The following, our very first blog post, is a gift from Adam Ferguson which he titles "Friendship Biography"...
This year will mark the 10th anniversary of Laura and Mallory's friendship. Though both from Birmingham, Alabama, they attended different elementary schools and so did not spend much time thinking about one another. They were, of course, destined to eventually meet, and did so at Berry Middle School. Neither was particularly in the market for a new friend to bother them, but they were locker neighbors, which is a particularly strong bond. They also had every class together, which, though not as strong a connection as locker placement, helped nonetheless. Somehow they both survived middle school, and decided that they would get in shape to be HOTT for high school. To this end, they decided to try running in the early mornings. Though given initially high ratings, this program was cancelled after only three days. Modern historians cite the facts that morning comes so early and that running is so unpleasant as a reason for this plan's decline in popularity. Undeterred, however, they decided that something taking place indoors was preferable, so they turned to aerobics. This plan also met with difficulties. It seems that the aerobics class permitted only two free sessions, and paying to be miserable was not an acceptable option. After much thought and consideration, they came to the conclusion that, rather than exercising, watching TV would be more entertaining. High school began, fun times were had, it was pleasantISH experience for both girls, and after graduation, they moved to Auburn, AL to go to college.
Auburn University provided sweet undergraduates Laura and Mallory with many a free afternoon. One afternoon, neither had anything to do. This lack of activity proved fateful indeed. The two decided to bake a cake-a cake that was the exact color of Mallory's cat's fur!
It was an unparallelled success. A similar situation a few months later provided them with yet another baking opportunity. Laura decided that they should make two more cakes for her cats' adoptaversary . These cakes actually resembled cats, and were the highlight of the party. Despite this, the eccentricities of cat cake baking caused some of their friends and family to worry about the girls' mental health. The lack of positive reinforcement led to Laura and Mallory's early retirement from the cake decorating field.
College passed and the girls moved back to Birmingham to live their adult lives (husbands, jobs, espionage, the usual). Still, their past glory in cake decorating called to them, and they needed a creative outlet. They decided to plan their friend Abby's wedding to see if wedding planning or event planning might be something they'd like to pursue. They checked out every book from the library related to starting a business, event planning, weddings, taxes, and everything else that they thought might be of use. The books were not as helpful as they had hoped, though, as apparently one must read them to gain their information. So, the books sat idle until their due date. At the same time, Abby's wedding plans moved forward and so the books were returned, and Laura and Mallory got on with their lives.
The story might have ended there, but inspired by a talented coworker, Mallory decided to dabble in fondant. She purchased the supplies and went home to practice. Her first effort was not one that would be served in public to people (though perhaps at a nursing home or a prison), but it remains her smoothest fondant to date. Next, she decided to make a cake for Adam and Leah in September of 2007. These cakes were largely practice runs to familiarize her with the process, but when Mallory committed to making a cake for Abby's wedding shower, she knew that she could not do it alone. She needed Laura the perfectionist by her side. This was the genesis of the gift-cake. Everyone who saw it was stunned. No one could believe that the two girls had no formal experience in cake decorating! The two knew that they had found their "thing."
There is nothing that Laura and Mallory enjoy more than carbohydrates, and their cakes are wanted in all 50 states, though not for the same reasons that the girls are wanted in 3. Both Laura and Mallory want you to enjoy their blog as they fill it with sweet times, memories, and, of course, CAKES!
-The Reverend Adam Michael Ferguson
The first of the two cakes was a surprise to us (well, we found out about it AFTER our fondant prep day of 9 colors), so we had to make the fondant first thing... We decided to go with lighter colors than usual, but we love them so much! The texture of our new fondant was perfection! The cake itself was a fun & new design for us, so we have a new favorite cake...
We then moved onto our next onesie cake... those things have become pretty popular... Maybe they'll become the next Lava Lamp or Beanie Baby or Tamagatchi or something, and we'll work like crazy for three years and retire at the ripe old ages of 26 & 27! Hey, it could happen...
-Mallory 
