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. 

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? :)

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!

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.

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!  

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... :)

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?

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!   



Cake Pop Sneak Peek: Giraffes!

These little cuties will be appearing in my shop soon, hurrah!

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!



.

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!)

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!

Giveaway Hint TWO

I spy TWO necklaces there!

Shipping Rate Update

Good morning, Sweets!

I'm dropping in to let you know that we're currently switching to shipping in the Flat Rate Medium boxes; no more Smalls :(  We love the idea of tucking a cute little order of 10 cake pops into a Small box because it's fewer shipping materials and cheaper rates for you - win, win!  Except that those Small boxes just don't have enough heft to survive the journey from me to you without the risk of cake pop carnage.  So, we made the begrudging decision to discontinue our use of the Smalls.  Sorry for any inconvience!

Note:  We'll start back up with our Summer shipping practices once the country starts seeing temperatures in the mid-70s.  Then we'll be using our insulated box liners and ice packs with every order.  Until then, we're probably the only people loving this sub-70 weather! :)

Giveaway Hint

I'm such a tease, I know.  Details to come.

March-ing for MS

The cutie in the blue dress?  Jenny!

I have big news!  At Sarandipity, March is Multiple Sclerosis Month!  What does that mean??  It means that for every single cake pop sold, Sarandipity Sweets will donate 50 cents to an MS charity.  How freaking exciting is that?!  It's super freaking exciting, that's what.

But that's not all.  This MS charity isn't just any ol' charity that I picked out of a hat.  No.  It's fundraising led by my best friend from 2nd grade.  Her name is Jenny.  She's amazingly cool.  And adorable.  And hilarious.  And?  She has MS.  She writes about it on her blog from time to time, but I'll tell you right now - it's never negative or down or woe-is-me.  Jenny is the most positive person I know, and she just happens to have an incurable disease.  It's astounding, really.

Jenny & Sara, circa 1985

Jenny is fundraising for an MS Walk in Portland in April.  The Walk raises awareness and is also a great way for people to network and share positivity.  I would absolutely love to fly out to Portland to walk with Jenny's team - the J-Walkers - but finances aren't going to allow me to this year.  So, instead, I'm doing the one thing I can do - I'm using Sarandipity to help Jenny's team meet their fundraising goal!  

So, for every cake pop purchased in March, Sarandipity will donate, plain and simple.  And what's awesome is that the cake pops don't actually have to be shipped in March; just purchased.  So you can book your order in March to have it shipped out whenever!   

I really hope you'll help out and join Jenny and her team in raising awareness and research funds!  

♥ sara

The details in a nutshell:  

For every single cake pop that's sold in the month of March, Sarandipity Sweets will donate 50 cents to the J-Walkers team for MS research.

To donate directly to the J-Walker Team, click here:

National MS Society

(I was always insanely jealous of her long hair.  My mom cut mine every summer!)