A Cake Life

Braden’s Sesame Street 1st Birthday Cake

2012-02-28T07:23:00.000-10:00

Photos courtesy of Kristin Kato

We love it when a client is satisfied with our work, and comes back for more of our cakes. In this particular case we created both the wedding cake (a gorgeous red and gold cake for a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony wedding) and the groom’s cake (a 3-D Lakers basketball cake seen HERE) for Tessie & Deyson’s wedding back in 2010.

While they currently live in Los Angeles they came back to Hawaii to celebrate their son Braden’s first birthday with family and friends. They contacted us for a Sesame Street and Sports themed birthday cake. We created sugar figurines of Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster and Elmo and various handpainted sugar balls – footballs, basketballs, baseballs soccer balls. For the flavor, they chose our Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Oreo Cookies n Cream filling.

Happy Birthday Braden – we hope to create many more birthday cakes for you!

Bride's Choice & Best of Weddings Awards

2012-02-16T05:57:00.000-10:00

A Cake Life, for the second year in a row, is proud to announce that we've been chosen to receive the Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice Awards 2012. This award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate quality and service excellence in the wedding industry. Read more about last year’s award HERE.

In addition, we are excited to share that A Cake Life has been rated by local brides and voted The Knot Best of Weddings 2012.

The Knot Wedding Network captures detailed feedback from more than 1.8 million brides with reviews in 29 different categories of wedding businesses. Approximately 6,800 local vendors receive this prestigious award, representing the top 4 percent of local vendors on The Knot Wedding Network.

We are truly honored to receive these awards and would like to thank Wedding Wire, The Knot, and our fans and past clients for all their wonderful reviews and testimonials!

To read our Wedding Wire Reviews, go HERE and for our Knot Reviews, go HERE.

Featured Wedding: Amelia & Tony’s Architectural Arrangement

2012-02-09T09:05:00.000-10:00

Photos courtesy of Aaron Yoshino of HonoZooLoo Media

We’d been working with Amelia for several months leading up to her August wedding to fiancée Tony. When Amelia first contacted us she explained that she's a local girl living on the mainland while finishing her Masters degree in Architecture, in addition to planning her Hawaii wedding, so there were many phone calls and e-mails back and forth to coordinate everything.

Amelia emphasized she wanted to create something "visually interesting", with a country and carefree style for their relaxed wedding set in the beautiful Waimea Valley State Park. She put together an inspiration board which helped us get an overall feel for her wedding.

After discussing a few design options, Amelia loved the idea of creating a satellite cake display! A satellite cake system is made up of multiple individual cakes of different sizes, decorated to be a cohesive, eye-catching presentation. Amelia finally decided on 7 individual cakes to serve their 150 guests. While many of the guests were local, Tony's family is from Greece and would be traveling very far to attend their wedding so they chose our Coconut Cake with Lilikoi Cream filling for a very tropical dessert.

Photos courtesy of Kristin Kato

Each cake was decorated with a different textured buttercream iced pattern, in different colors, on varying height cake stands and plates, several including fresh flowers for variety. The cake table was finished with a beautiful burlap table linen, candles, flowers and seashells. Amelia, being the architect she is, created this amazing computerized 3-D rendering of her cake display! How awesome is this?

Photos courtesy of Aaron Yoshino of HonoZooLoo Media

Amelia and Tony's cakes were set perfectly for their reception and they were thrilled with the end product. Congratulations Amelia and Tony!

Vendors of Amelia and Tony's Wedding:

Cake: A Cake Life

Venue: Waimea Valley State Park

Catering: Off Menu Catering

Photography: Aaron Yoshino of HonoZooLoo Media

2011: End of Year Review

2012-01-02T06:55:00.000-10:00

It’s that time of year where we often reflect on the year gone by, and look forward to new events and opportunities the coming year holds.

For A Cake Life, we are extremely thankful and grateful for your support. This past year was a busy one for us – we tripled our business, creating 200 WEDDING CAKES for couples getting married, in addition baking cakes for birthdays, anniversaries and other special celebrations.

Here's a few highlights from 2011!

A few of our couples cutting into their wedding cakes!
I LOVE cake cutting shots! =)

Photo by Fisheye Studio

Photo by Renai Photo

Photo by Frank Amodo Photography

Photo by Kai Photo

We had an article in the MidWeek that you can check out HERE

Me with our cake and cupcakes for Eden In Love's 1st Anniversary Party

We were among the team of amazing vendors who gave 3 lucky military couples the wedding of their dreams in the Royal Aloha Wedding by Kathy Ireland featured on ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT! You can check out a clip HERE


Me with Kathy Ireland at the Royal Aloha Wedding! She's so TALL!

Royal Aloha Wedding- Grand prize winners April & James!

A Cake Life was featured in the First Edition Crave Hawaii Book
showcasing Hawaii Women Entrepreneurs! Check it out HERE

Giving back to the community is also important to us and we were able to provide donations to the following charitable events:

Easter Seals – Christmas Gingerbread House Decorating Event
American Cancer Society Relay for Life Event and Rock Around the Clock Fundraiser
Tobacco Free Hawaii – Pretty in Pink Fundraiser
American Red Cross for Japan Relief
Shriners Children’s Hospital – (Our FAV event of the year) Cupcake Decorating Day

At our most recent event, we provided cupcakes, icing, and lots of sprinkles for children in the Recreational Therapy program at Shriners Children’s Hospital. We did a demonstration of 3 different design - a green Christmas tree, a red poinsettia flower and a simple cupcake swirl design. While many children had handicaps that limited their functionality, they were all excited and eager to jump right into decorating (and eating) their cupcakes. Even their parents and hospital volunteers had a great time learning to pipe different designs. It was a very rewarding experience for us and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to do something fun like this for the children.

These are some of the cupcakes a little girl made!

Some of the icings & sprinkles ready for the children!

The Christmas Tree at Shriners Children's Hospital

Looking into 2012 have a lot more that we want to do. We hope that business will continue to grow, that we will continue to be challenged with cake designs and techniques, and be given opportunities to share our blessings with others. Last but not least, we have a special expansion project in the works…keep checking back with us to learn more!

As we step into 2012, we wish you all the
blessings and best wishes in the New Year!

With Warmest Aloha,

Kristin

Customized Cupcakes Boxes and Sleeves by Emi Ink

2011-12-29T13:04:00.000-10:00

At The Wedding Café’s Cake, Cocktails & Catering Workshop we debuted some amazing cupcake sleeves and boxes, courtesy of Stacey from Emi Ink – perfect accents for our cupcakes.

Mini Cupcake Boxes – prices start at $1.75 each.

Boxes come fully assembled with a plastic see-through window on the front and an interior base that holds the cupcake in place. Many different colors available in matte, metallic or patterned stock.

Cupcakes Sleeves (for standard-sized cupcakes) - prices start at $0.40 each for a solid color (no printing) OR $0.60 for customized printed text. A custom design can also be added to the sleeves (graphic design fee may be incurred, price will vary depending on the complexity of the design).

For 2012, they will be coming out with a color palette specifically for the cupcake sleeves, and a special limited collection of seasonal colors will be released throughout the year. If a customer requires a specific color not found in their swatch book, they can do special orders.

They currently have a minimum order requirement of 50 for both the boxes and the sleeves. Turnaround time is 4-6 weeks.

More details and designs can be found on her site, Emi Ink.

Check them out, and tell them A Cake Life sent you!

Erin and Erik: Love and Shoes

2011-12-21T10:02:00.000-10:00

When we met with Erin for her wedding cake consultation she shared that she wanted a white on white cake that incorporated calla lily flowers. She wanted something artsy and unexpected yet elegant, with texture and movement. We designed a 3-tier white buttercream cake with sugar calla lilies, ruffles, ribbons and fan accents. For their flavor, they chose our Yellow Buttercake with Lilikoi Cream Filling.

Erin also wanted to surprise her fiancé Erik with a groom’s cake. Apparently Erik is a bit of a shoe fanatic. In fact he was featured in this Midweek article, discussing his extensive collection of over 300 pairs of shoes. Erin showed us a photo of Christian Louboutin sneakers, made of black patent leather and spikes - kinda reminds me of a shoe someone from KISS would wear :)

Apparently Erik really wanted these shoes (that cost $1200). They are very rare, and they looked all over (even in New York) for it, but alas no shoes. So in an attempt to give him his much sought-after shoes, Erin asked us to create a Louboutin sneaker groom’s cake for him. For their flavor, they chose our Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Oreo Cookies N Cream Filling.

Erin and Erik had this to say about our company:

Little girls all over the world dream about their fairy tale wedding or princess gown, and these dreams sometime stretch into adulthood. I was not one of them. However, the one element I hoped for was the perfect wedding cake, “a piece of art.” When we met with Kristin for the first time I came armed with many different photos incorporating many different design details. Then I shared my story. Kristin seemed touched by this and was ready to make this dream come true. The story didn’t stop there. The groom has a love for shoes. On a recent trip to New York we were on the hunt for a specific pair, but were out of luck. I thought it would be fun to have a groom’s cake replica of the shoe he desired. After many photos and conversations the grooms cake was realized (in a true size 10), and it was remarkable. Every little detail down to the shoelaces and stitching on the leather trim was included. Both cakes were definite showpieces and the talk of all our guests. The actual wedding cake was beautiful and it couldn’t have been easy. After tasting the butter cream (delicious) I knew I wanted it versus fondant. I was worried that it wouldn’t look as clean and smooth, but it was not an issue. It exceeded my expectations. The groom’s cake was a hit and looked too real to eat (… but we did of course). Our vision was executed to perfection. Kristin and her team are amazing. She listens, communicates, and delivers. She is a true talent and we will recommend A Cake Life over and over again.

Congratulations Erin and Erik! It was a pleasure creating your cakes, and we wish you all the best!

Vendors:

Cake: A Cake Life

Venue: Azul Restaurant, Ihilani

Photography: Kristin Kato

The Wedding Cafe: 10th Anniversary Celebration

2011-12-13T10:13:00.001-10:00

Photos courtesy of Kris Labang and Kristin Kato

The Wedding Café recently celebrated their 10^th anniversary with a big bash at the Ward Theatres. And what celebration wouldn’t be complete without a cake? The evening started off with a casual, bistro café setup with lots of earthy brown and greens (from their current logo) for a color palate.

For this setup we created a family of cakes – 5 individual cakes to be exact (a mixture of Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Filling and Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Oreo Cookies N Cream Filling), and Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing. The cakes were all finished with textured buttercream (rosette, ruffle, stucco, vertical and horizontal stripe patterns) in an ivory, off-white and white color scheme, with different logos on each cake, representing the evolution of the Café from the past 10 years.

From there, guests were escorted into the theatres for the program. One of the neat things they did was introduce everyone to the original owners of the Café, and honor them for the creation of The Wedding Café.

While everyone was inside, they flipped the outside area and turned it into an after-party, complete with gorgeous uplighting, a dance floor – everything was so sparkly and pretty! For this setup we created one big grand cake – a 4-tier white on white fondant cake. We envisioned a cake with lots of texture and movement, and somewhat wedding-like, since it is The Wedding Café.

The cake was topped with a whimsical chandelier with hanging drop crystals, followed by a layer with subtle white pearl detail and TWC’s currently logo (the fork and spoon). The next layer was white on white, with textured, pearlized sugar flowers and leaves, and the bottom layer consisted of a faux tier of ruffled rose petals. Each tier was separated by a double row of Swarovski rhinestone crystal bands.

Congratulations to The Wedding Café for 10 wonderful years of business – we wish you many more!

Vendors:

Cake: A Cake Life

Venue: Ward Theatres

Photography: Kris Labang

Catering: Beaches and Backyards

Featured Wedding: Sharon and Eugene K-Squared

2011-12-05T11:04:00.000-10:00

Images courtesy of Caroline Tran

We met with Sharon while her fiance Eugene was away on deployment for the Army. She has such a spunky and cheerful personality which showed as she described the plans for her intimate, yet fun wedding.

The couple was married last summer at Kualoa Ranch’s Secret Island. Guests took a short boat ride over to the island (you may recognize some of the scenery as the hit TV show Lost, used the island as one of their filming locations) and then it was back to Moli'i Gardens for a fun filled reception.

For their cake, Sharon and Eugene chose a cupcake tree instead of the traditional wedding cake. Cupcake toppers featured a 'K²' monogram– a playful spinoff as the couple already shares the same last name. For their flavors, they chose Yellow Butter cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Cream filling, Yellow Butter Cupcakes with Lilikoi Cream filling, Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing and a Red Velvet 3D sculpted cupcake with Cream Cheese Icing.

In addition to cake, guests were treated to a shave ice bar – how fun is that?

Much sought after California based photographer, Caroline Tran provided these beautiful images. See more of them here on her blog. We’re also excited to share that Sharon and Eugene’s wedding was featured in the July issue of Destination Wedding's and Honeymoons Magazine.

Congratulations Sharon & Eugene!

Vendors of Sharon & Eugene’s wedding:

Cake: A Cake Life

Photography: Caroline Tran

Venue: Kualoa Ranch

Coordinator: Karine France-Matsumoto of Seasons of Life Events

Akiko and George's Country Wedding

2011-11-17T11:08:00.000-10:00

Photo courtesy of Kaua Wedding Photography:

Karine from Seasons of Life Events contacted us on behalf of her clients from Vietnam - Akiko and George. They chose a cupcake tree for their elegant country wedding at Sunset Ranch. I loved their tented reception, out in an open field, under the big eucalyptus tree. And the flowers in mason jars reminds me of fresh picked flowers from the countryside.

Akiko and George wanted to have several flavors of cupcakes to offer their guests but for their main cupcake tower display, they wanted everything to be clean and uniform. So for this tree they selected 96 of our Yellow Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Icing and a topper iced in White Buttercream with a matching chocolate brown ribbon band. Fresh flowers provided by Terrie Easley Designs were added to the topper for a country and chic design.

Their other cupcakes, a variety of Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing and Guava Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Cream filling were plated separately next to the tower so they guests could still help themselves. I love this arrangement because of its uniformity and organization of the color scheme!

Photos courtesy of Kristin Kato:

Photos courtesy of Kaua Wedding Photography:

Congratulations Akiko and George!

Vendors of Akiko and George's Wedding:
Cake: A Cake Life

Venue: Sunset Ranch

Coordination: Seasons of Life Events

Photography: Kaua Wedding Photography
Flowers: Terrie Easley Designs

Featured Wedding: Isabelle and Adam's Modern Moroccan Design

2011-11-07T22:25:00.002-10:00

Photos courtesy of Fisheye Studio

When we first met with Isabelle and Adam they shared that they wanted something traditional but ornate with lots of piping details. They left the cake design up to us, only requesting their cake have a Moroccan-like piping design, have their custom "A" monogram (see CD photo) and be tall! Their color scheme was fuschia and lime green but we kept their design in different shades of pink and fuschia. Their cake stood 2 feet tall and was finished with pearlized pink sugar roses and silver loop accents. For their flavors, they chose our Yellow Butter cake with Lilikoi Cream filling, Pretty Pink Strawberry cake with Fresh Strawberry Cream filling and Guava cake with Guava Cream filling.

I could tell when I met with them that Isabelle had really fun energy which they wanted to bring to their destination wedding. They were looking for something different that could easily be incorporate in their reception and saw our cupcake bouquets featured on Val & Val wedding blog post . Cupcake bouquets are a dozen cupcakes arranged in a vase display to look like a floral arrangement. For Isabelle and Andy, we created 5 cupcakes bouquets of Coconut cupcakes with Pineapple Cream filling topped with pink buttercream icing and a single fresh green orchid. These were displayed on their candy buffet and flanking their wedding cake.

It was wonderful to work with a relaxed couple who gave us creative freedom with their cake. Their laid back approach to enjoying their wedding day was great - even when it rained at their outdoor reception, they were totally laid back enjoying the time with their family and friends.

For more of Isabelle & Adam's wedding check out this Same Day Edit video captured by California videographer, Lumitone.

Isabelle & Adam - SDE (Destination Wedding) from Lumitone on Vimeo.

Congratulations to Isabelle and Adam – we wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

Vendors of Isabelle and Adam’s Wedding
Wedding Cake: A Cake Life

Coordination: Seasons of Life

Photography: Fisheye Studio
Videography: Lumitone

Venue: Oasis World Estates

10 Years of Love...and Scrabble!

2011-11-02T09:12:00.000-10:00

Photos courtesy of Dave Miyamoto and Company and Kristin Kato

To celebrate Barry and Merlie's 10th wedding anniversary at the Hale Koa Hotel, they came to us with a very special cake request. Both are avid Scrabble players, as in they have their very own "Scrabble Champ" trophy that gets passed back and forth to the winner of the game, and the loser has to bow down…heehee. Barry even created a special Scrabble board for them – a beautifully framed board, filled with different words from their lives, such as “Kauai” for where they met, and my favorite, their mantra “BMWGOG” – Barry and Merlie Wilmeth, Growing Old Gracefully. And for their anniversary cake, they wanted us to replicate that board.

They chose our Yellow Butter Cake with Fresh Strawberries. And everything on the cake – from the tiles, to the Scrabble tile bag, to the standing tile holders were completely edible, made out of sugar.

We had a fun time creating this special cake for such an amazing couple – you can tell that they are so in love with each other. Congratulations Barry and Merlie – we wish you many more years of happiness.

Featured Wedding: Jennie & Adam - Simple. Pretty. Elegant.

2011-09-30T08:27:00.001-10:00

Images courtesy of Eddy Fong from Renai Photography

Jennie and Adam were married on the Fourth of July at the Hale Koa Hotel. They chose the Hale Koa because they are a pet friendly venue so their loveable dog Noah could be their ring bearer and precede them down the aisle. I love that!

I personally know Jenny through her brother, who my boyfriend and I have been friends with for the past several years. Being able to provide the wedding cakes for our friend’s special events is one of the most rewarding parts of our job. And after knowing Jennie for many years, it was especially great news to learn about their engagement, and an event greater pleasure to provide their wedding cake!

For their cake, Jennie and Adam decided on a cupcake tree display of 120 cupcakes of all Devils Food Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cup filling and Chocolate or White Buttercream Icing. The display was accented with fresh purple and white orchids. Simple, pretty and elegant!

Congratulations Jennie and Adam, and thank for allowing us to be a part of your special day!

For more from Jennie & Adam's wedding, check out this amazing wedding highlights video from Imagine Wurks.

Jennie and Adam Highlights from Imaginewurks on Vimeo.

Vendors of Jennie & Adam’s Wedding

Venue: Hale Koa Hotel

Photography: Renai Photography

Video: Imagine Wurks

Cake: A Cake Life

TWC Cake Workshop...and a Giveaway!

2011-09-27T10:09:00.000-10:00

Tomorrow is the big day…The Wedding Café’s Cake, Cocktails & Catering Workshop. Wednesday, Sept 28th, 6:30 pm in the Ward Warehouse Conference Room. Admission is $15.00 and you must RSVP to attend. We’ll be serving up samples of our much requested Red Velvet mini cupcakes with Cream Cheese icing, and sharing some helpful tips for your big day.

And as a bonus, if you “LIKE” us on Facebook during the workshop we’ll randomly select a winner at the end of the night to receive a $100.00 gift certificate. We’ll be announcing the winner at 8:00 pm so be sure to check back with us.

Hope to see you there!

Miwako & Craig’s Wedding on Style Me Pretty

2011-09-24T08:15:00.000-10:00

We had such a fun time creating Miwako and Craig’s round, hexagon and square tiered cake for their wedding. You can read more about their elegant event here on our blog. But today we are super excited to share that their wedding has been featured as one of Style Me Pretty’s Destination Weddings.

Style Me Pretty is a style savvy wedding resource devoted to the modern bride, and is one of the most read wedding resources on the web. They cover everything from gorgeous real weddings to up and coming vendors and seasoned pros in the invitation, floral, fashion and photography industries.

Royal Aloha Wedding Featured on Entertainment Tonight

2011-09-06T12:57:00.000-10:00

We were honored to be contacted by Kathy Ireland to provide this glam crystal cake for the grand prize winners of her Royal Aloha Wedding contest - a "wedding of their dreams" for special military couple, April & James. This particular segment was featured on Entertainment Tonight. More photos of the cake, and the wedding coming soon.

Featured Wedding: Porsche & Stephen Modern Meets Vintage

2011-08-22T10:45:00.001-10:00

Photos by A Cake Life

When we met with Porsche for her cake consultation she explained she wanted a modern meets vintage cake design for her May wedding at the Hale Koa Hotel. The decor inspiration for the event was black and white with touches of silver. The only color would be the purple uplighting illuminating the ballroom, setting the mood for their modern ambiance. They completely transformed the Waikiki Ballroom with beautiful pipe and drapery and a cool lounge by Les Saisons and Vignette.

Their cake design was originally inspired by our "Ashley" cake, featured on the home page of our website. Porsche loved the idea of an all white fondant cake accented with silver and pearl white details. For their design we incorporated a cascade of handmade sugar jewels and vintage style brooches, scallop embossing around the top trim, an extra large silver modern style sugar flower, and a ruffle accent. For their flavors, they chose Devils Food Chocolate with Peanut Butter Cup filling and Yellow Butter Cake with Cookies N Cream filling.

Photos by A Cake Life

Photos Courtesy of Bianca Photography

We also had the privilege of designing Stephen’s Groom’s Cake featured on our blog a few weeks back.

Congratulations Porsche and Stephen!

From Sketch to Display: Cherry Blossom Cake, Part 2

2011-08-15T12:02:00.000-10:00

Another couple, another cake, another sketch. Cherry blossoms are a favorite décor accent, especially for couples integrating an Asian feel into their wedding. Last week we shared Annie and Christian’s cherry blossom cake, and this week we wanted to share how another’s couples vision translated to their cake design.

Katherine and Ryan live in Las Vegas, but Ryan is a local boy so they decided to return to Honolulu for their February wedding at the Hale Koa Hotel. Their wedding decor was inspired by this red plum blossom picture that Katherine gave us. It also served as the main inspiration for their wedding cake. Their reception was decorated with traditional Japanese details - shoji doors served as the backdrop for their head table and rice paper lantern centerpieces provided a modern accent.

When it came to their cake, Katherine and Ryan wanted to create a unique cake design inspired by this picture that integrated their traditional meets modern style. For their cake design, we created a 3-tiered white fondant base cake. For a modern design approach, the cherry blossom branch climbed from the right side of their cake. The branch was hand painted on for a softer overall look and had a textured feel for that traditional Japanese look. The handmade plum blossoms were matched to the picture provided and made in different sizes. The 3D flowers added great dimension to the overall design. Katherine and Ryan provided their own Double Hearts cake topper. For their flavor, they chose Red Velvet and Cream cheese icing and Yellow Butter Cake with Fresh Strawberry cream filling.

Congratulations Katherine & Ryan!

Photos Courtesy of Perfekt Photo

From Sketch to Display: Cherry Blossom Cake

2011-08-09T12:53:00.000-10:00

After meeting with a client for their cake consultation, one of the first things we do is put together a sketch of their cake based on the design details we discussed. This is based on photos provided, their invitation, cake size/shape, color swatches, and much more). Here is one example of a cake we did from sketch to display:

Annie and Christian came to their wedding cake consultation prepared with lots of information! They wanted a large cake, with a cherry blossom theme, butterflies, and LOTS of pink! We discussed several floral arrangements for their cherry blossom design but Annie wanted to do something different than a common climbing branch design.

After our consultation, we put together their sketch of "blooming" floral bouquets arranged throughout their 4-tiered cake. Their light pink buttercream and cobalt blue bands around the tiers were all color matched to fabric swatches they provided. For a little added detail, we included a swirl piping design along the cobalt bands in a slightly brighter shade of pink. The cherry blossoms were colored a brighter shade of pink to "pop" off their cake. Silver metallic sugar butterflies were added around their tiers. Annie and Christian provided their own custom figurine topper.

The flavors they chose were our Yellow Butter Cake (all color tinted light pink!) with Lilikoi Cream filling, and Pretty Pink Strawberry Cake with Guava Cream filling... Even the inside of their cake was PINK! =)

A Chic Baby Shower for Alison

2011-08-01T17:00:00.000-10:00

Photos courtesy of Taryn Reid Photography

We were contacted by Shilhi of Passion Roots to provide a cake for a baby shower she was throwing for her Business and Client Relations Manager, Elana. The baby shower was originally planned before Baby Alison was born, but due some complication they held off on the party till after Baby Ali was born.

The “chic soiree” held at the former Cupcake Boutique in Ward (now a pop-up shop) had a pink color scheme – using all shades of the color. The table was set with vintage glass plates and cups, colorful cloth napkins, a bath salt and loofah favor table, and guests enjoyed an array of delectable bite-sized treats: chicken salad croissants, strawberries, truffles, muffins and tasty chips.

The main cake was a 3-tier buttercream iced cake, with the top and bottom tier embellished with textured buttercream. The bottom tier included a silver pearl detailing trim, middle tier: sugar detailed appliques with top boarder ruffle trim, top tier: sugar brooch accent. The topper (looking down) was a flower burst buttercream iced pattern with loop accents.

The cupcakes were Yellow butter cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry cream filling iced with white buttercream, textured silver and white sanding sugar and brooch accent.

The Cupcake bouquets were mini yellow butter cupcakes with white buttercream icing and crystal butterfly picks arranged in a vintage crystal vase

From Left to Right: Shilhi of Passion Roots, Karine of Seasons of Life, Ashley of Taryn Reid Photography and Me =)

We enjoyed working with Shilhi, and some other fabulous vendors. Congratulations Elana, and welcome Baby Alison!

Vendors of Alison's Baby Shower:

Venue: Cupcake Boutique

Floral & Event Styling: Passion Roots

Event Coordination: Seasons of Life

Cake: A Cake Life

Photography: Taryn Reid Photography

Surprise Cockroach Cake

2011-07-19T11:37:00.000-10:00

A friend of mine approached me to create a super unique centerpiece cake design for her mom's surprise 60th birthday party. Ashely explained she was looking for something funny and interesting for her insect, bug crawling, B-52 flying, cockroach loving mom! Ashely was looking for something realistic, appealing (or should I say not appealing) and definitely not cute.

Originally we had discussed the idea of a sculpted 3-D cockroach cake but decided on this (more appetizing) arrangement. Hehe. Could you image cutting into a roach cake and seeing the cream filled center? =P

We decided on this 2-tiered ivory textured buttercream cake with rows of lime green "grass" and a mixture of crushed Oreos, graham crackers and brown sugar "dirt". We handmade all of the cockroaches from gumpaste and hand painted these little crawlers for added detailing.

For the flavor, Ashely chose our Yellow Butter Cake with Lilikoi Cream filling. The cake was delivered to the Waialae Country Club where the staff watched us put the final touches on the cake. Needless to say, everyone was very surprised to see roaches being added to the cake! We got lots of compliments on these B-52 bombers and we hope Ashley's mom loved it too! Happy Birthday!!

Devynn’s Hello Kitty 1st Birthday

2011-07-14T11:36:00.001-10:00

I met with Devynn's parents a few months ago to begin planning her Hello Kitty and Friends themed 1st birthday cake. Devynn's mom explained she had picked up lots of Hello Kitty character tote boxes and were going to be using them for centerpieces and decor around the party. And to match the boxes, she wanted to create mini cakes in each character!

We created 48 mini cakes made up of Hello Kitty, My Melody, Bad Batz Maru, Keroppi, and Tuxedo Sam! And a larger version of Ms. Kitty herself was made for their cake topper. Each mini cake is a round 3-inch size and perfect for individual servings or parents sharing the cakes with their little ones. For the flavors, Devynn's mom chose our Yellow Butter Cake with Fresh Strawberry Cream filling and Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Cookies N Cream filling.

Happy 1st Birthday Devynn!

Featured Wedding - Kelli & David Vintage Hawaii

2011-07-05T12:12:00.000-10:00

Photos courtesy of What a Day Photography

We were so excited to meet Kelli, her son, sister and mother who all came to the cake consultation together. Kelli already had a great concept for her wedding and came prepared with pictures of a few cake ideas and wedding design details. They were planning an eco-chic, Hawaiian tropical meets semi-vintage wedding with lots of Do-It-Yourself projects and cute touches of natural detail. Kelli and her family are very close and her sister was instrumental in helping with many of the amazing details.

Their beautiful vintage Hawaiian ceremony was followed by a laid back, homey backyard reception at her grandmother’s house in Wahiawa. Check out the chic lace runners along the fencing, red heart guitar pick favors and lovely mason jars. I am in love their VW van! And check out Kelli and David singing a song with their guitars – so romantic! I think they chose the perfect photographer (What a Day Photography) to capture their wedding style.

Kelli and David selected a unique cake display to match their down-home, DIY themed wedding. Instead of the traditional 3-tiered stacked cake, they chose 3 individual cakes each iced using textured buttercream techniques and topped with cute fabric flags that Kelli provided.

Pink Cake: Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Raspberry Cream filling iced in columns of light soft pink buttercream scallops to resemble the rows of falling tiers in a pretty dress and the top view as a burst of a spring time flower.

Pale Yellow Cake: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese filling iced in pale yellow buttercream in a completely textured pattern for a charming rustic appeal.

Icy Blue Cake: Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream filling iced in tall lines of ruffles to resemble a falling, flowy piece of ribbon.

Kelli sent us this email after the wedding... “We loved your cakes. They looked amazing...straight out of my head, onto the plates. We were really excited about how the cakes turned out. It was perfection. Thank you so much."

Congratulations to Kelli and David – we wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

Vendors of Kelli & David's Wedding:

Photography: What a Day Photography

Stephen's Groom's Cake

2011-06-27T10:42:00.000-10:00

When we first met with Porsche for her fiancee's surprise grooms cake, we discussed several design ideas for his cake, but when it came down to it, she couldn't settle on one theme so we created a whole cake decorated with all things Stephen! Porsche had a whole LONG list of items to describe what Stephen likes. We picked out a few of these ideas: his Jordan kicks, weight lifting, music, break dancing, Jamba Juice, Starbucks, steaks! (what guy doesn't?) even the Hormel Chili he grew up eating!

Photos courtesy of: Bianca Photography

Some of the main items Porsche wanted to focus on was a picture of their family with their daughter, and special detail to Stephen’s involvement with the Army. For this we included all hand-painted sugar badges of the black and yellow Army star, his silver dog tags and a replica of his unit’s badge (see the photo below which served as inspiration).

Left: Photo of Stephen's 'Hiki No' unit badge. Right bottom: Hand made sugar replica

For his flavors, Porsche chose Orange Dreamcicle cake with Vanilla Cream filling and Pretty Pink Strawberry with Guava Cream filling.

We hope Stephen was surprised and stoked to see his special cake that was all about him!

CRAVE Hawaii Book Feature

2011-06-20T08:47:00.000-10:00

Our second featured publication to come up this month was for CRAVE Hawaii, the ultimate guide to fabulous women-owned businesses in Hawaii. The CRAVE book series has been published in over 28 cities across the US mainland, Canada, Europe and now - HAWAII! We are so thankful and excited for this wonderful opportunity to be included in the first edition of the Crave Hawaii book. We are proud of all the other hard working and talented entrepreneurs and stoked to be included amongst this great company of women.

The CRAVE Hawaii Book Launch Party was held on June 1st at the Honolulu Design Center Cupola Theater. All the women featured had an opportunity to get together to network, have fun in the photo booth by Flash Lab and check out the books for the first time! Check out our pictures from the launch party!

Me and Shilhi (Passion Roots) in front of her floral installation

Candid shots from the Photobooth with me and my friends

A few of our friends were also included in the book:

Shilhi Seibel from Passion Roots.
Shilhi also designed the beautiful, bright, colorful and creative table
arrangement as well as an art floral installation piece for the launch party

Bessie Fujioka from The Bess Impression

Karine France-Matsumoto from Seasons of Life

Aerin Vanhala from FlashLab Photo Booth

Karine, Shilhi & Me

Me & Bessie Fujioka (The Bess Impression)

Me, Bessie and our friends who came to support us

Me, Bessie and Leena Haija

The CRAVE Hawaii Books are available for purchase through A Cake Life for $19.95 and will later be available at Barnes and Noble store and online at Amazon.

A special THANK YOU to Leena Haija for all her hard work and effort in organizing the CRAVE Hawaii book!!

The Wedding Cafe's Cake, Catering and Cocktail Workshop

2011-06-14T08:30:00.000-10:00

We recently participated in The Wedding Cafe's amazing Cake, Catering and Cocktail Workshop. We loved meeting the many brides (and grooms) to-be who attended and sharing cake advice, tips and information with everyone there.

A Cake Life table display

Photos Courtesy of Kris Labang Photography

Guests received samples of our featured flavor - Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing. And we had three amazing cakes on display:

1. A 2-tier ivory fondant hexagon cake with white sugar floral decor. Simple, elegant and clean!

2. A 3-tier square cake with an ivory fondant base with orange leaf silhouettes, light pink ribbon trim and shimmering pink sugar flower peonies and mums.

3. A 3-tier white fondant iced cake decorated with black piping swirl design and deep red pearl boarder. Accented with touches of silver sugar butterflies, fresh red roses topper and crystal butterfly picks.

And in case you missed it, you can catch a video of the workshop here:

Wedding Cafe Workshops :: Cake, Catering and Cocktail Workshop from KAI MEDIA on Vimeo.

Thanks again to The Wedding Cafe for hosting this awesome event! They hold workshops twice a year, so check their website to find the fall workshop dates.

MIdweek Entrepreneur Feature

2011-06-02T04:14:00.000-10:00

This has been an incredible start to kick off June with A Cake Life being featured in 2 amazing publications! Our first feature appeared Tuesday afternoon in the current issue of Midweek! The Midweek is a weekly newspaper that is mailed to homes all over Oahu. They have a wide readership and to be included in it is an honor. And when Alana Folen contact me about being showcased in their weekly Entrepreneurs feature, I jumped at the opportunity. I answered a lot of questions for Alana discussing our business, how we got started and some of the rewards and challenges of my job. We are thrilled with this lovely article she put together and I'm so excited to share with will all of you. The picture included is of the cake and cupcakes we made for Eden In Love's 1st Anniversary celebration. You can read the entire article HERE.

Thank you everyone for checking out the article and a big MAHALO to Midweek for this opportunity

Featured Wedding - Miwako & Craig Embody Elegance

2011-05-23T09:28:00.001-10:00

Photos Courtesy of Absolutely Loved Photography

Miwako & Craig's wedding embodied elegance, sophistication, and romance. Miwako is so beautiful with perfect style and grace. And Craig, you can feel his love for Miwako by the way he looks at her. Their love, respect and commitment for each other is the kind of relationship we all hope to find.

So beautiful!

I was incredibly honored to have made their wedding cake. For such a stylish couple, it was amazing they selected such a unique, modern and fresh cake design. They chose our Yellow Butter Cake with Lilikoi Cream Filling and Guava Cake with Guava Cream filling with ivory buttercream and fresh white cymbidium orchids. But the best part, it was 3 different shapes! A round, hexagon and square tiered cake. LOVE IT!

But then again, I love all desserts (duh). So when Miwako & Craig said they were having a Beard Papa Cream Puff tower, I though that was so cool! Check out the great shot Stefanie of Absolutely Loved Photography got of their mouth watering dessert tower!

Congratulations Miwako & Craig! We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness.

Yay for Beard Papa Cream Puffs!

Vendors of Miwako & Craig's Wedding:

Wedding Coordinator: Seasons of Life Wedding & Events

Venue: Oceanfront Oasis at the Oasis World Estates
Photography: Absolutely Loved Photography

Floral Design: Passion Roots

Aloha,

In the News...

2011-05-20T11:43:00.000-10:00

We've come a long way since A Cake Life first opened in July of 2009 and since then we've been fortunate enough to be featured in several different publications and wedding style blogs. One of the most recent additions to our website was the creation of a Media Page highlighting all our different listings. Click on the thumbnails to view the features. Please check it out and let us know what you think :)

Eden in Love Birthday Celebration

2011-05-16T08:19:00.000-10:00

Photos Courtesy of Kris Labang Photography

On April 23rd, Eden in Love celebrated their store's first anniversary with a blowout birthday celebration. It was a true birthday party complete with games, prizes, cupcakes, music, birthday discounts and lots of new merchandise for a HUGE sale!

As part of their birthday celebration, we created a 4-tier ivory and pink fondant cake with double wall pink shimmer sugar roses, and handmade sugar Eden in Love bird toppers (based on the store's logo). The cake was adorned with handmade rows of gradient color pearls, pink sugar ribbons scallops, brown trim piping and stitching details, embossed quilt and tear drop patterns and textured button accents.

We also made 200 cupcakes of various flavors with Eden in Love bird logo cupcake toppers in pink, white and brown. It looked like an army of birds standing at attention =) Cupcake flavors included: Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream and some were paired with Pink Buttercream, Yellow Butter Cupcakes with Pink Buttercream and some were paired with Chocolate Buttercream, Red Velvet Cupckes with Cream Cheese Icing.

Photos Courtesy of Kris Labang Photography

Congratulations Eden in Love, and thanks for letting us be a part of this special celebration!

The Groom's Cake

2011-05-10T09:15:00.000-10:00

This was a surprise grooms cake of a red Audi convertible. We handmade a replica of the couple's 2 dogs sitting in the front seat. The dogs were wearing a black top hat for the groom and a white veil for the bride. The bride asked us to integrate their special inside joke "MKT PRC" on the front license plate and their wedding date on the other. All the guests got the inside joke and the groom was stoked to see his surprise cake!

More often, couples are having two wedding cakes – the traditional cake and a groom’s cake. As weddings often tend to be “all about the bride” a nice way to honor (or surprise) the groom is with his own personalized cake.

Accounts of the history of how the groom’s cake came-to-be often differ. Some say the tradition dates all the way back to the 17^th century where the cake was originally was a rich, dark, fruit cake made without icing. Others say it was the top layer of the bride’s cake that was not served to guests, but rather drenched in brandy to preserve for the couple’s first anniversary. Another story says the groom’s cake was a edible treat packaged individually in decorated boxes, often monogrammed with a couple’s initials and given to guests to take home.

While some wedding traditions have evolved (from groom’s cake to wedding favors, or celebrating the first year of marriage with the top layer of wedding cake) so has the groom’s cake. It is usually presented at the wedding, and sliced and served just like the traditional cake.

Most often the requests we get are to create a fun “manly” cake reflecting the groom’s hobbies or interests. They often choose a different flavor from their wedding cake ranging from Red Velvet with Cream Cheese filling to Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Cookies N Cream filling. This offers guests a nice variety to choose from when it comes to cake.

Some of the most recent groom’s cakes we’ve created are as follows:

Lakers theme Basketball Cake and handmade figurines of the couple in their Lakers jerseys

New Jersey Devils Hockey Puck Grooms Cake

One of our brides sent us this photo which served as the inspiration for the cake to follow:

Michael Godard "Shoot the Wad " Print

Grooms Cake inspired by the print

While groom's cakes can be a bit more challenging to create, it definitely brings an air of personalization to a wedding. People remember details like this, and that's what makes a wedding special!

Cole's Angry Birds

2011-04-29T12:22:00.002-10:00

Photos courtesy of Pinky Photography

With over 100 million downloads, you’d have to say the iPhone game, Angry Birds is pretty popular, even among 5 year olds (which surprised me). So when Cole asked his mom, Pinky of Pinky Photography for an Angry Birds themed party for his 5^th birthday she came straight to us.

For those of you unfamiliar with the game (and beware it’s seriously addictive) players use a slingshot to launch birds at pigs stationed on or within various structures, with the intent of destroying all the pigs on the field.

We used the scene of the birds attacking the pig trapped in the wooden and cement beams to create Cole’s Angry Birds theme cake. The flavor was Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream filling with all handmade sugar decor, figurines and topper.

And check out the budding photographer – you can tell he gets it from his mama! If you’re ever in need of an amazing wedding, lifestyle or senior portrait photography please check out Pinky Photography – she’s super talented and a wonderful person.

We also created Cole’s Race Car Cupcake Tree for his 4^th birthday last year, seen here. Thanks for letting us be a part of this special day. Happy Birthday Cole!

The Wedding Cafe Gives Back - A Silent Auction

2011-04-27T10:19:00.000-10:00

Just wanted to share an awesome event with you - The Wedding Cafe is putting together TWC Gives Back, a wedding themed silent auction on Wednesday, May 4th from 6:30 to 7:30 pm at their store in the Ward Warehouse. All of the proceeds will go to the American Red Cross to assist with the relief efforts in Japan.

They have donations from many great TWC vendors – items from photographers, videographers, florists, hair and makeup stylists, invitations and cakes, just to name a few. There are over $45,000 worth of gift certificates, services and goods to be bid on, all starting at 50% off retail value. A Cake Life has a $100 gift certificate up for grabs. Check out this list of items, so you can get straight to the bidding when you arrive.

And brides, while you’re bidding on items in the Café, send your fiancée upstairs to their Grooms Workshop, also from 6:30-7:30. Everybody wins :)

Sunset Ranch Launch Party: Ceremony Design

2011-04-12T18:03:00.000-10:00

Photos Courtesy of What A Day! Photography

To showcase another of Sunset Ranch's many venues, they created a ceremony site on the main lawn. Again I love all the little details that went achieving this romantic, rustic look - the feather and twisted branch chandelier, flowers in cowboy boots , an aisle treatment of twisted branches - reminds me of tumbleweed, roping. Just beautiful...

We created two cakes for the event. The first was a two-tier white fondant cake with gold fillagree side designs, fresh orange rose topper with crystal butterfly picks.

The second was a two-tier light yellow fondant cake with yellow sugar carnations and a round impression trim.

Photos Courtesy of Heather Kato

Thanks again to Sunset Ranch for inviting us to participate in this amazing event!

Fabulous Vendors from the Sunset Ranch Open House Event:

Cakes: A Cake Life

Event Coordinator: Seasons Of Life Wedding & Events

Floral Design: Passion Roots

Photography: What A Day! Photography

Venue: Sunset Ranch

Sunset Ranch Launch Party: Barn Design

2011-04-04T13:30:00.000-10:00

Photos Courtesy of What A Day! Photography

Awhile back we had the pleasure of working with Sunset Ranch, a 30-acre property located atop Waimea Valley on Oahu's North Shore for their Launch Party. The privately owned ranch has recently been protected with one of Hawaii's first private conservation easements, so it will remain preserved forever. At Sunset Ranch they believe strongly in furthering land conservation and self-sustainability in Hawaii and have now opened the property up for events, farming, a nursery and horsemanship programs.

The ranch itself is BEAU-TI-FUL! With gorgeous views, and so many different venues (both outdoor and indoor) for a wedding, or special event. For their barn design, we were asked to create a modern wedding cake detailed with rustic and romantic elements to accompany the beautiful tablescape. For the modern element we created a 2-tier hexagon shaped cake, and accented it with handmade white whimsical sugar flowers on a light ivory fondant for a soft, romantic and rustic blend.

I absolutely love all the little details that Shilhi from Passion Roots put into this design. The color palate of cream, peach, and pink with accents of eggplant was stunning. Shilhi wanted to incorporate a softness with the flowers, and balance it out with a deep, lusciousness of grapes and plums (reflecting the produce from a farm, and honoring all the hard work that goes into farming). And the influence of owls, fruit, wheat and cork were perfect additions for a "rustic elegance" themed wedding.

Photos Courtesy of Heather Kato

In our next post, we'll share more of the beautiful landscapes of Sunset Ranch with the ceremony design part of the launch. Stay tuned...

Fabulous Vendors from the Sunset Ranch Launch Event:

Cakes: A Cake Life

Event Coordinator: Seasons Of Life Wedding & Events

Floral Design: Passion Roots

Photography: What A Day! Photography

Venue: Sunset Ranch

Chloe's Circus

2011-03-28T12:23:00.002-10:00

Photos Courtesy of Dave Miyamoto & Company Photography

This is the second birthday cake we've made for little Chloe. Last year she had a super cute Abby Cabby Themed 2nd Birthday you can see HERE. This year the lucky girl had her very own circus! Chloe's Circus included a train, merry-go-round, cotton candy machine, face painting, fabulous Tori Burch red shoes and her custom made circus dress! What more could a girl want?

We created a super colorful and fun cupcake tree. Each cupcake had its own circus cupcake wrapper and whimsical topper. The cake topper was finished with handmade sugar bunting flags. The cupcake flavors were Yellow Butter Cake with Fresh Strawberry Cream filling and Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Cookies N Cream filling.

Happy Birthday Chloe!! =)

Featured Wedding - Sayaka & Mack's Pretty in Pink Wedding

2011-03-22T12:30:00.002-10:00

Photos Courtesy of Perfekt Photo

Sayaka & Mack were married in August 2010 in a lovely "Pretty in Pink" themed wedding. And what better place to have a pink wedding than the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, affectionately known as the "Pink Palace of the Pacific". Sayaka, originally from Japan, and Mack, from New York, decided to wed in Honolulu as a mid-point for their guest coming from opposite ends. Their ceremony was held on the Ocean Lawn and their reception in the Kamehameha Suite.

Sayaka had excellent taste with her designer Romona Keveza gown, Chanel shoes and Harry Winston diamond ring! And Mack looked sharp in his tux with hair to match his fun personality!

I hope you enjoy their gorgeous pictures as much as we did! *(^_^)*

From the moment we met with Sayaka & Mack, we realized they had wonderful style and asked for a clean, modern, unique design. The individual mini wedding cakes we made were each topped with a single pale pink sugar rose. The design of the mini cakes was carried through their cake topper which was finished with a bouquet of roses. Sayaka & Mack chose our Red Velvet with Cream Cheese filling for each of their mini cakes and cake topper.

Congratulations Sayaka & Mack! We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Vendors of Sayaka & Mack's Wedding:

Cake: A Cake Life

Photography: Perfekt Photo

Venue: Royal Hawaiian Hotel
Wedding Coordinator: Dianna Shitanishi of Hawaii Weddings & Events

Sayaka & Mack's wedding was also featured on Delightfully Engaged. Click the badge to view their feature! (^-^)

Until Next Time...

Fashionable Bride Feature

2011-03-14T11:26:00.001-10:00

We are super excited to share that our wedding cupcake trees are being featured on the Fashionable Bride website. They're highlighting eight different cupcake designs, as well as detailed information on each design.

Fashionable Bride appeals to the modern woman who lives her life influenced by culture, fashion and a strong sense of personal style - which we love to take and reflect in our client's cake designs. This site combines a love of style, and sophisticated and practical information to help bride's plan their wedding. Check out all their great inspiration boards, tips and trends for designing your Fashionable Wedding! (^_^)

Aloha,

The Wedding Cafe

2011-03-07T10:00:00.033-10:00

Hey everyone! I wanted to send a shout out to The Wedding Cafe! We've just joined the team at the Cafe so if you haven't been there yet, go check it out! They are a great resource for planning your Hawaii wedding and have a wealth of information such as a directory of vendors and their portfolios, how-to-guides, idea books, insider tips and friendly personal advice. And, for all you fashion forward girls, check out their super cute boutique Eden in Love. They have lots of fun, cute and flirty outfits perfect for your engagement photo shoots or dinner date with your special somebody.

They also hold a series of wedding planning workshops twice a year. We'll be participating in the Cake and Wine Sampling and Catering Trends workshop which will be held on March 30th in the Ward Conference Rooms (upstairs from The Wedding Cafe in Ward Warehouse). The cost to attend is $15 per person and you can RSVP here. We hope to see you there! (^_^)

Featured Wedding - Jessica & Man Ching's Fish Wedding

2011-02-17T16:13:00.003-10:00

Finally, its been a while since we got to post a Featured Wedding! We've been so busy and I'm so excited to finally get to share these beautiful pictures from Jessica & Manching's Wedding. Enjoy! *(^_^)*

Photos Courtesy of Renai Photography

Jessica & Man Ching's wedding cake was one of the most creative wedding cakes we've ever made! This creative couple was married on September 18th, 2010 and their reception was held at the Waikiki Aquarium! (so fitting for the theme of their cake! =) )

They were such a great couple to work with and we loved creating their special wedding cake! When we first met with Jessica and Manching, they explained they were self-proclaimed "fish nerds" and would theme their wedding around their love of fish. Their requests for their cake design was to be very colorful and include animated cartoonish sea creatures, nothing realistic! It was great they were willing to incorporate so much detail to make this their special wedding cake.

Jessica & Manching chose our Yellow Butter Cake with Guava Cream filling, Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Lilikoi Cream filling and Coconut Cake with Pineapple Cream filling.

Here are some highlights from the review Jessica wrote on

our WeddingWire.com Vendor Profile:

"Kristin did such a great job on my wedding cake. It is one of the fondest memories I have of my wedding. When I saw the cake with the specific fish we asked for, I almost cried! We changed our fish theme and she was able to incorporate the fish on our invitations as the cake topper. Everyone absolutely loved our cake and took a million pictures of it. It was really hard for me to cut such a beautiful cake!!"

Congratulations Jessica & Manching! We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Cartoon replicas of their Six Line Wrasse and Randall's Goby

Vendors of Jessica & Manching's Wedding:

Cake: A Cake Life

Photography: Renai Photography

Reception Venue: Wakiki Aquarium

Valentine's Day Special - Sweet Bliss Collection 2011

2011-02-09T20:01:00.001-10:00

Passion Roots and A Cake Life have teamed up to present our 'Sweet Bliss' collection of florals and cupcakes perfect for Valentine's day. Surprise your wife, girlfriend, best friend or mother with one of these special gifts:

-Plush: An extra large design of White Hydrangeas, Lush Pink Lisianthus and Pink Spray Roses in a handmade recycled wooden box.........$180.00
-Enchanted: A medium design of White Hydrangeas, Pink Lisianthus and Pink Spray Roses in a handmade recycled wooden box.........$105.00
-Pink Tulips in a handmade willow container.........$72.00
-Red Velvet Cupcakes - Box of four, in addition to floral package.........$12.50

without florals.........$15.00

Available for Pre-Order Only. Call to place your order.

Limited quantities are available.

A Cake Life, LLC

808.542.0131

info@acakelife.com

Brides Choice Award 2011

2011-01-31T12:05:00.002-10:00

A Cake Life, LLC is happy to announce we've been chosen to receive the Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice Awards^™ 2011. This award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate quality and service excellence in the wedding industry.

Mahalo to our fans and past brides for your wonderful reviews and testimonials! ♥ (^_^)

Read our Wedding Wire Reviews HERE

Aloha,

New Blog Design Lauch!

2011-01-27T08:38:00.000-10:00

Aloha!!! And Welcome to our new blog! Our A Cake Life blog has been redone thanks to the wonderful Lara of Designer Blogs. She worked with us to create a whole new look for our blog and I thank her for being so patient during our design process. =) We went for a new design with a clean flirty look and modern pin striping. Stay a while and check out some of our latest entries to read about whats been happening with A Cake Life.

And check out the girls at Designer Blogs.

We'll be back soon with Jessica & Manching's Fish Themed Featured Wedding.

Aloha,

Stepping Into 2011...

2010-12-31T11:56:00.002-10:00

For my last blog of 2010, I wanted to take a break from blogging about cakes and instead share pictures from my family photo shoot earlier this year. This was a very busy and successful year for A Cake Life and, as I look back, I'm thankful for all the great opportunities we've been blessed with. A huge MAHALO to all of our clients who've chosen us to be a part of your special day. From birthdays to weddings and all other celebrations, it our pleasure to provide the cakes that make your parties memorable! And thank you for the opportunity to make connections with many great wedding vendors. Finally, thank you to my family that continues to motivate me to work harder and supports me everyday.

Thank you for all the blessing this year has brought and we are looking forward to all the cakes and cupcakes in 2011! Happy New Year! (^_^)

With Warmest Aloha,
Kristin

Photos Courtesy of Pinky Photography

As we step into 2011, we wish you all the

blessings and best wishes in the New Year!

Gingerbread Family Festival

2010-12-23T12:16:00.001-10:00

Photos Courtesy of Kaela Wasnich

The 1st place Corporate category winner!

The holidays are upon us and Christmas is just a few days away. One of the most rewarding things about the holidays is sharing and giving back to those in need. The Easter Seals of Hawaii is a great organization that provides services to those living with disabilities. Every year the Easter Seals puts on their annual Gingerbread Family Festival fundraiser. For $39.00 participants get their own gingerbread house to decorate along with LOTS of candy to choose from. This a great family friendly event that attracts nearly 6,000 participants annually!

This year the First Insurance Company of Hawaii (FICOH) contacted us to help the with their local Hawaiian gingerbread entry. The FICOH team requested an assortment of whimsical ocean themed sugar figurines. We handmade a blue starfish, orange octopus, red crab and green fish and, of course, no gingerbread house is complete without a Santa! Our shirtless Hawaiian Santa is wearing a red lavalava (A Polynesian style wrap around waist cloth) and orange lei. Congratulations to the FICOH team who won 1st place in the Corporate category!

Merry Christmas!

The FICOH team working on their gingerbread display

Our octopus, crab, starfish and fish fit perfectly into the beach scape.

hehe, the gingerbread man is fishing!

Marshmallow fireplace rotisserie

Close Up of the gumpaste ocean characters we made

Hawaiian style Santa outside his house

Photo Courtesy of Easter Seals Hawaii

Check out this video clip of the Gingerbread Festival. More pictures from the Festival can be viewed HERE. Video courtesy of Easters Seals of Hawaii.

A Dr. Seuss Birthday!

2010-12-15T17:46:00.003-10:00

In November we created this super fun Dr. Seuss theme cupcake tower for Caleb's 1st Birthday. Caleb's parents created a colorful party decked out in all things Dr. Seuss, complete with Green Eggs and Ham!

For the cake, we kept with a color scheme of blue, red and white. The cake topper was crowned with a handmade sugar Dr. Seuss hat. To complete the Seussian design, we hand painted red fish, blue fish, #1 and Dr. Seuss hat cupcake toppers. The flavors they selected for Caleb's cupcakes were Guava, Strawberry Vanilla Swirl, Devils Food Chocolate with Peanut Butter Cup filling, and Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Icing. Caleb's cake topper was our Guava Cake with Guava Cream filling.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Green Eggs & Ham!! Perfect for a Dr. Seuss themed party!

Caleb digging into his cake topper!!

Featured Wedding - Sarah & Kevin 10-10-10

2010-12-06T23:09:00.004-10:00

Photos Courtesy of Athena Plichta Photography

Sarah & Kevin were married on the biggest wedding date of the year, 10-10-10! We're so honored to be the cake vendor for such a wonderful couple. Together with their family and friends, they shared in a beautiful and intimate ceremony and wedding at Hale Moli'i at Kualoa Ranch. Their photographer Athena Plichta did a great job at capturing their love for each other and their fun-loving, laid back style.

Following Photos Courtesy of Alisa Grieg

Sarah & Kevin chose a Cupcake Tree cake to display and serve to their guests. Their cupcake tree was adorned with a full length cascade of sugar flower plumerias with touches of navy blue and moss green accents to match their wedding colors. They chose our Yellow Butter Cupcakes filled with 4 different types of fillings: Vanilla Cream, Lilikoi Cream, Fresh Strawberry Cream & Guava Cream. Each was topped with different color sugar pearls for flavor designation.

Here are some highlights from the review Sarah & Kevin wrote on

our WeddingWire.com Vendor Profile:

"Kristin was great! The presentation of the cake topper and cupcake tree was beautiful . . . and the flavors were amazing! We will definitely be using A Cake Life again in the future."

Check out their Flavor Chart! (^-^)

Congratulations Sarah & Kevin! We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Vendors of Sarah & Kevin's Wedding:

Photography: Athena Plichta Photography and Alisa Grieg

Venue: Hale Moli'i: Kualoa Ranch
Event Coordinator: Alicia Hollinger at Milestone Events Hawaii
Cake: A Cake Life
Catering: Beaches and Backyards Catering

Val & Val Wedding Video

2010-11-17T12:48:00.002-10:00

When the talented Joshua Fair, owner of Fisheye Studio , contacted me to be a part of Val & Val's wedding day video, we were eager to participate! Fisheye Studio has a spectacular style and vision for their wedding photography and cinematography. Their movies convey such emotion and feeling like I've never seen before.

Valerie & Valiant's video was shot throughout their wedding day documenting the all the prep that goes into putting together a wedding. Their Same Day Edit cinematography was played that night at their reception.

CLICK here to check out our blog featuring Val & Val's wedding photos.

val + val | one name . one cake : SDE from Fisheye Studio on Vimeo.

Check out Fisheye Studio's, website to see more of their sample work!

Featured Wedding - Val & Val. One Name. One Cake.

2010-11-15T19:58:00.005-10:00

Photos Courtesy of Renai Photography

Pictured: Cupcake Bouquet. Our cupcake bouquets made up of a dozen cupcakes decorated with fresh orchids in a decorative vase. The illusion of our bouquets are made to appear as a flower vase. Its a unique crowning accent to a decorative cupcake tree.

Valerie & Valient (Val & Val) were a married on September 19, 2010. When we met with them to design their wedding cake they knew immediately they wanted a cupcake display for their wedding cake. But instead of doing the traditional round cake topper, they wanted something different. So after discussing a few ideas, we came up with our Cupcake Bouquet topper. The bouquets give their cupcake tree a regal finish set against the beautiful ballroom backdrop.

Val & Val chose 2 flavors for their cupcakes: our Yellow Butter Cupcakes filled with Fresh Strawberry Cream filling and our Coconut Cupcakes filled with Pineapple Cream filling. Each cupcake was topped with buttercream icing and small cherry blossoms color matched to the fabric of their bridesmaids dresses. Their Cupcake Bouquet was accented with fresh white dendrobium orchids.

Congratulations Val & Val!!

Check out some pictures from their wedding by Renai Photography and stay tuned for Val & Val's same day edit wedding video.

Je t'aime In Paradise Part 2

2010-11-05T16:49:00.000-10:00

Photos by Taryn Reid Photography

Here is Part 2 of our French Inspired photo shoot which was also featured on national wedding blog Brenda's Wedding Blog Part 1 & Part 2.

This post features the beautifully styled guest reception table, sweethart table and the CAKE! (*^_^*) Check out all the lovely chic details from fresh garden roses in vintage milk glass to amber glassware all set perfectly to for that French Vintage ambiance.

Enjoy!


Pictured: Guest reception table set against the scenic view of Moli'i Pond in the background.

Pictured: Shilhi Seibel of Passion Roots used feathers, Phalaenopsis orchids, garden roses and ferns to create wonderful texture in this centerpiece arrangement.

Pictured: Elegant amber, copper and bronze accents, baubles & table settings. So romantic and charming. =)

Pictured: The Sweetheart Table for the Bride & Groom was draped with a rich bronze colored fabric. The place settings were flanked with gold detailed plates topped with metallic potted arrangements.

Pictured: Individual guest favors wrapped in linen, muslin & feathers set atop white square settings welcomes each guest to their French Vintage reception

Pictured: 2 tiered French Inspired cake design by A Cake Life. The bottom tier was embossed with a diamond quilt pattern, handmade sugar copper buttons and applique. The top tier was anchored with a white bride & groom silhouette and finished with a single fresh garden rose and white feathers. Both tiers were accented with scalloped edging and a fondant pink loop bow adds that finishing touch.

Cake by A Cake Life

The Creative Team:
Styling and Floral - Shilhi Seibel of Passion Roots
Styling - Karine France-Matsumoto of Seasons of Life Events
Cake - Kristin Kato - A Cake Life
Photography - Ashley Smith - Taryn Reid Photography
Makeup/Hair - Corvette Dela Cruz
Model - Taryn Nakashima

Je t'aime In Paradise Part 1

2010-10-25T13:09:00.004-10:00

Photos by Taryn Reid Photography

2 tiered fondant French Vintage Inspired Cake

At last, I can finally share the pictures from our French Vintage Inspired photo shoot with all of you! I had been holding of on sharing these photos since it had been submitted to national wedding blog and selected to be featured on Brenda's Wedding Blog Part 1 & Part 2.

This shoot was a collaboration amongst several talented and creative women. Together we worked on our creative vision to transform you to the French countryside while incorporating our local Hawaii flair.

These stunning pictures from this photo shoot will leave you wanting to see more so stay tuned for the release of Part 2 in a few days.

Scroll below to see the amazing pictures showcasing the ceremony fairytale canopy & chic reception table.

Left: Model: Taryn Nakashima Right: Fresh white orchids create a delicate aisle leading up to the canopy

Left: Yards of soft champagne, peach and bronze ribbons with a white organza overlay creates texture in this romantic canopy to say your 'I Do's' Right: Chandelier made of fresh garden roses & white philanopsis orchids interlaced with crystals

Pictured: Reception Table nestled in a grove of palm trees and monstera leaves


Lovely detail shots

Pictured: A whimsical organic french wreath made from white feathers, fresh roses & orchids, curly willow hung from the tree above the reception table

I LOVE this vintage theme bouquet. The textures and colors from the different flowers mixed with features add drama and creates a soft romantic elegance. The vintage brooch hanging from the bouquet is a nice touch for a brides 'Something Old'

FEATURED! - Pacific Edge Magazine

2010-10-12T12:53:00.005-10:00

We are thrilled to be sharing this article which A Cake Life was just featured in the new Oct-December 2010 issue of Pacific Edge Magazine!

The Pacific Edge Magazine is a Hawaii based trendy business & lifestyle magazine. Their following and readership is focused toward young business professionals and showcasing todays new talents & leaders. We have eagerly been awaiting the release of this issue and literally raced to Borders to pick up a copy of the magazine. The article titled "The Art of Amazing Cakes" by Martha Cheng featured A Cake Life along with 2 other local custom cake shops to discuss what goes into creating unique & personalized cakes. As I flipped through the magazine, I was excited to see our "Swirl & Twirl" cake design and our "Elizabeth Mini Cakes" pictured in its bright colors.

Overall this was an honor to be included amongst local talents like Cakelava and Cake Works. This was our first magazine publication to showcase our cakes and its pretty cool! (^_^)

Below are shots from the magazine but be sure to pick up your copy in stores today! To view the online version, check out here.

Our "Swril & Twirl" cake design pictured at left. Photo by A Cake Life

Top Left: Headshot photo by Kolohe Photo Middle Left: Elizabeth Mini Cakes photo by Terra Photography

Aloha!

Sunset Ranch Open House

2010-10-05T10:10:00.000-10:00

You're invited to check out the Sunset Ranch Open House on October 17th, 2010 in Pupukea, Oahu. Sunset Ranch is a beautiful 30 acre property thats perfect for hosting weddings or your upcoming holiday soiree! This spectacular event is coordinated by Seasons of Life Wedding & Event Planning. We hope you join us for a fun afternoon around the property including horseback rides, lawn games, entertainment and light refreshments. See you there!

Aloha! =)

This Is "Major" ...

2010-08-31T01:07:00.001-10:00

Photos Courtesy of SSG Carl Hudson

In July we were contacted by Carrie Hasson of Carrie Hasson Photography to create a special order of cupcakes for her husband's big promotion! Captain Matt Hasson of the US Army was being promoted to Major Hasson! To celebrate this special event we made a cupcake tree of our Cool Lemon cupcakes to be shared at his swearing in ceremony. Each cupcake was topped with the clover insignia symbolizing the rank of Major.

Congratulations Major Hasson!

In-Action Photo Shoot

2010-08-17T01:56:00.002-10:00

Photos Courtesy of Athena Plichta Photography

A couple weeks ago I did a fun photo shoot with my friend Athena of Athena Plichta Photography. I first connected with Athena when she shot a birthday party for little Chole's Abby Cadabby theme 2nd birthday. We got to work together again when she shot the Cupcakes & Aprons feature for Military Spouse Magazine and I'm excited to work together again on a beautiful wedding in the fall! Athena's lifestyle photography is bright & fun and she does a great job at capturing the moment. Check out her latest keiki, ohana & in-love sessions on her blog.

For our photo shoot we made our popular Red Velvet cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing while Athena shot and documented every step along the way. In addition to our Red Velvet's we put together several other yummy varieties: Yellow Butter Cupcakes filled with Fresh Strawberry Cream and topped with handmade sugar flower hydrangea's, a summery sunflower cupcake and Devils Food Cupcakes filled with Vanilla Cream and topped with sugar sand & seashells! =) We hope you enjoy the pics!

Aloha!

Janel & Andrew's Cherry Blossom Wedding Cake

2010-08-03T14:25:00.005-10:00

Photos Courtesy of Kai Photo

July continued on with our busy wedding season and each cake we made was unique as different from the last. Last month we featured Elizabeth & Don's North Shore Estate wedding and today we take you to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for Janel & Andrew's wedding.

Janel & Andrew celebrated their Hawaii destination wedding with this modern and chic Cherry Blossom theme wedding cake. Their 3 tiered cake was adorned with cascading and climbing soft pink sugar flower cherry blossoms. I love the clean, simple elegance of the delicate flowers and buds. The cake flavors they selected were our Yellow Butter Cake with Fresh Strawberry Cream filling and Coconut Cake with Coconut Cream filling. Along with their wedding cake we provided a small cupcake tree with Devils Food Chocolate Cupcakes filled with Cookies N Cream for their dessert candy buffet.

For more shots of their special day, check out Kai Photos blog. The Royal Hawaiian is nicknamed the Pink Palace and their pics show how the hotel got is name!

Vendors of Janel & Andrew's Wedding:

Cake: A Cake Life

Photography: Kai Photo

Venue: Royal Hawaiian Hotel

Congratulations Janel & Andrew!

Elizabeth & Don's Wedding

2010-07-20T23:32:00.004-10:00

Photos Courtesy of Terra Photography

What's better than a piece of the wedding cake for each guest...? Their very own mini cake! When we met with Elizabeth & Don they explained their wedding would be an intimate gathering of 30 of their closest family and friends. Their guests would be traveling from out of state to join them in Honolulu to celebrate their marriage on the July 4th Independence Day holiday. Liz and Don wanted to create a unique wedding cake that would incorporate both a tropical feel and the details from her wedding dress. As we were discussing different cake designs we came across the idea of mini cakes and decided to run with it!

We created 24 individual mini cakes which were each topped with a sugar flower that was used throughout their wedding. The sugar flowers were orange mokara orchids, yellow plumerias, white pikake, and orange flaming calla lilies. The design of their cake topper was a white on white cake finished with accents replicated from Liz's wedding dress and veil.

The flavors Liz & Don chose for their cakes were our Yellow Butter cake with Lilikoi Cream filling, Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Raspberry Cream filling and Yellow Butter Cake with Vanilla Cream filling.

Here are some highlights from the review Elizabeth & Don wrote on

our WeddingWire.com Vendor Profile:

"The cake was to die for! Kristin is very detail oriented and so very thoughtful. She showed us hundreds of pictures and spent so much time with us until we decided on our perfect custom wedding cake. Everyone raved about the cakes. Planning a destination wedding from the mainland isn’t easy but Kristin sure did her part in making it less stressful. We highly recommend Kristin Kato with A Cake Life."

Congratulations Elizabeth & Don! We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Vendors of Elizabeth & Don's Wedding:

Cake: A Cake Life
Catering: Poke Stop

Photography: Terra Photography

Venue: Kawela Kai Vacation Rentals

Wedding Coordination: Hawaii Weddings & Events

Here are a few highlights from Liz & Don's 4th of July Wedding!

Photos Courtesy of Terra Photography

Love these orange flaming callas!

Pictured: Island grooms cake we made for Liz & Don's rehearsal dinner

One of the best things about getting married on the 4th of July... Sparklers!!

Cupcakes & Aprons

2010-07-09T15:19:00.003-10:00

Earlier this year we were had the opportunity to participate in a fun photo shoot for 50th issue of Military Spouse Magazine. Although I am not a military wife (I'm not married), I was thankful when photographer Athena Plichta of Athena Plichta Photography asked me if I wanted to participate in this project. I believe in supporting those who protect our country and was thrilled when I heard their theme. The concept for this shoot was 'Cupcakes & Aprons' and would featuring vintage 1950's themed dresses, cute hair styles and yummy desserts. Our models for the shoot were real life military spouses Adria Libby & Amanda Ogletree - Air Force spouses, and Jessica Cortezpena - Navy spouse. The girls did a great job transforming to a different decade with the help of outfits from Catherine's Closet, make-up by Corvette De La Cruz and hairstyling by Monae Johnson Watkins. Propping and styling to turn the modern kitchen to a setting perfect Beaver Cleaver's mother was done by Karine France-Matsumoto of Seasons of Life Wedding & Event Planning.

For the cupcakes we made our Yellow Butter Cupcakes with buttercream icing. The cupcakes were decorated with a sweet and summery yellow, pink and white color scheme perfect for any tea party with your girlfriends. Each cupcake was topped with gumpaste white daisies, yellow bows, and pink buttercream roses & begonias.

You can pick up your copy of Military Spouse Magazine in bookstores, on base or military commissary exchanges.

These shots weren't published in the magazine but I still love them! Thanks girls!

Photo by Pinky Yoshimoto of Pinky Photography

Photo by: Athena Plichta of Athena Plichta Photography

Thank you Athena for this opportunity and I look forward to working with you again!

Here are the wonderful ladies who contributed to this shoot! =)

Photography by Athena Plichta Photography

with assistance from Pinky Yoshimoto, Kim Chau, and Alisa Greig

Styling, Propping & Coordination by Karine France-Matsumoto of Seasons of Life Wedding & Event Planning

Wardrobe by Catherine Fong of Catherine's Closet Vintage Boutique

Make Up by Corvette De La Cruz

Hair Styling by Monae Johnson Watkins

Models and real-life military spouses Adria Libby, Jessica Cortezpena, and Amanda Ogletree

And Military Spouse Magazine

Aloha!