Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the Wilton Mom ReTreat held at the Wilton Headquarters in Bolingbrook, IL. We stayed at the Aloft, a fabulous, upbeat hotel. Here are some photos of my cute, loft inspired room.

Who can resist the hotel bathroom photos?

During the ReTreat, we enjoyed complimentary breakfast at the hotel, lunches catered by Panera and Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and dinners at Francesca’s at The Promenade and Rosebud where tired me accidentally ordered a whole chicken. Luckily, this was a local event, so I saved the leftovers for Greg! I hate wasting food!

At the Wilton Headquarters, I was able to get my hands on new Wilton products as well as products I haven’t worked with before. Our first day at the Wilton offices, we were able to work with the decorators and product managers who developed Punch. Cut. Decorate!, a new Wilton product line that went public April 15th.

Punch. Cut. Decorate! features Sugar Sheets Edible Decorating Paper, punches and cutting tools that make it easy to create cake decorations much like scrapbooking! This new line of decorating tools are suitable for extry level or professional cake decorators. The Sugar Sheets are flexible enough to modify in shapes, but you must keep them covered and work with them fast, as they start to dry out. My cake is an example of the elegance that can be achieve using the Sugar Sheets and cutting tools. It’s a little messy, since it was my first try.

In May, Wilton’s new Sugar Sheets and Punch. Cut. Decorate! product line will be available for purchase. Wilton will sell single sheets for $4 in 21 different styles, patterns, colors, fonts, and numbers along with 25 cutting and punching tools.

On our second day at the Wilton offices, I participated in a tiered cake decorating activity. Using fondant and cutting tools and punches, we were able to rock this cake! It actually came out better than I expected *giggle*.

I made the little flowers on the 3rd tier :).

We also had a chance to decorate cookies using the Color Flow technique.

My Color Flow attempt. I don’t outline very well, do I?

Had I not had these one-on-one workshops, I’d be totally afraid to even attempt using Color Flow, fondant, and the Punch. Cut. Decorate! line! I now realize how easy it is for an ordinary mom like me to decorate better than some bakeries. As a mom with the deep desire to be remembered by the memories I create in the kitchen, I am excited more than words can express to have had the opportunity to work closely with with Wilton during this ReTreat!

Jenn of MommaDandDaBoyz, Caryn of Rockin’ Mama, Me,
Jennifer of MomSpotted, Emilie of Baby Loving Mama, Tanya of Mommy Goggles

I’m inspired and even so courageous as to attempt this insanely cute Dinosaur Cake for Jayden’s 3rd birthday!

Are you an avid baker? What are some of your favorites things to bake? What baking/decorating techniques are you dying to learn?

© Sophistishe 2011 | Permalink | 20 comments - Let's chat!

March 19th, 2010 was the day that I attended the Dyson Domestic Engineers event held at the Dyson headquarters in Chicago. This was no ordinary event. It was very casual, like hanging out with the girls. We took a tour of the headquarters, had lunch, and talked about our current vacuums and what we’d like to see in future vacuum models. She has a Kirby. I didn’t know those were still on the market. She names every single one of her appliances. Can you believe she has a fridge named Franny?

After lunch, we broke off in to groups where we pretended to be Dyson engineers. Much like Dyson engineers, we started with a problem and worked towards a solution. We had to build a prototype device using cardboard that would serve as a spider catching device. The goal was to catch the spider without harming it. It was so much fun sharing our ideas, crafting, and getting a good laugh at the outcome.

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. – Thomas Edison

We also had a chance to test drive some vacuums; both Dyson and other brands. We even did an activity where we assembled both a Dyson and a Bissell. The goal was to see how easy it was to assemble a Dyson. Dyson won.

To conclude our day, we were told that we’d be sent some cool Dyson toys (like this) for both us and our kiddos. We then, hopped in cabs and headed over to The Drake where we were graced by a harpist, afternoon tea, and miniature sandwiches and sweet treats. She had a hilarious faux pas straining her tea. It was a pretty awesome day.

More photos on Flickr…

© Sophistishe 2010 | Permalink | 2 comments - Let's chat!

I love smoothies.

I love discovering yummy products that are beneficial to my family’s health.

I love getting behind a company that seamlessly fits into our lifestyle.

Let me introduce you to Sweetbird.

Why Sweetbird Rocks

Sweetbird offers a range of 100% fruit smoothies made using freshly crushed fruit puree and a splash of green tea to boost the antioxidant levels. All of the Sweetbird Smoothies and products are free from high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives and genetically modified ingredients. Their fruit is ethically sourced and the smoothies are all vegetarian and vegan certified. Who can ask for anything more?

We were hooked up with a generous supply of Sweetbird’s 100% Fruit Smoothies. Let.me.tell.you. Greg, Jayden, and I are borderline addicted. There’s nothing else to be said except YOU HAVE TO TRY THEM!

The Sweetbird is surfin’ all the way from the United Kingdom to make his debut in the United States. This weekend, the ‘lil guy will be show stoppin’ in Nashville, TN on February 4th during Blissdom and in Valparaiso, Indiana February 6th.

You’re Invited

Where?
Uptown Cafe
1400 E Lincolnway
Valparaiso, IN 46383

and

Twitter via the #SweetbirdUSA hashtag.

When?
Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 6pm CST

Join us in Valpo for an exclusive tasting of Sweetbird products along with fabulous giveaways! If you are not in the area, no worries! Simply join us on Twitter!

Whether you’ll be joining us at the Uptown Cafe in Valparaiso, IN or via Twitter, RSVP here! We’d love to party with you!

Everyone who joins us at the Uptown Cafe will receive a FREE 6 pack of ready-to-drink Sweetbird Smoothies!

Party Prep

Follow @sheenatatum (me) on Twitter.
Follow @SweetbirdUSA on Twitter.
Follow @UptownCafe on Twitter.
Follow hashtag #SweetbirdUSA on Twitter.
RSVP via Cal Tweet.

Mmm.

FYI: I was asked by friends to help with promoting the Sweetbird brand. One of the friends distributes the product. Since I absolutely love my friends and what Sweetbird is doing, I agreed. It evolved into a Twitter party and an event held at the Uptown Cafe in Valpo. This is the start of an ongoing relationship. I wasn’t approached by the brand or compensated in any way. I did receive free smoothies from the event and I do not consider that compensation.

© Sophistishe 2010 | Permalink | 1 comment - Let's chat!