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Fired Up at Circus World’s Circus of Chefs Gala
All I can say is WOW!
I remember sitting on Eno Vino’s patio at a meeting about Concert on the Green with my friend Gina. It was one of those randomly warm, summery days in early spring. Before we parted, she hesitated to tell me about this wonderful event called Circus of Chefs in Baraboo. I clearly remember her saying that we could easily take the dessert category, but I didnt believe her.
The day of the event was a very, very (VERY!) hot humid day. It started off smooth until we arrived, unpacked and realized we had about 15mins to build our display before judging commenced. WTF! How did we possibly overlook the whole “timing” issue. Anne and I kicked it up into high gear and got the majority of our table up with the exception of a few small touches. Phew!
Once everything started full force, Annie, Drew and I settled into our groove. When it comes to a full-on sensory experience, thats where we shine. We must have done something right because we left Circus World with 2 awards that night, Best Display and Best Desserts!
You can see a full listing of our amazing competitors as well as the other winners here:
http://circusworld.wisconsinhistory.org/Gala/AwardWinners.aspx
In regards to our table design, this was by far the most detailed one Ive designed to date. The circus theme gave me so much to work with. Some of the flair for this display included…
- Centerpiece with a ring of elephants carrying fire
- Bulb string lights snaking the table
- Our pinstripe tablecloth made with ribbon
- Popcorn filled vessels
- Gypsy details like a fringy scarf and a chest of crystal balls
- Gigantic Gerber Daisies with the illusion its being watered by a bottle of Jack
…just to name a few.
We sampled our signature dessert (Cakebites!) in a variety of chocolate (Triple Choc, Triple Choc with caramalized bacon, Triple Choc with Cayenne) and of course our customer favorite, Red Velvet. We also sampled some of The Afton Family Market marbled mini cupcakes frosted with their homestyle fudge frosting. The cakebites and cupcakes were given a bit of flair of their own when we added in Cass’ amazing little circus themed toppers. Crafted out of modeling chocolate, her collection included Admit One tickets, top hats, mustaches and feathers. What can I say? Shes a genius!
I promised our team would be back next year….although Im not sure how to top ourselves for that one?
Celebrating 50 years young at the Watering Hole
Last year I had the pleasure of sampling our cakebites with some of Rock County’s finest chefs at Chef’s Cooking for a Cause; a charity event organized by the YWCA and The Janesville Country Club. As a participating Chef, we are asked to donate an auction item and I gladly handed over a certificate for a custom dessert spread for up to 100 people. Here is a fun display for a 50th birthday bash that came out of it.
I was given a decorative napkin to pull my inspiration from. Black and white with lots and lots of bright color inspired me to create a fun loving, rainbow color-filled diplay. We added assorted candy filled containers and even some gold dusted chocolate lollipops for extra flair.
I really appreciated the non-typical approach for the event!
Landon: Month old Portraits
30 days in and this boy is a heartbreaker already!!! Check out this mini session with this uber cute babe!
Local Elementary School and Mini Bridal Shower Cakebite Displays
It means a lot to my boys for me to be so involved at their school. I’m a busy lady but I always find time to help out however I can with PTA. In turn, I’m very thankful that the staff at Monroe Elementary have been so supportive of my business.
The two featured mini displays in this post were part of the kindergarten team’s latest celebrations. Two differing themes of Classic Romantic and Modern Chic were my inspirations…check it out!
{Brenna, Chad & Jordan} When 3 become 1…
Over the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Brenna on wedding stationary for her upcoming nuptuals with Chad. One of her visions was a black&white photo Save The Date Card which gave the invitees a sense of love and family; strong themes surrounding their big day.
I met the family of three at a location right on the Rock River walkway. Various buildings offered interesting textures that gave a more urban feel to their environment, another request of the bride.
I’m pretty happy with the shots that I got and thought their Save the Date evoked the right emotions without being cookie cutter. Enjoy!
Angry Birds Cakepops!
I don’t typically do many character cakepops as it isnt exactly my forte. So I brought Cass onto this project and comissioned her to create mini Angry Birds toppers out of modeling chocolate. These little guys averaged 3/4 of an in and were soooo perfect for the collection! Let’s just say that was one happy birthday boy!
Bolt Bracelet
I LOVE Pinterest for so many reasons. This project was inspired by a how-to I found on the site during Christmas. Over the holiday, I made it a point to handmake a third of the presents I gifted and this was just perfect. You can buy similar bracelets to this one at Urban Outfitters for about $20. Follow me on Pinterest @ Aryll Pullum for the guide.
Anabel (un)Expected
I’m no stranger to preterm labors…after all, every single one of my 3 boys were born early. It must have been her motherly instincts kicking in because Anabel managed to squeeze a maternity photoshoot in just before baby Landon arrived making a 4 week early debut. Here’s a few shots from her mini session…
Japan BabyLove Shower
I’ve never been afraid of being different. So if you ask me for ideas or themes for a party, you can fully expect to hear some offbeat suggestions. Last weekend’s celebration was no exception! My sisters and I sat down and came up with a Japanese Pop theme. We wanted something that would reflect Penney (Momma to Be!) who is stylish + edgy with a subtle cutesy flair. We chose BRIGHT YELLOW+ HOT PINK using BLACK as our accent color.
For the dessert spread, we stylized it on a low coffee table to reflect dining habits in the far east. We stocked it with an array of asian treats like, strawberry Pocky Sticks, strawberry cream filled Koalas, lychee Jelly Cups, chocolate Meiji Mushroms, strawberry cream filled Cookie Wafers, Fortune Cookies and Japanes Sodas. But we also added in sweets like Rock Candy, pink glittered Popcorn, Mini Fruit Pizzas, simple cakebites, Junk Food Sushi, Delaluna Creations’ super cute HelloKitty Marshmallow Pops and of course Cass’ adorable and tall Baby Sanrio Cupcakes. Rice paper umbrellas, lanterns, a few cherry blossoms here and there with our flags imported straight from Nagoya, Japan finished this display nicely. The bonus giant pinata handcrafted by Delaluna Creations was the perfect final touch!
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- Junk Food Sushi Fun!
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- Baby Sanrio Cupcakes
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- Rock Candy topper
Love Day at the Lodge
I don’t always gush about venues I’ve worked at, but The Elk Lodge in Janesville WI in my book, is by far the best. It isn’t the fanciest, or most beautiful place but the appeal lies in their delicious food and their staff that always goes above and beyond. I was fortunate to cater the Storms’ wedding dessert table here last December and the appreciation must be reciprocal because I was invited back for their Valentines Day dinner. I didn’t really know what to expect with an older crowd, but I was pleasantly surprised at what a fantastic time I had. Good people, good food, drinks and Elvis made for a memorable night.
I started building this display by imagining a romantic picnic for two. I laid sparkly silver fabric, my rice paper umbrella and two of my favorite crackled angled rim glasses down. I added and took away pieces until eventually the display emitted a romantic feel. This specific table was dressed only with my cake truffles in Red Velvet, Luxe Triple Chocolate and our holiday specialty flavor Champagne. Take a peek!
Special thanks again to the amazing staff over at the Lodge! For more information visit them at http://www.elks.org/lodges/home.cfm?lodge=254 or come see us at the Janesville Bridal Fair on March 4th at Craig HS.
2nd Annual Janesville Area Creativity Awards 2012
I love being a part of projects that have so much potential to turn into something really, really great. The JAC Awards is a fundraising event put on by The United Arts Alliance. I had the pleasure of helping organize this event along side some of the hardest working and talented people I know. I was also given the honor of being nominated in 2 very different categories this year: Culinary Artist and Photography.
I took BLACK&GOLD elements from the JAC Awards and used them as inspiration for this dessert spread. An under-lit table cover, a feather boa and mini gold JACs gave this display the flair it needed to be AWARD SHOW GLAM. I stole a few moments to capture some of the details. Like Cass’ awesome mini chocolate cupcakes topped with vanilla frosting and Chocolate Award Man army.
For more information on how you can nominate for the 2013 JAC Awards or for more information on United Arts Alliance, visit us —–> www.rockcountyarts.com
Be FRESH
A new way to wrap gifts: use your scraps! My boyfriend’s birthday is today, and I thought the label from a Benjamin Moore paint can would be perfect to wrap one of his gifts (His name is Ben). It’s an offbeat and unpredictable way to add a bit of flair to your gift wrapping.
Here’s a challenge to use paper brown bags, old fabric remnants, or fun tags and labels to replace boring and overpriced gift wrap!
-C
Wedding Planner + Guide 2011 Bridal Show
"Peacful Nature" Vignette
WOW! We were flattered by all the wonderful reception at our Madison debut and were glad to make some new friends. Website updates to come soon, but for now, visit here for more recent news and photos! —————-> www.facebok.com/osteradesign
Well, hey there…welcome!
I’m really new to this WordPress thing and with wedding season in full swing, Im also shorthanded on time to spend learning it. In the past couple weeks I’ve spent finagling with our new site, I had no idea people are out there listening!!! How exciting!
So let me just say….
W E L C O M E!
