*Cupcake Saturday*

To say I'm under the weather would be quite the understatement, so I'm sad to say I have lost my brains. The only original idea I could come up with this post involves hardly any work on my part. I took a Cupcake Quiz! Talk about simple. Just a handful or questions and Whammo!, I got these results.
I don't know how I did it, but I managed to get the coolest and yummiest looking Cupcake! I've never seen anything like this so I went in search of the recipe. Biiiig mistake. 10 minutes later I had nothing but other people in the world who had the same results. Blah. Way too much work to sift through that. So if anyone knows of a Cupcake recipe that turns out semi-close to this, please let me know! I'm thinking of creating one that is all pineapple. Yum! Have a wonderful weekend!

A Whopping 49

I signed into my Google Reader at midnight last night and was hit with that number. Normally it would mean taking some time to myself to go through all of the creative blogs that I regularly stalk which is always a wonderful thing. Except for last night. I still had hours worth of baking work to do and was completely exhausted, but after cleaning the doctor's office, I decided I needed to take those few minutes to breathe and relax. Here are some of the gorgeous and inspiring pictures that caught my eye, along with the blog they came from. Enjoy!

{Another fantastic Color Me Pretty featured on decor8}

{Great ideas for a White Elephant Part on Just Lovely}

{Some day I will wrap gifts like Whitney at Whisker Graphics}

{Fun Cupcakes & Stands over at Making It Lovely}

{Another Sweet Design by Amy Atlas}

{I love carnations. So simple and happy like these at Casapinka}

So that was last night. I just checked it again. 42 unread posts. Wow. I might be doing another post like this in a few hours.

*Cupcake Saturday*

A fun Cupcake order for Friday was the perfect opportunity to try out a new toy. What's better than a cute little Red & Green Vanilla Cupcake?

How about a Jumbo Red & Green Vanilla Cupcake!

I love the Jumbo Cupcakes! As if that wasn't a fun enough pan to add to my collection, I also picked up the KingSize Muffin pan, and it's a beauty! I made some a few weeks ago and promptly gave them out to satisfy the chocolate cravings of some of my friends.

Today was quite the snow day, so by about 7 p.m. I was a bit stir crazy. Time to put my family to work! They decorated the leftover Cupcakes and my wonderful Man braved the foot and a half of snow to take them over to our friends that live in the building next to us. Nawnie and the Little Dude even helped! I'll admit, Dylan ate more sprinkles than he actually put on his Cupcake, but I think it turned out pretty cute. That little one in the middle with gold balls, blue bears and orange goldfishes has his name written all over it. Crazie colors, cream cheese frosting and Chocolate/Vanilla Cupcakes make for a fun activity. The one with pink sugar was tasty too!

*Cupcake Saturday*

Ok, I can admit it. I went a little overboard with the subject of this post, but I just couldn't help it. There are way too many cute Cupcake Cookie Jars out there, and I had to get as many in as possible for you to see. I know that not everyone is into Cupcakes, but cookies are a different story, and they definitely need a fun home!

{1}

{2}

{3}

{4}

{5}

{6}

After looking through a bunch of these I realized something. I've never actually had a cupcake with a cherry on top. Cherries are reserved for sundaes in my mind. Oh well, they look cute! Lots of styles and sizes and now I'm loving the idea of adding a gigantic cookie jar like this to my Cupcake collection.

{Check the numbered links for prices and all the color options}

Share The Love!

After gathering all kinds of cute gift ideas all through the year, I've got a bunch that would make for wonderful neighbor/friend surprises. They're all relatively simple and can be modified based on your creative juice level. Maybe you'll get some good ideas!

{S’mores Kits}

I just had to throw this one in first. I love it! I'm havin' a hard time finding boxes though. Once I do, I'm giving these babies out just for fun!

{Snowy Balloon Ornaments}
I think these would be cute for a knock and run situation, just hanging on a neighbor's doorknob with a fun note.

{Pop Top Cans}
These are all about your personal creativity. Make 'em shine with whatever fun little ribbons/bows/whatever you've got.

{A Slice On The Go}
This is meant more as a nice way to send guests home from a party with leftover desserts, but I think it's perfect as a Neighbor Gift. Come on, who doesn't love pie?

{Last Minute Hot Chocolate}
My idea of Hot Chocolate thrown together at the last minute is no where as thoughtful as this. Hearts cut out of the marshmallows, doilies and baker's twine? Gorgeous!

{Glitter Ornaments}
Another one of those projects that would be so fun with a handmade card. I'm all for making the full line of these for my tree!

{Rustic Cookie Bags-4 Ways!}
I just love anything in a brown bag or box. Something about it just gives off a warm fuzzy feeling. Lolly came up with 4 great ways to show off those tasty cookie recipes that I know you all have. She even made up these little tags that you can print up and use. Perfect for people like me!

Hopefully you've found something you like. To my friends and family, don't be surprised if you find one of these on your doorstep soon. Keep having a fantastic week!

*Cupcake Saturday*

I'm losing my brains. You'd think with all the baking I'm been doing that I would remember to snap some pictures along the way. Nope. Not me. I'm a crazie head. Oh well. Today I went to a friend's baby shower and of course brought some Cupcakes. They were done up all blue and pink(she's having twins) and it was tons of fun. I've got sprinkles for days so I loved being able to use all the different kinds. Jimmies, sanding sugar and chocolate crunchies were chosen and they were perfect! I love that my sprinkle collection has grown to the point that I'm ready for just about any kind of occasion. And when I have open options, I resort to the awesome moo cows.They even have little udders! Anyway, there's no shortage of sprinkles, but I was kind of sad when I realized the only baking cups I could use were my blah white ones. I went on a mini baking cup hunt(through Etsy of course) and came out with a few others I'd love to have. They'd be perfect for most situations.

{Purple Polkadot}

{Pink Plaid}

{Brown Stripes}

{Swirl}

{Chocolate Brown}

{Green Stripes}

I love those Green Striped ones! I'll take a hundred please. See, sprinkles aren't the only fun part. Plain white or tin foil cups are wonderful to have, but I love all the fun colors and styles you can get if you look around a bit. Thanks for coming to my little corner of the world. I hope you're having a great weekend!

*Cupcake of the Month Club*

I just wrapped up the December Cupcakes and I'm happy to say that I'm getting better at this! I decided to do a Vanilla Cupcake with a White Chocolate Cheesecake topping, and then I sprinkled some peppermint pieces on some and added a little White Chocolate 'Gingerbread Man'.

I really love this recipe. The only note that I had to make was about the frosting/topping. A single batch is only supposed to cover a dozen, but a double batch actually covered 80 Cupcakes. It was beautiful! The only glitch is that I now have a ton of cream cheese in my fridge. I'm sure I'll find something else wonderful to make with that!

I had to throw in a picture of my favorite part of the process. I don't know why, but I love putting the batter in the baking cups. That whole process is fun to me. Pulling the cups apart, sticking them in the pan, and then filling them up. They're too cute! I'm a nutter, I know.

So there's the latest Cupcake. I'm off to find next month's. I'm thinking of a Cupcake with some kind of filling. What do you think? What are some of your favorite flavors?

*Cupcake Saturday*

For once in a very long bunch of years, I'm really jazzed about Christmas. Don't get me wrong, it's a fun time and all, but most years I'm sick of the hype before December even hits. Not this year though. I was listening to the all-holiday-music station a week before Thanksgiving. I'm already scoping out great gifts to give to neighbors and friends and I'm gearing up to string twinkle lights all through my apartment. Because this is my fun Cupcake post, I just couldn't resist in sharing some fun decorating ideas!

{Martha Stewart Snowman Cupcakes~Nice and simple for kids!}

{Winter Cranberry Cupcakes shown on Cherrapeno}

{Holiday Penguin Cupcakes by Blue Cupcake~Too cute to eat!}

{Holiday Ornaments from the Hello! Cupcake Book~Beautiful and fun as always!}

And last but not least, the ultimate Christmas Cupcakes, at least in my mind. I'm in love with all things Nightmare Before Christmas related, and thanks to "death by cupcake" over on Flickr, I have some yummy and pretty to oogle. Her Cupcakes are incredible. Andrew was more into the Simpson collection she did. They're all phenomenal. Have a wonderful weekend! Get baking!

Remember Me?

It's been weeks and weeks since I last posted anything outside of my normal *Cupcake Saturday* posts, and I'm feeling a bit detached. I blame it all on myself though, and for good reason. Most of you know, but for those who don't, I've started my own business! It's called *Snickety Snacks* and it's been an amazing ride so far. I feel like I'm always running to catch up with the weekly orders, but I'm loving it! I'd be so happy if you could take some time to check out the blog site I have for it and let me know what you think. If you know of any fun ways I can get myself out there a little more, please let me know! I'll be happy to bring some treats your way! And here's a special little offer just for you few wonderful people who actually take the time to read my blog During November and December, when you order at least 1 dozen Cake Bites, I'll give you 6 more Bites just for fun! They're perfect for any party, as a gift, or of course to keep to yourself!

Now, onto the meat of my post. I've had a difficult time lately finding anything that really stands out in an inspirational way and it's been a nightmare. It seems like my focus has been on everything kitchen related, which is fun, but a bit selective. After searching magazines, websites and my beautiful Little Black Book, I have found something that makes me smile. The Holidays! Generic huh? Ok, but the part I really love is all of the family and friends visiting. Now, my parents and sister are close, and I doubt we're going to be having any random visitors, but I still think all the little details are important. Making sure that your guests can feel at home in your home is ideal. Leave it to Martha to hit every little area. Here are some of her suggestions.

{Essentials}
With the addition of a few niceties, your spare bedroom will be as inviting to visitors as a fine hotel room. Set out essentials such as towels and an alarm clock, then provide little luxuries as well: bottles of water, foil-wrapped chocolates, and a few cut blooms in a vase.

{Outfit the Bed}
Make up a double bed with four ample sleeping pillows -- two medium or firm, and two soft -- as well as two smaller pillows to prop up the head when reading. Provide both light and heavy blankets, as well as a lightweight throw for afternoon naps.

{Closets and Drawers}
Make sure there is adequate closet and drawer space. Supply a variety of hangers -- at least a dozen good wooden or metal ones -- that will hold trousers and jackets, flimsy dresses, and heavy coats. And make certain there is a full-length mirror.

{Bulk Up on Supplies}
Store a season's worth of toilet paper and other necessities in your bathroom, so guests never have to make an awkward request for more.

{Color-Coded Guest Towels}
Sew loops of colorful twill tape (in a variety of shades) onto the corners of a look-alike batch of bathroom or beach towels to help guests distinguish theirs from everyone else's. That way, when your house fills up with visitors, everyone can keep track of his or her own -- and no one will have to get up close and personal with someone else's dirty laundry.

Of course these are wonderful tips if you have a spare room and can really make it a home away from home for your guests. Even if you're pulling out an inflatable mattress or opening up the couch, I'm sure your friends and family will still be thrilled! Enjoy your time together! I'll be posting next about fun gifts that can be given to guests, neighbors, as host/hostess gifts, or just for fun to whoever you want. Have a wonderful day and a great Thanksgiving!

*Cupcake Saturday*

Another week has come and gone and I'm once again loving that I made a commitment to post on Saturdays. I've been super busy keeping up with some very fun and large Cake Bite orders this week, so I've only been losing myself in the awesome projects and ideas of others instead of making my own. Then again, the crazy hippie themed Cake Bites were quite an interesting project. Thank goodness for my assistant Nawnie! Anywho, I had to take a few minutes and figure out what I wanted to focus on for this. The first real thought on my mind besides the ideas of repeating past posts was Martha! Miss Stewart definitely has a whole load of cupcakes I'm dying to try out, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite most tasty looking ones. Enjoy!

{Pistachio Cupcakes with Raspberries}

{Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting}

{One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes}

{Lemon Meringue Cupcakes}

{Hi-Hat Cupcakes}

{Candy Bow Tie Cupcakes}

{Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes}

~I promise Andrew, I'll make these soon!~

So those are just a few of the fun ideas from Martha's website that I'm dying to try out. Hopefully some of these inspire you to get baking. Have a great weekend!