I have a request for a cake for 6 ppl. 40th b-day, will be traveling to the beach over the July 4 weekend, so the cake would be traveling with them for at least 4 hours in the car, and they would eat it the next day.

The birthday girl is Irish and her nieces are flying over from Ireland for the b-day/July 4 beach trip.

I looked through the patriotic gallery and saw some cute ideas, in particular the patriotic flip flop cake: http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=555903

I also saw a way to make an orange, white, and green (colors of Irish flag) layer cake. Or perhaps a shaped 4-0 with red, white, and blue colors would be the way to go? But easiest might be just an 8" fondant with stars and stripes and a fondant 4-0.

Any thoughts?

You could just do 6 cupcakes. You already have four themes. You just need two more for the other two cupcakes.

I think I need to do a fondant cake, because that would likely travel the easiest. No buttercream to melt or get smashed, kwim?

DH does not like the flip-flop idea because he thinks the idea of eating shoes is stupid, but he is German and has does not have the same appreciation for American b-day cakes or sugar art in general. Granted, the cake in question is for an Irish woman and her family, so they may think eating shoes is equally bizarre.