watermelon baby stroller

Last Saturday we had a surprise baby shower for soon-to-be mommy Mae or whom we fondly call "muffin." Too lazy to bake sugar cookies or cake, I decided to try my hand on making a watermelon baby stroller.  Luckily i found a perfectly-sized watermelon at Safeway: large and oval-shaped.

I drew the cutting lines for the watermelon with a permanent marker the night before the party but carved it an hour before we left the house to maintain its freshness.  I used orange, lemon and grape for the wheels and stuck them to the watermelon using a wooden skewer (toothpick is not enough to hold them together) and i created the handle using the extra piece of watermelon.  I hollowed out the watermelon with a big spoon, sliced them and threw them back on the "stroller" and added red and green grapes and strawberries.  For the baby i grabbed a lemon, drew the outline of the baby's sleeping face and framed it with a chinese cabbage.

And here's the result:

Isn't that pretty?  I just fell in love with that baby sleeping in the stroller.  Marianne and i had fun practice drawing the baby's face on a tissue paper... we were laughing 'coz the first one i drew was smiling too much :)  It was a hit at the party and i was happy too that the fruits i got from the store were sweet and yummy.

If i am to do it again, there are two things i would change to improve it: the handle which should be slanted at the end to make it look more attached to the stroller and the wheels which should have been more upright. 

The shower party was fun especially with all the food everyone contributed and the gifts for baby, the girls doing a great job in decorating, setting up the dessert table and facilitating the games and all the boys who participated in it.  Wish we could do baby showers more often. :)

Anakin Skywalker cake

My son who recently turned 4 is crazy about Star Wars. He is so into it he calls himself Anakin. He knows each and every character and everyday he works on his lightsaber skills. He can also play Lego Star Wars III: Clone Wars in Xbox recommended for anyone over age 10.  When i watch him play, it really amazes me how he figures it out and sometimes when he plays with kids much older than him, he complains that it takes so long for the other kids to complete the level.  His birthday wish is  the Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga game which we got him day after his jump party.

So for his 4th birthday party with friends at daycare, i made him an Anakin Skywalker/Star Wars cake. It's a simple 2-layer 9-inch round chocolate cake with chocolate filling and vanilla frosting which i colored sky blue. I baked the cakes the night before and let them cool overnight. The following day I finished stacking, crumb-coating and decorating about an hour before we left the house. 

Using a star tip, i made rosettes around the top of the cake and shells at the bottom.  I then decorated the side and the rosettes with colorful jumbo stars.   To sort of elevate the Anakin Skywalker figure, I used a cupcake placed upside down, frosted and sprinkled it with small stars.  I glued a straw to Anakin's right leg, inserted it to the cake to stabilize the figure and with my colorful decorating icing gel i wrote "Happy 4th Birthday Racrac!"  

My little Jedi loved his cake! When he woke up and saw me decorating he said "wow... i love it!" and during the party he wouldn't let any of his friends touch his cake! It's so easy and simple but enough to make my son beam with pride and joy. Tasted yummy too! :) 

By the way, i forgot to put one more accessory which is the Star Wars logo.  It should be right under Anakin in front of the cupcake. The logo is actually the figure stand that comes with the toy. I only realized i forgot it after we got home and i started cleaning up the kitchen.  I found it buried under the spatulas and piping bags! Oh well... ;) 

Happy decorating!

sweet Valentine's!

sweet and creamy heart-shaped leche flan for Valentine's. it's the little extra to ordinary things that make it extraordinary...

♥ Happy Hearts day everyone! ♥