I do...

 Cupcakes are a statement of a small glimmer of hope.  I think so are weddings.  They are a representation of beauty in a world that tries so hard to show how ugly it is.  They make us take a step back, and sometimes a deep breath, and appreciate joy for the purity that it is.  The wonder of it all is that each are really so simple at the core.  It is love, and it is hope, and it is beauty. 

Ok, so maybe I'm getting a little deep for cupcakes...but then again....

These were done for my beloved cousin Rachael and her new husband Josh.  They recently married and it was one of the most beautiful and touching days I can remember.  So much to be thankful for in family!  It was my first wedding (cupcaking I mean...I have been to many and had my own 7 years ago)...so I was pretty nervous about how the cupcakes would turn out.  Especially after I took a giant digger on the living room floor of the house and almost sent two boxes launching through the air.  I came away with only one giant bruise on my knee (and some sweet, sweet wood floor burn...and maybe a little bruised pride), the cupcakes...well, luckily one of the boxes was the 'reject' box...the other one... my sweet sister quickly jumped to my aid and I immediately directed her to the cupcakes...they needed her more than I did.  There were a few casualties...but nothing seirous.  No major head wounds or severed limbs...unless you consider a petal a limb.  ;o) 

The cake itself made it just fine.  Once I had demonstrated my affinity for gracefulness I quickly made the decision to enter the house from the other direction....  The cake I covered in fondant which went pretty well...I was happy to have the large sunflowers to conceal a few flaws...but all in all for a first time I was a little proud.  The whole thing was a great collaborative effort.  My sister-in-law extrodinaire came to the rescue one evening and helped me tie ribbons on all of the cupcakes and she and my mom gave me much needed feedback on the cake.  What is it they say?  Many advisors make for wise cupcaking?....something like that.

Anyways...my deepest congratulations and love to Josh & Rachael.  I hope your lives are filled with many small glimmers of hope and delightful reminders of joy!

Cheers!!!!

My Life with Powdered Sugar

So it seems that my life has been overtaken by a fluffy white substance.  I used to purchase said substance about once every other year when I needed it for a certain recipe...usually involving a special event.  Now it seems I am at Costco on a much more regular basis than I'd like to admit procuring embarassingly large ammounts of it.  I have yet to cave to the 50# bag...but honestly it's simply because the bag is not resealable.  Instead I resort to the 7# version...and just buy several at once.  I suppose there are worse things than investing in powedered sugar in amounts that rival your body weight.  For instance...being covered in it because you turned the mixer on too fast....not that I've ever done that....I've just heard it can happen................

I digress...here are some new creations!  I had a Black Jack themed birthday for which I used a recipe for lemon freezer cookies and card themed cutouts (thank you Jessica!!) to create the look.  The freezer cookies were VERY tasty...but very fragile too.  I think I successfully broke all of the 'cards' before assembling them an placing them on the cakes.  Luckily frosting is a great adhesive!  ;o)  The flavor theme was Lemon and it was absolutely delightful!

This was my first attempt at a cake...isn't it small and cute?!  It's just a little 6" round cake and I think it turned out delightful.  I covered it with fondant and made the cutouts from fondant and then used white buttercream to complete the design.  In hindsight I think I would have spread out the design more...but I still thought it was cute!