Dude, it's Elmo's World; we just live in it. Will and his wife Liliana are out-n-proud geeks who live in Fort Worth with their two daughters. On their family website, Will has documented a bunch of his different projects: the sweet-looking crib he made before his first kid was born [tip: don't use poplar]; the matching changing table; the hand-painted nurseryscape [not my style, but very well done. I DO want a hammock to store stuffed animals in, though. That's brilliant.]; his vintage arcade game emulators [geek, remember?]; a font based on the Halo logo.
But the most stunning achivements are also the most transitory: the couples' elaborately sculptured cakes. These cakes raise the bar on birthday cakes even without all the motorized features.
One kid's first birthday cake was a present factory run by little Sculpey animals. The Ariel cake was going to have real water and bubbles on it, but the plexi bowed too much. The animatronic, piano-playing Elmo cake, however, turned out just great. The fish had a cake in her bowl; the furniture was MDF, except for the airbrushed piano, which was cake. And the Elmo-sized cake, which was also cake.
See the making of--and the eating of--photos at WillyLiliana.com [willyliliana.com]
Previously: Custom Cakes, $350 and up; Newshour-themed cake
So, how's that crib of yours coming.......
posted by: JJ Daddy Baby Momma at August 6, 2006 6:36 PMha ha! snap!
(That's something the kids say, right? I have no idea if I used it correctly)
I was just thinking about that the other day, Greg. Whatever happened with that?
{it's still sitting in the woodshop, waiting for me to have two days to rub together and have it photographed--oh yeah, and delivered. This week maybe it, stay tuned. -ed.]
posted by: Kaz at August 6, 2006 8:40 PMOkay, let me preface by saying that I think I'm just jealous of them, but . . .
Who ARE these people and how do they have the FREAKING TIME to do all of this crazy crafty stuff, all the while working jobs and making sure their children are alive and fed at the end of the day?!?!?
Seriously, I must doing something wrong in the time management arena.
Man, and I thought my mom was cool for baking a cake in a bowl and turning it upside down to make a ladybug! Who knew I should have requested that that ladybug be resting on a flower and have antenna that swirled around and glitter everywhere with a woodland scene backdrop!! Those people are crazy talented!
(PS - think i spotted a a daddytypes t-shirt in Woodly Park this weekend - I felt so cool, until I realized I had dropped a big wad of pad thai on my daugters head. The perils of sitting in your mom's lap while she tries to eat and people watch at the same time, I guess.)
posted by: katie at August 7, 2006 8:43 AMI really hate being one of those nosy, bossy moms who tells you about all the dangers of the toy/gear you're about to buy at Buy Buy Baby - but those hammocks for stuffed animals are really dangerous. When my sister was in third grade - one of her classmates accidently hung herself with one of them.
I think being a big downer might be worse than being one of those bossy moms.
[yikes. Wills' kid's hammock is actually closet shelf-height in the corner, not reachable at all by a kid, but thanks for the warning. If I post anything separately on it, I'll definitely make the safety mention. -ed.]
posted by: korijane at August 7, 2006 9:33 AMIt seems too over the top for me. But that's me. I prefer birthdays and their related parties to be simple affairs. More about having fun with a few friends than having an elaborate birthday cake and lots of presents.
posted by: Natalie at August 7, 2006 10:51 AMThe bar has been raised...
I like the animatronic idea (why didn't I think of that!)
posted by: Tony at August 7, 2006 11:50 AM