I have a confession to make. Because of my dedication to you my dear readers, my life happens to be a bit out of control at the moment. Given everything else that's been going on as well, I just wasn't too prepared for the sudden arrival of my daughter's seventh birthday and the necessity to perpetuate the custom of cute and colorful decorations and a cake for the family party. And now that I go by the name "creativejewishmom", well the pressure is almost too much to bear! What was I thinking? I should have called myself ordinaryjewishmom, or even klutzyjewishmom, that sure would have been a much easier line to tow!
Well, it's too late now, so I just have to do my best to try live up to the name I created for myself! And believe me, there's no time for self pity when there's a party to decorate and a cake to make! Here's what I did:
First I put a cheerful vintage tablecloth on the table, then I grabbed the only tissue paper and crepe paper I could find hanging out in my studio, and together with some floral wire, I made four big flowers. I went searching for a vase, and came upon this footed favorite. There also happened to be a block of floral foam sitting in the same cabinet, so I stuck that into the vase and it was a great anchor for the flowers. Nice!
The second task was to make some paper decorations. I took out my box of rubber stamps, a permanent marker, and the last few sheets of colored paper I could find, and got to work. I stamped a pattern on a few sheets, to use as what? I knew I'd find a use for it. I drew some number sevens, a crown and some pieces to make a layered cake. I cut the pieces out and set them aside.
Okay, now for the family tradition of bedecking the chandelier in ribbons! And the paper cut-outs fit so nicely on the door, it even looks planned! Oh how I love creative guidance from above when it's really needed!
Oh, and how about those matroyshka dolls, they would look cute with party hats! In the midst of trying to figure out how to make a cone-shaped party hat I realized that crowns would actually be much cuter and would use much less of my precious paper. Now things are starting to look like a party!
But what about the cake? Phew, it came out of the teddy bear cake pan with no glitches! I then did my best to whip up the non-dairy whip, but as is par for the course it just didn't get as stiff as I would have liked. I checked the beet that was cooking in a pot of water to use as a replacement for red food coloring, and to my horror the water was brown and not red! Pressed for time and not able to look up how one goes about actually making beet juice, I took the cooked beet and squeezed it with my hand over the bowl of frosting!
I must say this was quite a sight, and the young children watching were quite enthralled!
I very nervously iced the cake and then proceeded to decorate it with slices of licorice and round chocolate candies and of course sprinkles. I knew that whatever the outcome, the addition of a crown and some other paper cut-outs would save the day! (And it did.) I think this sort of looks like the girly version of the previous teddy bear cake that you can see here. It won't win any Wilton awards, but that's okay, it has that trendy hand-crafted look that a professional looking cake just wouldn't have! And besides, it was made with love, a mother's love for her oh so sweet daughter who is growing up so fast!
The party was a hit, and I hope you enjoyed this birthday saga! I must say I had myself in stitches over this post, and I promise it's all true. Every single word! All I can really say at this point is that I am grateful for my heaven sent ability to perform creative feats under extreme pressure!
What more could a creativejewishmom want or need?
