STRESSFUL SWEET CRAVINGS

So here we go, my  school is taking over slowly but surely. My blogs are getting shorter and shorter by the week. This Monday I would HATE to announce that this will be the first day of school. Goodbye Blog!!! I have this Pharmacology exam this Thursday and I'm already going insane. If you get lower than a 90% you fail for the whole semester. I've been occupying my time with studying and practicing over and over Pharmacology questions. I know I can pass this exam, it's just the thought of not getting a 90% and failing gets me nervous. On a positive note, since I've been stressing my sweet tooth has been getting the best of me. I am absolutely in love with indulging myself with my favorite bakeries:

1. SPRINKLES: Palo Alto, CA Who doesn't love sprinkles??? 

a) Hands down my favorite cupcake is the red velvet cupcake! So perfect and moist!

2. BOUCHON BAKERY: Yountville, CA

b) French Macaroons are to die for here, ESPRESSO OR PISTACHIO are the chosen ones!

3. BUTTERCREAM BAKERY: Napa, CA

c) Famous for their pies and cakes the fresh strawberry cake is why I salivate here.

4. SIFT BAKERY: Napa, CA

d) There is not one cupcake I can choose. Every single cupcake I tried so far is DELISH! Pink Champagne, Snikerdoodle, and Cake Shake, the list can go on and on. 

5.   HUMMINGBIRD BAKERY Vallejo, CA

e) Hummingbird cupcake & Maple Syrup and Bacon is what their known for but I love their Lemon with blueberry cupcake very refreshing!

FUN IN THE SUN

FINALLY HAVE A TASTE OF SUMMER 

WITH GREAT COMPANY!!!

FALL TOO SOON

I can't believe its August, summer flew by way too fast. Taking 3 classes for the summer was probably the reason why I felt I didn't spend my ideal summer vacation. My last day of class was today and it's really sad that I'm starting my last semester in a couple of weeks ( August 15th to be exact) waaaaah! I'm sure my blog will become neglected. So I'm going to devote all the time I have left to my beautiful restored blog. I know I rarely talk about shopping, maybe because I have no time to SHOP or on some type of student budget. But I lived in New Jersey for 10 years of my life. So a lot of my style is from the East Coast. As much as I love both coasts I usually tend to fall back to my fashion roots of NJ. Since fall is approaching soon I wanted to share with you a couple of purchases I made 3 days ago. (Yes!!! I actually bought something for myself). My bf talked me into it by simply stating " You worked so hard this summer you should buy something for yourself, you deserve it." With no hesitation we headed for the city. I absolutely love the fall fashion more than any other season. I am in love with boots, cardigans, scarfs, and layers and layers of warm clothing.

1. Anniversary sale @ Nordstrom!!! I got a good deal for these babies only $70.00!!! These are comfortable flat cognac boots that are a must for me this fall. Since I'll be in school most of the time, comfort is what matters most. 

2. Banana Republic launched a new jewelry line called Edition I was shocked on how cheap the necklaces were going for $20.00 for a long chain that was 40% off and a pendant that was $8.67 plus an additional 40% off! Total $19.67 plus tax for this steal! 

3. Tory Burch, now I was this close buying this beautiful clutch. I was trying to walk out the door when Tory pulled me by the hair, she said " This purse will match perfectly with your boots."haha. Ok ok I was hearing things, but this was only $265.00. I texted my mom on her opinion and she said " Dont buy it I will buy it for you with your auntie's discount. Music to my ears. I was upset I didn't walk out with it, but it's so much better receiving a gift than using your own money. 

P LOVE

SO THIS BLOG IS OBVIOUSLY DEDICATED TO PWEE!!!

I just wanted to express another token of  gratitude to one of my closest friends PWEE , she basically is the go to girl when you have a dilemma in any kind of problem it can range to romance, fashion, decor, or designing. Pwee and I have been friends for so long more than 10 years that I consider her my sister. We've cried, laughed, and shared many MEMORIES together. I think the best memory by far is the night before her wedding she was angry that none of her best girls were there on time. She locked us out and I heard her scream " INEZ, I know you are visiting from Cali, but I dont care LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" As mad as she was she gave in and let us in. We had wine, laughter, and tears. It was one emotional night but I would not have changed that night for the world! There are so many qualities this beautiful girl has: she is the funniest, has many blonde moments, sweetest, and the BIGGEST FASHIONISTA I've ever met! She is super honest with her opinions and the best person to have a good time with. I know you all are amazed on my new blog CAKE CONFESSIONS! I owe it all to this tiny little lady with a BIG CREATIVE HEART!!! My mind has been stressing of different ideas for my new logo on my cake boxes and business cards. I had something in mind but just needed support and a touch of P LOVE! P, thank you again for ALWAYS being here for me no matter how many miles apart we are! I LOVE YOU!!!  

TASTEFUL FEEDBACK

This week I received POSTIVE FEEDBACK on 2 cakes I did. The Lightning McQueen cake was one of my biggest orders I ever did. It consisted of vanilla cake and fresh strawberry frosting. This frosting is one of my most popular flavors. I was so confident with my recipe I made it for a pastry chef to taste and she absolutely fell head over heels for it. Its super easy to make I will leave the recipe for you all at the end of this blog. Anyways my client told me that everyone at the party loved the way the cake looked, it was super creative and paid attention to the minor details such as putting TEEJAY on the license plate. She also mentioned the most important thing the TASTE They all said " The cake was SO good" I feel really rewarded and excited when I hear my clients love the taste. It makes me more ambitious to create my own recipes and gives me more confidence to create more cakes.

A good serving of frosting for this large cake

Carved the car by hand, iced it w/ vanilla buttercream

2 layer cake measuring 13x9 

Another cake I made was my chiffon cake, if you guys didn't read my CREATION INSIDE AND OUT BLOG, I mentioned I made my chiffon cake for the very first time. I know I told you guys my mom enjoyed it but my friend LEEANN loved it!!! She was truly blown away. She stated" I dont want to eat it, its too pretty." Leeann and her husband enjoyed the cake, they both told me it was good. Here was the outcome of the cake:

CHANEL

HAPPY BDAY LEE LEE I  <3 YOU!

RECIPE OF MY FRESH STRAWBERRY FROSTING

• 1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
• OR 1/2 cup of whole strawberries ( frozen is better in my opinion cause it locks in the sweetness )
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1. 
     
DIRECTIONS
• 1. Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. You can also just mash the strawberries in a bowl with a fork or hands. Then in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on med-high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed to slow and add confectioners' sugar one cup at a time; beat until well combined then you can increase the speed to medium. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree one tablespoon at a time; mix until just blended. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy
• 
  

  1. 
     
• 
  

  1. ENJOY!!!! 

Camping for the weekend

Finally have the time to get away from my chaotic world and just relax in the essence of nature. Im literally sitting around a camp fire enjoying good company. The sound of the firewood cracking, gazing at the sky filled with big bright stars and making s'mores makes this experience so worth while. I don't know what it is about making s'mores but I can't just have one! It's so delicious. I found out they make marshmellows specifically for s'mores. I highly recommend them. The marshmallow is flatten and shaped in squares. It fits perfectly in the Graham crackers. Well I'm going to make this blog short since it sounds silly to have internet access during camp. I hope you all enjoy your weekend, cause I know I will be. Sipping on a glass of Moscato, then off to bed in my tent. Cheers!

MY CREATION INSIDE AND OUT

Wow, you all are lucky I have two blogs within a week. =) So I can't believe I'm finally getting better with my cake recipes. No more Betty Crocker boxes for me. As much as I enjoyed the easy to follow directions I needed my cakes to be more dense and less crumbly. Making your own cakes symbolizes ownership, and pride. For a cake decorator nothing feels GREATER than owning your cakes inside and out. I owe my cake tasting to my poor mother, she hates cake but her taste buds are a viable tool for my cakes. Last night, I got to work on my first chiffon cake per request of one of closest friends, Lee Lee. She has no idea that her  husband asked me to make her a birthday cake for this Sunday. I have been a horrible friend that tends to forget to greet her on her actual birthday. So this cake has to scream out " I'M SORRY!!!" So back to my mother. My mother is one of the best cooks I know. But asking her to taste cake, is like pulling teeth. She usually gives in but will negotiate on how tiny she wants the sample. When I say tiny I mean grain salt tiny. I made two 8 inch round cakes one for Lee Lee and one for 2 of my friends who finished summer school. As I was cutting my fully cooled chiffon cake I begged my mom to try a reasonable amount of cake. I almost shoved it down her throat but she tasted it and said "it's good." Of course I didn't believe her cause she will say "it's good" to anything so you can get out of her face. As I was working on Lee Lee's cake, my mother said " Whose the other cake for?" I replied " Its Maryann and Jenilee's." She said " Just make them something else, I'll keep this cake for us at home." My jaw dropped I can't believe my mom wanted to keep a CAKE! She really did like it!!! She said " Its really good, its light and fluffy just like a mamon (a soft and light filipino dessert) ." I can't wait till Leeann tries this cake. I'm almost done with her make up case and accessories cake...here's a sneak preview...

ACCESSORIES 

The tight seal black container behind the make up case is where my mom kept the other cake. Haha. 

Hope you all have a good day!!!

CAKE CHARGES "ME"

Just to give you all a quick update: I have been super busy with making cakes, working and summer school all at the same time. I think having a busy life defines me. I've always had a hectic schedule and never had anything different. That's why my poor blog has been neglected. I'm sure if people that witness my everyday life, will respond " OMG, Inez you even found time to blog about how busy your life is!!!" lol. Anyways, back to what I was discussing: I am the worst person to ask a price on my cakes. I dont give enough credit to my hard work on my time consuming cakes. My stomach turns, and head throbs when a simple question is asked "How much would you charge me for this cake?" I dont think about me at all, I think about the person. Some of my thoughts: " Do they have enough money? If I give them a price will they think I'm crazy for an outstanding offer? Should I go by how much the local bakeries are selling their cakes for? " The cake industry is insane, over charging so much on cakes.  Here are some examples I've charged my cakes:

CUPCAKE CAKE: $35.00

BAKERY: $50.00

SHOWER TOWER: FREE

BUT client bought all ingredients

and materials. (she's pregnant guys! & sweet)

BAKERY: $350.00

PAUL FRANK: $40.00

BAKERY: $65.00

LIGHTNING MCQUEEN: $50.00

BAKERY: $100.00

As you can see, my cakes are all under priced. But I want clients to have affordable cakes and enjoy my hard work. Their smiles and appreciation is what makes me feel rewarded. But my closest friends and MOTHER doesn't agree with me at all. They want me to take my time in designing, the supplies I buy, the electricity I use, and labor into consideration. Some of my friends have even told me "If they want a price they come to me." I wish I can just have my clients go to someone who can give them a price. One day I will learn, but for now I will try my hardest to take myself into consideration. Maybe. =)

SPRING BREAK

Wow I havent been on this since August! I'm the worst blogger! I apologize for not keeping you all fellow bloggers updated. I've started the bridge program in becoming a registered nurse last October. I graduate in December so please bare with me on the lack of updates. Anyways, SPRING BREAK has officially begun and I'm extremely excited! Since my last blog I wrote about my first cake design. You must be aware that I've done many cakes and cupcakes since then.