Christmas Cupcakes Roundup!

There are so many great ideas out there on the web for Christmas treats. Yesterday I did a post on some of the fabulous cookie and candy ideas, and today I thought I'd concentrate on everyone's favorite -- The Cupcake! Most of these are do-able, even if you're not a baking-decorating-fondant kind of girl -- some are probably better left for the professional baker. I had to include those, too -- they're just so pretty! So here's the list..... I hope you've had breakfast already.....

Be still my beating heart, Bakerella! What a gorgeous cupcake you can make! The girl can do no wrong in my eyes.

And is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen?? Sugar Daze has created one fantastic cupcake with their Santa going down the chimney.

And so very simple, but oh so "charming" is this North Pole cupcake from One Charming Party . I might just have to make these for my son's kindergarten class.

The Cupcake Oven has a beautiful assortment of fondant cupcakes -- just look at that reindeer!


Hoosier Homemade has some adorable elf cupcakes. I think the kids would LOVE these! Maybe that silly little elf everyone has on their shelf could help you make a few of these.


Sweet Scarlet's Cakes and Cupcakes makes a simple but beautiful Christmas tree cupcake using lots of green tinted frosting and a fondant star topper.

Cupcakes Take the Cake features a sweet snowman cupcake from Dollop Gourmet that looks pretty easy, even for the kids. A little frosting, a few marshmallows, a orange gumdrop nose and some pretzel arms. Cute - cute!

Another favorite.... these Starlight Mint cupcakes from What's New, Cupcake? What talent that lady has!

Whipperberry is a favorite blog stop of mine as well. Just look at these gorgeous but simple cupcakes she featured from Sweet Street Cakes. Katie uses a molded chocolate snowflake as an adorable topper for her double chocolate fudge cupcakes.

Whew, That was alot of sugar! I hope you all enjoyed the round-up!

Christmas Recipes -- Yum!

Every year around the holidays, I seem to throw all caution to the wind and eat just about anything (and everything) I want. You too, huh? I guess we all do. I just find so much joy in seeing a beautiful photo of food and then creating a huge batch of whatever the delight of the day may be...... and yes, of course, eating as much as I can without getting sick.

Fa-la-la-la-lah-lah-lah-lah-lahhhhh!

So in my excitement to find more goodies out there on the web, I made a little bloggy list of my favorites and thought I'd share with all of you.




Woman's Day has a wonderful assortment of holiday cookie recipes. I love this Christmas tree cupcake made from flattened green gumdrops. And I don't think my snowman sugar cookies would ever turn out quite like this, but a girl can dream, right?





Butter Toffee from Peppermint Plum is the perfect holiday gift for neighbors and friends, although, I have to say, I don't think this one would ever make it out the door of my house as a gift.

Tidy Mom has a beautiful twist on peppermint bark..... mold it with a Christmas cookie cutter to create a truly special holiday treat. I think this would be a perfect teacher gift.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Holiday Cups from Hoosier Homemade look pretty yummy, too!



My Computer is my Canvas has a great idea for some easy to make holiday treats using the new Hershey's peppermint kisses, M&M's and pretzels.


The Recipe Girl has some delicious-looking Chocolate-Peanut Butter Snowballs that would also be great as homemade gifts.




Singing with Birds features a award-winning Betty Crocker recipe of Maple Walnut White Chocolate Chip Cookies that look amazing.

And who doesn't like cookies on sticks? These Nutter Butter Santas from I'm a Mom, Not a Professional would make for a terrific family holiday activity. Edible crafts -- that's my kind of fun!

More food on sticks -- these adorable Santa's Belly Pops from The Decorated Cookie would definitely be a hit at my house. Fondant makes it easy to decorate beautiful cookies even if you're not an expert.



Not really a cookie, but a cute Christmas treat nonetheless are these Peppermint Candy Lollipops from Muffin Tin Mom. She just melts regular peppermint candies onto lollipop sticks -- how easy is that??


I'm crazy about toffee..... and chocolate..... well, quite frankly I'm a little crazy about anything that involves sugar, but doesn't this Toffee Pretzel Bark from Brown Eyed Baker look divine?



Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy from Coffee at 3 is the end-all be-all for me. I swear I could eat the entire 8 1/2" x 11" pan of this stuff! YUUUMMMM!




And these Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows from A Southern Fairy Tale aren't so bad either. Goodness, I love the holidays!

Super easy and a crowd favorite, I think, is this White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn from Skip to My Lou.

OK, I'm stopping here. Sugar overload! I hope these treats give you some good ideas for homemade holiday gifts, and well, maybe an afternoon of sugary fun for you and the kids.

Holiday Glamour Dessert and Party Tables

I couldn't wait to share this beautiful display of party tables from Chris Nease of Celebrations at Home today on my blog. Chris publishes one of the best "must-see" party blogs on the web and has a true talent for putting together an unforgettable party. The first of her tables is a glamorous dessert table -- and best of all, she designed it with affordability and versatility in mind. It coordinates perfectly with another tablescape she designed for a Holiday Table Challenge put on by The Party Dress. So thanks to Chris, we get ideas for both a dinner party table and a dessert table, and just in time for New Year's Eve party planning!

I love how Chris takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary. About her dessert table she says, "I wanted it to be glamorous and neutral enough to translate into other celebrations throughout the year (anniversary, special birthday, small wedding). What could be more glamorous than black & white & silver & shimmer?"

Using mostly locally found store-bought items such as platters from Target and Michaels, mirrored ornaments, apothecary jars, mercury glass candle holders and a stunning acrylic tear drop curtain, Chris creates a beautiful dessert display, perfect for a small dinner party.

To make entertaining easy, Chris uses grocery store items such as brownie bites, Oreo Cakesters and Oreo cookie sticks along side more glamorous desserts such as the stylish glittery bon-bons from Bedazzle My Bon-Bons. "I like the idea of choosing one or two designer desserts to shine, and then dressing up purchased items or homemade items to round out the table," says Chris.



Chris also uses a fantastic chocolate mini cup to serve shots of spiked eggnog and Irish creme to add a little festive touch to the table. I love how she used glittery scrapbook paper punched with a scalloped craft punch to set each of the cup on -- the details do make the difference!

Adding a little sparkle to a store-bought dessert is an easy and quick way to make a dessert table special. Here, Chris uses edible glitter from Sweet Baking Supply. If you're crunched for time and can't order by mail, Hobby Lobby has some glittery baking decor as well.

Another great and easy designer touch from Chris is the blinged-up shot glass. Take an ordinary shotglass and spruce it up a little bit with some craft store rhinestones and a little glue and wah-lah -- a perfect party accessory. And who doesn't love a cookie dipped in milk? These cookie sticks are adorable and yummy, too.

I just love it! Easy and beautiful, too! And now for Chris' dinner table..... drumroll, please.......

WOW, right? Who knew black balloons and a little bling could say so much?

Chris uses ordinary black balloons as an eye-catching feature to her dinner tablescape for the Holiday Table Challenge at The Party Dress. Repeating the acrylic beaded curtain feature from her dessert table, Chris this time uses it as a table runner. Brilliant!

Adding a little white marabou around the plate chargers and lots of black, white and mirrored elements creates the perfect atmosphere for a truly special dinner party.

Thanks so much, Chris, for showing us all how to create a fabulous, affordable and do-able holiday party! You are such a talent!

Make sure to visit Celebrations at Home, too -- it's a must read for anyone planning a party!

Cookie Decorating Party

Today I wanted to share a sweet cookie decorating party that a customer styled using the Amanda's Parties TO GO Christmas Snowman Collection. Laura from Live, Laugh, Celebrate, put all of her creative genius to work to create an adorable and unforgettable party for her stepdaughter, Lola, and a few of her friends. She was even featured on Celebrations at Home this week! Just look at all of these wonderful ideas Laura has for styling a party with printables.


Laura created a sweet party table using an eye-catching red and white polka dot backdrop. I love how she improvised "snow" as a frame around the 8" centerpiece snowman circle using of all things -- cotton balls!

Laura also took advantage of the extra polka dot and striped papers in the Let it Snow Collection as used them as "ribbon" around candy jars, as wraps around the drink bottles, in frames and as liners for cookies and other displays.

Isn't this the cutest? Laura, used a shelving furniture piece as a display for her party -- perfect for featuring all of her goodies in fun and creative way.

The paper chains are one of my favorites. Laura took all three of the polka dot papers in the collection and cut them in strips to make a festive paper chain. What an adorable decoration for her cabinet display!

Thanks so much, Laura for sending me the photos from your party! It makes me so happy to see customer's enjoying Shindig Parties' printables. Lola and her friends

must have LOVED their party!