More on voodoo baking

So here's a rundown of my voodoo cakes since their beginning back in March of 2006. The original was Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote. Please keep in mind that I do not draw. This was all on a whim and done with a knife and small metal skewers because I'm too cheap to buy proper utensils. I've learned some things along the way though. It's called gel food coloring. I make my icing from scratch and love the recipe. So, when I started making these cakes and needed strong color, I wound up ruing the taste or consistency when I had to add so much liquid food coloring which was the only kind I had ever known. Luckily I found a pretty extensive cake decorating store not too far from where I live and quickly experienced the beauty of powder and gel food colorings.

My second was Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin in 'The Last King of Scotland'. I had not seen this movie before the baking, but loved Forrest as Ghost Dog and figured he had to be good. Also, I just liked him better than the other nominees. ALSO, his picture would be the most interesting on cake. Once I saw the movie I adored it. If you haven't, please do. It's a little rough, but worth it.

In March of 2007 I made a cake in order to cinch a win for the Florida Gators and Ohio State University in the March Madness games being played that night. Both did. I still didn't win the office pool though that year.

I have also given the Celtics their 2008 championship as well as the Red Sox their 2007 World Series.

In March of 2008 I went out to see 'There Will Be Blood' on the day of the Oscars. It was FANTASTIC. I made a Plainview cake that night and have watched that winning performance many, many times!!!!

I made sure that Hillary won on Super Tuesday. And I made sure Barack won the country. I need to do these for something like money. I know Heath is a lock, but the minute that movie came out I knew he would make for the perfect cake. He's such a messy Joker. Just like my technique! So, I'll do him and then maybe move on to stock ticker symbols.



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What the CHE??? - voodoo cakes explained

I REALLY don't care about the Oscars, but a few years ago I was attending an Oscar party and decided to make a cake with my Oscar winner choice drawn on in icing. It has become a tradition and turned into a hobby I like to call voodoo cake baking. Other than the Oscars, I've used this power with sporting events and the presidential election (see previous post). I am currently 0 for 6. I did have one loss I am not counting because it was a screw up with the recipe and not my voodoo. Actually, it was quite crazy. I had made it for a couple of March Madness games last year. My rule is that you don't cut open and eat the cake until the winner is clear. So, as I'm watching the games and watching the two teams lose, I'm wondering what went wrong?? Once the games ended I cut open the cake and find that it's completely INEDIBLE!! I had noticed while it was baking that it didn't rise as high as it usually does, but didn't think it was going to be so bad I couldn't eat it! Amazing. Anyway, my original plan for this year was to make a Joker cake - not only was Heath fabulous in this role, but what a fabulous cake it would make! THEN I saw 'Che' at a premier this past December. Not only is Benicio Del Toro my favorite actor, but he's playing Che Guevara! The story was great. The film was beautiful. Benicio was impeccable!! Yet, no Oscar nomination!!!!! THIS is why I don't care about Oscars. How do you ignore a movie this brilliant? Because it isn't the standard 1.5 hours long? Because it's actual ART and not b.s. Hollywood movie dumbed down for a mass audience? Oh, I'm sorry, you had to read some subtitles. And concentrate on something for more than 15 minutes. And actually LEARN something. I apologize for the rant, but it made me quite angry that I won't be able to portray Che in icing this year. If you haven't seen this movie I recommend you do so immediately!

Pepe Silvia

This year I started a 365 photo project with some friends as an experiment. The point is to take at least one photo every single day of the year. I do think I shoot pretty regularly, but it definitely wasn't every single day. I enjoy having a mission and, being forever the procrastinator, this project is really helping to break that habit. Here are a few new prints I'm offering on Etsy and Artfire. Click on the individual photos to see their full listings on Etsy. As usual, I'd love to hear opinions!

My subject relates to nothing again, so here's the video...

"Expert lover, my baby...

U ever had a crystal ball?" Yeah it's a stretch, but these new earrings I just made look almost like crystal balls so I'm quoting the only thing I know that relates. PRINCE. (That link goes to the song if you're in the mood)
I fell in love with these turquoise glass beads a while back and knew I needed chain and another bead at the very bottom. Finding the bottom beads, which are black czech crystals, was a harder decision, but I really like how they came out. I had made a demo pair for myself over a month ago, but with a slight variation of black beads at the bottom, and I can attest to how fun - and "glamorous" to quote a friend - they are to wear. All the chain, wire, and components are sterling silver and, as with any other sterling silver jewelry I offer, you will receive a polishing cloth along with the purchase. They measure a little over 3" from the top of the earwire to the bottom beads. I'd love to hear what you all think of these!

On another note I was recently featured on luvmymonkeys.blogspot.com! She chooses themes for the day and finds Etsy items to match. How great!!! She found a LOT of cool items for this pink and black category. Check it out!

Obamarama

Ahhh, another fabulous Etsy seller. I got mine in holiday red and unfortunately it's in the hands of my mother and not me, so above is a picture of a similar cup that Fleanine is selling. He does really beautiful work. This cup has the design sandblasted on and it will never disappear. AND it's dishwasher safe. If you still need something to toast with on the 20th go here!

"I go-go dance for a living but I’m in a cage. It’s totally different."

Here's a shot of another trial run of these chocolate snowcaps I did last night (before going into the oven). Tonight I will be making a new batch for YARNCOTURE who is the winner of this giveaway!!!!
Usually when I bake something new I do it as the recipe calls for first, so I don't necessarily start off with all organic ingredients. Because of this I've found that organic ingredients can definitely change the taste and/or consistency of some recipes. You know how you sometimes get that "organicy" flavor? Anyway, it is NOT the case with these snowcaps. They still come out delicious and I honestly can't tell the difference between the semi-organic version I did at Christmas and the all organic versions I've done in the last week. Now, on to trying them with whole wheat flour (after yarncoture's batch of course)! I find that with really chocolatey cookie recipes you can totally get away with whole wheat flour and not notice a difference, but with regular chocolate chip cookies, it's harder to pull off. Just a little tip if anyone is interested! Thanks everyone for entering!! I'll do another one soon!
Also, this blog title comes from Rock of Love Bus - did anyone watch? It's horrendous! And I'll be taping every episode.