Lovin' ...is What I GOT

Ello Baykahs!
We started off the week thinking we would be very very slow.

Maybe we can go to the movies! Maybe we can go out to lunch! Maybe we can take some half days off!

And then the phone started ringing...and ringing...and ringing....

So, we ended UP having an EXTREMELY busy week...so busy I BARELY go pictures of cakes.

SO busy I slept until 7 am today (UNHEARD OF)...
So busy I can barely type of these keys...so I won't.

ENJOY THE CAKES O' THE WEEK!

Hawaiian-inspired birthday cake (with edible image song lyrics on top):

 Lego Block birthday cake:

British flag birthday cake:

Black with blue swirls wedding cake (topper provided by customer):

Minecraft-inspired birthday cake (toy provided by customer):

And THE MOST INCREDIBLE BIG DADDY CAKE OF THE WEEK EVER...The TURTLE CAKE:

I'm gonna just take my time this Sunday...because it's all I got. 

Laytah

Say Something I'm Giving Up on You....

Ello Baykahs-
This week seemed to be a repeat of last week...minus the holiday. Summer business plummets when it gets hot, and lately, it's been VERY VERY hot in Vegas...and stormy. But those monsoon storms bring RAIN...and that rain? It brought in customers!
You would think people would want to stay inside when it rains...but in VEGAS it never rains...so, when it does people leave and ENJOY IT! They come to Retro and get cupcakes...and My Pies...and breath in the humidity.

OMG.
Did I just do another post about the WEATHER?

Yes...

Oh.
I'm losing my touch. I know...I'm not really feelin' the blog lately. I feel like I'm letting you down, but frankly, NOTHING HAS CHANGED. I do the same damn thing every damn day. I don't even know what to say anymore...and THAT is the truth. So...maybe I'll get a BURST of energy and inspiration soon...or maybe not. Either way I will STILL do my best to keep you updated on CAKES.

So here they are...The Cakes O' the WEEK!

Our new "sample" cake at the bakery...I designed this. I LOVE how simple it is.

Spiral Rustic buttercream cake with real roses and little fondant love birds:

Baby Boy Owl cake:

Handpainted fondant unicorn cake with watercolor background:

Rainbow dots baby shower cake:

Pinwheel birthday cake:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4th birthday cake for a kid we have none since he was STILL IN THE BELLY: 

And the BIG DADDY OF THE WEEK! The Suitcase and Chocolate Box birthday cake:

Well...it's hot again here in Las Vegas...
NO. NO MORE WEATHER.

Next week I should have something to say...RIGHT?
Who knows....

Laytah

I Wonder How's it Gonna Be...When You Don't Know Me

Ello Baykahs-
We made it through another holiday! July 4th is probably our 5th busiest holiday...not too busy...not too slow...but FULL of people buying dozens of cupcakes for their BBQs. THIS year it was ONLY 112 degrees outside....AND the monsoon rolled in....AND IT RAINED. In fact, we had a lightening storm as the backdrop to our fireworks show, so it was pretty incredible.
I love this time of year. Yes, it's hot as hell, but when that rain rolls in and drenches you for about five minutes, suddenly it doesn't seem so bad. It all dries up and blows away....leaving everything clean and dust-free...until the next wind storm.
Now, there aren't as many weddings this time of year BECAUSE of the heat...but, we still had some cool cakes....

HERE ARE THE CAKES O' THE WEEK:

LOVE this beach birthday cake (customer provided the topper):

Light grey and pink wedding cake (buttercream with fondant pieces):

 Little tea pot birthday cake:

 Quilted fondant clothesline baby shower cake:

 Legos-inspired birthday cake:

and the CUTEST cake of the week: The B birthday cake! This cakes just SCREAMS Summer birthday:

I'm pretty sure I just did a blog post about the weather....THIS IS GETTING PATHETIC, right?? The thing is we just don't have much change going on at the bakery: we bake, we make, we bake, we make. THAT IS IT. BUT, I may have some things to talk about very very very soon....just in time for when Retro starts to get busy again. I may have a little more ROOM to fill up with cakes.....but, I don't really KNOW anything yet. I need a little more time...and a few more meetings before I can make any kind of announcement. Of course, it could just be more of nothing...'CAUSE that is usually what happens.

Are my hopes up? No....BUT, if we're gonna do something, it better be now because a bored baykah makes for a very boring blog.



LAYTAH

Our Song on the Radio, but it Don't Sound the Same....

Ello Baykahs-
Better WAY late than never...right? Summer has arrived at Retro...and with THAT comes the added FUN of taking care of these two all day....

So...we decided to take them on a day-trip to Disneyland to celebrate Lucy's upcoming birthday.

It's always a little MORE stressful balancing the kids' boredom with our BUSYness. They wanna go places and have fun, and WE have to work. I'm pretty sure that's EVERY parent's problem these days. The guilt is so tremendous, BUT I don't really remember being ENTERTAINED by my parents during the summer. I figured out what to do, and they will too. Besides, we didn't have THE INTERNET to teach us how to make duct-tape wallets, hair buns, or nail art, so Abbi is already way ahead of me of finding things to do when I was her same age.

While we've been trying to entertain the kids we've ALSO been crankin' out some serious cakes. So, here they are...the CAKES O' the PAST WEEKS:

Graduation cakes:

Spiral rustic and rosettes buttercream cake:

 Rustic with burlap wedding cake:

LVMPD badge cake:

Waffles birthday cake:

 Cheese birthday cake:

 All white "Married in Fabulous LasVegas" cake:

 Quilted white fondant with bling borders wedding cake:

 and THE ULTIMATE RETRO BIG DADDY OF THE LAST TWO WEEKS CAKE:
The Soul Train-inspired birthday cake!!!! That train is CRAZY AWESOME.

School starts WHEN again?

Laytah

I'm Lookin' for a New Love, Baby...a New Love YEAH, YEAH, YEAH

Ello Baykahs-
We are in the throngs of GRADUATION at Retro. Not only are all the Las Vegas high school Seniors graduating, but RETRO'S Counter Girls have graduated....which means we have a NEW CLASS  of Counter Girls comin' in....WHICH MEANS WE ARE EVEN BUSIER.

Why are you busier if you have new Counter Girls?

When you have two Senior girls LEAVE...you need at least FOUR to cover their shifts in the beginning. They have to train. They have to LEARN...THEY NEED VACATIONS. Yes....when you hire girls who are still living with their parents YOU have to make sure THEY get their vacations.

Full Disclosure: YES. I see the irony.

This is one of the hardest parts of the job IF NOT THE HARDEST: Employees. You need them. You need to TRUST them. You RELY on them to be YOU when you walk out of the building.

BUT THEY AREN'T YOU.

They make mistakes. They call in sick. They have family needs they need to take care of. So, when those things POP UP they need to be handled by YOU.

Sickness is rare. Family emergencies are RARER. But mistakes?? They are becoming a little TOO common. So, my job lately has been MISTAKE PATROL.  I have to go over the orders OVER AND OVER making sure they're on the right date...have the right times...SPELLED RIGHT...CHARGED RIGHT...COMPLETED RIGHT.....BEFORE they are due, so when they ARE due they are RIGHT.

This has become a little overwhelming....BUT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HIRE NEW COUNTER GIRLS.

So....you do your job...and their job...and eat a LOT of pizza...and hope that WITH TIME they will get it. BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS DO GET IT...eventually....

NOW TO THE CAKES O' THE WEEK!!!

 Fresh White Roses wedding cake (all buttercream):

Ladybug Smash cake:

Football Fan cake (all fondant):

 Owl on a branch (all fondant):

"Dirty 30 in Fabulous Las Vegas" birthday cake:

And the SWEET Baby Turtle Baby Shower cake:

It's time to welcome a NEW class of Counter Girls to Retro Bakery...while we say goodbye and THANK YOU to the last ones. It's always a hard transition...but it brings NEW ENERGY and NEW LOVE for cupcakes.

Laytah

Want You to Make Me Feel Like I'm the Only Girl in the World...

Ello Baykahs-
I'm finally BACK....I made the mistake of breaking my routine which LITERALLY sends me into a tailspin...and then I realize how much of a problem THAT is...and then I start to get angry and resentful...and then I self destruct.

OH, HOW GREAT IT FEELS TO BE ME.

When you work six days a week, TOO MANY HOURS A DAY, you start to construct your life in a way that it all makes sense. Wake up, work, kids to school, work, pick up kids, work, homework, work, dinner, BED. WAKE UP AND REPEAT. You throw a Sunday in there where you do laundry, buy groceries, clean your house...and the cycle continues. Then you decide to throw in a trip to Knott's Berry Farm or a Memorial Day BBQ with people actually coming to your house, and you realize something: YOU HAVE NO PERSONAL LIFE.

The bakery has consumed me without me REALLY knowing it. I turned into a cupcake robot FULLY WILLINGLY because I had to. I ADJUSTED to my environment in order to stay sane...and then I get a taste of what life USED TO BE LIKE BEFORE THE BAKERY, and I think....OH....Yeah...I used to have FUN.

Don't get me wrong...the bakery is great. Owning your own business is very FREEING....as long as you don't get lost in the every day. And that's where I found myself: LOST in the every day.

Most days lately I haven't even known what day it is....and now it's JUNE.

SO, I have decided to make my life my own again....sprinkling FUN on top of my BUSINESS LIFE. I need to go out more. I need to eat more desserts to get inspired. I need to LIVE...even if it's for 30 minutes on a Tuesday...THOSE WILL BE MY 30 MINUTES.

I'm going to find the girl who decided to OPEN a bakery. The girl who LOVED to bake at home and wanted to share that talent with the world....the girl FILLED with passion and desire and DRIVE.

THAT GIRL WAS FUN.

That girl is waiting for me to find her.

While I go find her YOU check out the cakes that the crew worked on for the last three weeks:

Black and White Stripes wedding cupcake tower:

Spiral rustic buttercream wedding cake (with fondant flower):

Purple and black leopard print bow birthday cake:

Bride and Groom "Favorite Things" Groom's cake (college colors):

 Little Prince baby shower cake:

Grey and White fondant wedding cake:

 Large fondant ruffles wedding cake:

Black and White flowers wedding cake (buttercream base):

 Purple Ombre small fondant ruffles cake:

Purple ombre wedding cupcake tower:

All fondant Roses petals wedding cake:

Black and Red King and Queen of Hearts wedding cupcake tower:

"Jake and the Neverland Pirates" inspired birthday cake (fondant sword!):

 "Game of Thrones" inspired birthday cake:

And the Big Daddy cake of THIS week:

(The "simple" cake that takes forever to look "simple")

Black and White stripes monogram cake with fondant flower:

When you own your own shop at some point the shop will start to OWN YOU. And it stops TODAY. Because if I don't find the girl that CREATED the shop then what is the point??? That girl is missed. That girl needs to be found....like yesterday.

Laytah