We have had this blog for a while and I have not done much blogging on it. In fact, until this week I have not blogged at all. But, as I often do, today I woke up early and was chatting with a few of the incredible women I have met through Depressed Cake Shop. At the end of the day, this project is as much about friendship as it is about anything, and the friendships that have grown because of the DCS are just beautiful to witness and to be a part of, and today I want to celebrate that. I do not have the time or space to talk about all of the beautiful women this work has brought into my life, but I want to highlight a few.
Jennifer Marshall came to Los Angeles to attend the This is My Brave Show produced by TLC BFRB. We decided to put on hats and head downtown for the women's march. Hers was pink I only had some pink ribbon
The first thing I did was start to look through photos of the past few years. There are hundreds and hundreds of pictures of women and cakes -- and a lot of men too, to be fair, but today is about the women.
" Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love." -- Mother Teresa
Our tribe is strong. The women who surround us lift us up with love and courage, but there is one man that must have special mention here today. I have continued with the DCS all these years in honor of my dad who was my hero. He battled with his mental health his entire life. He often won. He was an incredible husband and father, a loyal friend, and the most generous man I have ever met. He loved to inspire people with quotes, so here are a few that I think he would have liked to kick off this photo gallery.
DCS popped up in Venice at an event organized by Love Infinity. We met our dear friend Delia there that day, and she has been part of the family ever since.
"Where there is cake there is hope, and there is always cake." -- Dean Koontz
"Wear your scars like stardust." -- Amy Ferris
"She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails." -- Elizabeth Edwards
Jane Reyes, who popped up the very first DCS in America, drove down to Disneyland with her family. We took a day off to join them. After all, who misses a trip to Disneyland with a fellow DCS co-conspirator?
Last May Nanea Hoffman and Jessica Hancock of "Sweatpants and Coffee" drove down to Los Angeles to present us with the first batch of "Anxiety Blobs," the soft and cuddly creations that were born on S&C as a cartoon manifestation of Nanea's anxiety. We were so honored that Nanea allowed us to share the very first Blobs with DCS customers, and our ongoing partnership with S&C is one of the sweetest gift DCS has brought into my life.
Val Nanea and Jessica in the custom aprons S&C made to commemorate the DSC/S&C partnership.
The very first image of our very first Blob.
The lovely Liz of Bu Bakes allowed a crew into her home so she could talk about her experiences with baking and how she found Depressed Cake Shop.
These 1 in 4 cookies (representing the 1 in 4 people who will experience a mental health issue in their lives), were donated by a wonderful woman named Angela for the shop we popped up in Pittsburgh to celebrate the opening of "Mindful," a six month exhibit at the Society for Contemporary Craft. She had been following our Facebook page, and contacted us about contributing to the shop. In addition to these cookies she created the logo cookies that adorn the front page of this site.
Thinking about Angela reminds me that Kara Andretta of Kara's Couture Cakes and Jeanne Winslow of Jeanne Winslow Cake Design drove down that day to man the shop with us. Here is a cake Jeanne created to celebrate DCS first birthday in August of 2014.
Some beautiful cookies contributed by Viki Kane of "Just a Little Dessert Company."
DCS Los Angeles went to London for the BBC "All in the Mind" awards. We met all of these lovelies for the first time that night. From left to right, Freda, DCS Peebles, Stephanie, Liz of Bu Bakes fame, the great Kate of Cakeadoodledo, Val, Lou of Lou Lou P's Delights, and our beloved Julie
Julie of DCS Glasgow and Jane of DCS San Francisco go in for a cuddle.
The glorious Britt Wyatt of "She Who Bakes" fame taught a class where we learned to make tiny cakes and sandwiches out of sugar paste. I made a bitty DCS inspired picnic. A perfect day.
Kayley Reed, the CEO of Wear Your Label joined us at the DCS in May, where we raised $10,000 for the St. Joseph Center's important work with the most vulnerable members of our beach communities. We presented the check at their annual gala.
From my heart to yours, wishing you a Happy International Women's Day! Stay tuned for more news from DCS, and make sure you check out the upcoming pop ups listed on our site.
xo, Val