Finding Nemo: Sculpting Fondant Characters

Nemo: You can find Nemo tutorials here, here, here and the one we used here.

 Peach the starfish: I used this color swatch as a guide and this tutorial for starfish to make the texture.

Pearl the octopus:

 Mr. Ray the stingray:

 Other fondant decor:

Name in "Nemo" font. Hand cut little fishes in the holes.

Sesame Street/Elmo

I took a project class Saturday for tiered cakes and I was required to make a 10" and a 6" round cake both 4 inches high  to stack in the class. I don't like having that much cake around the house so when my fiance's cousin asked if we could make a cake for her daughter's birthday on Sunday I knew exactly where I was going to send that cake!

My fiance was also taking the tiered cakes class with me and we were going to work together on our cake for class, so I only thought it was fair he helped me with the decorating too. He helped and he was a good sport. He was actually very excited to work with fondant when he realized it was like play-doh and you could make whatever you want out of it.

All decorations for the top tier of the cake and to rest on top of the bottom tier.

Dots for the back of the bottom tier.

Thank goodness I just got a new cookie cutter set to make the letters! I let this harden around the outside of my 6" cake pan for a couple nights so it would be a plaque I could just slide into place.

Balloons! Made from fondant/gumpaste, threaded onto lollipop sticks and held in place with gum glue. I added a glaze that was a mix of equal parts clear vanilla extract and corn syrup to give them that latex shine.

Have to start with smooth, straight sides.

In the class itself, I doweled and stacked the cakes, piped on happy birthday, and piped on E's face with grass tip 233. I put the fondant half-moon shaped mouth down first, piped around it to create a fur texture, then added the fondant eyes and nose.

I also added the dots in class. Just piped a little dot of buttercream on the back and stuck them on. Later after I was home I placed the crayons and  goldfish. On the top tier, I did a sun and clouds with a white bead border tip 10 and stuck in the balloons.

 The plaque fit perfectly. See the little "2" peeking out?

I love the look of the glaze on the balloons!

I cut the goldfish using a cookie cutter out of yellow-orange fondant. Painted a bit of orange food coloring with clear vanilla and used a black food writer.

My fiance did most of the work on the street scene. The lampposts are threaded onto lollipops sticks and We even brushed the globes with the glaze that we used on the balloons to make them glossy.

Final Sketch

"Sweet" 16 Candy Cake

This cake was so fun and easy to make!

I used store bought lollipops, whirly pops, swizzle sticks and gumballs, and add the 16 and name with fondant. The swirls on the fondant are handpainted with food coloring mixed in with clear vanilla extract.

How stinkin' adorable is that sprinkle lollipop?

The cake itself was a 10" round, two layer strawberry cake with white buttercream.

Happy Birthday Steph!

My sister turned 23 and my dad wanted me to make her a cake for her birthday dinner. He sent me a few ideas and this is what I came up with. Cherry Chip cake 8" round 5" high on the bottom, and 6" round 5" high top tier. The bottom is done in white buttercream with pink fondant polka dots, pink happy birthday banner, white gumpaste/fondant daisies with pink centers. The top tier is pink buttercream with white buttercream ribbons topped with a gumpaste/fondant bow. Inside each tier were 3 layers of the cherry chip and buttercream.

Wilton Course 3

Wilton Course 3. I learned to make fondant/gumpaste bows, flowers, borders and to cover cake boards and cakes in fondant. My final project had everything except the bow. I guess it looks like a hat.

I love making these roses! It is so therapeutic to sit for a few hours and methodically go through the steps.

Daisies are simple but make a big statement.

I hated making this mum, but it is so pretty!

Calla lilies were easy and I love the sugar crystals that make them so realistic looking!