Monday, November 12, 2012

Wooden Treat Blanks Update


Hello again!

I'm back with a wooden blanks update! That sounds very enigmatic and exciting, but it's actually just a report on how I've failed to replenish my stock, plus with some cows thrown in.

Now that your curiosity has been sufficiently piqued, let's begin!

First, thank you to everyone who emailed and convo-ed me about the wooden treat blanks. I am happy to say that I immediately panicked because I realized I had nowhere close to the stock required to fulfill your requests and thus spent a leisurely evening last week putting in a huge new order with my usual supplier.

Now for the bad news: those cupcake blanks are completely unavailable. We're not talking about out-of-stock; we're talking Forever Discontinued. Of course I freaked out. I mean, it's one thing to not be able to supply you wonderful crafting enthusiasts with cupcake blanks but it's quite another thing to deprive my children of future cupcake-painting parties. So on Friday morning, I called everyone on the planet whose website appeared in my google search. I traced my supplier's supplier and they were Forever Discontinued. Then they checked their supplier and they were also Forever Discontinued. Then I ebay-ed and etsy-ed for a good hour before giving up.

But do you want to know what really nailed the coffin, so to speak? Of course you don't, but I'll tell you anyway: it was the cows. See, while on the phone with my supplier's supplier, I was put on hold and treated to the sound of cows mooing in the background. In addition to the cows, I could also hear a man's voice, yelling at the cows. I thought, "Man, this is a farm. They make these wooden craft parts on a farm and ship it to warehouses or someplace. It's the real deal, not some urban steel-and-concrete factory in the middle of Manhattan! And if a good farm can't supply wooden cupcake blanks, then I'm really dead."

But, wait - the story's not done! So later, I call up my regular supplier again to add a few things to the original order and - you'll never guess - they put me on hold and I heard the cows again. AND the same man shouting at them. I thought, "What the.....?" I used to teach Science, remember, and anything mysterious and/or suspicious intrigues me. So while waiting for the person to return to the phone, I amused myself by brainstorming possible explanations:
  1. My supplier and THEIR supplier, in spite of having completely different websites and phone numbers, are actually the same people. It is a conspiracy. They probably operate out of the same ramshackle barn and (based on the various voices I'd heard) the womenfolk pack wooden craft accessories and answer phones while the menfolk tend the livestock. A simple check of their websites revealed that both locations were in the same state in the US. Aha!
  2. My supplier and THEIR supplier are actually different organizations BUT are both on farms, and all cows sound alike BUT the same hollering man works on both farms. Or maybe it's actually the vet (like James Herriot) who coincidentally visited both farms while I was on the phone. Or maybe all men on farms sound alike when they are yelling at cows.  I wouldn't know, because I've never lived on a farm, yelled at a cow or heard anyone yell at a cow before that morning. I learned something new that morning.
  3. Irrespective of whether or not my supplier and their supplier are the same people, there exists something called a Farm Sounds On-Hold Phone Machine, no doubt available on amazon.com. I remember, as a little girl, it being fashionable to place the phone cradle on some device that played Swan Lake or some other tinkling tune while one stepped away to summon someone or use the facilities. Maybe classical music over the phone is out of date and Farm Sounds is now the ditty dujour (which means we can expect Wildlife Safari Calls in hotel elevators next). But really, how else could I explain that I heard exactly the same cow and exactly the same man shouting in exactly the same tone in both phone calls? Slightly spooky, in an X-Files sort of way, if you ask me.
  4. I was hallucinating. I talk to myself on a regular basis, anyway and I've been called insane by countless people - it requires absolutely no extra effort to add "Hears Things" to my looniness resume. 
Told the husband my deductions. He said, "You should've just asked them." 
What? And ruin the fun of a good mystery? I don't think so. 

But back to the issue at hand - the now-extinct cupcakes blanks. Here is my solution: an alternative blank. 

A different shape 


but it still works with all the accessories

and looks pretty cute (in a Sanrio sort of way) painted up. Jenna, our resident cupcake aficionado, approved wholeheartedly.

And here's a happy accident: an unplanned invention of a new petit four over the weekend - the teacake! The children squealed when they saw it, so I guess it's a keeper.

So, friends, I apologize that I wasn't able to give you the original cupcake blanks. And those of you who own the original cupcakes should dance for joy because their value has skyrocketed on account of their extinctness. And that brings us, finally, to the point of this post - two things:

1     I am happy to fulfill the existing orders with the new cupcake blanks substituted in for the old ones but if you'd rather not, just email or convo me again to say so. I won't be offended. If I don't hear from you, it means you don't mind getting the new cupcake blanks, okay? All the other treats (donuts, cookies, jam tarts, sprinkle jars etc) are good - I have the supplies for them. 

2     If any of you are interested in the teacake blanks, yes, you can request them - just email or convo me. This is what will come in the set for $7:
  • 3 teacake blanks (the three-layer stack)
  • 3 cherries

I don't have enough supplies to include the candles but if you've already ordered the cupcakes, their candles, toppers and cherries fit the teacakes.

The new supplies are arriving midweek, so I should be able to get the reserved listings up in the shop by the weekend. 


7 comments:

  1. Maybe they were playing farmville on facebook and the phone was put down by the speakers!
    I was reading the post with it in a background tab and noticed I heard cows mooing and thought I was joining you in loony ville.

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  2. Hahaha... I love the mystery of the cows! I have, indeed, heard men yelling at cows plenty of times, and it's not always the same, although to an inexperienced listener, it might all sound the same. ;) Be sure to let us know if you ever do figure out the mystery!

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  3. You are so funny! I really enjoyed this post!

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  4. oh, goodness, but you make me laugh! I like the new cupcake design, perhaps even better than the old one! You could even leave them separate and be able to change frostings / wrapper combos!

    I love all your ideas!

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  5. I think you should call back and ask...that mystery would drive me crazy!

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  6. Am I too late to order anything? I'm just catching up on blogs and I had no idea you could make your own wooden play food!

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    Replies
    1. Hi teekaroo, I've just stopped taking orders for the wooden blanks (the painted, finished sets are all sold out except the large cookies, which you can still find in my shop). However, if you want just the blanks for the cookies, jam tarts, donuts (both large and small) and sprinkle jars, I can still do those for you. I'm not doing any more cupcakes or teacakes because they involve drilling and sanding and other prep and I don't have the time for that now. So just send me an email if you'd like any of those other items, okay?

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