12/7/2016 0 Comments I did a thing!I was asked in february of 2016 to create a class for Avalon Yarnes of Avalon Yarnes Cakes. She ...asked ME...to do a thing. Let that sink in. AVALON. YARNES. ASKED ME. AMBER. HOMEBODY. FROM WENATCHEE. TO DO A THING. Okay. Is your head spinning? Are you dizzy? No? Just me? Okay, well, I was about to lose it when she told me. I died a thousand deaths of happy. Then I reeled it in and went to work. I decided to go (for lack of a better, more professional term) balls out. Yeah I said it. BALLS OUT. So I made the highly popular stacked Root Beer Float cake for her. However I failed to take into consideration that when you film, whatever you make takes 3 times as long to shoot. And me being a nervous wreck "newb to tv teacher", probably even longer. (God Bless you Zack) .Now I have this cake, that is way too ginormous to create on tv, and I'm wracking my brains for something that is fresh, new, still gravity defying, and not copying anyone. (Heaven help me.)
Avalon points out that it will be live during the holidays and we can easily adjust to make it work for the holidays! BINGO! SO...... we edit, and make smaller and change the style, and add a little of this, and a little of that, and BOOM. Mrs. Hot Chocolate was born. So I get to Colorado, and in the airport to pick me up is KARA FREAKING ANDRETTA. I know. I KNOW, calm down, it was amazing for me too, but I had to keep cool. So I try to not lose myself in the insanity of it all. From there we head to lunch and after 45 way too short minutes went by, we had to take Kara back to the airport so she could go slay the cake world. Bye Kara! We'll miss you! We hugged and she was gone. (sad face) Back to her neighborhood we go. But not before being told I best be drinking water like there is no tomorrow because if I don't I'll get "air sickness". Huh? Yeah, Air Sickness. They are 10,000 ft or some crazy number like that above sea level and it's no joke. I drank and drank and drank. I drank till I was 99% water myself. Yet, still I was light headed and sick the first night. After being there for awhile I finally got over it, but it was the weirdest thing ever. Okay so we shop for food, and head back. She takes me to the Bed and Breakfast I'll be staying at. HOOOOLY COOOOOWWWWW! It is to die for. I have never felt so pampered, so spoiled, so amazing in my lifetime. Never. Cloud nine for real. We talk and laugh and connect and it's magical. Then I go see her home and am completely amazed by the openess of the sky and the quiet air above us. Her home is suprisingly small compared to what I had envisioned. Very humble and so perfect. The walls are made of wood planks and it smells like cedar. It's a wonderful smell. You look out into her backyard, and know that there are moose in the distance. Immediately, you feel at one with nature. After being introduced to her beau we head to dinner, and back to the B&B, and then up bright and early to film. From early morning to evening we worked to create this class. Avalon with her ginormous brain and flawless way of doing things, never once made me feel inferior, or less than. I felt like a part of something amazing. I was literally in awe the entire time. Soon as the camera's turned on, my brain became mush and I stammered, and my hands were shaking and my insecurities were getting the best of me. But there she was, making me laugh, and calming my fears. I know cake. I know how to cake and I know how to teach. But when you are working with someone you've long had a cake crush on, you simply become a pile of mush and forget every stupid thing. No lies. True story. Eventually I snapped out of it and started getting better little by little. Before I knew it, it was over, and we were rushing to the airport to make the flight home. Two days in Colorado, went WAY too fast! Seeing how she works, and her business sense, and learning so many new things, it made me want to work harder, and push farther than I ever dreamed. I don't know that she'll every really know what that trip meant to me. But I am the most grateful I've ever been. I would do it again, and again, and again! Do you hear me world? I'm putting it out there! If you want me to teach, CALL ME! MAKE MY DAY! Incidentally, here is what we came up with. If you want to learn how to create her, here is the link: avaloncakesschool.com/mrs-hot-cocoa/?ref=26
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12/2/2016 0 Comments Airbrush TroublesSo first of all, I needed to know why my airbrush was blowing bubbles in my paint holder portion of the airbrush, (sure there's a technical name for it, I just can't think of it), so I found this great site that helped me reaize why it was happening: https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/troubleshooting.
That page was so informative. It made me see that my nozzle was clogged. I tried cleaning it and in the process I bent and broke the tip. So I went searching for a supplier for just the parts I need. EUREKA! I found a jackpot site for the part I need. Rather than buying a whole new airbrush assembly, I am purchasing the parts I need for $23 which includes shipping! I AM SO THRILLED! The replacement airbrush would have been $80! You might be asking where is this magical place. I'll tell you, it's called TCP Global - http://www.tcpglobal.com. You can find many airbrush replacement parts here. Match up your style and then order. You can do some simple breakdowns first, by typing into Google the type of airbrush you have. If you aren't sure, do a reverse image search. Once you know what you have, (I have a Badger 150 and a Master Airbrush S68), type that into Google, and then type the word "schematic". This will show you a blown up version of all your parts. When you see what part is damaged you can order that part, or a whole repair kit for all those little parts and pieces. Make sure when you are taking apart your airbrush to do it over a piece of white paper so you don't loose any important pieces. I am so incredibly happy right now! The biggest thing I've learned from this is to clean the airbrush by soaking it, weekly. Not just a quick rinse with chemicals, but literally soak it and clean all the parts and pieces. This will in turn lengthen the life of your airbrush. Happy Caking! |