Happy 2011!!

I have been wanting to update my blog since, hmmm.. not sure when already. It has been ages since my last short post, right? And it took me some time to actually create a fan page in facebook.. Mainly because, I am a perfect-melancholy-wannabe.. I would want to read the terms and conditions of a fan page before I create one. And I finally did! I find it faster to update my work there.. as I do not have to write a lot.. duh! and people would know that I am still actively baking and decorating..

Mmm.. however, as mentioned in my previous post, I shall not be taking as many orders as I used to. This year, my kids go to four different schools! Nurin in Secondary School. Dania in Primary School. Favorite son, Iskandar in kindergarten. And Hannah in Playschool. It is Iskandar's and Hannah's first time to their new school... I was pretty emotional two weeks before school starts. I seriously feel that my kids grow up very fast. I just don't want to imagine the day Iskandar would feel shy to kiss and hug me in public. :-p

And, so my plan was to kiss and kiss and kiss and hug and hug and hug him many times in a day.. and I told Nurin to do the same, so that he can't live without our hugs and kisses! muahahaha! kejam tak? I know kejam! :-p

Hannah and Iskandar were pretty cool on their first day of school. I started sending Hannah the final week of 2010, so that I would not rush here and there on the first day of school this year. When I dropped her off that morning, she hurriedly entered the gate.. as if I was going to change my mind. Tak pusing2 belakang pun.. meluru aje..

As for Iskandar, I waited for their assembly and till he entered his classroom for the first period. Jenuh pesan kat dia... "Kalau cikgu panggil Mas Zahid.. tu nama abang tau... " :-p

He seemed able to adapt with the new environment where Malay is minority, compared to his previous playschool, where Malay was majority and the language used.

So, I was left alone with lil Jasmine with her new punk hairstyle. Tak tau la kenapa, her hair turned out to be 'cacak' after we shaved her! She's 8 mo now, and ada 2 gigi bawah baru tumbuh.. :-D

Alamak.. I'm sorry I bore you with my personal stories.. what's important are my cakes.. silly me!

Anyways.. I have new flavors yang I dah lama jual tapi tak berkesempatan nak cerita to everyone: oreo; red velvet; coffee mocha (coffee masih di tahap experimenting if it can be coffee cupcakes.. not sure if it is due to the cupcake casing or what, sometimes the cupcake liner lekang.. but as a whole cake - yes boleh [tapi, kawan I, Serina and Kartina, diorang tak kisah, cupcake liner lekang ke, apa ke.. they like it in the mini cupcake size.. taste and looks are subjective.. :-) .. don't forget!])

hmm.. nak kena update price list la pulak.. Leceh la my pricelist tu.. kena play around with the tables.. and then sat lagi I ter-merge lah.. apa lah.. :-p.. I will definitely update my price list to display the new flavors.. but not so soon ya.

I know everyone has only 24 hours in a day. And we all have loads to do.. And I am amazed with people and leaders who can accomplish a lot of things.. I feel so tiny compared to them. At this very moment, updating my price list with the new flavors are not in my to do list..

One thing about me, as a perfect-melancholy-wannabe, I love lists! Whatever I want to accomplish tomorrow, I shall write them down tonight. I find that lists are powerful, as I accomplish a lot more things if I write them down. and I love cancelling them off too! Rasa bangga tak terkira masa tu! Siap panggil anak2 to witness me cancelling my lists off!

isy.. asyik side track aje kan.. mengidam! lama tak blog! So, quick one now, just photos ya.. this time only... next time we story2 again,, xox

On leave till July 2010

Nope, I've not given birth yet.. Adoi.. I am now approaching my 39th week already and my baby hasn't taken the correct position for me to deliver the natural way yet.. Duk menari ke sana sini.. My gynae has scheduled a c-section for me next week - Tuesday.. Huwaaaa! The past one week I've been delegating orders from my customers to my aunts and cousin.. So, I would say business is as usual, cuma I tak bake or decorate. :-D.. Ada masanya I will help screen and arrange the orders, and ada masanya I'll just pass you their number ya.. And since I've not been baking, I got a lot of things done. Sungguh seronok creating a list and cancelling them off! I should add uploading pics in my next list. As for now, enjoy this pics first ya.. These are kiddy designs.. ada kiddy + hidden mickey (I dunno what to call it.. Erhan actually requested me to draw mickey mouse.. mana la I terer draw mickey mouse..), and baby theme + hidden mickey

And, I think the week after that, I accepted an order - pun nak Mickey Mouse jugak.. but Norul was inspired by Malaeka's stacked cake.. And since I mana la nak pandai draw Mickey Mouse, she gave me the idea of hidden mickey at the sides and ribbon on top. The cake was delivered all the way to Putrajaya (Thanks Zubir!). She also ordered a batch of mini cupcakes with Malaeka-sprinkles.. I'm happy to know that Dahlia's party was a success and the cake was a hit.. (Sedapkan nama Dahlia.. if I've not named my second child Mas Dania Dalilah.. I would have chosen Dahlia for this baby.. :-)) Asyik dok buat Mickey themed cakes aje, I was priviledged to be introduced with this new trains in town. Meet Koko (green), Brewster (red) and Wilson (blue). Siti ordered these cupcakes as doorgifts for Adam's classmate.. And on the 2nd May, she ordered this cake for Adam's party. Of course, like Thomas, I used the train pan and turned it into Koko, Brewster and Wilson.. As long as Siti approved. Thank you Siti..

And I realised that I did quite a few kiddy girly themed designs just before my leave.. Here are some of them..

Haaa... gambar yang enter frame this time is Serina's 2nd masterpiece.. I kinda force Serina to learn this. Initially she wanted to order cupcakes for hantaran for this June. My aunties and cousin semua dah fully booked for that week.. So, I suruh dia buat sendiri the hantaran.. Barulah bermakna gitu, kan? :-)

New Individual Box

Today is Tuesday.. why do I feel like it is already Thursday? Iskandar is not feeling very well, so hubby decided to let him stay at home.. and I translated that as, stay in the room. He was quarantined not because of his mild fever, but to ensure that he didn't see me doing my fondant toppers and gumpaste flowers hahaha.. evil mommy.. I gave him food, toys and tv programs.. and whenever we heard him make a single 'ek', we quickly run to his rescue.... and made sure his needs were entertained... However, I still have to complete my work before 2pm, because it is exam week for Nurin and Dania.. Tak pasal mak depa kena remember the function of eustachian tube, Akaun Penghutang and the sorts.. Science and Commerce are so not my favourite subject.. Luckily tomorrow, Nurin is having Math, so I persuaded her to do Math while I finish up my toppers. And now, I ayat her to coach Dania Science, before doing revision for Sejarah.. I am taking this precious time to check my emails and post this.. I would like to introduce this new box for individual packaged cupcake. I so love the window at the side and the handle option. There are 3 ways in tying the ribbons for this box; ribbon on top or ribbon on the handle or ribbon around the box (which picture I don't have).. Yes, the price also depends on the ribbon option you choose. Email me for quotation ya.

The window on top box is still available upon request (kena request awal ya). However, transparent box is no longer available.

I would like to thank Kida for making me search for this box (since my window on top box is out of stock - and is still out of stock) and found this beautiful box. And I would like to thank Miss Ong, for making it possible for us to get the box within such a short period of time.. Dahla nak CNY pulak tu.. Alhamdulillah, dapat the boxes in time for Kida's reception. Find Miss Ong's beautiful boxes here.

Below are Kida's cupcakes for her reception.

I was worried over boxes and ribbons (since CNY - byk kedai around my area tutup), that I neglected the flavour Kida requested. She requested chocolate flavor, and I made vanilla! SubhanAllah.. that incident haunted me till this day. It was totally my fault. I failed to check the flavour which is the most important thing.. Getting Kida to forgive me is one thing, forgiving myself is another.. It is like justifying to God that I've donated loads of money to Haiti, I just tak solat aje.. Can kah? :-p (don't get me wrong... I tak kata customer I Tuhan ya.. jangan salah tafsir. Sesungguhnya, Allah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang..).. Even though it is easier said than done, (believe me, I've been saying this to myself almost everyday), mistakes happen as I am only human and not perfect, and I pray that I am a better person everyday, learn from my mistakes and not repeat them. I do hope that someone would learn from my experience. Yes, experience is our best teacher. But other people's experience is a much better teacher.. :-)To Kida, Congratulations! Semoga sampai syurga.. Amin..

Dedications

And last week, I've been working on dedication projects.. Bukan saja orang2 yang bercinta, tapi juga dedications dari London for her sister.. To start with, this is a Sailor themed cupcakes ordered by Wan Sue for her darling..

And then Eina called me up to order cuppies for her hubby. It was his birthday and their 5th anniversary.. Untung Eina, can be a SAHM (Stay at Home Mom) which is a dream for many mommies - to see their kids grow in front of their eyes.. You are one lucky lady!

and this one from my school mate yang sedang bertapa di London for her sister, Zarita.. one lucky sister! Thanks Zarin for the order.. BTW, Zarin, I told you earlier that I wanted to experiment on the orchids and magnolia.. Tak jadi la beb.. sbb tak stress test the gumpaste flowers lagi - if they can handle being in the refrigerator.. :-p

and gambar yang enter frame this time is Ahmad Muadh's khatam Quran Mix and Match set. His mommy, Kak Siti ordered this, but she didn't tell me it was for his Khatam Quran.. so I drew a transportation theme.. I know.. my bad.. To Ahmad Muadh and Kak Siti, Congrats!

Speed Posting - Assorted designs

Today, while waiting for Mr Hubby to wake up for breakfast, I decided to post old pictures (stories sudah pastinya tak ingat dah.. serves me well huh!?). I have new pictures too.. Tapi, memory card reader entah ke mana and I need to charge my battery for my camera to get the pics there.. Tawakkal aje amik gambar pakai my handphone.. leceh nak edit and all. At the same time, I'm praying that my wifi will not give up on me.. so, I can work quickly and efficiently.

Here are some cakes ordered last year.. I think around July ke bila.. Just to feast your eyes and to let you know that I am still actively baking despite my big tummy yang I kena belajar adjust so that tak kena cream everytime I decorate :-p..

Ada yang request to have number cakes other than no 1, honestly, I do not have the tin to bake those.. The number 1 tu, I guna technique cut and well, paste.. LOL. I believe you can do that for other numbers, tapi, gue tak terer gitu.. So, for other numbers than 1, I would draw them. :-D.. aci tak? kalau customer kata, aci.. aci la.. Customer is always right, kan?

The Lego themed cuppies, rasanya lagi cantik dibuat guna fondant topper gitu.. baru nampak 3D effectnya. However, some customers prefer the cream ones, and I try the best I can to materialise the lego with cream. (gambar ni kecik la pulak.. nampak tak the dots?)

This Bob the Builder was ordered by Heida.. Heida is one talented baker tau... I like her creations!

And Mr Bean! Of course guna edible image lagi cun compared to my drawing.. But, since some prefers the cream, so ...

Mr Bean boleh la draw... tu pun the Mr Bean the cartoon.. the person, of course not.. same goes to disney princesses.. sungguhpun cartoon.. takut jadi hantu nanti.. :-D. BTW, I noticed kat kedai2 bakery pun dah ada ready made edible images for Princesses, Ben 10, Upin and Ipin, Spiderman.. So, if I am using the ready made ones, the price of the cake is a lot cheaper compared to the pre-ordered images..

Well, till then..

Senjeev's Retro Cuppies

Sungguh! Asal orang tanya I, design apa ye for men? I would always suggest retro. Selamat gitu. Orang perempuan pun suka jugak dapat retro cuppies. We are not all that lovey dovey or sweet and pastel.. hello? I would introduce stripes and polka-dots in future. I am actually excited with a fondant hantaran this week, that requested polka-dots or stripes (haven't decided yet).. An english design. Seriously, I agreed to it just because it is different, and it is something I'd like to add to my resume.. I'm so excited! (FYI, I need to have this 'excited' feeling when baking or decorating - baru menjadi gitu.. that's why I chose the tag line - Mama Chak's Recipe - where every bake is personal.. so don't cross the baker.. haha!)

Bowling Team

Mama Chak's Recipe's cupcakes are suitable for anyoccasion... even for a bowling tournament.. Heh heh.. Sebenarnya tak perlu occasion to eat my cuppies.. These cuppies were ordered by Liza, Wawa's colleague.. Segerombolan rombongan Cik Kiah datang to collect this cuppies. It was a pity that they came during lunch time and I am always on my toes come lunch.. or they could have stayed longer and chit chat.. To Liza and Wawa, thanks...!

Standing Barbie in green and White Gown

Whenever there is a request for a Standing Barbie, I would usually get Mama Charq Jedi to do them, despite the fact I had attended a class with Mr Hau.. Mr Hau bukannya pakai Barbie, but doll... Doll yang main pacak jer.. so senang lah... (senang pun tak senang lah kan... senang cakap). And kaki Barbie kan panjang, so we need to bake 2.5kg butter cake or 2 kg choc moist, so that the cake covers up till the waist.

However, in the month of Ramadhan, Mama Charq Jedi is busy making Benji, and does not entertain character cakes. So, she gave me her tins(as usual... I selalu pinjam stuffs ngan Mama Charq aje, God Bless Mama Charq), and some pointers on how to stick the Barbie in.. She told me that she would come to help me stick the Barbie once I have decorated the skirt..

Tapi, I punya la malu ngan Mama Charq sbb my work was not as supperb as hers, so, I stucked the Barbie myself... (malu kat cikgu!). And here is the outcome of my first Standing Barbie cake.. And now, I look forward to do another one next week... Macam ketagih pulak... plus the fact that I can undress, twist and turn the Barbie around, I so like!

This green and white Barbie along with Disney Princess mocha cupcakes were sent to Kak Nisa's niece who is staying in Kota Damansara. Seriously, Kak Nisa, is a role model to me.. She would make a point to send cakes and cards to her beloved ones on their birthday or any special day no matter where she is.. Ooh... I heard she is back in KL now with a little one in the tummy! Congrats Kak Nisa! Take care and thanks much! xoxo!

Hari Raya Hari Yang Mulia

My favourite Hari Raya song till now is the 1st EON Hari Raya song - Raja Ema and Jamal Abdillah. I suka gila!. The fact that I suka gila Raja Ema when I was 12 tu satu hal lah kan...

Anyways, like many have asked, I still accept orders for Hari Raya.. Last collection date is on the 18th September. I shall resume work again on the 24th September. I tak cuti lama this year as I have visited nearly all my relatives on the 1st week of puasa (yeah.. travelled from KL - Kedah - Penang - Kelantan - Terengganu - Pahang - Johor - Melaka... penat gila!).. So, there are some changes in the raya route this year.. ;-)... Ooh... and below is the design fo this raya... You can choose Floral Raya, Retro Raya, or Kiddy Raya.. Yes, you can specify the colors to me if you wish.. or you can trust me.. No problemo.. (ps: ketupat design inspired by IKEA!) and yes, you can have this design on regular or mini cupcakes too.

RETRO RAYA

KIDDY RAYA

FLORAL RAYA

Colorful Baby Theme

I was contemplating to post this, simply because I already have a post on Baby Booties . I decided to post this anyways because of the color. It is colorful. And it is different than the normal pastel blue and pastel pink theme. When seeing the table I used to place the cupcakes, I nak tergelak.. I remember Nurin kept on asking me when the new kitchen will be ready, because I had boxes of cakes on their desks and Iskandar's too! Mana saja tempat yang boleh diletak, I akan letak. I thank my kids for their patience in me.. for helping me do the washing and cleaning and baby-sitting at that challenging time. Alhamdulillah..

Sarah, Congrats! From Izu

Izu texted me from United Kingdom requesting something special for Sarah on her convocation. Romantic jugak ex-trainee gue ni. In the midst of setting up a temporary kitchen, I simply suggested 24pcs carrot cupcakes, a message balloon with roses and a graduation teddy... and I am happy to know that Sarah loves carrot cupcakes. Well, this convocation story is a bit basi... sbb THEY ARE ENGAGED ALREADY!!! Not sure if I sempat snap Sarah's fondant cupcakes hantaran to Izu ke tak. but, I did snap Izu's. I think they are stored in Dania's laptop.. Sabar ya.. (on another note, jenuh I sembunyi balloon ni from Iskandar, He kept wanting it. And when his dad asked him to choose a toy at Toys 'R Us later that evening, of all the things, he chose a balloon! Ceh!)

Acu turned 41

And Zeti... ordered this mix flavors of choc and carrot for her birthday. And this was the first time I did a loud floral combo.. Selalunya, pastel floral or loud retro... LOL... Thanks Zeti! It was good to see you just now. Congrats again on your new born!