Cupcake Note Pad

Since I work in a helicopter I don't have a desk....but if I had a desk these cupcake notes would be front and center!

Office Playground
$3.99

Hello Kitty Cake (and cupcakes to match)

This month has been filled with cake/cupcake requests and I have had a blast making them.  I made a Hello Kitty cake with matching cupcakes for a friend's daughter's birthday.  The HK cake pan was awesome as all Wilton products are.  I made two layers with a pound cake recipe.  Then I put buttercream between the layers and stood the cake upright.  I made marshmallow fondant to cover the cake - the MMF was fabulous and so easy to work with.  I will never buy fondant again.  Meee-ooowww! 

Happy Birthday Elise! 

Happy Birthday Brady!

A good friend has a son who shares my birthday...so how could cupcakes not be a part of the party?  He had a Despicable Me party and I made a giant two-tiered cupcake for the celebration.

 

 

Niobe's Wedding Cake

This cake was very simple and elegant. I made a French vanilla cake with raspberry buttercream filling and wrapped each tier with wild sage and lavender.   A very Tahoe wedding....perfect weather...a friend's yard overlooking Lake Tahoe...my niece to help me set up the cake.  Congratulations Niobe and Ladd!

Cupcakes at the U of O

My brother is a professor at the U of Oregon and he lives in the new Global Scholar's Hall at the University of Oregon and is in charge of the Spanish language program.  This facility opened last year and was designed for immersion language education for students.  Check it out if you have the opportunity.

One of the features of this new residence hall is a state-of-the-art dining facility...which recently served these chrysanthemum and rose cupcakes.

P.S. I never had cupcakes when I went to college unless my mother mailed them to me.

Go Ducks!

Sunflower Cupcakes

My friend Heather gave me some sunflowers that she started from seeds and due to many unfortunate events, only one that survived to adulthood.  It has just bloomed and I am excited to have it in my yard.  The Praying Mantis was not harmed during the filming for this blog.

Martha Stewart's sunflower cupcake display would also look great in my yard....accompanied by a couple of forks!

Thank you Heather!

MarthaStewart.com

REACH 3 (Cupcakes and Open House)

REACH 3 (based in Concord, CA) had an open house today to welcome their new aircraft...the EC 135.  It is beautiful!  They had a BBQ and invited the local fire/EMS agencies and crews from the other REACH bases. I made some cupcakes to honor the occasion.  Fun!

My helicopter cookie cutter is too big and I need a mini one for cupcakes...does anybody have a contact to make a custom cookie cutter?

 

Cupcake Salt & Pepper Shakers

Another find this week...like hitting the cupcake lottery!  Cupcake salt & pepper shakers will make any picnic more stylish. 

Cupcake Spatula

I found this spatula at Raley's (local supermarket) and I use it for everything...stirring coffee and tea, mixing dry ingredients for baking, getting that last pickle out of the jar.  It just makes me smile.

Wedding Cupcakes

A few days ago a good friend called me to ask if I would make her wedding cake...and of course I said yes. She is getting married on the courthouse steps in a few days and will have her ceremony on September 7th.  THEN they are leaving for Australia to work for the next two years.  Exciting!  But back to the cake....we are working on the design because time is short.  May have to throw in some cupcakes on the side even though she didn't ask for them.

On another note...another friend is getting married next summer and I will be doing a cake and cupcakes for that event!  Weddings in the cupcake universe....gotta hurry and finish my sugar flower classes on Craftsy!

 

 

   

Cupcake Sign Theft in Canada

People of Earth...if you steal something, posting your photo on Instagram may not be the best idea (click on the link below if you need more info).  Cake-ology....so glad you got your sign back and I love your site!

Cupcake Sign Returned After Thief Shamed on Instagram

  

Cake-ology
Winnipeg, Manitoba

 

 

 

 

Basic Fondant Techniques - Free Craftsy Class

Craftsy is my newest obsession...so many cake decorating classes.  And I LOVE browsing through the class projects to see what everyone else has created.  I am currently finishing my 5th class....Basic Fondant Techniques.  There are several free classes on the site and once you take a class you will be hooked.  The instructors are great and the course materials and recipes are right on the lesson page to print out.  You will not be disappointed...and don't forget to explore the other classes!

Basic Fondant Techniques
Craftsy Free Mini Class



 

Cupcake Paper Plates

Pay attention cupcake fans...I found these paper plates at Target.  I was looking for dinner-sized cupcake plates but the salad size will do just fine.  Only $2.25 for 8 and they have cupcake napkins to go with them.  Love the peace signs and hearts!

Cupcake Stand

I went to Michael's this week in search of some way to use my 40% off coupon.  I am always on the lookout for a cupcake stand...this one is nothing fancy but it can be dressed up in a thousand ways or just leave it as is! 

Happy July 4th!

Take a moment and raise a cupcake to all those who have given so much and continue to ensure our freedom...never take what we have in this country for granted!  Celebrate with a thankful heart!

HAPPY  JULY 4TH !

 

Cupcake Wine Charms and More!

Pier 1 strikes again in the cupcake department.  Went to get a new table runner and....I didn't.  But here is what I did find.  Cupcake wine charms and Woodlands cupcake liners and picks in a variety of animals.  Nice!

Cupcakes & Golf Balls

I am a new golfer.  Frustration abounds. I want to change the name of the movie to The Worst Game Ever Played (and if you haven't seen The Greatest Game Ever Played it is fantastic and a true story).  So I decided that I will distract everyone from my lack of skills by looking fabulous on the course! 

I ordered a black and zebra golf bag which I promptly accessorized with a pink cupcake luggage tag and pink tees. I also got pink golf balls to which I added these awesome cupcake decals!  Golfdotz has many other decals...although I can't imagine why you would want anything other than a cupcake. 

Golfdotz
golf ball cupcake decals

 

Cupcake Checks

Hardly anybody writes checks any more...but these cupcake checks from Checks Superstore are cute enough to make you start using them again!

REACH Cupcakes

I am a flight nurse for REACH Air Medical Services and today we visited Grass Valley Interagency Dispatch....so of course I made some cupcakes.  All REACH helicopters are bright red and as you know, red can be very difficult to make.  I used Satin Ice red fondant to make the helicopter cut-outs and then piped the letters with white Wilton candy melts. 

We toured the dispatch center and the CalFire tanker base which is also located there.  Thank you for all you do for us Grass Valley!

Miss you Sums!

Summit Lundy
2004-2013

Another Cupcake Cookie Jar Update

Great news for the Pier 1 cookie jar lovers out there.  Heather C emailed me and has three cookie jars available on Craigslist in Atlanta.   Here are her instructions:

Heather C said...

I have three cupcake cookie jars that I'm selling. They will be on Craigslist in Atlanta, Ga. under general. Keep a look for them along with some other cupcake stuff.

 



Cupcake Divider

I couldn't find the almond meal...but I found this cupcake divider.  I went down the wrong aisle at the grocery store today and ended up in the kitchen gadget section.  A thin piece of plastic that separates cupcake batter.  Gotta make some half & half cupcakes!

IFBC 2013

Yesterday I mentioned that I was planning to attend the IFBC (International Food Bloggers Conference) later this year.  It is a fabulous event...and the best goodie bag ever.  I had to buy a duffle bag just to bring home all the kitchen gadgets!

International Food Bloggers Conference

Foodista 2013 Food Blogger Survey Results

A few months ago I participated in a food blogging survey.  Foodista is one of the major sponsors of the International Food Bloggers Conference....which I highly recommend if you have a food-related blog. I attended the 2010 IFBC in Seattle and I plan to go again this year. So much fun!  

Here is the link to the survey results. I was surprised by many of the responses...the most surprising was that the majority of food bloggers maintain their blogs for personal satisfaction (my motivation) and not monetary reasons. I guess with all the advertising on blogs I expected money to be a priority. So nice to find out otherwise.  Enjoy the journey through the thoughts and observations of fellow food bloggers!

Results of the 2013 State of Food Blogging Survey



Memorial Day Cupcakes

On this Memorial Day....thank you to all those who have sacrificed lives and loved ones and to those who continue to protect us! 

The Green Eyed Lady Blog

 

Cupcake News Headlines

Every now and then I go surfing for cupcake news...and I hit the jackpot today.  Apparently the British Secret Intelligence Service MI6 replaced a bomb recipe in an Al-Qaeda magazine with a cupcake recipe from an episode of the Ellen DeGeneres show.  Sweet!  (pun intended)    Carpe Cupcakes y'all! 

MI6 Attacks Al-Qaeda in "Operation Cupcake"

MI6 Hackers Replace Bomb Recipe with Cupcake Recipe in Al-Qaeda Magazine

from nikki1201's photostream

a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image

Political Correctness & Cupcakes

A few months ago a third-grader at Schall Elementary School in Caro, MI  had cupcakes confiscated by the principal because they were decorated with green plastic toy soldiers carrying guns.  I realize that there are recent tragedies involving guns and we should be sensitive to those who have lost loved ones, but are we losing our ability to use common sense?

The toy soldiers were the WWII kind that come in the giant bag of 100 that you get at the dollar store.  My brothers and I used to set up elaborate forts and scenarios with these guys.  We played with our toy soldiers by day and watched footage of the Viet Nam war at night, yet when we grew up it never once occured to us to grab a gun because we were unhappy that we didn't get exactly what we wanted exactly when we wanted it or we thought that we were "owed" something that we didn't get....which in my opinion is the root cause of almost all the gun violence in our society. 

I applaud the parents in this cupcake situation who asked the principal to simply remove the soldiers and serve the cupcakes!  People of Earth...use common sense and just serve the cupcakes!




CBS Atlanta
Birthday Cupcakes Cause Controversy at Local School



Cupcake Cookie Jar Update

Many moons ago (2/7/11 to be exact), I wrote about a cupcake cookie jar that I found at Pier 1.....and what an adventure that turned out to be.  I received an email from a reader in Switzerland that wanted to know if I would buy the jar and ship it to her since Pier 1 does not have online ordering (and what's up with that?).  I bought the jar but the reader had failed to give me any contact information so I could not send the jar.  I put it in the garage and forgot about it.

Last Christmas another reader saw the blog entry and emailed me to ask about the jar.  I told her Pier 1 no longer stocked it but I had one in my garage.  I shipped it to her. 

Last week I had another email about the jar...so I went to my local Pier 1 to tell them they were missing lots of opportunities to sell those jars.  If any of you have one of these, please put them on Craigslist or Etsy.  You will have buyers!

Cupcake Wine Stopper

Pier 1 has done it again...a very cupcake-friendly place. May I suggest a bottle of chardonnay by Cupcake Vineyards?

The Poppywood Flower

For the past few months I have been taking sugar flower classes on Craftsy....so much fun!  My favorite are the southern sugar flowers - the dogwood and magnolia. I was born in Magnolia, MS so that flower is near and dear to my heart! 

I am experimenting with creating my signature flower.  I don't know what it will be yet, but here is my first try.  It doesn't actually exist in nature but it is a combination of the poppy and the dogwood.  Introducing.....the Poppywood! 

The Poppywood Flower
perched atop a marshmallow cupcake

Happy Birthday Cupcake Plates

Birthday parties and cupcakes just go together. These paper plates were found at Wal-Mart and if you look closely at the bottom of the photo you will see the best part...only $0.97 for 8 plates.

Cupcake Tablecloth

It goes without saying that all picnics should include cupcakes.  This tablecloth is plastic (but PVC-free) and covered with colorful cupcakes! 

Cupcake Coffee

Hunting for hidden treasure in Home Goods...one of my favorite things and it always surprises me how many cupcake items are there.  Today I found cupcake coffee! 

Brew La La Coffee
Vanilla Buttercream Cupcake Coffee
 

 

Life is Just a Cup of Cake

Cupcakes are the glue that holds the world together...at least they would be in a perfect world.  These photos come from Life is Just a Cup of Cake - a cupcake bakery in Seoul, South Korea. 

I want that plate (and the cupcake too)!

Teach to Inspire
(blog)

Cupcake Spa Socks

A few weeks ago my niece and I went to the Indian Springs Spa in Calistoga, CA.  Have been there many times...will go there again many times.  Love the warm, healing waters and the quiet.  The pool is huge and fabulous - put one foam noodle behind your neck and one under your knees and just float!  There are several outdoor fireplaces on the property - bring a picnic lunch.

If you choose to leave the healing waters and partake of the spa services, you will not be disappointed.  Indian Springs also offers lodging and croquet, shuffleboard and bocce (bocci) ball on the grounds.

All you will need to bring are these spa socks!

MagicMomentsMom
Etsy

Cupcake Bachelorette Veil

Wedding season is upon us.  Not that you can't have a wedding any time of year, but in the South there is definitely a "wedding season."  Weddings come with many extracurricular activities and the bachelorette party is usually given by the maid of honor and the bridesmaids.  It is customary for the bride to be identified in some way....tiaras, hats, strobe light engagement rings, blinged-out "Bride" tees.

I think this cupcake veil by bridalparty would be an excellent choice! 

bridalparty
(Etsy shop)

Lasagna Cupcakes

What can you do when you get a craving for lasagna but just want a bite or two?   Make lasagna cupcakes of course!  Bake lasagna in a cupcake pan and freeze it...then go to iTunes and download Dean Martin singing something Italian and pour a glass of something from Napa.  Click on the blog link below to get the recipe (made with wonton wrappers).   Enjoy!

Lasagna Cupcakes
Tablespoon (blog)  
by  girlwhoateeverything

Target Gift Card

There are opportunities for cupcake interactions everywhere...even in the checkout line at Target. When you need to give a gift, please say it with cupcakes.

Cupcake Cone Baking Rack

Birthday party...cupcakes in a cone...baking them made easy!   Get it at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Anne Taintor cupcake picks

I love Anne Taintor.  She takes old magazine photos and changes the caption to say what we are thinking but would not say out loud.  Sassy? Yes.  Sarcastic? Absolutely. What's not to love?   These picks by freakgirl are just what the cupcake diva ordered.

The Band Perry Cupcakes

As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Gigi's Cupcakes (they really understand the concept that the icing is more important than the cake). And a huge fan of  The Band Perry.  Their song You Lie made me smile when I was on a very dark journey and living those lyrics.

It was sooo fun to see that Gigi's is naming a cupcake after the band and on Fridays and Saturdays in April, you can buy the Very Perry Chocolate Cherry Cupcake at all locations. 



Gigi's Cupcakes USA



PEEPs

I went to Walgreen's today to get some hairspray and a nail file...and of course I had to stroll down the post-Easter sale aisle. I love Walgreen's.  It is a miniature shopping smorgasbord...suddenly you can't live without pink glitter shoelaces and a CandyLand game. The post-Easter holy grail is a box of PEEPs....bunny or chick. 

Any color will do, although I prefer purple. The PEEP is a sugar-coated marshmallow delight that makes decorating Easter cupcakes effortless and delicious. And finding them on sale is just the icing on the cupcake!

Check out the article 8 Ways to Reincarnate a PEEP.  My favorite is PEEPshi (PEEP sushi). 

DIY Louisville
(blog)



April Fool

???

Check out the April Fool cupcake Cupcake Project blog today....a piece of toast shaped like a cupcake with cream cheese and chocolate almond butter for the icing.  Plus some colored seeds for garnish. Could have fooled me....and did.

Happy Easter Y'all

Hope the Easter Bunny filled your basket with lots of goodies!

chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream

carrot cupcake toppers made with orange
 and green Wilton candy melts