Saturday, December 3, 2011

My Favorite Things

Me and My Favorite Santa Hat

Christmas is getting closer. And the way I see it...Since Oprah has her list of Favorite Things...then I too will have My List of Favorite Things.  I thought about all the things I want, the things I have, and the things I think everyone should have...and this is what I came up with:

1.  KitchenAid Mixer in Pink
    Yes, in pink because I think it is just pretty in pink...the red one is not bad looking either.  Every good baker or potential baker should have one of these mixers.  It will take your baking to new levels and make it so much easier. 





Or you can do what Sophie from Georgetown Cupcakes did for her sister's wedding shower gift, and adorn your pink mixer with thousands of pink Swarovski crystals!  How cute is that!  Talk about Bling in the Kitchen!



2.  Hand Mixer by Cuisinart
        

There are times when you just don't want to pull out that heavy KitchenAid Mixer for a small batch of cookies or frosting.  This is where this gadget comes in handy.  And of course, you need to coordinate the color with your stand mixer!




3.  Cake Tester


Okay, okay...you may be asking why you would need to buy a cake tester?  It does have a function in the kitchen for testing to see if your cake or cupcakes are done.  But let's be real...toothpicks or a knife work just as good.

Nothing like a good toothpick!
4.  Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book

I absolutely love this book.  I think this is a great start for beginners.  It is a great foundation for making cupcakes.  Some of the recipes are not good to me, but I think this book offers great ideas.  My good friend Keisha gave me this cupcake book and I love her forever! 





5.  A Red Ferrari


 Okay...so this is something I want.  Nice to have friends who have one!



6.  Scrabble Pendants with cute sayings:

This cute necklace is from FrillyChili at Etsy.  I think this is divine...and mine is one it's way.



7.  A Good Cat
          I know not everyone likes cats, but I love them.  And when you have a cat like mine, you will definitely have a place in your heart for a cat like Kyle.  Kyle is cutest, most loving, dependable cat I own.  I do have 2 other cats, Sammie and Sugar, but Kyle is an exceptional cat.  He knows when I am sad, he comforts me.  He knows when I am sleepy, he cuddles with me.  Everywhere I go, Kyle is there.  He is sitting right here with his paw on my laptop.  He is my shadow, and one of my favorite things.

Kyle Fat Daddy Powell

This tip is a staple for my cupcake decorating,  I like the swirl it creates on the cupcake.  And it just looks so pretty!

Courtesy of Cupcakes With Class
 



Wilton also has a Cupcake decorating kit that is great to get you started and also includes the #1M tip.






9.  My Family
         
Tyra, Terri, and Selena


I adore my children.  They definitely keep me going every day.  From Tyra saying "Not another cupcake Momma G", to Selena saying, "Mmmm, I just love your frosting Mommy" to Terri saying, "Did you make me chocolate cupcakes?"...I absolutely love them.  Don't know what I 'd do without them...well, I do know what I would do....but for now, I'll keep them!



So, this is something I want and hope to do in 2012.  Can you imagine cruising with cupcakes to Bermuda?  This cruise is a cupcake lovers dream come true.  In their own words this is " 7 Delicious Days to Bermuda".  Count me in!

                                          

"And These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things..."

Thursday, December 1, 2011

How A Cupcake Made Me Laugh



A Little Cupcake Story
by me
My day started off a little rough...it was dark and wet outside.  The rain was coming down hard creating a slight ping sound on the ground and the cars on the street.  I told myself it sound like little balls of ice and if it was cold enough...it would be snowing.  I pulled myself out of bed and got the kids off to school.  I sat down on the couch with my hot cup of Vanilla creme flavored coffee.  Finally, I found something to not only warm me up but may just cheer me up.  I think that feeling lasted for about 10 minutes.  But, it was good while it lasted.  TV was the same...The Today Show, those Are you the Father shows, and my DVR'd shows.  That's right, my DVR'd shows from the night before.  I could sit here and watch my shows in peace with no interruptions.  This could be the happy factor I was looking for today.  I picked up my remote, and pressed the DVR button....NOTHING!  Not one show, nothing to watch.  This day just got worse.

 I finished my coffee, hopped on my laptop to check my email and of course, see what is happening on Facebook.  That world of Social Networking is amazing.  So much to read about what everyone is doing today.  From "I am off to work" to "Help, I need more coffee!" to those cute pictures of your friends baby posted every 5 minutes documenting the child's every footstep and breathe.  Someone please help me. 

So, I got tired quick of reading people's play-by-play of their daily life and I proceeded to my blog.  I read many blogs about many different things...mostly cupcakes, I must admit.  Not really sure how I came across this, but it sure made my day.  What could be better than a giggle at the expense of a cupcake, a cupcake making me giggle, and a cupcake being hilarious?  Just writing about it creates this butterfly-like feeling in my stomach.  It is like the laugh that makes you cry.  I loved it so much...I bought it. 




Did it make you laugh?

This cute little Scrabble tile is from Frillychili at Etsy.  Each tile is handmade from old Scrabble tiles...how neat is that.  And all pendants come with a 18" ball chain.  Check out her store and other tiles she creates at her online store.  I think these are the perfect gift for anyone.  I even ordered 3 more. 

See...cupcakes can make you giggle!
(I am giggling right now waiting for necklace to get her...Ha Ha HA!)

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Where to find Cupcakes?

When I decided to start a blog, I didn't just want to talk about cupcakes...okay, yes I did just want to talk about cupcakes..HA HA HA!  But I also wanted to keep my readers informed about all things cupcakes and all things baked.  My search for cute cupcake decorations was rather interesting.  I found everything from how to paint a cupcake on your nail to cupcake eyelashes! 

Yes, cupcake false eyelashes


In keeping the theme for Christmas, I came across these cute ornaments from Gatorgrrl Boutique at their Etsy store. I like that not only does she make these ornaments, but she also makes dog harnesses.  These ornaments are handmade from unused glass ornaments.  How creative!  And the colors are endless!



This is my favorite one...

Pink and Pretty!


Let's switch gears and check out these cute cupcake soaps...yes, I said soap.  I can only imagine how cute these would look in your bathroom.  I think they look good enough to eat!  They are by Lauren Miller of Sunbasilgarden at Etsy and sell for $6.00 each.  The scents include Blueberry, Pink Sugar, Orange Dreamsicle, and Fresh Pear.  They also sell it as a gift set for $22.00.  They look Yummy!







Check out these stores at Etsy...you may find something for that cupcake lover!
Now back to my cupcake hunting!


Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Cupcake Ornament Quest


So, after containing my excitement about my newest cupcake ornament that incorporates yoga and cupcakes, I decided to go on a cupcake ornament hunt.  I wanted to see what Christmas ornaments or decorations were available for all of us Cupcake Lovers. 





Here's what I found:


2011
Hallmark has a series of cupcake ornaments calles Simply Irrestible!.  This cupcake is the 2nd in the series.  You can get it at any Hallmark store for under $10.00 or at Amazon.   You can get the 1st cupcake ornament from last year.  I also saw on Amazon where you can get the 1st and 2nd cupcakes in the series, plus a cute Merry Mixer ornament all together for about $40.00.  The cupcake ornaments are made out of felt.  I happen to like the 1st cupcake in the series.  I like the poinsetta on top and the fluffy white frosting.  This is a great gift for any cupcake euthusist!
2010
Marry Mixer 2010





Let's not forget about our bakers in our lives.  They need ornamants too!  Hallmark also has a series called Season's Treatings!  It features baked goodies, from a gingerbread house to decorated sugar cookiest to cupcakes in a pan.  The 3rd in the series sells for under $10.00 in most Hallmark stores.  The 2nd in the series sells for $24.00 on Amazon and the 1st in the series is a pricey $99.00 on Amazon.  I guess the 1st one from 2009 is now a collectible.  But they are all very cute and would make any baker happy. 



Or to get something more personalized for any little cupcake in your life, I found this cute cupcake ornament offered by PersonalizationMall for under $12.00.  The nice thing about this ornament is that you can personalize it not only with the name but also the message.  And you get to preview your ornament before you order it.  Now that is cute!

In my quest for ornaments, I found there are lots of cupcake ornaments everywhere.  I couldn't pull myself off my computer from looking at all the cute ornaments.  Before I knew it, I had been on my laptop for 3 hours!  I realize these make great gifts for any cuupcake lover and even your every-day baker.  But, I say forget giving these ornaments away...

MoralBuy these items and keep them for yourself!

My Cupcake Ornament for Christmas

Decorating the Christmas tree is always a tradition of my family the weekend after Thanksgiving. It definitely puts us in the mood for the holidays. We look at all of our ornaments for the tree, and the handmade ornaments the kids made when they were younger...and we reminisce about each one of them. I always try to buy one new ornament each year that reminds us of each other. So, last night, after dinner, we stopped by the Hallmark store to look at all the ornaments. The kids had fun looking and listening to the funny music radiating from some of those ornaments. I wandered over to a tree decorated with an array of ornament, big and small, some musical and some glittery. As I pulled back one of the tree branches to look at each ornament, I was face to face with the perfect ornament! I mean, I think this ornament was made for me and only me! It was absolutely perfect. Everything about this ornament said ME and I even think it may even resemble me a bit.  It really captured my life over the last year...the peace, the tranquility, the zen, the positive aura and of course the cupcake! I think this ornament is officially my favorite...


Moral of this blog post:  Girls DO just want to unwind...and what is more perfect than yoga and a cupcake! 


Go out and find an ornament that symbolizes you and reflects on your life this year.  You will be surprised what you may find.  I know I was very surprised! 

Happy Hunting!