Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Saying A Sad Farewell.


Click to read the notes.  My heart skips a beat everytime I read them.


Dear Sweets,

I have sad, but important news to share with you - I'm officially closing up shop with Sarandipity Sweets.

That's right, no more adorable little cake pops as my side business.  It pains me to have to close shop, but I've realized how much of my life was eaten up by Sarandipity, and I just couldn't sustain that schedule anymore.  Both my physical and emotional well being went out the window once Sarandipity's orders pushed my weekly workload into the 70 hour range.  There's only so long a girl can run on fumes before crying uncle.  And, uncle, I'm crying.

I'll still be here, churning out delicious things in my kitchen and forcing them on loved ones, while posting recipes to my food blog.  Teaching and cooking for people are a part of me that will never change.  And I'll still be here, if you decide to bring home that bag of dipping chocolate and then wonder what the heck to do with it.  Ask me whatever you want, and I'll post every single one of my tips.

But, mostly, what I wanted to say is, thank you. 

Thank you for granting me such an amazing experience.  I can't begin to describe what it means to me to have spent the last two years connecting with you all and making you smile.  Making people smile is my very most favorite thing to do.  I've made so many new friends, and I've had so many fantastic opportunities come my way just because of those little cake pops.  It's pretty astounding, really.  And it's all due to you.  Thank you.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

So Much Love,
Sara



Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Sugar Cookie Shift


As you may know, I had to put the kibosh on shipping orders for the summer.  I really, really don't like to turn people away, but it's seriously just so hot out there, that I keep reminding myself it's for the best.  And a silver lining to not shipping is that I'm suddenly more available for last-minute local orders!


Orders placed through my Etsy shop have kept my calendar pretty full, and I often get completely booked up a month in advance.  Which is pretty awesome, really, but it also means that when local people call me, I usually have to tell them that I can't fit in their order.  But, this summer has been blessing me with a lot of orders for local delivery, and I couldn't be happier about getting to meet clients in real life :)


Clients who purchase items like Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, topped with White Chocolate letters to match their company logo.  I made a few extras last night as just-in-case cookies, and I may or may not have sampled a few already.  And I have it on "good authority" that these taste sooo, soooo good.  Man, do I love a good chewy sugar cookie with soft frosting!


For you lucky people who order locally, this is how I package up both cookies and cake pops. 

Monday, July 18, 2011

Circles of Love




Happy mid-July, Sweets!  I disappeared on you while this heat has left me feeling incredibly without having accomplished much.  Booooo!  But I did want to share a few photos from this weekend.  I made 216 cake pops for a wedding here in Atlanta.  

The groom built the stand with drilled holes for each of the cake pops.



And I filled it with 5 styles of cake pops, to coordinate with their wedding theme and colors.


"A" is for Amazing, right? :)


Friday, June 3, 2011

Happy Birthday Cake Pops!

What happens when you live with a cake pop queen and you ask her for "just brownies" for your birthday??




You get homemade brownies with pecan-covered cake pop candles



Did you catch all that?  A Yellow cake pop, dipped in milk chocolate, covered with roasted pecan bits, with a birthday candle poked into the top.  And then, the whole thing is shoved into the pan of brownies (also loaded with roasted pecan bits) and lit.



Happy Birthday, Handsome! ♥

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Hump Day Giveaway!

I haven't posted here in ages, but today, I've got a dooooozie!!


The fabulously cute Ink Spot Workshop is hosting a giveaway with cake pops from Sarandipity Sweets!  Hurrah!!! 



So, click on over to the Ink Spot blog to enter!  It's easy peasy, and I'd love if one of you won :)



Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter (Cake Pops)!

Mellisa, over at Getting All My Ducks in a Row, created this adorably sweet video for me yesterday.  I just had to share it with you!

Happy Easter!


Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Eggs-cellent Easter Cake Pops


I got a request to do Easter Egg cake pops.  I usually make Peeps-shaped cake pops, and I'd never done egg shapes before, but the idea just sounded so fun!


Plus, the lady sent me the party invite, and it was just too cute not to make pops for :)


So, I made sparkly glittery eggs.



And some pretty sprinkly ones.


And some confetti ones, too!
 

I'm definitely going to post these in my shop for next Easter!

Monday, April 11, 2011

MS Number Crunch

You mayyyy remember a whopping month ago, I mentioned helping my childhood friend, Jenny, fundraise for her Multiple Sclerosis walk.  I decided to make my donation this year with the help of Sarandipity Sweets, to see how much we could raise by making it a joint effort.  It was simple - for every cake pop sold in March, I'd donate fifty cents.  Want to know how we all did? :D

I'm proud to announce that, with all your amazing support, Sarandipity Sweets donated $313 to MS research through Jenny's team.  Hurrah!  I'm seriously so amazed and thankful for everyone who teamed up to help make a huge donation. 

How's that for a happy Monday, eh?

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Giveaway Number Uno!


Guess who's turning 2 next month??  

Sarandipity Sweets will be two years old in May, and I want to celebrate...early! :)  So, to celebrate, I'm doing some giveaways!  That's right - the presents are for you!  


I honestly can't thank all of you enough.  These past two years have been incredible and just thinking about it makes my heart smile ♥  I've had so many opportunities and have connected with so many amazing people because of this little baking adventure I'm on!  Thank you for that.  Thank you so much.


Giveaway #1!
Guess the number of cake pops I made for orders last year!


The person who guesses the closest wins an order of 24 Cupcake Pops and free shipping!  Weeeeeee, too easy :)


Post a comment here with your best guess (one comment per person!), and on Friday evening, I'll announce the winner!


Ding Ding Ding!  We have a winner!  I made 5,377 cake pops for orders last year!  (I about fell out of my chair when I added it all up.)
So, Beth - You've got until Monday morning to send me a message so you can claim your priiiiiize! :)





Wanna hint?
There are 320 Cupcake Pops in this photo...
And I did 4 orders just like this in 2010! :)


Fine Print:  Giveaway open to US residents only.  The prize will be shipped on a date that accommodates my crazy baking calendar; the winner and I will figure out a ship date that works for both of us.  One entry per person.  Entry comments will be closed on Friday, April 8 at 9pm EST.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Nighttime Sparklers


These Ball Cake Pops are my latest mockups.  (I seem to be doing a lot of custom ideas all of a sudden!)  These are for a local bride, and we're brainstorming ideas for her formal reception in navy blue and white. 

No one makes navy blue sanding sugar, so I "made" my own by mixing black with royal blue.  I love how it turned out!  I also love the white sugared cake pops.  The photos don't show it well, but sanding sugar sparkles in the light.  They'd be gorgeous for an all-white party or winter wedding reception!  



Thursday, March 31, 2011

Mini Minnie Cupcakes



Another set of mock ups, comin' right up!  One of my repeat customers asked if I could do a shape to coordinate with her daughter's upcoming Minnie Mouse party.  And could I possibly do something like the shirt she'll be wearing?

The shirt I was matching to, from this Etsy shop.
 

I kinda love how these turned out!  Cute without being too crazy, and they were actually fairly quick to put together.  I love when projects turn out like that!


The only thing left to do is to speedy-quick whip up a batch of red ones once my little sister sees these... :)

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Flame On


I've been asked by a few people about doing cake pops for firetruck-themed parties.  Hmmm.... I decided to see if Fire Hydrant cake pops might fit the bill.   I kinda love how adorably squate-y they turned out.  What do you think?

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Join the Movement with the J-Walkers

From Sara:  Today's post is written by Jenny, captain of the team we're participating with for Multiple Scleroris fundraising


I was thrilled when Sara offered to donate a portion of March proceeds to our fundraising cause.  Not only because this gives me a fantastic excuse to order more cake pops, but because I love that my friend thought to do this for me and this cause.

I was diagnosed in September 2009.  I went to the doctor to look into numbness and tingling that began in my feet and slowly crept up above my knees.  I often joked about how I could wear uncomfortable shoes all day!  My doctor sent me to a neurologist for a string of medical tests.  I had been seeing another doctor for what I thought were unrelated symptoms, but as it turned out everything strange going on in my body could be attributed to Multiple Sclerosis.  



MS is a chronic disease that attacks the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.  Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to the next.  The diagnosis stage was scary for me and my family.  Navigating treatment options was equally as overwhelming.  I never thought I'd be able to give myself injections!  The disease-modifying drug slows down the progress of the disease.

I decided to create a team for the MS Walk because I needed to do something more.  There is no cure for Multiple Sclerosis.  The National MS Society helps people affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, and providing services that help people with MS.  It's been an incredible resource for me from the beginning.



I loved doing the MS Walk last year.  My team, the "J-Walkers" grew to an unbelievable 98 members and raised nearly $12,500!  This was such an unexpected show of support for me and my family.  I enjoyed raising money for a cause that was suddenly very important to me and it was so nice to have something positive to associate with my MS. 


I'm used to my symptoms now.  Injections don't scare me and I'm fairly certain I could do my third MRI without any drugs to counter the claustrophobia (no promises!)  This is the new normal and to be honest, I'm thankful because things could be so much worse.  I have a wonderful husband, beautiful daughter, a son on the way, and very supportive friends and family.  I don't know what will happen, but I know I'll adapt to whatever comes my way and that I'll keep walking in the MS Walk as long as I'm able. 

Thank you, Sara for your generous contribution and to all of your customers who place orders this month!  I truly appreciate your support!   


Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Friday, March 18, 2011

MS Fundraising Update

Good morning, Sweets! 

I just wanted to wish you a Happy Friday and to let you know the current status of our Multiple Sclerosis fundraising.  Today is only the 18th of the month, and - drum roll pleeeeeeeease:

We've already raised $156 to donate to Jenny's MS fundraiser!  


Wooooooo!!  Clapping and jumping for joy!  I'm thrilled at the support you all have shown!



From the bottom of my heart,
  Thank you!


p.s.  For more info on helping Jenny's MS team out, click here!



.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I Think I Can, I Think I Can


I was asked by someone to come up with a shape to coordinate with her son's ridiculously cute train party.  And because getting a train to translate into cake pop form seemed like it would require miracle work, I opted to make the wheels.  I'm actually kind of digging how they look like a lollipop, lol.  


I don't know yet if the client will like them, but I thought I'd post photos to share with you.  Got any suggestions for how to make them better/cuter/more trainlike?

(That shiny green circle on two of the pops is actually a fruit rollup that I cut, ha!)

Friday, March 11, 2011

Focus, Sara, Focus!


I have a to-do list that's eighteen miles long, and I'm sitting here daydreaming about baking cookies and then sandwiching them together with a yummy filling.  I have zero time to be playing around with new recipes, but darnit, that's what I want to do!  { insert temper tantrum here }

Focus, Sara, focus!