Individually packaged gift box cupcakes.  Espresso & Raspberry Cupcakes.

These Billiard ball cupcakes were a lot of fun to make.  The solids were chocolate cake with peanut buttercream (organic peanuts) and the stripes were vanilla bean cake with passionfruit buttercream.  These are two of my favorite combinations!  If only the pool table could've been much bigger, but I don't think the customer wanted so much cake : )

I am looking to revamp my logo finally.  I wanted to do this from the beginning, but business just hit so suddenly and wasn't expecting it.  I am not complaining!!!  I am hoping to have my website completely redone by 2009 along with my new logo.  Stay tuned!

This cake was made for my daughter's 1st birthday.  I had never made children's cakes before, but now that I have children of my own, I am enjoying adding this to my repertoire.  Her name is Annabella, and wasn't about to tower 9 blocks on top of one another, so I wrote A-N-N-A one side and B-E-L-L-A on the other.  With my first baby, I didn't let her have any sweets until the day of her first birthday.  She quite enjoyed this.  I don't feel badly feeding her cake because I use all natural products in my cake and buttercream and don't overload it with sugar. I am not, however, so fussy with baby #2.  This cake is great for baby showers or 1st birthdays! 

Grey Cup 2008

Although I know very little about football, I do know the CFL football is different from that of the NFL and the Grey Cup presents the perfect opportunity to make cupcakes!   I can always find a reason : ) The picture doesn't do justice to the cupcakes - I need to work on my photography skills.  These were chocolate cake with Espresso (and Kahlua) Buttercream - not for the kids.  Perfect or Grey Cup parties!  

Business has been pretty hectic, as you can see by the number of posts.  I plan to keep my customers and friends better updated from now on.  As much as I love what I do, I was really looking forward to some down time.  I wanted this time to spend with my family & friends, but also update my website, photos, products etc. as well as introduce new products, to improve my business.   My goal is to be the best wedding cake designer in Winnipeg and be featured in local magazines and paper.  Until my last baby (yet to be "produced") is 1 year old, I will try to stay as low key as possible, since I want to be a Mom as much as a cake designer.

I prepared this cupcake tower for a baby christening and it was a lot of fun.  My favorite color combo is pink & brown (as you can see), so I really enjoyed this one.

Halloween cupcakes for the kids and the bigger kids!

This is what I have named the "T&M" cake.  I prepared it for my very good friend Tana and her now husband, Mark.  I made it with 100% love and was very happy with how it turned out, but the first season it was on the website, I had more queries about this cake than any other.  I have made it numerous times in different color, shape and number of tiers.  I will continue to be asked about this cake and every time I am, it takes me back to their wedding day.  Tana & Mark, thank-you so much for letting me prepare your wedding cake!

I was making cupcakes for the family at home  yesterday and my 3 year old daughter asked if she could have a taste of the buttercream, so I let her.  She said to me "Mom, it isn't very sweet."  For all those that don't like overly sweet desserts, you have to try mine.  I am all about great quality and richness in a dessert, but am not about covering up flavor with more sugar than needed. : )

I survived my first summer with every weekend booked from May-October.  As much as I love my job and love creating different cakes every week, it is nice to take a break and spend a little time with my family.  As much free time as I thought I would have, I am finding myself just as busy, but with practice cakes, advertising, printing photos, updating my website etc.  I haven't been able to sleep because I can't stop thinking about new cakes.  I will get up 10 times after I've gone to bed to write an idea down.  I am almost considering offering cakes in the off season half price, as long as I can design it.  I have endless ideas and can't wait to do the next cake.  

Cakes by Shelley started in British Columbia as a hobby and a dream to one day become a store-front, busy, operating business.  When I decided to create a website in February 2008, it got me more business than expected and decided to become licensed at the time, which I thought I would do at a later date, when I had a shop and my kiddies were older.  At the time, my oldest was 2 1/2 years and youngest 5 months.  I wanted to be a Mom for these very important years, and not so busy with running my own business.

It all started when CityTv contacted me to do 2 spots on their Breakfast Television show one cold, cold morning.  This got me super excited and prepped up 3 fake cakes for display on the show the following week.  I was so shy and timid on TV and just laughed to cover up my insecurity with being on TV, but from that show, I received so many emails, and they just kept coming!  I went through quite a process,over 3 months, to get licensed and ended up booking myslef full from June to mid-October.  I had one weekend in June and maybe one at the beginning of July where I didn't ahve any major wedding cake orders, but all the weekends of the summer and fall were booked up, more than I could handle.  And this meant that I would spend the week before every one of these weekends preparing.  I had to be very organized, juggling another job and two babies.  I work it out one week at a time.

My plan was to go in the wedding show (2008) but being fully booked, and over-booked some weekends, I have decided against it, and also saving myself at least $1200. 

Part of me wants so badly to open up the shop and make this my full time business, but I have to remember that family comes first, and we may want to have more babies, so I have to wait until they are all older before I do this.  WHEN I finally do focus on it, my business will be the best wedding cake shop in the province and my goal is to be known by everyone in Winnipeg!  Only good things will be said about my cakes, and if anything is ever negative, I will fix it immediately to maintain my title as the "Best in Winnipeg!!!"

It will come...for now, I am trying to stay low key, prepare the best cake each bride/groom has ever tasted and build my reputation slowly.  I must focus on the family, which I have neglected all summer.  Next season will be different and my girls  and hubby will see me  a lot more!!! : )