beautydetermined

So, I’M ALIVE!  Back from the no-cupcake land.  Well, not really… I’ve actually been baking on and off the past few months… just not like crazy.town.cupcake.style.

Wowzers, time flies when you life completely turns around. The past 4 months have been a whirlwind. I sadly had to decline or cancel almost 3 dozen orders between August and this week. Why, you ask?  Mainly, my new job and newbie training period, and my life adjusting in general with a new schedule… my 30th! week-long birthday shenanigans, new AMAZING busy job, Rochester New York, beach trip, ups and downs of a learning a new industry, co-ed softball team, training and running my 2nd half marathon, and Thanksgiving.

That pretty much catches me up to our life!  I made the cupcakes below so long ago that it almost took me a second to remember who I actually baked and decorated these beauties for… Miss Gorgeous Kasey in August!

We decided on chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with a mix of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate frostings topped with little frilly pink bows and flowers. I wanted the chrystanthemums to look alive… some fully opened, others awakening, some closed… pink as can be!

I really loved making these toppers even though they took almost a week to complete. The bows are ridiculously cute and the flowers added a special girly touch. Thank you Kasey for inviting me to be a part of your friend’s Baby Shower! Congratulations to her on the amazing path to motherhood.

Cheers to me blogging again! More to come… it’s the holidays of course! You know I have some projects up my sleeve.

XOXO

How precious! I love the strawberry swirled frosting with little pink pearls. Perfect for any occasion!

This is definitely going to be one of my favorite posts this year. Elizabeth was my realization that I was on PINTEREST! She found me on PINTEREST! I was shocked… flattered… excited… HOW COOL!

Social media is key future entreprenauers… Embrace it now!

Elizabeth lives in Raleigh and stumbled upon my blog through a PIN of my Wolfpack Gender Reveal cupcakes. She contacted me through my blog and ordered cupcakes for a friend’s bridal luncheon a couple of weekends ago. Her request was very simple… strawberry cupcakes with toppers that matched their flowery invites.

Light pink… dark purple… royal blue… flowers…

I wanted the flowers to be soft even though they had such a bold pop of color. I love the purple roses!

So sweet! Thank you Elizabeth for thinking about me for your friend’s special celebration. Best wishes to her!

Cheers to Pinterest and happy PINNING!

XOXO

Super cute idea for a baby shower, right? Susan Heuser ordered cupcakes for a Baby #2 baby shower a few weeks ago… hence, the ROUND 2 Boxing theme.

Little BOY on his way!

I had several other orders that morning, so Susan thought that a mix would work best for her friend’s shower… vanilla/vanilla, chocolate/chocolate, and cookies and cream with a marshmallow filling. YUM!

I made little boxing gloves with tiny stars on them… some were paired with another glove… others were put on top of POW stars… check out the ones below!

Don’t you love the BABY piped letters?

Thank you again Susan for thinking about me on your friend’s special day. I hope everyone loved the cupcakes!

XOXO

EKK! So cute! I know I always say that my latest toppers are my favorites, BUT these are so adorable. They can be my favorites too, right?

Ladybugs for Miss Tate, the 1 year old birthday girl! Tammy, Tate’s gorgeous Mama ordered lots of different flavor combinations with little ladybug toppers for Tate’s guests… and of course a yummy little 4” cake just for Tate to SMASH!

Love them!

Now, let’s not forget that little pink cake with fresh strawberry frosting and a huge ladybug just for Tate!

Happy 1st Birthday Sweet Girl! Hope you had a great day with your family and friends. Thank you Tammy for inviting me to make these for you. I had so much fun creating these little bugs.

XOXO

Get excited for these controversal toppers! Wolfpackers, don’t be too angry or jealous. I can’t rightfully discriminate against Tar Heel fans beacause they simply cheer for the wrong team. I’m a nice NC State fan, so I’m share my talent with everyone. :)

I was honestly excited about making these Carolina Tar Heel toppers against my husband and alumni friends’ wishes. Another great opportunity for a challenge! Dani Stansell (a good friend AND my awesome dentist), graduate of Carolina’s Dentistry program ordered cupcakes for her good friend, Cammie also a graduate of Carolina’s Dentistry program for her baby shower a few weekends ago. True story… they both also studied with Afsaneh Samimi a close High School friend of mine and Melissa Baker, another good friend, while in Carolina’s Dentistry program. Small world, right?

Did you get that? I feel like I should insert a family dentistry tree connected to me. At least, I have lots of loved ones to take care of my teeth… and it helps me not lie about flossing.

OK, moving on! Speaking of teeth… it’s cupcake time!

Like the red versus light blue? The triple monogram toppers were made the same week as the Carolina Blue toppers… funny how that worked out, right?

I cut each Carolina logo out with a pairing knife, which honestly took several hours, but I was so proud once I was done.

And, let’s not forget the Carolina TAR HEEL cupcake toppers! So cute!

Alrighty, I know… enough with the Tar Heel cheer. I just had to share these with you… and for my dear Wolfpackers…

We’re the Red and White from State

And we know we are the best!

A hand behind our back,

We can take on all the rest.

Come over the hill, Caroline.

Devils and Deacs stand in line.

The Red and White from NC State.

GO STATE!!!

Thank you Dani for asking me to make cupcakes for Cammie’s shower! 

Love, your favorite Wolfpacker cupcake lady!

XOXO

So, I’m alive! It’s been a while since I blogged last, but not because I haven’t been baking… just a crazy life and work schedule.

August is one of our busiest months of the entire year. What can I say? Folks like Red Bull and vodka during the summertime. Events… new accounts… bands on outside patios… college kids… MADNESS. I am also well into my half marathon training. YAY! My goal is to have a much faster race. I’m not sure HOW fast at the point, but I’ve been working on speed drills and hill repeats during the week to strengthen my legs. Funny, how I’ll be turning 30 TOMORROW and I finally LOVE my legs.

Co-ed softball started this month! I know… WHAT am I thinking?!

Sorry worry worts, I love being on a baseball field and couldn’t bare thinking about not playing this season. I love the dirt, smells, sweat, sounds… and don’t worry, I was sure to use my ankle brace as a precaution. Goodness knows we don’t want me super depressed again and not moving.

Are you finally ready to see my baking world has looked like the past few weekends? You may have already seen a few photos on my Facebook wall, but these cupcakes were for a friend of a friend. Remember Miss Julia Painter, my old Wisdom co-worker? Her friend, Morgan Brinkley ordered cupcakes for their mutual friends’ Engagement Party. They sent me the cutest pictures of the cupcakes displayed at their celebration.

Check the up-close shots I took!

Cookies and Cream cupcakes with marshmallow filling topped with mini Oreo’s!

Triple Monogram toppers! Morgan used to work at a monogram shop, so she was a great help in making sure they were perfect. :)

Cute little engagement rings! These were so cute in person! I don’t think the photo gives them justice.

The rest of the cupcakes were a mix of chocolate and vanilla combinations, so that everyone could enjoy them. Isn’t it funny, how most people are simple cupcake eaters?! I’m itching for some wild flavor combo requests.

So sweet! Happy Engagement to your friends, Morgan and Julia! Thank you again Morgan for inviting me to be a part of your friends’ special day.

I’m back blogging world!

XOXO

Introducing my latest animal creation! Miss Zebra!!!

Love her. She’s SOOO stinking cute.

Kasey, who won my Girls on the Run donation cashed in on her cupcakes the other week. She needed baby shower cupcakes for a friend that was having a little shower at work. The invitations had different animals on it and apparently the “Mama-to-be” Brandi loves purple zebra print! I went back and forth on a couple of different ideas and designs, but finally came up with these fabulous baby shower cupcakes for Kasey…

Ohh, you KNOW what’s 1st!

MONKEYSSS eating buttercream frosting!

Sweet purple elephants with a pearly pink flower!

And, how about those zebras!?  

Perfectly accompanied by little purple bows and zebra print toppers!  

I really had a blast making these for Kasey and Brandi. We had a nice mix of flavors… chocolate with vanilla/almond frosting, chocolate with strawberry frosting, vanilla with vanilla, and vanilla with strawberry frosting. Just enough for everyone to pick a favorite!

Brandi sent me a very sweet email after her shower that I had to share… she really made my day:

“Emily, I HAD to send you a personal thank you for the cupcakes Kasey brought to my baby shower. I’m sure she told you, or will when she has a chance, but we were all RAVING not only about your artistic talent, but how DELICIOUS the cupcakes were!! They were outstanding and I greatly appreciate the time and thoughtfulness that went into those. Thanks again!!”

Brandi, you’re why I love what I do. THANK YOU! Congratulations and best wishes!!!

XOXO

Sweet Elena Rae Ruelhman turned 2 the other week!  She’s a curly blonde haired, blue-eyed party rocker that LOVES music… and cake.

Kelly, one of my good friends that I met while working at Patsy Aiken Designs (super cute local children’s clothing company)… emailed me a few weeks ago about making cupcakes and a small cake for Elena’s Big Birthday Bash.  

Elena loves to dance, so Kelly really wanted to stick to a music theme… drums… pianos or keyboards… music notes… guitars… pink, lime, and turquoise! Strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla flavor combos!  

Well, not only do I love the Ruelhmans, bit we all know I’m a music junkie dancer when I’ve had too much to drink too, so I was super excited about making these for the Ruelhmans…

DRUMS with drumsticks on chocolate cupcakes with fresh strawberry buttercream frosting!

KEYBOARDS on basic vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting! I pipped “Elena” at the top in pink and added a little flower blossom on the left. Super cute, right? These definitely are some of my very favorite toppers to date.

Party Rocking PINK GUITARS! Love these! They topped more chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting as well as some chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla/almond buttercream frosting.  

I loved that the little “2” toppers matched everything! They seemed to bring the colors together and add a touch of softness to these rock and roll instruments.

Now, for the pink music notes with tiny flower blossom adornments!

I smoothed out the vanilla buttercream frosting and pipped lots of different little pink music notes.

So sweet… they brought me back to my terrible violin and piano days. My poor musically gifted mother thought that surely, ONE of her children would be talented in the music department. NOPE. Definitely NOT ME. Art and math were my specialties! Sorry Mom. I even gave chorus a shot and somehow I thought I was even good enough to try out for Select Chorus in my New Jersey High School. FAIL. FAIL. FAIL.

Moving along… of course, this day in Raleigh North Carolina was almost 105, so my afternoon and travels to Kelly’s house in our June heat wave was brutal. I made the toppers earlier in the week, but they still had a tough time holding shape in the heat once I got them in the car and to Kelly’s.  Since the strawberry buttercream was whipped and has fresh strawberries, I was very worried they wouldn’t make it.

I “cooled” down my Civic for 20 minutes blasting the air-conditioning. I know I know, not good for an engine on a 100+ day, but it’s in the name for cupcakes people and I drive a Honda, so you know that Japanese baby will run until the windows are falling out, the seats are ripped, and police start profiling me since my windows are tinted and my bumpers will probably be hanging off.

At the last minute before leaving my house, I decided to grab an extra half dozen of cupcakes that were extra from my orders that morning. What if a few DID melt into huge blobs of buttery sugar??? This way I was covered!

Let’s see how they turned out… Elena’s special cookies and cream cake included!

YUM YUM YUM! I want a chocolate cupcake with strawberry frosting right now. Don’t those look awesome?! I was very happy these turned out so well. Gotta love a 2 year old that’s all about music…

AND CUPCAKES!

Face plant! Thanks Kelly for inviting me to be a part of your family’s special day and letting me steal this picture off Facebook. Elena is such a sweet girl and we’re lucky to have you and Rob in our lives. Happy Birthday to an adorable little girl! We need to hang out again soon!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

XOXO

I’ve been craving these babies since I sunk my teeth into them a couple of weeks ago. 

Yesss, I make other things besides cake and cupcakes! I used to make WAY more cookies before the cupcake craze took over. Last year, I would usually bake a different batch of cookies every week - freeze half the dough - feed our family, friends, and co-workers - then get really fat.

Not this year! It’s all about the cupcakes and staying in shape while trying not to shove spoonfuls of frosting in my mouth before dinner. 

I didn’t have extra cupcakes from my marathon baking weekend when we had separate dinner plans with family and friends the other week. I haven’t made whoopie pies in FOREVER and thought that this would also be a great change to perfect my Lemon Buttercream Frosting.

Honestly, these were some of the most incredible pieces of heaven I’ve ever put in my mouth. I made a cake like lemon cookie that was crispy on the outside and amazingly moist on the inside. Almost like a macaroon.  

I whipped up the lightest, fluffiest batch of lemon buttercream frosting and smeared one side of the cookies with frosting then paired it with a friend that matched in size.  

I couldn’t get enough. I know I gained 5 lbs that week. I couldn’t even bring myself to put a few in a baggie for the office.

BAD, but OH so good. Every lemony bite made me super excited for the rest of summer. Lemon is a very nostalgic flavor for me. Lea’s and Mom’s Lemon Meringue pies, my Dad who loves lemon anything, lemonade, baseball parks, etc… I love it and really couldn’t get enough of these cookies.

Yum, who’s eating cookies for breakfast this morning? I’ll be sure to post this SIMPLE SIMPLE SIMPLE easy recipe next time. I actually made up this one.

I WANT A WHOOPIE PIE NOWWWWW.

XOXO

Wowzers! Where does the time go? I haven’t updated my New Years Resolutions since early April, so I figured it was time to re-evaluate…

1.)  Curve saying “F”!   

FAIL. Emily M’Alana Jesserer is a dirty dirty dirty sailor. Surely I say “F” more than “the”…

What is WRONG with me? I’m only able to tone in down in front of babies and children (phew), my elders, and customers (phew again).

2.)  Run a half marathon!

BOOM BOOM and BOOM. I ran my first half in April… slowly, but I finished it.

Even in over 100 degree weather, I’m already training for my 2nd one and can’t wait to beat my time this Fall.

3.)  Stay in shape!

I lost 14lbs this Spring and have only gained a couple of pounds since then. Our vacations to the beach, Europe, and the emotional toll of losing Beans had me devouring way more sugar than I would normally intake. I’m back on track as of last week - running 3 days/week, 1 or 2 gym days, and a healthy diet, so I have the extra free calories to taste test my cupcake creations on the weekends.

4.)  More art work!

FONDANT toppers! I really can’t say that this ISN’T creative or art work, but I would love to get a few painting projects or house DIYs going. I’ve decided that I’m not going to pressure myself right now, because I have enough on my plate… however, art would make good Christmas gifts.

5.)  Read more!  

Slowly, but surely I’m getting back into books, magazines, and novels. I still put more time into reading the news, baking blogs, and reports for work, but the summer always helps catch me up on some decent literature.

6.)  Tyler!

We’ve actually had some really nice date nights lately… cooking dinner at home, walking to get gelato, movie nights with good friends, snuggle time, vacations… I just wish we could spend every weekend together like most other couples. With Tyler’s schedule, it’s hard for us to have ONE full-day together and most people don’t understand that we aren’t able to see each other as often as we’d like… SO, that’s why we try to have little mini-date nights throughout the week… even if that requires Tyler’s help with fondant toppers.  ;)

Ahh, so that feels good. Almost like cleaning out a closet. Now if only I could stop saying “F”. Maybe when we have kids? Ugh, I hope! I don’t want to be the parent whose baby’s first word is “sh*t” or “f”. 

How are you guys coming along with New Year’s Resolutions? Do you even remember them? What’s your ONE goal this year? You have time!

xoxo

Sweet Baby Girl Lila Baldwin celebrated her 1st Sacrament last month with her parents, family and Godparents. Michelle and Alex had Lila baptized in the Roman Catholic Church opening her door to a spiritual life, becoming a member of Christ and the Christian community, and incorporating her with the Church…

And you know what they needed?

Cupcakes!

These precious little white crosses fondly bring me back to my Catholic upbringing. They remind me of my first Bible, my Holy Communion, my years of parochial school, and Sundays in Church with my family.

I am the oldest of 5 and probably misbehaved the most in Church. I would squeeze the ever-living hell out of my brother or sisters’ hand while saying the Lord’s Prayer just so they would squeak a scream or bite me back. I never really got in trouble for that too… they were ALWAYS scolded.

Watch out my future oldest. I will know your ways.

Check out the rest of the Baptism toppers! My first designs and creations for such a special occasion…

I was very honored to make and decorate these for the Baldwin Family. As always, Michelle was easy-going about toppers and flavors. She really didn’t have a preference and basically told me whatever I decided and had time for would be perfect.

Lucky enough, I know their favorite flavor combos, so I was sure to have plenty of each… and of course, I had to create toppers for Lila!

Thank you Baldwin Family for inviting me to add some sugar-buttery love to your celebration. Congratulations Lila and God Bless.

xoxo

Finding time to make fondant cupcake toppers seems to be a dying trade for me. Work is super busy and requires a lot of extra drive-time for me, which means I get home later and later… I’m running consistently again since my half marathon in April, which means not only do I fight evening hours to make toppers, but also Saturday baking mornings when I need a long run… I love my family and friends, so I want to hang out with them as much as possible too…

BUT I love making fondant toppers! I finally have a weekly creative “art” project, which I’ve been secretly longing for years. Making toppers is the challenge I need, BUT I just need to reasonably make sure I have enough time in the week to get them done.

Designing little animals takes time, but is one of my favorite fondant projects. Check out these animals from Xavier’s 1st birthday a few weekends ago! 

Pandas and Giraffes in the making!  

Alexis wanted basic flavor combos for Xavier’s party - chocolate/chocolate, chocolate/vanilla, and vanilla/vanilla with little pandas, giraffes, and #1s. She also needed a little  6” cake for Xavier!

I LOVE THESE GIRAFFES! I get to make them again this week! The Pandas are a nice added animal to my fondant art. Don’t you love his face? 

And, get ready for BIG PANDA!

So sweet! The Wyatts had the most beautiful afternoon for an outdoor 1st birthday party for Xavier… a gorgeous North Carolina blue sky day without it being 100 degrees.  

Look at this adorable baby! He is seriously one of the cutest kids I’ve ever seen in my entire life. 

Alexis thought that his cake was too pretty to SMASH, so Xavier got a Panda cupcake for destruction instead. 

Don’t you just want to smooch those cheeks? Thank you Alexis for sending me the pictures of Xavier, supporting my crazy cupcake empire, and inviting us to be a part of your family’s special day. 

Happy Happy Birthday to Xavier! 

XOXO