A Toast

The cake for the last event of 2009 is, appropriately enough, a bottle of champagne.
A toast, to congratulate Chris and Teya.

We Bobble

Military uniforms, beer steins and .......bobbles heads? Abby and Chris were stationed in Germany when they met, fell in love while sampling the variety of beers in their home away from home. Oh, and they have a quirky sense of humor. I had a great time and delivering the cake amongst all the dress blues was not a hardship.

Check out webobble.com if you want to join the fun.

An Early Happy New Year

It's still a few days early to say Happy New Year, but I've always been a fan of avoiding crowds!

After a few days out of the shop, I am rested, very well-fed(I can probably wait til January for my next meal) and ready to get back to work.

I have a fun cake to do for a New Year's Eve wedding and then the 2010 planning season kicks into high gear.

So, an early Happy New Year! Write your resolutions, wave goodbye to 2009 and away we go!

All Is Calm, All Is Quiet

The last order has been picked up. The sheet pans are washed, the floors mopped.
All is calm, all is quiet.

I am going to lie down now.

I'm Counting, I'm Counting

To date, I have 97 boxes which breaks down into 393 dozen, which equals 4776 cookies heading out the door. I'm counting and counting and counting.

What Will It Be?

The Stanley's are expecting.So, what will it be? Boy or girl?

Welcome Neighbor

I am about to celebrate my 4th anniversary in my space and I just welcomed neighbor #6.

Did you ever wonder why it took so long for a business to open? Or why it's only open for a year, maybe less? Or why you saw a "Coming Soon" sign in a window and then the business never turned on it's lights?

In the past 4 years two of my neighbors discovered they really didn't need a store front to be successful. Since they still had some time on their year's lease agreement, they then sublet. Of the 2 who sublet, 1 went out of business, the other moved to a different location. Another new tenant never even got her doors open. Between contractors, permits and city codes that caused problems, scheduled work got delayed, then postponed then canceled.
The list of bills grew and grew until opening expenses overcame her ability to make a living.

So, my newest neighbor is hard at work with contractors, friends and family getting the space ready. No name yet, and the concept has changed a bit in the last month, but they are determined to be successful. I wish them the best, and a very speedy opening.

The Knot Best Of Weddings

The email arrived from Julie at The Knot this morning, and I am so excited to share it officially:

Brides Voted YOU a Winner!

Congratulations! Every year, brides on TheKnot.com vote for their favorite local wedding professionals, and this year, you were voted a Best of Weddings winner!

I am thrilled to have been chosen.

Boy or Girl?

The truth won't be revealed until you arrive, but the party is this weekend. Your arrival is eagerly awaited, boy or girl.

Special Forces Association Celebration

The cake is ready. Time for the celebration. Happy Holidays to the Special Forces Association and their friends from Laos!

Royal Lao Armed Forces

For the second year in a row, I am working with Jeff to create a cake for his Special Forces Association holiday gathering. A group of Vietnam War veterans, this year is extra special. They extended an invitation to another local group of veterans who fought in that war. The Royal Lao Armed Forces group is a mixture of Special Forces as well as regular Army.

The cake will be finished for Saturday's event, and I'll take a photo of the finished design, but this was exciting to have them join together for the party and I wanted to pass it along. I will be including the flag that these men served under from 1952 to 1975, when Laos was formally recognized and a new flag was adopted.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Decisions, decision, decisions, how do you make decisions? A running solo dialogue in your head, a family discussion around the dinner table. one trusted friend or family member to bounce ideas back and forth? They all work, so how do you plan a wedding with the thousands of details to decide?

I would think if you are buying a wedding dress you might not ask your dad to come along, that one's easy. Or ask anyone but your fiance where you should spend your honeymoon-that's a fun one to think about. A couple of friends or a sibling can be just what you need to give you honest, helpful feedback on your invitation design or your floral selection, maybe even your color palette.

Here's the hard one. Who's willing to sacrifice themselves in the name of cake tasting? Or maybe it's trying to decide who can't come to the tasting?