Bedtime Rituals

Going to bed every night is a cute ritual and so one night I took some photos. If Ava isn't quite ready for bed, she'll stand in her crib and play with whoever will give her attention. We know she's ready for bed when she doesn't get up when we lay her down.This night, we were bathing Jasmine and Ava could hear what was going on so she caused such a fuss we got her out of her crib to be part of the action. It was cute watching her interact with Jasmine and having fun while her sister was in the bath. So here is a little glimpse into a normal night at the Campbell casa.

Ava's Photo Shoot

In preparation for Ava's first birthday party, I did a little photo shoot with her to get the perfect picture for her invitation. This kid is so cute, it was hard to choose but we got some great shots - take a look!

Cake Class with Carrie Biggars

Carrie Biggars is a famous cake artists who lives in Utah and was in town for the NCACS and she was offering a class at Norm's shop The Sweet Life and I signed up to take the class. I was so excited to meet her and learn from her - she really has developed some great cake techniques that she showed us in the class. I loved this class because there were only 2 students in the class, Norm and Carrie and so it was a very relaxed atmosphere. In this class I learned the chocolate inlay and a cool box technique.
I love being in this profession because it isn't difficult to rub elbows with the best of the best - the cake artists are so accessible and willing to teach and help you. I had a great time at the class and a great time getting to know Carrie and Norm even better.

National Capital Area Cake Show

The NCACS was an amazing show. I had so much fun walking around and looking at all the amazing entries. They had different divisions and categories. I entered in the Professional Category under wedding cakes. There were a total of four cakes in my division.They also had loads of cake vendors - vendors who specialize in all manner of cake tools and stuff that every cake artist needs. I would have loved to spend a lot of money there but I kept it under control - only buying a few new things that we needed at the shop. Sharon Zambito was there selling her now famous DVDs on cake skills and I got a picture with her - she was really fabulous!They also had some live cake challenges that I sat and watched. It was really fun to watch some really experienced cake professionals show off their craft. I got a picture with Courtney Clark who is amazing - she is pretty famous in our cake world too - Google her if you want to see her work.Then it was time for the awards show - I didn't win anything and that was OK because I didn't expect to but Jasmine got to walk on stage and get a medal for participating in the kids division - she was thrilled. She and Norm have a great relationship and she hugged him and was so excited to be on stage with him.

Owen's 3rd Birthday Party

We were excited to go to Owen Tabaka's 3rd birthday party. He is such a neat little boy and we love him so. It has been so fun getting to know the Tabaka family and spending time with them. I feel like living in Mount Vernon has been amazing for our family and we have met so many quality people and eternal friends.They had great food, a magic show for the kids, face painting and so much more. Jasmine had a blast and even Ava got on the floor and played a bit. As we have quickly learned, a Tabaka party is not to be missed!

Preparing for a Cake Show

When I met up with Norm Davis at the Chocolate Lover's Festival, he urged me to compete in his cake show that was coming up - the National Capital Area Cake Show. I have never competed in a show this big and I decided to try. The only problem was that I didn't have a lot of time to work on my entry.
They also had a child division and I asked Jasmine if she wanted to decorate a cake for the show and she answered YES! I set her up at the bakery and let her do everything herself. She did fantastic. I let her have all the creative control and she made a cake that really reflects her personality.I created a cake that I would love to have with a color scheme I love. I wasn't happy with the way my brushed embroidery came out but since I waited until the last minute to fix it, there wasn't much I could do. I was sure the judges would take points away for it but I wanted to enter anyway.

Saint Patrick's Day Proper

We celebrated Saint Patrick's Day at the bakery with all green cupcakes. It was a big hit! I took a few pictures so you could see the cupcakes!