Pretty as a Peacock Party Cake!

 

Our friend Joel is celebrating a super special milestone this month - marking one year of sobriety. He is a die-hard NHL Vancouver Canucks fan (even though he is from Montana) and has never been to a hockey game - so it seemed like the coolest and most special gift ever to give him two tickets to a Canucks game! We celebrated his one-year with a blue and green party!

I'm kind of into the idea of minimalist parties these days - maybe I have dessert table fatigue? Of course I love design and matchy matchiness and craft and the love and care that goes into a mega- coordinated party... but sometimes it's nice to just throw something together on the casual. I feel inspired by Jordan at Oh Happy Day for that. Her parties always feel like just enough party-time-ness - there's a modern simplicity to it - but never overdone.

Or, maybe I've just become party-lazy!!! Ha...

For party decor, I purchased two rolls of crepe paper streamers in blue and green at my local party supply shop for $2 each, and used them to make minimal decorations around the house. The good thing about minimal decor is it's not going to cost you an arm and a leg. I twisted the two together to make a loose easy garland around the window, then cut strips of streamers in alternating colours and taped them up to the doorway! I "finished" the edges by cutting a little "V" shape into them - nerd alert!

Testing out frosting styles with my two-toned buttercream!

And a close-up of the finished cake ... Isn't this, in TLC's words, crazy sexy cool!? Ha. Head on over to CRAFTSY for the full peacock coloured buttercream cake tutorial! Yes, I'm writing for the awesome Do It Yourself blog Craftsy now and I'm very excited about it!

And there ya go. Perfect for a simple birthday party, or a bridal shower, or a peacock themed party... or a one year sobriety party! Hooray Joel! We are so happy for you.

What are some of your favourite "throw a party on the fly" tricks? Would love to hear. 

xo Lyndsay

Lemon Frill Buttercream Cake For Peti!

 

The amazing Erin's super cool mom celebrated her 60th birthday this past Sunday.. and she got an incredible present indeed... her first grandson, River! Eeks! 

I had a visit with the little mini man himself, he was ten days old, and he looked like a handsome rascal already with his golden blond (accidental) pompadour and "California tan" skin. Erin was beaming and looked so happy and relaxed with her sweet new little babe. 

Man. Life is wild, isn't it. Pretty, pretty great. 

Erin requested a lemon cake for her mama - and of course I happily obliged - lemon with lemon creamcheese frosting. I also made a cute little cake bunting and matching flag - I love how such simple accoutrements can say "celebrate!" Simple and sweet. 

Happy 60th birthday Peti! It's going to be such a fun year with River! And congratulations dear Erin and Dave!

xo Lyndsay 

Chocolate Raspberry Purple Ruffly Cake Cuteness!

Honestly. Sometimes I just want to put it on my head and wear it around like a pillbox hat. But then it would tip and unbalance and flop on the floor and I would have a big old cakey buttercream insanity mess to clean up! No to wearing cakes as hats, says me.

This cake! I loved it. And it was for a really lovely baby shower for the amazing Miranda of Blue Olive Photography, and all of her dear and crazy-creative friends threw her this really amazing looking party. Jeanie and Andrea were behind the shower awesomeness set-up and gorgeous decorations, in such a cute colour palette - yellow, grey, blue, orange and purple! No one asked me to make the cake purple but when I think of Miranda's photography and style I think vibrant, fun and bright. Violet purple ruffle-puff buttercream cake just seemed like the right thing to do!

Thanks ladies for having Coco Cake as a part of the beautiful celebration. 

And CONGRATULATIONS Miranda and Riley! Super exciting baby boy times ahead! 

xo Lyndsay

Last photo of cupcake set up with adorable bunting by Jeanie Ow!

Sweet Lillie's 1st Ruffly Pink Cupcake Birthday

A cool thing about having a baby is meeting other ladies who have babies. You become mama pals. And your babies in turn become buddies! It's a wild ride, this baby roller coaster. But having cool new mom pals to hang out with is pretty sweet. I hadn't seen Yani in years, and happened to run into her one evening in September while I was gingerly, nervously strolling my two week old kid - was he going to stay sleeping? Would he blow his top and scream cry in the middle of the street, far away from the safety of our home?

It was my first venture out - going for ice cream. (I had chocolate peanut butter. Heh). Lo and behold there was Yani and her extended family - she had a kid too!! Not just any baby, either - the cutest, roundest, most styling little baby named Lillie! Adorable! Of course she would be styling. Yani and Paul, Lillie's parents, are Vancouver's most fashionable couple!

Yani asked me to make some pink ruffly vanilla cupcakes for Lillie's 1st birthday at Collage Collage. It was a wonderful little party, a giant pink balloon for the birthday baby, drinks and snacks, pompom making (i really wanted to make one!) and plenty of family and friends warming up the place.

So cute. Happy 1st birthday Lillie! Glad Teddy and I got to come and say hi!

xo Lyndsay

(photos of Lillie's party by Lynne Turner)

Pink Ruffles, Pink Flags ... Love and Peace to all.

I think of all the wonderful cakes and cupcakes I've made for so many beautiful children. That excitement of your birthday party when you're a kid ... a special day that's yours only, with treats and love and special words, hugs and kisses from family and friends and maybe even presents, too. The joy and innocence and sweetness of little ones.

I can't snuggle and hug my little baby enough these last few days, hold him close and love him so much. 

May love and hope and goodness prevail in the world...

xo Lyndsay

Piper's Little Birdie 1st Birthday!

These photographs are much too lovely to blabber over - Piper's 1st birthday back in July - I made the pink ruffly cake and cupcakes, with a little birdie flag. My amazing sister did all of the party design including signage, loot bags, colouring pages! And she has three little ones still 4 years old and under. Happy 1st birthday adorable little Piper! Love you!

Beautiful photography by Lori K.

PURRRPLE cupcakes for Kensie

 

My little 3 year old niece Kensie is what I call a wonderful nutbar - full of energy and sweetness. She likes playing fake lemonade stand, LOVES mermaids and princessy dress up but ALSO loves pretending she's Linsanity (Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks) or Ryan Kesler (of the Vancouver Canucks). She's super athletic already - both her parents are sports stars. When I was pregnant with Teddy, she'd always ask me what the baby was saying, and was he sleeping in there, and what did he look like, and what was his name?? She would kiss me belly and would make sure I ate enough:  "you have to eat Auntie Lyndsay, for the baby!!" She's so cute sometimes it makes me want to cry, you just never want these sweet little monkeys to grow up even one more minute, you want them to stay mini and hilarious and innocent forever... !

Kensie loves the colour purple... and has been talking about her purple cupcakes that Auntie Lyndsay is making for her 3rd birthday party since probably the day after her 2nd birthday... ! I made chocolate cupcakes with light purple vanilla buttercream, and a ruffly buttercream cake, with a hand drawn special mermaid flag in the likeness of Kensie!!

Happy birthday to my little munchkin Kensie! Auntie Lyndsay loves you lots!

Rufflepuff Buttercream Buddies

A few ruffly cute buttercream cakes with cake banners for you...


A vanilla buttercream cake (I believe the inside layers were a pale lavender...) for little Hannah's birthday with silvery cute cake bunting. 

Dark chocolate mocha cake for my beautiful friend Shira's 30th birthday (way back in December!)... She is opening a modern vegetarian restaurant here in Vancouver called The Acorn! Can't wait... it will be a splendid success, as Shira puts her heart and soul into everything she does and couldn't be a lovelier person or sweeter friend to me.

Rufflepuff jumbotron RAINBOW cake for cute Ava's birthday - I never got a photo of the insides, sadly - but I ROYGBIV-ed the insides to make rainbow layers with vanilla buttercream. This thing weighed a ton (possibly for real?)... And lookit the cute buttons my friend Phanie made for Coco Cake - so adorable.

That's all for now cake pals... but I will say that I am now 32 weeks pregnant with my first child... a baby boy on his way! He's kicking out the jams in my getting-jumbo baby belly as I type this. I imagine this will change my life in every way possible. And I can't wait to make his very first cake from mama to baby. xoxo