Fondant Fun - Pokemon Style

I love making cupcakes. I love making things in general. But there aren't enough occasions to do so. So, birthdays are always my excuse to make cupcakes! These were for a friend's birthday, and were one of my first adventures with fondant.

First I made chocolate cupcakes and peanut butter frosting. Both recipes came from the book on my counter in the picture: 500 cupcakes. It's a keeper.

I started with a block of store bought white fondant, and picked a design that only required several colors of fondant: Pokemon! Then I split up my fondant and kneaded in the food coloring. This was sticky and messy and gross. Then I washed my hands. 

Next, I cut out circles the size of the top of my cupcakes, which conveniently happened to be the same size as a glass. So I used the glass like a cookie cutter. Then I spread some frosting on the cupcake, like glue, and placed the fondant circle on top.

I broke down the cupcakes down into shapes, and cut all of the shapes for the Pokeballs and Pikachu faces.

And then stuck them on using little dabs of water. Easy-peasy. 

The verdict? Fondant is not so bad. It's actually pretty fun. 

But I've seen Cake Boss, so I know I still have a long way to go. No fondant Mona Lisa's for me yet. I'll be sure to show you when I attempt, though. 

And I'm now accepting cupcake requests/challenges. =]

Clothing Without Commitment

You've probably heard of Netflix. It's a subscription service that gives you access to streaming movies and TV shows whenever you want them. You don't have to pay for the individual views, so if you don't like something, no money wasted, just stop watching it. It's a great service.

Let me tell you about something better. Imagine if you could do that with clothes... have a subscription closet. You can pick clothes whenever you want them, and if you don't like them, just send them back. For me, that's the ideal way to shop. I love the wide variety you can find by shopping online, but the risk factor of not seeing and trying before buying is daunting. 

So, thats where Gwynnie Bee comes in. For a monthly subscription you get access to an unlimited wardrobe, with free shipping both ways. Even better, you can use my referral link to try it for free for a month. I know I sound like a cheesy advertisement, but I have had SO much fun with my free month that I think you should try it too. 

You get a box in the mail with hand wrapped items that you can wear as much or as little as you want. There are prepaid return bags inside the box, so when you're done, you just drop them off at a UPS dropbox. There's no commitment. You can be adventurous and use the opportunity to try things you normally wouldn't, or you can use it to find something to wear for a special event. You don't even have to launder them when you're done. Here's a dress that came in my last box that I wore today:

It was fun and perfect for twirling in. And it's already in the UPS bag ready for me to return it tomorrow. The only downside is that they only offer sizes 10 and up. Sorry skinny minis. You'll have to eat some cake first. ;]

So click here to check out the collection, and if you like what you see, try it out. No commitment. =]