August Meeting

Hello, Sugar Artists! Can you believe August is almost over already?
We have got some catching up to do!

 If you couldn't attend our June meeting, you missed out on some amazing cake deals! The ladies all went to Orange Park for close-out prices on cake supplies. What a fun night!
In July, all our attending members (including a couple new ones-Welcome!) headed over to Mina's Bakery on San Jose and were treated to some of the most delicious desserts in Jacksonville! Yummy!


This month's meeting is getting close enough to smell.....and it will smell wonderful because we'll be decorating dozens of cupcakes for the kids at the Normandy Community Center! We still need cupcakes, frosting and fondant, so if you would like to contribute, please leave a comment below or contact Judy. As always, we could also use any donations for the kids' birthday parties such as paper plates, items for goody bags, birthday cards, etc. Or, if you'd rather volunteer your time, you could do so at the birthday parties themselves! Again, contact Judy for any additional info.

One more note to let you know how fast this year is going by....it is time to sign up for the Gingerbread Extravaganza!
Last year had so many amazing entries and you can see the pictures here. I would love to see what you all could come up! If you are interested, please contact Emily Lisska of the Jacksonville Historical Society by phone (904-665-0064) or email: info@jaxhistory.com
and Good Luck to all who enter!

Hope to see you ladies soon!
 

It's June!

So sorry everyone for the late notice and the canceled meeting!

We will be up and running for this month though!

Just a heads up for anyone needing more cake supplies (and if you're like me, you ALWAYS need more supplies!), a cake supply company is going out of business in Orange Park and everything is on SALE! You can find more info on their Craigslist ad. It's only for this week and only by appointment, so call ASAP if you're interested!

Hopefully we'll see you all in a couple weeks!

Marshmallow Fondant

Julia has been experimenting! Here's what she had to say...

"I made some MMF color samples and thought I'd share my results. The black weighed in at 3 pounds 5.5 ounces so I imagine they're all about that weight. I did forget to say the black has about 1/4-1/2 cup of dark cocoa powder + rest PS to = 2 lb to help assist with the black color (and chocolatey taste)."

Here's enlarged text from the picture:

 Julia bought her food color from Restaurant Depot.

We may need to make a field trip there with her!

Have fun experimenting!

And thanks Julia for sharing your results!

April Meeting

Hi, Ladies (and, just in case, Gentlemen)!

Our monthly meeting is just 2 days away!

As always, we will be getting together to talk, share, and snack on something yummy! I will also have pictures of all the beautiful cakes and other creations from the Ocala Cake Competition, including the two winners from our Guild!

In case you missed the last post, Orlando is having their annual Festival of Chocolate this weekend! Lots of fun things to see and eat there, including 3 competitions, classes, and a chocolate fashion show!

There is a new website out there, featuring fully interactive online classes for artists of all genres, from cake decorating to sewing to painting. Their newest class will be instructed by "Last Cake Standing" winner, Richard Ruskell. And right now, they're offering it for 50% off! You can find out all about the class and sign up here. Plus you can check out all the other cake classes as well!

Hopefully we'll see you on Thursday!

Until then, have a baking good time!

Upcoming Events

Lots of fun things are coming our way, Cakers!

First up, if you are interested in learning all about the Cottage Food Law, attend tomorrow's FREE workshop. You have to pre-register, so contact the Extension Office at (904) 255-7450 or visit their website today!

Later this month there will be a Day of Sharing in south Florida; also a Festival of Chocolate in Orlando, which is having an amateur cake decorating competiton! Check out the rules here.

As always, SimiCakes is offering amazing classes all throughout Florida! Check their schedule here.

Next month, Orlando is holding classes from famed figurine maker, Maisie Parrish. Take a look at some of her adorable creations...

You can find her full schedule and registration form here.

Next week I'll add all the pictures from the ICED Cake Competition in Ocala from last weekend! Lots of beautiful cakes! And we had a couple winners from our Guild! Congratulations Patrice and Andrea! 

Happy Baking, Everyone!

March Meeting & More

For our March meeting this Thursday,

we've got some good news and some bad news.

I'll start with the bad news.....one of our members, Ilana, will be attending her last SAGNFL meeting as she will soon be moving down south. She will be greatly missed as she has been one of our most dedicated members baking for the Normandy Community Center each month. Thank you so much for all of your contributions, Ilana!

And for the good news...Ilana has to lighten her moving load, so she will be selling some items at our meeting! A few things she will have available are cake pans, cupcake liners, cake boxes, parchment papers, decorator icing, icing spray color, cellophane treat bags, and much more. She has priced everything from about $1 - $5. If you would like to buy anything from her, please bring cash on Thursday!

This month, the Normandy Community Center celebrated with a St. Patrick's Day birthday party! Catch a glimpse of it below...

 What a bunch of "lucky" kids, don't you think?

Their party was great, thanks to all that contributed!

We'll see you all on Thursday,

and don't forget your cash!

Getting in the Mood...

For Valentine's Day!

That's exactly what we did at our meeting last night!

We ate heart-filled cupcakes...

and decorated lots of cookies!  

We also discussed Hero Bakers and the upcoming Florida I.C.E.D. Cake Competition.

For questions about Hero Bakers, contact Judy.

If you need more info about the cake competition, visit their website.

Thank you ladies for coming out and having a good time!

Hopefully we'll see more of you next month!

Spotlight on Normandy

What do cupcakes, goodie bags and birthday cards make?  Awesome birthday parties, of course!  We were able to bring a lot of SMILES to a lot of KIDS last year and would love for you to consider joining our band of Hero Bakers at Normandy Community Center. Just look at how much fun these kids have had!

If you cannot attend you can still help out in many ways by donating supplies or baking cupcakes which can be picked-up by one of our other bakers.  Contact Judy at judy1809@yahoo.com to start your own BIG SMILE.

Upcoming birthday party dates:

2012 – Fridays @ 3:30 pm

Feb 17

Mar 16

Apr 20

May 25

June 22

July 20

Aug 31

Sept 21

Also, don't forget our monthly meeting is TOMORROW! We will be having a special sweet treat and we'll hand out the directions for how to make it yourself! Don't miss out!

See you all tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

Photo courtesy of MyCakeSchool.com

I hope everyone had the most wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year's celebration! 2012 has a lot to offer the cake community!

First up is the ICES Mini Classes. If you haven't signed up yet, you have a few more days! For more info, check this out!

Also, the I.C.E.D. Cake Competition is a two-day event this year offering amazing prizes, classes, vendors and much more! It runs March 31st through April 1st. You can find all the info on their website. I'll be adding more cake events periodically. Keep your eyes peeled for new stuff!

Some good news to ring in the New Year...I'd like to congratulate one of our members, Janel, for her new bundle of joy! Her family welcomed their second precious girl on December 3rd!

Plus, don't forget, our meetings are back on schedule for the last Thursday of the month. Our next meeting will be on January 26th, 2012! Gotta get used to saying that.

Hope to see you all then!