I’ve been busy. I mean like, everyday I’m hustling busy. Let’s run through the things I managed to manifest (read: God gave me the power to accomplish) in the last 30 days or so: Created and launched Red Shoe’s Closet – an online merch store featuring cake-centric graphics on comfy clothes. Created and launched the restaurant side of RSC2 where you can now click and buy 18 awesome cake flavors – 6 Signature, 6 Top Shelf and 6 Seasonal. Updated my website to encompass both of

It’s officially Fall. We’ve crested the autumnal equinox. Leaves have been given the okay to put on their golden frocks and swirl their ways down to earth. Cooler air has graciously escorted sweltering temperatures to other climates. It’s time to dust off the space heaters. It’s Fall, y’all! Being a native Californian, I always had millions of pictures to show me what Autumn was supposed to look like. But in a coastal/chaparral geographic region, we didn’t have many deciduous

It seems like I’ve been baking for forever. As long as I can remember, I’ve been making batter and tossing it in the oven, hoping what came out would be delicious enough to make my family smile. Pretty was a secondary thought, but it had to taste good. Unlike most, I didn’t have those sweet memories of being in the kitchen baking treats with my grandmother, or dotting flour on my mother’s nose as we laughed over raw cookie dough. I do have a favorite memory of baking a strawb

It’s about this time that everyone greets you with, “Are you ready for Christmas?” My typical answer is, “Ha…” But in truth, what does it mean to “get ready for Christmas”? Have you wasted innumerable hours shopping for things? Have you spent your entire paycheck buying toys that will be gathering dust by mid-January? Have you made travel plans to go see people you only visit out of obligation?  What are you “getting ready” for? I’m not a Scrooge/Grinch by any means. I love C

i can’t. i cannot. i cannot with this today. The things that happen in my life and that of those around me never cease to amaze me from one day to the next. Is this blog going to be about cake? Nope. Not at all. Ok, maybe i’ll touch on it, but really, nah. It’s just about being constantly mindblown. Come, ride with me… As some of you may know, I’ve changed residences twice in two months. Like full on moves. Twice. The first one was planned, the second not so much (but a huge

Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean, don’t you know Butterflies all havin’ fun, you know what I mean Sleep in peace when the day is done, that’s what I mean And this old world is a new world And a bold world For me… And I’m feeling good! Why am i singing this morning? What brought on this bonheur? What is this renewing in my spirit? Is the sun shining brighter today? What brilliant color blue is the sky today? What’s put this smile on my face that’s troubling the s

October is next week. Next week. It’s almost October… My disbelief comes not from how quickly the year has flown by, though it has, but from knowing I’ve got a full calendar for the first time in my company history and i’m at the threshold of having to fulfill it! I’ve got a cornucopia of charitable events coming up. It feels good knowing I can contribute to so many worthy causes. I’ve been blessed, so I’m being a blessing! Let’s take a look at what’s going on! Oct 3: UCI Far

So i was going back over some of my earlier blogs and had to laugh at this one. It was fascinating/overwhelming me that new flavors and combinations wouldn’t leave me alone. I could tell i was trying to fight them, but decided to compromise, in bits and pieces. HA! I’m all in now, baby!! My imagination isn’t just a greedy mistress, she’s a harem now! People regularly ask me what flavors i offer. Well, pull up a chair America, cuz the list is infinite.  Yes, i still have my ba

I have a 2 year old spaniel named Franklin Delano Brown. Why Delano? Because i couldn’t think of anything else that fit so well with Franklin. It’s so presidential… Is he a fearless, born leader? Not even kinda. He’s a rebel without a clue, but smart as a whip when he wants to be. He’s got a 24/7 food dish, his own water dispenser and is allowed Tbh, i am a lot like Frank. I have everything i could possibly need in life at my fingertips – food, water, shelter, family, friends

Blessings tend to find me. Even when I’m not looking, thinking or anticipating any. Trust, i am not mad at that at all! Do i deserve God’s favor? Do any of us? Not really. But that’s what’s so awesome about Him. He provides for us when we have done nothing to earn it. Hallelujah! So it is my duty, and my honor, to pass these blessings along. I’m philanthroping y’all!! Little Give: Part of the proceeds from The Westside Summer Food & Wine Festival that I’ve contributed to and

Cuz it’s Summertime! Will Smith’s finest – second only to the bare chest scene from Bad Boys… but i digress. She’s here! She’s here! I’m telling y’all… I have waaaaayyy too many flavor combinations in my head. This is just a couple of the flavors I’ve been tossing around in this crazy brain of mine. What doesn’t help is my instagram feed is 50% bars and spirits companies constantly giving me suggestions of cocktails to try and emulate. Madness, i tell you, sheer madness! As a

When you think “con game”, you think of being swindled, stolen from, hoodwinked. But that’s not the whole story. While the original “Confidence Man” (con man) was set on deception, you have to admire the root of it (just hear me out…). The whole scheme behind “a con” is to gain your mark’s confidence by exuding confidence in what you want them to buy into. Your confidence earns their confidence. The Con. At work, i am responsible for training all of our Customer Service Reps

You know how those info grabbing sites can search your facebook and tell you which words you use most often? (btw, stay off those quizzes! they’re harvesting info to be able to set up accounts in your name with your true info…) Well, if there was one of those for everyday life, it would tell me my most used words are God and Ha! Ha? Yes, Ha! Because of God.  Go ahead and get your church fans out cuz it’s Testimony Time!!!!! I’ve quoted you that poem “Drinking from my Saucer”,

As most of you know (or those who were paying attention to my repetitive posts about it), i participated in a small farmers’ market last Wednesday. WOW would be an understatement. It was a complete whirlwind for 4 hours, chatting, laughing and talking with the staff of UCI Medical Center about cake. Alcohol and cake. Occasions for alcohol and cake, mostly referred to as “lunch”. They were excited that there was a sweets vendor (the only sweets vendor!) on site and intrigued w

Alan Thicke was one of the coolest, corniest dads on television. But that’s not what this post is about… So y’all remember this business course i just finished? Well one of the bigger takeaways for me was stretching past my own boundaries. I make alcohol-infused bundt cakes. the end. I was not terribly interested in making anything else or changing anything about what i was making, i just needed to know how to build my business. Well lo and behold, these women pushed and prod

Groundhog, schmoundhog… This is Southern California and we don’t do seasons! It’ll be winter, spring and summer all in one week and we roll right along with it. Only in SoCal can you wear flip flops with a sweater, shorts with Uggs, or scarves and woolly caps with tank tops. Yeah we do. Don’t hate. So when folks say “Spring is Coming” we say, “Umm, ok…”, because it’s already been here, gone and come back as far as we’re concerned. That’s why i’m excited to roll out our Spring

A couple weeks ago, i had a rough weekend. I had about 8-9 orders to fill. In my haste, i managed to botch 3 cakes. In the end, i fulfilled all my orders, had 3 bags of broken up cake and was exhausted from the bad attitude that had swelled. (Takeaway – focus on the positive, enjoy the process and everything will come out beautifully!) Every baker at every level botches cakes. Either they overcook a couple minutes, or the oven heat isn’t balanced, or the cake sticks to the pa

…Well you know the rest of that one.  How’ve you been? Long time no chat! Almost, what, a month now? I hope your holidays were fantabulous and your year has started with a bang! You would be amazed at how much has changed in the past month for me and RSC!! So about 3.5 weeks ago, i started taking a baking business course on line called Passion to Profit, led by Janelle and Eddie Copeland of The Cake Mamas fame. You know when you think you know something then all of a sudden s

New year, new goals. New visions, new plans. New shoes, new hair. You know how it goes. So my vision board has started to slowly come to fruition and i’m super excited to see what’s going to play out in the new year! Here it is, let’s go over it: Weddings – ehh, we’ll get there, not a high priority. Priorities – GOD FIRST always has worked out beautifully so far! I can’t wait to see what else He has in store! Self-Sustaining – Primary Goal for 2018!!! By year’s end, I want to

I’m a purist, a minimalist and in general, lazy. I like things as simple and pared down as possible without sacrificing the pleasure principle. I do not impose my lunacy on you, but that’s what i put into your cakes. I’m not saying I take as many shortcuts as i can or use inferior products, but i’m going to take the fewest steps possible in effort to minimize the time and labor necessary to get your treats to you. There are a lot of bakery options out there and the more popul