How to spend a Saturday

This is how I spent my Saturday:

Well, it's also how I spent a portion of my Thursday and Friday, too. But who's counting, right?

A good friend of mine was having a birthday party. Her loving hubby asked that I bring a cake. I wanted to experiment with gum paste flowers. Soooooo... I made this.

This cake taught me some important things:

1. Gum paste does NOT dry the same color as it is when it's "wet". So, don't mix your fondant that also goes on the cake until the flowers have been made and dried for at least 24-48 hours. Seriously, self.

Be patient with the process.

2. When the cake isn't perfect, do NOT point out your mistakes to people. They probably won't notice. And if they do, and they say something mean, they're jerks anyway.

Perfect is not required.

3. Learn to take a frickin' compliment. When people tell you the cake looks awesome, say "Thank you!" and smile big. Do not assume that they are just being polite. Do not be weirded out by the attention you're getting.

Shining a little is okay. In fact, it's expected.

4. If people ask you questions about the cake, please do not feel weird about answering them. Truly. If they ask, they probably want to know. Get the hell over yourself. It's okay.

Let people be nice to you. 

While the cake isn't perfect, it turned out well. And most importantly, my friend seemed to LOVE it. It was a gift to be able to put a smile on her sweet face.

Happy birthday, Candy. You're the bestest!