Coming Up....

MY SON'S 1ST BIRTHDAY!!!

A little girl's 1st Birthday! (Due the same day of my son's party. Ya...I'm crazy.)

Cupcakes & Cake for my cousin's Wedding!

Transplantiversary Cake!

So keep checking back!

Thanks for reading!

Subject: Fan from Virginia!

I received this sweet email from a fan of my blog who lives in Virginia:

"Hi my name is Greta & I just wanted to tell you that ever since I stumbled across your blog you have been a great source of inspiration to me! I have just started to get into baking & I hope to one day start a blog about it also. I must say that I love how organized your baking is...I would love to read in your blog about some of your favorite gadgets! I love your work & you are truly talented!! Hope you have a nice day:) ~ Greta"


So this is for you, Greta - and for anyone else who wants to know!

I chose 10 items that I use almost every time I bake.
These 10 items are a essential part of my baking process and most of them were inexpensive to purchase, which is always a plus!

In no particular order...except the last one : )

My Apron

A couple Christmas' ago, my Mother gave these to me as a gift. She made them for me. She is the best.
I don't always wear an apron when baking but I ALWAYS wear one when I am working with fondant...whether I am making it, coloring it, rolling it, cutting things out or covering a cake - it's a must.

Cooling Racks

Now, I can't actually say for sure that these things are cooling racks. I think they might actually be cupboard shelves, like for canned foods or something. Regardless, I use these guys every time something comes out of the oven. They work perfectly for cakes, cupcakes and cookies.

Lazy Susan

You can buy the fancy cake swivel thingy at Michaels or your local Cake Store....or you can go to Target and get one of these for less than $12. It works great for frosting round cakes, piping and adding borders and decor to a cake.

Dough Cutter

I believe I purchased this dough cutter at Smart n Final. I use it for giving cakes smooth frosting jobs and for cleaning up the edges and bottoms of cakes before covering them in fondant. I have never used it to cut dough.

Pizza Cutter

Not only do I use this when we have Pizza for dinner but it is also my Fondant Cutter.
It works perfectly for cutting off the excess fondant from a cake after it's been covered or for cutting strips of fondant for decorating.

Cake Leveler

This tool is one of the very first that I purchased when I started my cake adventure. I use this for every cake because I think the inside of the cake should be just as beautiful as the outside and that means nice clean, even layers of cake.

Trays

I use trays for a lot of things. 

Cake Pops/Balls, Chocolate Butterflies, Decorating Cookies, Fondant Decorations, Candy, Chocolate Dipped Fruit...lots of things!

I am pretty sure I bought all of my trays from the Dollar store.

They are also great for parties and hosting the Holidays.

Wax Paper

I go through Wax Paper like I do Diet Coke.

It is a huge part of what I do.

I use it for cakes when I remove them from the pan, stacking cake layers so they can be wrapped and refrigerated, underneath cake pops/balls, underneath fondant decorations, for piping chocolate decorations....it just makes things easier.

Cupcake Carriers

I purchased these Cupcake Carriers from Nob Hill one day on my lunch break.

I chose these ones over the Wilton carrier or other stacked carriers out there because they are taller.

Often when I decorate cupcakes they are frosted high or have a topper and a lot of carriers don't accommodate them, but these ones do almost every time.

Even better, the cupcake bottoms comes out and these carrier can be used to haul around cookies, cake pops/balls, baking tools or any other kind of treat!

I like to use these for family events or when I am baking for a party that I will be attending as a guest. It saves me from having to use cake boxes or disposable cupcake carriers that I can better use for drop off orders.

Last but certainly not least....in fact, my most valued piece of baking equipment:

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

This too was one of the first items I purchased when I started baking.

A few times working with a hand mixer will definitely get you to the store faster for one of these.

I remember saving my money and using a 20% Coupon at Bed Bath & Beyond when I got mine.

I love my KitchenAid.

It does all the hard work for me and it has been worth every penny.

I actually want another one...how awesome would it be to have TWO?!

Someday.

Well, there you have it.

Just a sneak peak into my kitchen and some of the gadgets I use to make yummy treats.

I hope you enjoyed reading this!

Ethan James Watson

My son, Ethan James Watson was born on June 26th, 2011 at 9:22 am weighing 7 lbs 14 oz and measuring 19 1/2 inches long.

He is the love of my life and I am enjoying every moment of being his mother.

Thank you all for continuing to follow my blog during my hiatus, please don't go anywhere...orders are already on the books in August.

XOXO

Relocation of Services

As of Saturday, April 23rd...I am a resident of the San Joaquin County.

I will continue to take orders from all over the Bay Area but keep in mind that those of smaller size will require a delivery fee.

I am preparing for my last month of orders before my baby break...so stay tuned!

As a reminder, I am not accepting any orders in the months of June and July due to the birth of my son.

I will begin accepting new orders in August and already have a few special events in the works.

Thanks for reading!

Coming Up...

In the next couple months I have some really cool orders going on...be sure to come back and check them out!

3 Tier Hawaiian Sunset Cake (this weekend)

Divorce Cake (February)

2 Tier Cupcake Theme Baby Girl's 1st Birthday Cake (February)

Microphone Birthday Cake (March)

Oakland Athletics Birthday Cake (March)

Baby Boy's 1st Birthday Cake...theme TBD (March)

I Love Lucy Bridal Shower Cake (April)

I've also got some Weddings coming up...very exciting!

Thanks to all you who follow my little blog, you make me feel famous =)

I've got a LITTLE CUPCAKE IN THE OVEN...

...and the timer is set for June 30th, 2011.

Yup, I'm pregnant.

So...unfortunately for my customers, this means that not only will I be accepting a fewer amount of orders in the coming months but I will NOT BE ACCEPTING ANY ORDERS in the months of JUNE and JULY.

I apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, but I think it's best for both ME and YOU that I am not baking/decorating cakes while 9 months pregnant or with a newborn in my arms.

I already have orders booked through March and I seem to be filling up quicker these days, so to be safe you should contact me the moment you are thinking about an order to ensure I can save the date for you. The more pregnant I get, the less likely I will be taking back to back orders.

Thanks Everyone!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...I have a feeling 2011 is going to be AWESOME!

Coming Up...

November is a busy month for me...but I am so excited!

10/29: Lego Man Cake

10/31: Halloween Cupcakes

11/02: Strawberry Cake

11/04: Fall Cupcakes

11/12: Wedding Anniversary Cookies & Cake Re-make

11/18: Backyardigans Ice Cream Cake

11/25: Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Coming Up...

M*A*S*H* Themed 21st Birthday Cupcakes: 05/26/2010

Chocolate Butterfly Birthday Cupcakes: 05/29/2010

Cupcakes in a Jar: June

French Macaroons: June

Mini Donuts: June

Graduation Cake & Cupcakes: July

Stay Tuned :)

My Baking Wish List

Feel free to buy any of these items for me :)

1. Cupcake Carriers!
You'd think I'd have these already, but I don't.
I want these ones exactly.
They hold 36 cupcakes and ever since I saw that my friend Tina had them and how awesome they are, I have to have my own.


2. Cupcake Timer!
Saw it, Want it.


3. ANY and ALL Cupcake Aprons!


4. Wilton's Cupcake Cake Mold!
I can envision this bad boy on top of a cupcake tower!


5. Cupcake Tower!
Go here: http://www.thecupcaketower.com/
I'll take any one of them!


6. Donut Cake Pan!
I have a mini donut maker...yet to be used...and maybe if I had this, I would use them both together!


7. Martha Stewart's Cookies Book!
Her Cupcake book is fantastic...I can only imagine what's in this one!



8. This super awesome cupcake end table!
Come on...it's only $750.00!!!


So ya...get to shopping people!!!
Just kidding...kinda.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new BLOG!

I will be sharing my love for baking with all those interested.

It will take me a few days to get my previous work posted, so please be patient and keep checking back for new posts!

If you are interested in placing on order, please shoot me an email: yourhappybaker@yahoo.com

Thanks for stopping by!