Auntie Loo Weddings

Quick photo update...

2011-10-12T05:29:00.000-07:00

Just to let everyone know... we're working on creating a website which will amalgamate both Auntie Loo's Treats and Auntie Loo Weddings - something that I can just update photos on a more regular basis, so all of our photos are in one place. In the meantime... here's another mass update of some of our cakes from the summer.

Please let us know if you think of anything you'd like to see on our new site!!!

We're going to be at the Ottawa Wedding Show (www.ottawaweddingshow.com) in about a week and a half! There will be lots of new display cakes - the Peacock cake is officially going into retirement. Additionally, don't forget to come out to our birthday party this weekend on October 15th and 16th! The day party will be on the 15th at the bakery... free samples, vegan BBQ, Find Mattycakes contest, cupcake photo booth... lots to see/taste/do! The party continues the night of the 16th at Babylon Night Club. It will be a night of burlesque, rock n' roll, and more free samples! Not to mention the FABULOUS raffle that's going to take place... you won't believe the prizes we've got! Check out our Facebook page for the list of what's been donated for this event. All proceeds will be going to help out our dear, dear friends at the Westminster Pet Sanctuary.

Ok That's all for now - have a wonderful day and hope to see you this weekend!

xoxo

Miss Kate

2011-07-03T17:51:00.001-07:00

OK this is going to be short and sweet... I haven't updated in forever, and to be honest, I have just been so busy that finding the time to do so is next to impossible! So I am just going to post a plethora of photos of cakes we've done recently. Enjoy!

OK That's it for now... tons more to come, I will try to get more pictures up here. In the meantime, don't forget to follow on Twitter @AuntieLoo_Weds and keep an eye out for the not-too-distant future; we will have a brand new site up and running!

Have a wonderful evening,
Keep cool in this heat!
xoxo
Miss Kate

Revivelife and Vacation!

2011-03-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

What a weekend...

As unbelievable as it is, Rouge has already come and gone - we can't believe it's over! I kept saying that it seemed like only yesterday that Amy from Splendid Events was chatting to us at the bakery about the vague idea that was to become Rouge - Ottawa's Ultimate Bachelorette Party! It was awesome to meet so many of you; and it was an even better surprise to find out that many of you had heard of us before and were excited to hear we do weddings as well! It was a fun evening, and as always, it was such a pleasure to see people we love (Kate from Flights of Fancy, I'm lookin' at you!). Be sure to check this out next year - I know a lot of you aren't even getting married, and were just there for a night out!! So glad to see there were so many people out supporting the ACO and promoting education of living with, or being effected by, AIDS/HIV.

On Sunday, Kat from Blumenstudio had her soft opening of her new cafe/flower shop located on Parkdale Ave. We are now going to be wholesaling to Kat, which we are so excited about - I am in love with her unique flower arrangements; everything is so quirky and one-of-a-kind... she really has a special eye! Make sure you stop in and say hi, check out the place, and grab a drink & a treat!

Then on Monday, Mandi and I had the pleasure of heading down to Rogers Television for a spot on a daytime show called Revivelife. This was my first time on TV so please take that into consideration... I felt myself saying sentences that didn't seem to make sense at the time, but my parents assured me it went well (and that's all that matters!). The people at Rogers were so lovely, and made us feel so welcome. On top of that, we got to see Krista (of Wed By Hand fame) and Dana & Becky from With Love Bridal Boutique - 3 lovely ladies that are always a joy to see! It was also the first time meeting Stacey of Marry Me Productions; we actually had delivered a cake to one of her weddings back in the summer (it was the purple and fuschia cake that went to the National Art Gallery), but hadn't met before yesterday! One of the best parts of this job is meeting so many amazing people... we thrive on it. Anyway - with all that said, see the video below for our TV spot yesterday!

I have one more wedding consultation on Thursday night before I head off for a long weekend. Richard and I are taking off to Burlington, Vermont for a relaxing couple of days to take a breather from the craziness that has been life for the past 3 months. (We've had non-stop consultations and events since the beginning of January!! It's so exciting, and we're so happy about it - I just need a l'il break) That being said, please note that if you do e-mail me between Thursday, March 31st and Sunday, April 3rd, you will not hear back from me until Monday, April 4th. Hold tight, I will get back to you!!

Thanks for reading, and have a lovely week! Hang in there, Spring is seriously right around the corner... Knock on wood!!!
Take care!
xoxo
Miss Kate

Go Green this weekend!

2011-03-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I think you're all doing a great job of willing the weather to finally warm up and melt some of this snow... I hear it will be going up to 15 degrees this Friday?! Keep up the good work, and we may actually see some grass this weekend!

Of course, now I've jinxed it and we're going to get 3 more feet of snow by the end of the week... sigh.

Here's just a quick note to say that...

Due to the Go Green Expo that is taking place this weekend (March 19th & 20th at Lansdowne), we will be unable to accept orders for birthday/specialty cakes.
Please note: orders for cupcakes & squares WILL still be accepted, and the shop WILL be open during our regular retail hours (Saturday 8am-2pm).

So if you aren't able to stop by Go Green, you'll still have access to our treats as per usual!

OK - You can now return to your regular scheduled programming...

xoxo

Miss Kate

Rouge: Ottawa's Ultimate Bachelorette Party

2011-03-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

I'm writing to you today because I wanted to let you know...

You are all cordially invited to
Rouge: Ottawa's Ultimate Bachelorette Party!
(click here for all of the official details!)

On March 26th, grab your friends and come on down to Mansion for Ottawa's "un-wedding show". This will be a girl's night out to remember, as you will have the chance to mingle with all kinds of wedding vendors (including us!) whilst in a relaxed, fun, and exciting atmosphere. If you've been to a wedding show before, you'll recall the shuffle that takes place going booth-to-booth, looking over peoples' shoulders to catch a glimpse of what's on offer... These shows are always incredibly informative and great for what they are; however, Rouge is looking to provide something completely different. You will be able to sample treats from yours truly, indulge in a mini-makeover, become a celebrity for the night with your very own paparazzi photoshoot, catch a limo ride around Ottawa, watch an awesome fashion show - all while sipping a martini! You will actually be participating in this show, as opposed to being part of an audience. Mandi and I will mingling, handing out samples, wedding cake coupons, and answering any questions you may have.

I just wanted to take a moment and mention why this event is so important to us and why we were on board from before its complete inception. Aside from wanting to support the amazing organizers who are genuinely wonderful, enthusiastic, and innovative, we wanted to help raise awareness for the charity that all proceeds will be going to. Not only is Rouge going to be amazingly fun, it's also a non-profit event to the benefit of the Aids Committee of Ottawa (the ACO). As some of you may know already, Auntie Loo's Treats has been a long-time supporter of the ACO, and in 2010, the first annual Auntie Loo's Craft Sale was held with all proceeds going to them. Additionally, on a weekly basis we donate our leftover treats to the ACO's Living Room. In their own words, The Living Room is...

a drop-in and program delivery centre that provides free, confidential,
practical and support services to people living with and/or closely affected by
HIV/AIDS. TLR is a safe, supportive and accepting environment for people to come
together and build community.

At Auntie Loo's, we have people very close to our hearts who have been affected in some way or another by HIV/AIDS, and it is our goal to promote the education and understanding that is behind this devastating disease. Therefore, in addition to the many events in the past that we have aligned ourselves with, we were committed 110% to Rouge once we heard the charity would be the ACO! On the night of the event, a representative from the ACO will be speaking more about what they do, and how you can help; we will also be handing out red ribbons and brochures for you to show your support. From the bottom of our hearts, we truly thank Vanessa, Amy, Madeleine, Lisa, and the whole team at Cloud in the Sky Studios for showing their support to the ACO through Rouge; only through awareness and education will we find ourselves living in an accepting society, and every contribution helps!

Ok the serious stuff aside... I suppose you'd like to know how much this will set you back, right? All it will cost for you to take part in a fantastic evening of ridiculous fun is $10. That's right - $10!!! (Plus the cost of your drinks.. we're not CRAZY, y'know! Ok not THAT crazy, at least...) So get your friends together, put on your glad rags, and head on down to Mansion on March 26th for the Ultimate Bachelorette Party! Not getting married? So what! Where else will you go that you can get cupcake samples, a mini-makeover, a limo ride, paparazzi photos, raffles, etc. etc. for only $10, all while donating to an incredibly great cause?! That's what I thought. I suppose that means we'll see you there, then? =)

Can't wait!! See you soon!
xoxo
Miss Kate

Winter is fun.

2011-03-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

I have to keep telling myself that winter is fun - otherwise I think I would go crazy with all of this snow. Seriously, what the heck is with a full day of rain nearly getting rid of all of our snow, only to have it pile back even higher overnight?! I love winter.. I love winter.. I love winter.. arghh

I know it has been a while since I have written to you, and I do apologize. I extra apologize for the fact that every time I write a blog entry, it seems as though I am apologizing for not writing for a while. But if you'll bare with me, I can explain...

This past month has been so crazy. After attending Wed By Hand, we just seem to be continually booking more and more wedding consultations. It's been great to meet so many different people! I'm really seeing a huge variety of styles, shapes and colours this year. One of our most original cakes is coming up in June, and I can't get it out of my head. On top of that, I'm also so happy that I've got a couple of Halloween weddings again this year! They are my favourite =)

Something else that I've seen a lot of is an increase in couples needing gluten-free desserts. In fact, 2 of the 3 weddings we booked this weekend were for gluten-free cakes and cupcakes! Because of this, I just wanted to take a moment to re-iterate our philosophy when it comes to gluten-free items. We don't charge extra for our gluten-free treats, as we feel that people with gluten intolerances are put through the ringer enough when it comes to day-to-day shopping. All of our recipes are hand-made, using combinations of different gluten-free flours and starches which are carefully experimented with; we never use box mixes. Our resident celiac baker, Claire, is our taste-tester (it's a hard life, I know)... she keeps us in check and makes sure we are providing quality products, and works with us to develop new treats (the gluten-free raspberry danishes were her brainchild!). That being said, please also keep in mind that we do still have gluten on the premises, and while we do our best to ensure that no cross-contamination takes place, we are unable to make any guarantees. Only you are aware of the extent of your allergy, so please keep this in mind!

Wedding consultations aside, I have been a busy bee for about the past 2 weeks. Mandi has been off in the land of Disney! Well... ok she was in Florida. (Although from what I hear, she also may have made a quick stop off at Harry Potterland... don't tell her I told you!) So I have been playing Mr. Manager in her absence... oh how I have missed her! She is on her way home at this ve

ry moment, and I am looking forward to having her back. For the record, I don't think it's normal to love your boss so much. But really - how could I not!?

So between the consultations, the deliveries, the special orders, the paperwork, etc ... it can't be too difficult to understand why I've been absent... right? ... Right???

Sigh, ok - you're right, I should make more time to write here. Twitter has been my downfall - it is so easy to write a few words here and there! My twitter name is @AuntieLoo_Weds, so hopefully you'll follow me! I am about 5 followers away from 100 (which is pretty exciting for me!).

Stay tuned - I am going to make another post in a few minutes (read "later tonight") regarding a few big events that are coming up this month. You won't want to miss these!!

Hope you've had a nice weekend!

xoxo

miss kate

Wed By Hand!!!

2011-02-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time coming, but Wed By Hand has finally come and gone! While it is bittersweet that the event is over, we had an amazing time and met so many wonderful people. For a moment I felt disappointed that it is now finished, but then I took a look at my dayplanner and realized I don't have time to reminisce! We are so unbelievably busy!! It's onwards and upwards now that we've had our first real wedding show. That being said, I feel I must take a moment to inform everyone that we are now fully booked for consultations until March 26th. I will be starting a cancellation list in case you require to get in before then (please keep in mind we tend to need at least 60 days before the event, and we book on a first come, first serve basis).

Yesterday at Wed By Hand, we had a special offer where couples who booked a consultation with us at the show were entered into a draw to win a $100 wedding morning breakfast pack. We are pleased to announce the winner to you today...

Congratulations to Alina & Aaron !!!

We are sure that you will love the delicious array of croissants, cinnamon buns, scones, etc., that we will have ready for you that morning!

Please note that we are now offering "Wedding Morning Breakfast Packs" that can either be prepared for the morning of the event for pickup, or can be prepared in advance to be freshly baked by you or a family member/friend (great idea for out-of-town weddings!). Just send us an inquiry and we can provide all the information you need!

Alright, back to the show! It's been a lot of preparation for yesterday... I had intended on preparing even more display cakes, but time got the better of me and I had to work on actual cakes for customers instead! It turned out better, though, as we filled up our table (and then some!) with what we had. The prep for this show wasn't as hectic as others we have participated in (it seems like every time we do a show, we wonder why we didn't go in to something like making clothes that don't need to be made the night before to ensure freshness!). It was great to be able to prepare the display cakes ahead of time, so that we only had to concern ourselves with baking samples and a small selection of treats for sale... (as opposed to Go Green in March which is basically a 3 day marathon of intense baking and selling!). Inevitably, some stuff had to be done at the last minute, but it all came together in the end. At about 9:57am, right before the doors opened, the table was set up and I could breathe a sigh of relief!

Right from the start, there was an overwhelming response from so many visitors. The first 3 hours were just insane! We booked a boatload of consultations, and met so many sweet, wonderful, and original people. I was personally surprised by how many people were there that aren't actually getting married - it was great to chat to each and every one of you, though! As this was our first wedding-specific show, we weren't entirely sure what to expect. It was certainly a pleasant experience. I think we really lucked out by being a part of Wed By Hand... Krista (of Urbanite Jewelry) and Robin did an amazing job putting on this show. The vendors were all invited to a meet and greet before the show, so we really felt at home and like we were amongst friends when the big day arrived. We saw a lot of familiar & friendly faces in the crowd, and a lot more new ones! (One lovely couple even came in from Montreal just to attend the show! They were so nice..) (...oh and another incredibly fun couple were up from Waterloo!) Anyway, before I start listing off everyone we met, I'll just leave it by saying I genuinely enjoyed meeting all of you, and I wish you all the best for the future!!

I just wanted to take a minute to highlight some of my favourite vendors from Wed By Hand... (please note these are only some of the great businesses that we have had the pleasure of dealing with in the lead up to this show, and there are simply too many to list here!!)

Splendid Events - Amy is a wedding planner who is an absolute delight to work with ... I guarantee you'll love her immediately! She's full of great ideas, and will help you put together whatever your heart desires!

Urbanite Jewelry - Krista, who put on this wonderful show, is also a jewelry designer of fun, modern, classy pieces with great prices. I bought a lock and key necklace from her the first time I met her, and still get compliments on it to this day!

Flights of Fancy - What can I say? Kate is a new gal on the scene who is constantly busy creating fabulous hairpieces for all occasions. She makes custom pieces, and has others in stock on a daily basis - her energy is inspiring (really... she should figure how to bottle it; I'd buy it!).

Victoire - These gals are our close business friends from years back, and they are getting more into the wedding scene now! We had a blast being set next to them at the show... Mandi particularly enjoyed playing dress-up!

At the School House - I have yet to visit this venue, but Mandi's delivered one of our cakes there! I've heard nothing but great things, and really hope to make it out there one day to see it myself. It looks beautiful!

With Love Bridal - A few months ago I visited their lovely shop situated out in Stittsville. They have a beautiful range of new, consignment, and custom dresses and accessories. Looked like their booth was very busy! Make sure you stop in and say hi!

Purple Urchin Soap - The biggest testament to their products was when Mandi came running back from their booth and put her arm under my nose shouting "SMELL THIS!!!" She was pretty excited, and had a total reason to be. I was lucky to get a free sample in the swag bag - can't wait to use it!

Ok I think that's about it from me today... My last note is that we received our wedding t-shirts just in time for the show this past weekend! What do you think?? They are now on sale at the shop! Keen eyes will notice that the cake in the design has been fashioned after our display cake (the white, green, and pink one) from last year. Thank you to Mailyne for your wonderful designs, and thanks to Loudmouth Printhouse for printing the tshirts!!

Well, that's that now... we have an incredibly busy week ahead of us... Thursday is the Festival of Chocolate (don't forget to come see us compete!), and Saturday is our pick-up date for our strawberry chocolate cake truffles for Valentine's Day. Please note that due to overwhelming orders this weekend, we are now unable to accept orders being placed for February 11th or 12th. Sorry for the inconvenience!

I'm off to bed now, but I hope everyone had a brilliant time yesterday at the show, and I am looking forward to the next event that we'll be able to work together again! Have a wonderful night, and you'll be hearing more from me soon. Hopefully I'll get a chance to take some proper photos of my cakes to put up, and I'll talk a bit more about them then. (I think you've heard enough from me tonight!)

Thanks for everything!
Goodnight!
xoxo
Kate

Edited to add: Oh!!! I forgot to mention that I finally got to meet the wonderful ladies from Little Cakes, and Sue from Crazy4Chocolate (truffles to die for)... It was also such a pleasure to meet Sophie Bifield, a wonderful cake decorator in the city (and Sophie, if you see this, I kept meaning to ask where you're from, your accent fascinates me!!) ... Ok seriously I'll stop, but I just wanted to make sure everyone knows about all of these wonderful companies out there!! For reals.. goodnight...!!!

Just fiddlin' around...

2011-01-23T16:02:00.000-08:00

Heyyy everyone,

It's kind of been a madhouse at the bakery lately (in the best possible way!), and in case you haven't heard, I recently joined Twitter to keep a little more up-to-date with the goings-on of the cake side of the bakery (you can follow me @auntieloo_weds!). I've been busy trying to get the hang of it (I mean, how are people supposed to understand what "#FF" means right away?! I was baffled when I kept getting notices on my cellular device that I was being mentioned so many times in one day!). Still a bit shaky... (i.e. why the heck won't my phone upload photos to Twitter, and why doesn't it give me any reason why it won't work!? Sigh.. guess that's a question for the network provider.) Nevertheless, I'm determined to stick to it, and to get used to this whole new universe. In the first few weeks of being a Twitter user, I have become aware of so many more people in the city that I would not have been introduced to otherwise! It's an undeniably brilliant networking tool. Thus, I will continue to stick it out!

This past Friday was especially exciting for us at Auntie Loo Weddings, as we were ever-so-kindly invited to be featured by Krista and Robin of Wed By Hand during their appearance on /A\ Morning! As Mandi was busy doing the daily wholesale deliveries, I brought along our great friend of the bakery, Katrina, to give me a hand with the 5-tier peacock-themed display wedding cake (I wasn't interested in attempting to open any doors while balancing that thing! Extra thanks to Kat for helping!). Krista and Robin did a great job on air, and we are so appreciative that they allowed us to share this cake with the viewers. Wed By Hand (Ottawa's Alternative Wedding Show) is taking place on February 6th in the Glebe Community Centre, and it's shaping up to be an extremely exciting event. We are continuously getting prepared for the show, and are looking forward to being a part of it! See below for the video and for more information on Wed By Hand:

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I know I don't normally show birthday cakes on this page, but I had quite a bit of fun doing this particular cake, so I figured I may as well share it with you. A couple of weeks ago, we had an order from a lovely lady who wanted a birthday cake for a fiddle enthusiast. I quickly set off to work to make a handmade gumpaste model of a fiddle (a first for me!). I've made a few guitars before, but this was different and it was fun to pay attention to a whole new set of details that I hadn't noticed before. The music notes were just piped buttercream handpainted with edible glitter.

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We have also just announced on our main webpage that we are offering a new item for special order at Auntie Loo's Treats - cake truffles! Here's the low-down:

As Valentine's Day is approaching, we're using this opportunity to roll out a new Auntie Loo's Treats special order item - cake truffles! These delictable treats are a mixture of cake and 'buttercream', rolled into the perfect bite-sized ball, dipped in chocolate, with a final drizzle on top. These are the perfect treat to share with a loved one, your friends, or to keep all to yourself!! Our feature flavour for Valentine's Day is strawberry chocolate, and each order will be wrapped up with a pretty Valentine's Day themed ribbon, making it the perfect gift. After February 14th, we will offer a whole bunch of different flavours that will be available for special orders! Stay tuned to see what we'll be offering =)

12 strawberry chocolate cake truffles ........................ $15.00

We will be accepting orders until February 10th for a February 12th pick-up date. (These treats will still be lovely and fresh on February 14th, as the chocolate acts as the perfect protective shell for the cake!)

*** If you would like to order these for a pick-up date before the 12th, please contact us to confirm whether or not the pick-up date is available***

That's all I have to report for now; our next event coming up is the screening of The Kings of Pastry at the Mayfair Theatre on January 31st and February 2nd. Following that, we (of course) have Wed By Hand on February 6th - I recommend that anyone who is planning a wedding should attend this show!

We have been booking consultations like crazy, so make sure you get in touch to schedule yours! We typically book our consultations Saturdays in 1 hour time slots between 10am and 2pm. Hope to hear from you soon!

In the meantime, I have to keep quiet about some pretty exciting things that are coming together, but I assure you there is a lot more coming from us here at Auntie Loo Weddings!

Keep warm and stay inside!
xoxo
Kate

December catch up

2011-01-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

As I sit here holding my breath while I watch the juniors semi-final (I have to admit, I'm not too concerned either way, but the results of the game will determine the household mood for tomorrow!), I figured I would take the opportunity to catch up on a couple of cakes from December.

At the beginning of the month, Mandi and I geared up for a long trip out to... well... the middle of nowhere! We were nervous for a few days leading up to this delivery, as it seemed like every hour was bringing new reports of alleged snow storms and threats of freezing rain. Considering we were heading into unchartered territory, and we had over an hour's drive to get there, we were pretty close to resorting to some kind of weather dance to keep the clouds away. Even after we finally set off for Lanark County, the radio was still reporting potential hazardous weather... you can't imagine how grateful we were that nothing came of it!
When we finally pulled up to the venue, we were immediately impressed. We totally understood why the couple picked this place... it was even more evident when we walked inside! I normally don't have a lot of time to take pictures of the venues when I go to set up the cakes, but this time, as I did the set up, Mandi took her handy iPhone and snapped away. You can see how much appeal this place has! So cozy.

The cake was very simple - our spice cake with a simple vanilla buttercream icing and a burgundy ribbon to match the decor. I never ended up receiving the cake topper, so I'm not sure if the couple had one in the end - Sara, if you're reading this, maybe you can let me know! =) On our way out of the door, the owners sent us off with a foccacia bread roll each... what could be better? It was so friggin' good... I think both Mandi and I often think back on how delicious they were.

Last week, we had another wedding which was being held at the Courtyard Restaurant - a very familiar venue to us now! It's always so nice there; very relaxing and pretty. This couple were getting married here, and the reception was being set up after the ceremony. Unfortunately, this meant that the cake was being brought out later in the evening, so I had to set it up in the back room. Hence why you are looking at a photo of a cake with cutlery in the background! I admit I had to hold my breath in fear as I left the venue... the cake was adorned with handmade sugar lillies, which are so incredibly delicate! The top and bottom tiers were imprinted to create a quilt-like, fabric effect with silver dragees inserted at the joins. The middle tier had the dragees, but no quilting effect. I got to use one of my new toys from the UK for this, so I was a happy girl. =) The flavours we used here were earl grey lemon and maple walnut (in separate tiers, not together!).

We really wish all the best for these two couples (as we always do, of course) - they were all such a pleasure to work with!

Ok here we go... last 30 seconds of the game... cross your fingers!
Goodnight!
xoxo
Kate

Get ready for an exciting year!

2011-01-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

First off, I have to say that my #1 resolution this year is to be more diligent with this blog. It is difficult to find time to sit down and write, especially (as you may have noticed) considering that I tend to ramble - once I get started, it's hard to stop! But this year, I'm committed to bringing you all the news and happenings of Auntie Loo Weddings on a regular basis. Feel free to send me a friendly reminder every once in a while if you haven't heard from me for a bit!

Secondly, I wanted to do a quick review of my favourite cake-related things of 2010. If you read my last post, then it is evident that my trip to Cake International in Birmingham, UK, is definitely at the top of my list. In fact, it probably fills the top 3 slots. So here's my top 5 of 2010:

Alan Dunn's exotic flower tutorial (It was amazing to finally see my sugar flower hero at work - picked up so many little tips and tricks in 45 minutes!)
Seeing the inspirational competition pieces at the show (Really humbling experience)
Just the cake show in general - 3 days of absolute bliss (Although my bank account would say otherwise)
Jennifer Dontz' flower class (So informative and fun)
My awesome purchases of the year: KitchenAid Mixer; Pasta roller attachment for the KA (it helps me roll out paste for flowers... I used to be opposed to the idea, until I used it at Jennifer's class... it's insane how much time that thing saves!); Cricut; etc, etc, etc...

All I can hope is that 2011 is 1/2 as good as 2010... and so far, it looks as though we're well on our way!!

Here's a few things that are coming up so far this year...
________________________________________________________________

AUNTIE LOO'S TREATS PRESENTS...
The Kings Of Pastry
January 31st, 7PM @ Mayfair Theatre
Click here for the Facebook Event!

I'm particularly excited for this... I cannot wait to see this film, and it's so much more exciting that we're going to be a part of the event! I was tempted to go trek all the way to Toronto to see this at the new Lightbox theatre, but shortly after I started scouring cheap train tickets, I got news that this was happening! Watch the trailer and get excited!

________________________________________________________________

OTTAWA'S ALTERNATIVE WEDDING SHOW
Wed By Hand
February 6th, 10am - 5pm @ The Glebe Community Centre
Website!

We are incredibly proud to be taking part in this event. In fact, we're so proud that we're going to be one of the sponsors! This wedding show is truly unique and one of a kind - not only will you be able to take part in DIY workshops, but the vendors will all be bringing something handmade and/or eco-friendly! Us at Auntie Loo Weddings will be bringing a whole bunch of new display cakes, and I've also been working on a special handmade craft project, just for the event. Oh yeah - and samples! Lots of samples! Come on out!

_________________________________________________________________

Go Green Expo
March 19th & 20th @ Lansdowne Park
Website!

If you managed to make it out to this event last year, you'll know how absolutely insane it was. We couldn't keep our samples in stock, and even the product we were selling was flying off the racks like crazy! This year is certain to be even busier - I think we will be better prepared this time around. After last year, every event we've done since has been a piece of cake in comparison. (Har har, get it??) So mark this one on your calendar and come on out!

__________________________________________________________________

We have so much more coming up that I can't even keep track of it right now... so there's your sneak peek of our biggest events for the next couple of months. More wedding shows, expos, fests, etc., etc.! I'm exhausted already... but I wouldn't be doing anything else!

That's it from me for tonight... I had started this blog post with the intention of showing a couple of cakes I've done recently, but that fell completely to the wayside... Guess that gives me something to do tomorrow! Also keep an eye out for some new and exciting options that will now be available for special order through Auntie Loo Weddings. 2011 is going to be a great year!

Happy happy new year!
xoxo
Kate

PS - Here's the whole sketch of Do-It-Yourself, Mr. Bean! (My new year's eve consisted of a Mr. Bean marathon and playing a Wii Trivia game - awesome way to send off 2010!!!)

Cake International 2010 in Birmingham, UK... finally!!!

2010-12-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

Well, it's about time I let you all in on what goes down at an exclusive cake decorating exhibition... The day after my arrival in the UK, I had rented a car to have for the duration of my trip. I haven't even had my license for a full year yet, so I was pretty freakin' nervous at the prospect of driving on the other side of the road. I had a mini adventure driving through the New Forest with my lovely friend Ranger; the New Forest is my ultimate favourite part of the UK still to this day. It is a region in which ponies, donkeys, pigs, sheep, and cows all have the right of way. You'll be moseying along, cruising through some gorgeous little villages, when all of a sudden you have to stop because there's a herd of ponies hanging out in the road! While I imagine this could get a little frustrating when you're running out the door and late for work, as a visitor, it is so refreshing to visit somewhere that the animals still have the run of the place. Ranger and I stopped off at the New Forest Owl and Otter Centre, where we came across a rather hungry little deer! It was a close escape, but we both made it out alive.

My driving experience that day was pretty uneventful - I didn't have any accidents, and I wasn't even honked at... however, I hadn't exactly travelled very far! The next day, I was heading to Birmingham for the cake show, which was over a 2 hour drive away. I've driven to Toronto and back a few times, but it's not the same when you're in unchartered territory on the other side of the road! I brought my cousin Joan and her sister Jean along with me, as they were coming up for the day and taking the train home at night. I was happy to have the company for that trip, as I was still a little nervous. Luckily, nobody had to wear their crash helmets and there wasn't even a single scream from the backseat. A success all around! We safely pulled in to the NEC at around 10:30am, and that's when the real fun began...

First off - the cake show was definitely anything but exclusive (which is what I love about cake decorating; it brings together the most unlikely of hobbyists!)... there were so many people there, that within the first 5 or 10 minutes of being there, I was immediately separated from Joan and Jean. You really had to stake your ground and take your time to make sure you saw everything. We had thought that by going the first day, we'd miss at least some of the crowd... we were totally wrong, as this was definitely the busiest day.

There were about 5 sections to the whole exhibition - student display cakes, competition display cakes, vendors, live competitions, and workshops. There was some incredible talent at this show. It was so inspiring - and of course some pieces just made you wonder why you even bother! There were some cakes made by children students that would give me a run for my money... why didn't I discover this art all those years ago!? It's kind of impossible to transcribe how I felt while going up and down the aisles of the competition pieces. There was one cake (right) that was decorated only using royal icing which didn't even make sense. I have a pretty good understanding of royal icing and how different techniques and effects are created, but this thing was ridiculous. It didn't necessarily appeal to me aesthetically, but the technique and skill required practically took my breath away. Look at the collar on this thing!! I don't GET it!

After carefully inspecting each and every cake, cupcake, and sugarpaste flower (so much inspiration in one place!), I moved on to the vendor tables. Oh. My. God. Living in Ottawa, we are deprived of a well-stocked, high quality cake decorating supply shop. I do most of my supply shopping online, and a lot of it comes from Toronto. Unfortunately for us, a lot of stuff originates from the UK and is then shipped to Canada. So the prices obviously have to reflect that... but then on top of that I end up paying extra shipping to get it here in Ottawa. (There is a very important reason that I have laid out this thought process... it was my entire justification for buying everything that I did at the show. It was a lot. I had to tell myself this reasoning every 20 minutes or so.)

To be perfectly honest, it's not as though there was anything I absolutely needed... I would have been absolutely fine if I had come home with nothing. But that just wasn't happening. I swear the stuff was calling my name! I could hear it! Even above all the noise and hubbub of the show! Resistance was futile. I won't bother naming everything that I got as it's probably only of interest to me... but I was a happy lil girl at the end of the day when I got back to my hotel room and started going through everything. The photo you see here isn't even close to everything that I got, as I accidentally bought more stuff over the next 2 days of the show.

Anyway... after scouring each and every vendor table, I met up with Jean and Joan (who had lost me and were sent in to a bit of a panic! I hadn't left the show at all, but with the masses of people I guess I was difficult to spot. I even ate my watercress sandwich as I walked! No rest for the wicked!). They were heading back to Southampton on the train, so I gave them a hug goodbye and lugged all of my loot to the hotel. I slept well that night, that's for sure.

On the Saturday morning, I returned to the show to be there when it opened, and I took another walk around the tables. There were a few more things that I hadn't noticed the day before, so I accidentally bought some more stuff. My workshop with Alan Dunn was at noon that day, and I knew it was popular so I lined up pretty early. It was a good thing, too, as the classroom was packed. Unfortunately, as close as I was, I also had a giant pole in front of my view... that was kind of annoying. Nevertheless, Alan did not disappoint - he provided an incredibly informative, entertaining, and inspiring workshop. He was showing us how to make passion flowers - his favourite exotic Christmas flower. I picked up a few really simple but different tricks that will help save time and improve the quality of my work. It was an honour to be able to see him in action! I hope he one day makes it over here so I can take a full course with him.

After the workshop, I left the show for the day. I headed into downtown Birmingham, which was so busy that I didn't spend very long there. It was another early night for me.... On Sunday morning I woke up early and headed to Kenilworth Castle. This was once owned by Sir Robert Dudley - Queen Elizabeth's favourite. She visited the castle many times, and the gardens were installed there specifically for her visits. It has been added to one of my alltime favourite heritage properties. I loved that some of the building was in ruins, and some was still in tact. You really got the best of both worlds!

I went back to the cake show after a pretty thorough visit to the castle. I knew there were a few more things I had intended to pick up, so I wanted to get those before heading in to the last demonstration of the weekend. This was the workshop that was supposed to be held by Eddie Spence MBE, but he had to cancel at the last minute due to illness. Unfortunately, I can't remember the gentleman's name who replaced Eddie for the demo, but he did a very good job. I think he was nervous, as he must have known everyone had really wanted to see Eddie in action - but he did really well despite that. The royal icing was acting up (any change in temperature or humidity can completely ruin a batch), but he worked through it and gave us some really neat tips on creating unique royal icing sunflowers, hydrangeas, and English roses. I quite enjoyed his demonstration!

That brought me to the end of the cake show weekend. It was bittersweet to be leaving - I was so happy and content with everything that I had seen, bought, learned, etc... but as I have no idea when I will ever be able to return, it was sad that the event I'd been excited for for so long was now over! I will have to take comfort in my new purchases and toys... I have come back entirely re-energized, and completely inspired for the new year. Later this week, I'll have a couple of announcements of some big events coming up next year!

OK I think this was a ridiculously long post... Hopefully this was somewhat interesting to you! Keep an eye out for what's going to be coming up soon... And before I go, here's a quick Top 3 of the most innovative things I saw at the show:

1) Sugarveil ... I have read about this before, and have done a little research, but had never seen it in action. It's unbelievable. The Sugarveil people were demonstrating their products, and if I lived in the UK I would probably have been taking one of everything home with me (despite how insanely expensive it all is). I won't go into the details of how they make this stuff, but when they finish, the final product is a lacey and fabric-like piece of sugar that can be folded, draped, tied... it looked amazing, and not like sugar at all; we were even allowed to sample it in order to prove it wasn't a scary chemical make-up, and it was just sugar-y goodness. Amazing stuff.

2) Magic dust ... Completely natural & vegan-friendly coloured dusts and sparkles that don't dissolve (as some naturally coloured dusts do); this was a very popular booth, and I stocked up on a whole bunch of colours!)

3) Stephen Benison's hummingbird cutter (and basically everything at his table) ... I have seen Stephen Benison's stuff before when I attended the other cake show back when I still lived in England, but I still didn't really understand what he was all about. This second time around, I got it. His stuff it quite modern, and very artsy; he has a very distinct style which I really appreciated. These hummingbird cutters were just gorgeous - I didn't buy them, as I couldn't justify the 20 pounds it cost; it's not often that I will get a couple walking in our door asking for a cake adorned with a modern style of hummingbird! But I watched him demo these cutters about 5 times before finally pulling myself away from the table. He is a new inspiration of mine.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Don't worry - it'll be a long time before I get back to a cake show and write a post as long as this!
Have a great week, and hopefully we don't get snowed in!
XOXO
M. Kate

Where it all began...

2010-11-23T06:23:00.001-08:00

One of the first things I did on my trip (after having a much needed nap) was to return back to the flower class that started it all...

When I was living in England in 2008/2009, I was originally working at a little shop called Passion Fish. We sold handmade gifts, cards, and novelty items. It was a nice enough place to work, but the recession- in combination with its location- meant that the store was no longer able to stay open. My mum's cousin and his wife (Dave and Joan) were kind enough to take me in, but being unemployed meant I didn't have very much money to do anything. Every Tuesday evening, Joan would attend this flower class, where everyone would make these awesome floral creations using a medium called cold water porcelain. (Cold water porcelain is not edible, but is an excellent material to learn how to make sugar flowers as it is much stronger and more resiliant than gumpaste.) Because I had nothing going on, and my days were mostly filled with antique related shows (my favourite was Dickinson's Real Deal), Joan suggested I come along with her to class.

After my first class, I was immediately hooked. I borrowed some materials from Joan, and from the teacher, Sue; the ladies who attended the class were so lovely and welcoming. When Sue first started the classes, everyone would learn the same flower every week. She soon realized that since everyone had a different learning curve, it would be better if everyone worked on their own projects and she would just teach or help out where needed. It was so interesting to come in each week and see what everyone was working on.

Because I knew that my time was limited with the classes, I tried to learn as much as humanly possible. Every week I was making something new, and sometimes I'd attend more than one class a week. The flowers we made were mostly used as gifts and display pieces, but they would also be used for cakes. Initially, I didn't have much of an interest for the cake decorating side of it; I can't explain why - maybe it was because I was already trying to learn so much of one art, that trying to take in anything else seemed impossible. It didn't take long to win me over, though...

Joan was making a cake for her neighbour Eileen across the road - I think she was turning 80. We took this opportunity for me to try my hand at cake decorating for the first time. It went relatively smoothly; all I specifically remember was frantically taking photos of each step just in case I forgot something.

Shortly after this first experience, Sue's daughters were taking her to the Squires Kitchen cake exhibition in Farnham for mother's day. She was kind enough to invite me along, and I was more than happy to go with. I marvelled at the size of the place, and couldn't believe how much stuff there was! That's when Sue said, "This is nothing... You should see the other show I go to!" Of course, she was referring to the mecca of all cake shows - the one I just attended. (For the record, she was right.) To be perfectly honest, when I went through the cake show at Farnham, I had no idea what half of the stuff was for. It all looked so foreign to me, that I was a little intimidated by it all. However, it also motivated me to get more involved in the cake side of it, as opposed to just creating sugar (or cold porcelain) flowers.

When it was finally time to head back home to Canada, it was a sad goodbye to have to part with the ladies that I'd spent every week with for a few months. It was bittersweet, though - because as much as I had wanted to stay and learn more, I was equally excited to get home and show to my friends and family what I had learned. Funny how life works... I had originally gone to England to pursue a career in animal conservation, and ended up coming home with the cake decorating bug. Hmm...

Anyway, every time I go back to England (which has been twice now since I moved home), I always make sure I set aside time to stop by and say hi to the people that have taught me so much. Without them, I wouldn't be here today, and it is safe to say that I would not have discovered the joy of cake decorating at all. So thank you, Joan, Sue, and all the ladies, for your encouragement and support!

I'm back!

2010-11-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a lovely few weeks, and I'm home safe and sound. I'll have a couple of posts coming up about my trip, and the (amazing) cake show. But for the meantime, I just wanted to get caught up and show a cake that I had done just before I left for the UK.

This wedding cake was done for Jenn and Krystal. During our consultation, I was given a brief rundown of their wedding attire and I hope we'll be priveleged to see photos from the event! It sounded awesome.

The idea behind the cake was to incorporate aspects of fall and of winter, as the wedding was held at the beginning of November. We went with a strong red and orange combination in the flower, and a pearlescent sheen over ivory fondant. The fabric being used in the wedding attire was a 'champagne' colour, so we tied that in to the cake using this technique.

Because I was gone for the actual event, the cake was made out of a dummy, and mini cupcakes were served in place of the cake. Extra thanks to Mandi for taking care of this in my absence!

The wedding and reception all took place at the Courtyard Restaurant - this seems to be a very popular venue! Considering how peaceful it is (even though it's right on the market), I can understand why it's so sought-after.

Ok! I think that's all I have to share about this cake. I wish Jenn and Krystal all the best - and can't wait to hear how everything went.

You'll be hearing from me again soon! A couple of announcements will be coming up as well!

XOXO
Kate

So long, farewell, I bid you all adieu!

2010-11-01T17:26:00.000-07:00

It's time!!! I'm at the airport! I'm sitting on a couch, looking out the window at the plane that will fly me to the far, far away land called "England". You might have heard of it.

I've had a bit of bad news =( Just found out that Eddie Spence, my royal icing hero, has fallen ill and will not be having his demonstration at ICHF this weekend. While I'm extremely disappointed that I won't get to meet him (this demo was the driving force behind my decision to go!), it's more important that he gets better! So my thoughts are going out to him and his family, and hopefully he recovers soon. Sigh!!!

Anyway, before I take off, I just wanted to post a little update with the latest wedding cake. This past weekend our dear friends of the bakery - Crystal and Allen - were married on the most sacred of days (in my world, anyway) - Halloween! From my understanding, their special day started off at the Mayfair Theatre, where they were wed and had a screening of a specially requested film (not sure what they decided on!). The reception was then held at the Courtyard Restaurant; a beautiful location on the market (although a difficult place to deliver to - it's not fun to carry a cake from a parking garage! haha)

The cake itself had a few inspirations that influenced the final design. Being that the event was held on Halloween, we went for something that had a gothic feel to it. The red reminded me of the colour that's used on curtains and walls in older theatres. A couple of Halloween-details were added to really represent the awesomeness that comes with being married on October 31st. The last detail that you'll notice is a 2-person bike on the sides of the cake. This couple are avid cyclists (one is a bike messenger! How cool is that!?), so I added this detail to really make the cake unique for them. I thought the 2-person bike was pretty cute =)

I have to admit that this cake was a little self-indulgence for me... (Mario cakes and Halloween cakes... they make me so happy.)

OK, well I think it's about time I start getting my stuff together and getting ready for my flight. It has been such a manic past 4 days that it is hard to believe my trip is really here!!! I have saved all my pennies so that I will be able to go absolutely wild at the cake show. (Man, I'm such a nerd.) Lots of pictures and updates will follow, I'm sure!

So I shall leave you all with the snow, and the cold! Sorry, but it has to be done. Duty calls! It's a hard life, isn't it?

Take care, and I will be back... eventually...!!!

On that note, I leave you with a lovely song from The Vandals:

C'est L'Halloween! Hey!

2010-10-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat!
Trick or Treat!
Trick or Treat for Halloween!
Better give a treat that's good to eat
If you want to keep life serene!

Did you know that Halloween is our absolute favourite holiday? Everything about the day - and the weeks leading up to it - fill us with absolute joy!! Jack O' Lanterns, skeletons, ghosts... glorious!!

If you're anything like us, you've got something special planned for the Halloween weekend. Maybe you're having (or are attending!) a party; maybe you're having an eerie night in while watching spooky cartoons from the 1920's, playing Nightmare, and reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. (Ok, so maybe that's an average Friday night for me...) ... (minus reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, because it doesn't even make sense how scary that book is.)

Anyway!! Whatever you're doing, we're sure your night could use some extra spookiness!!! Place an order with us for some spooky cupcakes so you'll have your Treats sorted!

All orders must be placed by Friday, October 29th, by noon.

6 assorted Halloween cupcakes .............................. $18
12 assorted Halloween cupcakes ............................ $30
24 mini cupcakes .....................................................$25

Please call us at (613) 238 - ALOO or e-mail us at auntielooweddings@gmail.com to place your order.

That's it from us for now, but I leave you with a couple of our most favouritest videos to get you into the SPIRIT! (get it? Spirit? Like a ghost? Ha ha ha!)

XOXO
Miss Kate

HAPPY HALLOWEEN
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Skeleton Dance

Trick or Treat

Happy 1st Birthday, Auntie Loo's Treats!

2010-10-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to admit... I have been a bad 'blogger'. Almost a month since my last update? It's unacceptable!!! I will, from here on in, do my best to update more regularly. I recently had an injury that put me out of commission for a while... (I'm using this as an excuse even though technically this means I should have had more time to spend online...) AHEM.. ANYways...

This past weekend was a momentous occasion for us at Auntie Loo's Treats. It marked our first birthday since our grand opening in 2009. It was truly an amazing, whirlwind of a day. All day Friday, and early Saturday morning, was spent in preparation. I set myself up with a little workstation where I was able to watch series 1 of Breaking Bad while decorating the cake. Kind of the best setup ever. (By the way, if you haven't watched that show yet, you basically have to.)

I decided to go with a different colour scheme this year; my first impulse is usually to match the bakery (green, pink, and white) cuz that combination is just so "happy". Purple spoke to me this time around, so it became the colour of choice.

The design of this cake was originally intended to be more elaborate, but my aforementioned injury meant that I was limited with what I was able to do. Nevertheless, I was pleased with the final result. I used my new toy, a clay extruder, for the top tier... that took me a ridiculous amount of time. I loved the effect it gave, and had planned to do the same thing on the bottom, 14" tier. That plan quickly changed once I realized how long it took just to finish the 6" top tier!

Last year, I made the cake using actual cake, but nobody wanted to cut in to it. The whole cake went to waste =( ... Needless to say, this year I decided to use dummies. We'll be able to keep this on display now, so make sure you come see it if you get the chance!!

So other than the big ol' birthday cake, we also had a couple of other attractions to celebrate with. We had some of the wickedly awesome Rideau Valley Roller Girls skating along Bronson handing out free samples. Another couple of lovely girls from Lush were kind enough to come out to give away free vegan-friendly products. And last, but not least, we had one of the coolest attractions known to mankind... a CUPCAKE PHOTOBOOTH!!! The wonderfully talented Alyssa Iswolsky (she's basically our official photographer now, and we love her dearly) set up out front and took photos of attendees. People were given an instant copy of their photo, and we were even lucky enough to have some donated to our Wall of Fame! Keep an eye out, as I am sure that over the next couple of weeks we will get our copies of the photos posted online for everyone to check out. Also, while you have a minute, check out Alyssa's work here!

Ok I think I better wrap this up. I'd just like to take a second to thank everybody who came out on Saturday and showed us such amazing love and support. We appreciate absolutely every single one of you, and it really touched our hearts to see how many of you showed up. It was great to meet new people, and to see many familiar faces! Thank you so very much! And if you're interested, here is the article that ran in the Ottawa Citizen about us on Saturday.

Right! That's it from me! A couple of really awesome cakes coming up (did someone say "Halloween Wedding?" Heck yes!!!), so stay tuned!

It's our birthday and we'll make delicious vegan baked goods if we want to. Okay?!

2010-09-23T17:15:00.001-07:00

See the following message from Auntie Loo for all the details for our 1 year birthday coming up! Hope to see you all there!

Its our first birthday and we couldn't be more excited! We'd like to thank all of you in person for making our first year such a success!

On Saturday October 16 from 10 until 4, we'll be giving out all the free samples (we'll have gluten free ones too, no worries!) you can handle, as well as selling our treats at a spe...cial price!

MISS KATE will be whipping up a crazy sugar creation for you to admire! We're not giving away any hints- you have to come see it for yourself!

Our dear friends the RIDEAU VALLEY ROLLER GIRLS will be here to help us give out all the free samples. Catch them if you can!
www.rideauvalleyrollergirls.com

Like the cupcake we're sitting on in our photo? Wanna sit on it too? Lucky for you our CUPCAKE PHOTOBOOTH will be in full swing in our backyard during the party.

Also, LUSH HANDMADE COSMETICS will be here with samples and some of the yummiest vegan products they have to offer.
www.lush.com

Thanks again for an amazing first year! We look forward to seeing you on the 16th!

love your Auntie Loo

Peachy Keen

2010-09-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hello again folks!

I'm slowly falling asleep as I type this, but I'll try and stay awake long enough to complete a coherent post.

Our dear friends of the bakery, Carl and Pamela, were married today! We were so happy to be a part of their day - they are an extremely lovely and genuine couple. I'll be sure to hear all about the big day tomorrow as Mandi is there hosting the evening as the MC!

The flavours we used here were chocolate raspberry and vanilla raspberry. They aren't one of our 'regular' flavours - but just remember that we are open to any flavour requests (within reason)! The chocolate raspberry was especially delicious... not that I was snacking on the scraps or anything... I never do that... ahem... so... anyways...

Carl and Pamela's wedding colours were peach, purpley-pink, turquoise and green. When we sat down to discuss the cake, they showed me these handmade, wired bead flowers they were making as decoration - they were beautiful! I used those colours as inspiration for the flowers used as a topper on the cake. The flowers I made are alstroemeria, carnations, a lily, some hydrangea blooms, and a couple of sprigs of peach-coloured blossoms. Sugar flowers are my number one favourite aspect of cake decorating; I may have said that before, but I mean it!

The cupcakes were frosted using icing that was naturally coloured using raspberry. Delicious raspberriness...mmm...

I also made the cupcake/cake stand, which is now able to be rented out with orders. It can be customized to match the wedding or event it's being used for.

Not much else to report - here's a quick reminder to pick up your tasting ticket for Cupcake Camp next weekend!

I think that's it for now... I just glanced up at the television, and someone just crawled into bed. I'm extremely jealous so I'm packing up and heading off for the night. I lead a wild life, don't I?

PS - See below for a specialty cupcake that was ordered to go along with the wedding cake/cupcakes... I think it is just better to not even explain its existence... but feast your eyes on this: A RUBBER CHICKEN CUPCAKE!!! (Yes, it's still vegan!!!)

Another SMB Cake!

2010-09-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a little while since my last post - I'm sorry! I've had a lot of planning going on lately... big things coming up! October 16th is officially the date of our FIRST birthday! Make sure you come down to 507 Bronson Ave between 10AM and 2PM for free samples & to get your photo taken in our one-of-a-kind Cupcake Photobooth. It will be a great day!!!

I've been planning the celebration cake I'll be making for the event... I have a few ideas so stay tuned =)

We've also got Cupcake Camp approaching on September 26th. If you love cupcakes, then be sure to pick up a taster ticket to come check out all kinds of cupcakes from the Ottawa region! Should be a lot of fun.

Also keep an eye out as we approach Halloween! Anybody who knows me should know by now that Halloween is above and beyond my favourite time of the year. It makes me indescribably elated. This year, we're going to have a bit of a special offer to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year!

Anyway!! I know this isn't a wedding cake, but this weekend we had another Super Mario Brothers cake for a little boy who turned 7 years old. You don't have to twist my arm to make one of these, as it is pure self-indulgence to do so! This one was on a much smaller scale than the last, but it was still a lot of fun to do.

In case you haven't seen the other Super Mario Brothers cake I made, check it out below =) This was a dummy cake we made to put on display for the Go Green Expo back in the spring.

I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so... scared! But not really. I'm actually just excited.

2010-08-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Well!!! The time has come for me to inform everyone that I will not be in town from November 1st to November 16th. (Unfortunately, I won't be able to take any cake orders between these dates). The reason for this leave of absence is that I am going to be attending a 3-day cake show in Birmingham, England! I officially received my entry ticket today, and the tickets for the 2 demonstrations that I will be seeing.

As you can see from the pamphlet to the right, I am one of the first 4,000 people to pre-order their tickets for the show... is it sad that I am incredibly excited to receive a free reel of ribbon??! I don't mind being a bit of a nerd... I'll be the one with the free ribbon reel!

There's also going to be a live cupcake decorating competition. The entry deadline is October 4th, and several entrants will be selected to participate in the live competition on November 5th. I'm thinking I might make a submission of my own, considering the top prize totals over $500. Perhaps something with a Canadian theme...? Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

The two classes I'm going to be attending are with two of the top cake decorators in the world... I can't even explain how excited I am for this. These are the two individuals that I specifically look up to in this business. If I can ever achieve half of their talent, I will be over the moon! The first class is with Alan Dunn, whose specialty is sugarpaste flowers. He has quite a few books published now, and a new one to be released shortly. His attention to detail is exquisite, which is what I truly admire about his work. The second class is with the most talented royal icing artist on the planet. For reals. His name is Eddie Spence, MBE (Yes, he has his MBE in sugarcraft!), and he is the official cake decorator of the Royal Family. He does stuff with royal icing that practically defies gravity... His new book - The Art of Royal Icing - is 320 glorious pages of techniques and tips that I can't wait to practice. I'll make an effort to document my attempts in the coming weeks and months!

Okay well I am going to check on flight prices and accomodation... I suppose I should probably get all of that sorted out. If anybody has any suggestions on what I should see in Central England, I'd be glad to hear them! I've seen almost all of Southern England when I was living there, so it will be exciting to do some more exploring!

Just in case you had any doubts at how excited I am...Check out the details of the Cake International Show here!

Life's a Beach (Har har!!)

2010-08-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hi again,

Another weekend has come and gone at Auntie Loo's. I did make a post last Friday, but the cake I'm sharing with you today was actually served on that Friday the 13th! The lovely couple were already married, and were on a bit of a 'reception tour'. Their family are all over the place, so instead of everyone travelling to attend one event, they managed to have a few get-togethers in order to include all of their friends and family! These two are extra close to our hearts here at Auntie Loo's Treats, as this was the wedding of Mandi Loo's gentleman-friend's sister (keeping up?).

This was a beach-themed wedding; there was a topper that was going to be placed on top of the cake, but I wasn't there to set it up (Mandi was kind enough to do this, as she was actually attending the reception!), so my final photo doesn't have the topper included. (Just squint, and tilt your head, and I'm sure you can picture it).

Everything is edible. The shells are handmade using molds from my favourite online store, Sugar Delites, except for the starfish which were just made from scratch. I made the strings of pearls to go around the cake, but then used a pearl lustre edible airbrush paint to handpaint a really nice sheen over top (I also used this method on a few of the shells). I had originally dusted up some of the shells using different edible dust colours, but they kind of looked so real, that it seemed as though I was sticking actual shells on the cake. I didn't want anybody to feel like they had to wash their cake before eating it! The sand base around the bottom tier of the cake was made using a combination of sugar (evaporated cane juice, which is the sugar we use at the bakery) and dried, coloured royal icing crumbs.

So that's it for now on the cake front; we are closed this week at the bakery so we are enjoying a much appreciated break.

On a completely and utterly unrelated note, my brother's ladyfriend has started up a blog of her own. She is a little bit obsessed with buying vintage clothing, but never has a reason to wear any of it. She will be eventually starting to sell off some of her favourite pieces that would be better enjoyed by others, and also so she can sign up for her acting classes. Thought some of you may be interested in checking it out! Here's the link! She's still working on getting it set up, but take a look =)

Ok! Gotta go make a list of all the amazing things I'm going to do on my weeklong vacation!

Daisies & Lillies & Bows, Oh My!

2010-08-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day! While I sit here watching Richard try to collect one of the last comet medals in Super Mario Galaxy 2 on my behalf, I figured I may as well make myself useful.

Last Saturday, we had a wedding that took place at a quaint, lovely, "old" church (after living in England, I'm pretty sure no buildings in North America are worthy of being considered truly old!) in downtown Ottawa. The bride decided on a cake and cupcake combination; this seems to be a pretty prominent trend these days! Everything was chocolate mint flavoured, as that was her absolute favourite flavour. The flowers on the top of the cake were handmade using gumpaste - there was one Asian lily on top, supplemented with ruby red roses and gerbera daisies. The ribbon and bow that have been wrapped around the cake was made with a 50/50 fondant/gumpaste mix. Each cupcake was in a metallic ruby red wrapper, and topped with daisies. About a third of the cupcakes also had some coarse sugar sprinkled on top, which made them shine - it was a pretty effect.

It was a bit difficult to get a really good photo, as it was quite dark in the basement of the church where the reception was taking place. Hopefully you are able to see the different elements.

While I was working on this, I had a lovely visit from Tracey over at The Lemon Kitchen. We had a nice long chat, and I think we got a bit carried away before I remembered I had a wedding order to finish! It's always great to see her, and she brings a lot of much appreciated energy into the bakery. Check out her blog; she makes her way around Ottawa to all the best foodie places!

OK - I think I just heard the Game Over music, so it's my turn now. Thanks for reading!

Friday the 13th!

2010-08-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of people think Friday the 13th is unlucky, but 13 is a lucky number in my household. Mostly because a bunch of us were born on the 13th... including my dad, whose birthday it is today! So happy birthday, Dad! I didn't have time to make him a cake this year (I know, I'm a horrible daughter), so I will just re-post the one I did for him last year, and hopefully that will suffice. It was one of the first cakes I made.

This cake was modeled after his favourite 'toy', his Rickenbacker guitar, which has actually become more like a child to him. It is 100% edible, and was completely handpainted to get the woodgrain effect and the 'sunburst glow'... I hope that's what it's called...

Anyway, happy birthday dad! Hope you like your cake from last year! (and sorry that I was too busy to do an iMac shaped cake...)

Fun with Fuschia

2010-08-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

Ok - I've finally gotten around to posting the final installment of last week's wedding trifecta!

This wedding was being held at a relative of the client's house. This was just a small cake, and was accompanied by over 100 cupcakes. The stand that the cupcakes were going to be held on was also being used for dinner services by the catering company, so we unfortunately couldn't get a picture of the final setup. The flavour of the cake itself was strawberry lemonade, and there were 5 different flavours of cupcakes - strawberry lemonade, golden butterscotch, vanilla, mint chocolate, and orange vanilla. The flowers on top were handmade, and the pearls around the base of each tier were handpainted with a pearl dust for extra sheen.

The house was beautifully set up for a garden party in the backyard. I have to say that the weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor reception. After such a hectic weekend, Mandi Loo and I were ready to jump in their pool! We somehow managed to fight the urge... Although I have no idea how we found the strength to do so.

Anyway, fuschia seems to be a very popular wedding colour this year. I feel very lucky that so far I have managed to have very different clients, who all want very different things. That's what keeps this business fun and exciting!

What a view!

2010-08-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday's wedding took place at the National Art Gallery. The location provides amazing views of the Parliament Buildings... it is truly a beautiful spot! The colours for this wedding were purple, fuschia, and metallic gold.

While I normally enjoy the design of every cake a client comes to us with, I really, truly loved everything about this order. My strongest passion in cake decorating is creating edible flowers; I learned the skills required to work with gumpaste before I ever really baked a cake! So when these clients wanted to have handmade orchids cascading down the side of this cake, I was ecstatic. After confirming the order with the couple, I had gone on a trip to England where I found a fantastic metallic gold ribbon that really tied in the metallic gold cupcake liners. The flavours for the cakes and cupcakes were mint chocolate, strawberry lemonade, vanilla lemon, and chocolate vanilla.

Anyway, when everything was said and done, the reception area in the Great Hall of the Art Gallery was amazing. The wedding colours really stood out in the sunshine that filled the room from the surrounding giant windows. It was an honour to be able to contribute to this wedding.

Gluten-Free Goodies

2010-08-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

So, as I mentioned in my first post, this past weekend was packed! Our first wedding took place on Friday. The restaurant had a beautiful set-up, and it was very peaceful considering its location in downtown Ottawa. The colours were chocolate brown and light blue - the reception area really looked gorgeous decked out in these colours. The order we had for the cake & cupcake combination was to be completely gluten-free; the flavours were mint chocolate and vanilla chocolate.

Thanks to Lindsey for her help with this delivery - it went very smoothly (aside from almost getting a parking ticket!).

Welcome to Auntie Loo Weddings!

2010-08-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Welcome to the new blog from Auntie Loo's Treats! My name is Kate, and I'm the "Head of Auntie Loo Weddings". I've started this blog in order to share with everyone the fun we have with cake decorating at Ottawa's first 100% vegan bakery. You won't only find wedding-related cakes here, though! I'll also share with you the specialty cakes we are privileged to do when we're not making wedding cakes.

This is our first year in the full swing of wedding season, and we have been very busy. This past weekend was absolutely hectic (as you will see in my next post). These are exciting times, especially as we are planning big things for our 1st birthday which is coming up very quickly! We also have some really unique weddings coming up.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by, and hopefully you'll enjoy our cakes as much as we enjoy making them!