Christmas Cake Decorating Contest

So, it's Monday, and I am still cleaning up powdered sugar from every nook and cranny of my house!

We had our first annual Christmas Cake Decorating contest on Saturday, 3 teams - 3 different designs. The idea was borne by my husband when we started watching Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes. You might recall the Halloween Cake contest, we only had two entrants for that one, and they were both very clever.

My brother-in-law decided to get in on this one as my partner, but he had to go to work, so I had to finish ours by myself.

My husband has become quite the baker. He started preparing about 2 weeks ago. He baked 6 cakes, made 3 batches of Modeling Chocolate, 2 batches of fondant and a huge batch of buttercream frosting. I think he used about 10 pounds of powdered sugar - talk about sugar overload!!

We started out the day with a clean kitchen counter and 2 clean tables for work stations.

As the day progressed, and everyone was feverishly putting their cakes together, things got a little messy.


The last picture is me right after I tried to brush some powdered sugar off of my sweater, forgetting that I had powdered sugar all over my hands - DOH!!!

It was a great day, and didn't end until about 7:00, when all of the cakes were complete.

Here's the final outcome - 3 beautiful Christmas cakes!

Leave a comment and tell us what you think. We would love to see pictures of your Christmas Cakes.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Buy Handmade at Handmade Holiday

This is the first year for Handmade Holiday. I have plans to do more shows throughout the year - probably one for each season. I strongly felt there was a need, here in Grand Junction, to do an art & craft fair/show that featured strictly "handmade" items, hence the name:

Handmade Holiday
The Biggest, Little Art & Craft Fair
featuring
The Finest Artists & Crafters on the Western Slope.

I also felt the need, and it has been validated and supported by the artists and crafters, that we, as a community, are wanting to get "back to our roots", so to speak. Buying and giving handmade is a way of doing that. Not only is the buying public getting good quality items for gift-giving or themselves, they can meet and get to know the artist behind the great design. It is a much more personal experience than buying off the rack at the local chain store or off the internet. They are able to use all of their senses, and make a decision based on actually seeing, touching, hearing, smelling and tasting what catches their eye. They not only get the sensory satisfaction, they are also supporting local entrepreneurs and keeping money in the local economy.

We have 50 artists and crafters from the Western Slope, from Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Montrose, Rifle, Cedaredge, Hotchkiss, Eckert. It is a very diverse group of artisans. You can check out our blog at www.handmadeholiday.wordpress.com to see some of the featured artists - a wide variety of talented artists and crafters.

We will have a raffle ($1 per ticket) featuring items donated by the artists, all of the proceeds go to a local charity.

There will be a food cart, so food will be available.

So, please come down to the Lincoln Park Barn in Grand Junction and see the great art that your neighbors are creating!

Halloween Cake Contest

It's October 31 and I wanted to tell everyone

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Have you ever watched "Cake Boss"?

We had a cake decorating contest a couple of weeks ago. Two teams, my husband and my oldest son, and my mother-in-law and my youngest son. I was the "judge", along with our dog, Tallie.

The cakes weren't quite as extravagant as what Buddy and his team make, but they were very clever, creative and good to eat. They used cake, rice krispie treats, and even made fondant, which is like a frosting play-doh.

It was really fun to watch them put things together and see the building progression.

Tallie and I couldn't come to a decision, so we unanimously decided that everyone won! I went online and found a "cake-judging" form, made a certificate for the winner, and made each of them a 1/2" sterling silver 1st place medal.

So, without further ado - here are the cakes:












You decide which one is the best!

We'll be doing another cake contest for Christmas, so check back. We are adding another team - my brother-in-law and me. So I guess Tallie will have to be the only judge!

Handmade Holiday Featured Artists

We have so many talented artists in Grand Junction, Colorado.

See them here

Handmade Holiday

I have been pretty busy the past couple of months putting together an artisan and craft fair, here, in Grand Junction, Colorado.

It's called Handmade Holiday, and it will be at Lincoln Park Barn on Saturday, November 14 from 10 - 4.

We have 40+ local artists, and the best part about it is there are no "home-based" businesses or flea market stuff - strictly handmade!! I was really pleased with the response I got when I first proposed this idea - everyone is really excited to not have to compete with "mass-produced" things.

Check out Handmade Holiday blog for news and especially local featured artists that will be participating in the craft fair.

It's going to be a great show!!!!