My Favorite Things 2014

I always miss the Oprah show most this time of year.  My favorite episode of Oprah was always her “Favorite Things” show around the holidays.  Since she stopped doing the show, I try and honor it with my own Favorite Things list – a list of the cake things I love and must haves for the coming year.  This year is no different!  With no further adieu, here are my Favorite Things for this year:

    Sugar Lace – edible lace has been hot over the past few years, and the competition is really heating up with more companies offering their spin on this product.  My favorite lace mix so far is Tricot by WonderCakes (Silikomart).  I have yet to try Cake Lace premixed lace mix (although I am dying to), but the Cake Lace line of lace mats have my favorite designs – including 3 recently released ones (Feathers, Steampunk and Juliet) topping my wish list - Santa, hope you’re taking notes!    

           Classes – either online or in person.  As an instructor, I love sharing my passion for sugar – especially live and in person.  If you can’t make it to a class in person, The Cake Tool Company has recently released my first video class, Timeless Wedding Flowers,  available for digital download.  In it, I teach roses, ranunculus, hydrangea, and calla lillies.  I also love taking classes, and Craftsy has some of the best out there – I highly recommend my current favorites on cake photography, “Smarter Display Cakes” by Chrissie Boon, and any of Jessica Harris’ classes.

      Speaking of Jessica Harris, I love her design templates.  Reasonably priced and help you create stunning cakes with minimal effort…perfect addition to any stocking (Santa, you reading this?)

       Cake Tools Part One – the entire line from The Cake Tool Company.  I love their tools (keep reading, Christmas may come early for a lucky reader – superior quality, great prices, ‘nuff said!  My personal faves?  The turntables (low profile means no wobbling, and available in 4 sizes for all my various projects) and the DelrinBall Tool – food grade, seamless and it glides over my sugarpaste smoother than any ball tool I’ve ever used.

         Cake Tools Part Two – Sugar Shapers!  Y’all know I have a HUGE crush on Kaysie Lackey who worked with Innovative Sugarworks.  There are two different sets – soft and firm – designed to revolutionize the way you sculpt, shape, texture, and model flowers, figures, and embellishments.  They are the perfect size and weight to work the way quality tools should work, and they are textured to maximize grip.  Best of all, each tool is double sided which means you double up on all of the tool awesomeness!  I have a set of each already.  Santa – you still reading?  Good….please ask the nice folks at Innovative Sugarworks to come out with a miniature version of the sets now for all of my finer detail work – I’ve been a good boy this year, promise!  I got mine   here.

     Petal Dusts – Love my Sugar Art brand dusts!  Can’t say enough great things about them!  And they are bringing Christmas to us early.  For the rest of November, visit their website and save 40% off almost everything on their website (except James Rosselle color kits and airbrush systems – which I still have on my wishlist – ahem, Santa?)

      And one last one….no, you’re not all getting a car!  But you need to buy yourself this favorite thing or be really nice to Santa to make sure you get it.  CakeCarnival 2015 – THE hottest class of the year!  3 projects, 6 instructors in teams of 2, 3 days = lots of fun!  You know I loved taking part in Cake Carnival 2013, and am counting the days to the 2015 edition – wedded bliss!  Seats are selling super fast from what I hear, so you really need to be nice to Santa!!!

Prize time!  I’m giving away a prize pack of some of my favorite things!  This pack includes my favorite paintbrushes, brush rest, dotting tool, a stainless ball tool from The Cake Tool Company, and a pump brush from The Sugar Art.  How do you win?  Make sure to follow my Facebook page, follow my blog, and leave me a comment below telling me what your favorite cake toy is.  I’ll pick a winner at random next week and announce it on my Facebook page.

I know we are coming up to the busy Holiday season, and in case I don’t get back here before then….no matter what your faith, I wish you and yours a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.

Happy Caking!