I really wish I could grow things. I have somehow managed to defy the laws of nature and genetics and have inherited The Jackster’s (non)ability to grow…anything. I mean, I’ve killed bamboo! I’m pretty sure all you have to do to keep bamboo alive is give it water every two weeks or so. And somehow I’ve even failed at that. My poor bamboo is now just one pathetic, withering stalk, sadly hanging on for dear life having outlasted it’s less robust comrades. I once broke an orchid in half taking it out of the plastic container protecting the flower. Plants do not like me.

Lucky for me, rarely does anyone ask me to take care of plants for them. I believe I was once asked to take care of a basil plant and I think we can all guess how that turned out. Warning: do not ask me to take care of plants for you if you actually want to have a living plant when you return.

I have a bit more luck with flowers that are…well…not actually alive. This garden cake was for a first birthday and its myriad of flowers and adorable animals is definitely more my garden style. I only wish I could have actual plants this cheery and fun (and alive), but for now I’ll stick to the cake versions. I feel like they can’t help but put a smile on your face!

Remember that last post I did about this ginormous cake? Well, this is what it turned out to be:

finished_cake

Yup, a First Communion cake! I really enjoyed making this cake. The concept was fairly simple, but I thought the design was quite elegant. The hardest part about this cake for me was the piping. I always get so nervous piping on letters because I’m worried that the letters are going to be too big, or the spacing is going to be off, or I’m going to make a spelling mistake, or the writing will be crooked. Slowly but surely my piping skills are improving though.

butterfly

The little girl also really wanted a butterfly on the cake. This one was made my pressing fondant into a silicone mold. It was super easy to make, but came out quite nice if I do say so myself.

I made two other cakes this weekend which I will be posting soon…as soon as I stop falling asleep.

Congratulations Valarie on your First Communion!