Picking Up The Pieces

Howdy there!

Yup, I'm backkkkk :-P After such a long time being away from blogging, I've decided that it's time for me to pick up the pieces & move on...

In case you've missed reading my earlier post, just let me give you a run-down of what had happened to me...

I was actually in the midst of compiling my blog's post when one of the worst thing that could happen, happened to me! *sobsss* Believe it or not, for the second time, technology has again beaten me down! My hard disk went berserk - AGAIN! I totally went crazy when it happened as all my data was completely kaput :-( Tried as I might ( I even went to a data recovery company! ), nothing could be retrieved from my hard disk *wailing loudly!* Yes, I still cry whenever I think of all the goodies photo that I've lost :-( Not only that, I even lost all my 'once in a lifetime' photos of my family...Everything is just gone!

Which brings back to the reason on why I was away from the blogging world...I just wasn't able to post anything :-( Couldn't imagine writing up of a post without my goodies photo to accompany it. I'm sure no one would enjoy reading a post without photos, rite? I mean, how boringggggggggggg would that be!

Any way, fret not as I've found a solution to my dilemma ;-) Yup! I've decided to continue updating this blog of mine with my usual goodies news :-) Where would I get all the lost photos from, you might ask? Well, obviously I can't do so...but thanks to the support of my sweet & understanding customers, I'm able to share some photos of my goodies which they so willingly send to me when they heard of my incident :-) Yeayyyyyyyy! Now at least I have some photos to share with you here ;-) Thanks so much dearies for sharing some of your personal photos with me. I am sooooooo grateful! Gee, I really have the best customers a.k.a goodies lovers ever! Muahhhhhhsss!

Now, let's start this post with the goodies I've made for dear Ms. Halifah a few months back...A set of birthday cupcakes ordered by Halifah to celebrate her mum's birthday :-)

Red Velvet Cupcakes With Pastel Color Theme

Can't Get Over How Sweet This Photo Is! What a Loving Couple ♡

Halifah & Her Loved Ones Celebrating Her Mum's Birthday

Halifah dearie, thanks so much for being so kind in sharing your photos...I definitely wouldn't be able to update my blog if not for these photos of yours :-) Big hugs to you sweetie!

That's it for now folks...Till my next post ( with photos I hope! ), sending much love to all & thanks for reading my ramblings ✗o✗o

Not Again!

Photo Taken From The Wide World Of Web

Blueghhhhhhhh!

I'm sure those of you who might be following this blog of mine would notice that I've been AWOL for quite some time :-( Not that I intentionally wanted to but guess what??!!!! My hard disk crashed AGAIN ( !! ) & together with it is all my goodies photos that have yet to be uploaded *sobs*

Photo Taken From The Wide World Of Web

Basically, I'm not able to post anything on this blog as I've no photos of my goodies to add/share with my post :-( Just continue writing up a post?...Now, who would want to read a post without looking at any photos, right? Boringgggggggggggg!

Photo Taken From The Wide World Of Web

Sigh! I guess it's official now that technology & I DEFINITELY can't get along! After my last horrifying experience where my laptop crashed & 'swallowed up' ALL my data, I've decided to invest a good amount of money on a well branded external drive. This with the intention of making sure that my data will be stored & saved properly, without the chance of it ever being lost again. I just can't bear losing my data - it being all my business documents ( my costings, quotations, sales records...yada...yada...yada...) & most important of them all, my life's photos...

Photo Taken From The Wide World Of Web

Yet, after all the investment & taking good care of my new hard disk, what happened?!! Of all the worst thing that could happen to me, my 'paid-much-but-didn't-help' branded hard disk ( which was supposed to be my safety net! ) went bonkers on me! It simply abandoned me & crash! Erghhhhhhhh!!

Photo Taken From The Wide World Of Web

It's really upsetting that I've lost my data but losing my photos are the worst! Seriously, it's like my history are all wiped clean! All ( yes, all! ) my photos are gone! Photo of families, friends, not to mention photos of my goodies - kaput! *excuse me while I go to a corner & cry my eyes out*

Photo Taken From The Wide World Of Web

Haihhhh! I'm still not over losing all my data & photos :'( But I thought I'll let you know on why I'm being off radar here. Wouldn't want you thinking I've abandoned this blog...

Hhhmmm...Nothing much for me to do other than to start all over again from square one, right? Give me some time & I'll definitely be back with some new posts & hopefully more goodies photos to share ;-)

To my previous customers that I'm not able to share your goodies photo on my blog due to my dang hard disk, my sincere apology dearies. I will try my best to post something should I happen to bump into any of your goodies photo on my facebook @ mobile camera. Oh! If you happen to snapped photos of your goodies, I hope you don't mind sharing it with me ;-) Please send your photos to my email - ritzpassion@yahoo.com.  I would really love to blog about your goodies :-)

Much love to all & many thanks for sticking by me ✗o✗o

Happy Birthday Ritz Passion!

Photo Taken From The Wide World Of Web

OMG! I just realized today is Ritz Passion's 3rd Birthday! 

I'm over the moon with happiness & I only have you ( yes, YOU! ) for bringing me so much joy with all the love & support you've showered me throughout this journey of mine. I am forever grateful!

My sincerest of thanks to my dearest family, friends, customers, suppliers, followers ( from my Facebook page @ Twitter ) and every one of you who has stood by me & believing in this dream of mine...I honestly couldn't have done it without YOU!

Sending all my love your way, now & always! ✗o✗o



P/S : Putting my celebration to a later time as right now I'm rushing a last minute fancy cookies order ( due tomorrow! )....Erkkkk!

Cream...Oh! Cream...

Erkkk! Just the mere mention of decorating a cake with butter cream or any kind of cream is enough to make me cringe & hyper-ventilate! *panting*

Cream cake decoration has never been my forte & I'm sure those of you who follows my work will definitely agree to it *super blush!* Yes, I suck at cream cake deco! :-P I seriously can't phantom how other cake decorator managed to have a smooth looking cream deco on their cakes. Tried as I might, I can never get it smooth enough to satisfy my OCD self! Honest to goodness, I REALLY fail ( major fail! ) at cream cake decoration :-( So what a 'lil novice me to do?....Yup, I cheat! :-P Since I can never get a smooth looking cream deco on my cakes, my solution to this problem of mine is to cheat my way into making other cream deco design *giggles*

That's exactly what I did with Roe's Nuts 'bout Nutella cake order :-P It was a last minute order & I wasn't given the the luxury to think up of a good design...Instead, I had to short-cut my way around *blush* For Roe's cake, I decided to take a chance & try my hands with petal design...A huge risk indeed as I've never tried it before *erkkkkkkk!*

Get ready...Here's the outcome of my first try at petal design :-P

Tadaaa! My First Try At Petal Effect Design :-P

Nuts 'Bout Nutella Cake With Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I was so worried about the outcome of the cake as I didn't really think that I've done a great job with it...Much more so when it was my first time trying my hands on such design. So, it came as a huge surprise when I received such a message from dear Roe...

"Darlingggg we loveeee the deco! So soft so sweet so cantik!!!

Translation:-

"Darlingggg we loveeee the deco! So soft so sweet so beautiful!!!

Being so surprised by Roe's feedback ( plus I'm a bit of a mushy person), I honestly cried when I read her message...Thank you Roe! It means a lot to me reading such encouraging message :-) My sincere thanks to you for your continuous support all these years. Hugsssssssss!!

I also would like to take this opportunity to thank all my goodies lovers & YOU for all the love & encouragement that you've showered me through-out my cake making experience. Being a novice, each & every one of your feedback & comment is a huge encouragement to me :-) Extra special thanks to all of you who took the time to visit this blog of mine :-) Every visit means the world to me! Thank you & much love to YOU ♥♥♥

Let's Go To The Zoo

Sweaty palms...heart beating fast...and major jitters! That probably sums up my panicky state each time I received goodies order, especially if it's for a cake order! Ha! Ha! I know it sounds weird but it is true! *scout's honor* I seriously do go thru all those phases whenever I received cake orders :-P Guess it must be due to the fact that I'm so much a novice in this cake deco thingy. It's safe to say that my cake deco knowledge/capability practically consist of being able to bake a decent cake & frosting it, which that too is something I'm still struggling to perfected! *chuckles*

Imagine then how I felt when dear Dr. Izaza called me up & requested for a zoo theme birthday cake for her daughter's birthday. And she wants her cake to be decorated with buttercream, not fondant. Why, of course my panic went to hyper-drive mode!

After much effort in calming myself down & putting my panic aside, I suddenly came up with a fun idea...Why not if I make a cake that can be consumed & at the same time lavished with fun toys for the birthday girl to play with :-) That should be fun for a 2 year old girl, rite?

After getting some rough idea on how I want my cake to be, I immediately head out to my local malls & went in search of all the fun 'things' I could put on the zoo themed cake. I was in luck as I came across several cute animal thumb puppets in one of the party supplier shop :-P The toys are just super cute, even I had trouble choosing them!

I was so excited about the toys that the moment I reached home, I immediately gave the toys a good 'bath'. Yes, that's my OCD taking over :-P I just can't bear the thought of things being put on my goodies without a good clean wash! And it have to be washed twice or more until I'm fully satisfied! Ha! Ha! Now you know why my honey bunny says I'm beyond OCD! *blush*

Well, enough yapping...Here's my 'fun' zoo theme cake, specially created for the birthday girl, Damia :-)

Zoo Themed Birthday Cake

Red Velvet With Lemon Cream Cheese Cake & Animal Toys Deco

Having A Go At Making My First Stand-Up

Fondant Signage & Alphabets :-P

Feeling as panicky as I was making this cake, I somehow took a chance & created a few new things ( new to me that is! ) like making my first stand-up fondant signage & alphabets :-P By the time I'm done with the cake, I was pretty happy with how it turned out. The cake did look like a 'fun' cake, just the way I intended it to be :-)

To Dr. Izaza, my sincere thanks to you for choosing Ritz Passion's goodies to grace your daughter's special day. It was indeed an honor to be a part of Damia's birthday celebration. Much thanks as well for your sweet message that you've sent to me. Appreciate it dearly!

I'm sharing Dr. Izaza's sweet message:-

"Wow! That beautiful...Thankz a lot my dear!!"

Auwww...That's enough to warm my heart :-)

Thanks all for dropping by my blog & reading my ramblings :-) I'm off to update my next post...Yup! I still have tonnes of it waiting in my draft box! :-P

Much love to all ✗o✗o

Family Tree Cupcakes

With ribbons & cake boards strewn around me and not to mention me being surrounded with cupcakes & cupcakes toppers, it was a 'lil bit like being in one of those 'DC Cupcakes' episodes :-P Auwww...come on, a girl can dream, rite? ;-)

Urrmmm...As you can surely notice ( by looking at the date on the cupcakes ), this is definitely a much...much...MUCH backdated post! Ngeeeeeeeeeeee! Am soooooo guilty of 'neglecting' my blog :-( Well, to be honest, I don't mean to do so but busy baker me was sort of 'buried' in the kitchen under tonnes of flour these last few weeks ( or should I say months! ) and couldn't get to my lap-top fast enough to update my blog. Am soooo guilty! *sad face*

Anyway, this unique looking cupcakes was the brainchild of Ms. Tanti, a dear friend & loyal customer of mine :-) She wanted to do something different to celebrate her daughter's 1st birthday & came up with a family tree theme. What she didn't tell me was how to go about doing it *eekkkkkkkkkk!!* All I got from her was a rough idea on how she wants it to be ( plus a drawing of her family tree ) & the rest, as she sweetly say to me, 'I'll leave it up to you'...*oh dear...oh dear*

After much figuring around & some wild imagination, I finally came up with an idea of making a simple yet sweet family tree birthday cupcakes for little Ms.Tya ( that's the name of Tanti's daughter ) :-P

Tya's Pink & White Theme Family Tree Cupcakes

Ain't She The Cutest? Yup, That's Tya, The Birthday Girl

Vanilla & Choc Chips Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Truthfully, the cupcakes set was quite HUGE! I could see from the look Tanti gave me when she picked up her goodies, that even she didn't expect it to be that huge *giggles*

I had to admit that it was really fun doing this project...It sort of give me a glimpse of what it would be like being in those 'DC Cupcakes' episodes...Ha! Ha! Yea...yea...Me & my dream world! *blush* On a serious note, I sincerely would like to thank Tanti & her family for trusting me to come up with such a unique goodies for dear cute Tya's birthday. It was indeed an honor to be a part of her special day :-)

Tanti, thank you for always being there to support me & this new found passion of mine. Big hugs to you sweetie!

Here's a sweet message that Tanti took the time sending to me :-)

"Sedap flavor tu! Suka sangat. Choc chips pun byk ;)"

Translation:-

"The flavor is delicious! Love it. The choc chips are extra as well ;)"

Till my next post ( which I hope to be soon! ), sending much love to all ✗o✗o

Sweet Pink & White Wedding Cupcakes

Errrkkkkkk! I'm definitely lagging in my blog's post! Tonnes to update but time wasn't being a friend to me of late :-( Yup! Million things to do & not enough time to do it, especially when it comes to updating my blog *bummer* What's a girl to do then? Yupppp! Stay up late at this hour and just hope that her brain could function long enough to type up some tangible words here :-P

Okay, no time to babble...I'm such a chatter-box & once I start babbling, trust me, it's so hard for me to stop! Best if I just type on & concentrate on updating this post of mine :-P

I recently had the honor of making these wedding cupcakes for dear Ms. Masni from Kuala Lumpur. Her order actually came in during one of my crazy baking time & at first I was worried that I couldn't come up with her goodies on time. Luckily for me, Masni was willing to work out her timetable and gave me some extra time to work on her goodies. She even agreed to collect her goodies at night time :-P Yup! For a novice baker like me, who's still struggling to find her footing when it comes to preparing goodies, every little second means a lot! So yes, those extra time Masni gave me, means the world to me! :-)

Here's a peep on the goodies that I've created for Masni...Apologize for the not so clear photos as it was taken during night time & the lighting didn't really help :-( Plus, the photo was taken using one of my 'not-so-fancy' camera as my 'fancier' camera was actually half way across the country with hubby dearly who was on a business trip :-P 

Pink & White Themed Wedding Cupcakes

Chocolate Moist Cupcakes With Chocolate Ganache & Fondant Deco

My Impromptu 'Create-My-Own-Flower' :-P

To my dear Masni, my sincere thanks to you for giving me the opportunity to create your goodies...Most of all, thank you for your understanding, patience & support! Appreciate it dearly :-) Much love to you dear...

Uh-uh! Think my brain's half asleep now coz suddenly I'm running out of idea! Can't even think straight now :-P Guess I better get my beauty sleep. Wouldn't want to wake up and being a grouchy hag later :-P

Thanks all for reading thru my ramblings :-) Wishing all a nighty nite & sweet dreams...Till my next post, hugs to each & every one! ✗o✗o

♥Spreading Love With A Giveaway♥ Winner

Image Taken From The Wide World Of Web

Yeayyyyyyy! It's time to announce the winner of Ritz Passion's ♥Spreading Love With A Giveaway♥...

I don't know about you but I've been pretty excited about this moment :-) Okay, before I announce the winner ( Yeah! I'm building up a little suspense here *wink* ), I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has entered my ♥Spreading Love With A Giveaway♥ contest...The response for the giveaway contest has been overwhelming & from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! Thank you so much for the support, encouragement & most of all for the love you have showered Ritz Passion with! *hugs*

Okay...Okay...I can practically hear you saying "Enough with the babbling...Announce the winner already!" :-P So here goes....

The winning entry for the giveaway contest:

'I love Ritz Passion because as the name itself suggested, she passionately baked the cakes wholeheartedly and that is why her cakes & cuppies are so bold & beautiful!'

The winner:

Lila Hadi

Congratulations Lila!! I'm so looking forward to share some of my favorite stuffs with you :-)

Truth be told, when I came up with the giveaway contest, I didn't expect to receive so many responses for this contest & yet, I did received tonnes of it! I am indeed thankful for each one of the entries & each entries will always have a special place in my heart ♥♥♥ As my token of appreciation, to all of you who have entered the contest but did not win, here's a surprise - I'm giving each one of you a one time 10% discount for your next purchase of Ritz Passion's goodies! Surpriseeeeee! Now everyone wins some :-)

It was indeed an honor sharing my love with all my goodies lovers...To everyone who has entered my ♥Spreading Love With A Giveaway♥, a HUGE THANK YOU to you!

Much love to all, always! ✗o✗o

Love Is In The Air

Love is definitely in the air these days...It's the season for love, engagements & weddings :-) To be a part of this is definitely an honor, much more so when I get to share my goodies with those celebrating this season of love :-)

Made these wedding cupcakes for dear Nana, whom ordered it all the way from Kelang ( some 1 hour away from my place )...It's a set of Orange Poppy Seeds cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese frosting & Damask theme deco :-)

Brown & White Damask Theme Wedding Cupcakes

Orange Poppy Seeds Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

I have to admit that I'm loving the color theme & the damask pattern - it has a sort of classic look to it :-) Something quite different from those I've normally done before...Hhmmm, I think I might just do something like this again in the near future ;-)

Much thanks to Nana for choosing my goodies to grace her occasion & my sincere gratitude to her for giving me the opportunity to create her special cupcakes :-) Thanks so much Nana!

I'm off to make another set of wedding cupcakes now...Ahhh! Don't you just love it when you get to create your goodies to commemorate special occasions like weddings @ engagements? I do! *mushy moments!*

Till my next post, much love & big hugs to every one ✗o✗o

Angry Birds Cupcakes

I've always loved it when any of my BFFs calls me up & request that I do special goodies for them :-) Not only do I get to make goodies for my loved ones but it's usually my excuse to try my hands on certain deco that I dare not try on my other customer's goodies :-P I mean, with my BFFs, I know they'll forgive me should I make a beginner's boo-boo :-P ( Note to my BFFs - I love you gals so much! )

So when one of my BFFs, Mona, called me up & requested for some goodies, obviously I was excited about making some for her...that is until I heard what she had in mind! Being one of my closest friend, Mona had always supported me with this passion of mine. One of her way to show me her support is by always challenging me to come up with various design on all her goodies order ( much to my dismay! ). Oh yes! She does love to challenge me! I still remember how my legs practically wobbled when she requested for a Dibo cake. Yup! That was my very first try at making figurines. My very first time ever!

Now she's giving me another challenge! A set of Angry Birds cupcakes...Erkkkkk! Seriously, when I heard what Mona had in mind for her order, it was like a bomb exploded in my brain! Oh no! I'm not being a drama queen...I'm being serious! :-P It may not seem like a biggie for most of the professional bakers out there, but for novice me ( who's still struggling with fondant deco, especially! ),  it IS a biggie! *nail biting*

After my last feat at making an Angry Birds cake, I wasn't too sure if I'm really ready to make a whole set of Angry Birds cupcakes. I mean, making two or three Angry Birds might be something I could brave through, but to make 25 pieces of Angry Birds cupcakes?!! Oh dear! Oh dear!

As usual, being the supportive friend ever, Mona urged me on & thanks to her, I finally managed to find a 'lil bit of courage & agreed to take her order :-P

Here's my version of the Angry Birds cupcakes...Errr, don't laugh when you're looking through the photos 'kay *blush* The Angry Birds faces are all based on the research I did on the internet :-P Yup! Till now I didn't manage to play the game! Can you believe that? *chuckles*

Angry Birds Cupcakes :-)

Orange Poppy Seeds Cupcakes & Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

With Angry Birds Theme

Red Bird

Blue Bird

Black Bird

Yellow Bird

White Bird

The Angry Birds Nicely Tucked In A Box Ready For Delivery :-)

Together with her Angry Birds cupcakes, Mona also ordered her favorite cake - Oreo Cheesecake :-)

Oreo Cheesecake

As tense as I was when I first received Mona's order, I really have to admit that I actually enjoyed every part of creating her goodies. Truthfully, I even find it quite therapeutic making those Angry Birds faces :-)

Mona dear, thank you so much for the opportunity you've given me...For the confidence you seemed to always have in me...I definitely wouldn't be where I am now if not for the love & support ( and of course all those challenges! ) that you've given me :-) Thank you sweetie!

To the rest, I hope you've enjoyed looking at my creations :-) Thank you for dropping by & much love to you ♥♥♥