A new skill

I mentioned in my last post that Abby just turned 11.  This birthday was different, because this was the first time EVER that she has not had a "friend party."  Because she was the first, we started her with big ol' parties beginning on her 1st birthday, and we just kept going.  I told her as we were planning her party last year, that she would not have another party until year 13. 

 I just thought that it was time for the other kiddos to get some of my party energy.  They have each been a little later to get their first bash.  For Lizzy it was 3, Isaac and Lily started at 4, and poor Abe- he may have his graduation party and his first birthday party all rolled into one.  I'm just kidding!  But seriously, even though we've always done very homegrown parties, they still take time and money, and both of those are limited.  

Abby was mostly okay with that, but her response was, "Will you at least make me a cake?"  So, I promised I would.  When I asked her a few weeks ago what kind of cake she would like, she told me she wanted a daisy cake.  So, I began a quest for a design that would be girly but not little girly.  I decided that since it was just for us and the grandparents, I would risk a new technique.  

 I have been wanting to try some fondant/gumpaste type work, but I am just a buttercream kind of girl when it comes to flavor.  So, I came to a compromise on this one.  I frosted the cake with yummy homemade buttercream, but then tried my hand at gumpaste daisies for the decorations.  I found a blog that gave me step by step instructions and then I tried my hand at it.  I was very pleased with how it turned out, for a first attempt.  Abby loved it, and that was my main objective.  So, here are some pictures of my new skill-making gumpaste daisies!

I made the daisies the night before and let them dry overnight in the flower forms.

Here are a bunch of them on the top of the cake.

Here is Abby blowing out her 2 candles.  Ryan insisted that they made a perfect 11

I put Ryan to work with the leftover icing and cupcakes and he made some daisies of his own- cute, huh!