Happy Halloween

My husband and I are having a Halloween party tonight and of course I decided to make some cupcakes and decorate the apartment some. I knew I wanted to do Halloween cupcakes, but I also knew that I didn't want to do to elaborate cupcakes because we would also be decorating and I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time.

One of the main and favorite candies of Halloween is Candy Corn so I wanted to go with that theme. I also knew that what I was wanting to do would be extremely simple but also really cute. Sometimes simple is the way to go.

I had actually bought some orange icing since it's Halloween. I found it at Wal-Mart and thought I would buy that instead of having to make my own orange icing. I then mixed my yellow icing and had bought an extra can of white fluffy icing. I then put the icing into separate baggies. This is one of the best and easiest ways to pipe icing. All you do is just spoon the icing into the baggy and cut the corner to whatever size you are wanting, and then pipe it out. It's also a very messy free way to pipe icing because when you are done you just toss the baggy in the trash and you're done.

Once I put all the icings into separate baggies I then started to ice the cupcakes. I started with the yellow and then the orange and then the white to make it resemble a candy corn. These cupcakes have more icing on them than others I have done so it's a treat for icing lovers :)

I thought I would also put a few pictures of our decorations. I love the Holidays because it's a great reason to decorate your home. I hope you are enjoying the Holidays just as much as we are! The last note I would like to leave with with is HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It's All In The Details

So, usually my blogs are ALL about cupcakes. But I feel like I have put so much emphasis on the cupcakes themselves that I have left out one of the most important parts! Cupcake liners are often overlooked, but they can make or break the look of your cupcake. There are many ways you can incorporate cupcake liners into your designs.

You can buy some amazingly fun and beautiful cupcake liners. Of course you could always stick with the classic and simple white liner, but why not try something new? You can get all varieties of solid-colored liners and also liners with interesting patterns. These different liners can go a long way in making your cupcakes even more fun!

Here's an example. Last weekend I made some of my peacock cupcakes for a bridal luncheon. I could have easily used a simple white liner for the cupcakes, and they would have looked great! But because one of the bride's main colors was gold, I went to Michael's and found some gold liners. These really completed the look of the cupcake and gave me a product I was really proud of!

Now, not only do you have the option of solid or patterned liners, you can also get themed liners! These are especially fun and popular for holiday seasons like 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. You can even get Valentine's or Birthday cupcake liners! These are really good for turning simple cupcakes into fun party pleasers! You can get these themed liners almost anywhere during specific holiday seasons. I've seen them at Walmart, Target, Michael's, and other grocery stores.

The best place to get all of these specialty cupcake liners would be your local Michael's or a baking supply store. Liners may seem like a small detail, but they really impact your cupcakes and the look of your final product. Cupcake liners are a great example of the true statement, "It's all in the details!"

Sunshine & Rainbows

Sugar and spice

and everything nice

that's what little girls are made of

Sunshine and rainbows

and ribbons for hair bows

that's what little girls are made of

Tea parties, laces

and baby doll faces

that's what little girls are made of

I was asked to make 100 mini baby shower cupcakes for a lady that I go to church with. They wanted something fun, but not actual baby shower themed cupcakes. They wanted something a little more mature and bright and with a color scheme that matched the baby's bedding.

I had made these flower cupcakes a few times before, and then decided to put something else fun with it. You can't get more fun than polka dots and stripes! I was told the color scheme and started from there.

I have begun working more with fondant lately, so that's what I decided to use for the polka dots and the stripes. I need to say thanks to my wonderful husband, because I began making the flower cupcakes out of marshmallows and decorating sugar while he was so kind to knead the fondant for me. It was definitely a whole day's task since we were dealing with 100 mini cupcakes.

I started with the flowers and decided to use pink and orange decorating sugar for the petals. I thought those two colors would match the same color fondant the best. Once I was finished putting the marshmallow flower petals on the cupcakes, I added a yellow M&M for the center of the flower.

I then began working on the striped cupcakes. My husband and I rolled the fondant out really thin and cut out thin stripes of each color. One of the best ways to cut the fondant is with a ruler and a pizza cutter. I know that sounds strange, but it is true! We placed all the stripes on different plates arranged by color. I first iced the cupcakes with whipped vanilla icing and then began putting the stripes on the cupcakes. I mixed up the color stripes to make it more fun.

Lastly, I started on the polka dots. I've found out the best way to make different size circles is find random things around your house to make them. I used the top of a sharpie marker to make this specific circle. No worries, I washed it before I used it :) I cut pink and yellow circles out of the fondant to make the polka dots. I iced 12 mini cupcakes with green icing and 12 mini cupcakes with orange icing. Then I finished by adding the polka dots to each cupcake.

When these cupcakes were put together they ended up being some of the cutest cupcakes I've ever made. I absolutely love being a part of people's lives in this way. If I can put a smile on someone's face with a cupcake, then I know I have done my job well :)

Nine Little Ladybugs

My mom and my sister have always loved ladybugs. Because of their love for ladybugs, I also love ladybugs and I think that anything that has a ladybug on it is cute. Ladybugs bring about a happy side of people- especially girls who are afraid of bugs! When they see a ladybug it's completely different than seeing a roach or a centipede. I speak from first hand experience :) I made these thinking of my mom and sister and hoping they would like them.

These cupcakes are mini cupcakes. The actual ladybugs are made of fondant. I mixed the white fondant with red and black. It took quite a while to get the exact color I was wanting, but by being patient I finally got the colors I wanted. I rolled little red balls for the body and smaller black balls for the heads. Once I was done with that I stuck the heads to the bodies. I put a little icing on the heads so they would stick better to the bodies. I then drew the dots on the red bodies with Food Writer (edible colored markers). Don't worry, I promise I didn't use a sharpie :)

Once the ladybugs were finished I began piping the icing on the mini cupcakes. I cut a very tiny hole in a freezer bag and piped straight up so the green icing looked similar to grass. When I finished the grass I simply placed the ladybugs on the cupcakes and they were finished!

I sent the picture to both my mom and sister and they both really liked them. To be able to hear that they liked the cupcakes made my day!

A small speckled visitor

Wearing a crimson cape

Brighter than a cherry

Smaller than a grape

A polka-dotted someone

Walking on my wall

A black-hooded lady

In a scarlet shawl.

~Joan Walsh Anglund

Camp Scrap meets Faith Hope & Cupcakes

Last Friday night, Second Baptist Church here in Springfield held an event called Camp Scrap! I noticed a few weeks prior to this that they were in need of baked goods for the evening. So, naturally, I knew that Faith Hope & Cupcakes had to get involved!

I decided that for this event I would do mini cupcakes because that way more people could have a sample. Also, this gave me the chance to try out a couple new designs I had been thinking of. I decided to go with Ladybugs, two kinds of flowers, pumpkins, plain with sprinkles, and finally holly. After all who doesn't love a little Christmas in October...or any time of the year really :) All in all I made 53 mini cupcakes.

After delivering the cupcakes successfully, my husband and I went on a date to Macaroni Grill. But the whole time all I could think about was how people were liking my cupcakes! I consider them my children almost, because I spend so much time on making them perfect. Eventually a friend texted me to let me know that the cupcakes were a hit. They were all gone within the first hour and the ladies wanted to know where they came from. It turned out to be a great night for both Camp Scrap and Faith Hope & Cupcakes!

I can't wait 'til the next Camp Scrap comes around :)