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!

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.

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.

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.

A couple months back we were contacted by one of the members of the Renegade Rollergirls (SO CAL) for a cupcake order for a huge event they are having on Sunday, June 28. These girls are CRAZY (in a good way)! For those of you unfamiliar with roller derby here’s the rundown (according to Wikipedia):

Roller derby is an American-invented contact sport—and historically, a form of sports entertainment—based on formation roller skating around an oval track. In past decades, roller derby had been primarily a professional or paid sport for both women and men. Contemporary roller derby is international, predominantly female, typically operates on an amateur       (or unpaid) circuit, and has a strong do it yourself ethic which often features both athleticism and a satirical punk, third-wave feminism aesthetic.

I have to admit, I am very intrigued by this sport. In fact, if I wasn’t pregnant, didn’t have 2 kids, or a business to run, I would SO OWN THE RINK! 

So, this event they are having I believe is a fundraiser type event that looks to be fun for the entire family. The so called “Battle of the Burrito” is a rematch between the Renegade Rollergirls SO CAL (who were defeated in the last match) vs. a San Diego team. The event is Sunday, June 28 from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Held at the SO CAL street hockey roller skating rink at 11700 Knott Ave., in Garden Grove. Admission is FREE and there will be a D.J., moon bounce, face painting and more! The main event…THE REMATCH, is at 2:00 pm. Be sure to check them out!

So, for the cupcakes, we wanted to make sure the represented the attitudes of these ladies…Senious, Raw, and IN CHARGE! We went with, of course a roller skate, it is roller derby…a skull with a bow, their style is rockabillyish and we thought that would fit right in…..a band-aid, after all, this is a FULL CONTACT sport….and a grenade, cause these girls are lethal! We placed each decoration atop a fondant circle outlined in pink (to keep it girly) and added some camouflage in the middle to match their web page. Here they are:

Please, let us know what you think! If you have any 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!

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.

As graduation season winds down, we’ve finished up the last of our graduation cupcakes. Cupcakes Take The Cake has featured some of them on their blog!

Congratulations again to the GRADUATING CLASS OF 2009!