by April Donauer

The trees are already looking bare, we have a couple of snowy days under our belts, and grad season seems like a lifetime ago. All the same, we would like to take some time and reflect on our 2018 Princess Graduates. They are strong, they are intelligent, they are brave, and they are GRADUATED. Here at The Princess Shop, we feel a sense of pride when we send out the dresses on grad days. Each dress belongs to a girl who has reached a truly special milestone and each girl has had her own journey. We celebrate each journey and congratulate each achievement. 

This past grad season was a truly remarkable one. What made it particularly special was that it could not have been possible without the support of our community. We had volunteers help mend dresses, volunteers assist in appointments, businesses that donated funds, hair services given, make-up services given, photography services given, and dresses donated. All this to say, The Princess Shop had been able to give back because so much has been given through the support of our community. Thank-You.  

On Tuesday, January 30th, we had the pleasure of taking part in the Nutrien Wintershines Festival for the third year in a row! We hosted the 3rd Annual Dress it Up Cupcake Contest where we had six local bakers compete for the title of the best cupcake in Saskatoon as a way to fundraise for our programs! Each baker selected a dress from The Princess Shop to model their cupcake after, and we were blown away by the creativity of these contestants! Caketopia Custom Cakes, Chef de Partie Catering, Crave Cupcakes, The Foodiepharmbabe, Miche’s Niche, and The Night Oven Bakery were all in the running for the top prize, voted by Saskatoon’s community who came out to taste and vote!

Here are the cupcake entries, and we will announce the winner at the end of this post! Big shout out and thanks to Infinity Management for the amazing photos!

Caketopia Custom Cakes:

Caketopia Custom Cakes designed their cupcake off of a glitzy sequined dress and named their cupcake “The Gatsby”. This delectable cupcake was not only beautiful, but it was a caramel-filled cupcake with coconut buttercream, decorated with chocolate and caramel flavoured fondant – almost too pretty to eat!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caketopia_custom_cakes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caketopiacustomcakes

Chef de Partie Catering:

Chef de Partie Catering selected a beautiful angelic white dress with pink flower details, and really displayed decorating skills with a beautifully shimmery rose! The flavour fit the look: Strawberry Pink Champagne!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefdepartiecatering/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chefdepartiecatering/

Crave Cupcakes:

Crave Cupcakes selected a beautiful creamsicle-like dress with beautiful sparkly detail. Their cupcake flavour? You guessed it! Orange Creamsicle – it got us dreaming of summer!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cravecupcakes/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cravecupcakes/

The Foodiepharmbabe:

The Foodiepharmbabe (or Get Baked with V on Facebook), chose a ruffly-skirt with blues and greens, so she named her cupcake “Caramel Truffle Under the Sea”! It was a decadent chocolate cupcake topped with caramel Swiss Meringue buttercream, white chocolate shards, sparkly pearls, and a caramel truffle hidden “under the sea” of buttercream.  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodiepharmbabe/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foodiepharmbabe/

Miche's Niche:

Miche’s Niche went after a sparkly purple ball gown which inspired her creation. This cupcake was a refreshing vanilla cupcake with Saskatoon Berry and Lemon Cream Cheese filling. It was purple, sparkly, and delicious!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michesniche_/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michesniche/

The Night Oven Bakery:

The Night Oven Bakery’s Jasmine chose her very own graduation dress, which now is donated to The Princess Shop. Calling it the “Candy Bar” cupcake, this fun cupcake was a chocolate candy bar cake, topped with Italian buttercream, M&Ms, and silver pearl candies!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenightoven/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenightoven/

Saskatoon’s Best Cupcake 2018:

After over 150 guests came, tasted all delicious cupcakes, then had to make the difficult decision which cupcake to vote for, the votes were in the favour of….

The Foodiepharmbabe! Venessa’s “Caramel Truffle Under the Sea” won over the crowd with its hidden surprise under the Swiss Meringue buttercream. We presented Venessa with a framed certificate, and pair of Sparkle Ball Earrings from Hillberg & Berk!

We also send warm thank-yous to the businesses who donated door prizes: Enterprise Rent a Car, KR Jewelry, and Hillberg & Berk! Thank you to the Sobeys in Humboldt for providing bottled water!

A special thank you to Janella Hamilton of CTV Saskatoon News for emceeing the event and announcing our winner!

To the team at On-Purpose Events, thank you for putting on such a fantastic winter festival and bringing the community together! Thank you to  Nutrien for sponsoring an important event that truly keeps our community warm and vibrant: Wintershines!

To each of our The Princess Shop volunteers who helped organize, setup and take down the event. Thank you to our Fundraising Coordinator, Bonnie Chen, for leading us through this event. Check out our Facebook page for the full album!

And lastly, but surely not least, to each of YOU in the community who came to sample, vote, and enjoy an evening of sweets for such a great cause. You are helping us bring graduation, scholarship/bursary, and mentorship experiences to more Saskatchewan women than ever before. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! All of !the proceeds from the event were given back to The Princess Shop!

Our next major event is our 11th Annual Glass Slipper Benefit for Princesses, presented by K+S Potash Canada on April 5, 2018 at TCU Place. Join us for an evening of good fun, good food, and giving back to the community. We'd love to see you there!

All love, 

The Princess Shop Team