Miss Piggy's Cakes

2 Minute Rose Tutorial

admin — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:38:43 +0000

Yes, it really does take 2 minutes! You can add more petals if you want a fuller flower or only add one layer of petals if you want to leave it as a rosebud – either way there are no rules, there is no right or wrong and yes, ‘practice’ really does make ‘perfect’.

You know that saying “all roads lead to Rome”? Well this is my road to Rome and it’s full of roses!

STEP 1:

You’ll need a ball tool, paint brush, 5 petal cutter (whichever size you prefer), small rolling pin, some gumpaste, CelPad or any type of non-stick FIRM foam, non-stick surface to roll out your gumpaste and a small pot of water or egg whites to use as ‘glue’.

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STEP 14:

TA-DAAAAHH!!!

♥ Feature Friday ♥ 05.04.13

admin — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:17:55 +0000

The end of another short week has arrived quicker than it started and with the end of Summer nearing (you can tell by the cold mornings we’re starting to get) and what an awesome Summer it was (still is), I thought we’d splash out all the colour that this go-getter, creative beauty produces for customers world wide from right here in our back yard.

WHO: ALISHA DAYA

I had to steal this off her facebook page because she’s too shy to slap her face up on her awesome website – she may kill me haha!!

WHAT: Owner of Something Epic (Yes, they really are affordable and yes you can get it custom made in ANY colour(s) you want!)

WHEN: About the same time as I met Jane Mow, so 8 years ago – WOW!

WHERE: Based in the City of Sails but her products have spread like wildfire across the world.

WHY: You can always count on this girl to brighten up your day with her warming, perfect smile. She’s the first one to put her hand up and help you with whatever you need, even if it means driving across the country after work. In our recent campaign photoshoot, I needed jewellery that could easily work with anything and everything – Something Epic was Something PERFECT! Lish was on board and had a table spread of handmade products for us to use (photo below).

Photography:Lydia Arnold

Here are some behind the scenes snaps which I took from here.

As for those of you thinking they’re affordable because the quality isn’t that great – TOTALLY THE OPPOSITE! Although at the moment they only come in gold (which is fine because I love gold! HA!) it is a heavy duty chain, I wear mine nearly every day and it still looks new, and to make it even better, each bracelet now comes with a signature pink silk tie-off and a 14K gold plated tag – how’s that for style and class!?! They make pretty meaningful gifts too, I recently went to a friends baby shower, she already has one boy and just had another boy, I got her a bracelet made with 2 different shades of blue to represent her 2 sons. Those of you getting married can even get a set customised for your bridesmaids to match their outfits and even better, they can use it for any occasion after the wedding. Colours have meaning so work this product to your advantage especially because it’s so easily customised to anything you want.

Check out SOMETHING EPIC even if it’s not for you because it is an awesome website and I guarantee something will catch your eye and make you think of someone it would be perfect for!

♥ Feature Friday ♥ 15.03.2013

admin — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:57 +0000

And just like that, it’s Friday again! What a crazy week it has been, so much to do, so much done and so much more still to do!!! So I thought with such a hectic week, I would end it with someone that always seems so calm, collected and poised. Someone that always makes you feel at ease. Someone that I could never imagine getting angry. Someone that works magic behind a lens.

WHO: LYDIA ARNOLD

This beauty right here is the one behind the lens capturing just as much beauty!

WHAT: Design & Visual Arts Degree in Photography/ Photographer/ Most genuine person I’ve met.

WHEN: Last year on a photoshoot for A La Robe (Lydia shot all the photos in our home page slider).

See, that’s our cupcake up there^

WHERE: Auckland, NZ & Soon to explode across the world. She’s teamed up with her older sister (super talented family!) Kate, so make sure to check out http://katerobinsonphotography.com/ to follow these two sisters on an epic journey of amazing beauty.

WHY: After the first time of meeting Lydia and working with her last year, she decided that she would devote her time and services to me to do a ‘Miss Piggy’s Cakes’ shoot (you can read about it here). I didn’t know what to do or what to say, “thank you” seemed so trivial especially considering her talents, but that is all I could do at the time. She sees the world in a way you wouldn’t until she shows you with her work. Perhaps that is why I could never imagine her angry – she sees beauty in everything and sometimes a single photo can take your breath away – I mean literally, just look at this shot:

The timing to get the drops of water, that feather about to hit the water, the reflection of that oar, the still water and the ripples – that’s not luck people, that’s talent! I don’t know much about photography, but I love collecting photos especially when they come with a ‘feeling’ like this one.

Tell me how many people you meet for the first time, that would offer you something like Lydia offered me that day? “Not many, if any” – Thank you Scribe (Try get that song unstuck from your head!)

So here’s a quick look at some of her work which I stole from http://lydiaarnold.blogspot.co.nz/

That’s just a tiny little ‘dot’ of her work, check out more of Lydia and her sister Kate ♥

That’s a wrap!

admin — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 03:06:55 +0000

The planning for this day was a lot of work, the day itself was even more and the weeks of work put into this photo shoot was insane, but to see the individual talents of each and every person on this set shine through, to turn a back yard in Mt Eden into a Vogue-esque setting was surreal and just the beginning of all the magic that happened on set yesterday.

Of course no great photo shoot is ever done without a handful of drama, so here’s what really happened:

I brought everything, I mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G over to my boyfriend’s house as he lives around the corner from ‘Landscape Mansion’. I stayed up to finish off a few things and when the sun started to rise I dropped him off in the City for Round the Bays, by the time I got back to his house it was locked…No one was home – a slight panic/Insert”French”WordsHere ran through my head. I needed to be on location in one hour and ALL my stuff is locked in a house that I am standing outside of, breaking and entering was not an option – for the first time everything was locked – WHYYYYYY!!!!???!!!!! I’m a good person! Why is this happening to me!?! Ok, breeeeeeeathe. His cousin arrived at the scene and we sat there trying to come up with a plan but just then one of the flatmates arrived and I was free at last! #LessonLearnt.

On top of a few smaller cake/humidity related disasters the frosting on the cupcakes turned into soup – delayed yet again! It’s ok; I tell myself, just breathe and add more icing sugar it will be fine. So I quickly mix up a new batch of frosting, not caring what it tastes like anymore but just caring enough that it will hold it’s shape long enough for the photos – 2 bags later (whaaaaaaaaaaat!?!) and we have some pretty average looking cupcakes but it’s good enough to make the feature cupcakes shine through. At this stage I am now in a panic, a slight sweat and it’s been about 38 hours since I’ve slept but somehow I manage to pull off this shot (kind of…).

So I pack up the car and shoot down the road just in time to catch my breath and then I am told we are down from 4 models to 1… *Breath in, breathe out*

At this point I remember that I am working with an extremely talented and amazing bunch of people and that no matter what, they can make it work, I don’t care that we are down to one model but I am grateful that I have her and this team. Within 15 minutes a plain white washed wooden table is transformed into a scene of girliness and fairytales – *cue Mariah Te Whana* and suddenly it is taken to a level of captivity, not only the whole set itself but the way that Lydia (photographer) and Mariah worked off each other, the way that Jane (stylist) and her assistant Brooke Hollows could almost read each others minds, the way that Gabrielle (make up & hair) transformed Mariah for each set in a matter of minutes and the way that Alisha from Something Epic not only made the AH-MAZ-ING arm candy but also took some epic shots with her camera in the background (which is where all these photos are from!). As I sat there completely dazed by how everyone was working and the ‘flow’ of everything from each set I couldn’t believe that this was for me – man am I one heck of a lucky girl, to have such talented friends that are willing to give up a weekend for me. I must have done something right, or at least I hope I have.

So for now, i’ll leave you all with some fun shots from yesterday (courtesy of Alisha):

Here’s a shot of Mariah stacked up with Something Epic bracelets in their new “Splash” range…

Here’s me wishing I looked like a model… But then I eat too many cupcakes…

And this is a shot of me and a couple of the magicians: Jane Mow and Gabrielle Houghton

And this…

Sail on Sailors!! And stay tuned for the upcoming photos…

♥ FEATURE FRIDAY ♥ 08.03.2013

admin — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:05:55 +0000

I believe in Karma.

I believe that what goes around, comes back around – cue JT!

I believe that cake makes the world go round – literally, but that’s why man invented exercise: This guy makes it look cool, fun and even included New Zealand in the video Yeeeaaah Buddy!

So here’s my idea, justified by the ^above but these people are so awesome that it really doesn’t need justification.

I have had so many friends step up and help me out with anything and everything, especially because I suck at asking for help and they’ve just offered to help out. Each Friday (or at least most Friday’s) i’m going to feature one of these amazing people that I am so lucky to have in my life. Whether they’re here for the long run, here for the moment or just here for today, they’ve all played a part in shaping me and/or my business, so this is how i’ve decided to thank them:

The FIRST Feature Friday EVER:

WHO: JANE MOW

Here’s a quick look at some of her recent work!

“Just Casually” Styling Mr Stephen McIvor for the ASB Tennis Classics.

But Jane’s not all work and no play, here she is with a hand-full of balls! Haha!!!

WHAT: Designer/Stylist/Make up Artist/Most honest, straight up friend

WHEN: About 8 years ago is when I first met Jane (OMG Jane do you know how long ago that sounds – it’s like it was yesterday that this little 17 year old walked in and handed you her CV…HAHAHAHA!!!)

WHERE: Auckland, NZ & Europe

WHY: Jane’s had photo shoots in the past which I’ve helped out with (on the sweet side of things obviously, photo below), in return she’s devoted so much time and effort into doing a ‘Miss Piggy’s Cakes Campaign Shoot’ (stay tuned…) that is going to blow your socks off and I can’t wait to show you all the photos. She has come so far in such a short time and constantly amazes me. If it wasn’t for her, I would never even have thought of doing a campaign shoot.

Cupid is a Genius!

admin — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:05:15 +0000

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Love it or hate it, it’s that time of year again where a single rose goes from $5 to $15 (at least), where chocolate hearts and teddy bears fill every shelf in every store and love is in the air. Where some single people celebrate being single on this ‘couples’ day and where other’s feel sorry for themselves. Where kids at school are most likely more cruel than the grown up world and find a weak spot in their victims or where chivalry still exists and a true gentleman comes shining through. Love it or hate it – this commercialised day has become a bigger thing as the years go by in New Zealand.

I’m not really a Valentines Day sort of person, but I appreciate it. My Dad wasn’t a V-Day person either, he always used to tell us it’s such a commercial day and that you shouldn’t need one day to show someone that you love them – he was however a very romantic person. Mum was a bit more into Valentines Day, so he did this for her. Every Valentines day Dad would buy Mum a single red rose, sometimes a huge bunch of red roses, as he got older it was me that was sent out with the money to buy the roses for her, from him – looking back now, I think he was training me up for what was yet to come. He passed away almost two years ago but my Mother still gets her Valentines day flower(s), each year I know she thinks the flowers won’t come, or there’s nothing planned but I still get the money in my account and it still says “flowers”: “True Love Never Dies”.

My Dad used to be a Civil Engineer and worked for the EU as a Diplomat for the German Embassy. My Brother and I were raised in a way with set rules, manners and behaviours, we were taught how to treat people and how people should be treated and both parents led by great examples. Having grown up knowing certain things, I love watching couples (and people in general – but not in a creepy, stalker-ish sort of way…) as they enter/exit a building, enter/exit a car, walk down the street. I love that middle aged- elderly couples still have the man opening the door for his lady and even better opening her car door for her to get in, such a simple gesture with such powerful meaning (no boys, this doesn’t mean you’re a “p*ssy” if you do this, this doesn’t mean you’re “uncool”, this doesn’t mean you’re “whipped”). On the other hand ladies, as much as you may think you are a Queen, it is still nice to be polite so thank him (and while you’re all warm in the car after he closes the door, you could lean over and open his door)!! I do see more and more of the younger generation holding doors open for their girls so maybe there is hope for the future, the car door thing though is not as popular and I can understand why, but once in a while – try it.

I’ll leave you with this. Ahhh, the beginnings of love hahahaha!

Gay, Straight, Single, Bi-, whatever it may be, just make sure you at least love yourself today.

DIY Table Numbers

admin — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 21:59:05 +0000

It’s Wedding Season and I know a lot of people tying the knot this year or getting engaged this year. This is usually a time for bridezilla’s to be unleashed upon the world and probably a quick look into the future of ‘pregnancy hormones’ for the husband to be. This isn’t the case for anyone I know, but I have heard stories about such creatures and it is SCARY!

There are people that have planned their weddings since they were a child and know exactly what they want, where they want it, how they want it and when they want it and on the other side of the spectrum you have people that just go with the flow or don’t even have a ceremony. Has anyone ever really taken some time out to look into the history of weddings? Did you know that the first wedding dresses were actually BLUE!?! This colour was connected to purity, faithfulness and the Virgin Mary. It wasn’t until the 19th Century when Queen Victoria married Albert and insisted on wearing a white dress so she could incorporate a prized piece of lace she owned into the dress, that the Wedding fashion became white. Queen Victoria wasn’t the first to Wed in a white dress though, but you can read more here if you’re interested.

Engagement rings were the result of a marketing campaign by Diamond comapny De Beers, the tossing of the bouquet is also a fairly new tradition and the legal side of Marriage was only reserved for royals.

You can see why traditions slowly die out or change, new ones introduced, and the fact that each year, such a beautiful ceremony that celebrates the love of two people, tends to have a bigger and bigger price tag slapped on it. My previous post showed a whole lot of DIY/Free decoration ideas, not just for Weddings but for any occasion. Well here’s another: Table Numbers and because it’s so simple and easy to do you can match these exactly to your decor. Below are the 6 simple steps to making your table numbers (for any thing, not necessarily numbers but food labels, candy buffet labels, name tags, gift tags, thank you cards, A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G!)

Get your creative juice box out and I’ll leave you with this: Apparently the first wedding cakes ever made were made of meat and a glass ring was hidden in the meat cake, the first to find the glass ring was the next to be married. Hmm…I think I like the new tradition of sweet cakes more than the idea of a meat cake, although I would be pretty happy with a cheese cake – like actual wheels of cheese stacked on top of each other…Mmm……Cheese….

Cheap & Free Party Decorations

admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 06:35:37 +0000

WOW! First post of 2013 – I’m a bit behind, but I’m also a bit busy (that was probably obvious due to the lack of blog entries). This is most likely the latest ”HAPPY NEW YEAR” ever, but I’m still closer to the start of 2013 than 2014, I wonder if there’s actually a time frame for when you should just not say ‘Happy New Year’…Hmm…excuse me while I Google….

QUESTION: When is it too late to say Happy New Year?

ANSWER: (My fav on Google) “It get’s ridiculous when someone says it to you in February or March…” - So do I wait till April???

AWKWAAAARD!

Ok, seeing as I’m ’ridiculous’ Happy CHINESE New Year!!! (Soon my pretties, soon).

Anyway, this isn’t what I’m writing about today. I’ve been looking for all sorts of funky, cheap, fun, colourful, did I mention CHEAP ways to decorate the garage for a Birthday party, MY Birthday party. It’s not till March but I like to prepare in advance, especially if I’m ordering things from overseas. I’m having a “Fiesta” themed Birthday Party with a very dear friend of mine, mainly because I wanted to wear a giiiiigantic hat, wear a dirty moustache and for once look like a bad a$s with a fake cigar hanging out my mouth. I have discovered a world of “free” printable’s, cheap and effective decorating ideas and recycling ideas that would never in a million years cross my mind, so I thought I would share my top 5 with all of you!

**THIS IS THREE DAYS WORTH OF RESEARCH PEOPLE, THREE DAYS!!**

In no particular order:

5. Home Made Photo Booth (say whaaaaaaat!?!): Get a refrigerator box, paint the inside, sparkle it up, stick material all over it, make a flower feature wall, whatever – let your creative juices spill out on the inside of this box, as long as it’s in theme. Find a nice little chair, or no chair and you have yourself a little photo booth.

Alternatively you could just have a ‘feature wall’ as the back drop to your photos like this AWESOME Sequin Photobooth…

and print off some FREE photo booth props like these and stick them on skewers. HOLY SMOKES! Look at how professional you look!

4. FREE Themed printable’s (You heard): There are so many of these free ‘packages’ around, they mostly consist of Invitations, Bottle Labels, Cupcake Toppers, Little flags for drinks or food, “Thank you” cards (wow, there’s a word a lot of people don’t know how to say, teach them while they’re young!) and some even have food labels, like my fiesta one’s have margarita’s and guacamole labels…Mmm….Margarita’s….

3 & 2. Giant Paper Flowers & Paper Rosettes: In these two blog/tutorials, the flowers were used for a wedding and the rosettes were used as a backdrop – I’m thinking I should mix it up and stick a whole lot of both of these to the ceiling in the garage and turn the lights on, that way there’ll be a ‘glow’ to some of the flowers and just enough lighting for a party mood.

1. Just to add a bit more colour and height/depth - Streamer Chandeliers: Umm, yea, it’s pretty simple really and I don’t know why i’ve only JUST found out about this now. Look at how effective they are in that giant marquee in the photo.

I also just remembered another idea for cheap party lighting - balloons with glow-sticks You can have these on the floor, floating in the pool, attached to string on the walls, hanging from the ceiling, wherever your heart desires that little glowing sack of air to be.

Go ahead, count up how much you’ve saved, you know you want to! And remember, these are just SOME of the money saving awesome idea’s I’ve found – If I have time to find these in between cakes and everything else, YOU have time to find yours.

The world is your canvas and you are the paintbrush – Ooooh how cheesy was that If you’ve got kids, get them to help out, if you’re a big kid (like myself) – get the other big kids to help out, I promise it’ll be fun and if you do end up making any of these, I would love to see them, so email them through to me and I may just slap it up here for the world to see…or on my facebook page – which is pretty much the world.

Thank YOU!

admin — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 04:34:06 +0000

Finally. I have a minute to sit here, catch my breath and feel somewhat ‘human’ again. Firstly, for those of you following the blog and not facebook/twitter, I apologise for my lack of posts.

What a crazy, hectic down hill rush for the end of the year. I have just finished off the last of 3000 cookies for the Auckland City Mission Christmas lunch and I feel relieved (Thanks Mum & Bro for your help!). I just want to sit here and do nothing for the next few days – but we all know that’s not going to happen because within the next 20mins, there’s a cake in the oven that needs to come out – oy vey!

This time of year is the storm BEFORE the calm – everyone’s going crazy, rushing to get things done for this one special day that usually ends up being the calmest day of the year – funny.

For all of you that have ordered from me this year – thank you, for those who have helped me achieve milestones – thank you and for those of you who continue to support me and give me the confidence I need with your kind words, feedback & recommendations – thank you.

I can’t believe that this time last year, after having this online business running for just four months I had just over 100 followers on facebook and now, a year later I have over 1000 followers. This truely means a lot to me, I appreciate every single one of you and cannot thank you enough, some of you I may never meet as you all come from different parts of the planet so I paid it forward. For each ‘like’ on facebook, I made yellow Chirstmas tree cookies for the city mission – 1026 yellow cookies – I know I only have 1025 followers but one’s for my Dad, I know he would be my biggest fan and I only wish he could see me now.

I want to wish you all a safe and happy holiday season, be careful on the roads, enjoy the time you have with family & eat lots of cake!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

xoxo

feedback, kind words

Behind the Scenes

admin — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 03:41:28 +0000

Aaaaaaaaand here it is! The behind the scenes video of the A La Robe (http://alarobe.myshopify.com/) shoot – crazy day is an understatement, but with this video, you would never know

A HUGE THANK YOU to my amazing friend Giancarlo for your help on the day, and for keeping the cake alive in the rain and stormy winds and also to Jane and Lydia for letting us be a part of this. I have the full collection of the worlds greatest friends!!!

Videographer: Natasha Tylee http://www.natashatylee.com/

Main Photographer: Lydia Arnold http://lydiaarnold.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/making-most-of-all-situations-la-robe.html

Styling and Design: Jane Mow http://www.janemow.com/