Canvas Cake Studio: From Conceptualization to Cake Perfection!

I don't know how many times I've blogged about Canvas Cake Studio (formerly Midnight Snacks), but I'm letting loose another one!

Except this time, I'm doing a step-by-step --from Conceptualization to Cake Perfection. Wouldn't that be neat! This way, you can take a complete walkthrough on how you can order your personal, ultra-creative cakes from Canvas. It's really super easy.

STEP 1: Squeeze out those creative juices.

Think of what the celebrant wants. Make your cake idea as personal as possible --from the design to the flavor. Taking my boy Kenji's birthday cake as an example, Miro and I went for a Mr.Bean/Peanuts Crossover design inspired by Kenji's very own Go Animate channel, Can of Beans Productions. He does Mr.Bean and Peanuts funny video edits. How personal can you go, right?
For the flavor, we went with Kenji's all-time love, Oreos and Cream.

STEP 2: Send visual pegs.

This can just be the OC in me, but I'd like to scour the internet for visual pegs that would bring out my idea all the more. It helps the chef, too --especially when I have a tendency to be all over the place when I'm explaining in an excited fashion. You don't have to lay it out, but I do so when my design idea tends to be a little complex. That's mostly my fault. Haha!

STEP 3: Incoming... Canvas Cake Studio brainstorming session.

Canvas Cake Studio will email you back with a price list and a flavor chart. That's the challenging part. All of Canvas' flavors are to-die-for! That's the part where I usually take forever to decide. Canvas chief baker, Larisse, will also send you inputs that can make you cake design even better. That's the amazing part! That level of teamwork hits me all the time. :)

STEP 4: Wait with bated breath until the magic is ready.

Depending on the gravity of difficulty your cake design has, Canvas can finish their masterpiece for a minimum of two weeks. Sometimes even less. They can deliver your cake at your doorstep or you can arrange a pick-up point. See how flexible that is? All for your convenience. Let me warn you now that the first time you see your cake idea as a full-on reality, the emotional impact can be quite severe. get tissues ready for uncontrollable tears of joy. Hehe...

STEP 5: Serve the awesomeness!

What's absolutely cool about Canvas' cakes is that they are centerpieces on their own. Even when you have a too-plain set-up, the whole room just lights up with excitement with the cake sitting there. For example, Kenji had his birthday at his school canteen --his special day falling right smack into a school day. Even with very minimal decor, his cake (and HIM!) became stars of that mini-party.

STEP 6: Save (and Savor) the moment.

I'm big on surprises. So Kenji had no idea what his cake would look like. I'm also big on catching that expression my kids make when they first see their cake. And here is that perfect moment. Look at that smirk! You can tell he's all giddy inside but hiding it in a fluffy blanket of smugness. Haha! He's my boy alright!
I would've taken a picture of the kids eating the cake, too, but that never really happens when I'm serving Canvas cakes. They're so delicious, they disappear waaaay too fast!

There you go! Was this post helpful? I bet it was. Reading through it and it makes me want to order another cake for no apparent reason. :D

If you want it personal, if you want it special, get in touch with Canvas Cake Studio!

Johnny English ReBean... I mean, Reborn

How we missed Johnny English I is beyond me!
*kicks self on shin*

Well, the sequel is on.  And nothing was going to make us miss Johnny English Reborn.  After all, Kenji loves James Bond.  He also loves Mr. Bean.  So Johnny English is the perfect combo meal.
The line to the theater and the popcorn took forever... but it was well worth it.

Hilarious to the hilt, Rowan Atkinson delivered his very unique brand of comedy smashingly.  It was Mr. Bean with audible words and more depth.  In fact, there were scenes in Johnny English that reminded me of some snippets from Mr. Bean's sketches.  But because of the spying, the explosions, and the treason to foreign allies components --my boys found themselves liking Johnny English more.  Mr. Bean is now considered 'Blah!  It's for kids!' by these, er... kids.

Co-starring Rosamund Pike and Gillian Anderson (who aged gorgeosuly, btw!) of X-Files' fame, this action-packed laugh-a-minute flick definitely gets 5 stars from this mom.  Kids and adults with a healthy, noisy sense of humor will have themselves LMAOing all throughout its 2-hour run.
And did I mention that it has a bunch of moral lessons?  Trusting yourself.  Trusting others.  Mind over matter.  Loving your age.  But that's just me overanalyzing the concept of fun again.

Go ahead.  Watch Johnny English.  It's high time you laughed in the face of danger.

Taboo Toons?

TV being a media monster isn't new news.  Even as your child is growing up, you get the warning signs from other mom friends and even teachers about how certain TV shows can quickly shape your child into a bad seed.  Or worse, a future serial killer.  Dun-dun-duuunnnn...!

I find all this to be over-the-top reactions to the power that is media.  Sure, there's no questioning its influence, and there is reason to be concerned if you allow your toddlers to watch Family Guy and such.  But really, some notions on even the most harmless toons are just laughable!

Let me share a few classics from experience.

Thou shall not let your child watch Mr. Bean or he shall have speech problems. 
Seriously!  Let us blame the whole foundation of speech on a TV show!  Granted that Mr. Bean does have a weird way of talking and that kids love to mimic him, I don't see this as a huge setback to a child's development.  Lighten up!  The man is funny!  And newsflash... Mr. Bean isn't your child's speech coach.  You are.

Thou shall not let your child watch Tom and Jerry or he shall suffer ADHD.
And I suppose The Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote's antics are a huge source of behavioral problems, too.  A lot of cartoons use 'violence' for kicks.  Kids love this formula for the outlandish action that always ends with hilarious results.  Of course, your child has to know that these are antics he can't do at home or elsewhere.  That's where you come in, Mrs. Parent.

Thou shall not let your child watch Powerpuff Girls or he shall be gay.
This is the one that sincerely burns my beans.  Do we really want to go there?  Gender preference do not spring from cartoons.  And do you really want to expose your child to your gender biases so early in life?  It's ok for boys to watch Powerpuffs because, honestly, it's far more action-packed than any 'boy shows' on the tube.  But I guess the pastel-colored dresses are really throwing you off, huh?

There's more!  So much more that your child will have to be left with Barney and Blue's Clues for the rest of his young life.

Personally,  I don't take other people's warning signals against these so-called taboo toons to heart.  Why?  Because I don't stick my kid in front of the TV without my complete guidance.  That, plus the fact that cartoons don't threaten me.  Cartoons are there purely for my child's entertainment.  For his education, good upbringing, balanced development ... that's MY area.