Long Time, No Cupfake!

Hello fans and followers!  It's a been a long hard summer with lots of things going on that have unfortunately kept me from making new and exciting products for my cupfake lovers!

However with Fall soon approaching and school starting, I am sure I will have plenty of time to get my butt in gear and get back to work.  In fact, I will be heading to Home Depot this week to re-up on my supplies!

First on my list will be Autumn themed cupfakes as well as brand new Christmas designs and ornaments.  Last year, my Christmas tree cupfakes were big sellers and I am hoping to improve on that for 2012.  Aside from cupfakes, I have lots of ideas for cute Halloween giveaways for the kids this year so I will also be busy creating those goodies as well!  Check out these cute pumpkin crafts!

So I hope my fellow crafters are gearing up to create some wonderful seasonal items and you know you can share them here!

Also, don't forget to follow me on facebook!  http://www.facebook.com/TheCakeryFakery

Change is Hard!

Hi all!  I know its been forever since I have posted but things are crazy busy right now and finding moments here and there is not easy!


I know that I had posted previously that my store will be open again on June 15, but that day seems to have come and gone :(  


I am in the process of setting up a new crafting studio and dedicated cupfake haven in one of the rooms in my basement.  While trying to "get organized" and create the space, I quickly became overwhelmed with the design choices and plethora of organization products so I enlisted the help of California Closets to come by and help me!  I have my consultation next week, so we'll see how it goes.  Hopefully they can come in and create my dream crafting space and I can get back to the business of cupfakin!  


Although I needed the break, I am the first to admit that I truly miss making my cupfakes and I have created a list of ideas so long that its mind boggling.  So when I am able to get the store back up and running, I promised myself that I would start slow and hit that idea list thoughtfully lol! 


I sure hope you all will hang in there with me!  I'll keep you posted and hopefully, the next time you see a post from me, it will be for my grand re-opening!  


Love and Cupcakes! 

Cupfake Info!

Good morning readers, cupfake collectors, cupcake makers, bakers and friends!  I'm sitting here this morning with my life-giving cup of coffee waiting for the carpet cleaning man to come so I thought I would type up a little hello to you all and share some info.

If you follow my Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/thecakeryfakery you'd know that my Etsy shop is TEMPORARILY closed.  We are in the process of moving and I really needed to pack up all of my supplies and inventory to get things moving, so naturally I could not keep the store open while this was all in process.  I hate having the shop closed, BUT it is giving me time to come up with some new ways that I'd like to celebrate a grand re-opening which is scheduled for June (so far).

The new place has a dedicated craft room just for The Cakery Fakery to do its thing!  Finally!  No more keeping things here and there and everywhere!  I think just having a special place like this will inspire lots of new goodies!

Some things I have planned are:
New cupfakes (of course)
New faux sundaes, shakes and cakes!
Cupcake and dessert inspired photo frames and home decor
Cupcake and dessert themed paper goods!  Yes!  We'll be expanding into the greeting card business! Not sure how well these will do "business-wise" but I don't care, I like making them!

I'm learning about making candles and if I can master the art and find a cupcake scent, then we'll be doing those too!

I'll probably be doing a cupfake giveaway as well to celebrate the re-opening so stay tuned!  Keep checking out the Facebook fan page because I am always posting little fun tidbits there!

www.facebook.com/thecakeryfakery


see you soon!

Food Hangover

So yesterday was the superbowl....how can I forget since its all anyone talks about, the mentions on facebook are in the bazillions, so the game is pretty hard to get away from.  Luckily my husbands team was not in the superbowl this year (again).  So while it was a watched event in my house, the excitement level was not at fever pitch.

I did, however, try to make it a fun evening and made lots of food.  Lasagna, sausages, rice balls, guacamole for snacking, etc etc.  So I was cooking and picking all day long and now I am paying for it.  My stomach has a food hangover.

Today I will be working on a custom order for a cupfake trinket box as well as the prize winner's custom cupfake.  It may take me twice as long a usual because I am on super slow mode this morning.  

So how did all of you spend Superbowl Sunday?

The Snooki Jersey Shore Cupfake!

OK, I have noticed over the last few months that there has been an absolute explosion of new cupfake makers.   What I see, though, is that these crafters are all basically making the same product over and over and I think what sets The Cakery Fakery apart is that I create mostly "themed" cupfakes!  How many cupfakers out there have created a Dexter, Tony Soprano, Wizard of Oz or most recently The Snooki?  None of them.  So, yes I am doing a bit of bragging here.

I truly believe my cupfakes are 100% unique when it comes to creativity especially the focus on pop culture.  Take a look at the new Snooki!

Stress and Cupfakes

Good morning to you!  I am having my morning coffee, mentally going over my to-do list and preparing supplies for my very first "Jersey Shore" cupfake!  It is an ode to "Snooki"!  I think it should be a very fun cupfake and I hope my readers, customers and fans get a kick out of the finished product.

Today I called my post "Stress & Cupfakes" because of all the things we all have going on in our lives both the stressful AND the fun.  I am sure if I were sitting with all of you around a table we could all run off a list a mile long about all the negative things going on in life right now.  I once heard someone say, that if you gather a group of people and all of you put your problems on the table, you'd gladly take your own.  So through all the craziness I am trying to keep that idea in mind.  That no matter what you have going on that is just sucking the life energy out of you, there is someone who probably has it much worse and if we have to choose whose shoes to be in, we should probably just stick to our own.

I find that one of the ways I MUST deal with stress is to completely blank out the things that are driving me crazy.  For me, its to either clean my house or create something.  And no, I'm not always making just cupfakes!  I think when you are creating something, your mind focuses on the task at hand, time goes by and you realize that an hour or two went by and you didn't think about your problems even once.  You may go right back to thinking and stressing about them, but for the last couple of hours your mind had a rest from it all.

Some of the things I like to do to give the mind a break:

Arts & craftsy type stuff (it takes a lot of focus and concentration)
Cleaning up or organizing stuff (one of those mindless kinds of things that keeps your body and hands busy)
writing blog posts!

Some of the activities that actually contribute to my stress
Sitting and reading a magazine (I think its the guilt factor that I should be doing something more productive....I should work on this)
Talking on the phone (I hate the phone)
Dealing with "paperwork". I loathe having papers around and pretty much throw most of it away or take care of it immediately because I just despise looking at it.

So what does all of this mean?  I just took a look at my stress-relievers and realize that I really should have a more than three items on that list!  How sad for me!   I accept and encourage all suggestions!!!!

Hope Your Holidays Were Wonderful!

I'm sitting here with my cup of coffee trying desperately to arrange my to-do list.  Writing a blog post was one of them, so CHECK!

My cupfake to-do list is growing and growing.  I am waiting for my little one to go to school so I can come home and start making the cupfake bases.  I think that is the most boring part, so I like to get that out of the way.  My plan is to make a WHOLE BUNCH so that I have them ready for future request orders.

I sincerely hope that your holidays were filled with sweet memories.  I know ours were.  My daughter got more toys and gifts than ever and the state of my house is proof.  I am constantly moving toys from one place to another.  Every time she asks me to open something I get a pit in my stomach because I know that I have to break out the power tools to get them out of their boxes!  Whats up with that?

The 2011 Christmas season was eventful and fun.  We went to Rockefeller Center to go ice skating (saw Tom Cruise there too lol!), spent a lot of time with family, attended my moms work Christmas party brunch, New Years Eve was pretty quiet but then we had Amanda's birthday party the following week (see post below).  I had NO TIME at all to make any new cupfakes, but that usually happens this time of year.

Doing a ton of work with regards to moving as well, which is not as fun as I imagined.  This cake fake needs a breather for sure.

WHEW!!! Can I Relax Now? Probably NOT!

HI all!  Well, my daughters 5th birthday party was a huge success.  Lots of kids from her class were there along with her cousins and friends.  I think all the kids had a great time.  I was so relieved when it was over.  It was held at Kiddie Pallooza in Staten Island and they did a great job of keeping the kids entertained, bringing out the food, serving up everything from the drinks to the cake to both adults and kids and I didn't have to lift a finger.  In the end, we were able to go home and not have to clean up anything!  That is my kind of party and worth every penny!

Usually at this time of year I am able to take a breath and relax with no immediate plans, but not this year.  We still have a lot going on, I won't get into the boring details though.

As far as cupfakin' I am working on a birthday favor order for Abby Cadabby cupfakes and will post pics when they are all done.  I'm getting a little nervous about this one because all of my supplies are not here yet and I would really like to just get them started already.

IT'S OVER!

You know I love Christmas, but when its over, I feel a huge sense of relief!  Husband is back to work, daughter is playing with new toys and now I can get to trying to find a place for all this new stuff!

Christmas was great as usual, Amanda was overwhelmed with gifts so she's a happy girl.  But I think she really just loved visiting family and seeing her cousins the most.

Now I can concentrate on her birthday party.....ugh, when does it stop??

Running the Marathon!

Good morning blogger community!  Well, I woke up extra early this morning.  Not sure why.  It could be that my mind keeps running with what seems like a never ending to-do list.  I'm kinda past the Christmas planning and am now onto planning my daughter's 5th birthday party.  Always a daunting task for me as her birthday is Jan 3rd, which is immediately after the holidays, so on top of the usual craziness I have the added party to plan.  But this year I have enlisted the help of a kiddie-party-place to help me plan it.  So hopefully they can take on the work and I can enjoy the party!

But like the title says, this week is definitely like running a marathon around here.  OK, off to the races....

The Final Countdown!

So here we are the last few days before Christmas.  What have you gotten done?  What do you still have left to do?  I am 99.9999% done shopping.  About 75% done wrapping.  I just have my daughters items to wrap up. Don't know when that will happen, but I am hoping soon.

I think this year we have really spent a lot of time doing enjoyable holiday stuff.  We went skating at Rock Center, saw the tree, attended a Christmas party, visited and took pics with Santa, visited the neighborhood lights spectacular as we do every year, visited friends who moved recently, I baked (and failed but at least I tried) and despite all the goings on non-Christmas-related, we managed to put up a beautiful tree.   I even made myself a glass of eggnog the other night.

All the while, I have also managed to find time to create some nice cupfake ornaments (a few still available in my etsy shop) and got all my orders out on time!  You think I'd be wiped out, but the final countdown days do have me feeling a little energized :)

So what have you done?????

Weekend Festivities

Hi all!  Well, on Saturday my husband had the bright idea of heading into the city to take our daughter ice skating at Rockefeller Center.  We waited on line in the freezing temps for over an hour but my daughter didn't complain and she had a blast!  My advice?  Pay the whopping $75 to get into the "express skating" section and you don't have to wait on line!  It would have been worth it!  But so glad my daughter got to experience skating at the most famous rink in the world!

Crunch Time!

I know as soon as Halloween is over, you hear everyone say "Christmas is right around the corner".  Well, we can say it and really mean it.

Tomorrow is the last day you can order my cupfakes to ensure a timely Christmas delivery.  Anything beyond that, well, I cannot guarantee that your cupfake will arrive in time for the holiday.  But hey, a late gift is better than no gift right?

Its Friday morning and I have lots to do so I am sorry this post is short and sweet.  Off to the races!

Red Hot Christmas Gift Treasury

Christmas doesn't have to just be for the kiddies!  Forget the hot cocoa and toys!  Check out these sizzling Christmas gifts for the big kids!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTAzMjkyMTF8MTQ3MDcxMTM1OQ/red-hot-christmas?index=0

It Always Seems To Be Monday.....

HI folks!  Well its Monday morning......again....

Got a lot done over the weekend.  But at the same time it was relaxing and stress free.  Saturday we went and picked up some fresh mussels.  Saturday night we took our daughter to a neighborhood home who goes all out for Christmas..and I do mean all out.  He had Santa there for the kids, his entire home decorated from top to bottom. Including the backyard which he transforms into Santa's workshop.  He had a DJ there playing Christmas music and he somehow achieves a subtle pine scent that I can never seem to achieve in my own home.   I have some pics posted below, but they really don't capture how amazing it is.   Afterwards we went out to eat.

More presents have arrived in the mail and I am thrilled about the stress free online shopping we've gotten done this year.  I am usually one to fight the crowds and lines.  But not this year.  I think we will go out for a last minute gift or two though.

Yesterday we went to a breakfast Christmas party hosted by my mom's company.  It was a great time, the kids had fun dancing, making Christmas crafts, getting balloon animals and getting their faces painted and temp. tattoos.  Then the rest of the day was about cleaning up, putting clothes away, and making those mussels.  Which came out pretty good!

TGIF Like a MOFO!

Well, we have reached Friday.  I am glad its the weekend.  Being a stay at home mom, I've learned that most people seem to think that every day is Friday...or Saturday...or Sunday for us.  But it simply is not true.  Running the kiddo back and forth to pre school, ice skating lessons twice a week, the meals, the laundry.....believe me, my weekday is nothing like a nice relaxing weekend.  So I think most other stay at homes will agree that we look forward to the weekend like anyone else! :)

Aside from creating one Christmas themed cupfake for my neighbor, I didn't do much creating this week.  I figure that people will be spent from buying and buying during the next week or two and sales may slow down a bit.  SO I am in no rush to add new items just yet.  But during the next two weeks I will be getting supplies ready for Valentine's cupfakes :) !  Stay tuned for that!

I made it a point this week to get ahead on the gift wrapping so I won't have that nagging at me all weekend long.  And I got very tired of looking at gifts laying about here and there and everywhere, unwrapped and staring at me.  I have one load of laundry left and I can fully focus on doing no chores for the next two days.

Well, I am off to do one cupfake delivery today and thats about it folks......

Treasure Trove of Treasuries!

There are few things I like better than being featured in an Etsy Treasury!  I love it when I check my shop in the morning to see that a fellow Etsian has admired one of my items enough to feature it in a treasury that they've created.  Here is a treasury which shows tons of faux food creations:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTY0NjgzNTZ8MTQxMTIyNDQ0NQ/faux-food

Here is one for Holiday gifts

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NTQ3MzA1MHwxNDA3OTQ0Mzkx/dont-forget-the-holidays

And one more for Holiday themes featuring "baking" items

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTE2NjgwNTl8MTQwMTIyMTYzMQ/baking-up-some-holiday-cheer

So if you have a moment or two stop by to check them out!

Christmas Candyland!

What a weekend!

We made it a point to relax and do nothing on Friday night to prepare for the busy weekend we had ahead of us.

I for one, had lots of cupfake packing to do.  So glad for the sales but I wish I had a packing fairy around here sometimes.

As for the fam, we had lots of Christmas stuff to do, put up the tree, put up the outside lights and decorations etc.  Then I had some old neighbors stop by unexpectedly which always happens when I have boxes strewn about all over my house.  My daughter also invited two neighbor kids to come inside to play.  Which turned out to be a blessing in disguise because they took over decorating the tree and did a fantastic job!

This year, I decided to Christmas-fy my Cakery Studio in the hopes that it will help stir some creative juices.  So that was another project that took twice as long as I thought it would because as soon as I got my white cupcake tree up, it went crashing to the floor.  What a disaster.

Then, my four year old decided it was the perfect time to finish our gingerbread village by completing the gingerbread tree.  Another project.  None of this included the usual stuff like cleaning, laundry and meal-making.

All in all everything got done, but left me completely passed out by 8pm on Sunday night.   So I missed Dexter.....

Here are some pics....