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Holiday Gift Guide

Good afternoon, #BCZ Readers!

This week we want to fill you all in on the details of our Holiday Gift Guide, 2014!

Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’s Sweet Boutique offers only the highest quality and most delectable treats to make this year’s holiday season the sweetest for you and your loved ones.

Q: What exactly do we order when it comes to a #BellaChristiez gift?
A: For starters – Our Gourmet Holiday Bakery Boxes include scrumptious buttercream frosted and assorted Gourmet Cookies, our Famous Decadent Bars, Brownie Minis and Chocolate Covered Pretzels – all put together in a beautiful gift box… topped off with a holiday cookie gift tag that can be personalized with your message or company logo. // Medium (24 pieces) $29.99 and Large (42 pieces) $49.99. You also have the option of choosing from our Gourmet Holiday Treat Boxes and Towers which include the same items above as well as Glitter Bon Bons, Cake Truffle Pops, and Hand Dipped Oreos. // Medium Box (24 pieces) $39.99, Large Box (42 pieces) $59.99, Medium Tower (28 pieces) $44.99, Large Tower (48 pieces) $69.99, VIP Tower (88 pieces) $159.99

Q: What other Holiday Gifts can you order?
A: Our #CustomCookies, of course! The most popular buttercream cut-outs can be customized right into your holiday design then bagged and tied with a beautiful bow. Transform your family photo into a decorated cookie with a personalized message or send out Seasons Greetings from your company to all of your clients with logo cookies. Do you have you own, creative-custom-cookie idea for the holidays? Let us know, and we’ll make sure it gets done, just as deliciously as all the others! // Starting at$9.95 each for 6”-8” cookies and $4.50 each for 4’’ cookies.

Who doesn’t love glitter?! Especially around this time of year? Place an order for our Holiday Glitter Bon-Bons… a unique gift to give to that special someone who has everything. Delicious rich chocolate bon-bons covered in holiday sparkle. // A 4-piece gift box is $7.99 and an 8-piece gift box is $14.99.

…and who doesn’t love a good Chocolate Covered Pretzel? They’re simply sublime! A gourmet assortment of chocolate covered pretzels gorgeously wrapped and ready to go. A 4-piece gift box is $8.95 and a 9-piece gift box $18.95.

Another one of our favorite options for #SweetTreat gifts… Gourmet Apples – our crisp and tart Granny Smith apples are dipped in creamy caramel and covered with loads of toppings and rich chocolate – 8 flavors to choose from, each individually wrapped. // 1 lb apples (4-6 servings) is $11.95 each, a box of 4 Mini Caramel Apple is $14.95 each.

We’re also offering Individual Holiday Treats…

Caramel Pecan Popcorn $5.75
Santa Bag Stuffed with Assorted Mini Pretzels (8 pieces) $10.50
Large Chocolate Dipped Pretzels $2.50
Chocolate Dipped Oreo $2.75 each
Chocolate Dipped Oreo, 6-pack gift box $16.95

One more gift idea and that’s all she wrote… Our fun Cake Truffle Pops are the perfect few bites of a rich and creamy cake covered in chocolate and garnished to dress up any party. Prices, below 🙂

$1.75 each Drizzled
$2.50 each Glittered
$3.25 each Elaborate
8-piece gift box $17.25
12- piece gift box $25.00

All gifts are customizable to be themed for Christmas, Hanukkah, or Neutral – just let us know when you place your order. To place your order, give us a call at 412-772-1283 or e-mail bellachristiez@gmail.com.

Sweetly Yours,
The Bella Christiez Sweet Team

It’s Beginning to Look a lot like…

Good morning, BCZ Readers!

Thanks for stopping by =) It’s getting to be that time of year, it’s getting colder – the days are getting shorter and we’re getting excited for the holidays. We can’t believe how fast time has flown, it’s already the 2014 Holiday Season! And naturally, we’re celebrating with all things custom-sweets. It’s so much fun to see the orders that come in every year, they’re different every time! And… oh-so-creative.

In prep for the holiday season, we wanted to give you all the necessary details for placing orders, times we’re open – times we’re closed and what to expect from now until January 1st.

Thanksgiving is coming up and we hope you’ll be spending the day with your family and good friends, fill yourselves with stuffing and green bean casserole (or cupcakes that look like them ;-), see picture below). And while you’ll be celebrating – so will we. Our doors are closed Thursday and Friday, November 27th & 28th. Normal hours on Wednesday… the day before TurkeyDay and regular hours resume the Saturday, afterwards.

We’ll fill you in on Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanza/etc. coming in December. But! As a rule of thumb: place all orders for your special holiday parties – AS SOON AS POSSIBLE =) The earlier we get your orders in, the better! The last day to place orders for Thanksgiving is Monday, November 24th.

Before we go today – wanted to introduce you to our newest holiday-related creations… The Cookie & Cupcake Trays. How convenient for festivities, eh? Please also see our Thanksgiving Flyer 2014 for inspiration for orders and pricing!

bella christiez, pittsburgh bakery — Cupcake Tray

Sweetly Yours,
The Bella Christiez Sweet Team

Bella Christie’s has been TOONED!

Good morning, Bella Christie & Lil’ Z’s Readers!

So – today we have a really awesome-cool illustration we were just involved in! Michelle Littler created TOON in the Burgh six months ago. Her objective? To create cartoon-like depictions of locations around town! …ourselves included. Ever since she sent us our pretty picture (it’s displayed here in this post, right below this paragraph), we’ve been waiting to feature her design and her story on our blog.

We asked Michelle, “How long have you been creating your TOON designs?”
A: Well I have been creating TOONs for all sorts of things for over 15 years but I just started “Toon into the Burgh” in the last 6 months!

Q: Other than us, what are some other well-known businesses that have been TOONed?
A: Franktuay (yummy hot dogs), Sorgel’s Orchards, Carnegie History Museum, South Side BBQ Company and even the Pirates!

We couldn’t help but inquire how Michelle comes to design these amazing TOONs…

I first go to several businesses and I have to love not only what they are selling but the overall atmosphere. I take a bunch of pictures and then freehand draw a few different ideas. Once i’m set on a solid idea thats when I create them on the computer.

And of course, we had to ask her… what’s your favorite thing about Pittsburgh?
A: The food. I am a huge foodie. So I have to be very careful that all my TOONs aren’t all centered around food, haha.

Finally, the most important and pressing question… how did we, Bella Christie & Lil’ Z’s get so lucky to be selected to be TOONed?
A: First I love nothing more than a good cupcake and I was always drawn to the signage. I loved the decor and all of the little touches inside. And after eating the Ho-Ho brownie I know it was a business that people should check out. Everything was super yummy and the staff was so nice. My only complaint is I never know what to try next.

Well, thank you, Michelle! We are so happy to have worked with you and proud to say we’ve been one of the ones you especially picked to TOON! #ShamelessPlug: TOON in the Burgh is accepting commissions for the holiday season. They make great holiday cards and are wonderful marketing materials.

Check out previous TOON in the Burgh on Facebook.com/toonintheburgh and give ’em a “Like”.

Sweetly Yours,
The Bella Christiez Sweet Team

#EmployeeSpotlight: Anastasia – Head Pastry Chef

Good morning, Bella Christiez Readers!

It’s that time again – Our Employee of the Month Spotlight… this time around we are featuring, Anastasia – our Head Pastry Chef. The passion behind her craft goes beyond – “It’s science, its art, and much more! I love that I can focus on creating and building something that brings others much joy!” Anastasia says.

Anastasia originally enrolled to go to school for fashion merchandising…

Q: Did you go to school for pastry arts or did you just have a passion for it?
A: I originally enrolled to go to school for fashion merchandising, realized I would not be happy in the long run, and decided to give my favorite hobby of baking/cooking a whirl. I am so glad I did. I love what I do! Plus this new fad with cats on clothing, I could never get behind.

Q: How long have you been creating pastries?
A: I have been professionally baking for about seven years. I tried to cook when I was little, had no direction, quit… and revisited the craft in high school.

Q: What is your past experience with pastries?
A: I have been lucky to learn a lot everywhere I have worked around Pittsburgh. I have worked in a small bake

house, grocery stores, café/bakeries, and catering. Breakfast to dessert, every day baked goods to dietary friendly (vegan, gluten free, sugar free).

And then we asked Anastasia what her favorite pastry was to make… “There are a few favorites but gourmet cheesecakes are my absolute favorite! My favorite to EAT, pain au chocolate!!” Which we can all surely tell you, not only are they her favorites to make – they’re our favorites to eat, so delicious.

Q: Do you experiment often with different styles and techniques?
A: When I can, I’m always willing to learn, exercise my skills and grow!!! What’s great about Bella’s is that there is always something new and creative thrown my away.

We love that too – it’s not everyday you get someone to ask you to make an upside down wedding cake… we totally agree with Anastasia – we’re always honing our skills, someone comes in with something super creative and different, almost everyday!

We asked Anastasia what her daily schedule looked like and how she fit her Pastry Chef-awesomeness, in…
“First, {I} greet everyone with a good morning, grab some coffee, then start to organize my daily production and get to baking!”

Does she bake at home? “Yes, I love to bake and cook at home! It is always interesting to see what I can create out of all the random ingredients I have laying around the kitchen!”

And, of course – we had to ask… what is your favorite part about working at Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’s?

I think the group of people working at Bella Christie’s is pretty special! I am happy to be a part of such a hard working and deserving team. I also enjoy what I get to create, I do not think I will ever get bored of our menu and ever evolving offerings!!!

And before we go… here are some fun questions we ask Anastasia – cheers to getting to know all about her!!

Q: Who is your celebrity crush?
A: Hands down, I Love Harrison Ford! …Favorite celebrity chef is Michael Simon!

Q: If you could live in any other country for 2 years where would you go?
A: I think about this all the time! I would love to live in France on a working farm! Although I want to travel the world my top places to visit are France, Greece, Austria and Italy.

Q: What are your favorite Pittsburgh restaurants?
A: So many to choose from, but a few I will always go back to:
Breakfast: Coca Café, Lunch/Dinner: BRGR, Dinner: Casbah, Dessert: Milkshake Factory!\

That’s a wrap, folks!

Sweetly Yours,
The Bella Christiez Team

*All images pictured are Pastry Creations by Anastasia.

Sweet Treats, Order Specialties!

Good evening, #BellaChristiez fan! Thank you, again, for stopping by to read our blog. We’re on post #3 and love learning how to write the best posts catered to YOU! =) Lately, we’ve come across a lot of questions about processing orders, how far in advance a customer needs to call, and inquires about placing orders ahead of time for Weddings and Special Events.

So! That means this post is all about… best ordering practices! We want to start by saying – each and every one of you are important to us and we strive to make the best #sweettreats for you, above and beyond par. In order to do so, we do have to make sure we distribute orders accordingly. Taking our careful time and spending our baking expertise the right way, is most important.

We’ve put together some general thoughts…

1. Our wedding season runs from the end of May to October. Because we are one of Pittsburgh’s premier dessert table and cake specialists, this is one of our busiest seasons. Brides and clients alike come to us three to eight months ahead of time to reserve a space for their special event. During this season we want to make sure everyone’s order is well taken care of, therefore there are times when we must stop taking orders so that we have the time we need to focus on an existing order.

2. Outside of our busy season, we request a 48 hour notice of an order. There are times we are able to accept orders for the next day, but a general rule of thumb is the sooner-the-better.

3. If you know you are having a large function during any time of the year, you may contact us early on to place a deposit to hold your date. Even if you do not have all of the details confirmed for the event, a deposit will ensure we plan for your order.

Hope this information helps! If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to call one of our #SweetTreats locations, #Aspinwall 412-772-1283 or #Lawrenceville 412-687-1265 or visit our website, www.asweetboutique.com.

All the #sweetest dreams – for the rest of your evening,

#BellaChristiez

Summer Sweet Treats

Good evening, folks! Thanks for stopping by and clicking to read our second blog post.

This time around we are discussing all things summer sweets! There are two big themes running in and out of our sweet shoppe this 2014. Weddings and Cool Treats!

Let’s run around everyones favorite subject of Weddings to start! After all, it is wedding season – and it’s our busiest time of year. Here at Bella Christiez we love creating the most gorgeous Wedding Cakes for our Brides. Each time we get a call, we sit down and thoroughly go over all the details – big or small, we do it all! Not only are these cakes made to order, they are made to fit your special wedding theme… florals, diamonds, lace or glitter it’s all taken care of. We do have one little tip for all of our future brides – call us and schedule your consultation sooner, rather than later. Once #weddingseason gets underway (which for 2014, it pretty much has!) we need the time to set aside to create your perfect Wedding Cake. Here are some of our favorites from recent weekends…

Now there’s not much of a clever Segway into our final thought for this blog post, haha – so bear with us as we bounceover the to the subject of cool-summer sweet treats! Since opening our doors in Lawrenceville – we’ve created a brand new #madetoorder breakfast and lunch sandwich menu… And added the most coolest sweet treat ever – ice cream sandwiches! I’ve cream sandwiches for summer, ladies and gents! And these sandwiches are unlike any other – we use donuts and brownies on either side of our vanilla ice cream, can you say yum?!

Thanks for stopping by! -Bella Christiez

Bella’s First Blog

Why, hello there, folks! Thank you for stopping by and reading our first ever post on the Bella Christie’s & Lil’ Z’s blog. We’re happy to have you here and even more excited to share with you this week’s features and specialty sweet treats!

Before we dive into what’s happening, here’s the month of May in review. Our #BellaChristiez sweet treats attended Maniac Magazine’s #PartyAtThePoint on the 14th. We made mini cupcakes and cake pops special for the party. We don’t have any pictures to share, because all their guests gobbled those sweets right up =) Baby Shower BBQ, Bella Christiez

Via our Bella Christie’s and Lil’ Z’s Social Feeds (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest) – aweek filled entirely of customized #KidCake pictures and testimonials as well as a week dedicated to Shower Cakes… showers of all kinds, too! Baby and Wedding, just to name a few. Here, to the right is one of our favorite photos…

Bella Christie's, Ice Cream Sandwich Pittsburgh

We also proudly announced our brand-new Ice Cream Sandwiches for Lawrenceville’s SweetBoutique location! These aren’t just any kind of ice-cream sandwich… we’re sandwiching our vanilla ice cream with donuts and brownies! Isn’t this the yummiest collage (to the left) you ever did see?

What’s new for this first week in June? …aside from those Ice Cream Sandwiches the entire summer in Lawrenceville, we’ve also implemented a new made-to-order breakfast and lunch sandwich menu. We’re stocked full with delicious egg-whites, meats, cheeses and veggies to create any sandwich, just how you like!

This Sunday, June 8th Bella Christiez Food-Truck will be on-location at Carnegie Library’s 2014 Reading Extravaganza from 12-5p! (Click the link for event information.)

Don’t forget! We now have TWO locations, our first Sweet Treats home in Aspinwall and now a #SweetBoutique in Lawrenceville. The name is the same, but the sweet-contents do differ a bit! Make sure you visit both locations to experience it all. Lawrenceville’s location not only serves up our traditional cookies, cakes, cupcakes & more – it also offers a cafe atmostphere and room upstairs for wi-fi working and a party space for hosting!

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for next week’s post, too!

Your Sweet Friends at Bella Christiez