beautydetermined

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

We love the Wyatts! 

It all started with ME. Just kidding, it probably started with Joe, because he talks more than I do. Seriously. 

Joe started working at Wisdom Beverage a few months after I did in 2008 and we became fast friends. Over the years, our families have met and also became great buddies. Hayden and Joe started working together in 2009, which strengthened the Jesserer/Dean/Wyatt bond and of course, helps me keep tabs on my brother.  :)

We have good laughs, support one another in life decisions, and always say that we wish we could spend more time with each other.

I was super excited when Alexis asked for me to make Joe’s birthday cupcakes for his SURPRISE birthday party. Golf… 30s… Js… Cookies and Cream… Vanilla… got it!

Hayden and Nancy were coming in from Greensboro and Tyler had made sure to have that afternoon off just so we could join in on the Joe Wyatt Birthday shenanigans. 

All week before Joe’s surprise party, he talked about cupcakes. He kept asking if I would have extra cupcakes or if I was baking that weekend, because his birthday was coming up. He knew some friends were coming into town, but had NO CLUE Alexis was throwing him a huge surprise party and already talking with me about birthday cupcakes.  

“JOE! Of course, I’ll have some birthday cupcakes! I’ll call you this weekend! We’ll have to meet up sometime on Saturday or Sunday.”

SURPRISEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

How does 30 feel old man? I still have over a month to go. Hehe. 

Baking cupcakes that morning was awesome. Coming home from Europe and baking 2 days later for a fun occasion was a great feeling. I didn’t skip a beat!  

Aww, super surprised Joe hugging his awesome wife, Alexis. Too cute! 

Thank you Alexis for the pictures. They’re great! Happy 30th Birthday Joe Wyatt!

We love you!

XOXO

Julia Painter is one of my old Wisdom Beverage co-workers. She started working out of Wisdom’s main office High Point (now Winston-Salem) office a few months after I came on board in 2008. At the time, I managed our Non-Traditional market out of Durham and only saw Julia at statewide team wine meetings. When I started to manage our Red Bull On-Premise business for the company a few years ago, I was able to get to know and be-friend Julia through ride-withs, Red Bull happenings, and weekly meetings.

Julia has moved on to bigger and better places, but luckily enough now works for RNDC out of the Greensboro area, so we can still catch-up on life AND work together on events and promotions in the market… and of course, order cupcakes!

Julia emailed me while I was in Europe asking if I was free to bake cupcakes for a friend’s upcoming bridal shower in High Point. She wanted chocolate cupcakes with some sort of monogram as the topper, but really wasn’t looking for a crazy cupcake. 

She really wanted a cream cheese frosting for the chocolate cupcakes and periwinkle color for the toppers. We went back and forth on monogram ideas trying to find the perfect design. She really loved a ceratin curly cue M, but needed a K… immediately, I was on the hunt!

I found the most perfect K to use and then recommended that some of the cupcakes had a chocolate frosting since not everyone is a fan of cream cheese.

BAM! Bridal cupcakes ready for a gorgeous Saturday morning! 

Now, let’s talk about this baking morning for a second.

-This was my first real Saturday back after a full-busy week at work running a route every day in Greensboro since we had been back from Europe.

-I had 3 other important detailed orders that day.

-Somehow I had to get Julia’s cupcakes to Greensboro.

Let’s talk about my pre-plan for this morning.

-I had worked on toppers every night after coming home from Greensboro. Still wasn’t enough prep-time, but the attempt was there.

-Woke up at 3am that morning. Still not early enough.

-Grocery shopped several days ahead and scheduled out everything I would need to do in preparation for Saturday. Still not enough time for everything.

-Originally, I was going to try and get Julia’s cupcake order to her on Friday evening. There was no way that was happening!

Looked at Tyler on Saturday morning aka his ONLY day off that week in the midst of tears and asked kindly if he would drive cupcakes to Julia in Greensboro. He didn’t even blink before saying “Yes”.

Folks, I am a lucky wife. This husband of mine may possibly fart more than any other human-being on the planet, not shut the door when he uses the bathroom while stinking up the entire house, make an ass of himself in front of family and friends and completely embarrass me, and refuse to do any yard work at all, BUT he absolutely loves me more than anything in this world… and I’d take embarrassment of insane Tyler any day, because I love him even more.

Ok, ok… enough mussy stuff.

Tyler pulled it out for the team and headed to Greensboro while I worked on the rest of my orders!

A couple hours later, I received several sweet photo texts from Julia:

“The cupcakes look so great! Thank you so much! You are fabulous :)”

Gah, those hydrangeas are gorgeous! I love how they matched the cupcake toppers. Thank you again Julia for inviting me to be a part of your friend’s bridal shower! 

YOU are the fabulous one!

XOXO

When I was in Europe, I received a sweet email from Melanie Taylor, a good friend of Ashley Bitting (one of my favorite cupcake empire supporters and great friend from HS)… asking if I was interested in making gender reveal cupcakes for their upcoming party with family and friends.

Umm, OF COURSE!

Melanie and her husband are expecting their first baby this year!  I could feel her excitement in her email and couldn’t wait to get started. I thought it would be pretty neat to be one of the first people to know what they were having too.

Gender reveal parties are on the rage! Parents-to-be basically do one of 2 things; find out the gender of their baby at the doctor’s office then surprise their families and friends at a party OR they don’t find out until they are in finding out when their guests are as well.  

Light blue or pink colored fillings for cakes, cupcakes, or cake pops! Opening a huge box of balloons like my friend, Ashley! She and her husband, Aaron actually found out WITH their family and friends. Check out their cute video here:  http://cuffedforlife.tumblr.com/post/10442560285/the-balloon-reveal-where-aaron-and-i-found-out

AND here:  http://cuffedforlife.tumblr.com/post/10313466392/everyone-finally-knows-its-a-boyyyyy

Melanie and her husband found out together then texted me with the results, so they could surprise their family at a party later that night. I love this! That way, you have that special moment with your partner THEN have another special moment with your loved ones. You guys all know I love a reason to celebrate.

When Melanie first emailed me, she mentioned easy stuff - question marks and filling - check, got that!

On Melanie’s 2nd email with more details, she and Ashley had been wracking their brains for something different. Both being WOLFPACKERS and graduates of NC State University, also my proud alumni… Melanie wanted little Mr. and Mrs. Wuf faces!

Awesome!

Now, how in the world was I going to make those?  Good thing I had a week to think about it while I was in Europe…

EKKK, Wolfpackers… GET EXCITED! Tar Heel fans, stop drinking Haterade… you know you’re just super jealous, but think these are awesome too.

Vanilla cupcakes with dyed red buttercream frosting topped with Mrs. Wuf.

Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting topped with Mr. Wuf.

And of course we still needed some question mark cupcakes! I smoothed out the buttercream and topped them with little pretty red question marks.

Congratulations to Melanie and her hubby! They’re expecting a baby boy future Wolfpacker in just a few months. Thank you again for asking me to be part of your special day!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PACK!

XOXO

p.s. whose ordering Wolfpack cupcakes for football season?!