One of my 3 little cupcakes turned 2 today! My middle child Anabelle celebrated her birthday today. Actually, the real celebration was Sunday. We threw her a Yo Gabba Gabba party and proclaimed that our Ani was turning “TWO”dee (one of the characters names is Toodee). I have to be honest, there were lots of really cool ideas running through my head for the cake and decorations, but things are just way too busy, I had to hold back a little (actually a lot) in order to even get a party together. I pulled an all nighter the night prior to the party and while I was content with the outcome, I had so much more I would have loved to have done. So here’s a peek at the festivities! 

My little Ani on Halloween dressed as Toodee…we used this picture in the invitations.

I was swamped with work and a new baby and moving, so didn’t get to ordering any themed party decorations. Yo Gabba Gabba is SO hard to find in stores. So, 2 DAYS BEFORE the party I ran to find something that would work…heres what I did:

I was able to find bubbles in some of the colors of the characters and just added some of the simple facial features and POOF! they all came to life. The bubbles were a hit with the kids, but messy. I applied the same idea to the goodie bags, party hats and buckets for centerpieces. I was going to do the same to all the balloons but ran out of time! On a side note, I asked my 3 year old what kind of party she wanted, response: a Foofa party!

Here’s what the cake table looked like almost complete:

Here’s a shot of the cake!

So, the original plan was to do a 4 tier cake…each tier was going to have one of the Gabba lands as the background and the coordinating character on each tier with Toodee on top holding a ballon and the Yo Gabba Gabba starburst somewhere. Well, it was either a huge cake (with tons of leftovers) and no decorations, or a small cake and decorations. I opted for the tiny cake with cupcakes…much easier! I had a slight catastrophe with the liners…the all began to separate from the cupcake…solution: ribbon tied around each cupcake. 

I got SO many great shots of my angel on her big day, and I really tried to limit the number I posted.  Here’s my Ani enjoying her cupcakes! If you look closely you can see the shirt i made her is Toodee holding what else? A CUPCAKE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANABELLE!

I was recently contacted about an order for a young lady’s cheer coach. Ah…how this brought me back to my high school days. I was Cheerleader of the year my Senior year in high school…but don’t let that title fool you…I was also captain of our high school wrestling team! Anyway, Vanessa is a part of the Aliso Niguel cheerleading team and wanted to get her cupcake loving coach, Joy,  something special for her birthday. What could  be more special than a box of cupcakes from Two Parts Sugar? 

Joy and Vanessa enjoying some cupcakes (not our cupcakes, just a photo for reference).

We went with the school’s colors, paw print (they are the wolverines), Joy, pom-poms, and mega phones. 

Happy Birthday Joy!

Last week we had an order for some too cute cupcakes. Little Adam was turning 2 and his mom wanted cupcakes to match the party decor (plates/napkins, etc.). How fun! So we worked out all the details and she sent over a photo of the decor. Here’s what we came up with:

This was my first time attempting to swirl the icing colors…it was a little heavy at first and I feared there’d be kids running around with dark blue tongues (which I’m sure they’d love). We did 3 dz cupcakes, each with swirly blue frosting (the “water”) and chose some cute elements off the plate to decorate each cupcake with. We were very pleased with how they turned out! 

“Thank you for the yummy cupcakes! They were definitely a big hit!” 

Tiffany…Adam’s mom

So many things going on in the next month!

This week we have a 3 tier Yo Gabba Gabba cake, a Colette Peters inspired 3 tier Sweet Sixteen cake, a 3 tier chocolate wedding cake with 2 dz coordinating  cupcakes, and 12 dz gourmet cupcakes! A lot of work, but can’t wait to work on each order!

We are also working to revamp our image, just a bit. We are working on updating our site with lots of eye catching elements…including new flavors, packaging and a few other new things Two Parts Sugar will be offering. We are truly excited to be in the process of all of this. All just in time for our big 1 year anniversary! Yes, we have been at this cupcake madness for 1 full year this December!

That being said, December holds A LOT of BIG milestones/events we will be experiencing….new image, flavors, and other goodies…our 1 year anniversary, the airing of The Food Network’s CUPCAKE WARS, and Two Parts Sugar owner Monica Serratos will be welcoming baby girl #3 Angelica! We will keep you posted on all things to come and hope you all like what we’ve come up with!

New packaging!

We welcome all feedback! If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact us here!

We have been working extra hard these last few months coming up with unique designs and working on some things you will be seeing here shortly. I can’t tell you the struggles, long hours (and I’m talking LOOOONG hours…like way too many overnighters), and set backs we have been faced with….but along with that has come some AMAZING opportunities. As many of you know we have been cast on The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and couldn’t be more honored. While yes, that is probably the high point in our careers thus far, there are more things that we are proud to have been a part of. Even the smaller things…..from having the opportunity to create cupcakes for customers with AWESOME themes, to being featured on different blogs, to learning about and participating in the Arthritis Walk, just to name a few. We value every order that comes through our kitchen and truly appreciate all the well wishes and support from EVERYONE! That being said…we couldn’t be more thrilled to see our Sex and the City (which I have never seen and actually called it Sex in the City until I googled it!) cupcakes featured on Zen Cupcake! Be sure to check out the post and read the very kind words that were written about Two Parts Sugar.

Here’s what Selena (our  customer) had to say:

Hello! I requested these Sex and the City cupcakes from Monica. I’m telling you…I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect cupcake for our themed party! Not only were they adorable, they were OH SO tasty! Even the NY skyline was tasty.  Monica, you are so wonderful! Your talent is such a gift. I will rave about these for a while. 

Thank you Selena for the kind words! Wishing you the best with your first born…Sam!

We’d LOVE to hear your feedback…or if you have any questions or would like to place an order you can reach us here.

So much buzz about Cupcakes Wars….AND WHY NOT!?!?! Everyone seems to have the cupcake bug and we are NO exception!

Cupcakes Take The Cake has recently posted a few things about us…from our casting call phone call to a recent Cupcake Wars cupcake we made! HOW COOL! We absolutely LOVE to share our work and experiences with fellow cupcake lovers and were thrilled to see these posts! A super big THANK YOU to Cupcakes Take The Cake for the support! You can read more about our entire experience here!

I recently posted about an opportunity we had with THE FOOD NETWORK….just an interview, a chance  of a lifetime that could potentially catapult our cupcakes to the next level….well, WE DID IT! We were cast to be a part of a show that should be airing within the next couple of months. I haven’t posted anything until now because of very strict confidentiality rules. But, one of our favorite blogs, Bake and Destroy has posted a little tidbit, so we figured we’d give you all just a taste. 

I know my posts can be lengthy, so I’ll try to adapt this to those with even the shortest attention span. I will first say OMG….I can’t believe we were blessed with such an amazing opportunity! I mean this is the FOOD NETWORK…win or loose…this is HUGE for us! I have to mention everyone working on the show from the fabulous judges, to the friendly contestants, to the AWESOME production crew…they were all so down to earth and friendly. I have never been surrounded by SO many fun, energetic, kind people all in one place at a time! From the actual casting audition, the call back, the long hours and intense hard work and the time that goes into something like this is just unreal. All in all it was an AMAZING opportunity and such a fun time. You can read more about Natalie’s (from Bake and Destroy) experience here and find out a little more about the contestants and judges. 

For now I will have to keep all that I have experienced a bit more confidential….but will keep you updated! 

This past week has been a whirlwind and I couldn’t have done it with out my partner (and sis) Maria, she really  pulled through for Two Parts Sugar. Also, OF COURSE my loving, supportive, PATIENT husband, who without I would be completely LOST! My girls (although they may not have known what all was going on) for being such troopers. My mom for her unconditional support and willingness to drop whatever she had going on to accommodate to my schedule. My sister Alicia (who has a 6 week old) for babysitting my two little rascals. My dad for his handy skills and willingness to guide me through the process. My big brother Juan for also dropping what he was doing to help guide me, support me, and bring out my best and most creative ideas. Katie B for being available to me LAST minute and willing to work with my budget and schedule. Also, to the entire production team…you all ROCK and were a pleasure to work with…I will remember you all forever. Thank you to all our loyal customers and everyone else who has crossed our paths in the last 10 months since our journey in the cupcake world began. I can’t express how truly blessed and appreciative I am of every single one of you!

OK, here it is! So, I get the call today about a CALL BACK for the Food Network Cupcake Wars audition. Peter (who has casted for shows such as Hells Kitchen, The Phone, and Nanny 911, just to name a few), calls me and lets me know they want me to come back and do another run through on camera….but to “glam it up” a bit. THRILLED at the chance I tell him yes. We work out the details and end our phone conversation. Then, I realize I have to be in LA at 10:00am with my hair and make up done…who does hair and make up that early?!?!?!?! Also, for those of you who don’t know me, I wear only mascara and my hair is usually just thrown up in a bun after I get out of the shower. The funny thing is for the first audition I dried my hair nice and straight, and spent extra attention on my mascara (LOL). I even put on a dress (which usually happens only at weddings and funerals). So, my search began.

I remembered seeing Katie B as one of my Myspace friends and seeing how GORGEOUS her work was. I thought what the heck…I’ll give her a shot. Now, for those of you who don’t know, Katie B is IT for hair and makeup. She has won a few awards for her makeup & hair talent including Orange County’s Best Makeup Artist which was noted in the Orange County Register, Los Angeles’ Best Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist of the Year which was acknowledge by MyFoxLA Channel 11, and Perfect 5 Star Ratings for Project Wedding. Further, her makeup & hair styling work has been featured on lots of wedding sites as looks to achieve on the big day. She is also often referred to as the “go to” makeup artist & hair stylist for blushing brides on many sites including the knot.com, projectwedding.com, and weddingbee.com. She has worked on many Playboy models and the Kardashians, just to name a few!

I sent her a message and within no time she had responded and sent me her contact info! I called immediately. I asked a few questions and explained my story…she then told me she was available for tomorrow! So far, so good. Then, she told me her background and the kicker…what she charges! I explained that I didn’t want to  offend her in anyway (I understand she is the best at what she does and it is an art form not to be taken lightly by me of all people) and that my husband would flip out if I spent that much on makeup and hair. She was gracious enough to work something out with me (she is SO getting cupcakes) and that was that! I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing this entire experience has been thus far. I am truly grateful for all the opportunities that have presented themselves and for the people helping me along the way. I could not do this with out all the support from everyone….including my patient husband and my loving family. 

So, be sure to check out Katie B and her make up line and check back with us tomorrow for all the juicy details about audition #2! Now I’m off to finish icing cupcakes and get my beauty rest (Lord knows I NEED it).

You all remember our Star Wars cake and cupcake tower right? It was one of our most popular cake/cupcake combos we’ve done to date! Well, today it popped up on Fandomania! Fandomania is a blog about pop culture, covering news, reviews, and opinions on everything from TV shows to video games to toys and comics, and a whole lot of stuff in between. Here it is again for those of you who may have missed it!

You’ll definitely want to check out the detail shots — Grievous is incredible (and edible)!

Fandomania…THANKS for the kind words and post! We really appreciate the continued support from everyone! 

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

A couple weeks back we were contacted by a mother who wanted to get cupcakes for her son who was turning 2. She was throwing his party at a petting zoo (too cute) and wanted cupcakes to go along with that theme. We ended up doing pigs, chicks, and cows (a female and male version of each) and #2s. She ordered 6 dz minis for all the youngsters, which seems to be more of a trend lately (the minis that is). So, we delivered her cupcakes and she and her husband were thrilled. Then, as a tribute to National Cowboy Cupcake Day…..Zen Cupcake featured the cow and bull cupcakes we did on their site!

 

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  Your cupcakes were one of the highlites of the party!  Everyone cound not stop raving & eating the cupcakes! And unfortunately for us, we did not have any leftovers!!!

- Suzy

Thank you Suzy for the kind words! Zen Cupcake, as usual you rock…thanks for the post! If you have any comments, questions, or would like to place an order you can reach us here.