Bittersweet

Tonight I enjoyed a wonderful dinner with a dozen wonderful family and friends. Unfortunately, the occasion was kind of bittersweet; it was the last time we would see my son and daughter-in-law before they move to Michigan next week.

My son has worked long and hard to earn his PhD in Mathematics, and his efforts have finally begun to pay off with a wonderful post-doctorate assignment at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. So over the next 3 years, I expect I’ll become familiar with the airport in Detroit! I’m so happy for him, and happy for them to begin a new life together. But still sad. Kinda weepy right now, as a matter of fact.

Anyhow, all occasions must be appropriately marked with a card and a cake. I made the card using the Clean & Simple Fall To Layout #54. I actually made it last weekend, but couldn’t show it until tonight, because my sweet DIL reads my blog! Again, sorry for the lousy scanned photo, but I waited until there was no natural light to take a picture.

This is a simple one-layer card that uses the stamp set New Home, available on sale right now at i {heart} papers. I rounded the corners of the card, and also rounded the corners of a piece of leftover acrylic packaging to trace around for the border, which I drew with a Copic Multiliner. The image was colored with Copic markers.

Oh, and the cake. I must say that this was my favorite cake I’ve made so far, at least taste-wise. I think this might be my signature cake from now on.

This little beauty is a dark chocolate fudge cake topped with chocolate ganache. It’s filled with seedless raspberry jam and whipped ganache. The swirls on top are more whipped ganache, topped with fresh, big, fat raspberries. And the whole thing is surrounded with more whipped ganache and chocolate-filled wafer cookies. OMG, it was to die for! 6 million calories per serving, but well worth it.

Anyhow, I have an ungodly chocolate mess to clean up in my kitchen right now. And a date with some Pepcid Complete — too much good food and good wine!