Mexican Fiesta: SUCCESS! the CAKE and (DIY Stuff) Part 2

This is the last installment of my very 'comprehensive' (in short: long. hehe) supplier rating series. :-)

The Cake

Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤ out of 5

I originally wanted a Dora character cake. But then due to the restrictions at Jollibee, I had to opt for a generic-themed cake if I wanted to be able to display it during the party proper (normally it's just brought in for candle-blowing).  My search for a cake supplier began with this thought in mind: I wanted something simple, but with good detailing, and done with great execution. Oh and yes, I wanted it made with fondant icing. Since we won't be able to eat the cake at the venue anyways, and we already have adult and kiddie giveaways, I decided to just opt for an 8" round cake without cupcakes. 




During my search for a fondant cake-maker, I have stumbled upon a lot from QC, Las Pinas, Rizal, Mandaluyong, and a couple of them from Cavite. I was surprised at the amazing amount of talent we have in our local cake-makers, many of whom are just home-makers/mommies who happen to have the gift for it. :-) 


As they say in competitions, there can only be one. In this case, there can only be one because of the budget. Hehe. If I had the money to spend and the venue permits it, I'd want a three-tiered cake, or satellite cakes. 


My chosen supplier was: CUPCAKES BY MOMMYVANJ

Cupcakes by Mommvanj was recommended to me by an online mom/FB friend. At that time, I had already seen the work, read reviews, and received quotations from a couple of cake suppliers. But when I checked mommyvanj's FB page, I knew right then and there that she's the one I want to make my daughter's 2nd birthday cake. I fell in love with her cakes and designs, the designs were not too busy but still interesting, the make was very malinis at pulido, and the presentation was really nice.

It turns out she lives somewhere in QC and can only do meet-ups in Trinoma or SM North (pick-ups for big orders). I live in Cavite and my daughter's party was to be held in Macapagal Ave. at 10 am. But the distance didn't deter me from ordering from her, and thankfully I was able to ask a good friend of mine who lives in the QC area to meet up with her on the afternoon before the party. :-)

I gave Mommyvanj pictures of cakes with a Mexican-themed design, and told her that I didn't want anything complex, just the right amount of detail and a fun splash of color.  Here's the design she came up with:

I loved how she weaved in the Mexican-fiesta detail in such a simple yet elegant way. I think that's one advantage of a fondant cake, the smooth surface and the almost-ceramic-like look makes it seem so perfect. :-) It's also easier to transport since you don't have to worry about 'destroying' the design because of the soft icing bumping into other surfaces. 

I also liked that it was not overwhelmed with details, and had just the right amount of color to make it interesting. And I super liked that the cake was yellow (one of my favorite colors. hehe). Oh, and when we finally had to eat it (I actually didn't want to eat it, I just wanted to display it at home. :-)), I discovered how this 8-inch round cake was so heavy - it was all cake (in tagalog -siksik)! Unlike some store-bought cakes, hers had just the right amount of sweetness and perfectly complemented the fondant icing. 


 The Prize Labels and Wrapping

One thing I knew I could immediately start to work on were the prize labels (I wanted to make lootbag labels but since I already had them customized, I made it for prizes instead). Since I already had a theme and a color scheme I set to work on it sometime around April. 


Like the over-all decor for the party, I wanted to keep it simple. I made it through my favorite digital scrapbooking site: scrapblog.com, downloaded it, and had it printed on matte sticker paper. After a couple of revisions, I came up with this:

I decided not to include my Keisha's picture since it wasn't bagay with the layout.

As for the paper streamers, I decided to use art paper instead of tissue or crepe paper as what I saw on online tutorials. I prefer the art paper's glossy sheen and their brighter colors. There are a variety of paper craft that one can use for a Mexican fiesta theme, but this was the easiest and fastest to make that I found.

 I wanted to also place these on the ceiling but I didn't have the time to do so.

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With such a limited budget, getting a pro balloon decorator was out of the question. Although I did find some affordable packages, most of them charge transportation fee, which was an added cost. Thankfully, I had a hubby who was willing to try and do the balloon himself. Unlike me, hubby has the gift of making things with his hands. He didn't watch any video tutorial, he didn't go through any kind of training. He just looked at the balloon arrangements that I saw online, and he executed it like he's been doing it for months. :-)

Since this was DIY, and his first attempt at balloon decorating, I told him that we'll just keep it simple. He even offered to make more pillars and add more ceiling decor, but I insisted that we keep it to a minimum for this particular event since we only had an hour to prepare at the venue. I asked him to just make a small cake arch, but he wanted something big and beautiful. The cake looked so small tuloy. :)

Hubby did all of the balloon work from the pumping, to the twisting, to the arrangement and installation at the venue. It was tasking for a first-timer but according to him, he enjoyed it so much he wanted to do it again for all of Keisha's events, as well as for his pamangkins. 

Tips for DIY Balloon Decors:

(These are from my point of view. Since I don't know how to make them, I can't offer tips on how to arrange them. Hehe.)

•  Before you set out to buy balloons, make sure to already have in mind a visual of the kind of arrangements you want. If you can, print pictures so you can show this to the store assistant, and they can help you find what you need for it. This also saves you time and money.
• When buying balloons, don't just get an exact number, make sure to have a considerable amount of extras as you can't always keep them from popping. 
• Consider your venue. There are balloons made for outdoor arrangements and indoor arrangements. 
• If you're going to have a fastfood party, normal prep time before the event starts is just an hour. Keep your designs simple and easily executable to avoid any hassle (unless of course you're already a pro at it).
• Have someone to help you out, even with just the pumping process. This will help you save on time. 
• If you have time, practice making the arrangements at home, at least a month or a couple of weeks before the party. 

Hope this post helps you with party planning! :)


(Please check out Part 1 on this page.)