"LOVE" Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to all who participated!

Before I announce the big winner, let me just explain that the comment count shown by Blogger is incorrect and not all comments are even shown (apparently a known issue with Google Blogger).  But rest assured all comments have been captured on my end and their were actually 326 of them.  Sooooo, the big winner was......

Comment #47 - Congratulations Donna!

Donna is the lucky winner of an almost $200 prize package that includes gifts and/or gift certificates from Cakes And Kids, Sassy Soirees Wedding & Event Planning, Elizabeth Alta Jewelry, Skylar Raine, Viv & Co., Maddie Bug, Party Paper Scissors, AddieKae Designs and Piggy Bank Parties.

Donna, please contact me at julie@cakesandkids.com and I will provide you with contact information for all these wonderful vendors so that you can claim your prizes.

Thank you to all of you who participated and a special shout out to all the fantastic vendors :)

{GIVEAWAY} - A Little "LOVE" For Our Fans

We finally reached 3,000 "likes" on our Facebook page - yippee! I am so appreciative of each and every fan :)

So to show you all some love in return, I'm throwing a fantastic Valentine's themed giveaway. Some wonderful sponsors have agreed to donate their products and/or services to one lucky winner - THANK YOU LADIES! Read below to find out what prizes are being offered and how to enter and you could walk away with a total prize package worth almost $200!

The Prizes

From yours truly, a Valentine party pack from Cakes And Kids Too that includes a cupcake kit, paper straws, baker's twine and mini chevron treat bags (retail value of $25.00).  "Like" Cakes And Kids on Facebook.

From Sassy Soirees Wedding & Event Planning, a dozen individually wrapped marshmallow pops customized and color dipped to match your function (retail value of $32.00 - must order before end of May due to heat). "Like" Sassy Soirees on Facebook.

From Elizabeth Alta Jewelry, a $25 gift certificate to their beautiful shop. "Like" Elizabeth Alta Jewelry on Facebook.

From Skylar Raine - accessories for YOU & your home, a $20 gift certificate (select items from their Facebook page). "Like" Skylar Raine on Facebook. Skylar Raine is a new store just launched by the fabulous Laura of Eye Candy Event Details.

From Viv & Co., a lovely Valentine's headband (retail value of $16.00). "Like" Viv & Co. on Facebook.

From Maddie Bug, a custom monogrammed Valentine's Day Onesie or T-shirt (retail value up to $21.00). Sizes come in newborn up to 6T. "Like" Maddie Bug on Facebook.

From Party Paper Scissors and AddieKae Designs, a Valentine's Day package that includes a banner, a set of three Valentine's Day Cards with heart barrettes, a Valentine's Day headband and a necklace (retail value of $37.00). "Like" Party Paper Scissors on Facebook and "Like" AddieKae Designs on Facebook.

From Piggy Bank Parties, a Love Rocks Collection or Sugar Cookie Valentines Collection. You can choose one of their printable Valentine's collections which includes everything you need for a Rockin' or Sweet Valentine's Party (retail value of $12.00). "Like" Piggy Bank Parties on Facebook.

The Rules

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment sharing what your favorite thing is about Valentine's Day (1 entry).
2. Like each vendor's Facebook page (links are above) and leave a comment here when you're done (1 entry for each vendor).
3. Share this giveaway on your Facebook page and leave a comment here that you did (1 entry).
4. Become a follower of this blog and leave a comment here that you did (1 entry).
5. Blog about this giveaway and then leave a comment here with a link to your post (1 entry).

Entries must be submitted by midnight PST on Sunday January 22, 2012 and the winner will be chosen via Random.org. Please leave your email address to be notified if you win. Open to U.S. only (sorry). Thanks for participating and good luck!

Candy Cane Cupcakes

One of my most popular items this holiday season is my Candy Cane Cupcake Kit (shown below) and so I thought I'd share with you a fantastic recipe for Candy Cane Cupcakes to go with this kit.

Start with 3/4 cup of crushed peppermint candy canes and any boxed chocolate cake mix. Make the cake batter according to the directions and then fold in the crushed candy canes at the end. Pour into your cupcake liners and bake for 18-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

This recipe is fantastic when paired with a white chocolate buttercream made as follows:

Ingredients
7 oz white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Instructions
In a large bowl, cream the shortening and butter with an electric mixer and then add the vanilla extract. Gradually add the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go. When you've added all the sugar, the icing will appear dry. Add in the milk and beat at medium speed until the frosting becomes light and fluffy. As a last step, fold in the melted chocolate.

Use a large pastry bag and a round or star tip (try my Cupcake Frosting Kit) to pipe the buttercream onto your cooled cupcakes. Finish off with our red and white sprinkles or add some more crushed candy canes.

Enjoy!

Official Launch of CakesAndKids.com

I am so excited to officially unveil my new website, CakesAndKids.com. You now have one place where you can purchase all my fondant designs as well as my party and baking supplies. I have plans for lots of new items in the New Year so make sure to check back regularly.

Both of my Etsy shops, Cakes And Kids and Cakes And Kids Too, will remain open so you can always shop there too if your prefer.

A big thank you to Alicia of Dreamlike Magic Designs for the fantastic new designs she created for my website, blog and Etsy shops. I love that everything now has a unified and cohesive look and I think she did a wonderful job of reflecting my style and the Cakes And Kids brand - thanks again Alicia!

Happy shopping everyone!

New Product Launch - Colorful Favor Boxes

I am beyond excited to unveil my new product line designed and manufactured just for Cakes And Kids Too! Introducing mini gable favor boxes perfect for birthdays, showers and weddings.

Based on a suggestion from one of my Facebook fans, I've named these adorable little gabled favor boxes my Kaleidoscope boxes. So congratulations to Susan Morris Keuter for the winning suggestion - a dozen of these little beauties will be headed your way!

They come in six beautiful colors named: Bubblegum, Kiwi, Lilac, Aqua, Sunflower and Navy. They are 4 inches in length and 2 1/2 inches deep and tall (not including the gabled part), so they are the perfect size for the littlest of guests to carry home with them. They are listed in my shop in sets of 1 dozen and you can buy a single color or a mix of your favorites.

I would also like to give credit to my friend Alicia of Dreamlike Magic Designs for the actual design on the boxes. Such a talented graphic artist!

I plan to produce more designs and colors in the future so stay tuned and happy shopping!

And The Winner Is...

Comment #166 - Congratulations Steph!

Steph is the lucky winner of the $175 prize package that includes gift certificates from Cakes And Kids/Cakes And Kids Too, Dreamlike Magic Designs, Fresh Press Invitations, Swish Designs, Magnolia Creative Co., Announce Your Day Invitations, Party Paper Scissors and Eye Candy Event Details.

Steph, please contact me at julie@cakesandkids.com and I will provide you with contact information for all these wonderful vendors so that you can claim your prizes.

Thank you to all of you who participated and a special shout out to all the fantastic vendors :)

{GIVEAWAY} - Celebrating 3000 Etsy Sales and 1500 Facebook Fans

Wow - what an exciting time for Cakes And Kids! We almost simultaneously hit 3000 sales in our original Cakes And Kids Etsy store and 1500 "likes" on Facebook. And then we launched our second Etsy store, Cakes And Kids Too, whew - I'm exhausted but also so thrilled to have reached these milestones :)

So to celebrate all of the above I've gathered together some fantastic sponsors who are willing to donate their products and/or services to one lucky winner - THANK YOU LADIES! Read below to find out what prizes are being offered and how to enter and you could walk away with a total prize package worth $175!

The Prizes

From yours truly, a $25 gift certificate that can be used across both Cakes And Kids and Cakes And Kids Too. "Like" Cakes And Kids on Facebook.

From Dreamlike Magic Designs, a $20 shop credit to their Etsy shop. "Like" Dreamlike Magic Designs on Facebook.

From Fresh Press Invitations, a $15 gift certificate to their Etsy shop. "Like" Fresh Press Invitations on Facebook.

From SwishDesigns, a $25 gift certificate to their Etsy shop (valid on both standard and custom orders). "Like" SwishDesigns on Facebook.

From Magnolia Creative Co., a $25 gift certificate to their Etsy shop or website store. "Like" Magnolia Creative Co. on Facebook.

From Announce Your Day Invitations, a $15 credit to their Etsy shop. "Like" Announce Your Day Invitations on Facebook.

From Party Paper Scissors, a $25 credit to their shop. "Like" Party Paper Scissors on Facebook.

From Eye Candy Event Details, a $25 gift certificate to their Etsy shop (all files to be sent digitally). "Like" Eye Candy Event Details on Facebook.

The Rules

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment sharing which prize you are most excited to win (1 entry).
2. Like each vendor's Facebook page (links are above) and leave a comment here when you're done (1 entry for each vendor).
3. Share this giveaway on your Facebook page and leave a comment here that you did (1 entry).
4. Become a follower of this blog and leave a comment here that you did (1 entry).
5. Blog about this giveaway and then leave a comment here with a link to your post (1 entry).

Entries must be submitted by midnight PST on Friday August 19, 2011 and the winner will be chosen via Random.org. Please leave your email address to be notified if you win. Open to U.S. only (sorry). Thanks for participating and good luck!

Owls And Lollipops - Customer Cake

I am always amazed by what my wonderful customers are able to do with my cake and cupcake toppers but the cake above really took my breath away. My customer used my swirl lollipop cupcake toppers in combination with my 3D owl cake topper to make an absolutely stunning two-tiered birthday cake for her little girl. I customized the colors to match her party theme (I'm a sucker for pink and lime green) and the result was so effective.

Keep the photos coming everyone - I just love to show them off!

Cakes And Kids Too

I have finally taken the plunge and opened a second Etsy store, Cakes And Kids Too, devoted to supplies for all your party and baking needs. You'll find a large selection of cupcake liners, sprinkles, favor boxes, treat bags, paper straws, baker's twine, ribbon and more. Inventory is arriving daily and I'll be working hard to get everything sorted, photographed and uploaded to the store. So check back often!

Some of the things you can look forward to are coordinated cupcake kits including liners and sprinkles as well as party packages that include treat bags or favor boxes along with coordinating paper straws, twine and ribbon. Themes will include ladybug, busy bee, daisy, ocean, summer sun, safari, seasonal and many, many more.

I'm having such fun finding the perfect products for my sweet, simple and stylish store and I hope you'll enjoy them too!

Made To Match Fondant

My fondant creations are inspired in many different ways and often they are born from invitations or party supplies that my customers are looking to replicate on their cakes and cupcakes.

One of my recent favorites was a little red crab design that was based on some adorable DIY printables from Totful Memories. My customer sent me the link to the printables and left it up to me to create a cake and cupcake toppers that would match.  Here are the results!

So if you're planning your next party and want a custom design for your cake or cupcakes then feel free to contact me through Etsy and we can talk details!