Cupcake Time!!

I was so excited on Christmas morning this year!
First of all, I wasn't expecting any gifts under the tree - we had to have both of our cars repaired and our hot water heater blew up all in one week right before Christmas, so needless to say, if it hadn't been bought yet, it wasn't going to get bought!
Mark and I got new Wheel Hubs and a Transmission Flush (among other car repairs) for Christmas! And yes, that was a blessing - so glad to have our cars still running!

Now here's the fun part! Mark's Mom came up a day early this year for the holiday and Emma wanted to go shopping so she could buy gifts for the family, so off they went to Kohl's.
Emma was especially excited for me to open my gift, so I went first. And I was completely mystified as to what she had purchased for me that she was so excited about. And that box was heavy too!
Here's a photo of us on Christmas morning with my wonderful gift:

Several months ago, we were out shopping and I'd seen this super cute, but totally un-practical Babycakes Cupcake Maker. And it came in Pink!

Well, my precious daughter remembered how much I'd loved it (the idea of it) and decided that practical or not, she was buying me one for Christmas! Have I mentioned that I have the best daughter in the world? Yep, I do, no question!
So, needless to say, I was a happy cupcake maker on Christmas day! :)

I just have to tell you, this baby makes 8 mini cupcakes in under 8 minutes and they are moist, yummy and delightful! We made a batch of Devil's Food ones last night and I'm ashamed - I mean - proud, to say that I ate 6 of them! With Vanilla icing! Yumm!!
It also makes brownies, tarts, muffins and mini savory appetizers too. I can't wait to try out all the recipes!

So, I know you didn't come here to hear all that, but it seemed like the perfect time to share the cute little cupcake picks that I made last summer with you!

I created these when I presented at a special event in Salt Lake City last July and actually displayed them in cupcakes we purchased at the Sweet Tooth Fairy, a local bake shop. If you live out in the Salt Lake City area, those cupcakes are da' bomb!
Anyway, I used the Homemade A La Carte stamp with Early Espresso ink. I punched out the center with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch and mounted them with Stampin' Dimensionals on cardstock scallops punched out with the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch. I used extra long toothpicks for this project, but regular ones would be my choice for mini cupcakes.
The ribbon is the Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta and I used a little bit of Dazzling Diamonds glitter on each one as well. The icing on the cupcakes is colored with Stampin' Write markers to match the color of the background cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a SWEET day today!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin