Karren's Specialty Cakes

Mad Hatter Tea Party

2011-07-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, a lovely friend of mine was expecting her first baby girl (after three boys) and was in need of a baby shower. We went crazy with the theme of a Mad Hatter 'super-girly' tea party. Here is the Cake:

An amazing photographer and friend, Tamera Orduna Photography, was in attendance and snapped a couple photos of the refreshments and decorations. I love how she made even the simplest things look epic!

Traditional crustless tea sandwiches:

Chicken and Thyme was served on buttered white bread with a filling of chicken breast, mayo, dry mustard, lemon juice, worcheshire, thyme, and salt & pepper.

Cranberry Chicken was served on lightly toasted raisin bread and spread of homemade cranberry cream cheese. The filling is chopped sauted chicken, toasted pecans, craisins, alfalfa sprouts, and a small amount of mayo to bind.)

Petite Cucumber sandwich requires only whole wheat bread, cream cheese, Major Grey's mango chutney and cucumber medallions.

These Fresh Fruit Tea Tarts have a crust of pate sucre (3 c. pastry flour, 1 c. butter, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 eggs, salt and vanilla) and a filling of lemon curd (12 egg yolks, 2 c. sugar, 1 c. lemon juice, and 1 c. butter). A little fresh fruit and glaze completes the treat.

Tea was served, of course (don't you just love these cups!?)

The decorations, not provided by myself, were gorgeous and sooo fun! These centerpieces and hanging orbs were made from tissue paper.

Alternatives to Cupcakes

2011-07-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

After a long silence, I am posting a couple of the tasty things I've made in recent months. WhenI had the business, I was often asked to provide gluten/dairy/or egg-free desserts. I don't particularly enjoy using cake-y substitutes for flour and dairy like 'garbanzo starch' or 'soy silky dream'...they never quite taste like the thing they're pretending to be. Instead, it is fun to make a 'safe food' cleverly disguised to look like festive birthday fare.

This little cupcake is made out of jello. Following the recipe for "Jigglers", I layered the various flavors to make a fun rainbow. The reusable silicone cupcake wrappers that you can find at any cake store or craft store featuring Wilton products work well, and can be unmolded easily after properly chilling. The icing is a non-dairy whipped topping, sprinkled with dark chocolate covered sunflower seeds.

These cupcakes served along side their egg, dairy, and gluten filled counterparts were actually the first to go.

These little morsels are made using chocolate and ice cream. One could easily substitute sorbet or fresh fruit, and not non-dairy whipped topping to accommodate other allergies.

To make the pho-cupcake base, use melted chocolate chips (in this cake dark chocolate) and apply with a pastry brush to the inside of parchment cupcake liners. All to harden in the cupcake tin to keep the form consistent. When solidified, peel away paper. Now the form is free to fill with ice cream, mousse, fruit, or sorbet, and top with something creamy. In this example I used heavy whipping cream and raspberry jam, accented by upside down chocolate chips for polka dots.

Nanny Libby

2011-02-14T11:14:00.000-08:00

So, I have been making the occational cake for friends and family. Saturday, we had a baby shower for a friend with a great sense of humor. We constructed a replica of her Boxer, Libby. Libby is very excited to assist in the nurturing of the new little arrival.

I have included a couple of pictures to give you an idea of how this cake was made. The basic shape of the cake began with a stack of 6" hearts on the bottom, followed by 8" ovals, and the neck used 3 1/2" rounds. The head was constructed using foam balls and modeling chocolate (this cake needed to be kosher for religious reasons, so the typical medium of rice cereal and marshmallows could not be used)

Now that I am not baking for the general public, Sonya is allowed in the kitchen to watch.
The cake is covered in "stucko" after carving, which is a mixture of mousseline buttercream, filling, and cake crumbs. It allows for a smoother surface to ice.

The next step is a thick and very smooth layer of ganache. At this stage, you add the subtle details like muscle tone, brow ridges, etc.

Now, you can add the fondant, food coloring paint, ears and eyes.

The finishing touch of a matriarchal-looking lace cap and, VOULA! Instant Nanny!

Which one is the cake? Who knows- they both look soooooo excited!

So, what did I do on the first day of the first year without my cake business....?

2011-01-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

...I made a cake, of course!!!

This was a wedding cake for the little sister of my very good friend, Rebecca. The request was to have an Oregon Forest-looking waterfall with a little bench and outhouse incorporated. I followed instructions. In the picture, the water looks black...weird lighting, I guess; but I assure you the waterfall was a dark blue.

You can see, in the background of this picture (in my kitchen just before delivery) that I used icecream cones to form the trees. I also mashed up fresh brownies to form the boulders, and poured gelatin to give a running water look.

The Last One...officially

2010-11-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

This is the last cake that I will be doing under the name of Karren's Specialty Cakes. It was a sweet sixteen cake for a girly-girl who likes purses, shoes, and purple. This is what we came up with.
I will still post fun little cakes I do for family and friends along with, perhaps, some of my secrets and tips in the future. Stay tuned...

Food that looks like food....

2010-10-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

...that it tastes nothing like. I promise you that these Tater Tots do not taste like nuggets of fried and salted potato mush:-).

The Battlestar!

2010-09-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, this is actually a Wedding cake. It was for a SUPER fun couple, with the groom being a huge BSG fan.

They even let me stick around to watch it's demolition! So much fun!

A Pretty Garden Wedding

2010-08-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

This wedding cake was designed to match the flowers of the family's backyard garden. Unfortunately, this past Saturday topped out at over 100 degrees, and the cake needed to be set up in the air conditioned living room.
This will be one of only a few remaining cake posts, as we will be discontinuing our business. Stay tuned for the final 3 weddings remaining on our schedule.

Closing shop

2010-07-31T22:24:00.001-07:00

We served the greater Portland area since October 2006. Sadly, due to health reasons, we have decided to discontinue our business. We will miss interacting with the community and participating in the special events of your lives. There are many qualified bakers who have arrived in the Portland area since we opened shop. They should be a great resource to you. One in particular is Artisan Cake Company whose business model most closely mirrors that of Karren's Specialty Cakes. Once again, thank you for all the business and loyalty!

Can you name the movie?

2010-07-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

What movie is the cake based on?

If you said Wizard of Oz, you would be correct.

The Lough Road

2010-07-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

A well know Wilderness Photographer, Rodney Lough Jr., celebrated his 50th birthday yesterday.

In celebration, his daughters ordered him a cake in the shape of his camera. Here is Karren's interpretation of his camera strapped down for display.

Happy birthday Rodney!

If Big Foot could skate .....

2010-07-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

He would use these:

To give you a reference, the wheels are over 4 inched in diameter.

These old school roller skate cakes were for a skate instructor's surprise 50th birthday at Oaks Amusement Park.

80's Style Wedding

2010-07-17T23:13:00.001-07:00

The wedding cake was commissioned to match the wedding invitation and the colors of the wedding.

The groom's cake was an 80's style boom box.

Girls' Camp

2010-07-11T23:30:00.001-07:00

Karren attended a Girls' Camp in Washington for an afternoon to teach garde-manger to some teenagers. They learned quickly as you can see from the photos. Karren only did the small melon in the first photo as a demo. The rest was all them.

Yet Another Gaming Cake

2010-06-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

Relay For Life Cookies

2010-06-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

Man, 10 dozen cookies is a lot of cookies! The American Cancer Society is a great cause, right? We think so. You can purchase these cookies at the following events:

Bark For Life
Evelyn Schiffler Park
SW Erickson Ave and SW 10th St.
Saturday June 26, 2010 10:00am - 2:00 pm

2010 Relay For Life of Beaverton OR
Valley Catholic High School
July 24th, 10:00am to July 25th

All proceeds got to the American Cancer Society!

Tea for Two

2010-06-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

What do you give twin girls for their 70th birthday?

Purse

2010-06-13T22:51:00.000-07:00

This cake was for Amanda's High School graduation party. Karren was commissioned to copy her purse and some of the items found therein. Congratulations Amanda!

Here is a side by side comparison.

Candy Cake

2010-06-13T22:35:00.000-07:00

This cake was designed for a candy themed girls birthday party. The cake delivery revealed a that home was FILLED with candy of every conceivable type and color. There was enough sugary stuff to make an entire middle school sick, but a mere 15 young girls were given the task! How they were able to save room for cake, I may never know! (I was informed that a toothbrush was included with every goody-bag:-)

Last's Weekends Graduation Cake

2010-06-09T22:10:00.000-07:00

Can you tell what this mother is graduating in?

Can you tell where the cake is?

2010-05-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

Karren threw a "little man" themed baby showers for one of her best friends this evening who is having twins. The cake is on the table below. Can you tell which item it is?

Did you guess right?

Every element of the cake was edible! Yummy hammer anyone?

A Love Story

2010-05-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

My first purse cake deserves a telling of a tender little story. I recently made a cake for the wedding of Mr and Mrs X. Several months later, Mr X was planning an elaborate birthday party for his bride, and placed an order for one of my cakes. The cake was to be a Gucci Handbag (what girl doesn't want wonna'them?!) to exactly match the bag he was going to give her on her birthday! So fun! Well, it turns out that tonight, Mrs X was rushed to the hospital and her whole party was canceled. Our chivalrous Mr X however, was not detoured! He swooped by late this evening to get the cake to present to her in the hospital room, complete with dinner and a present. He said that they would just eat the cake with some plastic forks and a couple of nurses. I love the image of a man spending well over a hundred dollars on a cake, and then digging into in with plastic cutlery...just to make sure his beautiful wife gets cake on her birthday! It's sooooo sweet and romantic!

Next Consultations Will Be Held June 19th

2010-05-17T12:42:00.001-07:00

Please let us know if you would like to meet with Karren.

Gamers Paradise

2010-05-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

What is better than playing video games and eating cake?
Answer: Eating video games that are cake!

The recipient of this cake (a little boy) was so excited, he ran up to his room to get a tip for Karren (two dimes and two quarters). Karren graciously declined and requested that he open the door for her. He carefully placed the money back into his pocket and swung the door open for her. Now that is what I call a tip!

From Birth 'Till Death

2010-05-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

This week, Karren made two cakes that represent both ends of one's life.

From a baby's birth, he or she sleeps peacefully in a crib:

As a man or woman ends their life, they slumber (hopefully also peacefully) in a grave capped by a stone like this cake depicts (although figuratively as it is an over the hill cake):

Next Consultations are April 10th

2010-04-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

Karren will be holding consultations next Saturday (April 10th). Please let us know if you would like to meet with Karren.

How to Make the Original Crib Cake YouTube Video

2010-02-28T23:37:00.000-08:00

Karren designed this cake a few years ago and many people have inquired about its design. Here is a two minute video showing stills of Karren making the cake from start to finish. The photography is by K. Everton Photography. Please leave us a comment if you like it or have questions about anything in this video.

Nothin' says 'love' like an armadillo!

2010-01-30T23:59:00.000-08:00

This is a Groom's cake with red velvet (inspired, of course, by Steel Magnolias). It was to be wheeled out during the reception to be butchered by the groom. Poor thing ...

Next Consultations Will Be Held Feb. 20th

2010-01-25T15:58:00.000-08:00

For those interested in cakes, Karren will hold her next consultations on February 20th. As always, please check availability. If your date is available, set up an appointment, come in to taste some cake, and chat with Karren about your awesome ideas for an edible masterpiece.

Consultations on January 23rd

2010-01-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

Karren will be holding consultations the afternoon of January 23rd. For those who would like to meet with her, please email her at karren@karrensspecialtycakes.com.

Karren is taking a strict one cake a week this year on a first come, first serve basis. A $50 non-refundable deposit reserves your date. Please check http://www.karrensspecialtycakes.com/Availability/ to see which dates are open.

Karren looks forward to helping make your event a huge success!

XBus

2010-01-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

Karren created this cake for a recent XBus Games birthday party.

A Family Tree

2009-12-20T23:52:00.000-08:00

This cake was commissioned for a couple returning from a genealogy mission in Frankfurt, Germany. There are no supports in this cake so everything you see is edible.

Gingerbread

2009-12-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

Karren really loves the Christmas season, especially because it means gingerbread. This year, she had the opportunity to make a gingerbread train.

A year or two ago, she made this gorgeous house. It was HUGE and even had backlit stained glass windows.

Happy holidays from Karren's Specialty Cakes!!!!

K. Everton Photography

2009-11-04T12:49:00.000-08:00

A good friend and excellent photographer just launched her business:

She photographed a couple of Karren's cakes in the past (See Bus Cake; Crib Cake). Ksenia also photographed the process to make Karren's famous crib cake and we hope to finish and publish this "how to" guide before the end of the year. We would encourage you to check out her work.

A Masterpiece For My Little Masterpiece

2009-11-01T16:32:00.001-08:00

Nine days after delivering our daughter Miah, we celebrated her short life with a giant birthday party. I constructed this five tier cake to celebrate each of the five days she spent with our family. The party was just as fun, happy, and colorful as the cake indicates. A Perfect, PERFECT day.

Availability Update

2009-10-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Karren is taking off the rest of 2009 to recover from her recent C-Section. We also have the calendar blocked off for the months of January to April. During this time, Karren is only willing to accept cakes that are "really cool." In other words, no plain, boring cakes. If you have an idea for a really fun shaped cake, please call and pitch the idea. If Karren thinks it is a cool idea, she might do it for you anyway. She will be back to full business in May but is only accepting a very strict one cake a week. No exceptions! Thanks, and we are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas season and a great 2010.

Miah Rachel Wilde

2009-10-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

Karren's daughter, Miah Rachel Wilde, was born October 15, 2009 and passed away October 20, 2009. She was a very special child who had a chromosomal disorder called Trisomy 18 or Edward's Syndrome. Karren will be taking a break until May 1, 2010 and will start taking orders for events occurring after that date.

A video showing the life of Miah:

Finally a girl for Mike!

2009-10-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Mike recently got married to an amazing girl named Cathleen. They had a gorgeous wedding in Mike's parent's backyard in August and Karren made the cake for them. Here they are cutting the cake.

Simple Wedding Cake and Eiffel Tower

2009-10-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

This is from a wedding back on August 28th.

Birth Scheduled

2009-10-08T14:26:00.001-07:00

Karren has scheduled a C-Section for Miah's delivery. It will be the morning of Friday, October 16th. As always, thank you for your prayers and thoughts.

Now you can follow this blog on Facebook

2009-10-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

Just click here or "Follow this blog" in the NetworkedBlogs section, sign into Facebook, and you will be notified via Facebook when new posts are written.

Orders on hold until further notice

2009-09-28T12:31:00.001-07:00

As many of you may know already, Karren is currently pregnant and due October 24th. Sadly, we found out that her child has a terminal chromosomal disorder called Edwards Syndrome (or Trisomy 18). Karren has named her Miah Rachel Wilde and she isn't expected to live long. There is a high chance of still birth and an even higher chance that she will pass away during the first week of her life. There is a tiny chance that she could live up to a year or more. For this reason, Karren will not be taking any orders until she learns the ultimate fate of her daughter and has enough time to grieve. We appreciate your understanding in this matter and we will update this blog when we know more, so please become a follower if you would like to know more. Currently, we are thinking April 2010 as a return date, but if her daughter is still alive then, it will be later. Thank you once again for your patience and understanding and we look forward to serving you again soon.

Motorcycle Cake

2009-09-06T08:28:00.001-07:00

This cake was a groom's cake for a wedding yesterday.

Getting married and want a free cruise?

2009-08-30T23:16:00.001-07:00

Karren is featured in the newly released Portland Wedding Notebook. We usually don't advertise, but this was an offer too good to pass up. What is it, you may ask?

Quoting from the web page:
"Our Wedding Workbook's are printed, 200+ page, full color wedding workbooks created exclusively for brides in specific areas."

"With over 100 worksheets, timelines, planning sheets, questions to ask wedding vendors and coupons from local wedding vendors our wedding workbooks are all brides need to plan a beautiful wedding everyone will envy. The best part is that it has full color photos of local wedding cakes, decorations, reception and ceremony sites, photos of real weddings and a 7-day Carnival Cruise certificate for every bride who purchases the workbook for only $39.95!* (travel agency fees, port charges not included)"

It was the offer of the free cruise that we thought was really cool. They are available in Boston, Chicago, Phoenix, Portland (our favorite), Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington DC area.

So, if you are getting married and want a free cruise, or if you just want to see Karren's ad, or you just like free cruises, click here.

Foulger/Becker Wedding

2009-08-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

Despite Karren's pregnany, Karren still did a number of wedding this summer. This particular wedding was for a friend, Kathy Foulger, and her now husband who were married June 20, 2009. These photos were taken by Bagdanoff Photo and we felt they did a great job capturing Karren's art. Enjoy the photos of Karren's mad hatter cake and delicious cupcakes.

Separation of Church and State

2009-06-13T22:51:00.000-07:00

Whether you enjoy something spritual like the Mormon temple in Boston ....

or revel in the knowledge of your books at school ...

Here at Karren's, we don't mind doing both on the same day.

An 80th Birthday in an RV

2009-06-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

This cake was made to celebrate a grandmother's 80th birthday. The cake represented the good memories of her past growing up in Dusseldorf, Germany (children statue in the front of the RV) and her current life relaxing in the RV.

Bridal Workbook

2009-05-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

Karren will have a full page ad featuring her cakes in the upcoming first edition of the Portland Bridal Workbook. If you need a way to stay organized during all the wedding planning, this is a great way to do it.

Benefits of this workbook (and why we decided to advertise in it):

* A Beautiful Keepsake
* 200+ Full Color Pages
* Planning Tips & Ideas
* Timelines & Calendars
* Local vendors and interview questions
* Things for out of state guests to do
* Budget worksheets
* Local marriage license information
FREE 7-day Carnival Cruise certificate inside each workbook! Look on page 172 inside the workbook for details!

It will be published late this summer and you will be able to purchase it in major bookstores or online at http://www.bridalworkbook.com/ for $29.99.

So far, we have been very impressed with this company. We worked with a graphic designer named Mary Housenga to create our full page ad. We think she did a great job! What do you think?

Does this Oscilloscope even work?

2009-04-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Well, seeing that is is made out of frosting and cake, probably not! This cake was made for the release of a new oscilloscope at Tektronix. The client stated, "The cake was a huge huge hit. They all just couldn't believe it. I will pass Karren's name around as I have a feeling other product lines would love to have a similar cake for their launches, etc."

Tea Time Anyone?

2009-04-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, you just want to celebrate with a little cake and tea, or in this case, a tea pot and cups that ARE cake.

Bouquet of Hope

2009-04-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for a great way to spend the Saturday before Mother's Day? Does your mom (or yourself) enjoy ballet, a great seated meal, the violin, Karren's cakes AND you would like to support a great cause at the same time? Then, the Bouquet of Hope is for you! It is a benefit for Rose Haven, a community and intervention center for women and children in Portland, Oregon. Karren will be providing one of her beautiful masterpieces for the event.

Girls, Football, and Cake, OH MY!!!!!

2009-04-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

Karren and Brooke teamed up (no pun intended) this weekend to create these cakes. Brooke is new to Karren's Specialty Cakes and she did a fabulous job.

This first cake was ordered for a 50th birthday party of a gentleman who appreciates the female the body. Here is what his wife had to say: "The cake was the hit of the party!!!! **** and all the guests loved it!! Some of us gals wanted to compare clevage as the night went on so you can just imagine what those pictures look like! HA! We were very pleased and will look forward to working with you again!"

This second cake was for a birthday party of a local football coach.

Finally, our good friend and photographer celebrated her birthday this weekend. Karren made up a flavor (Pumpkin Spice Praline with Daquoise) and helped her party in style. Happy birthday Karen!

Gaming - Old School

2009-03-21T23:46:00.000-07:00

This birthday boy really loves gaming. Does this bring any flashbacks to the rest of you?

Turning 18 - A Crowning Achievement

2009-03-07T23:37:00.001-08:00

Karren made this cake for an 18th birthday. After all, when a girl turns 18, she should be reminded that she is a princess, right? Her mother shared this with us: "We celebrated at my daughters competition.. which they won!!! The team LOVED the cake… and everyone said how delicious it was… it was just perfect. But to tell you the truth… my daughter’s reaction when she saw it was priceless…. She was overwhelmed… she did not want to cut it or touch it… she wanted to save it forever!!!"

How to make a crib cake?

2009-02-27T13:49:00.001-08:00

Karren has had many requests on how to make her crib cake since she invented it over two years ago. Finally, she has decided to divulge her secrets and is creating a cake pattern which will be available for purchase in the near future. She spent last Monday and Tuesday with Ksenia Everton photographing the process (see Ksenia's Blog). Next up, Karren will compose the instructions before she passes it off to Augusta Bowden for assemblage. Stay tuned! The finished product should be available within the month.

Welcome to Brooke Weeber

2009-02-26T11:13:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce that Brooke has joined Karren as cake designer. Karren is extremely picky when it comes to hiring and has been looking for 2.5 years for someone who as skilled as Brooke. Brooke comes highly recommended and has done beautiful cakes with her previous employers. She graduated from The French Culinary Institute in New York City and worked at Alice's Tea Cup and Cheryl Kleinman Cakes as a cake decorator. You can see some of Brooke's work under her last employer here: http://citybirdcakes.blogspot.com/. Welcome Brooke!

Love Rocks

2009-02-22T15:16:00.000-08:00

This cake was for a woman's 50th birthday party. She loves diamonds almost as much as her husband loves her. What better can showcase the phrase "Love Rocks" than a diamond ring in its Tiffany box? The client sent us a nice thank you note which said: "I wanted to take a moment to thank you for creating the crowning jewel (literally and figuratively) for my wife's birthday party. We were so very impressed along with our guests with your attention to detail and overall presentation. We were blown away with how great the cake and cupcakes tasted...Everyone at the party asked where the cake and cupcakes were made, we gave out a lot of your business cards. Thank you again for making my wife's birthday a very memorable occasion with your special cake and cupcakes. By the way, the Tiffany blue was spot on..."

KM Design Photography

2009-02-14T11:32:00.000-08:00

We have a friend, Karen Murdock, who is a fantastic photographer. She took photos at our child's first birthday celebration. What is better than three one year olds who are put in front of a cake? Other examples of Karen's work are found on her business web site, KM Design Photography.

Karren Featured on KOIN 6

2009-02-11T08:27:00.000-08:00

Karren was featured this morning on the KOIN 6 morning news show. Kacey Montoya and her camera man, Douglas, came by nice and early (4:30 AM). They did 4 segments with 4 teasers where Karren showed how to make two of her desserts and showcased the camcorder cake Karren made specifically for the broadcast. It was great getting to know Kacey and a lot of fun to do the show. Karren felt that it was a great experience and we hope Kacey enjoyed herself also. We sent the cake back to the studio with them. Bon appetit. The recipes featured on the broadcast are posted on the KOIN 6 website and the actual newscast is posted on Karren's website (thanks to Jeff Bowden for making it web accessible).

A Rabbit of a Birthday

2009-02-04T23:37:00.000-08:00

This gray rabbit with a flower was for a little girl's first birthday. The daddy loved it and said, "You hit a home run with this one." We are always happy when a customer is pleased with Karren's work.

Argyle Mad Hatter

2009-02-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Karren made a small argyle mad hatter cake this past weekend. It was for a 30th birthday party from a girl's parents. It was tougher than Karren thought and she didn't like her first try so she took it apart and started over. Once the ribbon and chocolate name were added, it looked great and Karren was happy.

February 11th and KOIN 6

2009-01-29T13:06:00.000-08:00

Karren will be featured in the KOIN 6 Morning News show from 5-7 AM on February 11th, 2009 in conjunction with their "Gifts for Valentine's Day" week. Kacey Montoya will be doing the reporting. She will be showing what she does as well as demonstrating how to make two simple but elegant desserts.

A Baby Shower and an Engagement

2009-01-25T14:36:00.000-08:00

Karren was able to throw a baby shower for one of her friends, Darcy Taylor, this weekend. Earlier in the week, she created an announcement which she sent to the people Darcy specified. Unfortunately, she forgot to put the address on the invitation, but everyone figured it out. :) The breakfast at the shower consisted of crepes and eggs Benedict. Karren also made this cake for her.

Karren also made a cake for an engagement that happened at The Melting Pot in downtown Portland. The couple were big fans of cherries and the future groom ordered the cake for use in the proposal. Karren combined their love of cherries with the location of the proposal to design this cake. We hope all went well that evening.

Treasure Chest

2009-01-13T15:15:00.001-08:00

Karren created an open Treasure Chest last weekend for a 3 year old birthday party. According to the child's mother, "It turned out incredible. Everyone kept asking where we got it, and how delicious it was. I passed on your info. I hope thats ok. It really made [child]'s party come to life. Thank you for that!" Karren was also really pleased with it. When I got home, she had me go straight to the fridge to look at it. I thought it looked awesome, as usual.

The Art of Weddings

2009-01-08T11:50:00.001-08:00

Karren participated in the Art of Weddings this week. We set up on Tuesday evening. Karren made a 30 person wedding cake which is beatiful as always and stayed up until 1:30 AM on Tuesday night. Wednesday morning, we got up at 3:30 AM (yes, after two hours of sleep) and participated in the KOIN 6 Morning news show (see below). It was fun, but Karren was afraid of the interview, so the reporter kept our section nice and short (perhaps too short). The actual event was tonight from 5-9 PM. It was great meeting all the vendors and couples! Among our favorites are Missionary Chocolates, 1st Comes Love, Sassafras Catering, and Oh Baby. Reviews were posted at Social Enterprises and EJP Events.