Okay ya'll please help with this one...I have a friend who just found out she has cancer...she is the first person of her age and race, as well as the first to be treated with chemo for this type of cancer..and things are not looking good She messaged me last night wanting to celebrate her son's 6 month milestone with a birthday party and wants a little train cake. I asked her to please let me donate it, it would be an honor. I want to make this the BEST cake I have ever done...any help on making this cake absolutely fabulous would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!! This is the decor she chose..she also asked for a little elephant to be riding in one of the cars, she likes elephants! http://www.etsy.com/listing/81565656/new-the-vintage-train-collection-custom?ref=sc_1

so sorry for what your friend is going thru, and i can tell you are hurting as well. You make beautiful cakes and this one will be as well, What size cake is she wanting that will help you with ideals. take a deep breath you will do well

Wish I had more to offer. There are a few tutorials on how to make a fondant elephant; can't remember where I saw the last one, pretty easy and cute. Don't go too complicated, you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself to create the most amazing cake ever, but your work is really good, don't worry, it will be appreciated as a very loving gift. So sorry for your friend and you.

Thanks ya'll, It wont be very big, she found a picture of one she likes, it has about 4 train cars..pretty simple and straight forward looking!! She isn't picky in the least bit, told me to just make what ever I want!

My heart goes out to you and your friend, I'm so sorry,

These are the elephant tutorials I found,
Part 1,

That is so sad, and I am sorry to hear that. You can make the train from the decorations, that would be cute. Also for the first time the other day I made modeling chocolate and it was the best way to make figures, there are no seams and it was so easy to color and work with. Making an elephant should be fairly easy its all about shapes Good luck and I hope everythig works out for your friend, sending prayers your way.

Here's 2 of my favorite elephant tutorials:

http://cakefixation.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-make-fondant-elephant.html

http://www.patchworkcutters.co.uk/pom/elephant1.asp

Thank ya'll for the tutorials And thanks for the prayers! I can't wait to get started on it! Not making it until November!

I don't have any tutorials or tips to add. I just wanted to say that I am so saddened by the circumstances of your friend and her family. It's so wonderful that she's planning this because it gives her something positive to focus on and it's such a beautiful gift she's giving her son that he will always have thanks to pictures and video. Sending out a prayer for them.

Incidentally, my son has been fixated on the book The Little Engine That Could and I just thought how appropriate it seemed. And of course one of the toys featured in the pictures in the book is a baby elephant. I don't know if you're familiar with the version by Watty Piper.

So sorry to hear about your friend. Prayers for her, her family, and you. I am sure you will do a great job!

I have an 18 month old and the thought of not being able to watch my son grow up puts me in tears so I cannot imagine how your friend is dealing. I hope she is able to beat the odds and pull through and in the meantime, make lots of videos and write lots of letters for her child. My mom passed away when I was young and sadly, I don't remember much of her. I wish I had pictures or something to keep her more alive in my mind.

Here's one of my favorites train cakes that I found here in cake central, hope this is what more or less you're looking for.

http://cakecentral.com//gallery/1506917

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend and her family.

In our family, we've often celebrated Half Birthdays over the years. For kids, this is an important milestone. On my kids' half birthdays, I'd sing half of the birthday song and give them half a cake and half a present (one shoe, or half of a bikini...).

When you mentioned that your friend wants to celebrate her son's Half Birthday with a train theme, I recalled seeing a cute train cake that had a bit of a half-theme going. Here's a link to a cake in the design I recalled seeing.

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2033059

I like the way one tier is a half tier. It makes a great backdrop for the train tunnel. Plus, it pulls in the idea of a Half....

Good luck. Post pics!

Easy way to make an elephant riding in the car it just the head sticking out of the window. So sorry to hear about your friend