Saturday, November 28, 2009

*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!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

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!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

*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!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

*Cupcake Saturday*

I'm being good this week and getting the posting in a few minutes after midnight instead of a few minutes before midnight at the end of the day. Yea me! It's been an absolutely crazy bunch of weeks so I'm happy to take some time and breathe. I had a fantastic night with a bunch of friends so I'm awake and jazzed and thinking about Cupcakes! I decided to go 'looking' in my general area for some of the higher rated Cupcake bakeries and these are the lucky few I selected.......

{Cake Dreams}

This place isn't open until December, but I drove past it a month ago and the name caught my eye. I'll have to try them out when they open.

{hello cupcake}

I'm a sucker for a cute site with a ton of fun pictures and these guess definitely have that. Great flavors too! They even have a vegan and gluten-free Cupcake choice everyday.

{Delleicious Desserts}

Despite the funky name, this is my first choice to try out. Their Strawberry Cake flavor screams my name!

{Georgetown Cupcake}

The next time I'm lost in Georgetown I'll have to try to find this place. I'm usually don't like such a polished looking cupcake, but these look really yummy.

Have a fantastic weekend! I'll be baking up a storm as usual!

Monday, November 9, 2009

The Old Lucketts Store & More

About 15 minutes away from the lovely Chartreuse are a few more hidden gems. They are The Old Lucketts Store, The Design House and BeeKeeper's Cottage. These are the kinds of places that you probably need to go through two or three times at least to make sure you get to see everything. Here are some things in Old Lucketts I'd love to get in my apartment!

{This reminds me of the wardrobe lady from Beauty & the Beast. This would just need a very bright paint job}

{I know I'm getting in a winter mood when I start trying to find ways to organize blankets while making them easy to grab. This bin would be sweet to have}

{My jaw dropped when I saw this. If he hadn't been on a table I probably would have hugged him}

{Another one of those things I'd love to have, but don't know what I'd do with it. I'd find something good!}

{This was like the last minute pocket change stuff you find at the register that is difficult to resist. It was full of hooks and knobulars and made me want to get a junk dresser I could fix up, all so that I could buy some of the beautiful glass knobs. I'm a crazie one}

Next was the Design House. I love, love, loved the house itself, but the rooms weren't really thrilling for me. If you're into oodles of glitter and softy materials and very refined furnishings then this is the place for you. I did like that all of the rooms were set up with purposes, including a crazie mannequin lady in a bath tub full of large ornaments! Check out the Design House's website here to get lost in their eye candy.

Last was the BeeKeeper's Cottage. It was a pink cotton candy heaven! I didn't get any pictures with my camera, but their website is full of great gifts and comfy things for your home. They had a beautiful patchwork quilt there on one of the beds that I couldn't let go of. Some days I really wish I could sew.

So those were some more of the very fun home-ish stores I saw over the weekend. I can't wait to see what they have on a regular basis when the Holidays aren't in full swing. Thanks for stopping by my 'place'!

Chartreuse Again!

This past weekend I was completely thrilled to go on out to Chartreuse again for their Holiday party and re-opening. The place is decked out in Christmas stuff! It's awesome. I forgot about my camera once again, so I only managed to get a few shots from there.

{I'd love to use this for Cake Bites. So fun!}

{I'm a sucker for an awesome shabby lookin' cabinet}

{All kinds of hooks and knobs-The display was the best}

{Looks like a bunch of shopping carts huh? I can just imagine my blankets in it!}

{I snagged two of these stars and I'm so happy about it! They look like giant sugar cookies}

Ok, so maybe I got a little more than just a few pictures. It was too fun though. I ended up going Thursday night, Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Obsessive huh? Well luckily I've gotten in good enough with the owner Virginia and she referred us over to see a few more stores in the area. Those awesome pictures will be in my next post coming soon! If you're intrigued by Chartreuse and want to check it out, let me know! I'd love another reason to go back!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

*Cupcake Saturday*

It's been an absolutely crazy two weeks, hence the silence on my blog. I've had an awesome day despite being a bit sick, and now with 15 minutes left in Saturday, I'm posting about Cupcakes! But not just any Cupcakes. These are my latest experiment for my little Cupcake of the Month Club. November's theme was Spaghetti & Meatballs. Yum!
Happily this went much smoother than October's Hamburger setup. I found the Spaghetti idea in the Hello, Cupcake! book and only modified it slightly. Instead of using the Ferrero Rocher chocolates I used small Cake Bites rolled in nuts. Oh, and I learned that the 'Squeezable' jam idea isn't really all that easy. It's kinda hard to get jam through a think horizontal slit when you've got giant strawberry chunks in the bottle. Great for sandwiches and toast, not so fantastic for these babies. Sad to say, it took me a while to figure out a solution. Duh Brit, unscrew cap and then squeeze. It was like magic. I had strawberry jam all over the place. Anyway, I think it worked out relatively well. Hopefully everyone thought they were yummy! Thanks so much to all my Taste Testers/Club Members!