Junior League Tea Room Table

Every year, the Junior League of Austin throws together a Christmas Affair where you can go shopping and have lunch in the tea room. I was asked to design a table setting for the tea room incorporating the theme of Christmas in Paris. It ended up being quite an endeavor! Even though the cakes weren't real (it was going to be sitting on the table for 5 days), it still took days to complete. Everything on the display is edible - the roses, the handdrawn base, the bows, etc.
There were 30 tables overall, some with just amazing table displays. Here are 2 tables that I thought were just stunning.

Bird Cake

Often a client will want to incorporate a single element from the invitation design into the cake design, such as the swooping bird above. I found the pillow design by Thomas Paul and thought it would work well in a cake design. If you don't know about Thomas Paul, he is one of my favorite designers! http://thomaspaul.com/
The couple also wanted to keep the cake clean and modern while maintaining an element of whimsy. The birds and leaves are all fondant. The 3-d leaves are raised to give some depth the design since the birds are flat. The lighting was a little dark in the ballroom, so please forgive the weird shadows.

Backyardigans Birthday Cake

My daughter's obsession with the Backyardigans led me to create a Backyardigan-themed cake for her 4th birthday. She wanted a cake with Tasha and Uniqua hanging out in their mermaid garden. It was a fun cake to create, and my daughter and her friends were thrilled with it. It was kind of sad to see it get demolished so quickly. She even started to eat the gumpaste figures I made. (I had planned on saving them!). I can now sympathize with the people who pay big $$$ for my cakes, only to experience the heartbreak of watching them get cut up and eaten.