Little Bird Cupcakes

Couple months ago, I made these cute mini cupcakes for my customer.  I made some pink and purple birds and flowers to match the invitation of the baby shower.  They were the cuttest thing to eat, and everyone loved them (according to my customer).

Hawaiian Birthday Cupcakes

This post is way overdue, but luckily I still remember to post it before it's getting too late. Last month, my husband's family was throwing a surprise birthday party for his uncle's 50th birthday.  We all had a great time at the Hawaiian themed birthday party.  We even got a pig for his birthday!  My mother-in-law asked me if I mind making them some cupcakes for our uncle's birthday; especially she knew that I got caught up with other orders.  I said no, I don't mind.  So I made some pineapple cupcakes with creamy coconut frosting and decorate with yellow plumeria flowers (made of marshmallows). 

They came out really cute and they were so easy to make.  If you want to decorate your cupcakes in a easy way, marshmallows will be your new best friend.  You need a bag of the big size of marshmallows and cut them in lenthwise four times, so you will get five petals.  And then just spread a little food coloring in the middle and arrange them on top of your frosted cupcakes.  And I also used some melted candy wafers to make some "50" decorations for the cupcakes.  Everything was so tropical and matching the theme of the party=)

DIY Picture Flower Pot

We had a great Mother's Day celebration with my husband's family the past weekend.  Besides my own mother and my grand mother (too bad these two very important women are not with me in the States this year), another very special woman I appreciate the most is my husband's mother.  My husband and I concluded - the best mother and mother-in-law we could ever ask for!  And how funny is that my husband was telling me when he was looking for a serious relationship; he always wanted to look for someone just like his mom.  And not for long he found me and my personality is just like his mom.

I always love to hand make something speical for the people I love and treasure the most for their special day.  Sure, we could always spent some money to buy a nice gift and a beautiful bouquet from the mall or at the store.  But in my stubborn mind, I truely want these people to know how important and special they are and how much I love them by making them something they won't see it at the store; and hopefully, they will remember the gift forever.

Last year, my mother-in-law left an old picture album on their dining table.  I causally flipped through it and found a lot of great and valuable pictures of my husband.  I snapped some pictures by using my iPhone and I knew that right away one of these days, these lovely pictures will become handy for me to make some great art works or crafts.  When Mother's Day was approaching, I was thinking to make my mother-in-law something nice to appreciate her love, care and support to my husband and I the entire time; what better than something she could eat, something she could laugh about and something she could add to her office desk?  So here the idea was arised - a pot full of memories and "Cupcake in a Tube"!

I editted the pictures to make them looked brigher and sharper before printing them out from a color printer.  Then I stick the paper on a thicker paper and cut them out.  Next, if you have some left over gift tags from Christmas, you could add them behind the pictures to make a little talking bubbles.  If not, you could always buy a paper puncher from any craft store and make your own talking bubbles.  If you don't like the talking bubbles idea, just simply leave the picture alone.  I added the bubbles because I wanted to add some humors (my husband and I are both very goofy and funny persons, and that is totally our style *laugh*).  Now they are ready to put on a lollipop stick (could be purchased from your local craft store).

Then, I went to the craft store to get a flower pot and some ribbons for decorating.  As soon as I saw this turquoise colored pot; I knew that I didn't need to look any further=p.  The turquoise color reminded me of my husband and my wedding ceremony (deep brown and turquoise were our themed colors).  I wanted to make my pot chic and still girly.  So I picked up a roll of skinny black with white polka dot ribbon and a turquoise colored ribbon to make my pot modern and chic=)  I also designed the "We L<3ve You" label by using a design program; and cut it with my cutting machine.  Now,  everything is ready, and I could use my glue gun to glue everything on the pot. 

There are multi different ways to put in the pot for securing your "photo" flowers.  I have a great and inexpensive way to put your "photo" flowers/cake pops/cake in a tube, pretty much anything on a stick format - go to your local 99 cent store to get a pack of elbow macaroni and filled in the pot (cheap and easy!).  Of course, you could always buy a styrofoam and cut it to fit in the pot; however, I found my way to be faster, cheaper and easier=)

The day before heading to my in-laws' house, I made our new product - cake in a tube to put in the pot (cake is pound cake with strawberry and whipped cream in between)!  I decorated the plastic container with the ribbons I bought from the store to tight the pot and everything else together.  And I wanted to give my mother-in-law a little surprise when she eats the cake. I cut the strawberry into a heart shape and put on top of each "cake tube"<3.  This gift idea is not only good for mother's day.  You could use it for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, or any other special occassions you could think of.

No, they are not paper weight!

Rosa Rodriquez was once a hopeless single mom without a job and now she is a successful business owner based in San Francisco, CA - Mexican-American jello artist, Rosa Rodriguez lose her job in 2009.  She was struggling to pay the bills and support her own kids.  She always knew art is something she was passionate about.  After losing her job, she started considering using her creative and artistic side of her brain to create an unique business (a combination of art and food) she always wanted and support the family.  She creates amazing jello arts by using syringes filled with colored gelatin, an artist's eye and a steady hand, she injects the colored gelatin into the clear, forming a design as she works (click here for video).   Now Rosa is a proud owner of Sweet Collection Catering company (check out her official websites for pictures, classes and ordering and catering information), a genius jello artist and a successful role model for her two kids. 

(Photo courtesy of Sweet Collection)

Gelatinas are a Mexican standard, often served at quinceañeras and weddings, made in all shapes and sizes. Flowers are the most common designs, but Rodriguez takes custom requests, recently doing a special order of gelatinas for Google that bore the company logo.  And while they're usually fruit-flavored, Rodriguez also makes spiked versions--that is to say, fancy Jell-O shots--with tequila, rum and vodka. When seasonally appropriate, she has been known to bust out an eggnog version  (Source from Taste Table).

The story of Rosa is another inspiring and touching story for those once lose hope.  At that one particular moment, you might thought you lose everything, sit back and let your mind remind yourself "the best is yet to come!". 

More amazing jello arts will be posted soon...

The butter to my bread

Couple weeks ago, on an ordinary Monday, my receptionist called and told me that I have a very cute delivery up front.  I didn't know what to expect at all, but quickly walked to the front desk to "claim" my delivery.  In my mind I was thinking, I ordered something from Amazon, but how could she know what I ordered is cute?! 

I got there and saw this cute Hello Kitty Edible Arrangement, but I still had no clue who sent that to me.  I was thinking must be one of the clients from my cupcakery...until I got to read the card...ha-ha, who else, silly me, of course my husband.  That's one of the sweetest things I ever received from my husband.  He is such a sweetheart and he is "the butter to my bread and the breath to my life".  How I could love this guy less?!  This cute surprise made me think of this song from Stevie Wonder:

No New Year's Day to celebrate
No chocolate covered candy hearts to give away
No first of spring
No song to sing
In fact here's just another ordinary day

No April rain
No flowers bloom
No wedding Saturday within the month of June
But what it is, is something true
Made up of these three words that I must say to you

No summer's high
No warm July
No harvest moon to light one tender August night
No autumn breeze
No falling leaves
Not even time for birds to fly to southern skies

No Libra sun
No Halloween
No giving thanks to all the Christmas joy you bring
But what it is, though old so new
To fill your heart like no three words could ever do

I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart

Giant Cupcake Liner

These giant cupcake liners are so adorable and functional.  Check them out.

Cupcake Flowers inspired by Cupcake Liners

I found these easy to make but cute flower decorating ideas online.  They flowers are inpsired by cupcake liners.  This first picture of the flower is made with cupcake liners.  Click here for the step by step tutorial.  The second picture is even easier to make, made with lollipop and cupcake liners.

This flower is made with cupcake liners.



This flower arrangement is made with lollipops and cupcake liners.

 This one looks a little bits hard, but the step by step tutorial seems very helpful.  Click here for tutorial.

Cupcake liners are not only for baking, they could make this beautiful flower too.  Check here to see more.

Cupcake Flower Arrangements

Flowers and Cupcakes, who has ever thought of they go well together. 

Here are some cute flower arrangements inspired by cupcakes I found on the internet:

It's such a great idea to brighten up your wedding party, your bridal shower, baby shower or birthday party.

Bridal Shower's Cupcakes

I made some cupcakes for a bridal shower party this weekend.  The theme colors of the shower are grey, deep purple, and rosy pink.  Normally, majority of couples would use the same colors on their invitation, and that would be a good source for the baker to mix the right colors for making the decoration.  I had a little challenge this time that I didn't have this source because the couple were having a very unique theme on their invitation and they didn't use any of these colors on it.  I just need to use a little imagination for mixing the colors based on what I have been told from my client.  They turned out lovely!  And I hope my client and her guests love them.

Tux and bridal dress cupcake toppers just for the bride.

The first name and last name of the groom to be starts with J,
and the first name of the bride also starts with J.  I made this monogram for them.

A color matching flower bouquet

Little love birds said "we do"

For the fondant, I also embrace some flower pattern on the fondant
to make them look more elegant and detail.

One dozen of our classic flavor cupcakes (this is our red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting)
 is only $20 dollars for the first time customers
(regular price is $25 for a dozen).