you want fries with that

i have seen burger cupcakes done so many ways, but i love them all. they are perfect for a cookout, which is the very reason i made them myself. usually i try to come up with my own ideas, but this one was too cute to resist. i took bits and pieces from others and added a few of my own touches - here is the result. they were definitely a hit!

make a wish

mommadew - creator of the name cupadewdledew - is always so good about sending us a treat for every holiday! typically the package includes a card with a sweet note and some of our favorite candy. but for easter this year she included an extra treat for me, these adorable candles. they are now happily sitting on my cupcake stand in the china cabinet, the perfect home for these forever cupcakes. thank you mommadew!!!

a spring how to

on easter sunday we attended a brunch and i - of course - brought my signature dish. i wanted to bring something with a spring theme and was inspired while eating rolos to get through the end of the work week. here is a fun how to on spring flowers.

what you will need:

-rolos

-oreos - i suggest double stuf

-fondant - if you don't feel like making your own i suggest duff fondant which can be found at michaels or online - check this post for more details

-cake pop sticks

step one: wrap your rolo (this is optional)

i wanted my rolos to look more like flower pots so by combining red and black fondant i was able to get a color i liked. you could skip this step and just have the rolo as a base

roll out a strip of fondant the width of a rolo and long enough to wrap around. make the fondant as thin as you can without tearing. then wrap around (pressing as you go) just to the point of overlap. cut off the excess. i didn't need any icing on the rolo to hold the fondant but if it won't stay that could help. i then rolled out a thin strip to wrap around the top to complete my flower pot.

step two: add some dirt

twist off one of the oreo cookies. i broke that cookie in half and rubbed together to make the crumbs in a separate bowl. then with a knife use the oreo "stuf" as your icing (you can also use regular icing). cover the top of the rolo and add the oreo crumbs.

step three: bloom

for the stem i used a cake pop stick and dyed it with green food coloring and cut to approximately an inch in length - however i would like to find an edible solution. i typically like my decorations to be 100% edible so i will be on the look out for something sweet to replace the stick.

i then created a bloom with a variety of spring colors. keep the flower simple. i suggest poking a hole into your bloom with the cake pop stick and then remove and add icing to help hold in place. once your flower is assembled stick into the rolo.

using green fondant make some leaves to rest on the dirt. use a little icing underneath to hold in place. 

and there you have it!

happy easter!

last weekend we got together with our friends for an easter potluck in the park. it was a perfect day with great friends and the kiddos! of course i brought the cupcakes - see below. i hope everyone has a great easter weekend.

sweet moves

i received a request from a friend to make cupcakes for his girlfriend's birthday party...when i inquired about heather's (birthday girl) interests i learned she loves dance. she is a dancer herself and her favorite style is hip-hop, so a cupcake theme was established! here is my sweet interpretation of hip-hop...

my dancers taught me a lot about the world of fondant. 1. black fondant can be tricky at times, 2. remember the size of your surface, 3. always think through how it will stand...i really liked how the dancers turned out but they would be better for a cake with a full surface to rest on. unfortunately these moves didn't make it onto the cupcakes, but it was a great experiment!

definitely knew right away that i wanted brights colors that would pop!


one of the details - headphones added to the hip-hop theme

the happy birthday was my first experiment with edible spray paint. i thought it was fun and had a graffiti feel to it. and of course every birthday cake needs a candle to make a wish! i hope it comes true heather!

bno

i have found another reason to keep the blog posts going, bno! lindsey regan thorne of be pretty pulled together some of her favorite "bloggers" for a bloggers night out and i felt honored to be included! it was a great opportunity to meet some new faces in charlotte who all share a love for creativity. our skills and blogs covered styling, interior decorating, graphic design, diy, lifestyle, cupcakes and inspiration galore!

of course i had to bring cupcakes! i thought simple (hand-made) silhouettes with a flower would be very fitting for this meet and greet.

unfortunately i didn't take any pictures during our night out (and these aren't very good because I was in a rush), but check out the other girls posts about the night...

lindsey regan thorne be pretty

two delighted

this new monthly tradition is now at the top of my favorite things list!

on the road - chicago

i can't believe i went an entire week without a post...i promise there is a reason, actually two.

reason #1 - i was out of town for work. as some of you may know, i work in sports/sponsorship marketing and last weekend was the shamrock shuffle 8k in chicago.  this is one of my favorite events, in one of my favorite cities, with an awesome crew and beautiful weather = fantastic weekend! here are a few pictures...

took an early morning trip to visit the bean, which i highly recommend. it is so peaceful without the tourists and it allowed me to get this great picture.

there i am in the bean (with my starbucks of course)

the flowers were all in bloom which made for a very scenic walk through the park

my kicks for the weekend - cupadewdledew pink!!!

my favorite part of the weekend - so inspiring, can't wait for my upcoming half!

of course i couldn't leave chicago without a cupcake taste test, so before it was time to head back south i made a stop into sprinkles. you may recall my post found here - about their cupcake atm (this isn't in chicago yet, so i couldn't give it a test run). i joined the crowd and waited in the line that wrapped around the block. ordered 4 cupcakes, no one needed to know they were all for me and my taste test. check it out below...

from top to bottom, dark chocolate (my favorite!), red velvet & peanut butter chocolate chip

the vanilla cupcake got slighlty damaged during the walk but they were all delicious!!!!

it was a "sweet" weekend, but unfortunately when i got home i was hit with bronchitis. to be honest i don't recall the last time i battled this bug, but boy oh boy did it knock me off my feet. that is the other reason i was forced to a break from the blog.

but no worries i am back!

and before i sign off for the night, i have to send out a thank you to the wanna-be southern belle for taking care of the pup while we were out of town. look how happy she is!