Monogram Cupcakes

I recently helped host a bridal shower for a good family friend. I was in charge of cupcakes and wanted to try something that I hadn't done before. I knew that the bride really liked the look of monograms, so I went with that idea.

First, I opened a Word document and found a font that I thought would work well. I typed her and her future husband's monogram, enlarged the text to the size that I needed and printed a sheet. Then I taped the paper to a baking sheet and taped wax paper over that.

I melted mint chocolate wafers and piped them onto the wax paper with a pastry bag and tip. Then they went into the freezer for 10-15 min. to harden. I peeled them off the wax paper and repeated the process until I had enough.

Here's the final product:

I kept them in a tupperware in the freezer until right before they went on top. I was so nervous that they would melt!

The bride-to-be loved them!

I made the cupcake wrappers with pretty paper from Hobby Lobby and the template from here. I baked the cupcakes in regular foil liners, and used double-sided tape to attach the paper.

Easter Cupcakes

Our church recently had a celebration which included a silent auction. I donated, what else, but two-dozen decorated cupcakes made to order. A good family friend ending up being the highest bidder, and she requested her cupcakes for Easter. I thought they turned out pretty cute, especially considering that three out of the five designs were first attempts.

Kent could not guess which animal the above cupcake was supposed to be. What do you think? Is it really not obvious?

Peeps!

I think Easter just might beat Halloween for the sugariest holiday!

"Lions and tigers and monkeys, oh my!" (December baking adventures)

I baked and decorated a lot of cupcakes in December, but most notably, I had my first paying gig! I've just decorated cupcakes for fun in the past, but a friend offered to pay me to make themed cupcakes for her son's zoo birthday party in early December. Pretty neat, huh? A huge thanks to my mom who helped me decorate them ... it was a big job!

And some ornaments that I made for Christmas ...

Turkey Cupcakes

Give a "gobble, gobble" and then gobble them up!

Whitney's Baby Shower

I co-hosted a baby shower on Saturday with five other lovely ladies. The mom-to-be is my dear friend Whitney. We have known each other since we were babies ourselves, and she was one of my bridesmaids. She is due in about a month. She does not know what she's having (exciting!), so we kept the color scheme neutral.

I could not find a pre-made invitation that suited Whitney's style, so decided to handmake them. She is a fabulous seamstress, baker, artist, etc., and loves antiques, so I thought this fit her well. The assembly process ended up being a much bigger job than I anticipated, so I called in reinforcements, and we knocked out the 35 invites ... thanks Mom and Gail!

My mom made this CUTE diaper cake. What a practical centerpiece!

I made these baby rattle cupcakes. The dots are dark chocolate M&M's with the logo facing down, and the handles are lollipop sticks with a gumdrop stuck on the end.

Playing "Guess How Big Around the Belly Is" with yarn. Whitney's grandmother guessed exactly right!

Whitney and the hostesses.

Mmm, Cupcakes!

I haven't done as much baking as I would like recently, but here are my two latest creations.

I was asked to sub for a Bunco group this week, so I brought these along. A few people asked if the dice were real, so I consider that a success! The dice are sugar cubes, and I piped the dots on with black icing. Unfortunately, my Bunco game didn't turn out as great as these cupcakes ... I won the prize for the most snake eyes! But had a blast ... hadn't played Bunco in years.

I made these pink lemonade cupcakes for a friend's birthday who loooooves everything pink. Both the cake and the icing had real pink lemonade mixed in, and they were delicious!