Figuring out which of the 5000+ designs to choose for this shindig is always the biggest challenge, so I took my top 10 choices to a Facebook poll. This one won by a landslide… Because I have awesome friends. :)

Structure components: Plywood, threaded rods, and PVC pipe.

Cake components: Sweet potato cake, Grand Marnier orange curd, and brown butter Italian Meringue buttercream.

Decoration components: Rice cereal treats, homemade modeling chocolate, LMF, and wafer paper.

The event: A Halloween party, of course! Even the cake came in costume. :)

Other notes: The fringe took 12+ hours to paint, strip, and snip. I used Americolor airbrush paint to paint many very light layers on each side of white paper, then let it dry before cutting it into strips. Thank jibbers for fringe scissors. Best. Investment. Ever. Everything else came together relatively quickly over the course of about 4 days.

For some reason, I often find myself at events where the guests enthusiastically request that the cake be beheaded before service. This party was no exception. What can I say? I run with pirates and theatre people… Both have a flare for the dramatic.

Alas, poor “Pierre.” I knew him, well.