Coming soon to a website near you!

I've been brainstorming the past few weeks to come up with some wonderful new products and ways to make your shopping at The Creative Cupcake easier. We will be unveiling some fun new accessories over the next several weeks, with the big unveil of our new line of belts coming in early February.

One of our customer's favorite features is our 115 different ribbon colors, sizes and styles that we carry in stock. To make it easier for you to imagine how our headbands will look in your favorite polka dot color or just how that ribbon belt will look in that chic new preppy stripe you have been eyeing, we will be introducing individual product photos for each of our items! It is going to take us a LONG time to photograph (and edit, resize, upload.....) each and every one but it'll be worth the wait! Starting with our popular headbands, we will be working our way through each of our product categories until we're done. Take a look at our Key Fobs to get an idea of what our new layouts will look like!

You've asked. You've begged. You've even tried to bribe. We finally gave in and will be adding these super, top-secret preppy critter headband designs to the site very soon. They will be in limited supply until our latest ribbon shipment comes in and may temporarily sell out, but don't say we didn't warn you!

Holiday Recovery Sale!

Save on headbands, makeup bags, wallets and all remaining holiday exclusive designs!
Shop this sale until 12/31/06 - 11:59pm EST

Hark, the Herald Prepsters Sing!

We made it! All of our holiday orders have been shipped and save for a small shipping snafu we had a wonderfully successful holiday season. Look out for our Year In Review coming next week, once we've recovered from our traveling adventures...

Merry/Happy [enter your celebration of choice] & Happy New Year from all of us here at The Creative Cupcake!

New: Grosgrain Ribbon for Sale!

Even though we are smack in the middle of the holiday season, I have been spending the better part of the past few weeks finalizing the designs for Spring 2007. I'm trying to think of flowers and balmy weather while my radio plays "O Holy Night", the humor of which is not lost on me. I've decided to completely revamp the belts the design of the belts that we carry, and also take the time to update our ribbon inventories. There are several new grosgrain ribbon designs that I have been itching to carry for our Preppy styles, but that means I need to discontinue some of the current styles.

Sometimes in my business, I may be thinking about 2 completely unrelated things and, all of a sudden, they cross paths. Like today. You see, I often receive questions from customers asking about my ribbons and if I sell them. Well, now I do! Sort of... Seeing as I'm going to be left with thousands of yards of ribbon that I won't be using anymore and need to clear out of my studio, I've decided to sell the overstock and discontinued ribbon along side my accessories. Take a look!

We got a little work done

I thought the blog was looking a little down and out, and who doesn't love a makeover? A little scrub here, a little peel there... maybe even some Botox to iron out the wrinkles. There are categories to help you navigate the posts better, some new fonts and colors, plus a shmancy new header at the top. Not to shabby.

Now that our shows are over for the season, it is time to turn my attention to the site and working on what new and wonderful things we are going to offer in the next year. I don't want to give too much away just yet, but there are going to be some amazing new designs for both adults and kids. Actually, now that I stop and think about it, there are going to be some major announcements within the next few months here at The Creative Cupcake. Big. Stuff.

The best part? We'll need to clear out some of our current stock to make room in our store and studio for the new designs, which means BIG SALES are in your future! Fans of preppy, girlie and just plain cute accessories are not going to be dissapointed!

Holiday designs are selling quickly!

Just to forewarn - don't wait too much longer to buy our holiday designs as gifts or for yourself. Quite a few of the pieces are close to selling out and I'd hate to see you and your loved ones left unadorned for the holidays!

I love ribbon!

Nothing much to report. We had our first two Texas shows to great reviews. I realized that it is going to take some time to figure out where our customers are down here. I knew Jersey and the specific towns that did well for us -- and learned that the towns next door don't necessarily have the same buying habits. Here in Dallas it is a whole new ball game. I need to go around asking people, "Excuse me. Where are the rich people with small children?" Not that it might be rude, or anything...

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be cleaning out my ribbon stash. Not that "stash" even begins to cover the tens (probably hundreds) of thousands of yards of ribbon that have taken over my studio. I'll be going over my sales records and discontinuing some of the patterns that don't sell as quickly (read: BIG SALES!!) and then adding some wonderful new patterns that I just know you are going to eat up!

Otherwise I am plugging along and making things like crazy. I've probably made more clips and bows and headbands and belts in the past week than I have in the 2 1/2 years that I've been in business! But busy is good, so I'm not going to complain. Well, maybe just a little [wink]...

Let it... snow?!

I don't know quite what is going on... Wednesday afternoon errands were done with the windows down and the sunroof open. It was about 80 degrees and a bit breezy but otherwise beautiful. Did I just say 80-degrees was beautiful? Boy, Texas has really done a number on me. But I digress... So I start dinner around 5 and by the time we're done with dinner and I've finished my work for the night (maybe 10-ish) we sit down on the couch and go to open the nearby window because our apartment was a little stuffy. In that 5 hours, the temperature had dropped to (per the Weather Channel) 37-degrees and it was going to start snowing overnight! Umm... what?!


So for the past 36 hours we've been staying warm inside, working up a storm (pun totally intended) to get ready for my first Texas show tomorrow. We're going to have to venture outside at some point today and I don't know how I'm going to handle it. Afterall, our first Thanksgiving here was 83-degrees so we were getting ready to spend the winter in relative warmth. No such luck, I guess. In the meantime, I'm glad I've amassed a large scarf collection since I have no idea where our coats are!!

Holiday designs are up!

I was finally able to get both my camera and my editing software to cooperate today, so all of our holiday exclusive designs are available for you to peruse. There is a limited number of each item, so don't let them sell out before you can get to them!


Sharra Holiday Headband - $8.50

Cupcakes on the Road: San Antonio

Greetings from San Antonio! Mr. Cupcake and I decided to take the weekend away and celebrate our wedding anniversary and just plain relax. After a super tasty brunch on Thanksgiving Day (I did the big turkey cooking thing last weekend) we packed up the car and headed down here to San Antonio and one of the most beautiful and peaceful resorts we have ever had the pleasure of staying at.

Mission San Juan Capistrano nearing sunset.

Today was spent walking around downtown, through the River Walk and exploring several of the Missions that were set up in the 1700s along the San Antonio River. Mr. Cupcake even got us tickets for the Spurs vs. Mavs game. After all that walking (who designs these sports arena parking lots, anyway?!) we are beyond exhausted and are looking forward to letting our heads hit the pillows.

Tomorrow we are off to explore the outerlying towns which, we were excited to discover, were settled by Germans and still maintain much of their heritage. Never being ones to turn down a 'Fest and being suckers for anything holiday related, the festivities planned in these towns sound right up our alley!

Just in time for stocking stuffing...

Preppy key fobs are here! A long time favorite at street fairs, our popular preppy patterned key fobs are now available on our website. Over the next couple of weeks all of our Medium width ribbon choices will be available and individually listed. We're just waiting for reshipment of some of the more popular webbing colors to be delivered.

Over the years I've found that these key chains are so popular because they are so useful and user friendly. They are sturdy and rediculously durable. I've run mine over with our car, washed them accidentally, gotten all matter of stains on them and pretty much used and abused the heck out of them and they've always held up. My favorite feature, and the one my customers rave the most about, is that I make them long enough to slip over your wrist. I've seen so many designers and retailers selling similar styles and so many of them were shorter and I couldn't understand why. What am I supposed to do with a loop that I can't wrap around my wrist or hang anywhere? Well, that's not an issue with those from The Creative Cupcake. Getting groceries into the trunk no longer requires fumbling with your keys!

Studio Friday: This Is Me - Part Deux

This week's Studio Friday topic is: This is me.

OK... so I actually read the whole topic info and I was a little quick on the draw with my earlier post.

This week's topic for Friday November 17th suggested by Jill: THIS IS ME!

" How about photographing a collage of the things we work with? An arranged collection of papers and embellishments, or fabrics and trims, or paints and paintbrushes, or whatever it is we do that says "this is me." I know we did tools and supplies already, but I thought it would be fun to create a little collage of all the things we use - tools and supplies both, and even other things like a favorite cd, dvd, cup of coffee, nail polish etc that say "this is me and this is what I do".

*** My image is coming soon -- I promise! I've been having technical difficulties with my camera. I haven't forgot! ***

Studio Friday: This Is Me - Part I

This week's Studio Friday topic is: This is me.

I could go with my first thought and slap up a picture of me. I could rifle through my (now) old modeling portfolio and pick out a fabulous, strategically lit shot of me. But that wouldn't necessarily be fair because it's not like I walk around with perfectly coiffed hair and a makeup team everyday. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Then I realized that no one would want to see me in my yoga pants, with my hair in a ponytail and no makeup on - which is how I (sadly) spend most of my working days dressed. One of the beauties of owning your own business and/or working from home is the severly relaxed dress code. It is also one of my biggest frustrations, seeings as deep down I like to look remarkably cute at all times. It's somehow become a constant struggle as of late.

But anyhow... stay tuned for my entry!

Studio Friday: Studio Indulgences

Introducing: my Singer Quantum Futura!

I recently indulged a long time want (not need) of mine and purchased a new sewing/embroidery combo machine. Not that I really had the extra money, but when did that ever stop me before?! It is quite literally 100 times better than the old machine I was working with and, quite frankly, I was due for an upgrade. I cannot wait to show you all what this puppy can do. As someone who is mildly obsessed with monograms and initials, I am thrilled to get started initialing everything in sight. On the business end of things, I have had customers clamouring for intialed bows and monogramed belts and keychains and now I am all too happy to oblige. Official announcement coming soon...

PS - Yes, I am fully aware that it is Tuesday and this post is about Studio Friday. Working from home means not knowing what day it is sometimes, but I'm not that bad!

Mea Culpa...

After I recently got in touch with my inner blogger and had a renewed energy to keep up with semi-daily posts, I had to go and have family fly out for a visit and throw off my whole momentum. I missed an entire Studio Friday topic not to mention some fun new items that will be up on the site soon.

On the bright side, I got some much needed downtime and did some serious baking. Lemon sugar cookies, banoffee pie and lemon blueberry muffins made their way through our kitchen this past week along with some quick and tasty Rice Krispy treats that I cut into the shape of Texas via my handy new cookie cutter! Completely unnecessary but Mr. Cupcake couldn't help but laugh at me and my newly found Texan enthusiasm.

Speaking of which... if you live in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, be sure to check out our show schedule for some fun holiday shopping. I generally like to do quite a few shows around the holidays but the move threw our schedule off a bit, so you'll have to catch us when you can. We'll miss our loyal NJ shoppers but are really looking forward to meeting our new local friends.

A little attention for Eva!

Ever since I had my site re-designed over the summer, I have been struggling with how to incorporate Eva, my mascot of sorts, into the design. I absolutely loved her intial design when we first opened more than 2 years ago, but at the time she was relegated to a small icon at the bottom. When the initial re-design was done and she had a snazzy new outfit, she was put as an image on the front page, but she kind of interrupted the flow of what I wanted to do with that area. I didn't want to take her out, but where should I put her? It dawned on me earlier tonight and I spent some time playing around with the design and came up with my new header image:


It looks pretty pixelated here, so to see it in all it's splendor, click on the image. I may play around and tweak it a little more, but for now I'm pretty darn happy. Welcome back, Eva!

Introducing... Studio Fridays!

Part of the reason we chose the apartment we moved into was because the second bedroom was quite large which would allow me to have plenty of space for my studio. In the past, my office/studio was in what would normally have been our dining room. Well, that was the plan. By the time we moved, it overtook that entire room in addition to the better part of the living room. No matter where you went, there was no way to get away from it all. As much as I love ribbon (and fabric, and paper, and about 6,000 other supplies) sometimes I just needed to get away and I couldn't. And Mr. Cupcake would make me feel incredibly guilty by not complaining when things got so out of control that you had to practically pole vault over the back of the couch to grab a seat. But now, I have an entire room (plus rediculously large closet) all to The Creative Cupcake! I could just take pictures and show you... but that wouldn't be all that exciting, now, would it?

I came across this wonderful idea called "Studio Fridays" which has a theme each week that you (I) use as inspiration to take a picture and show off your office. For example, last week's theme was "My Collections" so I think I might have photographed my ever-growing collection of "C" letter monograms. It started with the peridot Swarovski encrusted topper I made for our wedding cake and has been added to a bit at a time as I come across one that is unique or fits with our decorating style.

So stay tuned for this week's topic and picture(s) tomorrow and every Friday!

Random Blog of The Week

I'm a blog reading junkie. I'll admit it. In the mornings I feel like I can't get my day started until I check what's going on in my favorite corners of the blogosphere. In my effort to keep you all entertained (and keep me on track in updating here regularly), I'm going to dedicate Wednesdays to sharing some of my favorite non-work related blogs.

Up this week: PerezHilton.com. I have a certain weakness for celebrity gossip and this site is essential to my daily fix. A devotee since his days running PageSixSixSix, Perez/Mario keeps the gossip coming with his own snarky and sometimes down right cruel commentary. Say what you will about him, the boy gets the inside scoops!

Rant: Business Cobwebs

And just in time for Halloween, too!

I feel like this move took over my life for 2 months. Frustratingly, I haven't been able to spend as much time as I'd like working on the parts of my business I really enjoy -- designing, creating, sharing -- and it is starting to wear me down. Even this blog, which I truly enjoy writing, has been showing signs of neglect.

My site is in bad need of an update/clean up. There are so many products that aren't even listed and mostly because my current digital camera is on the fritz... but that's another rant for another blog (right, hon?). I would love to have an individual picure of each belt, clip, bow, headband, keychain, etc. rather than working from a swatch system. With over 90 different ribbon choices and over 60 different products/variations that is way too much for me to handle.
But that's partly because I have a tendency to think BIG and I know I need to reign it in a little. For now, anyway.

[/RANT]

OK... now that that is off my chest...

Starting this week, I am going to be sending newsletters on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of every month. In order to keep up with my plans for this/next year, I'm going to be adding new items to my site twice a month. I'm excited to see what you all think of some of the products coming up in the next few weeks. There is one in particular that I'm incredibly excited about and once I am able to perfect the design you will be the first to know!

So if you are not already, be sure and sign up (link is on the right)!

IKEA & Me

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have a certain fondness for IKEA. Actually it is a little more like an obsession. Even before I had my own place, I would wander around the model room layouts and be amazed that everything in that entire living room could be mine for less than $1,000. Of course, there are strict rules to be followed when dealing with the beast that is the Sweedish superstore.

#1 - There will be absolutely NO shopping at IKEA on the weekends or any holiday when people have off from work. Even if you get there as the doors open, you still have to fight your way past the 107 other people who woke up early to "beat the crowds" to your Swedish meetballs. Or pressboard dresser. Or wacky do-dad-decoration-thingie.

a - The exception to the holiday rule is Valentine's Day. February 14th is the BEST time to go to IKEA. Ask me how I know this and I will give you insight into Mr. Cupcake's romantic tendencies.

# 2 - You must allow time to enjoy breakfast (yummy eggs, bacon, potatoes for 99 cents!) or lunch/dinner/snack with some of the freshest tasting gravlox this side of Goteborg and some lingonberry cheesecake.

Today I spent the afternoon getting to know my new local IKEA in Frisco and what a fruitful trip it was! Besdies finally finding an inexpensive dresser that would (a) match our bedroom and (b) cost as little as possible until we can save up the money for the one I really want, I got some random stuff for the house, some new organizing drawer units for my studio... I found these:
I came across these STATIST wired tree-like things in the miscellaneous decoration area and knew instantly that I would be taking a small arboretum's worth home with me. While I stood there, coming up with 101 uses for my new forrest of STATISTS and loading them into my cart, I knew what I would ultimately do with them.

As my local customers know, I am constantly changing up my street fair display with different, random things I find that make good (but slightly random) display items. Like the metal minimalist dish racks I turned on their sides to use as keychain racks. That one always gets funny looks, but it works like a charm! These will make great necklace displays (since I never seem to have enough) and I can't wait to use them at the end of the month.

Now I'm off to find my trusty allen wrench and spend the next 17 hours putting everything I bought together!

Howdy y'all!

Well, this is my first official blog post from our new studio/home in Dallas. We have been moved in for almost 2 weeks now, but somehow it still doesn't feel like we've moved halfway across the country.

There are some definite welcome surprises, like Super Target (you mean I can buy oranges, and a bicycle all in one place? How did I live 26 years without this store in my life?!) and having a Crate & Barrel outlet less than 15 minutes away. The sheer amount of resturants and places to shop is mind blowing. And this is coming from a girl who grew up within a stone's throw of what can only be the Mall Capital of America (Paramus, NJ)! But one must truck on and shop, shop, shop.

In actual business news (isn't that what this blog was supposed to be about??)... the store is back up and you can order oodles of bows and necklaces and headbands again. My studio is still in complete disarray and not quite functional yet, but fortunately I was able to locate most of the boxes with my supplies. I may be running a day or so longer than usual to get orders out, but I'm looking forward to getting back to business as usual.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be adding quite a bit of brand new one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces that you are just going to fall in love with. I'll also be able to finish updating the bow photos for each individual size/style/pattern so my customers can better visualize what their custom-made style will look like.

Stay tuned...

Carrots, anyone?

In completely random, celebrity/vegetable related news...

Right now, Mr. Cupcake is in the middle of a conference at a swanky Upper East Side hotel. He checked in earlier this afternoon and who was waiting to check in behind him? Freakin' Carrot Top!

And, yes, apparenly he is that freakishly buff. Crazy, right?! I love New York!

The countdown begins...

For some reason, I am having a hard time believing that I will be the proud leasee of a brand new apartment in Dallas in just 5 days. 5 more days! I keep waiting for it all to sink in, but my brain is having none of it. Maybe I really am a Jersey Girl at heart (minus the big hair, save for a few years that began with what I kindly refer to as The Great Dippity-Do Gel Crisis of 1992). Even though our years spent living in Philadelphia felt more like home to us than New York ever did, there is something so oddly comforting about spending time in the area you grew up. Nostalgia is a crazy thing.

I'm spending today running last minute errands and getting most of our miscellaneous things we're not taking on the plane packed up to ship out. It really is amazing what two people can accumulate in just a month! My favorite little thing, by FAR, is my new studio/office companion:

In what I can only imagine would be the immortal words of Comic Book Guy,
"Best... Bobblehead... Ever."
Viva La Office!!

Long time, no blog!

I have been so wrapped up in our move that I've let the blogging momentum slip a little... not anymore!

Last week we flew down to Dallas to get a feel for where we wanted to live (Mr. Cupcake needs to be near the airport and I didn't want to be too far from downtown). We found a beautiful loft just outside of the city. The kitchen alone makes the move worth it. Just think of all the actual cupcakes I can bake and dough I can roll out on that huge island countertop?!

The pictures of my new studio didn't come out very well because of the lighting but once we're moved in I'll definitely show you a peek into where I spend my days surrounded by cute ribbons!

Otherwise I've been spending my time working on orders and tying up our loose ends up here in New Jersey. It is hard to believe that in a little more than a week, we'll be moving! Time sure files.

Something to keep in mind as you plan your shopping -- The store will be closing on 9/30 and not reopening until 10/15. All orders need to be in no later than 9/29 in order to be shipped before the move.

The good news? All headbands and cute hair clips are 20% off until we close next week! Stock up now on all of your favorites because I can promise they will not be this cheap again anytime soon. No coupon code is needed... the sale prices are already displayed on the site.

Tomorrow I'm planning to scope out some of the local craft fairs. It will be nice to be able to stroll around without having to run back to my own booth, and even nicer that there is no heavy tent-and-table-lifting involved for once. Plus, we want to soak up as much cool weather as we can since we won't be seeing 60-70 degrees again for months!

Yehaw! Or something like that.......

Well, it is finally official so I can let you all in on the little secret that I've had to keep quiet about for months now. The Creative Cupcake is moving to Dallas! Mr. Cupcake had a unique opportunity to make a big career decision over the past week and the position he decided to accept is based in Texas. When I was a little girl watching episodes of Dallas with my mother, I never could have imagined that someday I would be living near the Ewings!

The move is going to be a long process - we're leaving our current apartment this week and will be heading for temporary housing for about a month, then we'll make the big jump half-way across the country sometime in October. Because of the space limitations and timing, we won't be doing some of our favorite local New Jersey shows (sorry Ridgewood and Red Bank!!). In an effort to maintain my sanity, I will keep the store open and running as long as possible but with a somewhat limited product line. I haven't decided exactly what will stay and what will go just yet, but I will keep you posted.

So if you are one of our Dallas customers, drop me a line and tell me about your favorite places to shop, eat and enjoy life. We know next to nothing about the city and Mr. Cupcake and I are excited about making Dallas our new home!

Now, if I can only figure out how to get my hair to maintain proper Texan-sized volume.........

How cute is this?!

I've been working on some new bow designs and even though this is a take off of the McKenna, I think it is so cute. And I'm not even a "big bow" person. I'm going to be offering this style in 3-4 other color combinations, including pink and green (our favorite!!). Stay tuned... I should have them added to the site and ready to buy early next week!

We recently found out something that could be very exciting for the future of The Creative Cupcake. The down side? I can't say a peep about it until everything is finalized. Very unfair, I know, but I wanted to mention it so those of you reading the blog (Bueller?) could send out good karma vibes our way. I'm finding it hard to type at my normal speed while my fingers are crossed!

Day trip!!

It has come to our attention that both Mr. Cupcake and I are completely stressed out and not the most fun and upbeat people to be around lately. Aside from some personal/family things we have been dealing with, we both have been spending entirely too much time at work and have developed a bad habit of bringing our work "home" with us. The fact that my studio is actually what should be our dining room and has slowly taken over half of our living room doesn't help the cause. Plus, Mr. Cupcake has been putting in some extra time at the pharmacy so we can have a little extra money until my fall show schedule starts up again, so I think he deserves some R&R.

So what is a fun, young couple with no extra money to travel to do? Enter - The Day Trip! I've designated this Saturday as our Official Day of Fun, Emergency Edition. The rules are simple.

• The day must be spent outside of our home.
  
• Location of outing(s) may not be more than 1 1/2 hours away since sitting in traffic is certainly not fun.
  
• Both of us must agree on the day's activities and meals, since it is no fun to spend hours doing something you don't enjoy.
  
• NO talking about work or our families!!!

And that's about it. Some of these rules may be more tricky to follow than others, but considering the sorry state of our moods, drastic action must be taken. Stay tuned for a full report next week!

Busy as a...well... you know!

I have been working all day on getting product photos reshot and edited - they look spectacular, if I do say so myself! While I loved my dear old green grass background, I think the products just *pop* more this way. I have quite a bit more to do, but I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere!

If you visit the site, you'll notice that items come and go and categories may shift around -- that's just me working behind the scenes. I hope to have everything fully up and running (save for a few products) by this Friday. I know, I can't believe it either!

The Sampler!

We at the Creative Cupcake love The Sampler.What exactly is it? Each month, indie crafters, artists, shops, zines and record labels (that's me...sort of) who run web-based businesses send samples and promotional materials to Marie, the Sampler Goddess. She photographs all the samples, posts them to the site and then are doles them out, put in little packages and sent off to Sampler Subscribers, other Sampler Contributors and members of the media!

I'm so excited that our Mini Calla Clips will be featured in the August edition! Every time I've received a Sampler in the past, it has been chock-full of fun and fabulous samples of everything from jewelry and buttons to pins and stationery - and just about everything in between. I'm always so happy to find new independently owned businesses with great products.
Subscriptions go on sale TODAY @ 10AM & 4PM Pacific time. If you love supporting independent businesses, go to the site and buy one. But be warned, they go super fast!!

Drumroll, please!

Since my site is still down and I can't edit the things I need to, I've had some extra time to work on some cute new designs to add as part of my regular collection. Introducing... the McKenna Bow!

These bows were inspired by my friend Sharra's youngest daughter McKenna - who, ironically, still has no hair. She's a southern girl, you see, and they like their bows big in the south. I, on the other hand, just cannot understand putting a big ol' bow on a poor little baby's head. I just can't do it. When we travel and I see the little girls sitting in their strollers with their heads leaning to one side because their bow is just too big, I have to laugh. As I always say about my beautiful but uncomfortable designer shoes, "It's fashion, not function!"

The McKenna bow will come in 4 different sizes (for Yankees and Southerns alike) and depending on the size, over 35 different ribbon choices!

Just my luck!

Tomorrow is my cousin Marissa's high school graduation party. I was excited when I got the invitation in the mail and saw that it was going to be at Jenkinson's in Point Pleasant. I simultaneously felt incredibly old and had the urge to run to Saks and buy Creme de la Mer eye balm.

It was 8 years ago that I graduated high school. Man, that makes me feel old. It somehow seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago all at once. As I constantly remind Mr. Cupcake... At least I will always be younger than him. Even if it is only by 9 months.

I was excited to go down to Point Pleasant for a couple of reasons. First, I spent most of my summer vacations there with my family. We'd stay for the week at the Surfside Motel, which back in the 80's was bright pink. I was sad when they painted it beige years ago. It was like it lost some of it's charm. And I use that term loosely. I feel like there is something so familiar about Point and so much of it hasn't changed in years. For example, always park and find a spot near the jetty - there are less crazy tourist/boardwalk people there and I happen to like my waves a little choppier. And the little cafe/breakfast place on Broadway going into town opens around 6 and has the best coffee and eggs.

Another reason I was looking forward to the party was that we would get some quality beach time. Now, I know I don't tan all that well in the summers anymore. At a party last weekend, one of my in-laws said I looked like Snow White, I was so pale. "Not any more!", I thought. Although now, looking out the window, it looks like the weather is going to get the best of me again. Because being steamy hot all week wasn't enough, Mother Nature feels the need to rain on the one day I can actually go to the beach and get some color (slathered up with SPF 45, of course). She's such a woman. At least by staying out of the sun tomorrow, I'll help keep those wrinkles away for a little while longer!

No more sandwiches!!!

We're still trying to recover from the insane heat over here in Cupcake Land. I haven't been able to turn my stove on in over a week and I swear that if I have to eat one more sandwich from Quick Check I think I'm going to lose my mind. Mr. Cupcake gives me dirty looks when I try and serve one of my super-tasty salads for dinner, so that's out. Honestly, I miss being able to cook and bake. Not a cream-filled cupcake nor miniature pie has left my kitchen in days and I'm going through withdrawal! I've been starting to think of people I know with air conditioned kitchens that I can swindle into letting me cook. I need to get out more.

Because I'm cool-toned, I tend stay with silver/platinum metals in the jewelry I wear because it compliments my skin tone the best. But, honestly, how amazing would this necklace look around my neck? I don't exactly have $225 sitting around in my wallet, but if I did, it wouldn't be there for long!

Jen at Juniper Designs scours markets and shows to find the most beautiful antique key holes and turns them into absolutely beautiful jewelry pieces. Fortunately for all of us, she also has a wide price range so everyone that loves this style can find something that fits their budget. As for me, I'm holding out hope that Mr. Cupcake suddenly suffers from severe memory loss and forgets that we have no money to spare. Of course, this would coincide with his wanting to shower me with expensive and thoughtful gifts. Though I'm not holding my breath.

Is it hot enough for you?

Don't you just love people that ask you that? As if you didn't already notice that it is an egg-frying temperature outside. A local "DJ" (and I use the term loosely) declared that he is going to ask this question to everyone he sees today. Is it wrong of me to want to give him a kick in the pants? Or perhaps reach out, grab his [insert something painful here] and give it a big ol' twist. Then tell him, "Yes, it is. Thanks for asking." I didn't think so either.

Today is expected to hit 96 degrees and feel like 105 here in New York. Humidity in the 50-60% range. Those of you living in the southwest are probably laughing at me right now, but I can assure you that 96 is an incredibly inhumane temperature around here. And it's definitely not a "dry heat". Thick, pea soup-like, humid heat. Which, for me, means shiny spots on my face and oddly wavy hair. Not cute. Not cute indeed.

So I've decided to take today off. Our rickety air conditioner can only go about 3 hours before it starts blowing hot air and I have to turn it off, so clearly I won't be spending my day off at home. Maybe I'll run some errands and hide out at the nicely chilled movie theater with my hair hidden under a cute Creative Cupcake headband. Finally go see The Devil Wears Prada before I have to wait so long that it is out on DVD. There will be no cooking, baking or oven-turning-on of any sort in my un-AC'd kitchen.

In the immortal words of Conan O'Brien -- "Keep cool, my babies!"

Oh, for Pete's Sake...

We're still having some glitches with the shopping cart so the opening has been pushed back a bit. Again. I can't wait until we're just up and running! At least I know it will be worth it, since the new set up will make shopping SO much easier. You will have up to the minute listings of my ribbon patterns in stock, and quite a few new styles to choose from. Just be sure you are on our mailing list (see link on the right ---->) and you'll be among the first to know when we're live!

In the meantime, check out these adorable aprons from Carrie at Sommer Designs that I've been jonesing for lately. She has a great eye for fun fabric choices and her bag construction is just impeccable.

Mr. Cupcake is usually pretty good about picking up on hints I drop... Let's put this to the test. I think the Wonderland style is so me, don't you hon?!

The countdown begins...

We are almost ready to unveil our new site - just 9 more days! Have you signed up for our mailing list yet? We're going to announce a special customer-only sale for our grand opening. You won't want to miss it!

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Where did we go?!

The bad news: The Creative Cupcake is down for maintenance.

The good news: We are getting a makeover!

Our 2^nd Anniversary is right around the corner and we felt it was time for a new look. Who doesn’t love a makeover, anyway? Actually, we should call it a makeunder since we are making it more user friendly, just for our customers! Our new home will be easier to navigate and feature some wonderful products that were only available at our show appearances, until now.

We are so excited about our anniversary and new site that we’re going to have an amazing sale to celebrate. The catch? You have to be a customer and on our mailing list. Just head over to our temporary page and fill in your email address where is says “Sign up for our Email Newsletter” towards the bottom of the page. Click “Go” and follow the prompts. Simple!

Stay tuned for site updates and maybe a sneak peek or two of what’s coming to The Creative Cupcake!

And... we're back!

After having to take some "time off" because of family situations and my being sick, I'm glad to be back with a vengence! I wanted to send a special "thank you" to all of my friends and customers that have been so extremely supportive during such a difficult time.

I've already started to incorporate some of our new belts into the site and will be updating our show schedule within the next week or so. There are so many exciting new things coming your way so be sure to stay tuned! If you are not part of our mailing list, be sure to add yourself ASAP because there will be a special customer-only discount being sent out very soon!!