JUST CALL ME MARTHA

I was in what I like to call a Martha-esque mood when I made a cake for Daniel and Olivia's little mini reception. That basically means I was at my creative zenith , willing to spend ages fiddling with tiny little details. The result was awesome and the complements that followed went straight to my head. I was quite pleased with myself. My reason for this post is not to brag (okay, maybe a little) but rather to save me time in explaining how I created this masterpiece. After sending out three emails last week with directions (silly me didn't think to copy and paste) I thought I would just post the directions on my blog and direct enquiries here.

The cake is simple to put together but does require some time. Trust me, the adulation you receive will be welll worth it.

First, you will need to pick about 100 or so small leaves off a bush or tree. Leaves that look similar to those of a maple tree work best.

Wash and dry the leaves then paint the back of the leaves with melted coloured chocolate. I bought the merkins buttons at the bulk food store and spent $4.oo total on all the buttons and I had some left over.

I used my finger to spread it over the leaves (don't worry, I washed my hands thoroughly first). I put the leaves in the fridge to set and then carefully, and I mean carefully, pulled the leaves from the chocolate. Unfortunately, quite a few broke. I was able to hide some of the broken ones behind the good ones but alas, some just had to be eaten... ahem... I mean... discarded.

The acorns were made from caramels rolled into balls then flattened a bit on one end which was then dipped into a bit of melted chocolate and dipped again into little chocolate sprinkles.

I iced the cake with regular chocolate buttercream icing and then starting form the centre working out, layered the leaves.

I told you it was simple.

THE STORY OF THE DRESS

We searched high and low for a modest wedding dress with not much luck.I suggested to Brittany that we try looking on the internet and came across this great site that custom made dresses at a very, very reasonable price. Brittany saw one that she really liked and as I was about to place the order I noticed that they required more time than we had to make the dress. To say we were disappointed was an understatement. I decided that I would email them and see if they could accommodate our request to have a dress made in time for the wedding with the understanding that it would cost extra. I wasn't overly hopeful so was pleasantly surprised when I received a reply to my question within an hour. The contact person (Libby) told me she would get in touch with the designer and get back to me as soon as possible. Later that day, I received another email from Libby telling me that if I placed my order by the end of the day, we would have the dress in time for the wedding. The cost to have it rushed? 30 US dollars. We took measurements, placed the order and waited.

I can tell you that there were a few raised eyebrows when we told people we had ordered a wedding dress on the internet. My friends were pretty dubious about the whole thing thinking I might be getting ripped off. I wasn't too worried because Libby had been so good about communicating even after the company had received my payment.

Exactly a week before the wedding, the dress arrived. It fit perfectly, looked beautiful, and Brittany was very happy with it. The total price including the rush order and shipping came to $238 US Amazing!

I cannot say enough good things about Libby and my experience with modgowns.com I would highly recommend them. So if you are looking for a modest custom made dress for a wedding or prom , check them out.