Over two years ago, I held a contest called the "Cake Smash Smack Down". This was back when I could fit everyone reading my blog into my bathroom.
If you were reading me back then, you might remember Mazzy had an incredibly lame cake smash on her first birthday. (We later found out she was on the verge of a stomach bug that she transmitted to half the people at her birthday party, myself included— FUN TIMES!)
The "Cake Smash Smack Down" was my way of finding the over-the-top smashes I so badly wanted for my own daughter. Oh, the missed picture-taking opportunities… I wanted to live vicariously through the parents who layed plastic tarps on the floor, stripped their babies naked and watched them DESTRUCT, DESTROY AND DEMOLISH overly-frosted ten layer cakes.
Cake smashes like the one Grand Prize Winner Olivia (daughter of Candy Kirby Designs) passed out in…
Last November was Harlow's first birthday and I thought I had my second shot. I gave her a huge slice of layered cake slathered in pink butter cream. Sadly, Harlow didn't go to town. She went somewhere much tidier. Like Fraiser's apartment or something.
That, my friends, was as messy as it got. Actually, that photo is a fallacy. After trying and failing to get my daughter interested in her cake, I put the icing on Harlow's nose myself.
I'm betting the adults didn't the have to take matters into their own hands during Cheech's smash, another of 2011's finalists.
I call that photo "The Murder of Strawberry Shortcake".
Since my second child also failed her first birthday smash, today I am launching the second "Cake Smash Smack Down". With ten times as many readers, I'm expecting even better submissions this time.
If that's possible. Zachie (who came in 6th) will be tough to beat.
Partnering with me on this contest is Blinkbuggy, an online service that is reinventing the traditional baby book. After all, there is no memory worth capturing more than your baby's first birthday.
Blinkbuggy was started when one mom realized we are documenting our children's lives more than ever on facebook, instagram, email, etc., but none of those photos or updates sit in one easily navigable place. (Have you taken the time to fill out the baby book you got at your shower? Me neither. It's been FOUR YEARS.)
Blinkbuggy allows you to upload all your photos from your hard drive, your facebook account, your instagram feed and google +, pulling each photo in with the date recorded originally.
You can also add non-photo content like milestones, notes, quotes and artwork to create one highly searchable stream of written and visual memories. All memories are listed chronologically, but you can also sort by personal hashtags (like one tag for each child) and collections (see all artwork at once, for example).
Even more importantly, each memory has separate privacy options, so you can opt to share your posts with no one, share them with everyone or just share some of them with some people (like the grandparents, for instance). Each time you add a memory, Blinkbuggy prompts you to select who has access to it.
Blinkbuggy got a hugely positive response when I posted about it originally, but a lot of you said you wanted a mobile app and printed books.
TA-DA! I made it so.
Well, Blinkbuggy made it so, but let's just pretend it was all me. Download the iPhone app here. Android is coming soon.
You can now upload photos, notes and quotes straight from your phone as they happen. This means, when your kid says something funny, you can record it right then, instead of pretending you will remember later when you get home.
YOU NEVER DO.
The website still serves as your hub for the full Blinkbuggy experience (access to your entire memory stream in various viewing options, added editing functionality and the ability to invite friends to join), while the mobile app allows you to capture memories on-the-go and easily send them back to your account.
So, if you haven't already, I recommend signing up for a Blinkbuggy account online first, checking out all the functionality, and then downloading the app.
The ability to print your memories into high quality books and framed photos will be available by February 14th.
Which is a great lead-in to the "Cake Smash Smack Down" prizes…
GRAND PRIZE: $250 Amazon gift card plus a unique offer code to create a free 20-page Blinkbuggy printed album.
1ST RUNNER-UP: $50 Amazon gift card plus a unique offer code for a free Blinkbuggy framed photo.
2ND RUNNER-UP: Unique offer code for a free Blinkbuggy framed photo.
To enter… simply upload your photos to the Mommy Shorts facebook fanpage with your baby's first name or post them on Instagram tagging @mommyshorts and @blinkbuggy_moments with hashtag #Blinkbuggy_CakeSmash. (Before you submit, please make sure you are in agreement with my photo submission policy.)
I'll be putting all photos into a Cake Smash Album on my fanpage. As always, please "like" your favorite photos because your favorites help me decide who gets into the finals.
On January 31st, my top ten photos will be pitted against each other on Mommy Shorts. A vote will determine the winner, which will be announced on February 7th.
A big thanks to Blinkbuggy for sponsoring the Cake Smash! If I could, I'd take a cue from Sadie's mom and shove your face straight into a cake to express my gratitude.
Oh wait. That doesn't look like gratitude….
Good luck everyone!
Alas, my 4YO daughter never was interested in smashing her cake either, so no good pics there. I feel your pain. Maybe we will have a better pic with her sister, who turns one in July.
Same here. My son had zero interest in his first cake. He gingerly poked at it after I cut it up into small pieces. He also tried to eat it with a fork. He gave up on the fork so his hands got a little messy but that was it.
My daughter was afraid of cake at 1yo. We stuck her finger in it and she cried. Lamest cake smash ever.
For my daughter’s first birthday last year, I decided to have a photographer do a cake smash session. I was envisioning her all messy in the cute dress I made her, frosting all over her face and hair. She wasn’t having it. She poked the frosting with her finger, licked it and hated it. So then I stuck her hands in it, trying to provoke a messy smash, and she got mad and tried to wipe the frosting off on the floor. What a let down! So cake smash turned into painting the floor with frosting. Oh, well, the pics of her looking at the cake turned out cute. 🙂
can’t wait to see photos. at my son’s 1st birthday, he was more interested in the guacamole than the cake. and to this day, 5 years later, he ‘doesn’t like cake and frosting’. he’s even said he doesn’t want a cake at his next birthday…. I guess that’s good..?
there should be a category of most disinterested 1 year old, but then I guess we still couldn’t compete with Mazzy’s photo ! 🙂
Oh I remember the scandal of that last photo!
What’s sad is that we had two of the first birthday parties for each child – one for each side of the family. My son had zero interest in the cake at either party, and My daughter tore that cake up at both. It was like she thought there was a paci hidden deep inside the cake somewhere.
My son doesn’t like cake still to this day – he’s asked for a cookie cake each year on his birthday the past several. Chee has now taken cake decorating classes – her love for cake lives on!
My son wouldn’t touch his cake, so i put some in his mouth. He proceeded to throw up everywhere! And of course, we had a bunch of family and friends there to witness the epic failure.
My son’s 1st birthday was last March and when we realized he was a clean freak. He wanted nothing to do with the cupcake I had made for him and when I tried to put icing on him, he flailed his arms and screamed bloody murder. I have a picture of it but it’s not cake-smashing-photo-contest-worthy considering he’s screaming about the tiniest bit of cake on his face.
To this day, I have to clean his hands AS he plays outside. Not after. AS he plays. I have to do it for meal time too. During and after.
oh I got some professional ones done of my little Elea but haven’t had a chance to check them out yet! Maybe they might give me a digital copy of one for entry…?
I’ve got no pictures, I’m afraid. I am pretty sure I qualify for “Lamest Mom Ever”, because I forgot to charge the camera. Thankfully, despite not having any pictures of Biggest’s first birthday at all, I didn’t miss anything. His cupcake got devoured in the neatest way I’ve ever seen, to the point where the only thing that wasn’t neatly in his mouth was a tiny bit of icing on his hand. Not even on the high chair tray. Not even on the bib. And certainly nothing on his face. Good luck to the entries though.
I am so so sad my niece will not by 1 yet in time for this! I know in my heart of hearts she will be a true cake smasher. I had a brief fantasy of stealing her for the day and giving her cake early but I wouldn’t want to steal the moment from her mama. There is always next year!
ha ha, I was wondering about that one; the woman looks like she’s shoving the baby’s face in the cake.
Did she seriously shove her 1 year old’s face into a cake?
I just read your submission guidelines and just have one question! My pictures rights are co-owned with the photographer who took them, which she uses on her site for her gallery. Does that mean I can’t submit it?
Thanks!