Sock Cupcakes

Happy Holidays!

Today, Santa's Little Helper, me, was determined to wrap the kids Christmas presents before they got out of school this week for Winter break.  So, I started with the small stuff...socks!  My girls love socks so I bought a bunch of them.  But...how was I going to wrap them?  How else does a fellow baker wrap her Xmas presents let alone a Cupcake Lover...just like Cupcakes of course!  I got out some cupcake boxes I had and commenced to make me some Sock Cupcakes...they baked to perfection!

Check out how to make these here.

Moral:  When someone gives you socks....make Cupcakes!

The Tiniest Cupcake Ever!

I make mini cupcakes and they are great to take to parties.  They are like hors d'oeurves...small finger food you just pop in your mouth.  But today I saw not just a mini cupcake...this is a MICRO cupcake.  I read a blog post by Cupcakes Take The Cake and was amazed by these little creations.  It is smaller than a mini cupcake and how clever to make them using thimbles.  You can check out pictures of more micro cupcakes and even watch how to make them here.


The website reads "These are my Micro Cupcakes AKA Thimble Cupcakes!  I really love making these, even though they take lots of time and consideration for detail and there is *little* room for error.  :]  (I've made them a few times, for a birthday, for family, for a graduation and my husband is taking a "dozen" into work today.  Hahah!"  

Can you imagine what you could create with these sweet little things!  

Simply Genius!

Let's Talk

I wanted to take this moment and express my sincere appreciation for all who read my blog.  I have enjoyed writing Frosted Memories, creating a somewhat timeline of my life as well as sharing great tips, ideas, and information.  Now, I want to encourage my readers to participate and comment on my blog.  I want to hear want you would like to read about, what interests you, and some of your thoughts/ideas. I want to hear what you think about my blog.  Don't hesitate to post a comment on my blog.  I want this to be a blog of conversation, a community of ideas, and an avenue for creative minds.




I have exciting plans for the New Year!  I will be launching a a contest each month which you, as my readers, will have the opportunity to win great prizes.  I will also be hosting some guests on my blog and highlighting their businesses.

Moral:  Let's Talk! (participation required)  

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Knitting for Dummies

Crocheted Peach Dress

My Aunt Florence crocheted my first daughter, Tyra, a beautiful peach dress when she was born.  Only problem was that at the time she was born, it was May in Alabama and about 100 degrees in the shade!  So, I neatly preserved the dress as a keepsake for Tyra in which I still have to this day.  I was always intrigued by people who could knit or crochet.  I remember that my Grandmother was an avid knitter.  I also remember the dreaded toilet paper cover with the doll coming out the top that was in elderly houses everywhere!  Or what about the one that looked like a poodle.  Just Dreadful!  Bathroom nightmares.  But I will admit...I did play with them when I was in there...HE HE HE!

Okay...there are some toilet paper covers I think would be worth crocheting or knitting that are rather cute like this one courtesy of Cherry on Top:

Not bad...

After having my first child, I began to become more interested in knitting.  I really wanted to learn to knit so i could make baby hats, booties, and even blankets.  So, I bought my first book, Knitting for Dummies, and a few knitting needles.  I read that book forward and backwards in order to learn how to knit.  I practiced and practiced and sure, I messed up, but I kept knitting.  And eventually, I knitted my very first baby hat.  Very rewarding...all that reading and practicing paid off.  From there, I took on more intricate patterns, challenging myself to harder patterns.  And again, there were times I messed up and had to start all over again.  I have become an avid knitter over time, learning how to take out a row if I messed up besides trashing the whole project.  I even taught Tyra how to knit at one point.  Trust me...kids have no patience for knitting.  Don't try this at home!

So, I was browsing my new favorite website Etsy and found some really cute knitted accessories.  It makes me wish I had babies again...okay...not really.  Check out these cute hats and adorable pictures by Melody'sMakings.  You can order these patterns for your knitting pleasure. 

    

    

Hey...My Aunt Florence even put a personalized tag in the back of her dress...How fly is that!

For all you DUMMIES out there who want to learn how to knit...go get that book, Knitting for Dummies, and you could be on your way to knitting or crocheting hats, scarves, and even mittens!

Okay...stick with the scarf!

The Hunt for Something Frosted

My daughters and I went out on Saturday for dinner and to do what girls do best...SHOP!  We decided to go to Michaels' to start shopping for Our Crafty Christmas.  So, we went down each aisle looking at all things creative.  From the cake/cupcake decorating aisle to the wooden project aisle, we really enjoyed ourselves.  But I soon realized that we were not there to just look...we were on a hurt for CUPCAKES!  Each sections of the store became a mini game to find a cupcake or something with a cupcake on it.  It was like playing "Where's Waldo", but we were playing "Where's the Cupcake'? 

Here's what we found:

This is a wooden Cupcake Set we found in the wooden project section.  You assemble your cupcakes in the muffin pan that is included.  Once your cupcakes are "baked" (Ha Ha Ha!), you use the icing provided to decorate/design your cupcakes.  And of course, put the candle on top.  When finished, you just wipe off the tops and start again! 

This cupcake was found in the painting aisle which is on Our Crafty Christmas list.  And it doubles as a magnet for the refrigerator!  I just love it!

Love how it says 4+

The puzzle aisle is always a joy to see.  I think it is interesting to see all the differrent pictures for the puzzles as well as how many pieces are in the box.  There are 100 piece puzzles, 500 piece puzzles and even 1000 piece puzzles.  Don't think I could sit and do even a 1000 piece puzzle.  But I can do these puzzles.  We got the puzzle on the left to do for Crafty Christmas.

And we even went down the stamping and scrapebooking aisles and spotted these cupcakes...





I think my favorite "Cupcake Siting" in the book section.  I love to add new cupcake books to my library.  And I am definitely putting these on My Wish List!

At the end of our cupcake adventure, we felt like we had conquered Michaels' by finding cupcakes amoung the sea of crafty items.  And to think, we spent 2 hours in that place and came out with a cupcake puzzle, cupcake plaster magnet, and a felted Christmas tree craft in preparation for our Crafty Christmas. 

Operation Crafty Christmas: 75% Accomplished

All these items can be found at your local Michaels' store

Real Simple Cupcake Carrier

With the holidays right around the corner, we will no doubt be baking lots of cookies, candy, fudge, cakes, bread and of course cupcakes.  Here is a great way to get those cupcakes to your party if you don't have a cupcake/muffin carrier.  This idea is a great way to use boxes from past celebrations.  This idea is courtesy of Real Simple.  Read how to create this carrier here.

Unique Uses for Everyday Kitchen Tools

In the kitchen, we have many gadgets and handy tools to help us create our sweet masterpieces.  From the food processor to the ever-so-helpful garlic press, these utensils make cooking and baking a bit more easy.  But have you ever thought about other uses for some of these tools...this can also make things a cinch in and out of the kitchen or decorating fun!  Well, I have some ideas for them.

1.  Ice-cream scoop: 

Scoop cookie dough or meatballs:  Everyone is familiar with using an ice-cream scoop for cookies, but it is also great for making meatballs.  It will make your meatballs the same uniform size just like your cookies.

Spoon batter/Frost cupcakes:  We see this on Cupcake Wars when they fill the baking pans with batter, they use an ice-cream scooper.  And don't think you can't use it to frost your cupcakes in a snap.  I personally think this is a lot of frosting by it sure looks cute!

Butter ball:  I always use my small scooper, or melon baller to put a ball of butter on the waffles in the morning.  It looks just like Waffle house and makes spreading the butter easier for the kids.

Planting Seeds:  I bet you have never thought about using an ice-cream scoop in the garden.  Buy one for your garden and use it to scoop out equal-sized holes for planting.  Genius!  It can also double as a way to add soil to your pots without the mess.

2.  Cupcake liners:

Light Embellishments: I love using this idea for decorating for a party or even for the holidays. Take set of mini lights and poke each pointy bulb through a cupcake liner. You can also use them to decorate the indoors or outdoors. How useful when you have cupcake liners left over! 

Drip Catcher:  This is great for the summer when popsicles are all the rave for young kids, but they melt all over the place.  Just slide the stick through a foil cupcake liner to catch all those messy drips.

Votive Holders:  Place a tea light in a foil cupcake liner to catch all the drips.  No more waxy mess!

Arts and Crafts:  Not only can you use cupcake liners for creative projects, but you can also use them to hold your supplies.  Just line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and distribute items in each one.  This is what I used for my Turkey Cupcake craft for Thanksgiving.  Easy access and makes crafting a breeze!

Christmas Craft:  Or you can always make these adorable angel ornaments using cupcake liners, clothespins, and gold pipe cleaners.  They are not only fun to make, but really cute!

Spoon holder: I always use leftover cupcake liners to hold my stirring spoon while cooking. And after I'm done...I just throw it away!

Remember...don't throw those leftover cupcake liners away and you'll never look at your ice-cream scooper the same now!