Well that got my mother off my back for a while...

While we're on the topic of Avery, she got herself a baby brother! And I got to go home for the baby shower. The theme was sports (just like the nursery) with an emphasis on soccer. So I wanted to figure out how to work this into the cake for the shower. 

Unfortunately, there are limitations to what I can do if I have to travel. When I've flown in for the cake, I shipped as much as I could beforehand because I figure fondant looks remarkably similar to C4 and my gigantic rolling pin is considered a weapon. When I've driven, I've just packed everything along with me. This one was driving in, but the last leg of the drive through New Mexico with Avery. So taking much cake stuff wasn't an option. Plus, we were arriving the day before the shower without a lot of prep time for me. I usually get at least two working days before the cake needs to be finished. So cupcakes it was. 

I made fondant sports balls weeks ahead of time:

Seriously, check out the textures on those bad boys! The baseball was the easiest, circle cutter and food color pen. I used a small tip to dimple the basketball (like I've done before) then drew in the lines. The football and soccer ball are tied for which was the biggest pain in my rear. I used one of my clay tools to make all the lines on the soccer ball by tracing over a printed ball, but such a pain! And I cut out fondant for the stripes and the laces on the football. I think the laces were the worse cause they were tiny!

I had this grand scheme to use a grass tip for the frosting, but July shower in Texas plus fussy cream cheese frosting added up to just making a swirl.  And oh green tongues!

Cake is red velvet (my secret weapon) and frosting is the afore-mentioned cream cheese.

And Mr. Cade showed up not too long after this:

 Check out his awesome onsie someone got him: