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<p>DALLAS TWP. &#8212; Abbie Youngblood not only tapped into a hidden talent of cake decorating but built a growing at-home business called Will Love Stella Sweets around her skills.</p><p>Youngblood skimmed the surface of her unrealized potential five years ago when she took cake decorating classes at Michael&#8217;s in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>The classes opened up an unexpected business path for the Dallas Township resident.</p><p>&#8220;I took the classes because I wanted to make cakes for my children,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I could not find (designs in local stores) what I wanted for them.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Building business</strong></p><p>Initially, Youngblood made cakes, cupcakes and cookies for family and friends. As word spread about her creative skills, she found herself designing sweet works of art for residents from Scranton to Mountain Top as well as those living in the Back Mountain.</p><p>&#8220;More people are watching Cake Boss and Cupcake Wars,&#8221; Youngblood said. &#8220;They want what they see.&#8221;</p><p>Youngblood and her husband, Gary, saw the potential of establishing a profitable at-home business venture. Baking up a business plan, Youngblood first looked into the township zoning requirements for her residential neighborhood. She determined she would need to deliver her product to prevent customers from coming to her home, thus avoiding the need to apply for a zoning variance.</p><p>She also registered with the Department of Agricultural.</p><p>&#8220;The Department of Agricultural visits once a year,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I do not need a separate commercial kitchen unless I am making products that need to be refrigerated. All my cakes and cupcakes are made fresh per order. Nothing is frozen.&#8221;</p><p>Her business name, Will Love Stella Sweets, was carefully selected to give credit to her two children who fueled her desire to learn cake decorating. The business name uses her children&#8217;s middle names, Brady William, 7, and Lacey Stella, 5.</p><p><strong>Rising dough</strong></p><p>Two years ago, Will Love Stella Sweets was established.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll often meet someone for coffee, and they tell me what they want,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Youngblood bases her pricing on the size of the cake and elaborateness of the decorating, she said.</p><p>She also fills shelf space at The Lands at Hillside Farms and the Farmhouse, both in Kingston Township, and was a vendor at the Back Mountain Library Farmers Market. She will provide cookies to Red Leaf in Dallas as of Dec. 5.</p><p>In her standard household kitchen, Youngblood&#8217;s GE double oven seemingly never stops.</p><p>&#8220;This week, I made 500 cookies, two cakes and one cupcake cake,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It is dependent on the week.&#8221;</p><p>Her sweet treats have caught the eyes and taste buds of national performers visiting Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township. She made an electric guitar cake for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a smiley face cake for James Taylor, a cake in the shape of Florida and Georgia for Florida Georgia Line and a cake shaped like a bottle of Jack Daniel&#8217;s whiskey for Eric Church.</p><p>Youngblood admits the success of her business has been a surprise.</p><p>&#8220;My husband and I are looking at determining what the next step will be,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I like the idea of working from home.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Dallas Township resident Abbie Youngblood developed cake decorating skills that exploded into a successful at-home business called &#8216;Will Love Stella Sweets.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TDP121315Sweets1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dallas Township resident Abbie Youngblood developed cake decorating skills that exploded into a successful at-home business called &#8216;Will Love Stella Sweets.&#8217; </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TDP121315Sweets2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Abbie Youngblood, owner of Will Love Stella Sweets, uses a steady hand and creative skills to decorate holiday cookies in her Dallas Township home. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TDP121315Sweets2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Abbie Youngblood, owner of Will Love Stella Sweets, uses a steady hand and creative skills to decorate holiday cookies in her Dallas Township home. </caption1><photoCredit1>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TDP121315Sweets3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Abbie Youngblood, owner of Will Love Stella Sweets in Dallas Township, skimmed the surface of her creative cake decorating talents through local classes at Michael&#8217;s. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TDP121315Sweets3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Abbie Youngblood, owner of Will Love Stella Sweets in Dallas Township, skimmed the surface of her creative cake decorating talents through local classes at Michael&#8217;s. </caption2><photoCredit2>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Eileen Godin</p><p>egodin@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Will Love Stella Sweets</strong></p><p><strong>Owner:</strong> Abbie Youngblood</p><p><strong>Phone:</strong> 570-574-9901</p><p><strong>Email: </strong>willlovestella@gmail.com</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Will Love Stella Sweets owner Abbie Youngblood creates edible works of art in her Dallas Township home