In need of a new apron, and being new in Florida, I was psyched to hear about a local craft and arts show in West Palm beach. Tarte- The Queen of Art and Tartes Indie Craft Show featured a list of talented and inspirational artists. Many of them with a love for baking:

Be My Clementine!
On a mission to find a new apron, I scored a super cutie fresh & fruity apron from Sabrina V (even cuter!) of www.bemyclementine.com. The shop features full and half aprons (for the hostess/non spaz baker, unlike me), plus children’s aprons! These would make a great *best Christmas ever* present for the holiday. ^_^

Pin Up Pie & Pastry
Now these are new to me! What a great idea! These baked goodies are from Tara of www.pinup-pieandpastry.com! Pie in a mason jar?? Brilliant! Pin Up offers a wide selection of pastries: pies, cheesecakes, cupcakes, brownies… all in a repurpose-ready jar! She also customizes the lids for events. Supercool!

Felt and Paper
Artist Sarah Nastri’s cute buttons and magnets of silhouetted retro kitchen gear caught my eye: an oven, a mixer, a perculator… all on top of retro floral patterns. Baker-friendly custom buttons and magnets are available at her Etsy store, along with an array of other cute felt and paper goodies!

More about Tarte
Organized by Tara of Pin Up Pie & Pastry and The Original Bully Boy - gentleman accessories, along with Kate of Sydney Lou Whoo? - tutus, childrens clothing, adult shirts, and super cute jewelry - this was Tarte’s debut show! It was a smooth show, you would never know it was their first. Fantastic show! I had fun. Look out for the next show in March 2011!

“We just really love the idea of getting as many people involved as we can and having lots of people benefit from what we have. Tarte 2010 is hopefully just a start! We would love to see more people come out and support this event knowing that they are giving back to their local community and supporting the art and crafters as well!”

Yes, Tarte gives back! Tarte is sponsored by the Dropkick Murphys Claddagh Fund, and supported by many others in the music community. The proceeds are forwarded from the fund to Home Safe in West Palm Beach, an organization to help abused children. They also took a toy collection at this event which will be given to local families via Love Doctors Charities.

Thanks Susan of makebakebehappy.com for the heads up on the local show!
Support your local artists, and therefore, your community! And buy handmade from Etsy!!

Got any good baker-friendly Etsy links? Share them here! ^_^

Cakeb0t just moved to sunny Florida! Whenever I make a move, I try to scout the area for a good Cake Supply Store. A good idea when you’re looking for a store: do an internet search and find two or three stores to visit that are nearby.
If you get lucky (which I did), you only really need one good store for all your supplies!

I look for 10 basic things I’ll need for my cakes:

1. Fondant
2. Gum paste (or Tylose to add to my Fondant to make gum paste)
3. Gel Coloring
4. Petal Dust & Luster Dust
5. Lemon Extract
6. Dowels
7. Cake boards
8. Piping Bags
9. Parchment paper
10. Cake boxes

This is just a list of the consumable items that I would need for cakes. I also look around for tools and supplies that I want to add to my arsenal, or things that I may already have that might need to be replaced. I look for piping tips, baking pans, cake rings, and spatulas. I also look for new products, or fun extras like stencils, silicon molds, and shape cutters!

I was lucky enough to find a store with just about everything I need. All the pictures shown here were taken at the Palm Beach Cake & Candy Supply in Palm Beach Gardens, Fl.