Laylapalooza

If there is one thing from my misguided youth that I regret, it is that I didn't go to music festivals like Glastonbury, Coachella and the likes while I could still weather the elements, large crazy crowds and budget youth hostels.

I only went as far as Big Day Out in Melbourne and though I did get to see The Strokes, The Darkness, Jet and got on stage with The Flaming Lips, in truth, it wasn't quite Glastonbury.

It does seem like that window has closed for me, but my friend Eve who runs the awesome motherhood blog thebottomsupblog.com gave me the opportunity to remember those heady days and showed how as young mothers now, it is still possible to have a rocking party!

Eve threw her daughter Layla a super awesome Rock n Roll theme party, complete with posters, props, memorabillia and a band where her friends can bring a song (instead of a toy/gift) and perform it! I don't think it gets any cooler than this for a 8-year-old! 

So where I came in was to provide cupcakes in line with the colour scheme and theme. I made little fondant electric guitars as toppers and stencils of their favourite bands which include AC/DC, The Beatles, Ramones, Metallica, Nirvana, RHCP, GnR...

I was thinking real hard how to transfer the band logo without resorting to printing it on sugar paper and realised there is no other way but to print it and penknife it out into a stencil. Then I dusted edible black dusting powder and voilà, a decent transfer that actually looks like it was spray painted on!

Rawk on!

Happy Birthday Layla

Now if you want to see the rest of the party and how Eve had put it together so wonderfully, do check it out at http://thebottomsupblog.com/laylapalooza-2014/

The Sound of 19

My nephew Josh turned 19! It's a surefire reminder of how old I am with the only consolation that my brother (his father) is even older! (oops sorry, brother) You see, it doesn't seem so long ago that I was somewhat living the carefree days of being a student and enjoying a social life revolving around music. Has it really been 19 years?

Where I used to hang out with friends who formed bands and played at gigs, I'm now making a cake in the shape of a guitar, for a 19-year-old. Thank you Josh for reminding me of my youth, it was a good time indeed.

Josh has made a conscious choice to pursue music and thanks to his supportive parents, he is bucking the usual academic trend to create a future hopefully based on passion. And he will be the better for it.

Happy Birthday Josh

This little blue ukelele (Harvest) is actually a replica of something he has in his impressive collection of guitars. I figured it's easier to make this than Taylor, Fender or Gibson.

Back to the cake, it's 2 different sized round cakes combined with a long rectangular strip cake for the fretboard. It's actually really fun to make and covering it in fondant really brought the instrument to life. My little boy actually wanted to pick it up and pluck the strings!

The trick was crafting the tuning pegs and strings. The tuning machine heads and pegs are all moulded from fondant. I made them stiff enough so I could actually string it like a real guitar to the bridge with fishing line. For someone who doesn't play the guitar, I sure know the anatomy of one.

Some people have lives, some people have music. Josh I wish you have a fulfilling life of music.


Music is perpetual, and only the hearing is intermittent.
- Henry David Thoreau