A little while back we were contacted by a woman who requested some cupcakes for a company fundraiser. Everyone was contributing something to raffle to help raise money for The Haiti Earthquake Relief. She thought our cupcakes would be a perfect fit. We love to participate in things like this and immediately jumped on the opportunity. We donated 3 dz cupcakes in an effort to help raise some money for this organization. I later heard back from her and she said they were a hit. They were able to raise $1,200.00!

We are thrilled to have been a part of this fundraiser…it’s kinda why we do what we do, after all they are just cupcakes. Don’t get me wrong, they are definitely not JUST cupcakes….I mean they are my passion, my livelihood, my life. But when you look at the big picture, there are so many other things that are more important. We can’t wait until we are able to help in bigger and better ways. Until then, we will continue to help out the community and other non-profit organizations as much as we can. Who knows, maybe one day we will be able to start our own charitable non-profit organization!

I just received a text from a family friend reminding me that one of my favorite times of the year was here yet again…Girl Scout COOKIES for sale! I immediately thought cupcakes. Then I thought I want to help her daughter with cookie sales. I wanted to put together a Girl Scout cookie cupcake box to offer to our customers. I initially thought of translating the cookie into a cupcake, such as taking our already delicious chocolate cupcake and infusing mint flavor into it…thin mint!  Well, then I realized that wasn’t helping the Girl Scouts any….DUH! I had to actually use the cookies in the cupcakes (or I’d be left with lots of boxes of cookies, and I am trying to loose that baby weight)! So, that being said we will be offering a box of one dozen assorted flavors of cupcakes made with yummy Girl Scout cookies $30.00 per dz (assorted flavors) February 21-27. Be sure to pre-order so that we are sure to purchase enough cookies!

thin mint…chocolate cupcake with chocolate ganache frosting topped with crushed thin mints samoas…coconut cupcake topped with chocolate frosting toasted coconut and samoa pieces tagalongs…chocolate cupcake topped with peanut butter icing and tagalong pieces lemonades…lemon cupcake topped with lemon cream frosting and lemonade pieces

Meet Jade! She is 6 years old  and her goal is to sell  100 boxes, she has sold 38 boxes so far…and she needs to turn in her orders by Friday February 5th! So, place your cupcake order and help her meet that goal! You can also order a good ‘ol box of cookies from her for $4.00 per box by contacting her mom Aracely.

In case you missed it, we recently had a custom order for some bridal shower cupcakes. We incorporated the soon to be groom’s love of technology and the soon to be bride’s fun loving personality and put them together to create our iphone cupcakes. We used the couples engagement photos to create custom cupcake wrappers and then topped the cupcakes with iphones, hearts, and laptops with lingerie slung over them! They turned out great and the couple loved them! Zen Cupcake, a blog devoted to all things cupcakes got a glimpse of our creations and posted them on their blog! Thanks Zen Cupcake for the post! You can read more about it here.

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

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!

Join our team!

I just recently learned a little bit about Juvenile arthritis. In learning about this disease, unfortunately there was a face to go along with it.  There is a little girl I met who was diagnosed at a very young age with Juvenile arthritis.  Her name is Faith, appropriately.

After contacting the Executive Director of the Orange County branch, we made the commitment to help.  In honor of Faith, Two Parts Sugar is on a quest to raise money for children just like her.  We have started a team and are trying to recruit members to walk with us on May 17, 2009. You can join our team and find out more here.  Everyone who joins our team can stop by our tent the day of the event and receive a free cupcake! We are tossing around some exciting ideas to help generate donations, so keep checking back to find out more.  Please help us on our quest by joining our team or  making a donation. Here’s a little more informatiton about the event and out little hero Faith…

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this disease, as I was, it is basically this:  Juvenile arthritis (JA) refers to any form of arthritis or an arthritis-related condition that develops in children or teenagers who are less than 18 years of age. Common Symptoms of Juvenile Arthritis include pain, swelling, tenderness and stiffness of joints, causing limited range of motion.  It can also cause joint contracture, which results from holding a painful joint in a flexed position for an extended period. More so,it can cause damage to joint cartilage and bone leading to joint deformity and impaired use of the joint. As well as altered growth of bone and joints leading to short stature.

So, Faith.  She just turned 9 and has been suffering from Juvenile arthritis for years now.  She can’t participate in many sports because her movements are limited due to severe pain caused by this disease.  She loves to swim and ride horses, which is easier on her joints.  Faith is currently undergoing a new treatment which is very expensive and includes an at home shot every weekend that is administered by her parents.  While this treatment does have some side affects, the good outweigh the not so good.  Her father told me that this shot now gives her the ability to crawl. Yes, crawl. She is perfectly able to walk and move about somewhat like you and I, but crawl, not recently.  She has a one year old little brother who she has not been able to crawl around with.  After getting the first dose of this treatment, she got down on her hands and knees and looked up at her father and said…

…Look daddy, now I can crawl with Aaron.

Ok, I have two children of my own, so I’m a bit emotional when it comes to this stuff.  Hearing his story brought me to tears.  I decided I had to help.

After discussing it with the Two Parts Sugar crew, we decided to take the first step.  We contacted our local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation to see what we could do to help.  We will be meeting with them later this week to see if we can arrange something for the upcoming walk in Irvine this May.  We are hoping to use our cupcakes to raise money for the foundation and for our dear little Faith.  Pictured above are some cupcakes with different logos representative of the Arthritis foundation. We also included our own addition, the butterfly, which represents our little Faith. Please wish us luck in our quest to do so.

I just recently learned a little bit about Juvenile arthritis. In learning about this disease, unfortunately there was a face to go along with it.  There is a little girl I met who was diagnosed at a very young age with Juvenile arthritis.  Her name is Faith, appropriately.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this disease, as I was, it is basically this:  Juvenile arthritis (JA) refers to any form of arthritis or an arthritis-related condition that develops in children or teenagers who are less than 18 years of age. Common Symptoms of Juvenile Arthritis include pain, swelling, tenderness and stiffness of joints, causing limited range of motion.  It can also cause joint contracture, which results from holding a painful joint in a flexed position for an extended period. More so,it can cause damage to joint cartilage and bone leading to joint deformity and impaired use of the joint. As well as altered growth of bone and joints leading to short stature.

So, Faith.  She just turned 9 and has been suffering from Juvenile arthritis for years now.  She can’t participate in many sports because her movements are limited due to severe pain caused by this disease.  She loves to swim and ride horses, which is easier on her joints.  Faith is currently undergoing a new treatment which is very expensive and includes an at home shot every weekend that is administered by her parents.  While this treatment does have some side affects, the good outweigh the not so good.  Her father told me that this shot now gives her the ability to crawl. Yes, crawl. She is perfectly able to walk and move about somewhat like you and I, but crawl, not recently.  She has a one year old little brother who she has not been able to crawl around with.  After getting the first dose of this treatment, she got down on her hands and knees and looked up at her father and said…

…Look daddy, now I can crawl with Aaron.

Ok, I have two children of my own, so I’m a bit emotional when it comes to this stuff.  Hearing his story brought me to tears.  I decided I had to help.

After discussing it with the Two Parts Sugar crew, we decided to take the first step.  We contacted our local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation to see what we could do to help.  We will be meeting with them later this week to see if we can arrange something for the upcoming walk in Irvine this May.  We are hoping to use our cupcakes to raise money for the foundation and for our dear little Faith.  Pictured above are some cupcakes with different logos representative of the Arthritis foundation. We also included our own addition, the butterfly, which represents our little Faith. Please wish us luck in our quest to do so.