Cake Tuesday: pillows.

Well, hi.

I've been flying around the country for annual family summer visits (coinciding with my dad's 80th birthday (surprisingly tough, despite his great health and humor)), and then got side-tracked with an unexpected surgery (nothing serious, but anesthesia messes you up for DAYS), and then had to pull it together for lots of weddings last weekend. The weather's been wonderfully cooperative and cool and everything went very smoothly, and I'm finally starting to feel like myself again.

Here's one shot from the beach in North Carolina:

Isn't the sky amazing? I love North Carolina's coast. The water is so warm you can float for hours (as opposed to Santa Cruz, where you're hypothermic after about a minute and a half). Two other East Coast things sadly missed in California are thunderstorms and fireflies, and I got plenty of both on my visit.

I do have lots of stories and photos to post later this week, but here's one cake that I've been dying to show you:

I've seen lots of pillow cakes but had never been asked to do them before, so when a couple came in this spring and suggested pillows, I jumped at the chance. They had an Indian ceremony (and I know I've told you before how highly I recommend Monsoon Wedding!) which took place outside on wooded cliffs above the ocean; the groom rode a white horse, and there was so much color and dancing and it was MAGICAL.  If I get a link to the wedding photos I'll be sure to share it.

The bottom pillow matched fabric from the groom's outfit, the top pillow matched fabric from the bride's outfit, and the central pillow was a simple gold to tie them together. And a couple of the marigolds are real but most are edible white chocolate. It was a little nerve-wracking but everyone's reaction made all the work worthwhile.