Coco Cake Land Lately

Follow Coco Cake Land on Instagram!  Plenty of behind the scenes cakey times and little snippets of Coco Cake Land life. The top photo features these crazy cute cake toppers by Little Cat Design Co for Sweet and Saucy Shop! My fancy photos were all ruined due to some glitchy computer irritation (I dunno what happened but I am bummed!) so all I have is this little instagram pic for now until I re-shoot - Rats! 

Hope you're all doing great, cake pals - and happy happy Thanksgiving long weekend to my pie eating American readers and friends! My dream is to be invited to an American style Thanksgiving feast one year. How many pies are at your Thanksgiving dinner??

xo Lyndsay

Coco Cake Land via Instagram - Baking Galore + Alt For Everyone

What an awesome week. I feel jam-slammed busy these days but still it's fun to be jumping from food-flying kid play dates to baking up a storm in the kitchen to styling cake photos to my kid's music class to editing and writing... this week was extra sweet because Alt For Everyone happened! Alt For Everyone is a design and blogging online conference where participants from all over the world log in and meet in an online forum. Top bloggers, designers and photographers give inspiring classes on various tools for building your blog, and it's a fun chance to meet, chat and connect with fellow bloggers from all over. It was my second time participating and I truly loved it - it's really fun to connect and build community amongst fellow bloggers - you spend so much time working behind a computer that it's just so nice to connect and chat with others who are in the same blogging boat! Plus, at $125, that's a steal of a deal, man. From coding to photo styling to how to sell ads on your blog plus inspiration and new blog friends galore - for me, worth every nickel. 

I made this washi tape moustache as part of an Alt For Everyone Instagram hashtaggy thing. Not a bad last minute moustache, right? 

So fun to chat, connect and crack jokes with: 

Melissa, sweetest baker and maker and super fun Alt chat room buddy at Lulu The Baker

Sharon, coolest mom ever who eats nachos in a hot tub while watching Dirty Dancing and throws the raddest parties (Ziggy Stardust party!) for her kids at Cupcakes + Cutlery

Jenny, garland queen and all around amazing craft stylist at Hank + Hunt

and discover new blogs such as

Danielle's blog about inspiring children's books at This Picture Book Life

Jessica's beautiful photography and visual life stories at Team Wiking 

Victoria's bright and pretty design inspiration blog Oh So Pretty

Brooke's party and inspiration blog Lemon Drop Blog 

and so many more!

I was inspired and stoked by: 

Wit & Delight's wonderful keynote - distilling your brand and defining your core message and values - and going forth and creating beautiful, consistent content based on that defining core message.

Liz of Say Yes To Hoboken started her blog as a creative outlet while working as a high school guidance counsellor. Everyone starts somewhere!

House of Brinson's awesome photo styling class - cannot wait to play around with my photos and styling and work on some more mood enhancing photos and get crazy with props.

Things I learned at Alt For Everyone, in no particular order: 

1. Favicon is a thing, not just the potential name of a sweet fantasy metal band
2. I'm not the only one who doesn't wear pants while blogging or tweeting.
3. Bloggers are such a supportive community - people really look out for each other!
4. Content is truly king - beautiful, original and engaging content is the key to growing your blog
5. Blogging is hard work - I already knew this (I've been blogging for 5 years!) But success doesn't happen overnight for anyone! Be kind, open, community-minded, work hard and create awesome content - and things will surely happen.
6. Women can rock moustaches pretty pretty good.

Happy Monday, everyone!

xo Lyndsay 

Coco Cake Land, Lately - Instagram Roundup

Hello, Mister guitar playing fox! Custom hand drawn topper I made for my dear friend Miko's daughter Saya's birthday ... based on a favourite cute book of hers!



A raspberry buttercream ruffly cute cake I made for my Poh-poh's 91st birthday. Yes, my grandma is 91 years old. She told me this birthday would be her last one - that she's "too old!" but I said hang on, lady! Nine more years to go before the big 100!

Poh poh with two birthday cakes (can you tell which one I made?) surrounded by 5 out of 6 great grandchildren!




Triple colour blaster neon cupcake!

 

My little man waiting for his daddy to get home and getting a close look at the dog I drew on daddy's chalkboard wall.



Cute handdrawn toppers I made for a bridal shower - kitty and monkey bride and groom!




Pretty cupcake wrappers ... I thought these looked like a ruffly paper flower. From a super cute DIY project (posting soon!) I made for Poppytalk!




I offer you this cupcake on this delightful mini trophy pedestal. Reach on in to the computer and grab it! :)

 


Pretty in pastel... cake batter!
 

A party for ghosts... pastel cotton candy cute cake... post coming soon! Happy Monday, cake pals! 

How was your weekend? Hope it was great... stay tuned for this week's super cute cake Wednesday DIY and Friday recipe! 

xo Lyndsay

Dreaming of you - Cake Life via Instagram

We just came back from a sleepy dreamy week in the mountains at our family's 1971 cabin. I took Teddy swimming in a green lake (where he mostly tried to put rocks in his mouth) and we stood and cheered on some very muscular and fit superhumans as they ran the Ironman! Holy man, those are some fit men and ladies! I weep with joy at weddings, I cry at the gym when Teen Mom 2 is on (the hardships! the loss of innocence!), and I get teary eyed standing sidelines at marathons - all those friends and family cheering on their loves ones! Just call me a cultural crybaby. 

We spent Teddy's actual day of birth at the cabin and my parents came up for the night - my mom showed up with the cutest shiny red star balloon for Teddy! We had a fun, quiet birthday for him with an angel food cake, strawberries and whipped cream. I was an emotional waterworks wreck that day, thinking about all we had been through as a new family of three this past year. 

I felt happy and grateful and full of love. 

xo Lyndsay 

Instacakes: Snippets of Our Summer So Far

I've had such a fun summer so far... how about you? Fun cake orders, super fun styled shoots for Poppytalk and You Are My Fave,  freelance writing about cakes for Craftsy, and swimming and enjoying the sun with my little son Teddy as much as possible! Oooh Teddy turns 1 on August 20th... I can hardly believe it... and that is also, weirdly, the same date as my very first post on this here blog!

Celebration time! I've learned and grown so much as a blogger... and I continue to enjoy connecting with you all and sharing cakes and tutorials and party fun, too. 

Speaking of parties... I'm doing a dog themed 1st birthday for my pup-loving little guy... what did you do for your little one's first birthday? Leave me a link to your party photos in the comments! Would love to see!

Also, if you are also a blogger, please leave me a link to your blog in the comments. I'd love to connect.

Happy Summer,

xo Lyndsay

PS follow Coco Cake Land on INSTAGRAM!

Dreamy Instagram Cake Roundup!

Some recent cakes from Coco Cake Land, all instagrammed out!