Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

Often while I'm creating a custom design for a client, I get a glimpse into their lives as they share with me the reasons behind their celebration. I recently completed this colorful FavorCake for a lovely couple planning their baby shower.

The enthusiasm from the mom-to-be was so contagious. I could feel her excitement through her emails as she shared a little bit about herself and why this pregnancy was such a miracle for her and her husband.

I was thrilled when she revealed her baby shower colors and inspired when she needed ideas on what to fill the boxes with.  With such a bright color combination and the fact that she was having a girl, I immediately thought of "Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice". So besides making this FavorCake look as sweet as possible we literally added a little sugar, spice, and everything nice into each box with colored sugar, a cinnamon stick, dried flowers, and lemonade flavored candy.

Our congratulations to the expecting couple and their precious baby girl on the way!

Continue reading...

Besame Mucho!

Every since I completed this FavorCake I have been itching to post it on my blog but it was created as a surprise for someone so I've been waiting . . . until today. Yay!

I was excited about creating this particular design for a couple of reasons. One because it was to be given as a romantic birthday surprise so hey, score one for romance, and this was my first International order traveling from my small Texas town all the way to Spain.

Seriously, the whole time I worked on this cake, I was humming the tune of ♫ Besame Mucho :-)

Kisses!

Continue reading...

{Fresh Out of the Oven} Circus/Carnival Theme FavorCake

First I must apologize to my blog (kiss kiss, hug hug) for not posting in a while. Things have been a bit hectic lately often leaving me to wonder if the circus is in town or is it just at my house :-) Speaking of the circus, I'm so excited about this latest FavorCake although I must admit, it is not an original design by me (Gasp!). It's actually a replica of one of the many amazing cakes from The Pink Cake Box owned by the talented Anne Heap.

I came across their website recently and was simply blown away by their cakes. Talk about color, imagination, uniqueness, and just plain "Wow!". While looking through their gallery something about their Carnival First Birthday Cake inspired me. I had to see if I could "reincarnate" it in the form of a FavorCake.

So I contacted them to ask about recreating their carnival cake not knowing if they would respond back let alone give me their blessing but they were so kind and gracious to do both. Thank you Pink Cake Box! I just hope I've done your wonderful cake design justice :-)

Continue reading...

All I Need is Some Wine and Cheese

I just wanted to add a quick post today. Both of my girls have been under the weather all week, thanks to those awful Texas allergies. So outside of cake orders, I haven't been able to do a craft for Party Favor Friday.

I was recently asked by a local charity I volunteer with to donate a FavorCake as a silent auction item for an upcoming fundraiser. The charity event is a wine tasting so I had wine and cheese on the brain when I created this. It kind of has a vintage Italian feel to it and would not only make a fitting centerpiece for a wine tasting but an elegant dinner party as well.

I picture it being filled with gourmet chocolates, mixed nuts or even lists of wine and recipe pairings. Okay, all this talk of food is making me hungry :-) Have a fabulous weekend!

Continue reading...

{Fresh Out of the Oven} Spider-Man at Sunset

Happy "Webby" Wednesday! Hardy har har :-) Okay corny but just a little lead into my newest FavorCake. Every since I completed my Batman Theme FavorCake I've been wanting to create another superhero design with Spider-Man. I've had this movie poster in mind as my inspiration and I finally found the time to transfer the idea in my head into a paper cake. I've named it Spider-Man at Sunset.

I think the next superhero design should be a heroine, Supergirl or Wonder Woman perhaps. Any thoughts?

Continue reading...

{Party Tip Tuesday} Check List Please!

Good or bad, I'm one of those people who makes lists for everything: "To do" lists, project lists, cleaning lists, wish lists, even creating lists for others in my house, notably the "Honey Do" list.  I may not accomplish everything on my lists but at least it keeps me focused on my day to day tasks.

Well adding to the "lists of lists" I recently searched the web for a party planning checklist, preferably paperless and I was really impressed with the one from Evite.com. It's free and you can manage it online or print it out. It looks extremely easy to use with a preset list of tasks that you set due dates for and check off when they're done. I also like the percentage ticker that tells you how much of your planning is complete.

So with my youngest daughter turning one this summer I think I'll be testing out this checklist to help me plan her party and report back on what I think.

If you have a party planning tool or tips you'd like to share, leave us a comment. We'd love to hear it!

Continue reading...

{Order Up!} Custom SpongeBob Squarepants FavorCake

We're at the beginning of another week. My my how time does fly. I can't believe half of the year is already passed. I just wanted to share a recent project I completed.

A mom planning a birthday party for her son who's turning four spotted my Mermaid Under the Sea FavorCake. She liked the design but wanted to customize it a bit to fit her son's party theme of SpongeBob Squarepants. She also requested that her son's name and age be displayed on the cake topper as well.

Here is the finished design. I love the look on SpongeBob's face. It's almost like he's saying "Surprise!" I hope her son will be pleased to have the one who lives in a pineapple under the sea at his party :-)

Continue reading...

{Party Favor Friday} Make Your Own Gift Box

So you've found the perfect little gift to give to someone special for a birthday, a wedding, or perhaps a housewarming party. Now what do you put int in? A plain white box is well . . . a plain white box and you're looking for something with a little more "oomf", or is it "oomph"?


Well look no further than your local craft store or maybe even your own craft room for some "oomf" colored card stock of your choice and coordinating ribbon. CraftStylish.com offers a very cool pattern and tutorial for creating your very own gift box. What better way to add some extra personalization to your gift than a handmade gift box to present it in.

I made my own box to test out the level of difficulty and on a scale from 1 to 5 with five being the most difficult, I would rate it at a three. The best thing about this box pattern is no need to glue. It's a very clever design that fits together. It did take me a minute to figure out the box top but my brain eventually kicked in :-) I certainly recommend reading the tip on scoring the box pattern on the tutorial. If you do, you're in good shape and you've got a cute little box.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Continue reading...

Computer Dads are Totally Rad

With Father's Day coming up on June 20th. I want to pay omige to all of the computer loving Dads out there including my husband. PCs, Macs, hard drives, software, network, programming, internet, you name it. They love it all and we love them. Here are some handmade gift ideas for Dad on Etsy that are truly Geek Chic.

a.b.c.

d. e. f.

g. h. i.

j. k. l.


a. Floppy Disk Pen and Pencil Holder from GeekGear
b. Short Circuit - Microfiber necktie from projector
c. Computer Keyboard Father's Day Card from CraftyCrocs
d. Dotted - Blue Circuit Keychain from beadworkbyamanda
e. Turn Off Your Computer Men's T-Shirt from mediumcontrol
f. Computer Mouse Cufflinks from Nostalgiclinks
g. Business Card Holder Clock from Recycled Hard Drive from TECOART
h. Yes I'm Cool Ice Cream Mousepad from heartsandlaserbeams
i. Google Pillow from Craftsquatch
j. Floppy Disk Coasters from TechnoChic
k. LEGO Computer Screen Tile Tie Tack Clutch & Chain from Cufflinks
l. Fly Fishing. Vinyl Decal Laptop from mediumcontrol

Continue reading...

{Wedding Wednesday} Seven Days in Vegas

I wish I could say I was spending seven days in Las Vegas but I'm not, at least not yet :-) A very dear friend of mine that I've known since kindergarten is celebrating her ten year wedding anniversary for a week in Vegas.

As a surprise to her husband, she plans to give him a small gift for each day of their trip so she asked me to create some gift boxes for her. I believe her exact words were a "sassy sexy favor cake".

Well I think red is about as sassy and sexy as they come. I made the bottom half of the boxes from black and white card stock called Paris Nights and used a rich red color for the lids which I accented with black tags numbered from one to seven.

She loved the boxes and I'm sure her husband will love receiving a gift for everyday of their trip. So congratulations on ten years of happiness and I wish my friends ten times ten more :-)

Continue reading...

{Party Tip Tuesday} Stick It To 'Em

Happy Tuesday! I just wanted to share a quick party favor idea to fill those favor boxes for a child's party. Stickers! Stickers and children go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly or milk and cookies.

The great thing about stickers is that they're easy to find, they're economical, they come in every theme imaginable, and kids LOVE them. Well how about taking it one step further and offering personalized stickers to your party guests.

ShinDigz.com offers a vast selection of party stickers in various themes that you can personalize with your child's name, date of the party, or a short thank you message. Here are a few examples from their website.



For about $2.50 per sheet, you'll get eight stickers measuring 3 inches in diameter that you can personalize with up to four lines of wording. You can even order them as buttons for $.99 each.

Now that's an idea one can "stick" to :-)

Continue reading...

{Fresh Out of the Oven} Grads and Light Fairies

June is a very busy month for many with Summer activites, weddings, graduations, and Father's day to name a few. And the heat, oh the heat! It's already 90 degrees in my neck of the woods.

Just in time for those Summer graduation parties is a custom graduation FavorCake made to match your school colors. I designed my demo cake after my own Alma Mater. It includes up to two school colors, coordinating ribbon, and a graduation cap cake topper personalized with your school name or initials.


Another design I recently completed is an ode to the Disney Light Fairy, Iridessa. My daughter and I are big fans of Tinkerbell and her friends and I absolutely love how actress Raven Symone has brought Iridessa to life in the Disney films so this was certainly a fun project to create. Of course now my daughter is asking me about making a Rosetta FavorCake. Hmmmmmm, a future cake design perhaps :-)

FavorCakes by Erica would like to congratulate all class of 2010 graduates and wishes everyone a wonderful week!

Continue reading...

Well Wishes for the Bride and Groom

Happy Wednesday and for those who apply, Happy Wedding Wednesday! I thought I'd share a project I just completed for a Bridal Shower. A while back I had reconnected with an old friend from high school through Facebook (I love FB, by the way). She recently asked me to create a FavorCake for a bridal shower with the colors were lavender and celadon. What a beautiful color combination!

In addition to making the cake serve as a centerpiece and favor boxes for the guests to take home, I wanted to include something special for the bride and groom. With that in mind, I personalized the topper box with the groom and soon-to-be bride's initials and I included some decorative strips of paper for each guest of the bridal shower to write a piece of advice or well wishes for the happy couple.

The host of the shower can then gather everyone's notes and place them in the topper box to give to the bride and groom as a memorable personalized gift from their friends and family.

Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful rest of the week.
FavorCakes by Erica

Continue reading...

Party Favor Friday: That's the Stuff!

When you think of party favors for a child's birthday, you might immediately think of small toys or candy to give to your guests but have you ever considered something a little more "stuffy"? Rita Aceves is the creator of Beary Cute Stuffables, a mom-owned company that allows children to build their own stuffed animal. I recently interviewed Rita to get all the good "stuff" about her business.


What are the advantages of including a stuffing activity with a child's birthday celebration?
One of the advantages is saving money on goody bags. We all know that we spend quite of bit of money on filling those as our thank you for our party guests. Unfortunately, most of these "goodies" end up in the trash or lost at the bottom of a toy box (if not in the car on the way home from the party!). When you schedule a Beary Cute Party, every child will leave with a fun, hands-on activity and a great memorable gift that they helped create.

Our Stuffables are a 3-in-1 solution:
1. The party activity
2. Thank you gift
3. Memorable keepsake

Another advantage is you can offer our stuffing activity in the comfort of your home. If you are local to the Austin area, we're available to host your Beary Cute Party. If you're not local to the Austin area, we also ship our kits nationwide!

You carry a wide range of stuffables and outfits. Is it possible to tailor a Beary Cute Party to fit a certain theme and even a certain budget?
Many parents appreciate our variety of stuffables and outfits at their parties. At the same time, they are welcome to request a certain theme. We have hosted cowboy-theme parties with barnyard animals such as cows, pigs, and horses -- including cowboy and cowgirl outfits! Our party packages begin at only $8 per child, which we feel is very affordable, especially when you consider that this is the cost for the party activity and thank you gift for every child. At parties, we ensure to only make available the party package you request.

How easy is it for a parent or party planner to set up a Beary Cute Party and how far in advance should they plan it?
It's as simple as giving us a call or sending us an email! When you offer us your tentative party date and time, we will inform you of our availability. We will send you (or you can download on our website) our reservation form for you to return to us and directions to place your deposit -- and you will be scheduled! Depending on our availability, we have had parents schedule Beary Cute Parties days before their party. At the same time, we have also had parents schedule their Beary Cute Parties a year or more in advance.

Just for fun, how many stuffing parties would you say your business hosts in one year?
In 2009, we hosted over 35 Beary Cute Parties and delivered/shipped over 20 DIY Beary Cute Parties. In 2010, we have already hosted about 20 Beary Cute Parties.

As a mother, business owner, and fitness instructor I imagine your schedule is full like a lot of us moms. What's the most helpful tip you can offer when it comes to planning a birthday party for your child?
My most helpful tip is to focus on the reason for the celebration -- a birthday. Keeping it simple and focusing on your child's favorite activity is the key for my children's birthday parties. As a mother, it is very tempting for me to want to make large purchases when preparing for my child's upcoming party; yet, some of the best parties I have attended have been small, close-knit parties with best buddies, neighborhood friends, and family. Simple, fun parties are the best!

For more information on Beary Cute Stuffables, please visit their website at www.bearycutestuffables.com

Continue reading...

Order Up! One Under the Sea FavorCake

Happy Monday everyone! It's been a little while since my last blog post. We had a loss in the family last week so my internet activity slowed down considerably but I was still busy working on my FavorCakes.

I love custom orders and this Under the Sea FavorCake was so much fun to create. It will be shipping out today to a home soon to be celebrating a birthday party for a special little girl turning five.

Hopefully we'll get some pictures of how the celebration turns out so we can post them on our blog. In the meantime, FavorCakes wishes everyone a wonderful week.

Continue reading...

Party Favor Friday: Chocolate Bath Salts

With Teacher Appreciation Week coming to an end and Mother's Day approaching, I wanted to find a craft project that would make a thoughtful and relaxing gift for all of the teachers at my daughter's pre-school.

I came across this wonderful recipe for chocolate bath salts at TheMerryChocoholic.com This was incredibly easy to put together and most of the ingredients were already in my kitchen cupboard. My four year old daughter helped mix everything together. The aroma of chocolate smelled so good she kept asking "Are you sure we can't eat this?"

Once complete, we put a few spoonfuls in cellophane bags, sealed them with pretty brown and pink card stock, and topped them off with yellow bows. Here's our finished project.

These chocolate bath salts would make fun favors for a pamper party, ladies luncheon, or girls night in. You can choose decorative card stock to fit your party theme and even print out the recipe for your guests.

Visit us again next Friday for a new party favor craft. Have a great Mother's Day weekend.

Continue reading...