Total Sweetness: CakeSpy and a Lucky Reader Win the Chronicle Books Happy Haul-idays Giveaway!

Like, OMG. No, not like OMG. Like, 

O!M!G!

Remember that Happy Haul-Idays Giveaway I posted a while back, in hopes that myself and a lucky reader would win $500 worth of totally sweet Chronicle Books?

Well, we won. Me, and a lucky reader, Cari, that is. We each won a heaping parcel full of all of the books on this list, totaling $500 worth of totally sweet books. Here's the list I made up:

Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell

Cake Pops! By Bakerella!

I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita

Flour by Joanne Chang

Southern Pies by Nancie McDermott

Luscious Coconut Desserts by Lori Long

Chocolate Cakes by Elinor Klivans

All Cakes Considered by Melissa Gray

Gingerbread by Jennifer McGlinn

Field Guide to Candy by Anita Chu

Field Guide to Cookies by Anita Chu

Baking for All Occasions by Flo Braker

Pops! By Krystina Castella

Luscious Creamy Desserts by Lori Longbotham

Killer Pies by Stephanie Anderson

Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor

Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott

Sky High by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne

Tartine by Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson

See's Famous Old Time Candies by Margaret Moos Pick

Cupcakes! By Elinor Klivans

Big Fat Cookies by Elinor Klivans

Luscious Chocolate Desserts by Lori Longbotham

Happier still? Looks like I'm in good company with reader Cari, whose name was chosen at random from a list of many entrants--when asked which book she'd go to first, Cari's response was: 

Do I have to pick one? For real? Can I just copy and paste the whole list? I want to make something different from each book every day for a year. Watch my mad skills and waistline grow!

Spoken like a true believer in the powers of sweetness. 

Of course, if you didn't win (sorry), you can still take advantage of some sweet deals from Chronicle: 

• 35% off + free shipping through December 16, 2011
• Use this promo code at checkout: HAULIDAYS

And you know, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to follow them on Twitter and Facebook, either. Sweet holiday wishes to everyone!

Cake Byte: Sweet Finds from Japan!

So, we really, really need to talk about the totally sweet stuff that can be obtained online at a magical site called Strapya-world.com, a site I learned about earlier today from my dear friend Allie (daughter of my other dear friend Julie).

Why is this site so special?

Because there, you can buy things like a doughnut carrier case, pictured top, which has such features as

• A grip for easy handling
• A Center Hole, which can be used to store your lollipop (cos you have one, of course)
• A ventilation system, so your doughnut can breathe
• And most importantly, a locking security system, so nobody's gonna steal your doughnut.

But wait, there's more! This magical site also has other modern marvels available, such as the macaron-maker, which also offers a tutorial on how easy it is to make macarons with this device:

How to Make Macaroon? 1. Put egg white into the Macaroon Maker. Make meringue by turning the crank. 2. Add cake flour, almond powder, etc. to the meringue and then mix them lightly with the scraper.  3. Place parchment paper on the included guide sheet, and then squeeze out the mixture. 4. Bake them at 130-200 degrees C in oven.

 I'd say easy as pie, but duh, these are macarons!

And I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention the Super Creamy Caramel Maker, the At-Home Cotton Candy Maker, or the Super Yummy Chocolate Melting Pot.

That's right: awesome overload.

Find it all at Strapya-world.com.

Cake Byte: CakeSpy Featured on the Official Twitter Blog!

Did you know that when I was in San Francisco recently, I got to visit a very special and magical place? 

No, it has nothing to do with those tasty mushrooms that the nice gentleman on Haight Street gave me. I'm talking about my trip to the Twitter offices! 

Just as you'd expect, it's very cool inside.

They have lots of adorable decor--Cuppie especially enjoyed the pillow in the lobby, pictured top.

Inside, there are clever riffs on their bird logo all over, several awesome pieces of art (like above) and--how freaking cute is this--people's offices don't have their names on the outside, they have their Twitter handles. So if I worked there, I'd have an office that said @cakespy outside. Doesn't that just kill you?

There was also cake. But that was unrelated to my visit. Turns out, just like real offices (because this one did feel very make-believe, in a good way), they have cake on employee birthdays.

I was totally there!I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Carolyn and Lindsay for a series called "Twitter Tales", in which a variety of Twitter users were asked..."how do you Twitter?", along with being asked about who we follow, our pet peeves on twitter, and secrets for successful twittery (mine: don't give lame updates!).

And--to make the deal even sweeter--I've now officially been called "The Most Adorable Person on Twitter"--by someone who works at Twitter.

That's right, prepare for the internet to explode.

Read the Twitter Tale featuring CakeSpy here!

Cake Byte: CakeSpy Feature in The Seattle Times!

Cupcake big, Jessie Small. Photo by John Lok, The Seattle Times

Who knew that drawing pictures of--and writing about--well, cake, could become such a big deal?

Fact: when CakeSpy.com started in the summer of 2007, I thought it would be what I did until I figured out what I really wanted to do with my life, a perfect intersection of my three biggest passions: writing, illustrating, and baked goods.

It never occurred to me that it could be the thing I did. But here we are, over three years later, and it is very much the life I am living, CakeSpy so much my alter ego that I don't notice sometimes when someone has called me "CakeSpy" instead of my real name (it's Jessie, by the way).

So it is incredibly meaningful to have a stunningly written and photographed article appear in the Seattle Times chronicling my oh-so-sweet story. I couldn't have asked for a more talented team to work on it: Rebekah Denn, that keen observer and incredible wordsmith (she's a James Beard award winner, people!), tells the story in such a way that I'm confident it might even explain to my family what I actually do for a living; the photo by John Lok has me feeling the urge to sing "I feel pretty...oh so pretty...". And of course, that famous little pink cupcake called Cuppie (thanks, Sandy!) is always a big presence.

Check out the full article here!

Sweet Savings: Holiday Weekend Sales at CakeSpy Shop!

Are you in a holidaze? No need to panic! There are sweet savings and plenty of awesome things waiting for you at CakeSpy Shop.

Here's what's on offer!

BLACK FRIDAY IN-STORE SPECIAL: Mention this post and you'll receive 15% off of your purchase at the CakeSpy retail store location at 415 East Pine Street, Seattle WA! This offer is good for Friday only, and only in-store.

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY WEEKEND SALE: Shopping online? Well, through Cyber monday, apply code CSHOL10 to your order and you'll get 10% off the whole thing. How totally sweet is that? Do it online at cakespyshop.com.

Sweet Thanks: How to Not Let Graffiti Ruin Your Day

I know that I might not have the best reputation among pie lovers.

But really, was this necessary? When I came to my shop today after walking 2 miles in the icy snow, there was an extremely mean anti-cake message graffiti'd on my front window.

I mean, I call my shop CakeSpy, but the store is really dedicated to seeking sweetness in everyday life--by way of presenting totally sweet products, often cake and pastry-themed.

I don't think there's a lot to dislike about this. But apparently someone did. And they had really, really bad handwriting. I mean, if you're going to tag, at least make it a cool one!

But you know what? I wasn't about to let this ruin my day.

...and with a quick few snips of my scissors, I changed this message to one of sweetness.

And I even put out cookies. And if the tagger wants to come and take one, I say go for it. I won't say I don't kind of hope you choke on it, but hey.

Happy Thanksgiving, even to the tagger with terrible handwriting.

Cake Byte: CakeSpy Art Show Schedule for December 2010

To answer your question: no, I don't plan on sleeping at all til the holidays are over. Here's a calendar of upcoming events where you can spy a CakeSpy!

*Please note that I often bring cookies to my art shows, so consider that as an incentive in addition to the fact that you can hang out with me at the following events.

December 1: CakeSpy artist reception at Trophy Cupcakes! Come join me in kicking off the sweetest month of the year as I debut over 50 new pieces at the Wallingford Trophy Cupcakes location! There will be a reception from 5-8 p.m. with free cupcakes (first come first served, jerks!). Invite to be issued on Facebook soon!

December 4+5: Urban Craft Uprising! Like, OMG! Can you believe it's already time for the awesomest craft fair in Seattle? Neither can I. Be sure to get there early to pick up a swag bag! Oh, and don't forget to check out their blog (I'm featured on it today!). This event will go on all day Saturday and Sunday at the Seattle Center. Click here for details.

December 11+12: Crafty Wonderland! I'm hitting the road and bringing my awesome art and cards to Crafty Wonderland to sell at Portland's premier crafty event! If you live in Portand and haven't gone before, this must be the time. See you there! Click here for details.

December 18: Handmade Holidays Craft Fair! Here's your last shot for sweet holiday goodies, with this boutique show at Seattle's Richard Hugo House, featuring a handful of some of the city's best indie artists! This is a one-day wonder though, so be sure to save the date! Click here for details.

Of course, if you aren't in the Pacific Northwest, you can always score some sweet CakeSpy art or cards at cakespyshop.com.

Cake Byte: Why I am Feeling Famous Right Now

Like, OMG! I am feeling pretty big-time this week, thanks to sweet features both online and in print:

Seattle Magazine Feature! Like, OMG! OMG! OMG! CakeSpy Shop received a totally sweet feature in Seattle Magazine, both online and in the November print edition (in which, btw, they give a sweet shout-out to This Charming Candy, the sweetest lollipops ever, which are available at the store). Buy it anywhere magazines are sold in Seattle (it has meat on the cover, you can't miss it), and check out the online story here.

RAMBLINGS with Kelley L. Moore: A totally sweet interview online with Seattle's style guru, Kelley Moore!Go ahead, you know you want to learn more about what makes me, a professional Cake Gumshoe, tick.

A "Slice" of Sweet Validation from Serious Eats: Now, the subject of this writeup is savory, not sweet--but the validation that I received from the Slice blog that there's nothing wrong with eating pizza at 10.30 in the morning, no matter what Mr. CakeSpy says, was extremely sweet. How many people get such public proof that they are right and their husband is wrong? YES!

Thanks again to everyone for supporting all of my sweet dreams! Love, CakeSpy.

Cake Byte: Happy National Boston Cream Pie Day from Trophy Cupcakes, and a Sweets Crawl in Seattle

Guess what? I'm headed to Canada (home of the mighty Nanaimo Bar) this weekend. But clearly I've chosen the wrong weekend to flee Seattle, because there's a lot of awesomeness going on! First off, did you know it's National Boston Cream Pie Day? Well, Seattle's Trophy Cupcakes is bringing on the party--as owner Jennifer Shea says:

Happy National Boston Cream Pie Day! Of course Trophy whipped up a cupcake version today...Vanilla Cupcake filled with pastry cream and dipped in Belgian Chocolate Ganache!

Now, if that doesn't sound like a celebration, I don't know what does.

Find them while they last at Trophy Cupcakes locations in the Seattle area!

But wait, there's more! If you're in or around the Capitol Hill neighborhood today, there's also a totally sweet walking tour--The Great Cap Hill SweetTooth Crawl! Although CakeSpy Shop does not actually have cake, it will be a sweet stop on the tour (buy some cards while you digest!). Check out the details here.

Oh, and finally, how cool is this: CakeSpy Shop artist Mike Geno's Challah Painting is on the cover of The Stranger! You can buy the real thing here. 

Cake Byte: Cupcake Royale's Jody Hall to Meet With President Barack Obama

Today is a very sweet day indeed.

Remember the above design which I did to celebrate President Barack Obama's inauguration? Well, today it will be part of a gift basket given to a very appropriate recipient--Barack Obama himself!

You see, Cupcake Royale's owner, Jody Hall, is meeting with President Obama today, and she'll be giving him some CakeSpy gear in a sweet little gift basket she put together!

Say what, you say? Well. As you may know, a very active supporter of small businesses--and now, she has the opportunity to talk with a VIP -- the VIP -- President Barack Obama!

Per the Cupcake Royale folks:

Today, Jody Hall, owner of Cupcake Royale and a member of the Main Street Alliance of Washington, will participate in a backyard conversation with President Barack Obama and Senator Patty Murray, focusing on women and the economy. Hall will share the story of the successful growth of her business despite the recession.

Of course, there is a delicious way you can help toast this amazing opportunity. In case you didn't know, Cupcake Royale's super popular Salted Caramel cupcake was actually launched in honor of President Obama's inauguration (it's his favorite flavor!), so why not drop  by the closest CR location and enjoy one today in celebration?

As a cupcake enthusiast and small business owner, I'd like to offer a very big congratulations to Jody for helping to make it happen!

Keep updated via Cupcake Royale's twitter account and their website!