I’m sure many of you are familiar with British comedian Eddie Izzard and his famous ‘cake or death’ routine.
Jen at Cakewrecks found this hilarious lego version on youtube.com.
Would you like cake or death?
Archive for May, 2009
cake or death?
Thursday, May 28th, 2009hand printed tea towels
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
Yay! More awesome awesomeness in the bakery!
We just got some beautiful new tea towels from Lisa Price, proprietress of ArtGoodies. Lisa block-prints each towel by hand; we are carrying three designs.
These are a great gifts for moms, housewarmings, weddings, etc.
$15 each.
cup-a-cake
Friday, May 22nd, 2009
Yay! One of our regulars, Connie, came in a few weeks ago and showed us a nifty little device she picked up on a business trip (she was taking a yoga seminar; she instructs at our neighbor business, Bikram Yoga).
It’s a plastic cupcake carrier that snugly fits one cupcake. It has little prongs that grip the cupcake to keep it in place and protect it on its journeys in lunchboxes, handbags, etc.
We are now selling these little carriers in the bakery for $3 each.
They’re available in clear, turquoise, yellow, and pink.
memphis most
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009For the last few years, the Commercial Appeal has held the Memphis Most vote to determine the most rockin’ local spots to eat, drink, hang out, shop, and take the family.
Help support your favorite local businesses by voting for them!
And, just in case you’re curious, here are a few of the things I voted for: The Dempseys (local band), Justin Willingham (radio personality), St. Mary’s Episcopal School (go turkeys!!!), Gibsons (donuts), Tsunami (seafood), Bryant’s (biscuits), Beauty Shop (brunch), Muddy’s Bake Shop (obviously), Dan West (garden store), Delta Lawn (landscapers), Peria Inc (women’s shoes), Peter Poole (jeweler). SHOP LOCAL!!!
twee cards
Friday, May 15th, 2009Yay! We have some new greeting cards for y’all!
These are cheeky cards with a wicked sense of humor… hope you love them!
secret ingredient: crack
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
This is an ‘outtake’ from Ben Fant’s photo-shoot for the Commercial Appeal…
no wonder y’all think we put crack in our cupcakes… 
muddy’s underground
Thursday, May 14th, 2009So, this is the ‘naked space’ so far. 
We’ve signed a lease and been meeting with contractors and design dudes.
I realize it doesn’t look like much so far, but I thought y’all might want to see the space we’ll have to work with and our progress as we get it set up!
Huzzah!
Love for Sale interview
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Many of you have noticed the super-awesome handmade aprons we sell in the bakery. These are the products of the genius and creativity of Maggie Hendren, entrepreneur, crafter, and sewing maven. Her business is called Love for Sale, named for the Cole Porter song, and she makes all kinds of fabulous items. She makes the aprons exclusively for Muddy’s, but she also makes baby onesies, handbags, iPod cases, stuffed animals, diaper bags, tee shirts, prints, and more. (Photo is Maggie, far left, with her siblings)
She has graciously agreed to participate in one of my little “vendor surveys”, of which there will be more on the blog as we are constantly adding more great stuff from indie crafters to our selection of goodies!
1. Your name: Maggie Hendren
2. Your business /hobby: Love For Sale – sewing till I can’t feel my fingers! (Portraits also)
3. What do you like best about your business/hobby? Truthfully? The way people react to it. When little kids see any of our fun stuffed creatures and tug at their mom’s to look at what they’ve found…man, that’s so great. Or when I run out to the grocery store or I’m at dinner with a friend, and someone walks by carrying one of my purses or wearing a shirt I printed, without even knowing who I am personally, THAT’S so freaking cool!!! To be creative is such a gift, but to have people appreciate it is an even bigger gift, to me.
4. How and when did you start in your business/hobby? I started LFS 3 years ago (Jan. 2006), after getting in a really bad car accident and being handicapped temporarily. My friends would encourage me to spend the time I couldn’t be at work, doing anything artistic. I’m a HUGE Martha Stewart fanatic and her talkshow started right around the time I found myself tied to the couch because of that accident. On one particular episode she was showing how to make these really simple monogrammed tote bags. I’d been looking for something inexpensive to make for Christmas and felt that this was just the thing. I got, what was perhaps, the most rinky dink sewing machine ever made, and stitched these little bags together. They turned out so well and my friends and family loved them and suddenly, it all just clicked! So that January I started stitching together little felt wallets and pillows and got a much better sewing machine and taught myself how to sew – or sew better anyway. I haven’t stopped since.
5. Whom do you most admire and why? Again, I have to ask, truthfully? Kat Gordon. She’s not much older than me and when she approached me a year and a half ago about sewing aprons for her bakery, I couldn’t believe someone so young and so like me, was going to start this business. But I instantly believed in it! When we met for the first time and discovered we had similar stories about finding motivation from traumatic car accidents, I knew that Kat was the kind of person I should aspire to be like, in the business sense at least. Anyone that knows me personally has heard me say, like a broken record, “Look at Kat! She did it! She’s so successful! I can do it too!” I think most people are inspired by that “Don’t dream it – Be it” kind of attitude. And when it comes from a woman, there’s a little more power behind that influence.
(I should say, however, in a much broader sense, my mother is the root of all my admiration, both professionally and personally. She taught me the true meaning of work ethic and taught me the importance of being not only a good person, but a strong woman. I LOVE my mother.)
6. Your favorite dessert? Lemon Meringue Pie. Gracious.
7. Three things that make you happy: Hannah, Rachel, John (my 3 siblings – my favorite things on the planet)
8. Any other details about you or your business/hobby that you feel like sharing: I love what I do. I’m proud of what I do. But more importantly, I’m proud to be part of a community of independent thinkers. A group of people who see the food we eat and the items we purchase not just as necessity, but as something really special; something that’s meant to be savored and enjoyed and shared. My business is my passion.
Thanks Maggie! (I’m kind of blushing from your praise on question 5, but thanks!!!)
Keep up the sewing!!!
weird story…
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009On Friday, one of my employees (and my brother’s girlfriend!), Elizabeth S, called me at the bakery. I was busy making sandwiches, so Paula took a message. “Tell Kat there’s someone in Oxford selling her cupcakes.”
As Scooby Doo would say… “ouurghh??”
Elizabeth was in Oxford visiting my brother for his graduation (the reason you didn’t see me in the shop Saturday!) and stopped in a food shop (business will remain un-named) to pick up something for a friend. On the counter was a cluster of cupcakes, some chocolate with white chocolate icing and some chocolate with chocolate icing. Elizabeth was struck with how familiar they looked and politely asked the lady behind the counter, “I didn’t realize y’all baked here… do you make your own cupcakes?”
The lady responded: “they’re actually from a bakery in Memphis… I don’t remember which.”
Elizabeth: “Muddy’s Bake Shop?”
Lady: “Yeah, that’s it!”
Elizabeth: “I work there.” –instant awkwardness–
The lady then told Elizabeth that they were leftover from a birthday party, so they were selling them. Yes. Selling cupcakes, from another bakery, that were leftover from a party. Yikes.
breaking records
Monday, May 11th, 2009
We had a record day! On Saturday, May 9 we broke our highest sales record by 23%.
Thanks to everyone who stopped in (sorry to those of you who came after we had sold out!), thanks to the CA for the great review in the Playbook, but thanks especially to my incredibly hard-working staff.
The food-service business is largely comprised of workers on an hourly wage and believe me, no one gets rich working in a bakery. Every one of my employees has family, friends, and outside commitments, but they all brought 200% of their energies and enthusiasm and worked so hard to meet the demand. The last few months have seen a big leap in traffic and these ladies and dudes have really gone the extra mile for this business. They have stayed hours past their shifts’ end (some working shifts as long as 18 hours), had such great attitudes, and recently have covered a lot of my hours so I can set up this second kitchen. Thanks for all your hard work, dedication, enthusiasm, and smiles; I couldn’t do this without y’all!
