A hamster and a "cupcake"

I couldn't resist sharing one of today's Cute Overload updates...Cali the hamster enjoying her first birthday party complete with cake!

You can see more pics on her family's blog!

Its cupcake weekend!!!!

As this weekend straddles two months (as David of Outsider Tart so eloquently put it in their weekly market update!) it is officially CUPCAKE WEEKEND! And what a fantastic sounding array of cupcakes are on offer;

Unfilled options:

Lemon Seed - believe it or not, based on a Victorian recipe with coriander, caraway and currants

Arizona - an oatmeal cake recipe with coconut, pecan caramel drizzle

Lemon Raspberry Corn

Chocolate Polenta - a test run had us addicted

Filled options:

Mexican Chocolate - a hint of cinnamon with pecan fudge glaze

Lemon Meringue

Indian Pudding - a corn and molasses baked pudding inside cream cupcakes

Coffee Hayzelnut - because we just had to use hay one way or another - a coffee flavored cake with a hazelnut filling

Read the story behind the Arizona theme on their blog and GO BUY CUPCAKES! It's going to be cold out there this weekend so you need some comfort food..and their lemon meringue cupcake is to DIE for! Manny's already excited about the Mexican Chocolate!

Btw - if you use walkit.com to find your way to Chiswick Farmers Market type in Dukes Meadow as your destination - they've kindly added it as a destination for me after we got lost last time! How cool are they helping us find our way to cupcakes!

Cakespy take it to the sweet!

Cakespy decided to something cute (in their words "touchy feely") about the fact that sometimes life sucks..long commutes; waiting in line; dealing with rude people; being broke...I'd personally add having a cold that NEVER goes away (possibly due to long commutes and people with not enough manners to cover their hand when they cough/sneeze on me..hmmm), but all in all, I'm with Cakespy, sometimes life does suck.

So what to do? If you're me - eat a cupcake, if you're Cakespy, bake a load of cute plaster of paris cupcakes and leave them inspirational messages around the neighbourhood - how sweet! You can see more pics and read what happened here.

This reminds me of our good old UK version, The Great Cake Escape. I've still not managed to get to one of their events, or find a cupcake, but they're going to be at the Amersham Arms pub on the 7th Feb so I may try and get along then, although I aim to be in Richmond as its Outsider Tarts cupcake day and I'll miss March as I'll be in NY so am planning a pre-birthday treat from my fave cupcakers!

Thanks to Cakespy for the pics and the cuteness!

Cute birthday card

My mums birthday is in March so I was chuffed to see this adorable card on one of my many trips to Marks and Spencer's. I'm sure she'll love it! I always want to send her a cupcake but they go off too quickly in the post as they're all buttercream and stuff so I usually send her some magic cakes from Konditor and Cook or yummy macaroons from Paul or Laduree which she loves!

The card can also be bought online.

Crazy in love...for cupcakes!

Wilton's latest email is chock-a-block full of Valentines goodies for you to surprise your loved one with this February 14th.

You can see all the Valentines cupcakes here, but I thought I'd share a few of my faves above!

Lolas Love...an update

From today's inbox - an update on Lola's Love cupcake valentine box and the flavours they come in; strawberry, marshmallow, pink champagne and red velvet.

I heart all these flavours - they sound totally yum!

besties of 2008.

dear amanda + aj,

i loved your best of 2008 posts.

love,

emma

favorite shampoo/conditioner: scruples white tea. it is pure magic. who knew white tea loved hair so much. it is pretty pricey, but if you get it on sale/your bff malorie gives it to you for christmas, you're in business.

favorite hair product: la looks curl gel. it gives my hair its curly bouncy goodness for only $1.94 a pop.

favorite beauty product: mac mineralize skinfinish. gives my skin a light shimmer polish. also the sonia kashuk powder brush is the nicest, softest brush ever and its from the one and only target. i love you target.

revlon lipgloss = the best. i have it in multiple colors and love it. no stickiness whatsoever.

maybelline sky high curves: it really curls my lashes without an eyelash curler. greatest grocery store mascara.
favorite perfume: mochino funny.
favorite must have of all time: burt's bees lip balm. so minty and fresh. isaac got me addicted and i love it because it reminds me of him.
favorite store: nordstrom. all you could ever need in one store. seriously. food and everything.

favorite jeans: "lindsey" skinny jeans from forever 21. best $12.50 jeans ever. and they fit as well as my designers.

favorite shoes: my sugar boots. i cannot live without boots in this icy weather. these boots go with everything and i get so many compliments. i also have them in a black/blue/gray floral print.

favorite restaurant: i picked 2 because i love food so much. first, market street grill. best prime rib/salmon/bread/salad/dessert in town. location of the biggest celebration of my life: our wedding dinner.

happy sumo. isaac and i love this place. we would eat here 2+ times a week if we could.

favorite movie: twilight. that edward gets me every time.

favorite tv show: 30 rock hands down. i laugh so hard every episode.

tina fey + tracey morgan + alec baldwin = hilarious.

favorite book: fast food nation. i read it for a health economics class and loved it. i learned so many cool facts. did you know that the average american drinks 56 gallons of soda a year, roughly 600 12 oz cans. holy cow people. did you know that 4-5 fastfood workers are murdered on the job each year. did you know that the average american eats 30+ pounds of french fries each year. again, holy cow people. thank goodness i'm not average. if you are at all interested in nutrition, this is a must read.favorite thing to happen in 2008: i met this boy. best thing to ever happen to me.

i love you 2008.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today is Chinese New Year and I found these very cute "Year of the Ox" cupcakes on W's goodthings Flickr site.

I heart the little ox popping out the top of the cupcake!

I have the sniffles

I'm feeling sorry for myself as I'm ill, and as I can't eat a cupcake I thought I'd look for some "Get well soon" cupcakes and found these gorgeous ones on Happiness in a Bite's Flickr, aren't they gorgeous!

Sniff!

Cupcakes CAN heal!

I knew it!

I must pick these up when we're in the States - I'm accident prone and forever injuring myself so I might as well look cute when I do!

You can also buy them online here at Archie McPhee's.

Happy Burns Night!

Tonight we shall be celebrating Burns Night with (veggie) haggis, neeps and tatties and it got me to thinking about Scottish themed cupcakes....thanks to Cupcake Recipes I found these, aren't they cute! The top pic is meant to be a haggis...lol

Love is all around us...

Lola's have launched their Valentines cupcake box - time to start hinting to your other half ;)

Cupcakes to Kiss it Better

From Lola's website...

LOLA's is working throughout February to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital's Kiss It Better Appeal, which helps fund research into causes and treatment of childhood cancer. The children at Great Ormond Street have created a scrumptious Kiss it Better cupcake. A gorgeous freshly baked vanilla cake swirled with a raspberry-ripple centre in a pink case. It is topped with a deliciously creamy buttercream icing and sprinkled with frosted hearts. This special cupcake costs £2 and has been released just in time for Valentine's Day. LOLA's will be donating 30% from the sale of this cupcake to the campaign. You can order a whole box or we can include the KIB cupcake in any of our cupcake boxes throughout February. To order, visit our online store. For further information visit http://www.gosh.org/kiss-it-better/get-involved/kiss-it-better-on-the-high-street/lolas-kitchen/.

I shall definitely be heading over to Lola's at Selfridges to buy a couple of these, they not only look fantastic but are for a great cause.

Thanks to Lola's for the pic

What happens when a cupcake hearts a squash?

From Serious Eats ...

What happens when a cupcake goes on a journey away from its world of candies and sweets—on a boat made of sugar cubes, naturally—and accidentally ends up an unknown land of naked fruits and vegetables? It learns some non-water soluble architectural tricks and falls in love with a squash. From animator and illustrator Kirsten Lepore comes Sweet Dreams, a 10-minute stop-motion animated film that captures a snippet of this adventurous cupcake's life. Don't miss the the great background music and the mostly food-based sets.

Click here to watch this wonderful animation. I feel I have to do my BBFC bit now and warn you it contains scenes of mild peril and cupcake nudity!

Living with cupcakes

Yesterday I finally got my hands on Martha Stewart's Living magazine - the cupcake special! The cover is so cute and I've barely looked inside - except to take a few pictures for here, as I want to savour my food porn in peace and I've not had a chance since buying it! I shall leave work early on Monday, go sit in a coffee shop, or perhaps Primrose Bakery with a cupcake, and oogle the gorgeousness within!

Yes I'm sad.

You can preview the magazine here, where you will also find the recipes for some of these beautiful looking cupcakes!

I love She loves cupcakes!

My purchase from Etsy seller rkdsign88 arrived the other day and its ULTRA cute!

As well as my print "She loves cupcakes", I also got another print called "Welcome to my house" and some adorable gift tags. These are some of the cutest cupcake items I've seen!

Please check out the other gorgeous prints here and buy stuff, you wont be disappointed!

Sticky, messy, chewy, gooey

I think I just heard Manny drool..lol

I spotted the book Sticky, messy, chewy, gooey - deserts for the serious sweet tooth by Jill O'Connor in Fred Flare's fantastic valentines day selection.

In addition to each sugary favorite, the author has included simple techniques and tools to help home cooks recreate each decadent treasure again and again. Sprinkled throughout are tips on using phyllo dough, toasting nuts, and making a heavenly ganache, so every over-the-top treat tastes as irresistible as it sounds. For the serious sweet tooth, pour a tall glass of milk and get ready to bite into all that's Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey!

Also available at Amazon. Those cupcakes look fantastic don't they!!

the big two-two.

Guess who is now 22.

me me me.

I had the best birthday everrrr.

I went wedding dress shopping with my mom during the day and found "the one". I knew it was the perfect dress the minute I put it on...and now I have to wait 12 weeks to get it. I still do not understand why it takes so long but whateves. Then Isaac came up and we went to dinner with my parents at Market Street Grill in Cottonwood, my favorite restaurant. Also the location of our wedding dinner! After we celebrated with the fam and I opened all my fab gifts. And my dad snapped some pics of me doing it...

Do I look 22?

This boy made my birthday oh so special.

This mini cake was sooo so so so yummy. I dreamt about it the other night...

After I made my wish. It was a good one.

The ultimate: 120 gig ipod.

What am I do to with myself and all this space for song after song after song?

Good thing my fiance knows everything there is to know about the best music.

Hello cricket.

My sis gave me this magical Cinderella card (because I'm Cinderella, oh hey Snow White...you know who you are) and this fab Betsey Johnson necklace. Love it.
My monthly journals from Pottery Barn! I have had my eye on these for quite some time. I plan on filling them with stuff from our first year of marriage.

Isaac's mom made me this gorgeous apron in my wedding colors!! I love it so much. I wish I had a better pic to show you. She also gave my a Martha Stewart cook book! I love love love cook books, although I am yet to become a chef (baked goods are my specialty)...but with Isaac's help and that cookbook, I will learn to cook!

My very favorite gift of all.

Probably about a month before my birthday, I was telling Ike about how much I love Valentine's Day and the Necco Sweetheart candies. And I just mentioned how much I loved the yellow ones (they are the best). Sooo for my birthday he got a bunch of boxes of Sweethearts and picked out all the yellow ones for me! Can you believe he remembered that! I barely mentioned it once.

It really was such a great birthday, I am so happy!

Other updates:

I started school last week, I am so burnt out and dunzo already. But guess who graduates on May 8th! Bachelor's degree here I come! Luckily I left a bunch of easy classes for my last semester that I am taking online, but let me tell you, it is hard to get motivated! Especially while planning a wedding. And working 2 jobs (icky ick). But good news, my application to double major in nursing is in and now I just get to wait it out to see if I get in.

Isaac and I have been apartment hunting, I am getting sooooo excited! If anyone has any good tips about finding an affordable, nice place send them our way!

I am so ready for May to be here. I am tempted to start a countdown, but in the past I have gotten so annoyed with other people's countdowns that start like a year in advance so I will shove that temptation far far away...

goodbye.