Valentine's Story: A Romantic Day at Home

For this shoot, Apryl Ann and I wanted to eschew the Valentine's Day cheese for a minute (just for a minute, obviously,) and create a romantic shoot inspired by real, intimate moments at home, without all the fuss and the pink. Nothing is as romantic as cooking together or lazy Sundays in bed, and that's where we pulled our inspiration. Apryl's aesthetic is already so naturalistic-ly romantic and she vividly captured the true feeling of romantic intimacy in this shoot. We were so fortunate to shoot this beautiful real-life couple in their gorgeous home. It's like my pinterest dream home come to life.

100 Layer Cake featured this shoot the week of Valentine's Day, and you can see more on their site.

 

 

 

For the cake, I wanted to create something simple that anyone could make, but also do something completely different. I love to draw inspiration from other talented creatives, and was completely in awe of the deconstructed mandalas that the incredibly talented Design Love Fest and Moon Canyon collaborated on some months ago. I'd never seen anything like that, and it stuck with me - I kept thinking how cool it would be to do something similar but with a cake as canvas. It took much longer than I anticipated, plucking little petals and leaves apart, but it was a very peaceful, meditative process. The careful application reminded me of painting. I'd love to do this on a grand scale for a wedding cake or collection of cakes. (Hint Hint...)
  

 My newest recipe is this strawberry cake! No harsh dyes, just all fresh, roasted berries.

 All photos by Apryl Ann Photography.

Concept: Apryl Ann
Styling + Design: Apryl Ann and Cakewalk Bake Shop
Cake: Cakewalk Bake Shop
Props: West Elm