Month: May 2011

Mini Cupcake Stands

As you may have noticed I have just a few cupcakes and cake stands. These are the worst to collect since they are massive and do not store well at all! But have no fear I have the best solution to always wanting more and no space! Mini individual cupcakes stands!

They are easy peasy to make! Grab some spare card stock, scissors and download this template. Its so perfect! I just love them. Just cut around the edges and slide the stand together. You may want to add a dot of hot glue to make it more sturdy, as well as the top to the stand. Your possibilities are endless with this. Patterns, colors, even vary the size of your template! I cant wait to make more now that I know how easy and cute they are!

And as always I would LOVE to see any takes you make on this project! Just email me your pictures to lissables@gmail.com

Strawberry Trifle Cake

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. I always begged my mom to make it every summer for my birthday. And now I am old enough to make it whenever I want. Like when I offered to make it for a dinner party this last Saturday, without realizing first that the party is not till next weekend! First big mind slip Im going to blame on pregnancy brain! And I realized it seconds after putting it into the fridge to set for the afternoon. Why it couldnt have been just ten minutes earlier I’ll never know. So I called up my sister in law and had her family come out to help eat the massive dessert! And even then only half of it was gone. So I’ve been eating it for breakfast and snacks. Thats the only thing about it, its not a lasting dessert. So make sure you make it fresh, and you’ll be in love!

Ingredients

1 family size sara lee pound cake (or 2 small ones)

4 pounds strawberries (you can also add raspberries and or blue berries for different flavor!)

1 family size instant vanilla pudding made as directed

1 large cool whip

Shaved white chocolate

Then cut the pound cake into small cubes, wash and cut your strawberries. Make the pudding as directed and add cool whip to finished pudding. Shred your white chocolate. Now layer starting with the pound cake, then strawberries, then pudding mixture and top with white chocolate. Continue to add layers until your dish is nice and full!

Could it get any better than that! 5 ingredients and only 3 lines of instructions. Its just begging you to make it this summer. And I promise your guests will request it over and over again.

Just So You Know

You may have notice this past month has been bad for posting, and especially this last week while my mom was here. Sometimes life gets the best of you and you dont get to blog! I know I know the travesty! And though there is not much to update you on except baby stuff, I thought I would stop by and let you know were still doing great! 18 weeks now, heartburn and stretch marks going strong! And in maternity jeans now! I think Im going to live in them for the rest of my life! Haha all pants should have an elastic waist.

Plus we just bought the crib! and Im a little overjoyed about it! Its very different but Ive decided not to share with everyone till its set up in the nursery! And there are just a few too cute outfits piled high in the waiting bassinet. Ive got to say this little kid is going to be the best dressed little man around. And this is only the beginning, so now that “grandma” is gone its back to no shopping for awhile. Which is a good thing otherwise were gonna need a bigger closet!

And while I have been absent this is not going to get much better. This week we have an insane line up of people staying with us, too many for too little rooms! But its going to be fun! And then hopefully we can get started on some baby projects. Apparently all in blue now! Ps Im doing some desserts I’ll be sharing this week too! You’ll want to check back for that recipe! Strawberries, pound cake, and more yummy layers to follow!

Its A Boy!

Dear everyone, My mom is in town and hasn’t been since January. So all my time is spent with her instead of blogging. So sad for you, yet so great for me. If you live away from family you know what I’m talking about. Every little second counts. Today she is even going to work with me. Good thing I work for the best people ever! And will I ever get some sweet training for having kids because we went on Wednesday for our ultrasound and it is, in the ultrasound tech’s words “100% Boy, no questions asked.”

So needless to say we now own a lot of little boy outfits! I’ve discovered Baby Gap’s Boy section. In previous visits I was unaware there was a boy section because I was too caught up in frills and pink. But Ooing and ahhing was definitely going on on the other side this week. This is going to be one very sharply dressed kid.

So I have to run but I had to share the good news with all of you! I hope your all having as perfect a week as I am! Have a good weekend!

Mother Day Cupcakes

I did a big order for a Mothers Day Lunch yesterday. I think cupcakes are perfect for Mothers Day because its something little and just for them and just a little sweet! And if you were thinking of getting flowers why not get cupcakes that look like flowers! Its one of my favorites, I found liners that are full flowers with petals and everything. I did a set last year for a friends baby shower and fell in love. This time I did yellow for all the special moms. Both are beautiful and I cant wait to make more. It was such a fun order to make. 24 vanilla with vanilla buttercream and rainbow sprinkles for the kids, 24 vanilla with chocolate buttercream and white sprinkles, and 24 lemon with vanilla buttercream. The moms were all in the flower liners, and the kids got regular liners. It was a lot but it was so worth it. They all turned out so pretty! Then I packed them up all and delivered them in the morning. The best part was when she called me later that afternoon and opened the call with “I have bad news.”  Immediately I thought the cupcakes had spilt in the car ride to the event. (I only took them half way.) But instead the bad news was that she had already eaten 3 cupcakes! Music to my ears. And of course how could they be bad. I had 6 left over and they went even faster after company came for lunch. Lemon might indeed be my new favorite now.

So Hooray for cupcakes and Mothers Day. (Ps this is the first I get to celebrate myself!) And although you may not get lissables cupcakes for Mothers Day remember to do something special for the moms in your life! They give you 364 days of the year, so make their 1 special!

Mocha Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes

Not for children. Nope not all cupcakes are sprinkles and sugar rushes for those under 9. This is the sophisticated side of cupcakes. Baked with coffee right into the cake. (although you can barely taste it over the rich chocolate taste.) They are decedent and mouthwatering. Just plain good. I had a friend in town who is a lissables follower and it seems to be a trend that whenever a visit strikes cupcakes are always requested. That’s what happens when your biggest fan base is from another country.

So the request was made. And an experiment began. One that brought out the pregnancy emotions. Straight coffee did not like my butter cream recipe! And although its one of the first times one of my flavor experiments has failed I still was losing my mind. But no worries because in my house I always have hundreds of pound in butter and sugar, so we started from the beginning again. And this time it worked! Hooray. A few coffee beans later (thanks to Brandon for bribing a Starbucks barista with that smile of his,) and tada Mocha Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes! Yummy.

But the best part of them is that they loved them! For some reason I always panic when I dont hear back about an order. And then it makes my day when someone says they like them. But above that they LOVED them! Yay success. And probably a new favorite flavor. Who doesnt like coffee and chocolate? (O right both those flavors are my least favorite but Im opposite to everyone else.)

Stay tuned tomorrow I’m sharing the big Mothers Day cupcake order I did today! Loved them and now am addicted to left over lemon cupcakes!

Baking Baking Baking

This week I have 120 cupcakes going through my kitchen. (again thank goodness I am not craving cupcakes. yet.) So day one fo the cupcake marathon is just plain chocolate cupcakes and vanilla buttercream. Sometimes perfect can be simple. Ive been trying out new chocolate recipes. Im not a huge fan of day one. (especially since I am writing this on day two and watching this recipe version bake is way yummier.) But it did the trick. Also I am really picky with my cupcakes, so it was good just wasn’t perfect yet. But they had a good cause, it was my brother in laws birthday yesterday. And they were actually in town so we could all celebrate in person.

I was too busy playing with my cute nephew who I never see because we live in different countries, to eat one. But everyone else loved them. I really enjoy watching my other nephew, the one who lives here, eat a cupcake. His theory is eat all the frosting at once, then discard the thing it came on. Too funny. Im sure I was that way as a kid too. And ps if your wondering that is just my extra cupcake crumbled and sprinkled on top for extra fun.

Stay tuned for tomorrows post about day two of cupcake marathon week. I was experimenting in the kitchen tonight making chocolate coffee cake and coffee buttercream frosting. Yum!

You Have One Week

So dont forget! Mothers day in one week. And if that just made you panic have no worries I have some easy gifts you can make. Every mom loves something made from your heart. So take a peek and see if there is something your mom would love. After all its one day a year for the hundreds they have given you. Make her day special.

So your not a crafty person but you want to put a hand touched spin on some store bought jewelry. The easiest thing for you is this! Take your earrings and pin them through a beautiful big leaf. Simple but elegant. Go a step further and write a sweet little message in a silver pen to make it stand out.

 

 

 

 

If your mom is a is crafty why not give her a mini sewing/mending kit! With just a little retrofitting, an old-fashioned Mason jar can become a new sewing kit with a built-in pincushion on top. To begin, separate the lid’s sealer and screw cap. Trace around sealer on cardboard. Using a compass, draw another circle on linen or cotton, 1 inch larger in diameter than the first. Cut out both circles; make cushion by placing batting between fabric and cardboard. Turn screw cap upside down, and apply hot glue to inside edge of rim; quickly press cushion into lid until cloth protrudes smoothly above screw cap’s opening and cardboard is flush against rim. Apply hot glue around edge of cardboard, fold over excess fabric, and press down. Glue top of sealer to cardboard. Fill jar.

 

If flowers are a mothers day tradition for you, put a fresh new spin on it. Flowers that dont die! Easy to make, maybe something the kids will like to help out with! Very easy step by step instructions.

1. Layer 5-by-15-inch sheets of tissue paper, alternating colors. Make 1-inch-wide accordion folds.2. Wrap 1 end of a pipe cleaner around the center of the folded paper, and twist to secure. Round the edges of the folded paper with scissors.3. Fan out folds, and gently pull apart each layer of tissue paper to create petals.

 

 

And lastly a little fun crafts for the kids in your life who want to make something special for mom. Every mom loves seeing their kids artwork but doesnt it make it special when its in her own newspaper! Your kid can customize the front page for her morning read. Simply Print the newspaper clip art onto ivory paper, fill in, and add a drawing or a photo. Just too cute!

Lots of fun easy things to make out there. Even if its just a card make next Sunday a special day for the mothers in your life.

Sometimes its good to live in Vegas

When I had to move away from home it was really hard. Im sure when I told my family for the first time they were thinking “the girl who is afraid of everything and every place is moving away from her little lovable perfect hometown?” My one Aunt even told me she would have placed money on me being the only kid NOT to move away. So I cant imagine when I had just surprised them with going on a solo trip to London, England and being back two months before I sprung the “Im moving to another country” thing, how they felt. I too never EVER thought I would move away from home. (It may help to know there as about a million red zones in my mind that I cant ever live in between Canada and the US alone. I wont live anywhere with tornado’s, hurricane’s, earthquakes all those things, thats pretty limiting.) But Vegas had one big awesome part. My heart lived there with my soon to be hubby. So I took the jump and followed him. And as much as it severely sucks for me some times, not having my family just down the road, let alone in the same state, let alone same country. (Hey at least they are on the same continent!) The good thing about living in Las Vegas is that there is always people in town on vacation or visiting.

So I dont know if my awesome readers have noticed, Ive been a bit slower on the posts recently. Well we have pretty much a revolving door or people in town from April 17-May 23! And I love it. I have seen friends, my Aunt, My In-laws (including my mother and father in-law, my brother and sister in-law and my nephew, and my other brother and sister in-law and my other nephew! Wow lots!) My best friend (who is the reason I am slow this weekend! Having way too much fun!) My mom soon! And more friends at the end of the visiting spree. And I literally mean they are back to back to back visits. Not everyone is staying with us haha which is nice because we get the visits without the stress. But its amazing being able to see so many of my friends and family from back home all the time. And its not just this month, since Ive moved I continue to have friends in town usually once a month, because people are always coming to Las Vegas. So glad we did not have to move to a tiny town in the middle of nowhere without a million direct west jet flights!

I just wanted to share how lucky I am to see the people I love as much as I do with living away from home. Just my random thoughts of the day. I promise the rest of the week will not be as boring of posts because I have a build up of pictures to share and recipes to make! Lots of fun stuff as I prepare for more people. But for now its short and boring because I have to get back to giggling like a little girl with my best friend who I never get to see! Real life is more important than the internet! Haha