On Mother’s Day of this year my Grandmother passed away and because I had obligations to make a wedding cake for one of our clients, I was unable to attend her funeral. So I found myself doing what I do best…….caking in honor of my Grandmother’s memory.
My Grandmother was a beautiful lady full of life and I wanted to tell a part of her story in cake. I remember as a child visting her for the summers in upstate New York, she had a beautiful sunroom my Grandfather had built for her and she and I would spend hours sitting in this room and bird watching. She had a book and we would write down the dates and times that we had found a bird. I was always amazed that even before we could see the birds with our eyes, Grandma would know what bird was just around the corner simply by hearing their harmonous songs.
Over the years and as she grew older Grandma stopped searching for the birds and became trapped in her home, scared of the things outside of her house. In January of this year all 3 generations of the Kosmic family took a long drive from Texas to New York to see her. My mom, daughter and myself all saw the same beautiful and quick witted lady we’ve always know, but it saddened me to see the screws that had been drilled into the windows to insure the outside world couldn’t get in.
I wanted the songs of the birds to be heard and seen in her cake. I chose a calming blue trimmed in antique gold. The hot air balloon was hand drawn and painted with gels and petal dust. I still imagine her in my dreams floating and traveling in this wonderous balloon. Instead of your usual balloon basket, I drew a bird captured in a cage and if you look above there is now a bird with her golden wings that has flown out of the cage and is finally free. This is my tribute of my Grandmother and how I choose to remember her and the amazing memories she has left me with. I was left her bird binoculars and those same bird books we wrote the dates in and plan on passing on these same memories with my own daughter.

It was never my intention to place or win any awards at OSSAS for her cake ~ All I wanted to do was share her story and what Grandma meant to me. Even more important than the cake taking 3rd place in Adult Semi Pro tiered non wedding, the Tulsa News printed a picture of my Grandmothers cake in their paper…….I just wanted it to be seen and her story to live on through something beautiful.

As always thank you for allowing me to share <3