Starbucks, Cake Pops, and Cupcakes... Oh My!

The best thing happened to me, just recently. I was in the downtown area and I saw a Starbucks. Which gave me the idea to stop in. And I almost passed out from happiness. This Starbucks had a downstairs with a lounging area and lots of cute tables. And upstairs there were lounging chairs and a couch area, there was even studying tables with lamps. Displayed in the glass case at the counter, there were 2 beautiful things. Cake pops and mini peanut butter cup cupcakes. And they were gorgeous.

I have had the cake pops at Starbucks before, and every time I try them I’m addicted. I got 3 of the Birthday Cake pops and 1 Tiramisu. They were... DELISH!!!

They’re just so pink and simple.

And yes, I know the shaped cake pops are really creative and artsy, but when they are tasty they are also pretty awesome.

And the cupcakes? They were also gorgeous and so, so tasty! It tasted exactly like Morley’s candy blocks.

And that’s all I have to say. You should probably go and buy some of these treats. Before you find out that you’re missing out on a lot.

And now here’s a bunch of random photos that I enjoyed :)

I know, it’s making you drool.

Such moist and chocolaty cake inside. One word. Heaven.

And these boxes they were in? Too cute, also. I have to find similar ones to transfer my goodies in.

Go out and get yourself a cake pop. You deserve it.

Bye, bye!

Thanks A Latte Card

Five years ago (last February), I created this thank you card. And now I decide to share it with you. What’s wrong with me?

I thought this card was totally genius when I thought of the idea. Then I found out 5 million others did the same thing before me. Some great idea.

But isn’t it cute? Come see!

My first attempt was to print out multiple Caribou Coffee logos on brown card stock. I then continued my failure and tried to cut coffee mugs out of the same card stock. 

And with what, you say? With my Cricoto of course!

(P.S. This means Cricut in Spanish if you’d like to know:)

I eventually gave up with the idea of Caribou Coffee mugs and I added a little creativity. I found a mug on the Internet that served as my template for my own mug. Then I cut the mugs out using some hot pink card stock and patterned scrapbook paper. Sorry, I cannot give credit to what brand the paper is, due to the stacks have already been thrown out. However, I did get both papers in stacks from Jo-Ann Fabrics.

After those were all cut out and clean, I designed a little label on my computer, coordinating with the circle Avery labels I had at home.

Aren’t they gorgeously adorable?

I’m in love with designing labels. From these to the Dory/Just Keep Swimming ones, I’m on a roll. I really wish I could share a free template of these, but that’ll have to wait until I find out how to make these sharable. Hmm...

P.S. Midge is here again :)

Just Keep Swimming

I don’t have much time to share this with you but I’ll try my best to sum it all up. I enjoy baking treats for the swimmers on special occasions like meets, and this was just one idea floating in my head for a long time.

You know that catch phrase Dory is always mumbling when she is wandering around aimlessly? Just keep swimming... just keep swimming... just keep swimming...

That just puts me in a hypnotic state. And what better time to share it when you’re handing these treats to swimmers who just keep swimming? Fantastic idea, right? I made these cake batter blondies, which were absolutely gorgeous and took no time at all. The swimmers loved them and begged for more—unfortunately I should have made a double batch. But I wasn’t sure. You never know when you are experimenting with a recipe. It could be good or it could be bad.

And here it is!

I created the design but the clipart Dory came from this site.

Yes, More Treats from "That Bakery Next Door"

There is a time in life, when you realize something very certain.

1. Maybe that momager of a movie star is just afraid of her superstar failing, because he/she has never fallen on the sidewalk and gotten a scratch.
2. Maybe that genius in your 9th grade Bio class will be the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, and you probably should have accepted his invite to Homecoming
3. Or, when you realize you shouldn’t have ate that last brownie on the party platter

Whatever it is, we realize people can look back on their mistakes and realize what they did wrong. Which just makes us better human beings. Evaluating ourselves and saying “hey, I guess I could’ve done better”

I regret not showing these sugary treats to you back in the summer, when I ate them. Honestly, I was out of it this summer. I didn’t blog for weeks, possibly months.

Aren’t they adorable? The local bakery I told you about numerous times wanted to fill my belly with mushy wushy happiness that felt like a cloud in Heaven. It’s called: THE COOKIES (dramatic music playing in the background; preferably with an organ)

And up-close, they are 10× cuter!

Hope it gives some inspiration to all those decorators out there :)

Five Things I’m in Love With Right Now

REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS MINIS

Aren’t they so darn adorable? Perfect for a sugar fix. And the great thing is, there’s no wrappers, and you know how we all hate opening up sticky wrappers that the chocolate melt into. These might just be the cutest thing in the universe. Suggestion: They are GREAT cold.

BURT’S BEES

I love how natural this brand is and how soft their balm makes my lips feel. And it doesn’t just stop at lip care. Nope, Burt’s Bees has a collection of hair care, face care, body care; you name it! If you don’t love this stuff, tell me you are CRAZY!

PUFFS PLUS LOTION

Why? Uh, duh. It’s cold season and I don’t want to look like Rudolph.

NEUTROGENA OIL-FREE MOISTURE: COMBINATION SKIN

I love this stuff because my skin is super sensitive and gets dry all the time. But it also can be very oily when I put on moisturizer. This cream keeps my face hydrated but at the same time protects any oily buildup from reaching the surface.

MY GLITTER NAILS

That’s right. I’m officially going gaga! Aren’t they so sparkly and glamorous? They make me feel like a movie star.

Calories You’ll Be Burning Off (for the rest of your life)

Dude, you know that longing you sometimes get for a sweet treat or a dessert that kills your innocence? I’ve always gotten that. And like a normal, craving girl, I eat a dessert.

Being an athlete, when I have a treat it tastes like gold. Which is weirdly disappointing. So today, after swimming at the least 1000 yards, I devoured a chocolate cupcake. It was pretty relieving. And I had Déjà vu. I remembered tasting another chocolate cupcake, that was almost too chocolaty to handle (and I am the chocolate QUEEN here).

This summer, I did it. I made Amanda’s creation. The Brownie Batter Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes. And savored every last bit of them. Just kidding. Most of them went to the stomachs of relatives. They were truly, a chocolate overdose cupcake. I had printed this recipe several decades ago (as if!) and had been waiting for the right moment to bake these babies up. Too bad they took up almost all of my day.

This might just be the loveliest picture of my life.

It’s chocolate, sandwiched by chocolate, sandwiched by more chocolate. This may just put someone in a chocolate coma. If you are prone to these, be aware!

But they were greatly appreciated and adored, and I think it was a well job done.

So kudos to chocolate, and Amanda for her baking skills. This was a fun time. I highly recommend making these, but I also recommend bringing them to a party. This is way too much sugar for one chick to handle.

Bye, bye!

The Most Pinkish-Lemony-Cupcakes In the World! (I promise you)

I was never a huge fan of lemonade. If I was to choose between Pepsi or lemonade, I would have definitely chosen the lemonade, partly because I have no interest in fizzy drinks that are called POP. However, if I had to choose between water and lemonade, I would choose the water. I am simple with the drinks I like, and water or milk is always the way to go for me. But not chocolate milk. No sir. Just plain milk. Pop is a big no-no for me, but lemonade isn’t. I’m just, not a big fan. Like, I can have it once and a while, if there’s a lemonade stand in the neighborhood, or if I’m exhausted on a hot summer day. Same with pink lemonade. And this brings me to this post. I originally meant to post this earlier. Like most of my posts. And by earlier, I mean JUNE. That’s right. I can be a procrastinator sometimes.

So my mom was having a potluck for her friend. And since I am usually only allowed to bake big desserts for certain occasions, I saw my chance. I had been wanting to try this recipe for ages, not because I wanted to taste it, but because these cupcakes are so darn cute!

Erica Sweet Tooth is one of the coolest and cutest sites I have ventured upon, and I plan to venture upon it as much as I can. If that means missing swim practice, so be it. (That was a total joke, BELIEVE ME!)

Question: Did I use the word venture correctly?

Answer: Probably not.

Erica’s are obviously much fancier and cuter than mine, but I did create some unique cupcake toppers to go along. Come see!

Since I wanted everything to match, I also found some cute pink and yellow cupcake wrappers somewhere in the back of the pantry. Happy dance!

And can you see those lemonade labels sticking out from the toothpicks I connected them too? Aren’t those capital S-W-E-E-T?

I loved these things. The taste was a little too lemony for me, but someone who loves lemonade will probably love these.

Bye bye!