Summer's Last Hurrah

How is it possible that Labor Day has already come and gone?  I am not ready for summer to be over!  I've only been to the beach once this season, and the mountains none at all.  *sigh*  The mountains are prettier in the fall anyway, maybe I should plan a mini-vacay soon.  Hmm, perhaps squeeze it in before I succumb and start my Christmas shopping.  (I see you giving me that death stare.  Start planning now, save some of your sanity three months down the road.  Trust me!)

Well, in honor of summer's last gasp, I've got some cakes to share with you.  Some of them exude a summertime vibe - like this tiki themed one:

Complete with tiki heads made from (clean, empty) soup cans!  Am I a genius or what?  Yes, the tiki's were not edible, but everything else was, including the hula skirt, seashells, and hibiscus flowers.

And this pair of florally festooned cakes:

The flowers are simplified violets on an ivory buttercream base.  Pretty, no?

Maybe these bright zebra striped sugar cookies?

To be honest, they gave me a bit of an '80s vibe...though I think it was more the choice of colors than the design.  And, yes, the colors were my choice, not the client's; traditional black and white zebra striped cookies were ordered, I just had a few extra on hand and decided to play a bit.

Also, of course, these sports themed cupcakes:

Sports of all kinds are pretty well ubiquitous with summer - particularly baseball and soccer.  Football is more of a fall sport, but can I get an "amen" that is has made its return?!  Oh, how I've missed college football.  Go Pokes!

These last few cakes aren't necessarily summertime, or really inclined toward any season at all, but they are still worth sharing.

A Bieber fever cake, using an edible image:

An army themed cake, using buttercream in different colors for the camo, and fondant for the dog tags and soldier silhouette:

And, a good luck cake for those both coming and going:

Pretty good sentiment to end on, I'd say.

Talk to you soon!