Christmas!

This Christmas beat the pants off of last year for sure. Last year was tumultuous and I am eternally grateful that I no longer have that crap in my life... though I would like my scarf back. The kids had a blast attacking each other with their Nerf guns; Rufus was too worn out from a long night of helping Santa wrap stuff to try to eat any of them. I received a few new additions to the snowman army that made me giggle... I'm partial to the one holding a martini....???

This year was a fresh start. New house, new friends, new memories. Personally I'm often wandering around in a daze with a goofy grin on my face trying to figure out how I managed to score such an amazing boyfriend. Along with said boyfriend come two equally amazing kids and his and mine are bonding nicely. Great kids... it's obvious they are a treasure to their Dad.

My own kids are adjusting quickly to the change in scenery. A change in schools will come next fall, but neither kiddo seems bothered by the idea.

The business is full steam ahead and we're busily booking next year. At this time we're keeping our prices and menu the same... as the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". The prices of our supplies haven't fluctuated and that's always a good thing. Here's hoping gas prices stay low as well!

Thank you all for a terrific year!

Kelley

--- oh and Ames... I LOVE my gift!!!! You are wonderful!!!! lasagna

The Great Cookie Party!

Last weekend we had the Great Cookie Party of Doom (as it has been dubbed by Ames). My sister, Robin, came up from Colorado Springs to join in the fun and we spent the day baking and decorating and torturing our spawn. I'm particularly proud of Ames for creating his own masterpiece--- and you say you're not creative. Puleeze.

Four Months and Counting! -- Mooshy post----

I'm feeling rather blessed; I have an amazing boyfriend. I like that he's aware he's different from most men but doesn't know just how awesome he is. I think it's adorable when he wonders if I'm weirded about by his vast domestic skills. I don't know what's hotter: the fact that yesterday he spent a good chunk of his day making sure his daughter made it to the birthday party or that he will stop in the middle of making a fabulous meal to walk over and kiss me as I'm watching him do all of the work. That he makes sure his kids always have a healthy lunch for school, points out how a certain shade of green makes my eyes stand out, curls up with his kids on the ginormous beanbag to watch cartoons or can confidently walk into an auto parts salvage yard and know what the hell he needs and how to install it. Amidst flying foam darts, hollering boys jumping over furniture and off of the stairs, a whining preteen girl, the terrible script that is Home Alone 3.... I can look over at him and see the same sense of contentment and joy in his eyes that comes over me in waves. He smiles with his whole face and it is the most lovely site to behold. Lucky me:)

Having difficulty reaching us via email? @*#&@ Comcast!

This past weekend we discovered the lovely folks at Comcast did not switch my account from my old address to the new. This makes no sense to me since it's been working since we moved in and the install guys sat here and did this same task with me. The first online tech support person insisted I should be happy that there were no "health problems" with my account and that my email seemed to be fine. Uh... no... not fine. Not working. Not receiving nor sending... just idle. Bad. The second tech support person said it was because they were upgrading something. Really?? For a day and a half? Huh... The third try managed to figure it out. Someone simply forgot to notate the address change they said. So it's working (hooray!) but anything that was sent to us over the weekend never made it and is lost somewhere in cyberspace. Please send again:)

I'm rather frustrated with Comcast. Getting an actual human on the phone is impossible. Live tech support takes at least an hour. I frequently am dealing with a connection that has slowed to a crawl or times out. The install guys mangled the brick wall around our crawl space and I had to replace a bunch of bricks that were broken in half. But hey, they were able to send out the first bill in just one day! No problems in the billing dept. *insert eye rolling emoticon here*

I'm done whining now!

It's Christmas time! Time to dig out the plethora of snowmen I own... and add more, of course. I don't think I'll find one that can beat him in the coolness factor, though. He is my absolute favorite!

Today I delivered a rather unique cake to Winterpark and was graced with the most amazing scenery. I love it when the pine trees are covered in snow and it looks like an Ansel Adams shot. I stopped on my way back to Denver to take these. As much as I whine about not liking the cold I can't imagine living anywhere else. We are some lucky folk.

The cake went to Devil's Thumb, which is a fantastic facility set back in a gorgeous valley. This particular cake was out in the glass enclosed room on the deck--- amazing view they will have while saying "I do"! I'd highly recommend checking this place out if you're looking for a mountain setting.

Today was a good day:)

Why is moving so expensive?!

Is it just me, or is moving a crazy expense??? I mean, we're only moving eighteen miles away and I find myself spending a small fortune on things like ice trays (those who know me know this annoys the crap out of me... I will miss my ice maker), garbage cans, paint (I cannot live with white walls. It's like living in an institution!), cleaning supplies, etc... It's fun though, I must admit. Today my spawn saw the new pad for the first time and christened it by sliding down the long wood floor hall in their socks. Joshua was very happy. Kiera figured out how to climb on top of her closet into the little triangular open space I knew she'd love. She intends on making it her reading nook and she's already got plans for it's decor. We picked out paint colors and the hot teacher and I are going to attack it before the big move in date. He totally rocks for volunteering to help me with this:) He's just awesome in general.

I'm looking forward to the first snow, to baking cookies with the kids in all of that glorious granite countertopped space, to a warm fire and a good book, meeting the neighbors, making them wonder when we recreate a Calvin and Hobbes-esc snowman in the front yard, finding new playmates for the kids and taking Rufus for walks around the lake. New memories:) It's lovely.

Holiday Parties... what to bring??

Are you in need of a gift for an upcoming holiday party? I don't think one can ever go wrong with decorated cookies or cake truffles!
Wait... what are cake truffles you ask? Bites of cake that have been blended together with something yummy like Bailey's Irish Creme, raspberries or fluffy orange mousse; then rolled into a ball and dipped in chocolate ganache. What you have then is a bite size bit of heaven and I dare you to eat only three!
We can also whip up a batch of yummy snowman cupcakes, dipped pretzels or cookies on a stick... or heck, why not combine a few things and really WOW someone?!

If you're in need of a special gift, give us a call or drop an email to kelleycakes@comcast.net
303-317-5260.

We're moving!

Well.... the business isn't moving, but my children and myself are. We are getting the heck out of Aurora! Now my apologies if you live in Aurora and happen to like it... I don't. I feel like I'm far, far away in a distant land of beige. I look forward to being close to the shop and fun things to do with the kids. Our new digs are centrally located so client meetings will take place there once we're organized.
I'm excited about this move! It's a fresh start for the kids and I and that's been much needed. Living here has been difficult. Too many memories that have not been allowed to fade as they should. Our new home is older and has lots of trees and a cozy cabin-like feel to it. Quirky wall switches and neat hideout spaces over the closets for the kids, tons of windows and wood floors. Ahhhh... wood floors. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. There's a long hallway that I can't wait to slide down in my socks!
It's closer to the people that mean the most to me as well. Being able to meet up with mom and have a cup of coffee on a cold morning sounds delightful. My kid's dad is just a hop and a skip away so less time spent driving, more time spent playing..... and the uber wonderful boyfriend is mere minutes up the road. Now that's a lovely thought!
Being able to move before the holidays excites me. The tree doesn't have to go by the stairs because of the outlet placement any longer. The kids can hang their stockings over an actual fireplace we can roast marshmallows on. My sister and I have twice the kitchen space for our annual weekend of baking cookies and drinking vodka and coke. Yeah, you should see the last batch.... we get a little silly with the decorating! The gingerbread men from last year were quite entertaining:)
Here's to new possibilities! Now back to packing....

I love this picture....

It's the reason I decided to go out with him. Not many men can pull off this look:) I wonder what he'll do if he discovers I've blogged it???

Sculpey clay is my friend!

I totally dig sculpting stuff for cakes! It just makes it so personal and fun:) This couple trains guide dogs and their first one didn't quite make the cut; but has become their wonderful pet instead. They went rather whimsical.

Dogs seem to a be a theme lately. Dog bone cookies, paw prints in the icing, dogs in the ceremony.... wait till you see what I'm doing this weekend! This one coming up honors a certain little guy named Dunkin. You'll see:)

How did I get to be 39?!

I've got a lot of stuff to cram into this coming year... skydiving, bungee jumping, fourteener tackling, moving... I'll start with lunch with some wonderful friends of mine:) Thanks Gretch and Jenn for a fab time! It was so great to see you-- shopping!!!!!

What a fun weekend!

This weekend I made a really fun cake for a couple that works with dogs. Chocolate dog prints and purple sugar flowers were a nice change of pace for me! Thank you Ames for going along:) It means a great deal.

Some of my favorite vendors

There are certain wedding vendors I absolutely love to work with and I thought I'd tell you a little bit about them:)
Wedding coordinators--- TC of TC Muse Events. When I first met TC she was underneath a table chasing a power cord. TC is one of the most bubbly and creative people I know. I love that when I walk into a reception she's designed I can't tell it's her who's done it because they never look the same. She dressed this room up at the Stanley a couple of weeks ago that was so amazing the folks that worked there were bringing in guests to show it off. I normally don't take pictures of the decor but this was just too gorgeous not to. A nice change from chocolate brown and pink!

Debbie with Save the Date Events. Talk about patience... Debbie is one of those quiet women who will surprise you with how organized she is. She's got a great eye for detail as does her staff. If you're looking for a very patient yet creative planner seek out Debbie!

The Sapphire Event gals--- just wow! I've had the pleasure of working with Pam and Angela for years and never once have I been disappointed! A good planner makes life so easy for the other vendors and they can put together an event that will astound!

Florists:
Alicia with Bella Fiori--- Alicia is one of those quiet creative types who's designs are always beyond lovely. She's one of the sweetest gals I've had the pleasure of meeting in this biz and her attention to detail always impresses!

Erin with Plum Sage-- love her! Just love her! Great personality, great creative brain a churning, great at what she does.

Dawn with Hillside Consultants--- Dawn always makes me laugh. I don't think I've ever seen this woman without a huge smile on her face. Dawn is that best girlfriend we all wish we had. And, of course, her work is awesome!

Photographers:
Kevin and Jessica B of Kevin B Photography. Cool, cool, cool people! Their pictures astound me. I'm a stickler when it comes to photographers and I'm just blown away by their talent. I love their personalities as well--- laid back and cool man... they put the room at ease.

Autumn Burke Photography--- Another super talented photographer. I love the colors in her work.

Melissa Rich Photography--- Way awesome gal with loads of talent! I recently met Melissa at a vendor deal and just loved her! A photographer's personality is so important... it's fantastic when they're not only terrific at what they do but you really like them as well!

Places I love:
The Oxford Hotel-- just gorgeous and an incredible location. Erin Browning does a fantastic job of pulling together all of the details.

Boettcher Mansion-- Beautiful inside and outside and not too far off the beaten path.

Grant Humphrey's--- How can you beat a historical setting smack in the middle of Denver? The gardens are fantastic and the inside is fabulous!

The Stanley Hotel--- specifically the Music Room. LOVE IT! What a view, what a room! Your guests won't know where to look it's all so lovely.

The Sanctuary--- Perfection with a stunning view. I'm a Colorado Springs girl and I can't get enough of the view of Pikes Peak from the main room. It's a huge room but the wood and stone make it feel intimate and warm. The staff is wonderful and friendly.

Parker Villa--- Who woulda thought an Italian style Villa would be right there in Parker?! Erika and Wendy have done an incredible job of creating one of the most inviting and unique locations for a wedding. And they're not done... they have big and fabulous plans! How can you beat that and so close to everything?!

Thank you all for making this past year a truly wonderful time. I'm blessed to know so many talented and terrific people!

K

Brides.com party!

Wow that was fun! We were asked to be the cake folks for the big Brides.com bash on Wed. evening. This is an annual gathering the Conde Naste crew holds in appreciation of the vendors. TC of TC Muse Events did a fantastic job with the decor! Great food, drinks, company:) Thanks to Brides.com for allowing Kelley Kakes to be a part of the grand event!
And thank you to my fabulous arm candy for going along with me despite having nothing to do with weddings and all of that girly stuff. You made the evening quite wonderful!

The joys of online dating sites!!

I'm feeling rather giddy today.... I've met the coolest man! A big thank you to okcupid! I can't stop grinning:) He's hot, too! Yep, still grinning:)
Dating has been an interesting experience for me. After a lengthy marriage, the thought of throwing myself out there was beyond frightening. Online dating sites seemed a good solution. It eliminated the bar scene and allowed me the ability to weed out those men who can't spell and lacked a sense of humor. I'm big on spelling... and humor. I'm sort of a dork. I was lucky enough in the beginning to meet some rather lovely individuals, thus quelling my fear of being a lonely and bitter old spinster. I had a lot of fun getting to know these people; and myself for that matter. I had forgotten how much fun I am!
Today I was commenting to this fabulous man how interesting I find it that so many of my clients have met via the wonders of the internet. It's no longer a bad thing to admit to and I love to hear their stories. One of my favorites was of Amy and Kevin. They met on match.com and spent six months chatting back and forth before she was comfortable enough to meet him in person. Amy had gone through a rather tumultuous divorce a year or so prior. She was a bit gun-shy but knew that somewhere out there was the perfect creature. Kevin was beyond patient and understanding. When they finally met he said he felt like fireworks were going off in his head. He told me (with this gleam in his eye that darn near made me tear up!) that to hear her voice for the first time made his knees weak. He had pictured how she sounded for all of those months and to finally have her standing before him and hear her say his name turned him into a puddle. Three weeks after their first meeting Kevin asked Amy to marry him. They had a fantastic ceremony in the mountains; just close friends and family. I remember watching Amy pose for pictures... she had this smile on her face that literally could have lit a city. Her head held high, shoulders up, that woman was on cloud nine. There was no fretting, no worries, just absolute joy. I caught Kevin cheating; he was watching her from a doorway. I stopped to watch him watching her and he caught me doing so. He turned to me and quietly whispered, "I had no idea I could be this in love." Okay, then I cried:) Amy and Kevin have been contently married for four years now. They can be seen regularly holding hands and kissing during football games at their favorite bar.

I'd love to hear your stories as well! Please share!

Dinosaurs!!!

I had a blast making this cake! I enlisted the help of my mom for the sculpting (she's an amazing artist!) and we spent a couple evenings creating all sorts of beings from the past.
When I met Rebecca and John she had created this cool sketch depicting the layers of the earth and the creatures that lived during those periods. It was so fun to see their eyes light up when we started talking details! I love that! I think my favorite layer was the second one up --we got to make some mighty alien looking swimmers. At the last minute I decided to sculpt a Cryolophosaurus to stand behind them. Rebecca had once mentioned that she had spent several years studying this particular fellow and I thought he needed to join the party! Thanks guys for allowing me to be a part of your big day! And thanks mom for all of your help! You rock!!!

I LOVE THIS CAKE!

Now I love a traditional wedding cake, but when I get to stray outside the white icing box and play, boy do I enjoy myself! This cake was a mystery up until about midnight Friday before the Sat. wedding. It was baked and iced red, mind you.. but the design was still a toss-up. I was given free reign by the couple. I googled Mehindi designs, Hindu inspired cakes, etc... and started to play. It makes me want to go out and Henna myself! I just love it-- so intricate and feminine. Thank you Autumn Burke for the wonderful picture. Check out Autumn's site at autumnburke.com

New Fabulous Stationary Store To Check Out!

Today I discovered Scribbles, a new custom stationary store on 15th, right near my favorite REI and sandwich joint. (Paris on the Platte--- chicken pesto on focaccia... fantastic!). I'm looking personally to upgrade my business cards and that's what led me in their door. I asked about wedding invitations and was informed they have a plethora of designs, and the ability to customize for you. Their website is not quite up and running but I found this very informative blog on them:
http://livedowntowndenver.com/blog/?p=906

Check this place out! I love that it's locally owned and small and personal. The way it should be:) I wish the Scribbles gals much success!

Chocolate branches and lovely brides

I had the pleasure of making a wedding cake for Lisa and Justin recently... I had so much fun making this cake because it challenged me to think outside the box a bit. I'd never done a chocolate branch, let alone make one appear as though it's drifting up the side of all three layers. The branch had to be done in sections as I don't like to deliver my cakes already assembled. I think there's too much room for error and I don't like having to drive a dowel through the whole thing to keep it from shifting...so the branch had to be finished on site.
Their reception was at Kevin Taylor's--- a lovely location you'd never expect to see in a basement. Just lovely. The staff... wonderful. I had the pleasure of seeing Lisa in her dress, and she was stunning! Even better, I got to see her reaction to her cake and that made me grin for the rest of the day. I typically don't see the happy couple the day of, as they're off getting married:)...
Lisa had provided me with a gorgeous ribbon to use on the cake--- it went so perfectly with the little sugar flowers and chocolate branch. This was a cake I didn't want to leave.
Thank you Lisa and Justin for allowing me to be a part of your happiest day. I sincerely appreciate it!

Kelley

cupcakes

I never really thought I'd jump on the cupcake bandwagon... I like them, I've always liked them, but they didn't seem as special to me as a big centerpiece wedding cake. They were more about birthday parties and kids. But, I've had a couple of really interesting orders recently and I've changed my mind about them... chartreuse colored icing with chocolate monarch butterflies--- that was so much fun to make and visually stunning! After that I had a couple that said, "just do anything fun and colorful!" :) I made chocolate smiley faces, hearts, hippy daisies, etc... the end result was a tower of whimsical confections topped by a giant cupcake (I love my new giant cupcake pan!) adorned with a big red Gerbera daisy. It just made all of us grin. I can imagine the wedding guests looking over all of the different patterns trying to pick just one. That particular day they had six delicious flavors to choose from... and a very smart bride that ordered plenty of extra little cakes so her guests could try them all if they chose to.

Now these will never replace my love for the grand wedding cake, but I've got lots of ideas rolling around in my head for cupcakes now..... one shop that has been a great inspiration is www.cupcakeenvy.com (I LOVE that name!). Someone out there wants to have little purse cakes, don't you? Yeah? Okay call me! Let's do it! FUN!!!!!

The way things work here at Kelley Kakes

Boy are we busy, and boy are we loving it! Making cakes for you all makes us very happy. I feel privileged:) Back in my early 20's I would never have imagined I'd have such a fantastic job! It's hard work, it's long hours, but is the most rewarding thing I've done in life aside from raising my kids.

Since we're a small company we don't have group tastings at a shop or the ability to have potential clients just drop in. We don't have a storefront (yet!!!) and no place to sit and chat at our workspace. You'd probably end up with flour in your hair:) So that's why we come to you for meetings and this works well for us because we believe your cake is special and deserves a sit down one- on- one chat. We don't do air-brushed sheet cakes you pick out of a book here.

We're in the midst of wedding season and it's frantic and fun! However it makes scheduling meetings a bit of a challenge. At the moment we're scheduling meetings two weeks out and getting one on a weekend is darned near impossible. But please be patient with us! Once you call or email us and set up an appt. we keep your event date penciled in. You can be assured that when our meeting happens we are still available. Currently most of our meetings take place early in the week as things kick into high gear as we get closer to the weekends. Since we bake everything fresh for events, we need to leave Wed. through Fridays open for that.

Thank you all for helping make Kelley Kakes happen!

Kelley

Wedding Season Has Begun!!!

It's wedding season! It's officially here.. know how I can tell? I'm in the midst of my first all-nighter Friday spent with baked goods. Ah.... there is a thin layer of powdered sugar covering a five foot radius around my blenders from making sixteen batches of icing. I wonder how much of that stuff I've breathed in over the years? I'm literally waiting for paint to dry at the moment... edible gold paint. I've got another three coats to go and if you don't let it dry in between it streaks and looks awful. The gold is for a 50th anniversary cake. The wedding cake will get pearl dust painted onto it's detailing. It's going to be a cool multi-shaped number.

I work well at night. I get this burst of energy about 9pm and I'm good till sun-up if need be. I have the "single mom" work hours. It does, however, making dating rather interesting.

I can't work without music...tonight I'm dialed in to www.pandora.com and listening to Feist, Depeche Mode, Bjork, Nicole Atkins, Prodigy, Kidneytheives, Spoon and David Bowie... if you've never heard of pandora check it out...You put in the type of bands you like and they play stuff that is similar to your choices. And if you're really bored go to Utube and search for "Keepon dances to Spoon". I want a Keepon. Anyone? so cute!

Have a great weekend!

K

Learn how to make a cake!

Have you always wanted to try your hand at cake decorating? Do you have visions of fun and funky birthday cakes you can WOW your family and friends with? Come on down to Cake Crafts and take a class in cake decorating! Classes are offered in the evenings and on Saturdays. In addition to that you can also learn all about making your own decorated cookies, fun cupcakes, gumpaste flowers... Cake Crafts is down on the corner of Oxford and Broadway.