board.

Overall, it's a really pretty cake, and so very me - but this cake isn't just a wedding cake, it could be a birthday cake, or a christening cake as well.

18/04/2014

Today is Good Friday... and that means for a lot of people, Hot Cross Buns were eaten in copious quantities for breakfast, and Sunday brings the arrival of Easter Eggs courtesy of the Easter Bunny.

Happy Easter to you and your family, from me and mine.