Hey everyone!  I need your thoughts!  Please take a moment to take this quick (very quick) poll for me.  It would help me a lot! Thanks again for another week of orders and I hope to see you all at the open day Friday!!

Can you believe it's almost 2016 already???  I sure can't!  As they say....time sure flies when you're having fun...or in my case...making cupcakes!  I wanted to take the time to review the year and to express how grateful I am for all my customers. The support from customers and the community continues to amaze me!  So let's take a look at the year!

Weddings
I was blown away by the number of weddings this year!  Steph's Sweet Treats (AKA me) baked for 33 weddings...which is a huge increase from last year's 13!  Out of those 33 weddings, three weekends were triple weddings and four were double.   Tripling up was a first for me!  On one of the triple weekends my husband and I were even able to deliver all three.  I did one while he did one and then we met up to deliver the third together.  It was perfect cupcake harmony.  It's rare that I am able to deliver two weddings...but three?!  It was all due to perfect reception timing and location for those weddings.

Another Steph's Sweet Treats first for weddings was a traveling wedding.  The wedding was in St.Louis and everything had to be taken down by friends and family...a three tier display cake, a cutting cake, and 180 cupcakes!  It was nerve-wracking, but so exciting to see photos of locals eating my cupcakes all the way in St.Louis!   

Even though I would love to continually increase the number of weddings I do a year....I'm not sure that it's possible!  I mean there are only 52 weeks in a year... Sure I can still take on a few double and triples, but it gets difficult to take any other orders on those weekends.  I may not book as many double and triples in 2016, but hopefully I will have more weddings throughout the year, rather than all clumped together.  

Psst...if you haven't already booked your 2016 wedding with Steph's Sweet Treats, dates are flying off the calendar so make sure you contact me ASAP.

Cupcakes and Cakes
I try to keep track of how many cupcakes and cakes I made throughout the year...and of course I have records of all the sales, but it would take me ages to go back through all my invoices.  So I just keep tally's of cakes in various sizes and count cupcakes by the amount of wrappers I go through (and subtract any of the rejects or extras that don't get sold).  Next year I will have to keep track of the number of cupcake cakes I make because they continue to grow in popularity.  

Cupcakes- Approximately 30,500.  Holy cupcakes!
Cakes- 164 (if I remembered to tally them all!)

Open Days
Another crazy amazing growth for Steph's Sweet Treats this year has been the monthly open day events.  Last year I usually made between 300 and 400 cupcakes for open days (not counting Valentine's Day) and would regularly have extras.  This year I'm up to between 700 and 900 cupcakes plus over a 100 cookies and various other goodies, and selling out on a regular basis. Holy moly you guys rock!! My husband now helps be run the open days by literally being my other hand.  The mornings can be crazy busy, since I tend to run out or at least don't have much of a variety left by afternoon.  So if you've come in during the chaos hours... thank you for your patience!  I can't tell you how amazing it is to see everyone...new faces and the returning faces.  It means more to me than I could ever express.

I'd say holiday season is in full swing...at least over here at Steph's Sweet Treats it is!  There's cutout cookies galore and all kinds of decorated cupcakes.  So this week I'm just going to give you a few more ideas for holiday orders and top it off with a little silliness.  

Need ordering ideas??
-Decorated cupcakes (Christmas trees, Santa hats, Santa faces, ornaments, swirled colors, toppers-I have trees, Christmas lights, and snowmen)
-Promo pack #1 dozen cupcakes vanilla, chocolate and marble decorated -for week of Christmas pickup
-Promo pack #2 dozen cupcakes hot chocolate, gingerbread, and candy cane - for week of Christmas pickup
-Cookies 
-Cookie decorating kits
-Cupcake cakes in the shape of a candy cane, wreath, Santa, Reindeer, tree, etc-contain 24-30 cupcakes
-Plus so much more! Contact me for details or to order.

Want ideas other than food?  Check out the holiday gift guide post I made here.

Also....don't forget your raffle tickets!  Steph's Sweet Treats is raffling off this KitchenAid mixer (and everything you see with it!).  Tickets are $5 and the winner will be announced December 31.  All proceeds about the cost of the prize will be donated to the Iowa County Humane Society, so PLEASE get your tickets and help them out.  Contact me to get your tickets.

Now onto a little bit of silliness.  If you know me personally...you know I'm a big dork.  Ever since I opened Steph's Sweet Treats I've been doing this thing where I turn songs into songs about baking.  Maybe it's too much time alone in the kitchen, maybe it's my inner nerd...I'll just pretend it's because I'm creative!  I think they are pretty creative and funny...but you might just think I'm weird.  My husband tried to persuade me not to post them (he thinks the two of us are probably the only ones that find them funny)...but I'm doing it anyways!  

At least it won't be completely embarrassing...my original idea was to make videos of my new tunes.  You're welcome for not going that route!  So here are some of baking lyrics!  (I had to look up these real lyrics because I'm bad at figuring out what singers are actually saying and I'm so use to my version)

Song- All About That Bass by Megan Trainor

• Real lyrics- "Because you know I'm all about that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble"
• My lyrics- "Because you know I'm all about them eggs, 'bout them eggs, real butter"
• This is the first song I turned into a baking song and now I just can't stop

Song- Shots by LMFAO

• Real lyrics- "shots, shots, shots, shots (plus like 12 more shots)...everybody"
• My lyrics- "cake, cake, cake, cake, cake....everybody"  
• Not the most creative, but hey it still works!

Song- Watch Me by Silento

• Real lyrics- "Watch me whip, now watch me nae nae"
• My lyrics- "Watch me whisk, now watch me bake bake"
• Real lyrics- " Break your legs, break your legs"
• My lyrics- "Break them eggs, break them eggs"
• This one just makes me giggle

Song- Can't Feel My Face by The Weekend

• Real lyrics: "I can't feel by face when I'm with you..but I love it....but I love it"
• My lyrics:  "I can't feel my hands when I bake cupcakes....but I love it...but I love it"
• This would be confusing unless you know the story...so here's the story.  I have circulation issues, and the mass quantities of cupcakes I frost on a regular basis has made it so my left arm/hand (since I'm a lefty) fall asleep all..the...time...  Of course it's also really bad when trying to sleep on that side...none-the-less..."but I love it...but I love it"  I also sing this one with the words feet in place of hands.  Long hours standing makes for sore feet.  So depending on the day, the song will vary for me...but I sing one of them every time I hear the song!

Thanks again for another week of orders and for making the open day so crazy busy and amazing!

Ahhh vacation.  Something we all need, but is so rare for many.  If you've been following my blog you already know where my favorite place is.  If you haven't...well...now you'll know!  The Northwoods!  

My husband and I have been trying to reduce the "stress" of holidays.  Running around to 6, 7, 8 different holidays takes the fun out of it us.  Being with our closest loved ones is what means the most to us; so we've cut down on the rush, rush, rush, of the holidays.

We started by doing Thanksgiving on our own last year.  We stayed home, cooked food, ate way too much taco dip and watch football.  It was great!  This year I came up with the idea to have Thanksgiving up north!  My parents have a home up there so it's the perfect quick getaway.  We did Thanksgiving with my in-laws Thanksgiving day and then headed to the Northwoods the next morning to meet up with my parents.

Taking a weekend off is very hard when the majority of my business is weekend orders.  Thankfully, with the holiday being on a Thursday, the majority of the orders were for Wednesday and Thursday, allowing me to get away for a few days.  I did still fill a few weekend orders.  I told people that I could fill their order, as long as they were okay with them being baked Thanksgiving morning and they could pick then up from my father-in-law at my shop Friday. I am beyond thankful for my father-in-law for doing my pickups so I could go up north!

Thursday night it snowed so we got to arrive to beautiful snow covering the Northwoods trees.  It's amazing how differently I feel about snow when it's not where I live.  If this snow was here in Dodgeville I wouldn't be so happy about it (I just don't like driving in it), but having it up north made me feel like a little kid again.  We came home Sunday morning. So while the stay was a short one, it was so nice to not do anything.  I spent a lot of time laying in front of the toasty fireplace, enjoying the view, and eating.  Doesn't sound like much....but that's exactly what I needed!

Once again, if you've read my blog for awhile now you already know this, but in case you don't.....we travel with the cat and dog in tow!  My dog turns into a crazy dog when he sees the bags and cat carrier come out.  They equal vacation and he starts whining and jumping around like CRAZY upon seeing them.  While it's annoying in the moment....it's pretty cute that he likes it so much.  The cat...well these pictures say it all.  We could leave him up north and he probably wouldn't notice we weren't there.  He runs everywhere, lounges/takes ownership of the furniture, and spent a lot of time squirrel watching.  

Now lets talk about the giveaway I announced on small business Saturday.  Okay, okay, I wasn't on a total vacation.  I still posted, responded to messages, and posted the big end of the year giveaway that I'm super excited about.  If you haven't heard...here it is!

Steph's Sweet Treats is raffling off this Artisan KitchenAid, measuring spoon set, oven mitt set, and spatulas! Winner will be announced on Steph's Sweet Treats 2 year-anniversary December 31st!

Raffle tickets are $5; any raffle tickets sold above the cost will be donated to the ICHS-Iowa County Humane Society- so buy buy buy those raffle tickets! You can stop by the open day for tickets, contact me to see if I'm baking and you can stop or Saturdays I do pickups at my shop from 9:45-10:15, you are welcome to buy a tickets then as well.

Now let me tell you something about this giveaway...I was beyond excited when I came up with the idea.   How did I come up with it?  Well I love KitchenAids...so of course I was looking at all the beautiful colors thinking I should really collect them (now I just need the room to display them in my home and the money to buy them all!)..when it hit me...I should raffle one off!  I've been wanting to do a raffle for some time now, I just didn't know what to raffle off.  A KitchenAid is perfect!  Making it a raffle that has the potential to help out a local non-profit organization made it even better.

Needless to say I was pretty much jumping for joy when it arrived in the mail....then I opened the box.  Big ole' scratch down the top of the KitchenAid....I almost cried!  How could I possibly raffle off a scratched KitchenAid?  Sure, the tickets are only $5, but who wants to win something so glorious, but with a scratch?!  

Sooooo.....I'm in the process of returning the darn thing.  And let me tell you that has been a task all on it's own.  The company I bought it through has horrible customer service and has made it a nightmare for me.  Thankfully, I think I have it figured out and a new one, from a different company, should be here tomorrow.  It is a slightly different shade of gray than the one above, which is liquid graphite, only because I couldn't get the exact color in time for it to be displayed at the open day.  My jump for joy giveaway got a little stressful there for a moment, but I'm back to just being excited, so I hope you are too!

Thanks for another week of orders!  Please place holiday orders now, check out last week's blog post for gift ideas, stop by Friday's open day, and buy those raffle tickets!!

I really liked giving some background and "behind the scenes" info on orders the first time around....so I decided to make it a monthly thing.  As long as there aren't more pertinent things that need to be blogged about, I will do some behind the order stories.  Sooo let's get started with a few recent orders!  

I'll start with this deer cupcake cake.  This cupcake cake was for a very good customer of mine.  She has ordered countless times, comes to open days, and it's always fun to think up something to fit what she needs!  This time around she told me her son wanted a deer on something or camo;he loves hunting.  She gave me numbers and flavors and left the rest up to me.  I really wanted to do a deer cupcake cake, so I looked at some photos, laid out the cupcakes to the rough shape of what I wanted....then the real work began!  I had to "bring the deer to life" if you will.  I was very pleased with the end result, and I hope Jordan enjoyed it as well!  Below are some of the other cupcake cakes I have done for this customer

This cake for a very kind and supportive customer.  They have supported me with kind words, have praised my not breaking copyright laws, and they have even gone as far as to bring me ingredient pricing from a bulk store they shop at as well as a super cute apron!  

As you can see, the person is very giving.  They contacted me because they wanted a special cake for a special 75th birthday.  The birthday girl is part of the customer's knitting club.  Not only does the she knit...she's spins her own yarn from her sheep!  

So I incorporated all of that into this triple salted caramel cake.  See the cute little sheep on the sides of the cake?!

This next order also happens to be for a repeat customer who lets me get creative!  This time her son wanted a Blaze and the Monster Machine cake. Before I get into the order, let me just say I am totally out of the loop on cartoons!  Unless your talking the time of Rugrats,  Rocko's Modern Life, Bobby's World, and Hey Arnold!....I probably don't know the show.  There's a few exceptions because I do have a niece and nephew...but for the most part... I'm stuck in the 90's when it comes to cartoons!

Anyways....Blaze and the Monster Machine....  So as many of you know, I'm one of the few bakers who sticks to not breaking the law on copyright/licensing.  That means cartoons, sports teams, superheros, logos, etc...are off limits.  For the details on the laws and what I can do read this old blog post of mine.

This customer happily obliged to the laws and got toys to add to the cake.  I made the cake with a race track, ramp, checkered flag base, and tire tread on the sides of the cake, and she provided the legally purchased (not replicated) toys to add to it.  Pretty awesome for legally done cake right?!  Below are a few more fun cakes I have made for this customer.

This last order was special in so many ways.  This wedding was for my brother-in-laws brother's wedding.  That's a mouth full I know...  I've been around my brother-in-laws family long enough now that some of them seem like family in a way since I see them several times a year at birthday parties and other functions.  So, baking for his wedding was an honor.  It was also special because the wedding was all the way in St. Louis...what?!?!  Yes...St. Louis.  I didn't deliver the wedding... it went down in several family members vehicles....which was totally nerve wracking!!  Thankfully, everything made it safe and sound.

The cake design was also special because it represented each city the couple has lived in (the cupcakes represented their favorite football teams).  It became even more special when I got to see customers (who I didn't know were even going to be at the wedding) eating and enjoying my cupcakes from states away.  Below are pictures of the cake at my shop, everything packed up and ready for the trip, and the cake at the reception in St.Louis.

Thanks for another week of orders!  If you need anything last minute for Thanksgiving I may be able to fit you in...just call, email, or message me on Facebook!  

This October had five weekends.....which meant more chances for weddings!  I had weddings four out of the five weekends, with a total of six weddings.  But how does that add up?  A triple wedding weekend of course!  Here's a look at the Steph's Sweet Treats October weddings.

October 3rd was the first weekend of October and it was a triple wedding weekend.  It was also the first time my husband and I have been able to deliver all three!  Usually with multi-wedding weekends, we deliver one (two max) and the other party, or parties are responsible for picking up and setting up their own.  This weekend just happened to work out location and timing wise for us to do all three.  Two were located in Dodgeville, so we split and each did one, then we came together and went to Dubuque for the third.  The third wedding had a cocktail hour in a separate room from where we had to set up so it worked out perfectly!

The wedding above was 250 cupcakes at Barn 23 in Dodgeville: apple pie, lemon poppy seed, chocolate covered strawberry, and almond joy .  I set this one up and was so honored to do so.  The bride of this wedding use to make my Steph's Sweet Treats shirts, so  I know her personally.  I used a combination of my wooden crates, gold stands, and wooden ladder to go with her theme.  The bride is also best friends with the amazing Kelsey Jean Photography, so the above photos came from her!

The left and middle picture are from the wedding my husband set up at Dodger Bowl in Dodgeville.  It was 200 cupcakes: vanilla raspberry, dark chocolate ganache, chocolate, and funfetti.  My husband is great at doing wedding setups with me, but he was very nervous about doing it all on his own, especially since we were on a serious time schedule.  He set up a anniversary party on his own for me once, but this was his first solo wedding delivery.  As usual, he did amazing!  He has a few other weddings to do on his own next year, so this smaller one was good practice!  The couple provided the setup and I think the simplicity looked great.

The third wedding from October 3rd is on the far right.  This is the one my husband and I delivered together after doing our individual set-ups.  It was as the Grand River Center in Dubuque- 250 cupcakes vanilla, chocolate, lemon raspberry, peanut butter patty, and funfetti.  It was my first delivery to Dubuque and the place was beautiful!  

The next wedding fell on October 17th.  It was 300 cupcakes at Deer Valley Lodge-funfetti and red velvet.  Their decor was all red and white, so the fact that the bride and groom each picked a flavor that coordinated with their colors, made the cupcake table fit in even more perfectly!  I used my crates, gold stands, and stairs for this set up.  These stands have been the most popular this wedding season!  These photos came from the amazingKelsey Jo Photography (with whom I went to school with/was in cheerleading with) I'm being to see a theme here....if you have the name Kelsey does that just make you an awesome photographer??  Kelsey Jean and Kelsey Jo knock it out of the park every time! Psst....stay tuned for a collaboration I'm doing with Kelsey Jo Photography in December.  It's going to be a fun one!

Next up:  October 24th-200 cupcakes at the Quality Inn in Mineral Point- vanilla, chocolate peanut butter, chocolate chip cookie dough, and reverse red velvet.  Everything about this wedding's decor was adorable!  I used my wooden crates and stairs again for this wedding.  I love using the same displays in different ways...so when I found out I would have a round table to set up on, I had to get a little creative....and I loved the end result!  We were left with different decorations to add to the table, which is always fun and adds to the display.  Did I mention how AMAZING the cupcake menu was???  The brides friend made the chalkboard window menu on the right.  It was dreamy!

The last wedding of the month was a super fun Halloween wedding.  Not only was it fun because it was Halloween, but it was for a classmate of mine.  It is always a HUGE honor to be asked to bake for a classmate, friend, family, or just someone I personally know.  I NEVER expect people to ask me just because they know me, so it is always such a pleasure when they do! 

This wedding was 400 cupcakes at the Dousman House in Prairie du Chien- vanilla, chocolate chocolate, lemon poppyseed, dark chocolate raspberry, pumpkin, maple peanut butter; 132 cutout cookies, gluten-free lemon poppyseed cupcakes and gluten-free cutout cookies and a 2 tiered cake.  The venue had a glass window/door table set up with a variety of trays.  I just chose the trays I wanted and placed them where I wanted them and added the cupcakes!  The couple also provided some really cool laser cut cupcake wrappers that added another dimension to the table.

Well that concludes October weddings!  If you haven't booked your wedding with Steph's Sweet Treats please feel free to contact me for a wedding tasting!

Thanks for another week of orders and I hope to see you at the open day Friday!

I try to post pictures of most of the orders that go out the Steph's Sweet Treats doors, but nobody really knows the story behind the order, the customer, or the trials and tribulations. Sooo I thought it would be fun to give you some background information from time to time....starting with a few of last weekend's orders!

First up, let's talk about the super fun elephant sculpted cake I got to do!  I got a picture via text from this customer asking me if I could make a cake for her like the one pictured.  I was super excited to see the cute baby elephant looking back at me via text because it is a photo I have had saved on my own for quite a while, just waiting for the chance to make it.  I thought I was making a smaller version of the photo, but after it was all said and done, I think it was actually the same size.

I LOVE when somebody asks me for a cake I've never made before, or for something I've been wanting to try....but it is definitely nerve wracking.  I tell myself I can do it and keep reminding myself to envision the end product.  Because, as you can see from the top left picture, things aren't always pretty in the middle of the process.  

The ears of this little guy proved to be the most challenging...getting the right size and "wrinkles"... but not so much wrinkle that they would fold in half.  That plastic wrap was used during the drying process so they would stay put and get the shape I wanted...which was another battle on its own.

After it all came together I was pretty darn happy.  Even though new cakes and techniques can be scary, it is a great feeling to pull it off.  The only downside to new cakes, especially something sculpted like this, is that you have to guess on time, cake, materials, etc.....so you usually end up undercharging.  Which I did in this case...but it's a gain in my book since I got to try something new and learn!  So thank you customer for ordering a cake I have been wanting to make for a long time!  

Next up, the gambling themed cupcake cake.  I chose to talk about this cake because I have made several cupcake cakes for this customer now, and they are always fun...and I am given the freedom to fit their theme however I can make it work!  The order this past week was for the customer's mom and dad.  After putting in the order, her husband reminded her that her brother had a birthday a few days later....so we added him to the cake too!  Thank goodness her husband remembered the birthday or this cake would have looked very different!  Let me tell you why....

When the initial order was placed, I was told the parents like to go on the boat and play cards.  Now I'm not a gambler...so in my head I was making a boat and a set of cards, both on the same cake board.  So when she called back to add her brother, I asked if this boat was the sailing kind or fishing kinds....hahaha silly me...they gamble on the boat!  Phew!  So glad I got that cleared up!  (Note: I would have called to clarify the type of boat before making the cake-but it got cleared up/fixed faster since she called me first)

The other two pictures are of this customers other two fun cupcake cakes.  The turkey was for her husband's surprise birthday party and the other was for her twins.  Always know it will be a fun one when she calls!

The last story behind the order from last weekend is a fun pink, gold, and white cake.  This too was for a returning customer.  I got to make a firetruck cake earlier in the year for this customer; she returned for her daughter's cake.  She told me the colors and gave me two example of my cakes that she really liked.  One being a rosette cake, or ombre rosette, and a purple dotted cake I had recently done.  After telling me she liked those two specific styles she also said she trusts me, so I could do whatever I wanted.  

Hearing that a customer has given me some freedom because they trust me is always a great thing, but also very scary!  Because even though someone says they don't care, or they don't have something specific they want...sometimes they secretly do.  So since I can't see what's in their head unless they tell me, they may not be completely satisfied...which I never want!  

I went out on a limb for this order and tried something I thought she would like based on what she said....I also made it something I haven't done before, so it was new for both of us.  Risky?...not completely risky since I was confident I had picked up on the styles and aspects she wanted.  But isn't every order just a tad risky in a sense? You just never know what images the customer has in their head/if what their envisioning is the same as me.  In some cases, with a more elaborate cake, or if I need to clarify a design with a customer, I will sketch it out and send them a picture just to make sure the visions match.

All went well because she loved it!  I mixed the rosettes she likes in with another texture, and used dark pink, light pink, and white for a different play on ombre.  The gold pearls not only fit the gold in her theme, but also added a girly aspect, which she had talked about.  

I hope you enjoyed the look at the stories behind of some my orders.  Don't forget about the open day next Friday and thank you for another week of orders!

I have a lot of fun ideas to throw at everyone so I hope they inspire you to order some fun fall goodies!  I don't have pictures of everything, so I apologize in advance....you will have to use your imagination and trust that these ideas will look cute!  If you are having Halloween parties, need a school or work treat, or are having a Packer party in the next month, this post is for you. There's also a fun section at the end of this post...it's a shoutout to my open day helper...aka my husband!

If you came to the open day these cupcakes and cookies may look familiar.  These cupcakes are cookies are simply decorated, but scream fall.  Candy corn and pumpkin frosted cupcakes anyone?  How about fall leaf or pumpkin frosted cookies??  These particular designs can go all the way through Thanksgiving.  If you are looking for something a little more Halloween, how about jack-o-lantern face cupcake, Frankenstein cupcakes, ghost cupcakes, or any of these in the form of a cupcake cake?

The small photo collage are some examples from last year.  Cute Frankenstein cake, jack-o-lantern and one eyed monster cupcakes, as well as some neutral fall cupcakes with leaves and scarecrows.  The possibilities are endless! I have a lot of other ideas, so just contact me if if you want to order and I will be sure to design something around your wants/needs.

Not into the whole "fall" thing?....well lets hope you are least into the Green Bay Packers!  Now, now, settle down if you are fan of another team, I can bake goodies for your team too....I'm just going to focus on the Packers...well, since I cheer for them!

If you are throwing a Packer party you need dessert!  I can do cupcakes, cakes, cookies, or a combination of these to fit your party.  Along with the edible image and swirled frosting, I also have little Packer helmet and football cupcake toppers.  Now, I'll take a moment (a small one) to mention that I do have images and toppers for those of you who may be Vikings fans.  I won't even yell at you for cheering for the wrong team if you order them :)

My open days have been getting bigger and bigger.  More cupcakes, more customers, more traffic....all of which is amazing, but also VERY hard to do on my own.  My mom helps me out when she can, whether it's running the cash register for the day, or stopping by after she's done with work to watch the front while I run around like crazy in the back trying to finish weekend orders and do dishes.  

Well....for the October open day, I asked my husband if he wanted to help me.  He does wedding deliveries with me...he even does wedding deliveries solo now when we have multiple deliveries!  So he took a vacation day from work to help me at the bakery...allll day....all 13+ hours.  I can't park in front of my building due to the 2 hour parking regulations, so I rent a spot nearby.  Since I only have one spot, my husband came in when I did...wakey wakey at 3am!

I kicked off the morning by baking what I needed to bake for the weekend orders (the ones that didn't go with the open day).  While I did this, my husband chilled a bit until I could take a moment to give him something to do.  He wanted to help, so he added the last minute touches to some of the cupcakes (pumpkin on the pumpkin cupcakes; chocolate covered pretzel on the sweet n' salty), and he put the finishing touches on the pumpkin bread by adding a baker's twine bow.

I did one loaf to show him and then let him go to town doing the rest.  It was pretty funny since most guys don't tie little bows on a regular basis.  He struggled with getting the loops up to his standard...thankfully there were only 11 loaves!  Sorry for the crappy photo... I was in a hurry so I ended up cutting his head off and the front lights were still off so people didn't think I was already open. Oops!

Around 5:45 am he started getting nervous because I had yet to show him how the cash register works.  So we got that taken care of, did a practice run, stocked the cases and opened the doors...and it went smoothly all day.  So smoothly that I told him he now needs to help me at all open days!  I don't know if that will happen, but a girl can dream.  If he wasn't running register, he was helping me restock the cases, packing an order if there was a line (I'd do one, he'd do one), holding the door to the case if it made things faster, or grabbing stickers.  

The mornings have gotten really crazy since customers now know that if you don't come early, you may not get what you want.  By 11:00 Aaron was exhausted.  Ok... he wasn't really exhausted, but it was definitely a lot of running around and once the really busy morning hours pass, sleepiness sets in.  He even did my dishes for me!  Ahhh so nice. Did I mention how much I love this guy?!  (And yes, he really stands like that when doing dishes...apparently bending hurts his back so he just does that) 

It was another successful open day for sure!  We ran out of quite a few flavors in the morning and were limited to just a few most of the afternoon.  I promise I made a lot; I'm sorry if you did not get any or you were disappointed to only find limited flavors available. Just how many did I make/sell? 

888 cupcakes
51 cookies
11 mini loaves of pumpkin bread

 P.S.- for all you chocolate chip cookie dough lovers who didn't get any- I started with 133 of them and ran out by 9 or 10am- I feel like I can never make enough of them. Sorry!

Thanks for another week of orders and for another successful open day!!

I mentioned before that I never realized how popular September was for weddings until opening Steph's Sweet Treats.  Now I am going to rephrase that and say... I never realized how popular September is in general!  On top of weddings, September was crazy busy with baby showers, bridal showers and birthdays.  It's just a busy month!  So here's a look at the nine Steph's Sweet Treats September weddings!  If you were at any of these weddings and have photos, I would love to see them.  I love seeing all photos involving Steph's Sweet Treats goodies, so anytime you have photos please feel free to send them my way!

The first wedding of September was a small intimate wedding with 150 cupcakes at Barn 23 in Dodgeville on September 5.  They got cookies n cream, chocolate, and vanilla raspberry cupcakes. They used my traditional tiered cupcake stand displayed on an elegant lace covered table.  

The weekend of September 12 was my first triple wedding weekend.  The wedding above (photos courtesy of Kelsey Jean Photography) was for a co-worker of mine-  co-worker at my parents' company.  It was 336 cupcakes at Bridges in Darlington- chocolate chip cookie dough, smore, vanilla raspberry, and pumpkin. So, in addition to baking for this wedding, I attended it!  

Did I mention how awkward I feel being at a wedding where people are eating my cupcakes?!  I have always felt awkward about it, but haven't been to a wedding where people were eating my cupcakes since my own wedding last year.  When dinner started I got more and more nervous, and then the bride and groom announced everyone could take cupcakes....panic time!  I don't like to watch people eat my cupcakes because I get nervous to see their reactions.  This makes attending a wedding with my cupcakes very complicated!  Everyone around me was eating cupcakes, nobody knew I was the one who made them so I could see and hear them but they didn't know who I was....so I sat awkwardly looking from the ceiling to the floor, doing my best to avoid cupcake eaters.  Thankfully, from what I could hear and see, the guests were pleased... but man oh man was it stressful!

The second wedding for September 12th was another small intimate wedding at Barn 23 in Dodgeville.  This wedding was 70 cupcakes- apple cider, pumpkin, and marble.  They used my rustic stairs to display their cupcakes, which were set up by Barn 23 for the couple.  

The 3rd wedding for September 12th was 250 cupcakes at Arthur's in Spring Green- Mint chocolate chip, lemon raspberry, chocolate chip cookie dough, and strawberry cheesecake.  This couple used one of my stair stands, antique white stands, and supplied their own platters.  The cupcakes were picked up and set up by the couple.  I loved how they put together their display...especially the part where they put my cards throughout the table!  :)

September 19th was also a triple wedding weekend and a weekend where I got to attend one of the weddings!  This time I attended my brother-in-laws sister's wedding.  The wedding was 350 cupcakes: vanilla, chocolate, pumpkin, and apple cider at the family's farm.  To say this wedding was beautiful is an understatement.  They had a huge party tent outside, hay, barrels, rustic chairs, fancy trailer bathrooms, outdoor fire/heaters, etc.  I set the cupcakes up on my ladder set up to fit their rustic theme. I was also given the freedom to do what I wanted with decor, so I did half of the cupcakes swirled with various fall colors and the other half topped with sugar leaf toppers.  I loved the end result!

Soooo....two week's in a row I had to be in a place with people eating my cupcakes!  Thankfully, I had a baby to distract me this time.  I was feeding and bouncing around with my baby niece so I didn't focus on the people eating my cupcakes.  

The second wedding for September 19th was at Century Barn in Mt. Horeb- 225 cupcakes (raspberry white chocolate cheesecake, butterscotch, and thin mint copycat) and 6 pies....yes pies!  How fun, right?!  The pies were strawberry rhubarb and apple.  This wedding was picked up and set up by the couple.  Look how gorgeous their dessert table is!  Thanks again Kelsey Jean Photography for the photo!

Sadly, I don't have a photo of the third wedding to share yet. Hopefully I will have one soon!

The last weekend of September was two weddings.  First up was this 250 cupcake wedding at Dodger Bowl in Dodgeville- raspberry white chocolate cheesecake, apple pie, mint chocolate chip, and chocolate chip cookie dough.  The setup was provided by the couple, and I must say...I loved it!  The table had different platters, stands, pictures, and decor, making it oh so pretty!

The second wedding was 450 cupcakes at the Belmont Convention Center- angel food, raspberry white chocolate cheesecake, turtle, pumpkin, chocolate peanut butter, and ultimate marble.  The backdrop to this table was beautiful!  And you should have seen the backdrop to their head table.  Swoon worthy!  This setup used my crates and gold stands, the cake box was provided by the bride and groom.  My crates and gold stands have become very popular with wedding setups this year and I love that every time I use them, I can make them look a little different.  

Thanks for another week of orders and don't forget to stop by the October 9th open day....I will have a lot of sweet treats!!

I have had countless people relive memories when they come to my shop.  My building has been many things over the years, but it is most remembered for being Ward Brodt Music.  In fact, I have relatives who bought instruments here!  Before I made it Steph's Sweet Treats, it was an office.  Sooo....it wasn't exactly set up for baking!  The journey of making it a bakery was a stressful, interesting, and rewarding one.  So I thought I'd show you the changes Steph's Sweet Treats has undergone since then.  

This is the day the building became mine.  What an exciting day!  Then the nerves set in...I had to remodel and make a name for myself.  I didn't know how the community would react to my new business, especially since I'm not a traditional bakery with regular hours.  Thankfully, my husband and family believed in me!

Oooh...ahhh...right?  Just kidding.  These pictures don't look like much I know...but this is what the building looked like when I got it.  Three rooms..not much else.  The top picture is my front room and the two rooms on the bottom have now become my kitchen.  I knocked down the wall and added a whole bunch of stuff!

Above are some progress pictures I had of the kitchen remodel.  The floors were ripped up and replaced with concrete and pretty speckles, I got cabinetry from Habitat Restore, plumbing had to be added for my three compartment sink, which I got from a Quizno's that went out of business and I got my work table from another bakery.  For the most part, the kitchen looks the same now.  I do have another work table in the back, another mixer, more decorations, more storage bins,etc....and more aprons of course.

Once the kitchen was done I got my license!!  This is my overjoyed picture with the temporary license I received before my official one got mailed.  The rest of the decorating has been in progress since then (December 31, 2013).  The front room has changed A LOT over the last year and a half, and is still changing.  

One of the first things I did to decorate the front room was paint the chevron wall.  My method was completely amateur, took so many hours...and I still can't believe I pulled it off!  I cut a cardboard square, traced it over and over until the wall was all squares...then I used the cardboard on a diagonal to make the chevron pattern, taped off every other row, and painted the other ones.  I love it!  But the rest of the front room was still pretty bare. 

I can't believe I managed to do open days with this little front counter!  Even if it wasn't an open day, this is where I had people's orders.   This alone shows me how much Steph's Sweet Treats has grown in a year. The table in the bottom of the picture got covered with photo albums, menus, and t-shirts over the year.  However, I am trying to get my front room to look less cluttered...so I have made more changes...yet again!

My amazing and talented uncle made me my new front counter at the beginning of this year and I have no idea what I would do without it.  Besides having a lot more counter space, allowing me to use four display cases instead of two, it also has a ton of storage space in the back.  Even this picture isn't completely up to date.  I have a different rug in front...but it's still cupcakes!

Like I mentioned above, I want to make the front room more decorative and less cluttered, so I got some new furniture...well new to Steph's Sweet Treats.  I got a new table and chair set and custom buffet from the amazingly talented Perfectly Imperfect-for the home.  Check her out, I'm totally using her to furnish my house next!

I'm not completely done decorating these new items.  I plan on putting the photo albums on the wall next to the door so that I can free up the whole table.  I will fold down the front leaf and leave it simple with the table runner, jar, and chairs.  I just threw some things on the buffet so that it didn't look completely bare.  I will be moving the albums and adding other items...still figuring it out.  I'm also removing the cupcake on the wall (not pictured) and putting something fun up.  You'll have to wait for pictures of that one...so watch the facebook page!

So while I'm finally almost done decorating, I still have some things I want to do to Steph's Sweet Treats.  I want to add some more shelves in my kitchen and replace the big black storage shelves that make everything look cluttered in the front room with enclosed white cabinets.  Those will have to be custom made...so I just want to wait for one of my talented relatives to get some free time. :)

I hope to make Steph's Sweet Treats a memory spot for people. Years from now I want for people to be able to say "remember when" and reminisce over great Steph's Sweet Treats memories! 

Thanks for another week of orders!