Making Kitsch Hip

We have a lot of very, very talented friends who make the most magical, fun and whimsical baked goods you've ever seen (I'm talking to you Jami, Jenn and Nanette.) They are part of burgeoning movement to make food interesting. I so admire them, and people like them, who bring design and creativity into the kitchen.

I am not, however, one of those people.

Not that I completely lack creativity. I can write with flair sometimes. I feel I have a pretty good eye for photography. It's just that, in the kitchen, I'm lucky if I haven't completely messed up the recipe and used all the ingredients correctly. But when it comes to food appearance, I've never had the patience nor the talent to get the "wow" that my friends and so many others get with their creations. And there are so many people out there making food look amazing. I know, because they all post pictures of their masterpieces all over the Internet, leaving people like me wondering if I'm the only one who can't swirl frosting or work with fondant.

But, despite the bazillions posting all over Twitter, Facebook and, now, Pinterest ... I have to believe I am actually in the majority. There must be many more people like me quietly keeping their kids' birthday cake photos to themselves, lest they be shamed by comparison on the Internets. So, here's what I'm thinking: we all start posting photos of our truly-homemade-like-our moms-used-to-make cakes and cupcakes and start our own trend. Kitsch becomes trendy, in an ironic hipster sort of way!

I'll go first. Here's the rock climbing cake I made for Holden's 8th birthday party. I used candy rocks and licorice to mimic the climbing wall theme of his party. I knew I couldn't possibly use icing to get the letters to look good, so I went ahead and bought the pre-made candied ones. It's covered with (gasp!) store-bought frosting. There, I've admitted it.

Who's with me?