Hey There, Cupcake: Stationery by Snow & Graham

Writers are supposed to write what they know; this we've heard. But really, doesn't anything (be it a painting or an excel spreadsheet) ring much more true if there is a real passion behind what one is creating?

Take for instance Chicago-based stationery outfit Snow & Graham.

Not only are the products wonderful: letterpress-printed in impeccable palettes on a creamy, thick paper stock—-but they are the work of a true cake connaisseur. True story: when Cakespy recently met the charming owner/designer Ebony at the NY International Gift fair, we not only left her booth wanting to wallpaper our homes with her Cupcake Gift Wrap ($2.75 per sheet), but she also kindly provided us with an extensive list of Chicago bakery suggestions.

Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.

Various Snow & Graham cupcake and cake designs are available at luxepaperie.com. For additional information on Snow & Graham, visit snowandgraham.com.

Take the Cannoli: Cannoligrams from Staten Island

If you've grown up in the NY metro area, moving away can be a very difficult thing.

The reasons are many, but ranking pretty high has got to be the almost complete and utter lack of Italian bakeries. And if there are no Italian bakeries, there are no cannolis.

Thank your lucky stars that Dominick's Bakery Cafe of Staten Island offers the Cannoligram service, which offers shippable cannoli kits. Admittedly, the website could use some work--but the product is solid. They sell kits which include cannoli shells and cannoli filling in a separate pastry bag, so that you can fill them directly before eating (just like on Mulberry Street!). The jumbo vanilla cannoligram is $32.99 and includes 12 pastry shells; or, for just five dollars more go for half-vanilla, half-chocolate cream. The online bakery also offers treats such as lobster tails and sfogliatella, which are as rare in Seattle as Dunkin Donuts locations. Send one as a care package to someone you love...or maybe just to yourself.

To order, visit cannoligram.com

Do You Believe in Magid?: Cakes by Sarah Magid

They say that one thing leads to another. Never has this been more true than in the case of Sarah Magid: after inheriting a serious sweet tooth from kitchen savvy mom and Grandma growing up in So-Cal, she moves to NYC to study Art History; fashion beckons and she becomes a shoe designer, which segues into jewelry design; somewhere in all of this she realizes that the demand for the home-baked goods she brings to fashionable affairs were just as great as the demand for her jewelry designs; the baking business takes off, and now there are plans in the works for a bakery to open in 2008 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

And we haven't even mentioned the actual cakes yet.

These cakes are the epitome of urban cool: not too perfect and not too cute, they're nonetheless unmistakably hip. Oh, and they're made with the finest organic ingredients-- so you can count on your cake tasting as good as it looks.

Unfortunately for much of the nation, delivery and orders for custom wedding, birthday and other occasion cakes are only available for the NYC area at the moment. But we're going to keep our eyes on this one--we see many more great things ahead for Sarah Magid.

To order or inquire about cakes, visit sarahmagid.com.

(Photo credit goes with thanks to Sarah Magid)

Hearts A-Twitter: Bird Cake Toppers by Ann Wood Handmade

Not to get too hippie about it, but there are tiny miracles going on all around us. Don't believe it? All you need to do is stop and observe, and there they are: a crack in the sidewalk shaped like a heart. A dollhouse hanger embedded into the pavement on the street. A single mismatched tile in an ornate lobby.

Whereas most of us will walk by these tiny wonders without a second glance, Ann Wood strikes us as someone who would certainly not. One look at the Brooklyn-based designer's intricate and lovely bird cake toppers and you'll understand what we mean: the toppers, made of vintage fabrics and materials, are the work of a true observer and master craftsperson. The finished product is so full of personality and sweetness that we couldn't imagine a happier cake topper for a wedding. Luckily she does special orders too--who says a wedding is the only time you need a cake topper? Visit annwoodhandmade.com to see styles; to make a special order or inquire about a custom order, email admin@annwoodhandmade.com.

(Photo credit goes with thanks to annwoodhandmade.com)

Labor of Love: Poilâne Bread at Metropolitan Market

Although this feature is not specifically dessert-based, we at Cakespy believe that if something has to come before dessert, it had better be good. So, as a bit of a Labor Day Special, we are happy to report that Metropolitan Market is now flying in bread from Poilâne Bakery, which is a bit of an "it" bread in France (for those not in the know, it's the bakery featured in Peter Mayle's book Confessions of a French Bread Baker) once a week, so now you too can enjoy your pain quotidien without actually, you know, having to make it yourself. Visit metropolitan-market.com for locations.