There've been several reasons for cupcakes lately. Here are a few pics. All cupcakes are from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, my go-to cupcake book! I'm up to eleven different recipes so far.

First was our "bon voyage" supper for Clover and her friends before they all left for college last weekend. These are Snickerdoodle cupcakes with Seven-Minute Frosting.





Next up were my Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes and One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes, both with Fluffy Vanilla Frosting. My school's theme for the year is "Catch the Wave," so I made beachy/fishy cupcakes to take on our first day back on campus! I used homemade Marshmallow Fondant to make fish and shark fins to decorate some of the cupcakes and crushed up graham crackers and paper umbrellas to make beaches on others. These were a hit at work...there weren't any left at the end of the day!






These are square one-bowl chocolate cupcake, leftover from the "Catch the Wave" cupcakes. I frosted them with powdered sugar frosting and sprinkles for dessert one night.

And finally, my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on August 24, so I surprised my husband with Devil's Food Cupcakes, again with Fluffy Vanilla frosting. Our wedding cake was pink and white, so I used those colors for the cupcakes and added silver star edible sprinkles for the "silver" anniversary. My husband was thrilled...he said the devil's food was the best chocolate cupcake I'd made to date.

Cupcaking has slowed a bit here, but I did make a HUGE batch of Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes a few weeks back. I took them to my husband's office and they were very well-received. I was there the other day and my husband's receptionist went on and on about them, so it was a success. I'll send another batch soon.


Posing by the pool!


Packed up in the courier, ready to go!


Mini with silver star sprinkles...I'm going to use these for cupcakes for my 25th anniversary...haven't decided on the cupcake yet.

Last week, I made Marshmallow Fondant, but didn't get much further than making it. It was sort of a pain and I don't know if I'll do enough with it to warrant making my own again, but it's waiting in the fridge (my brand new fridge!) for me to make into shark fins and little fishies for my "Catch the Wave" cupcakes for back-to-school. That's our school's 2010-2011 theme and I'm making some beachy cupcakes to celebrate!


Plain white marshmallow fondant...thrilling, huh?

And finally, I'm post a picture of my newest kitten, sweet Lady Jane! She's not really mine, she belongs to my daughter's friend Emily, but they are trying to get rid of a litter and Jane's the only one left...she comes to visit frequenty and I "babysit" her. We're trying to wear BK down and get him to agree to let Jane be ours. We already have two cats and a dog, though, and despite my pleas that I need a new kitten to take the sting of Clover going to college away, we haven't been able to convince him. I ask you...who could resist that sweet face?


Sweet baby Jane!

Tomorrow is my first day back to work, but only for workshops...we won't even be at our campus until next week. What a fast summer...but it sure was fun thanks to Martha Stewart and the world of cupcakes!