Goddess By Nature

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

GODDESS BY NATURE FULL SEQUINS BALLGOWN

Goddess By Nature full sequins ballgown shown here in Light Champagne, Dark Platinum (matt), sizzling Red Wine & classic but oh so sexy Black. You'll be spoilt for choice 1 multifunctional dress which can be worn & styled countless ways just like our signature collection. Available now www.goddessbynature.com

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Yummy Red Velvet Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

Calling all bakeaholics! We have the yummiest red velvet cake recipe with cream cheese frosting for you, and just in time for Valentine’s Day. Thanks to our in house diy guru Caitlin for preparing this mouthwatering treat. You will wow your loved ones with this legendary ruby colored cake smothered in cream cheese frosting. We used our Kenmore Elite Mixer which happens to be red and perfect for the job!

To see all the photos from our Valentine’s shoot and to get your Free heart day post card click here. Will you baking a tasty treat for Valentine’s Day? Do share what you plan to whip up. We would love to hear. How pretty is the cake stand from Casa de Perrin?

Red Velvet Cake Recipe:

Ingredients
3 1/3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 ¼ cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
5 Tablespoons red food coloring
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk, at room temp
1 ½ tsp cider vinegar
1 ½ tsp baking soda

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
1. To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. In another small bowl, whisk the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla together. Add to the batter and beat well. In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, be careful not to overbeat.

4.In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

5. Grease and lightly flour the jumbo muffin tin.

6. Divide the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 2-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

7. Once the cake has cooled either frost the cake or continue to make mini cakes. To make the mini cakes, cut the tops of each mini cake off (save the scraps for cake balls or for snacking.) Make each cake 2 layers high. Frost the between layers, then ice the top and sides of the cake with a light crumb coat and allow to chill until hardened. Finally frost the cakes with one final layer of creamy smooth frosting and pile on conversation hearts and other festive candies.

How To Make Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
16 oz powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Combine the cream cheese and butter, cream until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, beating with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla.
Enjoy!

Source: weddingchicks

DIY: Gorgeous Giant Paper Rose Flower

If you loved the beautiful DIY wedding this morning and Nata’s gorgeous paper flower bouquets, you are in luck as Nata is sharing how she crafted them with us! She was inspired by a template created by Morgan Levine on Martha Stewart (as was I in the flowers I created for this styled shoot). I just love that this basic idea has inspired different brides to create their own version of giant paper flowers – you might remember these equally awesome giant paper flowers from this wedding I shared last year. :) Thanks so much Nata for sharing how you created your giant pink paper rose + special thanks to Studio Castillero for the photos of the DIY + her wedding!

Materials (to make one giant rose):
• 1 Roll of floral tape
• 6 18-gauge floral stem wire (can find it here)
• 4 sheets of Doublette crepe paper for petals (can find it here – the doublette crepe is $2.50 per sheet and each sheet measures 10
x 49 inches)
• 1 sheet of Doublette crepe paper in green for leaves, calyx, stem
• 1 round pencil
• Craft Glue (we used this kind)
• Crepe paper templates (download from Martha Stewart)
• 3 copies of teardrop template
• 8 copies of the heart-shaped template
• 2 copies of the leaf template
• 1 copy of the calyx template
Step 1: Cut the petals

Cut 5-6 teardrop petals and 15-6 heart-shaped petals from the petal colored crepe paper.
VERY IMPORTANT: Crepe paper is directional so it matters which way you’re cutting the paper. Make sure the grain is vertical when you’re cutting the flower pieces.

Stack 2 pieces of crepe paper on top of each other then place 1 copy of template over the crepe paper and staple. I don’t recommend cutting more than 2 layers of crepe paper at a time since the edges won’t be cut as cleanly.

Repeat until all of your petals are cut
Step 2: Cut the leaves + calyx
Cut 3 leaves and 1 calyx from the green crepe paper.
Step 3: Make the rose stem

Take 3 pieces of stem wire and wrap in floral tape.
Step 4: Shape the petals

With both hands, pull from the center of the petal outward. This will create a cupping of the paper (which is what gives it the petal-like quality)

Turn petal over and use the round pencil to curl the top of the petal.
Step 5: Create the rose bud – the inner part of the rose

Take one teardrop shaped petal and wrap around the taped floral wire from Step 3. Use more floral tape to secure. Repeat working your way around the floral wire until all of the teardrop shaped petals are use.
Step 6: Make the rose bloom –the outer part of the rose

Take one heart-shaped petal and wrap around the rose bud, secure with floral tape. Repeat until all petals have been used.
Step 7: Make the leaf-stems

Take 3 loose pieces of floral wire and using craft glue, wrap each one with green crepe paper. Take one leaf and 1 crepe paper wrapped floral wire from step 10 and glue together. Repeat 2 more times.
Step 8: Add calyx to rose

Wrap the calyx around the base of the rose bloom and secure with floral tape.

Cover the floral tape area with more crepe paper.
Step 9: Add leaf-stems to rose

Using craft glue, secure each of the 3 leaf-stems to the rose stem. I found it helpful to use binder clips to hold the stems together while the glue was drying.

And there you go! It might take a little time, but a great (and pretty awesome) alternative to real flowers for your bouquet – plus you can keep these forever!