What is going on?

Please visit us at www.nonpareilscake.com for all cake info.

If you're here, you're probably looking for cake info and blog posts...She Takes The Cake, owned by Jennifer Comfort in Central New York, has changed to Nonpareils, Ltd. Only the company structure and name have changed as far as the cakes are concerned. Jen still does every aspect of running the company and is lead designer/decorator on all cakes that pass through the doors. We'll be adding some exciting new things in 2011 but this blog is no longer going to be updated. Old posts are archived for your reading/viewing pleasure, but please go to the new site for current content.

Thanks, and I hope you'll continue to follow our blog there.

Nonpareils is live!

check it out! And then bookmark it, the new blog at www.nonpareilscake.com is where you'll find all the new content. And don't forget to follow on twitter and fb. @nonpareilscake.

So much has happened since I last saw you...

Hi Friends! As you know, this blog page had been left up with old posts for some of you, and I had changed over to the blog on the main website. Well, lots has happened, and that site blog is unavailable while we work on a whole new site. She Takes The Cake is now Nonpareils, Ltd. We still do business as STTC and Sweet Talk Boutique, it's still mine, only the name is changing. www.shetakesthecake.com is still up but www.nonpareilscake.com is being worked on and I am excitedly awaiting its launch. Make a note of the new site please, and you can also sign up there for an email when it goes live.
We've been super busy while all this has been going on, and even though I may not have had much time to blog it, I do miss the availability of the current blog at shetakesthecake.com. I know some of you still check here, so I figured I'd pop over and let you know of the changes.
The showroom is in Manlius in the Millstone Building at 8195 Cazenovia Rd, Manlius NY 13104 and our current hours are Tuesdays and Fridays from 4-7pm, Saturdays from 10-2pm. Appointments are available to be scheduled during other times if those days don't work for you but we fit them in around the kitchen schedule. A new minimum order for wedding cakes is in effect at $1000.00 and goes up depending on your location and design requirements.
The cupcakes are a huge hit, with all the yummy flavors I've got, and I hope you'll join us on Tuesdays and Fridays to get a few to satisfy your sweet tooth. Look for the cupcakes today sign roadside at the showroom, if you see it we're there and we've got 'em!
If you're not following us on twitter, please do! www.twitter.com/shetakesthecake and of course you can find us on FB and I hope you become a fan at Nonpareils.
Have a great day!

Wordpress here I come

I'm keeping old posts up for you, but all NEW content will be posted on the blog on my main website. Please visit me and subscribe and bookmark the new location. See you there!
http://www.shetakesthecake.com/content

How many cakeglrs does it take

Hey friends! I've been busy setting up a new blogsite so that all my goodies will be in one place! I'm loving my new Kertesz site so far, check out this sneak peek and let me know what you think. I've still got some work to do and then it will be so much easier to manage to stay on top of updating the site and blog. Multitasking isn't always my cup of tea. A couple cakes, cookie orders, play time with kids, maybe a phone call or two... problem ~ but throw in a website, blog, flickr, twitter, facebook...well you get the idea. Let's just say it's no kidding I'm not a full time blogger. Lots in store folks, come along for the ride!

You can get your own Kertesz blogsite here. Check it out and see what others are saying about and doing with their sites. I'm finding it relatively easy...and I'm managing to figure out how to add special custom touches too with the helpful forums and via emails with Marc and Christine.

New changes in store folks!

Hang in there with me while we make some changes. Doesn't moving get you excited? I'm excited. This is way better though...no packing for a month to move blogs!! Hooray!

See ya soon.

~Jen

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Ocassionally there's a cake made here!

It seems like lately I've been so busy with things other than actual cakes. I'll go so far as to tell you I've actually been asked recently if I still make them! Of course I do! Here's a little peek at a cake from Halloween weekend for a surprise birthday party at the Red Mill Inn in Baldwinsville. The guest of honor's wife and MIL asked for a MacKenzie Childs-ish cake in square with fall colored sugar flowers and a hand cut guitar topper out of gum paste. I think we delivered. Hope you all had a great time, thanks again for your order Roxanne and Danielle, it was a pleasure!

Tip Junkie Shop-A-Thon

Looking for another great list of sites for holiday shopping? STB has also joined TipJunkie's ShopAthon this year. A really large compilation of mompreneur shops and some great gift ideas sorted by category. You can find our Christmas cookie greetings in the card section.

Sweet Talk Boutique's custom "Ho Ho Hoedown" Invitastions were recently part of a feature over at the TipJunkie blog when guest blogger Sheena from Totally Tabletops posted some uber cute really unique ideas for hosting a western holiday themed party. I'm a huge fan of totallytabletops.com so when asked if we had any western ideas to share, I gave Erin a call and she designed the cutest cookie that would work perfectly for any big kid western theme. Don't I just have the most talented pardner ya ever did see?? Sheena also blogged it at TT. Thanks Sheena!

Head over to TipJunkie for more great ideas, and hey don't you forget to have a look at STB...we've got lots of great goodies just waiting to be baked for your holiday gifts, and some new items too!

What's purple, pink, orange and awesome all over?

Amy's holiday gift guide, that's what! This year, Sweet Talk Boutique is participating in the gift guide at PurplePinkandOrange.com Check it out!

In addition to our super fun and yummy Color My Cookie Kids Pack, you'll find some amazingly sweet deals on terrific ideas for holiday gift giving! All from Indie shops and mostly handmade, this assortment of items is sure to please just about everyone on your nice list. Of course we hope you'll shop with STB, but I couldn't resist putting up the link to the guide so you could check it out yourself!On Tuesday, Amy also posted about Erin's cute stationery that can be found over at our STB online catalog. Thanks Amy for selecting it as one of your 15$ and under scores! We think it's a hit too!

Positively Pink Truffle Trees!

This past weekend I had the honor and pleasure of creating my yummy truffle trees for Bubbles and Baubles; a benefit event put on by Positively Pink Packages to provide continued funding for much needed care packages to recently diagnosed breast cancer patients. Founder and survivor Jennifer Tom hosted a fabulous champagne and dessert event at the Holiday Inn at Carrier Circle with a silent auction and this year there was also a casino room! I do wish we could have stayed to enjoy the event but it was a super busy weekend for us and it just wasn't in the cards.

Next year I hope to donate a cake or other wonderfully pink creation! So many wonderful items were donated by other businesses in and around the CNY area, show them your support! For more information about Positively Pink Packages, contact Jennifer Tom at Jenniferatom@aol.com.

Boo! Wait a minute, that's not scary!

Yep, I did it...I dressed up for Halloween. I wish I had a better photo to share but alas, here I am in all my cupcake glory! It was fun. And ok, it was a little scary!Look for my pink version next summer in our local Memorial Day Parade. Hmmm...I wonder how well mini cupcakes will be received when I throw them to the crowd instead of candy like all the other entries do...yeah, stay tuned for that one!

You can make your own cupcake costume; if I can whip one up in a couple hours so can you! I used a round laundry basket, cut out the bottom, and hand stitched with a running stitch the fabric (on sale!) for the cupcake liner. The frosting was some even more fabulous fluffy fleece I found (also on sale) and simply sewed it into very long tubes and stuffed it loosely with fiberfill. Then I tacked it in place in several sections to mimic the swirl of icing. I do believe the lack of a cherry on top or sprinkles is made up for by the striped stockings!

Yes SuziHomemaker, I'll take my time on the next one! Ooh a cupcake costume in late May...wonder if I can put air conditioning in there?!

A blog by any other name...

...would have more updates. Wow folks! You stick with me even when I'm not around to post as frequently as I'd like. I sincerely appreciate it!

One of the things that has been occupying my time as of late is Entrepreneur Boot Camp at Syracuse University. What and why? Well, in a nutshell I came to the realization that I've come very far with my cake business on only a wing and a prayer, the support of friends and family (and ok, humbly I say there's some God given talent too) . But really, "winging it" has been my approach over the last 9 years. What started out as purely refusing to pay for something I knew I wouldn't be happy with has blossomed into what it is now and when I imagine what it could have been if I had done it correctly...well, I am speechless. Speechless at the thought of the possibilities. Speechless at the thought of the blood, sweat and tears that could have been spared, or at least shed a bit less often. And speechless at the thought of how far I have come without knowing what the hell I was doing. Yep, I feel that way sometimes.

So, I'm hopeful that Boot Camp will provide some of the much needed tools I'm lacking and give insight to the skills I need to continue in the correct direction. Bigger? Maybe, maybe not. Better? Well, obviously I hope so. But in the right direction for me, my family, my community and my customers.

Because without the 3 of you...She Takes The Cake would be nothing. Thanks, and stay tuned. Everything that is in the works now will hopefully be unveiled by next year. Just in time for year 10. Don't you just love a Grand Anniversary Re-Opening? I do! Are things on hold till then? NO! You can still get the best tasting, coolest looking cakes and goodies around from STTC. And Sweet Talk Boutique is growing everyday. I'm still working hard to try and bring the best of everything and for now it is still just me baking in the studio and answering emails and phones. (I know...seems crazy doesn't it!?) But with great collaborations like with Erin of Bride Design on our STB line and the ongoing support and return orders from all the terrific clients new and old, we will strive to grow and lead the CNY are with edible creations that continue to excite us all!

Halloween Cookie online now!

Boo! So Erin and I have been super busy thinking up cool new ideas for Sweet Talk Boutique. We've got lots of yummy products in the works and are adding items and on a more regular basis.

Just in time for Halloween is this super cute and slightly spooky greeting available right now in the holiday section of the shop. Isn't this haunted house amazing? I just love it. Erin created it in her signature style and it's just perfect. It's exclusive to Sweet Talk...right down to the creepy, slime covered font! I can totally imagine our little ghosts and goblins walking up those steps to find a broken door bell. Would they be too afraid to knock? What would be waiting for them behind the door? Yummy cookies I bet.

This cookie is available with coordinating ribbons and we've opted to send them with only the Happy Halloween message so we can expedite your order. Get over there and pick one up today! Orders placed by the 24th of October will get to your favorite 'trick or treaters' in plenty of time.

Free Gift at WeddingWire

Hey brides of mine...and not yet mine... now is the perfect time to pop over to Wedding Wire and write a review for your vendors. It helps us out, helps new brides planning their weddings, and can help you get a free gift too!

One of the gifts is a 1 year subscription to Everyday Food Magazine, gotta love that! I love it; tons of great info, recipes, ideas, tips and amazing food photos from Editor Deb Puchalla and crew. I follow Deb on twitter and I love her "taste our latest" posts, they've inspired the cooks in our house several times. Check out their awesome blog Dinner Tonight.

If the magazine subscription isn't your thing (um, you do eat don't you??) there are other free gifts you can win just by reviewing your vendors.

I joined Wedding Wire not that long ago, but already I see it's a terrific resource for brides and grooms. You can see my Wedding Wire page here.

If you don't see your vendors listed...prompt them to join it so other brides can love them as much as you did. It's easy to do. So head over there now and tell the Wedding Wire community how much you loved the vendors that helped you make your day unforgettable.

In need of blog makeover

Well, I've decided to move to word press. I've been playing with it a little but as you can see, I haven't told you all where to go. This is because I want a fresh look when I make the switch and if you know me at all, you know I can't do it myself. Cakes...no problem, I can do it all. Web stuff...um...NO.

If you think you'd like to help me out, email me! Frankly, in a perfect world, someone with some mad skillz would bang my door down and tell me they want to create just for me and try out some new things that clients haven't gone for. Let my blog be your putty, you can mold it however you want! Just make it 'me' and easy to use (newbie here!), easy to search and find in search engines, follow the look of my brand (um, take a look around before emailing me, check my cake website and cookie site too), and be hip and funky but not too out there. My audience and client base are trendy but not major followers, hip but not fad, discerning but not snooty, fun but professional.

So come one, how 'bout it???

GO REGISTER TO VOTE!!

Did you know that the deadline to REGISTER to vote is October 10th in our area?? What about your area?

Go do it. Come, take care of it! You have to be registered to be able to vote.

You can even do it online.

Declare Yourself.

A little eye candy

I see you! Happy Halloween!
Originally uploaded by She Takes The Cake

Get it...EYE candy??

Well, my daughters and I are brainstorming about what to do for their Halloween treats and they reminded me about this funny cake I did last year before cake bites were so hugely popular.

We'll do a demo in plenty of time for Halloween so you can join in on the fun if you like. For now...just take a LOOK at these yummy (ew gross!) cake bites.

Thanks Emily and Jess for all the inspiration and appreciation you give me! Love ya!

We're Back from Martha's Studio! (the overview)

Did you know Martha has a blog? Of course you do! Did you know how awesome blogging is? Erin and I did, that's why we drove down to see Martha's show on blogging yesterday! Erin and I had a great time...it was fast, it was a whirlwind trip...but it was a great time! I have so much to tell you, but let's face it...I tend to ramble and I could go on and on and on, so I'm going to break the experience up into a few posts!

We stayed with Erin's lovely sister Devon...very gracious - thanks for letting us stay the night so we could catch the train into the city Devon - and thanks for the toothbrush! (I'm totally getting buying that kind next time, love it!) The drive in my cakemobile down to Jersey was about 4 hours, just barely over - not bad! The train - about a half hour. The walk to the studio was so short - hooray!We arrived at the studio a little early as instructed and everyone in the line was so excited. Pictures were being snapped away, bloggers were going crazy on their blackberries. We overheard a couple very fashionably dressed women tell one of the studio pages who they were - hey we know you! We were given our tickets and the "L" on mine and purple stripe on Erin's were the first indication that we might not get to sit together...BUMMER! After getting a warm up from Joey and instructions on how to "ooooh" and "aaaaaah" and applaud appropriately we were all called by section and ushered into the studio.

OMG it was GORGEOUS! I would LOVE to have a kitchen like that one! The real kitchen behind the sound proof glass OR the studio kitchen - either one would be fine, I'm not that picky. The entire set was just superb.
Once we were all seated Erin got my attention by waving to me...oh my gosh! She was down on the stage floor! What awesome seats! I was up in the very top row in the middle section with the bloggers. Can I just say very briefly...my laptop sucks. It's going to have to go in for a check up because with a full battery the dang thing went dead and I could do no blogging.

There I was, in the blogging group, and I was faking it. What a poser. But hey...faux blogging is the new thing, didn't you know? (yeah, right.) But I was seated next to a VERY energized "mommy/wife/life/bitter/wacky/funny/everyday" blogger and that was an experience in itself. Don't worry...I'm going to list links for everybody in the next post!!! Who was Erin next to you ask?? Mario Bosquez and Naomi Gabay of Martha Stewart Living on Sirius 112. Hey! I listen to that!! Awesome score on the seat Erin! She made nice, of course, and I'm sure they were as impressed with her as everyone always is! We got a shout out on their blog! Thanks Mario! Oh how I wish you were one of the millions that listen to Living on 112 to hear her call in to the show as we were on our drive home! There we were, starting our trip home and still on the road in Jersey, looking for a place to have lunch and with the show on we hear Mario recap Martha's blogging show. "Call in Erin!!!" I was being more than just a little encouraging LOL. Naomi, the producer, remembered her immediately and they put her call right through. Way to go Erin! So, yeah, that was Erin of Bride Design mentioning her site, her blog, our site, recapping just what a gracious host Martha is and how wonderful an experience it was to share with a friend....AWESOME! If you heard her, let us know!

The guests were terrific! Ok, Perez Hilton was the celebrity blogger (shocker) and wow, he looked great! He and Martha seemed to get along well; they were both pretty witty and funny. My gosh that boy gets a ton of hits!! He gave some great tips on blogging that included finding a niche (check!) work hard, network, and don't be afraid to ask for what you want. (so in my case I blurt it out sometimes but more on that later!) We also saw Matt Armendariz show Martha how to make these pretty and delicious looking cookies called Alfajores - can't wait to try those! Here is the recipe from Martha's site. We were treated to a craft segment with Eddie Ross! I'm totally going to make some of those costume jewelry magnets! His blog is terrific and don't you just love him on Top Design?? I do, he's my fav. Love the bow tie Eddie! And the gardening segment with Margaret Roach was great too...have you heard of the Frogboys? Cute! Martha also talked with Meg Frost of Cute Overload, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen and Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin from Politico. Whew! I think that's it.


I'm going to link just about everybody I could find that was actually there...and some other cool info in the next post...but here's a teaser...One of my favorite wedding blogs was represented and Darci Miller was all over it too! That was cool and it was really awesome to hear the murmers of recognition from the audience when weddingbee was mentioned! Yep, they were there in the audience! And you know who else was there?? (saving the best for last) Rachel and Nichelle!!! Come on, do I really need to tell you who that is?? (Didn't think so!) When I heard them I just couldn't help myself...

"WE LOVE YOU RACHEL!!!"

Ooooh, everybody heard that!! LOL And here would be the blurting out thing I mentioned LOL. Cloud nine was waiting for me to perch on it when I got home to find that they gave me a shout out on Cupcakes Take The Cake! Now, if that isn't the finishing touch to a great day I don't know what is! Thanks ladies, you rock!

Ok...more to come...stay tuned for all those links, some cool blogs and some more photos guys! And hey - leave a comment if you were there!

Look out Martha! Here we come!

This week I get the pleasure of accompanying Erin of Bride Design to a taping at Martha Stewart. The audience will be filled with bloggers and while Erin is much better at it than I am, I really enjoy blogging when I get the chance. True to form, Erin's post about our trip and what blogging means to her is by far superior to mine.

What does it mean for me? For me, blogging is an opportunity to stay in touch with my customers and my "fans". When I began this blog I think I used the phrase "dare I say I have fans" and while my subscriber list is still incredibly small in this world wide web, it is growing. I originally thought it'd be a nice little way to keep a few clients amused, or even let them see a preview of their order now and then. An unexpected bonus to blogging is that it's not just a hidden little diary aside from my main websites at She Takes The Cake and Sweet Talk Boutique; so much web traffic is directed to this blog because it is updated more frequently than a website, and with all the reader services out there it allows me to stay fresh in the search engines too. I'm a bit lucky and thankful that my local competitors seem to have not joined the blogosphere - but I'm sure it won't be long. I assumed I'd have readers in the Central New York area and an occassional out of state bride or another cake artist, but it's gone much further than that.

If you knew some of the search strings that lead people here, you'd get a real chuckle. A couple of the most hit on blog posts that I've done: Not all fondant tastes like crap, and DIY favor boxes. I kid you not, I have seen word for word "why does fondant taste like crap?" in a search string...and guess what - google will bring you here for the answer and my answer is that it doesn't taste like crap at all when it's made from scratch like we do here in my studio. Then of course you have the occassional links that other bloggers will add when they love a post enough to share it to their own readers; this is not just an ego boost...it's a boost to your readership. Why aren't more people blogging?

Maybe I'll come back with an answer to that question, maybe not. I am sure I'll come back with a smile on my face and some new ideas about blogging. Either way I get to spend a day NYC style with my inspiring friend Erin. Can't lose!