sugar magnolia cake

Some Recent Press

My husband says I change my mind a lot. I guess it’s kind of true. At some point, I decided not to have a press page on my website. (Read this post–it’s actually pretty funny–and you’ll see what I mean.) Then I guess I went ahead and changed my mind, ’cause now I have one.

I thought I’d share some of our most recent press here (although, of course, you could just look at my website.) I’ll not go into detail on every piece of press. Instead, I’ll just share the magazine cover and the page(s) on which my cake was featured. You’ll get the idea.

Thanks for stopping by.

Things Just Got a Little Sweeter Around Here.

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Erica OBrien in Cake decorating classes NY, cake decorating design classes Connecticut, cake decorating design classes Connecticut (CT), Featured, peony cake, petalsweet, sugar magnolia cake | 1 Comment

We are pleased to announce that Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes will be guest teaching at our Hamden, CT cake studio this spring. Jacqueline is a world-renowned sugar flower artist who has travelled as far as Australia to share her techniques. In addition to her technical skills, Jacqueline demonstrates a restrained and refined use of color (as opposed to using color with reckless abandon like I do) that I greatly admire. She is gifted not only as an artist but also as a teacher (I took a class with her two years ago), and is now coming to share her gift with us.

To register for one of Jacqueline’s classes, please visit our website: www.ericaobrien.com

The fine print: Note that full payment is required on registration, and refunds for withdrawals will be honored only if your space can be ﬁlled prior to the class. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation and accommodations. We are not responsible for any transport or accommodation costs should you be unable to attend class.

OPEN PEONY and PARROT TULIP

Thursday March 22 – Friday March 23, 2012

10am – 6pm both days. Light lunch (with vegetarian option) provided.

Class fee: $600

In this two day hands-on floral workshop, students learn to make two of Petalsweet’s signature flowers: the beautiful, over-sized Open Peony (with stamens) and the fun and fabulous Parrot Tulip. Corresponding buds and leaves will also be covered where appropriate. Students will use modeling techniques to make flower centers, and then use cutters, veiners and specific techniques to create buds, leaves, and the many wired petals needed to form their large blooms. Once all of the components are dry, students will also learn Jacqueline’s signature coloring and dusting techniques, as well as taping, assembling, and finishing touches to complete their flowers. Class limited to 10 students (8 minimum). Tools and supplies will be provided for use in class. Cutters will be available for sale at the end of the workshop.

Images courtesy Petalsweet Cakes.

THE SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA and GARDENIA

Saturday March 24 – Sunday March 25, 2012

10am – 6pm both days. Light lunch (with vegetarian option) provided.

Class fee: $600

In this two day floral workshop, students learn to make two beautiful Petalsweet favorites: the Southern Magnolia and the Gardenia! Corresponding buds and both flowers’ gorgeous, dark and glossy leaves will be covered as well. During the course, students will use cutters and creamy white paste to create the petals needed for their fabulous Gardenias. In addition, students will also use modeling techniques to create a Magnolia center, and then make numerous, large petals to finish their oversized flower. As time allows, Jacqueline will also share her techniques for making dainty pulled filler flowers. Once all of the components are dry, students will also learn dusting and coloring techniques, as well as taping and assembly to finish their flowers. Class limited to 10 students (8 student minimum). Tools and supplies will be provided for use in class. Cutters will be available for sale at the end of the workshop.

We hope to see you in class!

Cakes Inspired by Imagery

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Erica OBrien in Jose Villa, lavender cake, ruffle cake, sugar magnolia cake, vintage wedding cakes, wedding cake long beach, wedding cake orange county, wedding cake os angeles | 3 Comments

This might surprise you, but I actually don’t like it when a client leaves the cake design completely up to me, giving me the artistic freedom to create whatever I want. I can’t speak for other artists, but I’ve found that this makes it almost impossible since there’s so much that inspires me. When the possibilities are endless–and so is your imagination–the task of narrowing it down and choosing a focus becomes very overwhelming. Instead, I like working within a conceptual framework and using my artistic eye to interpret the design in my style.

Event stylists and even the occasional client often provide an inspiration board–a collection of images intended to convey the mood of the shoot or event–and I find them immensely helpful. (I sometimes create my own inspiration boards. I’m not a graphic designer, so I copy and paste the images into Microsoft Paint. Someone more skilled would use Photoshop. There’s a board builder on Style Me Pretty, and I think some people are now using Pinterest in lieu of building boards.) Being very visual, working with inspiration boards is my favorite way to design. They usually contain a color palette, and many non-cake photos with prints, patterns, shapes, or other designs for inspiration (hence the name).

Below are several inspiration boards and the cakes they inspired. I would love to see how other cake designers would translate the images into cake. I just think it would be fascinating to see how different artists interpret same thing.

Greco-Roman Wedding (stylized shoot). Board and styling by Vanessa Van Wieren of Alchemy Fine Events. Cake photos by Jill Thomas.