This monogram (below) of the alphabet was drawn by JM Berling around 1908. He was a great monogram designer and lettering artist. I love monograms. To me they are the lyrical coupling of beautiful letter shapes. They can be style specific, like Art Deco or Romantic, they can be simple and stark or elaborate with iconography and symbols. Unlike a family crest they are totally accessible and available to anyone. Everybody that has a name has one. Monograms are evocative of a time when manners mattered and social stationery was essential. Now don’t get me wrong. There are a lot … Read more
Posts Tagged ‘cakes’
cakes & cupcakes: a special collector’s edition is on stands now from the editors of Martha Stewart Living
Martha Stewart has released a special collector’s edition, The Best of Martha Stewart Living Cakes & Cupcakes. This one seems to be narrowed down to some versions that even I could do with the right tools. Of course all the recipes, tools, resources and directions are clear and have photos accompanying them. This is perfect with Easter and Mother’s Day coming up. It’s only on stands until May 6th, 2013, so best to pick up your copy now. A few of my favorites that I’m dying to try are the Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake, the Anemone Cupcakes and the Ruffle … Read more
this week’s color palette, woodland neutrals & chocolate browns: meringue mushrooms…oh wendy kromer we love them!
I’ve been so inspired this month by the color palettes of natural birch, pinecones and even mushrooms. A gift of fruitcake…hmmm maybe not, but fruitcake cupcakes with meringue mushrooms? Yes, please! I’ve always loved cupcakes but for some reason I’ve been obsessed of late. These kind of details might be left to more advanced bakers but we’re in luck! We can order them straight from the best. Call on the cake expert (co-author of Martha Stewart Wedding Cakes and long time contributor to Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine), Wendy Kromer, who can whip up the most beautiful cake or small … Read more
weddings: neapolitan color palette
I worked with baker Samantha Connell on this cake for InStyle. We wanted to come up with a sweet and classic neapolitan inspired wedding cake. When designing your cake with your baker, remember that each tier could be a different color, and/or piped a different way. Though you want to keep things related so it doesn’t look too crazy. We kept to stripes, polka dots and solids in brown, white and pink. Keeping to a color palette is very important when planning an event. It also makes your choices a bit easier when you are focused on a few colors. … Read more
wedding wednesdays: wendy kromer’s cakes
This black licorice cake is one of my favorite cakes. I thought it was so creative to use the string licorice to make bows. Wendy Kromer, a Contributing Editor for Martha Stewart Weddings, made this cake. Wendy has made hundreds of cakes for Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, many of which you can see collected in her book she co-authored with Martha called “Martha Stewart’s Wedding Cakes”. I had the pleasure to work with Wendy while I was an editor at Martha Stewart Weddings. She is so genuinely kind, so talented and loves what she does. She also opened … Read more
my chat with ‘sweet genius’ host, ron ben-israel
I’ve worked with Ron on many cake stories throughout the years for both Martha Stewart Weddings and InStyle Weddings. We were always so busy and enthusiastic about the design of the cakes and the inspiration we had found to collaborate though, that we never really just had a leisurely chat. It wasn’t until I started this blog that I began asking Ron about his beginnings and how he got started in the cake business. Ron has an amazingly successful cake company called Ron Ben-Israel Cakes, based in New York City and he’s added tv host and judge to his … Read more
color palette: red, coral and pink
Believe it or not these are sugar flowers! These are like little pieces of art- made by the very talented pastry chef Ron Ben-Israel. I still can’t get over how real his sugar flowers look every time I see them. Ron not only has a very successful and renowned cake business, Ron is in his second season of his hit show “Sweet Genius” on the Food Network. Make sure to tune in to get a glimpse of Ron’s enchanting and enthusiastic personality. We shot these beautiful sugar peony flowers in red, coral and pink for InStyle Weddings (photographed by … Read more