San Francisco Cupcake Challenge

Damn my pre-diabetes to hell, but I'm infamous for having a gigantic sweet tooth! With that being said, I also happen to be a shameless baked goods snob. I have a sensitive palette so I only patronize the best of the best whenever I'm in need of a baker.

Enter Marie Fontela of Tiny Treats.

Marie and I met in 2009 while I was planning Niki's 1st birthday party. I was searching for the perfect treat to accompany Niki's chocolate fountain and there she was right under my nose. Marie was referred to me by a friend of a friend and I immediately fell in love with everything I saw on here website. She responded to my email inquiry quickly, and within the week, we met and she gave me some samples of her tiny treats.

I was hooked from moment on.

There has a been an internet explosion of "how-tos" on cakepops and let me tell you, not all cakepop-ers are created equal. Tiny Treats is a professional catering service that holds itself to the highest standards when it comes to quality and taste. Marie's cakepops are from scratch -- none of that greasy boxed stuff -- and she only uses the best ingredients. Her red velvet cakepop is pure art. It's moist, delectable, and the candy-to-cake ratio was perfect.

From Niki's Royal Tea Party

Oh, and don't even get me started on her mini cheesecakes. Not only is the price budget-friendly ($40 for 100 mini cheesecakes? Whhhhat!) but they're also to die for. My mouth salivates at the mere thought of them...

But her cupcakes? Her cupcakes are my favorite!  I ordered mini cupcakes for Niki's soda shoppe-themed  party and again, I fell in love. Actually, I was sad that the kids weren't old enough to truly appreciate the artistry that they were experiencing in their happy little tummies.

A Tiny Treats cupcake feels like a perfectly orchestrated symphony of flavor happening in your mouth. Yes, it's THAT serious. ;)

Over the years I've come to find out that Marie and I have quite a few things in common -- too many to list! I'm convinced we're kindred spirits. But to my dismay, as many times as we've talked about hanging out, it has never happened. She's the mother of three beautiful daughters and I've got my fourlittlelions so things can get pretty hectic for both of our schedules. BUT...I'm happy to report that she's recently signed me on to make a Wonka-style invitation for an event she has coming up. We're finally going to have a pow-wow soon!

When I found out that Tiny Treats was requested to participate in the San Francisco's Cupcake Challenge I knew that I had to support her. Tiny Treats has participated in the SF Peninsula Kids Party Expo along side my all-time fave photographer (and winner of Bay Area Parent's Favorite Photographer Award 3 years in a row!) Kim of Super Kimagery and my familia at SugaMeSweets (the most talented cake artisans I know!) And when the Giants won the World Series, this bad-ass baker made 500 cupcakes (yes 500!) and shared them with the public...for free!

So does Tiny Treats deserve your support? Hell to the yes.

Marie is battling it out with several San Francisco bakeries this SUNDAY, JANUARY 15th and the winning business will be dubbed with having the best cupcake in San Francisco. And my friends, Tiny Treats deserves the win! Much to my growling tummy's dismay, I won't be able to attend because of John's Rite of Acceptance mass at our church. But...that shouldn't stop you! Follow the link below so you can be part of this awesome event where YOU can be the judge!

http://www.drinkeatplay.com/sfcupcakechallenge/

Good luck, Marie! You know I'm rooting for you. :)

Girls just wanna have fun!

A Tweet my boys sent me from my SIL's account

John and the boys went camping the weekend of my sister's bridal shower (8/12-8/14.) Lucky for me, my niece Demi agreed to sleep over to keep the girls and I company because I'm the biggest chicken-shit ever. It had been almost two years since we had one of our infamous sleepovers, and it made me realize how much I've missed her.

We had a blast-- whether we were watching Never Say Never or Odd Future music videos, laying in bed watching old movies, window shopping at super rad antique/vintage oddity stores, or exploring (and getting lost with very little gas in my tank!) in the Haight-Ashbury. It was good times through and through! She was a tremendous help that weekend.

Here are a few pics from my sister's bridal shower at Crown & Crumpet. There was a mix-up with our reservations -- we were supposed to get the private couch area by the fireplace -- but all in all we had a great time. :)

The banner was supposed to go above the fireplace so we had to improvise. LOL!

Favors and menu made by yours truly.

Noie's 1st tea party (Niki was with my MIL that day.)

The Bridal Party (and me unsuccessfully trying to hide Noie in her SleepyWrap.)

My First STD...

If you thought this was going to be a post about my first sexually transmitted disease, you were wrong my friend. I've never had a STD, but I'd like to take a moment to state how much I enjoy that particular wedding acronym. You wouldn't believe how much fun I've had  using that term in the presence of non-crafty folk. I miss the amusement dearly and hope to publicly use the phrase "making STDs this weekend" in the near future.

No my friends, today I'm sharing a picture of the very first Save-The-Date I've ever made.  I crafted 250 of these bad boys for my sister Stef and her then-fiance Josh's vintage-style wedding. They know what they like so it was really easy to come up with font combinations that worked for them. I just adore how the STDs turned out even though, frankly, I'm certain I've got carpal tunnel after tying 250 teeny, tiny twine knots. ;)

This STD was the first of many, many craft projects stemming from what I will now refer to as the "Wedding-mageddeon" part of my life. Three weddings in two weeks = end-of-the-world for my poor back and fingers. But as much as I bitch and whine, I wouln't change that time in my life for the world. ;)

My First STD

Pink, Teal, and Gray Save-the-Date


While we're on the subject of "saving the date," I thought I'd also sneak in their super cute engagement photos. You guys know I'm a sugar-fiend so these candy shop shots had my sweet tooth aching for a fix. Also? The pictures were so awesome that they were featured in a wedding blog called Sparkle & Hay. You can see that post by clicking here.  Their very talented photographer did an awesome job. If you want to see the post at Aubrey Joy Photography, you can click here.

Too Adorable!



My Best Friend's Wedding

Please excuse the delay, but I just wanted to take a moment to share a few pictures of my best friend K's beautiful 9.10.11 wedding. Watching K&J interact with one another that day made me totally fall in love with their love. I kept smacking John in the arm because K&J were so gosh darn cute together. We had a blast that night.

My favorite parts of the reception?
The bride & groom's first dance and when the groom asked the DJ to dedicate Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up" to the bride.

Low point of the night?
I bombed my MOH speech. I got so nervous that I forgot to read what I wrote down! Pretty darn sure I made an ass of myself, but I'm hoping I didn't disappoint too much. (Sorry K.)

Personal highlight of the night?
I "caught" the bouquet. And when I say caught, I mean that it fell on the floor next to me. This is the 2nd time I've caught a bouquet -- the first time was at L&D's wedding a few years ago. Alas, it feels like I'm destined to be eternally a bridesmaid, and never a bride!

Here are a few faves from the night. Enjoy. :)

Since '88

Naughty Flowergirl

Noie w/ John. (The boys were at my sister's wedding in Napa. Pictures to come!)

The escort tags



The tables were named after locations in the Bay Area and Alaska.



Fourlittlelions Designs :)



The Wedding Party



Super Delish!

K&J



After I caught to bouquet. Friggin. Love. This. Girl.



Thank you, and good night!



I was going on very little sleep the week of 9.10.11. It was challenging to be a one-woman show because I had tons of wedding crafting that needed to be done. I learned a lot so I'm grateful for this experience. I'd like to note that I couldn't have done it without John's help. Even though he grumbled about it, he did a LOT of cub-sitting and sometimes even helped me with crafty stuff if I was desperate. But don't worry, I paid him in sexual favors so we're solid. (LOL! I kid! I kid!) I was utterly sleep deprived the night before the wedding, but it was worth it so long as the people I love were happy. I'll post pictures of my little sister's vintage wedding as soon as I get them. :) In the meantime, more posts are coming your way...for real.