Valentine Treats

I was helping my daughter put together Valentine treats for her classmates, when I remembered how one of my coworkers many years ago (at a different establishment), would bake these glorious pieces of cream cheese heaven in cookie form for us every Christmas. Since I was already in the giving spirit, I decided I would do the same for my co-workers as a Valentine's treat and add my own spin to the presentation. In order to make them more festive, I rolled up the dough into little balls and placed in mini cupcake liners and baked them all together on a cookie sheet. It was a MAJOR time saver, as I was able to bake more at a time this way. Once they were out of the oven, I decorated them with heart-shaped candy sprinkles. They were so cute to look at! The consistency was a little different than what I was used to, though. When baked directly on a cookie sheet, they turn out a bit more airy. Having baked them on cupcake liners made them a bit more dense, but it didn't compromise the taste in any way. On the contrary, they generated lots of smiles and compliments for the chef (me!) at the office on Valentine's morning.

Leslie, if you're reading this, I just want to say thank you! The tradition you started years ago, lives on.
PS - You can find the recipe here.

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Hooray for Owl Doodles, Prints, and Patterns

Owls and owl doodles, aren't they the cutest thing ever? They're so much fun to draw, fun to look at and fun to wear. And now they're also fun to eat. Owl fondant cake, anyone? Yes please!

Food, Cake and Styling: Sweet Sugar Treats
Photo: Nomie Boutique Stationery

I find myself swooning over this gorgeous owl cake I stumbled upon over at the Amy Atlas blog. Isn't it beautiful? Makes me wish my little girl was still a preschooler so I could plan her next birthday party to have an owl theme. She'll be nine this summer. She wants bigger things now, like going to water parks, steak dinners and vacations in Hawaii. Ha! She's quite a dreamer with an adventurous heart.

But going back to the "owl" subject, let me also share with you the lovely pattern on my impulse purchase of the week...

I picked up this adorable owl doodle notebook (yay!) on clearance (double yay!) at Target the other night. It now livens up my work space, in the otherwise very beige office I share with my boss. He's very clean and masculine as far as decor goes, so we keep the office clear and neutral. However, during work hours, my desk usually displays several splashes of color starting with the red Etch A Sketch I keep near my computer, color gel pens, a pink binder where I keep my reference sheets, and now this piece of functional art that inspires and ignites my creativity with just a glance.

Any more owl fans out there?


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"El Chavo del Ocho" Birthday Cake

My amazingly talented high school BFF made this fabulous fondant cake last weekend for a kid's birthday party. If you grew up in, or around, a Latino community you'll quickly recognize this face from the popular Mexican sitcom "El Chavo del 8" (chavo means kid in Spanish). All the children in the show were played by adults, and Chavo (shown below) was the main character, a mischievous 8 year old orphan, who frequently hid in a barrel that sat in the patio of the apartment complex they lived in. The show featured family-oriented humor, depicting odd and funny situations the neighborhood kids got themselves into.

About my friend, now. She's been saying for the past year or so that she won't be baking anymore. "It's too much work" "I love it, but I don't like washing the dishes when I'm done" and "This is the last one..." Thank goodness she only says that in between gigs. Ha, ha! She's self-taught and so very talented. It would be sin a to keep all that talent to herself, right?


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Elmo and Cookie Monster birthday cakes

My high school BFF is so talented. She baked and decorated these cakes for her nephew's birthday this weekend. They were yummy too!

Hmmm...wait a minute. Ha! The little cupcakes look like the ghosts from the Pac Man video games, don't they? Hee, hee.
You know what would have completed the party decor? These Sesame Street party hats I found on Etsy a while back. All too cute!
 
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Scallop Circle Paper Punch for DIY Cupcake Toppers

Somebody recently asked me where I purchased my paper shapers to make cupcake toppers. You'll find them in any of the large craft stores, but if you don't have time to go around town looking for craft supplies, you can buy them at Amazon in a variety of sizes!
If you need a little guidance as to the size of the punch, here are a few tips:
I use the...

• 2-Inch Scallop Circle Paper Punch by EK Success
  to make standard size cupcake toppers, as well as making labels/gift tags, decorating paper cups, making napkin rings, paper garland, etc. These are great to use with my 1.5 round stickers! Just peel the sticker and adhere to the center of your scallop circle, no need for you to do any printing.
• 3-Inch Scallop Circle Paper Punch by EK Success
  for larger cupcakes, cake toppers, centerpieces, mini-banners and other crafts.

They are so easy to use, and you'll get so much out of them. One little tool in a variety of sizes can bring out the creative genius in you!

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Parisian Cupcake Toppers / Food Flags

These little guys have been such a hit on my Etsy shop! I had closed the shop for a couple of months while I adjusted to my new schedule, but I've reopened and added these again. I usually make these to order, and because I do work full-time, it usually takes me about 3 business days from the date of purchase to ship the order. These will go great on a cheese platter, fruit, or cupcakes. Order yours today!

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How to Make Cupcake Toppers - 3 Easy Steps!

Here's one of the easiest ways to make cupcake toppers! Don't bother purchasing a printable file which requires you to have computer knowledge and access to a color printer. In many cases, you'll also have to buy a whole ream of white card stock to use only a few sheets. Eliminate those steps - here's how...

{Supplies} You'll need:
a) Round stickers, measuring 1.5 inches.
I used these from my shop, other designs available, 20 per sheet, 24 hr shipping.
b) Color card stock to match your stickers
c) 2" scallop hole punch
e) 4" lollipop sticks
c) E-6000 Adhesive

Step 1: Punch out your scallop circles from the color card stock.
Step 2: Attach a sticker in the center of each scallop circle.
Step 3: Glue the lollipop sticks on the back to make cupcake toppers.
You can omit step 3 step to use the party circles for gift tags, to decorate napkin rings, beverage cups and more.
Step 4: Enjoy!

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Cake Pops

I'm so excited! Bakerella's book on Cake Popsis finally out on the market! For those of you who are not yet familiar with these artistic little edibles, they're actually cake on a stick (giving them a lollipop effect), which you can shape as any character imaginable. In this book Bakerella shares her secrets, tips and recipes. Can't wait to add this book to my collection!


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Owl be at your party!

I found this adorable cake today that I thought would match perfectly with my Cute Owls stationery collection! The cake was created by an Australian baker called Sharon Wee who specializes in the custom creation of baked treats for special occasions.

So far, my Owls stationery collection only encompasses weddings, but pretty soon, there will be other templates available in my store for you to customize them for baby showers and birthdays. That's one thing I love about owls...they fit any occasion any time of the year!

Felt Birds Cupcake Toppers

Felt bird toppers by Gifts Define.

I'm a sucker birds and cupcakes.
When I see them together, it's absolute joy.