Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Cake in Transit Car Sign (for all you caker's out there!)



PURCHASE A SIGN BY CLICKING HERE


Here's the sign I designed a while back but in smaller format for those of you who have less space on your car. This sign measures 8.5" high x 11.25" high. Make sure you measure the space on your car. I will post the link later today so you can order on e-bay. The cost per sign is $20. The shipping runs roughly $6.00. So you are looking at a total of $26.00.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120472649758

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Ocean Themed Baby Shower Cake



Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Chocolate Chip buttercream filling. Homemade marshmallow fondant and fondant and gum paste details. The cake is given it's oceanic effect with various luster dusts. The shell the baby is sleeping in, is completely hand sculpted. The baby was made using a mold from First Impressions.

Happy Anniversary Ben!


I was asked to duplicate the top tier of a Wedding Cake for my brother's neighbor. Apparently it wasn't saved at their wedding so Ben wanted to do this as an anniversary gift for his wife.

Thomas The Tank Engine 3D Carved Train Cake


Made this for my friend's son. Chocolate and Vanilla cake with buttercream filling. Covered with home made marshmallow fondant and a LOAD of detail work. Took about 12 hours including baking, icing, fondant, carving, and decorating... Decorating alone took about 8 or 9. Thank you to my wonderful husband, Matt for cutting the cake board and doing an awesome job carving so I'd have a Fantastic canvas to work with.



Happy Birthday Charlie! Tell mommy thank you for sharing this picture of you with your cake!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Giraffe Baby Shower Cake to match bedding.


This is a baby shower cake to match a bedding set. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. It was a pain staking process as I acquired a new "tool" that I had to learn to operate in order to pull this cake off. If you have heard of the "Cricut", that's my new tool. It is intended for scrapbooking. However... I've adapted it to use with sugar paste so that I can cut ANY shape I want to put on the side of the cake without having to get custom cutters made or using a pattern and an x-acto knife. So... all the giraffe print from the bottom tier was cut with the cricut. The trees and giraffe on the top tier were also cut with the cricut. I spent most of my free time this week learning how to "make it work" but by last night, I could go to the computer, load my pattern, load my paste, and get my cut ON THE FIRST TRY!!




Friday, September 11, 2009

Super Mario Bros., Toad Mushroom, 1-up Cupcakes


12 vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting and fondant toppers. This is a Super Mario Brothers theme. These mushrooms are "toads"??? Whatever... my kids are giving me an education.. The large toad is actually a very small cake iced in buttercream and covered with fondant. I used a small ramekin to bake it.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Fall Candle Cake


Here's a fall candle cake for your holiday events. The cake can be just about any size you like with more or less tea light candles to fit. It is a stunning centerpiece for your Thanksgiving feast and after dinner, you eat the centerpiece!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

More fantastic information straight from Debi Brim!

I just love Debi! She is a Caterer from Indianapolis, Indiana. She's done a spectacular job of building a successful catering business and cake shop. Her tell it like it is manner is refreshing. No beating around the bush or wishy washy advice. Just plain and simple... here's how it is, backed by 30 years of experience. Here's a post from her blog that helps people understand the timing of when to book their cakes.

Monday, September 7, 2009
How Soon Should I Book?
It just cracks me up every time I see one of those timelines for brides, especially the ones where the timeline shows "order your wedding cake: 4-6 months in advance". 4 months? You can actually find a baker with an opening on their calendar only 4 months in advance of your wedding?

A caterer/cake designer friend of mine tells me she received a call from a mother of the bride in August inquiring about a wedding cake for October. My friend said, "THIS year?" The mom was shocked that anyone would have to order a wedding cake a year in advance. My friend told her, "Anything under 6 months is considered 'Last Minute'."

(I guess it's a result of our 24/7 indoctrination where you can buy a birthday cake and a lawn mower at the same place at two o'clock in the morning! No one thinks they have to plan ahead anymore.)

Honestly, the best "canned" answer is that there is no canned answer. Because when brides ask me "How soon should we book with you?", my best answer to them is "It depends on how organized the OTHER brides are."

Many vendors, such as photographers, venues, some baker/caterers, can only book one event per day. That means if you are planning your wedding on a really popular date, then you are competing with all of those other brides for the same wedding vendors. The organized bride, the decision-maker bride is the bride who will get her first choice of vendors. The remaining brides will have to go to their 2nd or even 3rd choice.

And please .... do not make the mistake of thinking just because you TALKED to the vendor, that your date is secured with them. In this industry, money talks and that other stuff walks. The bride who brings the vendor a deposit check first is the bride who gets that wedding vendor. We cannot and will not hold a date open just in case a bride might maybe sorta kinda might be thinking about maybe booking with us. If you want that vendor, you need to be a decision maker.

Some popular dates in the past have been 7-7-07 ...... 6-07-08 ....... 8-8-08 ........ 10-10-10. Traditional popular dates such as Valentine's Day weekend have always had a high demand.

Those planning a Christmas wedding not only are competing with other December brides, but are also competing with all of the corporations and organizations who are planning their company Christmas parties.

My personal observation (and I'm hearing the same thing from my fellow wedding vendors) is that June is no longer the most popular wedding month. October is quickly becoming the #1 month for weddings. Brides are usually surprised to hear that (so many think they are the ONLY ones who thought October would be a good month!).

Our unofficial survey tells us that brides are looking for cooler weather, fall colors are playing a major role in the decor, and it's right between the hectic holidays of Labor Day and Thanksgiving. So if you're an October bride, you need to be a decision maker if you want to secure your "A" list of wedding vendors.

When should you book ANY wedding vendor? Just as soon as you know they are the ones you want to hire!


Debi Brim can be reached via email at info@cateritsimple.com

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Stacey's Sweet Shop is on Facebook!

Check out the link on the right and you can find Stacey's Sweet Shop on Facebook! I love feedback from my customers and fans so please, make your presence known!!! I have a discussion forum where you can share your opinions and thoughts. There is a reviews section for those of you who have received or tasted one of my cakes or even my candy.

Have a great day and stay tuned... more cakes are on the way!!!

Facebook Link