Nifty Neat-O Penmanship

To wrap up this week's "virtual" tour, we're heading over to Neatorama, repository of all things interesting. From geek crafts to fascinating architecture, urban art to bizarre animal facts, there's a little of everything here.

While debating what Wreck theme to do for Neatorama, I remembered this article titled "Is cursive handwriting necessary?", and I thought, hey, this would be an excellent time to voice my opinion on that very question!

Hem hem hem! Ok, here goes.

Firstly, I'd like to begin with:


In addition to:

(No wonder her hands were shaking; hellooo, creepy bear heads!)

Secondly, I'd like to point out:

(Poor Aligod.)

And furthermore...


Some skeptics, of course, disagree. To them I say:


So in conclusion, ladies and gentlemen:


Thank you all. I'll get off my soapbox now.


Ashleigh E., Anony M., Alison P., T.X., Heidi, & Abby M., I trust you got my point?


Don't miss my virtual visit with Alex, Neatorama's founder, here!

And if you live in Portland, don't forget to come see me and John at Powell's tonight!

- Related Wreckage: A Lesson in Proper Penmanship

A Day in the Life

...of a Wreckerator.

TO DO:

1. Practice handwriting/piping skills

...a lot.

2. Finally beat the deli guy at Pictionary


3. Mark down the moldy "green velvet" cakes

Or maybe just put the same price on them, only in a big red sticker.

4. Get in touch with inner child. (Something artsy?)

5. Find out what this "Cake Wrecks" thing everyone keeps talking about is.


Fawn, Danielle B., Beth O., and Alix H., now you can check "become official Wreckporter" off your lists.

- Related Wreckage: It's a Wreck Off!

A Lesson in Proper Penmanship

Today, class, we're going to review the art of cake inscriptions, as well as some problem-solving techniques that will come in handy while on the job. Now remember: the hand-written message is the crowning jewel of every cake, and should showcase not only your skill, but also how much you care.

Take this one, for example:

Lovely, Dana K., lovely. There's no question that Ben felt special upon seeing this. Oh, and class, see how she filled in that awkward blank area with a mass of ribbon? That's called "thinking on your feet." There's no sense in wasting edible decor when you can simply reuse gift wrap you have on hand.

Andy B., pop quiz: What do you do when you run out of icing mid-inscription? Do you make more, or simply switch colors and hope no ones notices?

Haha, that's correct! Remember, class: Many children are colorblind. And the ones that aren't are generally too buzzed on sugar and caffeine to notice petty things like spacing, spelling, or sperm-like balloons.

Now, Erin S., say you have a small cake that someone wants you to write a message on, but you've also been wanting to try out the new 'blob' flower technique you saw on Careless Cakes. Which gets priority: the message, or the blobs?

Also correct! You see, class, this is why it's important to fill the entire cake with your design; so the message you write on top of it is uniformly difficult to read. As an added bonus, it's much harder for the client to spot any misspellings this way.

And lastly, Bethany T. is going to show us two things every baker should make more use of: plastic picks and abbreviations.

Wow, Bethany; I think that "BS" stands for "Beautifully Scripted!" I like how the color almost matches the birthday pick, too, but is off just enough to clash spectacularly - that took a lot of talent, I know.

[bell ringing] Well, that's all we have time for today, class. Remember to practice those blobs for next week's "Plop-a-Flower" review!