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).

So, yesterday was the “big day” and what a whirlwind! For those of you just finding out about this here’s a breakdown of how I even got this audition: I applied for a post I saw on Cupcakes Take The Cake on Wednesday and got a call back on Thursday night (you can read the details here). We got an audition for Tuesday evening. So now it was crunch time. I had 5 nights to prepare, which you think would be plenty of time right? Here’s what they wanted me to bring:  some photos of “extreme” cupcakes and an idea for a stand that would hold up to 1,000 cupcakes. Well, I had 2 orders to fill over the weekend, and 2 sample boxes to deliver as well….not to mention 2 daughters to take care of, a house full of half done renovations (trying to get done before baby #3 gets here) and a husband to keep entertained over the 3 day weekend as well. So, here’s how the prep all played out:

Thursday night…..Thoughts swarmed my head, nerves were going crazy, and really tried to figure out how I was going to manage my time. I couldn’t work during the day….my family is priority and I didn’t want to spoil a 3 day weekend with me working the whole time, so I decided I would just do everything after my girls went to bed. I made sure to focus on the orders I had to fill over the weekend and then just go full force. So, the whole night I worked on cupcake toppers and cake decorations for my already booked orders.

Friday night…..Hubby and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary (10 years together) with dinner. Then, baked 48 cupcakes and topped with decor. Also made a 2 tiered cake (about 80 servings) covered in fondant and decorated. In bed at about 3:30 am.

Saturday night…..After a loooong day of appliance installations, cabinet hardware installation, 4 deliveries, and sprinklers with the girls it was time to get started. Decided to make a couple extreme cupcakes to take in, sometimes pictures don’t do a cupcake justice (especially if I photograph them). Also worked on some ideas for a stand that I passed over to my big brother to sketch out for me. Up until 3:30 am….again! Keep in mind my girls are up at 6:00 am EVERY morning!

Sunday night…..Reality is starting to set in. Daytime consisted of more cleaning, cabinet installation, rearranging EVERYTHING in ALL our kitchen cabinets, a trip to Ikea, and fun with the girls. Then it was recipe ideas with my sister, sketch modifications with big bro, picture printing for a portfolio to present, and one more “extreme cupcake to make”.

Monday night (night before)…..Where did the time go?!?!?! During the day it was breakfast with the family, renovation clean up, another trip to Ikea, a ceiling fan installation at moms, and lots of activities with the girls. Then it was 5 dz cupcakes to bake, finishing touches on the cupcakes, sketch and portfolio and 2:00 am was my cut off time.

So, Tuesday rolls around….it was up at 6:00 am with my girls and then on with the day. We ate breakfast and did a little cleaning together, then it was off to Michael’s. I had to be sure to leave my house in Mission Viejo by 2:00 pm in order to arrive at my moms to drop off the girls and pick up my sister, and make it to LA by 5:00 pm. After Micheal’s and the grocery store it was now lunch time, after lunch it was nap time. The day FLEW by and before I knew it my sister an I were on our way to Hollywood. We took with us 2 “extreme cupcakes”, 4 dz raspberry red velvet cupcakes, 1 dz of our new CHURRO flavored cupcakes, a portfolio with as many pictures as we could cram into it, and a sketch for a display of 1,000 cupcakes. 

Chocolate cupcake covered in white chocolate icing, topped with oreo crumbles and adorned with a rose and butterfly

We arrived at about 5:00 (15 min early) and headed into the building where the castings were being held. What happened next still has me busting up! We are walking on the sidewalk up to the entrance of this building and my sister and I see this guy who looks like Alton Brown. My sister points him out and says “OMG is that Alton Brown?” My jaw dropped in disbelief and we just kinda stared at him. He stops at his car and looks over and waves…we wave back. He then walks over and my sister and I just kinda look at each other dumbfounded. He asks if we were here for the cupcake wars audition and we said yes. He then asked if what we were carrying were cupcakes and we said yes. He is now making his way toward us and my sister and I (both getting pretty nervous at this point) realize this is NOT Alton Brown! HAHAHAHA! It was just some Joe Schmoe off the street, maybe just getting out of his audition. We offered him a cupcake anyway and headed inside. My sister and I both felt so silly! We were able to laugh about it afterwards though. We were just so caught up in this whole experience our minds started playing tricks on us. 

Our attempt at a snow globe cupcake (our globe part didn’t come in on time with the holiday weekend). This was a red velvet cupcake turned upside-down, covered in fondant and then decorated with the winter olympic mascots, graphics from the website, snow, a mountain, and then there was supposed to be a globe on top. (we’ll post pics of completed cupcake soon!)

So we get inside and there were about 7 people already there. They were also casting for the host of the show. We watched all the hosts (even those arriving after us) going in and out of this room where they were conducting on camera auditions. I sparked up conversations with the other bakers who were all very excited as well. Many of them had been baking for a few years, up to 5 or 6…I’ve been at it less than a year. this began to get me even more nervous. Then, out walked Peter and Nick, the casting directors. They called in the next auditon for host and said hi. They also handed me a 3 page questionaire to fill out. I introduced myself and tried to throw out some whitty comments before they returned to the room for their next interview. I filled out the papers and joked around with the other people in the room. I was trying to get a feel for my competition and sneak a peek at what they had brought. Peter and Nick made it a point to strike up a conversation with all of us as they pulled in the next interview, and I made it a point to stand out. I was always involved in the conversation and tried to make my presence know and memorable. Time passed rather quickly and before I knew it it was about 6:30 and I was up!

Music note cupcake….again no time to order black foil lines that would complete this cupcake.

I walked into the room. This room was small with a white screen on one wall, a chair in front of that, and 2 cameras facing the chair. I sat down, introduced myself and answered some questions. I felt prepared, especially after talking to everyone in the waiting room and seeing what they brought. I really felt like I clicked with Peter and Nick, so that was good. Everything went well in front of the camera and I think Peter and Nick’s personalities really clicked with mine. So we finished up my interview and then I made sure to stick around and talk with them as much as I could before my sister and I left. I asked a bunch of questions about the show and what happens next. They said I would get a call by Friday (hopefully) if I made the show. If I didn’t make the show, there would be no call. He also mentioned that filming would be next week! NEXT WEEK! How fast does all that happen?!?!?! 

Cinnamon cupcake topped with vanilla icing and bunuelos (fried tortilla with cinnamon and sugar) pieces.

So, now we wait. What a super fun experience to have had. I had a blast preparing(although it was A LOT of work), the drive up with my sister was fun, and the whole interview process was great! It turns out a cousin of mine (who I hadn’t seen in years) just moved to LA so my sister and I got a hold of him and were able to stop by and visit for a bit. It really was an enjoyable day and i am thankful for the opportunity to have experienced it. i wouldn’t have changed a single thing! We will keep you posted on whether or not we get the call!

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.

About two weeks ago we made some cupcakes for Lisa’s son Gabriel. So, originally Lisa contacted me with an image of the invite she was using for the party. It was a painters pallet with lots of color, and a big blue number 5 right in the middle. Immediately I was thinking of replicating the entire image, painter’s pallet and blue number 5 out of fondant to top off the cupcakes…..she said she wanted to keep it simple. so, we went with circles to match the colors of the paint on the painter’s pallet and a blue number five, just like the invite. After talking to Lisa more she told me that her son Gabriel was in a painting class and she had arranged a private class for the party….How COOL is that! Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the traditional parties at the park, but what a nice change of pace. She also decided on mini cupcakes, which I think is plenty for a 5 year olds tummy. 

After the party I received a nice e-mail from Lisa thanking us and letting us know how the party went. We LOVE getting feedback, good or bad (hopefully they’re all good!). Then about a week later received the nicest letter in the mail and I just had to post what she said along with the adorable picture of Gabriel!

Thank you for the amazingly beautiful and scrumptious cupcakes! You creativity and artistry made the party a huge success and totally memorable. I’m so excited to have met you and have been telling all my friends and guests about you and your creations. You are my “cupcake lady”!

-Lisa

Nothing warms the heart more than words of gratitude like this. We love getting pictures of our customers enjoying our creations!

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

My youngest sister Alicia is pregnant with her first baby! She is due August 7, 2009 and I really could not be more excited! Being 7 years older than her, I have seen and remember a lot of her childhood. Alicia has been through A LOT in her short 21 years of life….some things brought upon herself, others just plain bad luck. Through it all she has come out on top and has a much better outlook on life. I still worry about her a lot (almost as if she were a daughter of mine) and about the decisions she will make in her life. I can truly say I am proud of EVERY single one of her accomplishments, big or small, and  how far she has come, especially this past year. Alicia…I love you more than you could ever know and I will be here for you always!

OK….ON TO THE CUPCAKES!!!! So, Alicia is very girly so I knew her cake/cupcakes would have to reflect that. Her shower will be held at Mimi’s Cafe and will be decorated in pink, pearls, and flowers! The cake had to fit in perfectly. We started with the obvious….pink, pearls, and flowers. Then we decided upon some little pink booties to tie in the baby aspect of it all. Here’s what we came up with!

Baby Adrienne, I cannot wait for you to arrive! I can’t wait to see you smile, laugh, cry, and all that other baby stuff! I can’t wait to hold you in my arms, rock you to sleep, and yes, even change your stinky diaper! I can’t wait for you to play with my kiddos! I JUST CAN’T WAIT TO BE AN AUTIE!

Please, let us know what you think…If you have and questions, or would like to place an order you can reach us here!

Here at the Two Parts Sugar kitchen we get lots of requests for lots of different things. The most recent was for a lingerie party! Not quite sure what it was all about, but there was to be lingerie involved….and CUPCAKES!

So, our client requested lingerie cupcakes and we couldn’t wait to get started! First, she wanted blue and black, which I was personally happy about. I thought it would be a nice change from the pink and red you typically see. Then I get an edited e-mail that says she changed her mind and now wants pink and brown (my least favorite color combos EVER). But, you have to give the people what they want! I then get a third e-mail stating she wanted pink and brown and animal print!!!!! She did say that she trusted me and to do what I thought would “work”. Ok, now I have to admit, I was a bit thrown off at first, and not very motivated….then it hit me! To be completely honest, I was trying to find a way out of the whole pink and brown thing and make something the client would LOVE.

My team (and husband) always tell me that I need to give the customers what they want….that is my goal every time, but I always want to include a little bit of me and my creativity, go the extra mile and give them what they want, but include that WOW factor they weren’t expecting. So, I knew right away when the color pink and the animal print came into play that I wanted to do the zebra print with pink accent…then, I figured the leopard print (and chocolate) could be the brown and my little lingerie cupcakes were born! Heres what they looked like:

I had so much fun making these and the client simply adored them. I was SO happy she liked them so much and that I was able to put a little bit of me into them. 

To top off the satisfaction of a successful delivery, these cupcakes (and some of our previous lingerie cupcakes) were featured on Zen Cupcake! They did a whole spread on all the lingerie cupcakes we have done in the past! Here’s what Zen Cupcake says about our “Adorable cupcakes”:

Award winning cupcake maker Two Parts Sugar has created the most darling cupcakes for Bachelorette Parties.

Thanks Zen Cupcake for the post and support! If you haven’t checked out Zen Cupcake yet, what are you waiting for?! If you need to know about anything cupcake…this is the place to find it!

Yes, votes have been tallied and the results are in! We were awarded 2nd place in the best traditional category….Woooooohoooooo!

Again, we want to give a big congrats to the others who came out on top, as well as all the entrants. Baking 1,000 mini cupcakes, and making them taste and look good is no easy feat! You can check out another post about the competition here at the LAist. Thanks LAist for the picture post!

Going into this competition we were a little hesitant. We kinda felt like we were going up against the “big dogs”, which we were. I can’t say enough good things about all the bakeries involved in this competition. So, our main goal was to just get our name out there and to enjoy the experience. No, really. I know it’s a competition and you go to win, but we really were just in it to see what it was all about and gain some exposure. 

Then, the competition came and went. I have to say, after hearing so many good things about our cupcakes and display, I did start to feel a little better about having entered this challenge. Then, we started to see a lot of good reviews and it was over. I have to be completely honest here, the competitor in me was set loose! I wanted first place. I thought we had a chance and now, anything less would be a disappointment. 

I began to google and see what I could find about the results. We were supposed to know by Tuesday. I waited and waited, and waited. Finally we get an e-mail that the results would be in on Wednesday…oh, the suspense. So, this morning I woke up ran downstairs, one girl in each arm (my 2 and 1 year old girls). I set them down for breakfast and immediately started up the computer. The results were in!

Best Traditional:

1st:  Susie Cakes: Red Velvet

2nd:  Two Parts Sugar: Raspberry Red Velvet

3rd:  Blue Cupcake: Chocolate

Best Original:

1st:  Polkatots: Dulce De Leche

2nd:  Sugar Jones: Blackberries and Cream

3rd:  Southern Girl: Sweet Potato Pie

Best Overall:

1st:  Polkatots:  Dulce De Leche

2nd:  Sugar Jones:  Blackberries and Cream

3rd:  Sugar Jones: Casanova’s Kiss

HHHHEEEEEYYYYYY……Was that us placing 2nd under the best traditional category?!?!?!? WoooooHooooo! Ok, I know I said I ended up really wanting first, but second is not too shabby. I really want to thank everyone who helped and supported us with the giant task of baking 1,000 mini cupcakes for this competition. The support was unbelievable! Oh, and next year we want first place OVERALL! Watch out……we’re out for blood! 

Congratulations to all the other bakeries who competed, for doing such an amazing job, and to the top placers for coming up with such yummy cupcakes! 

Let the countdown begin!

As you may already know, the LA Cupcake Challenge is in one week! It will be held on March 29, 2009 from 1:00 pm- 4:00 pm.  There will be a total of 18-20 bakeries competing for BEST CUPCAKE in Southern California!

There are three categories that the cupcakes will fall under: Best original, best unique, and best overall. So, who (in my opinion) are going to be the luckiest people EVER on March 29th? The judges of course! Judging about 40 different cupcakes (2 from each bakery) that day will be editors from Bon Appétit Magazine, editors from LAist, OC Weekly, Singular City Magazine, Thescene.com, food bloggers and possibly editors from wedding publications and more local media.  Along with the judges, some 400+ cupcake lovers will be attending the event and helping to determine the big winners.

How the scoring will work: Every attendee gets a ballot and they can vote for first, second, and third place in each category (best original, best traditional, best overall).   First place votes get 3 points, second place votes get two points, and third place votes get one point.  The judges votes are equivalent to five individual votes, but while there are 400 attendees, there are only 10-15 judges.

The prize: Among being hailed as having the BEST cupcake in So Cal and the bragging rights to go with that title, the winner of the best overall cupcake gets to be the exclusive vendor at the LA BBQ Festival to sell their cupcakes.  Last year’s winner sold out 2000 cupcakes over two days. 

What else will be at the event? Besides cupcakes, there will be a dj, photo booth, free milk and coffee, a cash bar for mixed drinks, and and possibly some free five minute spa services.  The event is sure to be fun for everyone. 

Two Parts Sugar is thrilled to be a part of this event. We are so excited just to be in the same vicinity as these prestigious bakeries. We can’t wait for the judges and attendees to taste what we’ve come up with! We are keeping our flavors under lock and key until the day of the event, but will let you know before we leave for the challenge. We want to thank everyone who has been a part of our cupcakes lives up until this point. Whether it was family enduring our long hours away, our customers who kept coming back for more, our favorite blogs posting about us, or our dedicated taste testers (again, best job in the world) you are all a part of the Two Parts Sugar family and we appreciate each and every one of you!

The Two Parts Sugar kitchen whipped up a last minute, I mean last minute order of cupcakes for a ladies bunco gathering….and they were featured on Cupcakes Take The Cake!

For those of you out there unfamiliar with Bunco here’s the rundown: Bunco (also Bunko and Bonko) is a parlour game played in teams with three dice. A winning throw in Bunco is to throw three of a kind of a specified number. Bunco is a social dice game involving 100% luck and no skill (there are no decisions to be made), scoring and a simple set of rules. Women who are part of a Bunco club take turns as the Bunco hostess, providing snacks (CUPCAKES), refreshments and the tables to set up the games. The hostess may also provide a door prize. Small amounts of money can be involved as well. The object of the game is to accumulate points and to roll certain combinations. The winners get prizes (provided by the hostess or pooled from the club resources) for accomplishments such as the highest score, the lowest score, or the most buncos. Prizes frequently center on themes associated with the game such as fancy dice, dice embedded in soap, t-shirts featuring illustrations of dice, etc.

So Chris, we wish you the best of luck in your Bunco game and hope you like the cupcakes! Thanks for including us in your gathering! A big thanks to Cupcakes Take The Cake for the post!

If you are interested in placing an order, have comments or questions, you can reach us here!