Happy Birthday Emily & Grandma!

The Rozzo family is a special one. It makes me feel great when they request cupcakes for their special occasions. Emily is THREE and Grandma is another year older! LOL These are red velvets with cream cheese icing. SO sorry it took me so long to post!

Suzanne's Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Feels like ages since I made these Thanksgiving cupcakes for my good friend, Suzanne. Suzanne is Class Mom at her daughter's school and ordered these for their classroom Thanksgiving celebration. Our computer broke down and I was unable to post these right away. It's December and everyone is buzzing over the holidays and I finally got these up. Thank you Suzanne for thinking of me when it's time to break out a cupcake. I am THANKFUL to you and all my many regular customers.

Happy Birthday Nadia!

These Monster High chocolate and vanilla cupcakes were made for Nadia's Birthday party. Nadia'a Mom, Janice ordered the four dozen cupcakes and wanted Monster High as the theme again (see October 17, 2012) since the first batch made for Nadia's school celebration were such a hit. I wanted to make more of the fondant toppers but was pressed for time and Janice agreed that the majority of the toppers be the Monster High logo made on wafer paper. I hope that the party guests loved the cupcakes!

Happy 3rd Birthday Emily!

These simple birthday cupcakes are for THREE year old Emily. Emily's Mom, Erin, called me and requested pink and purple butterflies and flowers for her classroom party at Pixie. It's always a treat for me to see the child light up when they see their cupcakes. Emily is growing so fast.....slow down! Erin also ordered Halloween themed cupcakes for her son Joseph's classroom celebration that had to be postponed due to Hurricane Sandy. It was my pleasure to know that the kids got a chance to celebrate this holiday together afterall.

Birthday Surprise for Relief Worker Ryan!

You are looking at the outcome of a very calculated and suspenseful delivery to date! Through six degrees (really three) of separation, I was contacted by Tracy, a loving and determined sister, who really wanted to find a way to make her brother Ryan's birthday special. Ryan lives in Maine but has been in New York, far from his home and family, to aid in the relief post Hurricane Sandy. Ryan and his fellow crew have been sleeping in their trucks and working long days to cut trees and remove limbs that have fallen due to the relentless storm. Tracy lives in Florida but that didn't hinder her determination in finding a way to get her brother to feel the love on his day! I was able to bake three dozen vanilla and chocolate cupcakes as she worked on the details of how and when I can get them to him as his location changes constantly. I've been housing my family from Long Beach which is just the natural thing to do and together we are making the best of this situation but I had a deep yearning to reach out to someone I don't know personally, who is in need. This opportunity landed on my lap and I was so excited that we could pull it off! Ryan's supervisor was in on the surprise and helped navigate the delivery and the surprise. It was great to see all the crew come together and sense the comradeship among them. After giving Ryan his cupcakes, his stunned look and smile made it all worthwhile! He was in awe that his sister was able to pull this off! Here are the pictures of the delivery and the group shots. New York thanks you all to Lucas Tree Trimming for all your time, hard work, and dedication! THANK YOU and HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN! Tracy & I both agree this will be a memorable one for you and a friendship gained across the miles!

Alice In Wonderland

Jennifer had ordered cupcakes last winter for the Bridal Shower and this year needed me for the Baby Shower! The theme is Nursery Stories....so pure and perfect for a baby coming into the word and all the curiosity and delight of childhood. It was fun creating the toppers for this theme....my nieces and nephews and children all gathered round to watch the classic Alice in Wonderland. I had never seen it. It was perfect for a snowy day in November. I made several designs and multiples of each for the shower guests to take home as favors.

Peace O Cake

This "Cupcake Cake" was made for loyal customer Colleen for her daughter, Kayla's birthday. It was a bigger pull apart cupcake cake than I've ever made. I've only made them with quantity of twelve but these were made with 23 cupcakes (She only needed 16!). I got a text the following day that the Peace Cake was a hit and that her husband, Pat had eaten four so good thing I went BIG! I want to thank Colleen for being so flexible for this order and for always trusting me with new ideas! I apologize for posting it on the blog almost 2 weeks later.

James is SEVEN!

Repeat customer Kathya, ordered these Halloween themed Birthday cupcakes for her son James who is SEVEN years old! I love Halloween cupcakes. There are endless possibilities and it is my favorite holiday for making fondant toppers. I found most of these ideas last year and hoped that James and his party guests gobbled these spooky but yummy cupcakes all up!

Monster High Cupcakes!

It's Nadia's Birthday and her Mom, Janice asked me to bake her Monster High cupcakes. When I told my kids what I was working on, they were so excited so I had to make them some as well. My inspiration for these came from Lynlee Petite Cakes (again!). Her work is so beautiful and I love to check out all her beautiful fondant toppers. I used wafer paper (completely edible) for the skull toppers instead of fondant and personalized the plaid ones with Nadia's name. I also keep smiling knowing that I will be delivering these to the preschool my kids used to attend and Nadia has the same teacher they did so I get to see her again. My son Chase is coming along and will be very excited to see his first teacher. This was one order that made my whole family so happy! I have a feeling these cupcakes will be a real hit at Nadia's preschool celebration.

One Adventurous Kid!

My nephew Hayden celebrated his Birthday with the family this past weekend. He requested all vanilla AdventureTime cupcakes. I tried to make as many of the familiar characters as I could. I hope this year ahead is another great one for this wonderful boy. We are so lucky to have him in our family. Happy Birthday "Hay Hay!!" We love you.

Princess Anastassja's 3rd Birthday!

I got an email form a new customer named Natalya. Her little girl Anastassja is turning THREE and she requested Princess and the Frog cupcakes along with mini cupcakes for her big birthday party. I like to browse through Lynlee's Petite Cakes for ideas when I am asked to make a design for the very first time. She seems to cover just about every child theme out there and I admire all her creative work. Once again, I checked out what she made and made my copy cat version of her original work. When I deliver the cupcakes, may times the kids are fast asleep in the evening or off at school during the day. When I get to see the child celebrating a birthday or a special day, it is so rewarding to get to see that pleased smile. I got such a kick out of seeing Anastassja in full princess mode smile from ear to ear when she saw her cupcakes. I love doing what I do for this very reason!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANASTASSJA!!

That first impression.....

Loyal customer, Doreen referred me to new customer, Arlene who needed four dozen cupcake favors for her daughter's baby shower. I love that baby showers are not seasonal. Making all those cute little bears and carriages keeps me smiling knowing that someone who is expecting a sweet bundle is going to love the detail of her special celebration. It's such an exciting time for the whole family! I delivered these to Uncle Bacala's in Garden City Park, NY and as soon as you walk in, it's the equivalent to what happens when you walk into a bakery. The delicious aroma hits you in the face and your appetite just got a huge wake up! I wish I could bottle up the aroma in this restaurant, it has made it to my "must try out" list of restaurants. Anyway, the room was simple but so pretty, fresh flowers, little wrapped up chocolates and Babycakes favors on every place setting. What a great first impression! I had to snap a picture of how nice it looked! This Mom to-be is also having Baby Shower number two in Virginia at the end of the month which my lucky Babycakes will be a part of!

Chase's Birthday Favors

Today our son Chase finally got to celebrate his fifth birthday with his friends. His party was held at Nunley's Carousel and the kids had a blast. Recently, our family vacation enabled us to all ride an airplane together for the first time and now Chase has added planes to his fascination of transportation. I made his cupcake favors half planes and half rockets (all design credits to Lynlee (again!)) The party was great and it was so nice to see some of his Pixie preschool friends and share a beautiful afternoon together. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful son. His smile warms my heart and he was smiling wide today!

Happy Birthday Haley & Conner!

Repeat customer and friend, Nancy, contacted me because her niece and nephew's (twins) birthday was coming up. Haley plays field hockey and Conner recently started playing football. Both of them are very athletic and Nancy, told me stories of Haley playing on the varsity team and Conner scoring 3 touchdowns in his last game. Nancy is a very proud and loving Aunt! Haley and her teammates get together before games and have a pasta night....they were going to add these cupcakes to celebrate her sixteenth birthday. Her brother, Conner would be going to a NY Jets game and there were a few waiting for him when he got home. Happy Birthday haley & Conner! I love that Babycakes will add that personal touch to any gathering and make it a memorable time!

Way to go!!

Loyal customer, Colleen, called me because she wanted to show support and pride for her husband who ran in a race at SUNY ALbany. She asked me to make these mini cupcakes in the school colors and make custom banners. I love the fact that my minis commuted all the way to Albany as a reward at the finish line!

Peace Out Kate!

My friend, Suzanne, contacted me for her daughter Kate's Birthday. Kate wanted purple peace signs on her cupcakes for her classroom celebration. It was my pleasure to make them for her. I did not get them on the blog as soon as I had hoped to. Kate is a beautiful young girl and I hope she had a fun birthday at school!

Babycaking 101

Babycakes is excited and proud to announce the launch of CUPCAKE PARTIES! Last week, I was able to share the experience of my very first cupcake party at Julia's 9th birthday party. First of all, there's nothing quite like a house party. When I was a kid, it was how we celebrated just about every birthday. Babycakes came to the celebrant's home with everything needed to demonstrate frosting and fondant techniques with the guests. Each child got two "naked" cupcakes and had fun frosting the first one and got a little bit more focused decorating the second. They each got a take home box to boast and share with their families upon going home. The girls at Julia's party, browsed through my book and then we got to play with all the sweet goodies! The party guests all got creative using cookie cutters and experimented mixing different colors into their fondant. It was great to see some very focused while others sampled the fondant and frosting as they created their own designs. If you are interested in hosting a Babycakes cupcake party in your home for your child's special day or for a private tutorial, please do not hesitate to contact me here on the blog, my email. alicatesi@aol.com or Inbox me on Facebook. This was such a fun night and I know there are many in store in the future!

Forever 29!

My suto cousin Brian (aka Briaz) contacted me for cupcakes that his fiance Sally could take on her flight to Florida tomorrow. She is flying to celebrate her friend's birthday and since they have always baked cupcakes for each other, she wanted to keep the tradition going and asked me to bake her friend a dozen and she'd bring them with her on the flight. Brian let me know that Sally's friend was not too eager about turning 30 so he asked for Forever 29. I like the idea but didn't know how else to express the resistance via the toppers so I made pretty fondant roses and kept it simple. I hope Sally's commute to Florida is a safe and when she lands, her friends will clearly see that she is a true blue friend with such a sweet thoughtful gesture. You see people, you can say it with cupcakes!!

Connor's Star Wars Cupcakes!

Connor is EIGHT years old and celebrating with his classmates! These chocolate cupcakes are adorned with homemade fondant toppers that I made trying to get as many familiar characters and custom for Connor's big day! I hope he and his friends at school will enjoy these as much as I enjoyed making them!

Double Strikes for Gina & Louis!!

My hospital roomie from FIVE years ago, Janet is celebrating her twins' Gina & Louis' fifth birthday with a bowling party! It was great to share the experience with her welcoming her beautiful babies into the world and so happy we've remained friends over the years that are racing by. Janet sent me pictures she found online to match the party's theme and asked me to alter them slightly with color and adding the number 5. Credit goes to hello naomi on Flickr. My kids are attending the party and very excited that I get to see first hand the guests enjoy the cupcakes for this special set of twins! Happy 5th Birthday Gina & Louis!!

Everything's Coming up Roses

These sweet little fondant rosettes were made for my parents who were planning on visiting someone. Weather changed the plans but they insisted on the cupcakes anyway! They took them to the parish they belong to instead. I love the way the roses turned out, first time I ever made an open rose!

Shannon's Sweet 16!

Nancy is a new customer. She ate a cupcake about 18 months ago from a party thrown for my cousin and kept my card for a special occasion. Her daughter, Shannon is having a classic beautiful party to celebration her Sweet 16! It makes me feel so good to know someone keeps me in mind for times like these. Shannon told her Mom that after the cake gets cut, everyone runs to the dance floor because it's almost like a cue that the night is coming close to it's end and no one eats the cake. With that in mind, Nancy decided to send home the dancing, hungry teen guests with that special portable cupcake to go! I baked up 9 dozen of these simple pastel cupcakes with a homemade banner. The venue was set right off the beach, the adults took home a sand castle so she asked me to keep the colors soft. Happy 16th Birthday Shannon! *Posted a week after actual event.