Deliciously Sweet Cinema

New Highlights on Our Website Demo Page!

2011-02-18T17:35:00.005-05:00

Hello out there in internet-world...I'm not even going into the amount of time I've been missing from this blog! Let's just say I was in witness protection for knowing too much about the wedding industry, or the cupcake industry, or something clever like that... ;)

I just wanted to let everyone know that the website has been updated {finally}! We have all new highlights on the demo page, which yes, took me way too long to get together but I did do it, just a year or so longer than expected!

Included in the demo update is the much asked for example of a Cake in a Box film. I chose Jilli & John's wedding as I felt they had one of the best Cake in a Box films to come through here and that is mainly due to the fact that they hired a local film student to shoot for them AND he actually read our instruction booklet about shooting super 8 instead of just guessing. ;)

I have also finally included examples of weddings we had videography at, as well as just audio recording, and even some 16mm film {which is beautiful}!

Check out our new highlights and thanks for stopping by!

*If you can't watch the new highlights it is likely you don't have the Quicktime plug-in. Please let us know if you can't watch the demo's as in a few days we will be able to link you to a video hosting service to watch our highlights there, though they won't be as good as quality as the ones on our website!*

Nagi Noda

2008-12-04T04:15:00.009-05:00

{Ya, I gave up on the twelve day thing...I'm just to freaking busy!}

So, I've bet you've never heard of Nagi Noda, right? It's such a shame because she was an amazing talent. One of the oddest artists/directors/filmmakers to come along in a while and the fact that she was a woman is just insanely cool.

Nagi Noda died in September, and the only info I can find on that is that she died from complications stemming from a car accident suffered a year before. She had apparently been seriously injured and endured a lot of surgeries. I believe her official cause of death was complications from surgery. She was only 35...and an insanely innovative talent that will be sorely missed, but not by the tons of people that should be missing her.

Filmmaking has always been a man's world; that is one of the most difficult things I have personally encountered in my journey through film-land. If Nagi Noda had been a man she would have been talked about as an up-and-coming film genius in the ranks of Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry. But, not many people have heard of her, she was a shy, quiet Japanese girl who was very eccentric and did her own thing. I so envy for her that. Her vision is astounding and to accomplish even the few amazing and visually quirky things she did in such a short time is just enviable. It's a shame we will never get to see how far she would have gone.

Nagi was most famous for her music video for the Japanese pop singer Yuki. Her idea was so simple, but so visually stunning and original that I must have watched that music video a thousand times when it came out. It starts out slow but you'll get the gist about 1:40 into it. I can't find the video to embed here but you can visit this link HERE to see it {and it is worth it!} The idea was so cool that Coke hired her to do a commercial based on the look of the Yuki music video. Here it is:

I also loved this photo series Nagi created, turning hair into animals. Some of them are just beyond crazy but so inspiring. Here are a few of my favorites:

I think the one thing about Nagi Noda that is so inspiring to me is that a lot of the stuff she does just seems impossible. Something you wouldn't attempt without a huge budget and a crew of hundreds. But she had very small budgets, tiny crews, and she pulled it off. She was such an inspiring filmmaker and artist and I was so saddened to hear about her death. She will be truly missed not just for the quirky and odd idea's she had but for being a woman, an inspiring one-of-a-kind innovative woman, in a field that has too long been run by men. She was an original and she will be sorely missed.

Check out these films and videos by Nagi Noda as well:

Poodle Excercise With Humans Video
{had Michel Gondry done this you would have seen it everywhere}

The Dancing Eyes
{that's what I call it, I don't know the band}

Hearts on Fire Music Video
{her last video before she died}

Scissor Sisters Music Video

Wrap Party Reflection

2008-11-05T22:06:00.006-05:00

The Layer Cake Films wedding season is officially over! The wedding in San Francisco last weekend, our last one of the year, was a blast even though there was torrential downpours all day. The wedding had a Halloweenish theme and of course that was just great with me! I also worked with yet another fab photographer, Jessamyn Harris. I swear, I have so lucked out this year with the photographers I have gotten to work with. They have all been insanely talented and very accommodating. People who don't shoot film, video, or photography don't realize how hard it is to shoot next to/with someone you've never met and to have to fall in sync very quickly with them so you don't block each others shot. I have been extremely lucky to have worked with some uber-talented photographers this year.

So, this is the wrap-up for Layer Cake until next season, unless someone comes along who wants to book a wedding for sometime in the off-season, which of course I would love. Not only does it keep me on my feet but I would love to do a Christmasy/holidayish or New Yearsy event.

This has been an insane year for me and Layer Cake. I ended up booking 21 events which is just crazy for what is primarily a one woman show. I never thought people would respond to my films, editing, and love of the quirky offbeat side of weddings {i.e. filming people having fun on their day and not a lot of that overly melancholy feeling junk that seems to permeate wedding videos}. Don't get me wrong, I love emotion and a beautifully captured moment I just think there needs to be a good balance of fun and joy captured as well. I have been beyond flattered at the response to my little company and I have had so much fun this year shooting, editing, and meeting some wonderful people who otherwise I probably never would have met.

My intention when starting Layer Cake was to make it a side job, a job that fulfilled my love of making small, short little films that were quirky and fun. This was something my full time job, editing, didn't give me because with editing you don't shoot the film or deal with the people involved, you just edit other people's work. I put my editing on the back burner for most of this year to shoot for Layer Cake. As I get closer to moving toward NYC this spring, editing will have to take a front seat in my life once again. One because I miss it, and two because it pays well and I love buying stuff. ;)

Because of this I've decided to book only about 10-15 weddings for Layer Cake for 2009. I think that will be a totally manageable number for me and my crew. I don't want to book so many weddings that it isn't fun anymore, or the films start feeling uninspired. There's nothing worse than being so tired and bored that you start phoning it in. This year was beyond fun for me and I want to keep that inspiration and creativity alive for next year. I know that limiting the amount of weddings I book will mean some people may not be able to hire us, but honestly, that is the exact reason I dreamt up the Cake in a Box: for affordability and for everyone who wants super 8 shot at their wedding to get it and even if we can't be there in person to shoot it, we'll be all over that edit! :)

So that has been my few weeks of reflection as the season ended. Keep it fun, keep it quirky, keep it quality. I'm not limiting those 10-15 weddings to our home bases either {Los Angeles and NYC}. We go anywhere you want bring us so just send us an e-mail and ask!

Thank you for the amazing year!

Michelle

Tail of the Yak {in Berkeley}

2008-10-31T01:28:00.006-04:00

Today on the way into San Francisco I stopped at Tail of the Yak in Berkeley. I love this store, it is so beautiful, but seriously, the prices are even more insane than the last time I visited. I only say that because I'm jealous. Jealous of the person who can walk in there and buy whatever they want. So unfair...I think I am quite deserving of a $12,500 santos from 18th century England. If I don't deserve it than who does I ask you? Who? ;)All the santos in Tail of the Yak are so soulful; just stunning. I could stare at them all day {that sounds a little psychotic doesn't it?} This time around they also had some Victorian taxidermy including some domed birds {I would seriously sell some of my organs to buy more Victorian domes...they are so lovely and delicate...I want them all!}

Tail of the Yak is definitely not a store to say, shop in, but more just a place to stare at unique, lovely, enchanting things you could never afford. It's museum-like in a way, which is probably why I love it so much. I did in fact buy something today...not the $1500 Victorian Sea Weed book I coveted or the $1200 antique penguin skeleton that sat high atop a cabinet...but some little bottles and a small Christmas gift that is beyond adorable. And yes, those little things do make me happy. Who needs dead birds and crusty old books? {I do I do! Please, let me win the lottery!!!}

This image was taken by Ullam {ullam/typepad.com} who has a delightful blog.

She is also way smarter than me since she remembers to carry a camera with her.

The store really is nice enough just to visit. It's very small but so eclectic the size doesn't matter all that much. If you're in the Berkeley area anyway it's definitely worth stopping in just for the decoration. And how can you not want to visit a store that houses a big fat white {live} bird in a ginormous birdcage right smack in the middle? Ambience overload...I adore it.

Oh, and of course stupid here complained forever that I forgot my camera and couldn't take any photo's of Tail of the Yak for this blog. Then I promptly walked outside, got in the car, drove across the Bay Bridge, and realized that I have an iPhone. That takes pictures. Very nice pictures. Duh. Ya, I'm so 21st century everybody. I apparently need to pull my head out of those 19th century domes I love so much and get with the millennia. Sigh.

Dear Laduree...

2008-10-29T02:36:00.006-04:00

...you're killing me. Seriously. Killing. Me. Stop making such delicious and beautiful pastries. Stop making your precious and exquisite macaroons. And on top of that please stop posting pictures of all those things on your website. Because I don't live in Paris. Or London. And I really want a Rose Religieuse pastry right about now followed by a Mangue Jasmin Macaroon chaser.

You're killing me. Seriously. Stop. Before I purchase a really expensive plane ticket.

Unfulfilled American Pastry Eater,

Michelle

*I thought I'd leave you all with these delicious photo's from Laduree's website while I am off to San Francisco to shoot my last wedding of the season. Enjoy!*

Utah & States That Touch It - Want a Wedding Film Deal? {that includes you Las Vegas!}

2008-10-22T15:58:00.009-04:00

Yes, I am trapped in the state I grew-up in: Utah! You know, I don't think it matters where you grow-up, but when you are forced to go back for a bit doesn't it always seem like torture? Not that I don't love spending time with my family, it's just that I got enough of this place in junior high and high school if you know what I mean.

So, I am back in Utah until December-ish as a family member was very ill and has since passed away. :( I thought I would stay on here for a bit to help out, keep Mom & Dad company, and wait around to see some snow. Oh, and edit edit edit. Of which I am doing day in and day out. Someday I will see daylight again, I know it!

See, I have a reason I mention all this besides gaining sympathy of being trapped in the place I grew-up {and being thisclose to my old high school...shudder...} - I am bored out of my mind! Project Runway is over! I already saw Quarantine at the theater! I've visited all the local antique stores! And I only have one friend left toiling in the Utah landscape and she is in medical school, ignoring me on my sabbatical here for silly things like learning how to deliver babies and do surgery. The nerve!

So what does that mean for you? Well, if you are getting married in Utah and/or a state that touches it and is close-by {and yes, that includes the city of Las Vegas because I love me some Las Vegas!} then I am totally ready, willing, and able to throw some deals your way! That's right, packages are on sale for everybody in close range! I shoot my last official wedding of the year next weekend in San Francisco {I always love to visit my beautiful SF} and after that I am free as a bird.

Let my boredom be your wedding film deal...get me out of this house and I will be happy to give some discounts and shoot your lovely wedding day on the grainy, nostalgia-soaked medium that is super 8 film...ooooooh, is anyone getting married in or near the snow and/or in a canyon here in Utah? I would love it! ;)

E-mail me at: info@layercakefilms.com if you're interested...until then I will continue staring out the window hoping for snow...and editing...

{DIY} Cake in a Box

2008-10-04T03:10:00.004-04:00

One of my most favorite things from this wedding season was the Layer Cake Films invention of the Cake in a Box, a DIY super 8 film kit! I haven't really done much advertising or talking about it because I have been so busy shooting! But this week I finally had time to take the postcard I made for the Cake in a Box and upload it to the website. I'm really excited about how the postcard turned out...maybe I was inspired by Pushing Daisies and made it as cute and colorful as I could! I did have one friend tell me it looked like a baby shower announcement, all the pastel and soft colors, but I love it and think it fits in nicely with the other Layer Cake colors. I tend toward the soft colors for Layer Cake because they remind me of icing and/or frosting. And I'm not kidding. I really based my company's color scheme on frosting. Take a look at the new Cake in a Box page HERE.

I've rented out the Cake in a Box a handful of times already this year and I've been impressed with the footage I've gotten back. There are some good shooters out there, available at fair, decent rates to shoot your day. I'll have a Cake in a Box edit up on the website by the end of the month so everyone can see that with a little effort of looking for a shooter and having a tight shot list you can have some nice super 8 shot at your wedding for a really great price!

Cool Vintage Wedding Dress Redesign

2008-08-08T03:03:00.008-04:00

I just saw the cutest vintage wedding dress redesign on Etsy:

Isn't that awesome? I love vintage wedding dresses, especially from the 1950's, but they are so poofy and huge. This is a great way to get a modern looking dress with a true vintage feel and with that awesome aged looking lace. The Etsy seller is lynnsrags {check out her store HERE...oh, and how cool is that car the model is standing in front of?!}.

She also redesigns other vintage frocks and I especially love this one:

I could never in a million years pull this dress off, even if I had the figure for it, but it is cute to look at!

{all photo's from lynnsrags Etsy store}

On The Road

2008-07-31T23:36:00.004-04:00

I'm back in my old hometown. And it greeted me with a big old smack o' smog in the face with a side order of oppressive heat right after getting off the plane. Thanks for the welcome back Los Angeles!

I'm in town for a month, shooting lovely weddings every weekend! I shoot in LA, Malibu, Vegas, and San Francisco this month. Crazy! Then right after the San Francisco wedding I shoot in Florida again {and I'm a little nervous about that one...isn't it hurricane season? Eek!}

I have to tell you it is really hard to pick and choose what stuff to take with you when you can't go home for an entire month. But, I have some lovely super 8 stills to show off in the next few days. In fact I may just post one or two in a little bit...traveling makes me so spontaneous! Stop me before I go really crazy!

I Want a Dress Lamp Tree

2008-07-08T19:11:00.004-04:00

I happened upon this photograph by Tim Walker and I am in love:
What a beautiful image! I am so taken by the rich deep color and the idea of it. It is so whimsical.

I was reading about Tim Walker and saw that he has a show opening on July 11th at the Design Museum in London. They even have the Dress Lamp Tree photograph for sale as a poster that I think I might purchase! It seems Tim does a lot of work for Vogue and other fashion magazines and since I'm not the fashion mag kind of girl his images were all new to me. Here are some other lovely ones:

{sugar Sweet sunshine} Heaven With Frosting

2008-06-26T13:18:00.007-04:00

So, as I said yesterday I went to two cupcakeries that fateful day in NYC. The other bakery I went to was sugar Sweet sunshine {and yes, that's how they capitalize and don't capitalize their name}.

Holy. crap. I think these may be my most favorite cupcake of all time. But I'm not sure! Violet's in Pasadena is still waaaaaay up there as well as Amy's Babycakes {now known as Vanilla Bakeshop in Santa Monica and I have not tried her cupcakes since she moved and changed her name}.

These. Cupcakes. Were. Amazing. Now, because I had just stuffed my face at Little Giant and Babycakes NYC I was seriously so full I was really close to upchucking. Really. Plus it was hot outside and sugar Sweet sunshine is in that part of the Lower East Side that really smells like rotting garbage. There are certain parts of NYC that just smell foul. I think that's just the way it is. Even if they lined the streets with potpourri baskets everyday it would just be rank. It would smell like festering potpourri in about an hour, you know what I mean? Some area's just have an embedded smell of rot. So, that is where the bakery is. It's smelly. So that combined with the heat and my previous face-stuffing I almost didn't go. But I was like, I'm here, I should just go in {for those wondering why I just didn't get a cupcake to go it's because I had a full schedule for the day and didn't want to carry a bag around plus it was hot and the frosting would melt...god forbid!}.So I go in and first was pleasantly surprised that my cupcake was only $1.50. A steal. I don't think I've paid that little for a cupcake since I made my own! And they were fully stocked on all the flavors for the day {it was around 2pm} which is awesome because I hate when bakeries run out of a certain flavor because of course that's the one I've been craving. I decide to sit and eat my cupcake there because I'm afraid if I eat while I walk the smell of garbage will push my stomach over-the-edge and there will be Little Giant all over the sidewalk {gross}. And, for the first time ever, I think, I decide to eat my cupcake with a fork because my hands felt sticky. I mention this because I think this made the cupcake even tastier for some reason.
This cupcake was sooooooo good. OMG. It was a taste of food that I imagine they serve in heaven. Not only was the frosting delicious, but the cake. The cake. People {myself included} tend to forget the importance of the cake if the frosting is good enough. But the cake on this cupcake was insanely good. Soft and moist and like real cake. Not too airy but not too thick. So frakkin' good.

sugar Sweet sunshine. Take me back to heaven. I still weep because I was so full and couldn't eat more than one {barely one}. I wanted to try every flavor and I will. I will.

I'm coming back soon sugar Sweet sunshine. Be prepared.

{sugar Sweet sunshine was also the top cupcake place on Zagat's 2008 NYC cupcake survey. So I'm not alone in my cake-lust. The survey gives some great places to try. Check it out here}

{Cool Vendor} Bird and Banner

2008-06-10T16:09:00.012-04:00

I have found my new most favorite wedding invitation ever. These are so cool and unique and so my style {the whimsical vintage Paris side, not the dark horror movie goth side}. These invitations were made by a company called Bird and Banner. A fabulous company that I just found out about!

So check these invites out. The invites were based on a bride's theme of Paris Flea Market and they are printed on vintage handkerchiefs. Awesome. I have a friend who creates art pieces by printing on handkerchiefs, but I never thought of an invite to a party or wedding that way. So so cool.

Not only are they cool they're stunning! So well done. I even love the addition of the old postcard back as the RSVP. I collect so many vintage photo's and postcards and the backs of them are so beautiful. I cannot gush about this idea and the execution of it enough!

Bird and Banner also has these adorable invites/Save the Dates pictured on their site:

Bird and Banner are going to be at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn this weekend and guess what? I get to go! I'm in town during the fair and I'm sooooo excited because I never really time this stuff right, but finally I make it to a city at the same time of a great show. Eeeeeee!

The Ritzy Bee & Upcoming Fun

2008-05-12T14:12:00.004-04:00

I know! I've been missing! But it wasn't on purpose {really}. I have had company for the last few days and then extending into this week so I have been running around town, having too much fun, and of course, eating too much.

I do want to say a huge thanks to Maria over at the Ritzy Bee blog. She gave us the sweetest write-up today and I am beyond flattered to be included amongst all the beautiful and inspiring things she posts about everyday {I know, a blogger who blogs everyday, fancy that! I'm such a bad blogger!} You can visit her blog here {Ritzy Bee} and read the write-up about Layer Cake {here}. Thanks so much Maria and Ritzy Bee! We can only dream of having this blog as lovely and inspiring as yours {I know, fat chance...I'm too busy stuffing cupcakes in my mouth to have a blog like that}! Hee!

So, some exciting things coming up this week and in the next few weeks that I look forward to telling you more about:
{1} Layer Cake is goin' to NYC to shoot, eat, shop, hang out, and visit totally cool friends
{2} I'll be in Richmond, Virginia shooting a lovely wedding at a beautiful plantation
{3} Cupcake baking {finally, someone is here to help me eat all of them!}
{4} The discovery of some new amazing still camera's {the Holga is back!}
{5} Hark! Is that London calling? Hmmmm, possibly...{yay!}

Surname Mania Continues...

2008-05-06T17:32:00.004-04:00

I was pleasantly surprised to see this article on AOL news this morning. It ties into the discussion that was going on over at Offbeat Bride and that I posted about {click here to read my previous "surname" post}. I'm so excited to not only see more men taking their wives last names but also just that the idea that changing centuries old patriarchal laws could someday happen. How fantastic! I re-posted the article below for you to read as a link to AOL news stories usually don't work {I've tried it before to no avail}. Here is the {link} to the article just in case it works!

I would have probably just paid the $300 but the four weeks of newspaper advertising and judicial approval for changing his last name to his wife's? Utter ridiculousness. Stipulations like that are put in place to deter people from doing whatever it is they are attempting to do because the government/state usually assumes they won't take the time out to actually do them and then they'll just forget about it. And they're right! Who has time to advertise in a fricking newspaper about their name change?

Man Takes Wife's Last Name After Suing

LOS ANGELES (May 6) - Michael Buday promised his bride he would take her last name so her father's family name could carry on. But because California state agencies have no simple way for a man to take his wife's surname, Buday soon realized he would have to pay extra - or file a lawsuit - to fulfill his promise to his wife, Diana Bijon.

Michael Buday, now Michael Bijon, and his wife Diana pose with their marriage
license Monday. It took two years for Michael to be able to take his wife's last name.

With the backing of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Marina del Rey couple sued to change the way the state issues marriage and driver's licenses, because it cost more for him to take her name, than for her to take his.

Buday picked up a driver's license with his new name Monday, two years after they filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against the state.

For Buday to take his wife's name, he would have to pay court fees of more than $300, advertise his plans in newspaper for four weeks and get judicial approval.

For Bijon to take her husband's name, she would have had to pay a county application fee that ranges from $50 to $90.

"I never imagined the state would make it so difficult," said Buday, who was married in 2005. "It was a symbolic gesture, but it's also very real for us. It's about what our children will be named, about starting a new family on our own terms. For us, it was very traditional."

According to the settlement agreement, the state Department of Motor Vehicle and Department of Health Services changed their policies and forms to allow husbands, wives and domestic partners to take each other's last names.

"What's in a name is the message that a marriage is a union between equals," said Mark Rosenbaum, legal director for the ACLU of Southern California. "California now has a marriage license for the 21st century, not the 15th century."

"When we got married, the law basically said, 'Don't be silly, only a woman can change her name when she gets married.' I'm proud to be part of changing that," Diana Bijon said.

Palette Inspiration

2008-04-27T17:23:00.019-04:00

For the past few days I have been madly trying to find tangible images to match to a color palette in my head. I go through this a lot because I will see things in passing and not remember them till it is too late - they were ads or commercials or content on a website I didn't bookmark. My biggest "in passing" moment that I regret is not tape recording the old Splenda commercials on TV. Does anyone else remember them? They were amazing! The commercials I'm talking about aired in the late 1990's and/or early 2000's. It was a long campaign; the look of the ads lasted for well over a year or two. I'm pretty sure they were still around during the time Amelie was released {which was 2001} because they always reminded me of the movie when I saw them. I am famous for having a bad long-term memory.

The Splenda commercials were whimsical, charming and just plain lovely to look at. There were little girls having tea parties and people making sugar cookies and cakes and the commericals were stunning in not only their originality but their great art direction. They had the most beautiful color palette that I haven't seen replicated in film since. And this is where I come up with problems...trying to find words to describe the look. The colors were soft sea-greens, pinks, yellows, and white. The look was very pastel, like cotton candy or gauzey looking, a tad blurry and very ethereal and dreamy. I always think of the word "frothy" too. Who knows why! Anyway, I tried in vain to find copies of these TV ads, especially when I started Layer Cake, because I wanted to look at the colors and the dreaminess and try to use the same concepts for my company.

I've been designing some things for Layer Cake this last week and once again I was drawn back to the memory of those commercials. It has consumed me the last few days! I found some images that kind of reflect the same palette and feel as those commercials. They're not exact but they are the closest I can come to it. I thought I'd share them:

The stunning photography of Irene Suchocki. Her work is amazing.

The art of Jean-Honore Fragonard. Top picture: The Swing {1767}
Bottom picture: The Progress of Love: The Pursuit {1773}

Image from a 1950's era Betty Crocker cookbook

The beautiful work of photographer Alicia Bock.
All her images are so ethereal. They're all so lovely.

These beautiful drinks! The color of these are sooooo delicious! I know this picture is from
a wedding. A friend e-mailed me the image so I do not know who to credit! If anyone
knows who the photographer is please let me know so I can give their name.

The exquisite color and look of Laduree. Food that looks like art...delicious!

One of my most favorite artists, Elisabeth-Louise Vigee-Le Brun. Though the color of this
portrait in particular doesn't look much like the palette I'm searching for, the gauzey
dreaminess of it is spot on. All Vigee-LeBrun's work is beyond words to me. Perfection.

Though I was not a huge fan of the movie Marie Antoinette {nor anything with
the name Dunst in it...ugh!} it most definitely has some of the most inspiring costumes,
art direction, set decoration, and cinematography for me. Most of the films color
palette is what I am searching for!

{Cupcake Porn} Crumbs & Doilies

2008-04-22T22:24:00.013-04:00

I know, it isn't right to post about such a delicious looking place as Crumbs & Doilies when they are located in London, but, come on...their cupcakes look amazing and frankly, some days I don't even need to eat a cupcake I just need to see photo's of them. That sounds slightly trashy and just a teensy bit sad doesn't it? Well, I've heard the first step is admitting your problem. But I have no problem. So why is everyone looking at me like that?
How can you not love a cupcake baker that devotes an entire web page to pictures of sprinkles they can use? There is no way not to appreciate that kind of cupcake dedication. And what else is great about this bakery? They make black icing! Eeeeeeeee! If you only knew the sneers and eye-rolls I've received when asking for black icing. All the endless lecturing about how it will look "ugly". See, disbelieving cupcake peddlers, see?! Black icing looks beautiful and amazing and delicious! I knew it could be done! Validation!!!
Now, aside from having one of the cutest names in bakery history, Crumbs & Doilies also takes some of the best pictures of their cakes I've ever seen. I now see the reason to invest in a macro lens for your camera. I don't need to see bugs and flowers magnified a bazillion times in a photo but a cupcake? Yes please. It is very important to me to see the actual sugar size in the frosting. Granulated, raw, powdered, fine? What kind of sugar is present? These are all very important questions and Crumbs & Doilies takes such crisp, delicious, mouth-watering photo's of their cupcakes that now I can tell. Thank you.
Is anyone in London? Can someone go to the Partridges Food Market (where Crumbs & Doilies sets up shop every Saturday) and buy a cupcake and eat it for me? Yes, I support surrogate eating. As long as it is some type of cake product. Sometimes just hearing about the frosting satisfies my hunger.
Oh, and Crumbs & Doilies has a blog that has even more cupcake photo's! Insane! I love these people! They also have a cupcake naming competition every month. If you win you get a free box of 24 mini cupcakes. Do you think these people would adopt me if I asked nicely? Because I am so there.

So, enjoy the cupcake porn for the day. It doesn't require proof of age to enter or a credit card to view but if it did, I would most definitely sign-up. I need help, I know this. Crumbs & Doilies also just got the honor of being added to the links list over there on the right. Lucky Brits! :)
P.S. Did anyone here watch Seinfeld? Do you remember Elaine and the "sponge-worthy" episode where she wouldn't date a guy unless he was "sponge-worthy"? I have to admit that I definitely have a "cupcake-worthy" scale. Like if I buy a box of cupcakes and someone comes over to visit me...if I don't feel they're "cupcake-worthy" I hide the box so I don't have to share. Seriously. I'm not kidding. I really do need help don't I?
P.P.S. My sister lives in London! Layer Cake Films is coming Crumbs & Doilies...we're coming... {cue evil witchy sounding cackle}

{all images are copyright Crumbs & Doilies and are from their website and/or blog}

We Heart The UnBride!

2008-04-21T15:53:00.004-04:00

I wanted to mention quickly that the lovely Justine over at The Unbride did a write-up of Layer Cake last week! With traveling and shooting I completely forget to make a mention of it. Justine is a photographer in Los Angeles and I of course fell in love with the name of her blog. She has such a great sense of style...she hired someone to design a logo for her upcoming wedding of her and her fiance's initials in the look of the old CBGB logo. Too cool! I had of course e-mailed her and asked, no I'm sorry, demanded to shoot her Washington DC hitching, but she had already hired someone long ago! Sigh. She hired a fab videographer in Washington DC to shoot her day and they are going to have an amazing time, one reason is because Justine has rented this stunning and very very cool pink Cadillac for her day! I can't even tell you how cool that car {and the couple!} are going to look on super 8 film. If you go over to The UnBride Justine posted the name and number of the man who rents out the pink Caddy because she is a sweetheart who loves to share! :)

You can read our write-up {here} over at The UnBride. Thanks again for the great post Justine; you are going to have an amazing wedding!!!

{Etsy Seller} LushBella

2008-04-20T00:02:00.006-04:00

I wanted to share with you one my most favorite Etsy sellers at the moment, lushbella. Lushbella is a photographer who has a delightful hobby of collecting little bits and objects and then arranging them and snapping a photo. So simple but so gorgeous! I love the crispness of her photography but mostly the quirkiness of the whole idea (and of the objects she selects). I've been known to collect little teeny bits of everything, from places I go to things I want to remember, so the whole idea is so cool to me. The prints come in 5x7 but you can request them at a larger size for a more expensive price. I sooooo want to get one at 20x30 and hang it in my office. One of her photo's ornately framed hanging by itself on a blank wall along with my whole film, bakery, candy store theme going on in here would look so amazing and kinda give off a slightly Willy Wonka-ish vibe...and isn't that what everyone wants in an office? Of course they do.
The best part...lushbella does custom photography! So you can send her any bits and bobs that are special to you and she arranges them and photographs it. I would freak for a custom piece! I am already squirreling away little things here and there so I can have her do a custom piece for me sometime. She also has a listing right now for a custom wedding piece. What a fab idea! Little trinkets that remind you of or are from your wedding day all beautifully photographed in a quirky little composition. A program, flowers, a favor, lace, beads, a boutonniere...you could have her photograph such a cool smattering of wedding day mementos.

{ ... visit lushbella's store ... }

{all photographs are from lushbella's Etsy store}

Surviving the Surname Debate

2008-04-18T01:52:00.006-04:00

There is a fabulously interesting discussion going on over at OffbeatBride.com. Someone wrote in a question about men changing their last names to the wife's last name when they get married {click here to see the post}. The comments being left and the men Ariel interviewed for the post are fascinating to say the least (one commenter in particular I wish wasn't married because I think I would ask him out on a date just from his intelligent and honest awareness of the history of society's subordination of women) .

This last name thing has always been a huge issue for me. I decided probably when I was about 14 or 15 that if I ever got married I would never take my husband's last name but keep my own, as it is who I am, it is my identity and to me taking a man's last name makes me feel like some sort of transferred property. However, the drawback of this of course is what about my Mom and all the other female lineage {on both sides} whose names I don't get to use or represent? It's really a fascinating issue and I must admit I was more than surprised to find so many men and women over on Offbeat Bride saying that they {the men} were taking their wives last names after marriage. I thought this was still a completely unheard of phenomenon.

If you're interested in the subject at all you should skidaddle over there and participate. What are your thoughts on the issue? I actually feel bad that none of my female lineage is represented in my name but then it never could be really could it? Since all women get their father's or husband's last names then there was never a "true" female last name. My maternal grandmother's family is Jewish and I embrace that past and history and enjoy it quite a lot but it is not represented in my name since my father's family was not Jewish. It's a very tangled web and unfortunately not one I personally, married or not, can do much about at this point unless I want a surname ten hyphenated names deep.

Oh, another great point a commenter left over there was the need for clear documentation if you and your soon-to-be decide to create an entirely new last name for yourselves or if he takes his lady's name, etc. My parents are huge into genealogy and the need for good clear record keeping is a must! My parents will get stopped dead in their researching tracks when a record has been kept badly. So, if you are going to get creative with the last name change then keep nice, easy to understand documentation in the family records so 100 years from now when someone is doing your ancestral family tree they won't want to come back in time and beat you silly!

Etsy Wedding Hearts Us!

2008-04-10T00:14:00.007-04:00

How excited was I today when the lovely Jen (onesmallstar on Etsy), the amazing blogstress (is that a word, even a made-up internet one?) of the Etsy Wedding blog e-mailed me to say she had done a post on Layer Cake! Eeeeeeeeeee! I read the Etsy Wedding blog everyday and had noticed a few weeks ago Layer Cake was added as a link. I e-mailed Jen to say thank you and instead of just saying, "You're welcome, I'm one of the coolest people on Etsy," she did a blog post on us instead. Amazing! Thank you Jen...we heart Etsy Wedding!

Read the great (and hilarious) write-up Jen did on us here: layercakefilms: super 8mm weddings

Wondering why we were on Etsy Wedding? Because Layer Cake actually has an Etsy store silly! I found Etsy a few years ago and within a day was infatuated. I opened a store selling cards and things last July. Then I created the Cake in a Box package almost entirely based on my love of Etsy and the whole handmade DIY movement. So, I thought it only fitting to let all my Etsy friends know about Layer Cake by opening a shop (layercakefilms.etsy.com). BTW, you can't link to the Etsy shop by the image below...I can't get the Etsy Mini to show up inside the post so I just stuck a picture in! ;)

What A Beautiful Ending

2008-04-05T21:54:00.005-04:00

Today was a lazy day full of gloomy skies, rain, editing, and watching the movie below. I hope you all had as lovely a day as this lovely ending:

Enjoy!

{Eye Candy} :: 1 ::

2008-04-03T16:20:00.006-04:00

I am so hungry for sweets today! I thought I'd share some delicious items from the Brides.com "Food & Drinks" gallery. Why do I torture myself???

Left to right, top row: Long Stemmed Rose Cocktail, Mousse-Filled Tarts,

Glazed Honey Doughnut w/ Hot Latte
bottom row: Lace Tuille Cookies w/ Pomegranate Mousse
Cake by Colette's Cakes, Sweet Silhouette Mini Cakes

{Cool Vendor} DK Designs: Fake Flowers For Those of Us With Taste

2008-04-02T10:46:00.002-04:00

I happened upon DK Designs by way of Etsy Wedding. I was floored that these flowers were fake and made of clay, every petal, by hand. Seriously?! That is crazazy! That would be like me lining strips of plastic with emulsion and then sprocketing each frame to make super 8 film to shoot with. Making these beautiful creations must require the patience of a saint which immediately throws me out of the craft since I can barely wait for the toast to pop-up in the morning without complaining loudly. The best part of this though is that Diane's (DK) flowers look amazing. It could have gone two ways: completely sucky and sad looking clay monstrosities or absolutely shockingly fab looking creations so real you keep trying to sniff them. It's the latter y'all.
So I immediately ran over to Diane's Etsy store, DK Designs, and bought the above little arrangement with my most fave flower, the dahlia! I haven't received it yet and you wanna know why? Because Ms. Diane was on the Martha Stewart show yesterday making these clay flowers with Martha!!! How cool is that? On DK's blog she talks about how the Martha show found her and asked her to come on (all in the span of about 5 days!). So the piece I bought was apparently on the Martha show and I didn't get to catch it yesterday (Xanadu was on, remember?) but they are going to upload the segment to Martha's website today.

Here is where the obsessive collector thing in me comes in. So it's probably not plausible to have all your wedding flower table arrangements made out clay so you can keep them because the cost and time would be astronomical I'm sure (even though DK's creations are really reasonably priced I have to say) and where the hell would you store all those pieces? BUT, if you're an obsesso collector of things like me and you like to keep little things as memories you could have one of your arrangements made by DK Designs so you always remember them and have one of them with you! How cool! AND if you go to DK Design's website you will see the most fantastic thing...the bride's bouquet made out of clay! Eeeeeeeeeeee! How insanely neat-o is that??? I am one of those people who would obsess over not being able to keep my bouquet because it would sadly die and become brittle but this way, you always have it. And, they look amazing. Again, I am floored by this woman's work. Amazing.

(These bouquets are totally made out of clay! INSANE!)

{Etsy Seller} Enfin, La Voila!

2008-03-31T12:42:00.001-04:00

I thought today I would feature one of my favorite Etsy sellers, Enfin La Voila, who has just recently started to embrace the wedding world. I bought some beautiful cards from Marijke back in October and loved them. She lives in Belgium and of course that makes everything she does even more magical to me as all I think about is the endless amount of frites and cinnamon sugar pancake type things I shoved in my mouth while I was there (and yes, I have been there a few times and each time I ate more than the last).

I didn't realize she had started making wedding invitations and save-the-dates until one of my most favorite blogs, Etsy Wedding, featured her last month (read the Etsy Wedding feature here: Enfin La Voila: Hothouse Invitations). Well, I'm here to tell all you couples-to-be how lucky you are she jumped in the wedding game because her designs are magical, whimsical, curious, quirky, colorful, and just plain unique, offbeat, and different! Everything she designs can be customized. I urge you to visit Marijke's Etsy shop, Enfin La Voila, to see the rich color and incredible detail her designs implement as my uploaded pictures came out so compressed and small!

My favorites:

More Press!

2008-03-21T23:41:00.000-04:00

Layer Cake got written up in Super 8 Today magazine! I'm so excited that such a great magazine wrote about us. We are in the "Morning News" section at the beginning of the magazine and I had no idea we were even in there until someone at the film lab told me. It was a great write-up and I thank Super 8 Today magazine so much.

Check out the current issue of Super 8 Today to read about Layer Cake...and about some other amazing super 8 filmmakers! We are in the issue pictured below and I have to say I totally dig the covergirl and her cool stripey shirt, belt, and high-heeled boots. I wish I had the feet to wear those boots all day to shoot in.

Press Press Baby

2008-03-19T17:06:00.000-04:00

(Ya, the title should be sung to the tune of Ice Ice Baby. Ya, I'm that lame.)

Well, I am finally moved! That took forever. I have taken a day off to sleep...well, at least to sleep-in! Of course the first thing I did was go buy a TV Guide in my new area to see what time Judge Judy comes on here. A day without Judy is like a day without air for me. I love that woman. Did writing that just completely throw me deeper into the "I'm lame" category? Oh well, I can't help it. I have been addicted to Judge Judy for at least 7 years!

So, imagine my surprise and excitement when I got here and realized that Layer Cake got some great press while I was out traveling around looking for a place to live. We got written up on Bon Mariage, one of my favorite wedding blogs! I was so excited when the lovely Diana e-mailed me to let me know she had found our work and was featuring it on her blog. I had Bon Mariage as a link over there on my favorites list so I was uber-happy when she discovered Layer Cake. Read our great write-up here: Piece of Cake. I'm also really excited that a Washington DC event planner found us as I would love to shoot there more. DC is SO beautiful; I really like it there and can't wait to shoot there in April, during cherry blossom season (Eeeeeeee! That's my squeal of excitement for those who don't know me). It is going to be amazing...we can't wait!

Thanks Bon Mariage!

Two Days...

2008-03-11T18:27:00.000-04:00

I move in days!

I am so tired of packing but excited none-the-less! I'm looking forward to sharing Layer Cake Films with the other coast. Having the company on both coasts now is amazing. The people are all still wonderful but the venue's change so drastically! It's like shooting in different countries. California venue's always feel a little more urban and most of the time take place outdoors and so far all the east coast weddings we're doing are at lovely old mansions and plantations or huge government buildings with ginormous atriums! I so look forward to working on both coasts and experiencing the difference between the two firsthand.

I will be back in California so much this year that in a way it's almost like I'm not moving but just finding a new place to put my stuff! I can now officially call myself "bi-coastal"!

{Cool Vendor} D. Sharp - Paper Genius!

2008-03-07T05:58:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things about weddings back in the day was the prominence of the cake topper. This tradition, while still around, is not as important as it used to be. Granted, the cakes themselves have become the stars and they don't need any extra decoration for the most part. But the old school toppers were just adorable and in a lot of cases one of the only things people kept to remember their day (I have my Mom & Dad's safely tucked away...waiting to be prominently displayed in my office someday). Maybe my love of wedding cake toppers stems from the fact that they just look so vintage. They instantly make me think of the 1950's! And whenever I can think about anything vintage, combined with something that's been frosted, I'm good.

When I was in Seattle last summer shooting a wedding I came across an adorable cupcake bakery named Trophy Cupcakes. While I was there gorging myself unashamedly, I browsed through their little store and they were selling handmade paper trophies and tiara's that were just beautiful. I bought one of the trophies and if it wasn't packed away I would photograph it. It turns out this paper-genius who makes these little odds and ends is named D. Sharp. I loved her work so much I found her on the internet and discovered (happily) that not only does she have a lovely blog but that she also makes wedding cake finials and toppers! They are amazing! In fact, after I flipped through the new Martha Stewart Wedding Cakes book I saw they had a cake designed by D. Sharp in there (pictured below). It is adorable!

What I really love though are her cake finial pieces (some pictured below). They are so stunning. Like little pieces of cake art! She does custom toppers and I think they are well worth the money because her work, in person, is so detailed and precious.

I would love to have her make me a custom top for my wedding cake because I would of course save it after my hitching and put it inside a vintage dome to display in my office or home somewhere. Seriously, it makes me want to get married. And yes, I will do anything for cake and a custom cake topper...even get married. ;)

I think an important thing to remember is that her pieces are all made out of paper. All those little decorations on the cake from the Martha Stewart book are finely crafted pieces of paper. I find that amazing as I have never even been able to fold a paper airplane that flies.
All images are from D. Sharp's website. You should visit her blog too, it is sooooo inspiring!

Tattoo Flash as Save the Date Cards

2008-03-05T16:18:00.000-05:00

How cool is this? The lovely Jessica, whose wedding I shoot in Washington DC in April, sent me a copy of her Save the Date cards. They are based on and made to look like old school tattoo flash! I LOVE it! I am so in love with this idea (and yes, I Photoshopped out the date and her and her soon-to-be's last names...cause would you want your name plastered all over the internet?). I love tattoo's and just because you aren't completely inked up doesn't mean you can't love the art of the tatt. This is such a great way to show your personality and at the same time it is really sweet looking, kind of a little adorable and hardcore at the same time.

Smashing Pumpkins + Layer Cake = Pumpkin Cake?

2008-03-05T03:34:00.000-05:00

So here's some exciting news...a Layer Cake Films crew member and the Layer Cake super 8 camera's shot the new music video for the freshly relaunched Smashing Pumpkins! Cool huh? Yes, we remember the angst filled 90's, the great Siamese Dream album (that we of course owned) and our crush on Billy Corgan. Actually, I wonder if it is ever possible to get the song "Today" out of your head completely? Personally I adored the song "Disarm." What a great record. I also have that album cover etched into my brain forever as I worked at a record store when it came out. Well, Billy (and me) are all grown-up now. Despite all his rage, I wonder if he's still just a rat in a cage? (waaaa waaaa)

I can't wait to see the footage and the finished product! I'm sure it will be amazing. See, now you'll know when we shoot your wedding that those super 8 camera's are famous music video shootin' camera's. Now you'll be less than six degree's of separation from Billy Corgan...oooooh, cool!

Freshly Baked Blog

2008-03-04T04:54:00.000-05:00

Mmmmmm, what's that...? I smell blog...freshly baked blog! Hey y'all! The Layer Cake Films official blog is here! I've had a personal blog for almost a year now and I thought it was time to start one just for Layer Cake. Eventually my personal blog will morph into this one...I can't imagine being able to keep up with two blogs!

First I want to thank my lovely blog graphics designer: Leigh-Ann at Freckled Nest. She made the banner look like frosted cookies and for that I am forever grateful (yum, frosted cookies...). Secondly, I want to thank Joe over at Blog Help 911. Seriously, this blog would not look like this without him. He's genius! And so giving with his time...you'd think by now he'd have sent me a nasty e-mail saying, "There is nothing left to tweak...go to bed lady!" But, he has not and I think the two of them have enjoyed my to the miniscule-detail control issues when it comes to my websites. Thanks you two!

So, for this inaugural Layer Cake Films post I'm giving you my most favorite wedding picture ever. My parents! They were married in 1970 and I cannot tell you the amount of joy it gives me, every time I look at this photo, to see my Mom and the un-matching to her own hair color hair piece. Thirty-eight years and counting...how deliciously sweet!