Have you ever met someone and just immediately clicked? Well, that's how I felt when I first met my most recent cake recipient, and it seems only appropriate to write about her just a few days after Thanksgiving.
When my husband, Parker, and I first moved to North Carolina, I decided that we needed some updated photos together. I found myself using the same wedding photos over and over again and the thought of finding a picture worthy of our next Christmas card started to stress me out.... in JUNE (because yes, I was thinking about Christmas in June). In all seriousness, I was thinking about Christmas in the midst of summer because of Parker's potential to get deployed before the holidays. So for once in my life, I was proactive in planning.
I searched high and low for local photographers. I probably looked at 20 different portfolios before I stumbled upon Jennifer B Photography. Long story short, our session was amazing and I left feeling like I had a new friend. Even Parker, who ordinarily doesn't love getting his photo taken, had a blast. When we received our pictures just a few days later, I was in love. Jen captured us so well and I was pleased to have so many options for our Christmas card. Jen was even kind enough to give us far more photos than our package included - I was indescribably grateful, especially after I got the news that Parker was deploying. Those photos are now some of my most prized possessions. I have a few prints hung up in our entry way and they make me smile even when days are hard and Parker's return feels like it's decades away.
So needless to say when Jen messaged me a few months later about her husband's surprise 40th birthday party, I was all in. We chatted back and forth about what she had envisioned and I was excited to get out of my comfort zone with her theme - electric guitars. Not to mention that Jen also gave me a ridiculous amount of creative control, which always makes the cake design process more fun!
My fondant style tends to me more whimsical and cartoon-like. Which means I can fulfill any kid's birthday cake dreams. Farm animals? Consider it done. Monster trucks? You got it. Under the sea theme? I can do it in my sleep. So as you can imagine, a realistic guitar for this cake was going to be a challenge for me. Right off the bat, I was worried about how gravity would affect my plans to make a fantastic Fender.... especially after the flamingo cake incident. I had to do a lot of research. The bad news is that aside from learning a lot about electric guitars, my research got me virtually nowhere. As it turns out, "fondant guitar tutorial" isn't really under the realm of normal google searches. The good news is that I'm the daughter of two middle children so I'm a VERY determined soul.
The guitar alone took me about 8 hours. I had a few very late nights and very early mornings and my kitchen took quite a while to fully recover, but it was worth it. I learned a lot in the process - including that I'm capable of making something that doesn't look like a cartoon, which came in handy just a week or so later at work when I was assigned a dinosaur cake.... thanks for the confidence booster, Jen!
This cake was a different kind of surprise than I normally write about and it obviously wasn't for charity, but paying it forward to friends is just as important as paying it forward to strangers. I'm so thankful for the gift of photos and memories that Jen provided us, and making a cake for her husband's milestone birthday was a small way to thank her for making this time in my life a little bit easier. You're the best, Jen!
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