Just over two weeks ago we were contacted by a woman who needed a cake and cupcakes for a jungle themed baby shower. We were excited to do it…we love when we get request for something we haven’t done before. So, we ask the woman for the date she needs them and she tells us May 30. Well, we already had orders for an engagement party which consisted of 2 small cakes and 3 dozen cupcakes (all different flavors), 24 lingerie cupcakes, and 40 My Little Pony cupcakes…all for that same weekend. There is nothing I dislike more than turning away an order…especially when it sounds like fun! We are however, only three sisters (technically only 2…one is still on bed rest with her pregnancy). We always want to insure plenty of time to produce the best quality cupcakes with the most creative decorations and not take on too much. So we took this order and made the cut off there. I don’t think I have gotten more requests for a single weekend before! We had to turn down 8 other orders!!! It’s times like these that I wish I had my own shop….some day:)

We received an e-mail with all the details, flavors, name, ideas, colors and a link to a photo of the invite and party decor….she said to take it from there, and we did. 

Plates and invites for the party

Coordinating cake and cupcakes!

We had so much fun with this order and the woman LOVED them! While the plates and invites only included “the king of the jungle,” our client requested we give him some friends and incorporate a zebra and monkey. Congratulations and a warm welcome to baby Aiden!

If you have any comments, questions, or would like to place an order you can contact us here.

“Sprinkling” the community with LOVE!

As many of you following our Blog may already know, one thing we love just as much as cupcakes is our community. We love to help out where we can in giving back to help others in need. My husband has a wonderful wrestling program where he coaches wrestlers and trains them to become elite wrestlers at the high school level. He coaches kids from many different schools, including Trabuco Hills and Rancho Santa Margarita High Schools. A few of the parents who are involved with the schools contacted us about some fundraising events. We were happy to lend a hand. We were able to donate cupcakes and gift certificates to the Trabuco Hills High School Wrestling Team for fundraising events. Also, we participated in the Rancho Santa Margarita Senior Fashion Show with a donation of cupcakes and gift certificate.

While these were smaller fundraisers that were for organizations we were familiar with, we were later informed about another cause that we could help with…..The Arthritis Walk. We learned about a girl named Faith who suffered from Juvenile Arthritis. She quickly became an inspiration to us all. We attended The Arthritis Walk 1,000 cupcakes in hand and enjoyed the day with many other volunteers and Arthritis survivors. We believe in helping others when we can. We all feel truly blessed to be able to do something we LOVE and will continue to share it with as many people as we can. Zen Cupcake calls it Cupcake Karma and we couldn’t believe in anything less. 

Happy Birthday Eliana!

On Saturday, May 16 Eliana celebrated her 1st birthday! Her mom contacted me to do a Strawberry shortcake cake in the shape of a strawberry, made to look like Shortcake’s house. So, I did some research and found tons of Strawberry Shortcake cakes. There were about 5 really cute strawberry shaped cakes that I used to reference my design. I took a few of the elements  I liked best from each and incorporated them into my design. Eliana’s mom also wanted 4 dz cupcakes, marble with plain green vanilla frosting. She had little paper toppers she wanted to use, instead of having me make some custom ones for her (so I don’t have any pics of those). 

 Def the best part of the party besides my baby girl of course.. Monica is the best…

-Carmen Trevino (Eliana’s Mommy)

This cake was a lot easier than I had anticipated and I had a blast creating it! I delivered it to the park at about 1:00 (in between baking/decorating a wedding cake and baking 1,000 minis for the Arthritis walk) to a local park. Well, I pulled up to the park and quickly realized you had to pay $5.00 for parking! I had zero cash on me (I never do) so I decided I’d have to charm the parking attendant to let me in just to drop off the cake. Well, first off it was a woman parking attendant (shoot!), I thought I’d give it a go anyway!

I explained to her I was just dropping off a cake for the party and wasn’t staying and asked if she could waive the fee. She then asked if I owned a bakery/business. I had the cake up front with me and she saw it. she started saying how professional it looked and again asked about the business. I told her that yes, we did own a business and before I could get another word out she tells me I am not an approved vendor and I could not enter for liability purposes! She told me I’d have to inform the person in charge of the party and they would have to come pick it up. So, I parked my car, called Eliana’s dad and he met me at the entrance. A friend of his pulled up in their car and he hopped in with the cake crossed the entrance, parked literally 30 feet away (where the party was being held), handed me the cake and we continued to the party site for set up. Kinda weird, but whatever…it all worked out. Eliana’s mom LOVED The cake and it looks as though the party was a big success!

If you have any questions, comments, or would like to place an order from the Two Parts Sugar kitchen you can contact us here.

If you weren’t there….YOU MISSED OUT!

Yesterday, we attended the 2009 Arthritis Walk and it was AMAZING! A little while back I found out about a little girl named Faith who was 9 years old and suffered from Juvenille Arthritis. Her story was so inspirational I decided we had to get involved. We started team “one part Faith, two parts sugar” and we committed to donating cupcakes to the Arthritis kick off dinner as well as the Walk itself. Well, the walk has come and gone and we could be happier with the outcome.

I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing this event was. I was flying solo on this event (one sister had to work, the other is pregnant and on bed rest), but knew I could handle it. I arrived at the Irvine Great Park at about 6:00 am, 1,000 cupcakes in hand! As I walked through the event grounds I was just amazed. There were all kinds of booths and fun activities being set up. I had no idea how big this event was. I made my way to my booth and began to set up. I was done early (my display was nothing elaborate), so I went to see where I could help. I found Isella and she gave me the job of posting pictures onto this GIANT folding picture board. First, we had to stand this thing up….wish someone could have taken pictures of us doing so, cause it was a riot. Picture 2 little women lifting a giant folding contraption that was a good 8′ x8′ and weighed at least ….well I don’t know how much it weighed, but it was HEAVY!  I asked her who the pictures were of and she told me they were all people who suffer from arthritis. After she told me that, as I pinned each picture on to the board (especially the ones of the children) my heart sank a little more. I pulled myself together and completed my task. I was really starting to feel pretty good about joining this great cause. 

After posting hundreds of pictures, I headed off to my booth to display the cupcakes we had made for the day. Before I knew it, people were piling in through the gates! There were SO MANY teams and smiling faces. 

Along with the actual walk (3 mile and also a 1 mile for those who suffered from Arthritis and couldn’t do the full 3) then were tons of festivities. The morning started off with made to order omelets, doughnuts, bagels, fresh fruit, breakfast bars, coffee, juice, and water…..all complimentary! There was a stage for daily announcements and a live band, who played music all day long!  

There was a kids zone with bouncers, hockey, crafts, tattoos (temporary of course), face painting, clowns, balloon animals, bubbles, raffles, cotton candy, popcorn, candy, ice cream, and a fire truck…again, all complimentary! 

Walmart and Coca-Cola were sponsors for the event….so, there were hot dogs, chips, and soda for lunch! There were also tables with all kinds of goodies! Snacks, candy, popsicles,  banners to sign, crafts, raffles, and CUPCAKES….all FREE!

There really was something for  EVERYONE…

…it was a great event for family, friends and lots of FUN! Here are a few of the attendies enjoying some of our cupcakes:

It was so great to see such a huge turnout and everyone coming together for such a good cause. We will definitely be participating again next year and will have a huge team joining us!

Preparing for the big day!

 With the Arthritis Walk just days ahead of us, we were preparing and nailing down every last detail. About a week leading up to the event, we were contacted by Faith’s mother to see if we wanted to combine teams. I explained to her that we had failed miserably at getting a team together, but that we’d still be there cupcakes in hand. She asked if we had any extra t-shirts that we could give to her team (Faith signed up 30 people!!!). I told her we hadn’t ordered any, but that I would see if I could get some ordered in time. She didn’t want me to have to order any, she just thought if I had some extras lying around they could use them. So, I made the call to my t-shirt guy. I gave him the date, May 16, and explained I need them by that evening because the Walk was early Sunday morning. We talked business and came up with a fair price and I placed the order for 35 team t-shirts. I contacted Faith’s mom and let her know it was a done deal!

I followed up with our t-shirt guy throughout the week, updating sizes and confirming pick up location. Well, Saturday afternoon rolled around before I knew it ( I had worked on a wedding cake and Strawberry Shortcake cake and cupcakes all morning) it was about 4:30. I asked my husband if he had picked up the shirts for me yet. He said he hadn’t heard back from our t-shirt guy. So, he called him and asked when he could pick up the shirts. The t-shirt guy sounded confused and asked when we needed them…my husband told him tonight…t-shirt guy  thought they were for next weekend. This is where my heart sinks into my stomach and my jaw drops to the floor! And, go figure, t-shirt guy is on vacation and can’t get a hold of his partner to do them last minute for us!

Now, I am totally one of those people who, when experiencing poor customer service or receives a less than satisfactory product bypasses any employee at the store level and goes straight to the top with my complaints. So, I discussed things over with my husband and confirmed I had e-mailed our t-shirt guy the date (which I clearly had). I was so upset, no, SO DISAPPOINTED and I had no idea how I was going to tell Faith and her team of 30+ that I didn’t have the t-shirts they were all promised. I thought I am going to call this person, and send a letter to that person, and I’m going to post a blog about this company…I thought, what if someone ordered a wedding cake from me and I got the dates mixed up. What if one of my customers ended up having a wedding with no cake because I thought it was “next weekend”!

Then, I calmed down. I realized that one, people make mistakes. Although I was in contact with our t-shirt guy daily, maybe I should have set a specific time on Saturday and specifically clarified (twice, maybe 3 times even) the date. Two, I know he felt bad about the situation and I know he will make it up to us at a later date (wink, wink). Finally, it’s not about the t-shirts (but it would’ve been pretty cool). While yes, it would have been nice to have everyone coordinating and see the excitement on Faith’s face as she watched everyone change into HER teams shirts, we were there for something bigger. 

Check back with us soon to find out how the Arthritis Walk of 2009 went down!

About 6 months ago we placed an order through BRP Box Shop for a variety of cupcake boxes. BRP Box Shop has everything from business card boxes, to cake pads, and of course CUPCAKE BOXES! They have just recently added a page on their site dedicated to happy customers and their uses of the products they ordered from them. Our pictures are up! Click on this link to see some of our work in the BRP boxes! 

We were so happy with the products we received and the service was great! I have to say though, the boxes we ordered for the mini cupcakes did not meet our needs. Our cupcakes just slid around underneath the insert. In the defense of BRP Box Shop, our minis are really mini (the bottom of our liners measure 1 1/4″). Over all we were very happy with what we ordered and will continue to do business with BRP!

A big thank you to Kip of BRP for posting some of our pictures!

If you have any questions, comments, or would like to place an order from the Two Parts Sugar kitchen you can contact us here!

Friday we were contacted by a loving mother who was interested in having some cupcakes made for her daughter. She wanted to surprise her at school the following Monday with some princess themed cupcakes. We talked about some different options and finally came up with a selection of crowns, magic wands, flowers, Ava’s name, and swords (didn’t want the boys left out completely). She decided on our award winning Raspberry Red Velvet cupcakes with Raspberry Cream Cheese frosting.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY AVA!

If you have any questions, comments or would like to place an order from the Two Parts Sugar kitchen you can contact us here.

About two weeks ago I was contacted to do a last minute order of 4 dozen mini cupcakes for a teenage girls birthday. She was planning to take them to her ASB class. Nothing fancy, just some of our Raspberry Red Velvet’s with pink, silver and white sprinkles. So, Lillian (mom) picked them up and later that night sent me an e-mail stating that 

The cupcakes for my daughters ASB class were a hit!!  We have all had a nibble and were very happy.

-Lillian

She also asked if I could do a Star Wars cake and cupcakes for her son Quinton who would be turning 7. I jumped at the opportunity. Growing up my big brother was a huge Star Wars fan, so I took a special interest in this project. This wasn’t just any Star Wars project, oh no, specifically it was Star Wars Clone Wars…The Animated Series! Totally unfamiliar with how this might be different from the Star Wars I knew, I  began my research….starting with big brother. He immediately suggested lightsabers that actually lit up! OOOOHHHH YYYAAA! Then he started in with a stand that had hidden speakers and would play themed music…..I had to stop him there.

I got back to Lillian with a few ideas and we got all the details down. While doing so, she let me know that her son corrected me when I mistook Luke for Anakin! HA! Then I knew I had my work cut out for me. Among the requests was a cake topper of General Grievous…..have you seen that thing?!?! I wasn’t sure where to go with that one. I couldn’t wait to start this order! One hiccup we encountered was our first order for some lightsabers to use. they came in waaaaaay to big (6″ instead of 2″) and they were the wrong color! Slight set back, but with only 1 day before Quinton’s party we were able to find something that would work. Here’s what we came up with:

Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream. General Grievous, Yoda, Anakin cake toppers, complete with light sabers that light up!…..Millennium Falcon and Spider Droid flying……Storm Trooper and Battle Droid at base of cake, also with light sabers that light up! Wish we could’ve gotten a picture of them lit…but they were glow sticks and once activated only last so long.

4 dozen marble cupcakes with alternating vanilla buttercream and chocolate mousse buttercream. Storm Troopers, Yoda, lightsabers, R2-D2, C-3PO.

Let us know what you think! Or, if you have any questions or would like to place an order you can contact us here.

About a month ago we had an order for some Sesame Street cupcakes, they were made for a little boy named Carter who was turning 2. Today they were featured on Cupcakes Take The Cake! We LOVE Cupcakes Take The Cake and are constantly checking their latest post to keep us up to date in the cupcake world! We haven’t seen any of our cupcakes up on their blog in a while, so we were thrilled when we saw these little guys gleaming off the screen of our computer! 

If you have any comments, questions or would like to place an order from the Two Parts Sugar kitchen, you can contact us here!

So, we haven’t posted too many blogs lately (there’s just been a lot going on!) As you may have heard, I just recently quit my job (which was fun at times, but really….who wants to work for someone else, right?) So, it’s cupcakes full force! Because I have an almost 3 year old and 1 1/2 year old daughters, with one on the way (due Nov 29) I am limited to my kitchen time. I usually leave the girls with Poppa (thank God for him…he is my hero!) at night and head to the Two Parts Sugar kitchen for some baking and decorating.

We have been taking on as many orders as we possibly can and loving every minute of the madness! Now that summer is right around the corner, weddings and birthday parties are popping up everywhere you turn. So, here’s what we are working on in the upcoming weeks:

Star Wars birthday cake and cupcakes, Wrestling birthday cupcakes, White wedding cake, Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake and cupcakes, Mini cupcakes for the Arthritis Walk, Fashion show cupcakes for Rancho Santa Margarita’s Senior Fashion Show, My Little Pony cupcakes, Jungle cake and cupcakes, Baby shower flower cupcakes, 2 sets of Lingerie bridal shower cupcakes, Engagement party cakes and cupcakes, Graduation cupcakes, Dinosaur cupcakes and Roller Derby fundraiser cupcakes!

We can’t wait to get started on these fun designs and share them with all of you!

If you have any questions or would like to place an order, you can contact us here! Don’t forget to check back with us for pictures of our creations! You can see some of our previous work on Flickr!