RILEY & ZOE ARE 3

 These Sweet Little Cakes were made for my very own Baby Niece's, Riley Madison & Zoe Anne. Luckily Zoe was in town with Her Mom Sascha & My Aunt Sylvia that week. My Mom threw the most Adorable Birthday party for the both of them and of course I HAD to be the one to make their cakes! These 2 Girls are both So Beautiful inside and out, so I wanted to create a cake design that both represented their personalities as well as their love for the color *Pink*. I used the contrast of Dark Pink & Light Pink on both cakes. To individualize the cakes, I inverted the two shades of pink. This gave each cake its own unique touch and yet stayed true to the Matchy-Matchy design that I had desired. I absolutely loved the simple stitch work design that I created in vertical stripes along the seams of the cake. I also fell in love with the look of the Big Black Scrolly Lettering that I did for their names. To top it off, I borrowed my Mother's Beautiful Yellow Cake Stands that added the perfect pop of color for pictures. Riley & Zoe ended up LOVING My Red Velvet Cake with Sweet Oreo Cookie & Cream Filling in the middle! The Cakes were a hit, and I was more than honored to have made Riley & Zoe's 3rd Birthday THAT much more special :) Your Aunt Melissa Loves You Both So Much!

THAT BOY IS A WILD ONE

These 2 cakes happen to be the second cake order that I have received from Joseph and Erin Mayer. Aside from their original 2 Year Wedding Anniversary Cake that I had the opportunity to create, this time they simply chose to spoil their adorable little boy Jason. His birthday invitation included a deep blue background color and a sweet little baby zebra sitting at the bottom. I lit up when I saw the zebra and immediately became inspired. Erin had also requested for the larger cake to be in the shape of a number "1". This became a challenge for me due to the fact that I do not have a cake pan in the shape of a 1! However,  it is the challenges that I have faced in this so called "cake world", that have built me up and allowed me stand out among others. So I took matters into my own hands, hand carved the cake into my own interpretation of a child like 1 and was more than ecstatic at my accomplishment.

PEACE. LOVE. MUSIC. & BEAUTY

This cake was created specially for the Cosio Family and their Sweet & Absolutely Beautiful Little Girl, Bella for her 6th Birthday Party. This is the second cake that I have had the opportunity to do for Trish, Henry & Bella and I was MORE than honored to put my creativity & inspirations into such a special cake for them once again. My Favorite part was their reaction to the cake when they first saw it. Bella was absolutely speechless and It made me smile knowing how much she loved it. The person that she is, inspired me to make something that sparkles more than just the glitter all over it. I wanted it to shine with beauty from the inside out, just as she does. As we get older, we may see something like this as just a cake, but I would give anything to see the world through the eyes of a child once again. Something like this sparks their imagination and lights up their life. They see people for so much more than they are worth and can touch our lives with just a single smile. Knowing that I made Bella's birthday That much more special, made my entire month. Thank you again Trish, Henry & Bella for trusting me with Bella's cake and allowing me to be part of your lives :) I feel so blessed to have met all of you.

Melissa, Bella's cake was amazing! Everyone raved about it!! Thank you so much for your hard work and creativity in making her birthday so special! And the fact that we know you and she loves you is such a blessing!! Love, Trish, Henry and Bella

-Trish Cosio (October 8th, 2011)

LIFE KEEPS BUBBLIN OVER

In Honor of My Sweet Baby Brother, Finn's Birthday, I wanted to show him how much he means to me by creating a cake that would leave him speechless within first sight of it. At first, I thought all about the things that he used to like growing up. He and I loved playing Legos for hours on end in his room listening to blink 182 for more days than I could remember. I used to help him with his homework and spend almost every day of my life by his side. We would fly across the country for what felt like every month of our lives with my pilot dad together. We would sit together on long plane rides sharing cd's and popping open our little portable cd players. We went to all the same schools and shared that special 1st day back to school every year. As nervous as I was each time, he was right there with me. Of course I loved spending time with my older brothers, but Finn and I were so close in age that we had the chance to grow, learn and experience our childhood together. As much as I want to believe that he is still that little boy I had always known, He turned 21 this day and my heart sank. It really reminded me how fast time passes. I realized that we have to hold on as tight as we can for as long as we can, because life is always changing and someday it will be gone. Finny, I love you so much and I am soo incredibly happy that you Loved your cake. You mean, more than you know to me and I could not have put more love into a cake. Happy 21st Birthday, You will always be my LITTLE Brother :)

TO THE MOVING SEAS

This Mini Wedding inspired cake was done for my very own Uncle Jerry & Aunt Leslie. It is not often that I get the chance to spend time or connect with them and their boys. So when my Uncle Jerry contacted me for a  25 Year Anniversary cake, I was more than happy to spread my talent and love to them. What is so beautiful about this cake is that the quote, "To The Moving Seas", is what my Uncle Jerry had engraved on his wedding ring 25 years ago. I was touched by this, especially since I could not think of a more amazing way to remind one another of what they had promised 25 years ago together. We also specifically chose to do a replica of the Iris Flower which represents faith, wisdom, cherished friendship and promise in love. It is also known as the 25th Anniversary Flower. The cake turned out to be absolutely beautiful and I cannot wait to hear how much My Aunt Leslie enjoyed it :)

Thank You so much for the cake it was beautiful and tasty and matched perfectly

to her bouquet of flowers.  It was a great surprise for Leslie. 

-Lots of Love, Uncle Jerry (Oct. 11th, 2011)

TIMELESS, BRIGHT & IN LOVE

This cake was done for an old High School friend of mine Allyson Zimmerman and her New Husband Skyler Ervin. They both currently live in Illinois and received the opportunity to have 2 Wedding Receptions for their friends and family in both Illinois and California. The California reception is where I come in! She contacted me months in advanced to create a beautiful cake based on her wedding colors. I have to admit, at first I was a little nervous about a Pink and Orange wedding cake. However, with a little exploration and thought, I decided to bring out these vibrant colors through my Hand crafted flowers. For the Flowers, I first died the fondant to a pastel pink and a light orange. I then, painted each individual flower petal, entirely made of marshmallow & powdered sugar, with an edible colored paint made from edible gel colors & surprisingly vodka, to create darker toned pink and orange variations. Once dried, I dusted the flowers with an edible petal shimmer dust to give it an elegant unbelievable look that bring people to look at me and say, "I can eat that?!" Which is my favorite reaction! In the end the Bride loved the cake and expressed that it was Exactly what she was looking for :) It can't get much better than that.

Picture Taken @ Monte De Oro Winery at the Event! :)

We loved the cake Melissa Anne Bowman!!!! It was absolutely beautiful! -The cake was great! It looked amazing, exactly what I had in mind! And it tasted amazing!!!

-Allyson Ervin (October 1st, 2011)

MY BABY BLUES

This cake was done entirely at last minute. It was taken literally a day and a half before its expected completion, while it Regularly takes me about 3 days for the Entire process! It is curve balls in life such as these, that smack you right in the middle of the head, and reveal your most hidden talents and abilities. I have never done a cake so fast, let alone found the time to breathe in between the process. Yet I was loving every second of mind practically bursting with questions and Ideas such as, how to work the color scheme, how to incorporate a pattern to break the solid colors in the design. I even remember thinking, "hmm...Black might be cute on this cake......Black for the Lettering!....Black balls on the Shoes? Yes!...and before I knew it, there it was yet another contrast of color only enhancing the bright blue and spectacular yellows already existing on the cake. It turned out adorable and I was more than happy to Whip it up out of no where for a Co-worker of mine at the Lazy Dog Cafe. Thank You Erik for Trusting me and being so Happy with it in the end :)

CLASSY WOMEN ARE FIERCE

This Fierce cake was made for one of my best friends, Janine Tuccinardi in celebration of her 22nd Birthday. While the excitement and thrill of being 21 has now Ended, I have always felt that the Age of 22 is the True Beginning of discovering the Woman that we have always had inside of us. It is the First step towards Embracing the Confidence, Spirit and Passion that lies within our hearts. Janine, informally known as "Janey-Poo" to Me, is one of the Most Beautiful Girls in side and out that exist in My life. And now as she Enters the next chapter of her life I know that she will continue to be just as Beautiful of a Women in future years to come. Regarding the details of this cake, I topped the cake with my Hand crafted Dark Pink Flowers (My Favorite Color!) and Balanced the contrast of the Cheetah Print and Dark Pink by adding another Tan Flower to settle the intensity of the pattern. This Cake also features one of my Newest Options known as the *Mini 2 Tiered Cake Option* with a 6" Top Tier and an 8" Bottom Tier. I loved the size of this cake and cannot wait to Welcome it.

Janine with  Her Cake! September 23rd 2011

BABY BLOOMER

This cake was created as a Baby Shower Cake for Emily Nylund and Her Sister, "Soon-To-Be" Mother of Baby Madison. I wanted to give this cake a Simple and Sweet look that represented everything that is beautiful in a little girls life. I used the technique of imprinting Stitch work along the leaves and flowers to give it a baby blanket feel as well. I am absolutely IN LOVE with these specific colors and love using the idea of contrast to pair them next to one another. I used my very handy Cricut Cake Cutter to cut out all of the flowers and leaves out of fondant and Handcrafted the larger Green flowers myself. This was the First cake that I have experimented different cake shapes such as the Round cake shape on the top tier and the Square cake shape on the bottom tier. As nervous as I was about this, It turned out to be absolutely adorable and Emily loved it! I was Very Happy with this one.

Thank you so SO very much to Melissa Bowman for the cake at the baby shower. Amanda and Dennis loved it and everyone there was absolutely amazed at how beautiful it was. She truly is very talented with her cakes and I wish her the best of luck with all of her others to come!!

-Emily Nylund (Sept. 19th, 2011)

ROY & CRYSTAL'S WEDDING CAKE

This Wedding Cake, Gladly Came out soooo Beautiful and Exceeded My Expectations. It is My Ultimate *Favorite* Cake So Far and I was More than Happy to Create it for Such a Great Couple :) I met the Bride Crystal through an Old Elementary School Friend of Mine, Mackenzie Alvarez who had seen my cakes on Facebook. They Both Contacted me, We met and we worked together into creating a Stunning Design for this Cake. I Hand crafted Every Last Flower on this Cake over the Course of 3 Hours, Designed Each Tier with its own unique style and Gave the Cake an overall Classic Look with a Dark Ivory tone in the Fondant. To top it off the Cake had a Successful Delivery to San Diego, making me a nervous wreck the entire time! They were so Happy with the cake and I cannot wait to see the cake in their Wedding Pictures. Congratulations Roy & Crystal! I was more than Honored to be a part of your Special Day :)

I Want to Thank you So Much for making my Wedding Cake! !! It was more Beautiful than I could have Imagined, You helped make My Day Special, Thank you! 

-Crystal Alvarez (Sept. 5th, 2011)

Melissa, You did an Outstanding job on the cake. It was not only Beautiful and Elegant, it Tasted Amazing! Thank you so much for making the Wedding just that much More Special. You are Really Talented.  

-Carol Alvarez (Sept. 13th, 2011)

TREASURE A 1ST BIRTHDAY

These cakes were done for the Hamilton Family and their Adorable Son Wyatt who was turning 1 on this Special Day. I met Mariya Hamilton through a Co-worker as well as through Facebook. She had requested an ADORABLE Pirate Themed Cake and I Immediately jumped to the opportunity. I used a lot of inspiration for the design of this cake through Google Images to see what most expect from a Pirate Ship Cake. Once I discovered some ideas, I went above and beyond the Pirate Theme. I was more than Excited for Them to see this cake and get to See Pictures of little Wyatt Digging into his Baby Smash Cake :) I hand crafted All of the Wood on the Treasure Chest and Boat as well as Hand cut each part of the Skull and Cross Bones on Each Cake. This cake was so much fun to do, Thank You again Hamilton Family for allowing me to be part of Wyatts 1st Birthday!

Thank you so much for making Wyatt's first birthday party even more memorable with such an amazing cake! The cake was so wonderful that it was almost painful to cut into it, that is until you tasted it -delicious. Thank you again Melissa, I think it is safe to say, that you will be making Wyatt's birthday cakes for years to come.

-Mariya Hamilton (Sept. 4th, 2011)

WEDDING BLISS 30 YEARS LATER

This Cake was Made Specially for My Mom and Dad For their 30 Year Wedding Anniversary! They Have done everything in their Power to go above and beyond for one another for as long as I have been in their lives. They have given everything imaginable to My 3 Brothers and I our Entire Lives and now it is their turn to focus on one another once again. I have only been married for about 2 Years Now, and I can only imagine How Hard They have Worked to Achieve such a Beautiful Long Lasting Marriage. They Love One another with all of their Hearts and I felt that hey deserved Nothing more than the Most Beautiful New Wedding Cake with My Best Work Yet Displayed as the Design. I Hand crafted Each and Every Flower on the Cake and Individually Stuck on Every Last Polka Dot, Only knowing that Every ounce of my Energy would be worth it for them. The Best part was seeing Their Faces when I brought them the Cake. My Mom Cried....and It Made My Entire Week :) I Love You Both and Here is to Another 30 Years To Come <3

Carrot Spice Cake & Classic Lemon Cake w/ Sweet Buttercream Filling

40 IS FLAWLESS

This Cake was made from the inspiration of Pastel Colors that in which the Birthday Girl LOVES. I wanted to find a way to Tie those Pastel Colors that are Relative to Baby Cakes and Such into a Classy Women. After Discovering my Erge to Use Black on this Cake, I was Ecstatic to Figure out exactly how. I Love How Bold the Flowers turned out. The Polka Dot Flower alone makes its own statement and compliments the Pastels by giving them a Whole New Meaning. So Cute.

Classic Lemon Cake w/ Sweet ButterCream Filling

SHARK ATTACK

This Cake was Done for The Gordon Family and their Sweet Little Twin Boys, Collin & Liam. Sean & Crystal Gordon are Friends of Mine and My Husbands and the Minute they had asked me to do a Cake for their little boys I practically Jumped at the opportunity to do so. I absolutely LOVE creating cakes for those I have never met before, However there is nothing like making a special creation for those that I am close with  :) I created the Two Little Sharks in representation of the "Twins" (So Cute!) By Shaping Rice Crispy Treats, Covering them with Fondant and Leaving the Rest of the Detail work to my Imagination and Carving Tools. I give major props to my Husband who was in the House at the time who constantly gave me the inspiration for this Cake including the Shark Net and Shark Bitten Surfboard! Thank You Babe :) I Love that this Cake SCREAMS Fun and more than anything made the Gordon Family Especially Happy. Thank You Guys Again for Allowing me to be part of Collin & Liam's Special Day.

 

Carrot Cake (Top Tier) & Red Velvet (Bottom) w/ Sweet ButterCream Filling

NOTHIN LIKE A COLD BEER

I am proud to say that Every Last Piece of this Cake was Hand Crafted Myself with the Spirits Of New Experimentation and Ideas. I really wanted to give this cake a Realistic Feel of Liquid Ice Melting down the Bucket, giving My Cake Decorating Style a whole new flare. I researched the recipe for Sugar Glass by melting Corn Syrup & Sugar together, which was to eventually harden. However due the lack of temperature that the Corn Syrup and Sugar was meant to reach, It would only form a Candy Goo-Like Texture. As frustrated as I was at first, Luckily it had worked in my Favor. I absolutely LOVED  how my Coors Light Bottle Turned out, Especially after hand crafting every last detail of the bottle myself! Yet Another Work of Art to Smile About and Be Proud of  :)

French Vanilla Cake w/ Cream Cheese Filling

BLOSSOMING INTO A LADY

This Cake was done upon special request for a Friend of Mine's Sister, Jen Tuccinardi. She is such a Beautiful Girl and received this cake in Honor of her following her dreams towards going away to College and Joining one of the Best Cheer Teams in the Nation. She is moving across the Country to Morhead University in Kentucky. The Tuccinardi Family asked me to do an Amazing Personal cake for Her Going Away party to represent her New School Colors as well as her New Cheer Uniform. When I thought Of a Girl Following her Heart and Spreading her Wings from Home, I felt that nothing expressed that idea more than Blossomed Flowers and Visions of Classic Simplicity. Congratulations Again Jen! Have The Time of Your Life and Hurry Home Every Chance You Get To The Ones that Love You More than Anything :)

Triple Chocolate & French Vanilla Swirl Cake w/ Sweet ButterCream Filling

CHARGERS HIT THE 50 YARD LINE

The Story Behind This Cake Makes Me Smile. It was made for a Family that have been Regulars at both of the Restaurants that I have been employed at. Their Daughter Bella is one of the most Beautiful Little Girls and she always seems to make me smile when I see her. The Best part is that my relationship with this family has always been through small talk, such as the "How Are You's" and the "See You Next Times"and This Time, I was finally able to connect with them on the other side of my Apron and Serving Role. It was not even a week ago that I had the chance to Share my Passion and Newly Formulated Cake Business with them. Within Days later, Trish had called me to do a Surprise 50th Birthday Cake for her Husband Henry and I immediately jumped on the opportunity to do so. This Cake defiantly gave me the run around during the creation process but came together in the end, as my cakes always seem to do, Thankfully!

Fresh Carrot Cake w/ Sweet Buttercream Filling