Only in Texas...

When I conjure up a picture of a trophy in my mind, I visualize the standard wood base with a person in the middle of an activity - swinging a bat, golf club or tennis racket. I never won one of these things, but that's the limitation of my trophy imagination. And then there's the trophy for the Terlingua International Chili Cookoff. It clearly represents the nature of the competition - a chili-shaped earth - but it's also pretty funny.
Having been to Terlingua on a Big Bend road trip, I can vouch for the eccentricity of the town in the middle of nowhere. I never would have known about the trophy, though, unless the husband of a 2 time winner hadn't emailed a photo to me and asked me to replicate it to surprise his wife. I think Jen, my design intern, and I did a pretty good job, but the crowd at the Texas Ladies Sate Championship cookoff in Seguin thought it was awesome! I only wish it hadn't been so humid - the fondant got so glossy. Oh, and thanks, Floozie for the water bottle.

Spring kick-off

We initiated spring with this adorable wildflower wedding cake at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It couldn't have been a lovelier day! The sun was shining and the wildflowers filled in every nook and cranny in the fields. Since the bride wanted the cake to have a more casual handpainted look, I layered the colors on loosely and with bigger brushstrokes. We also made a sugar paste replica of their pet dog, Izzy, and her favorite dog toys.


We hadn't made a baseball hat before, so I was excited that they wanted a Red Sox hat for the groom's cake, complete with shamrocks! So Boston! (You'll have to click the photo to see more detail). Getting the brim just right was definitely the most challenging aspect of the cake.
We're about to get slammed with lots of weddings and parties, so I'll try to be as diligent as possible in keeping up with the blog.