*Affiliate links are included in just about every blog post I share here on Pen + Paper Flowers.

 These links allow me to easily share with you the same or similar items and tools I use for recipes, crafts or projects. 
These links also provide me with a small commission should you decide to click on them and purchase something. 
The commissions, collectively, allow me to continue sharing ideas and content with you.
Thank you in advance for your ongoing support of my blog and small business.  xoxo, Jess

Hummingbird Cake is about as southern as it gets when it comes to cakes. In fact, this classic cake has been the single most popular recipe in Southern Living Magazine since it was submitted back in 1978. (Let me do the math for you on that...for 40 years!) 

So you would think this girl right here would have tasted this cake a time or two and even attempted baking it at least once by now, right? Nope.

I don't even have a good excuse for not having tried it yet. It could be that my memory just isn't the best...so maybe I actually have tried it in the past and it's just been soooo long ago it just completely slipped my mind?

Umm...yeah...I'm really not buying that excuse because now that I have actually tasted this cake, (as of this weekend), I just cannot imagine it ever "slipping my mind" because it's just really delicious.

Having officially baked it and tasted it now, I've determined the Hummingbird Cake to be the sister-cake to Carrot Cake. The crushed pineapple and bananas in the Hummingbird Cake certainly seem to give a nod to the Spring/Summer season while the shredded carrots in Carrot Cake shake hands with Fall - the peak carrot season. 

So yes...if you love Carrot Cake (imagine me throwing both arms up in the air with an emphatic "yes!" and waving them around like a crazy cake lady) then you will love this cake too! Guaranteed.

Thank goodness my oldest daughter, Clara, came to visit for the weekend.
She had one thing on her mind: baking...with me. (you know that made my mama heart happy).

So that's just what we did too. We baked.

One of the things we made was this cake.

I'd like to say we had things all planned out before Clara even arrived but that would be far from the truth. We simply sat down together once she got here and thumbed through a couple of Southern Living Magazines I'd picked up over the last couple of months: Southern Living Famous Southern Cakes + Pies and the Southern Living Special Collector's Edition Cakes + Pies - apparently I have a thing for cakes + pies. *wink*

The Hummingbird Cake caught our eye and was in BOTH of the magazines. We just couldn't say no.
I didn't have three 8-inch cake pans so we opted to do a smaller 3 layer cake and made cupcakes with the extra batter. (plus she got to take the cake home and the cupcakes stayed here with me - a win for the both of us).

We love how the cake + cupcakes turned out. So moist. So delicious. And did I mention cream cheese frosting? Ummm...hello...my very favorite.

I definitely encourage you to try it. It will not disappoint you or anyone who's lucky enough to sample it. I have an idea!! How about making it for any of those summertime potlucks and gatherings you've got on your calendar. (although be mindful that cream cheese frosting doesn't pair well with sitting outside in the heat - you'll want to make sure you have an air-conditioned space for keeping/serving).

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

by Southern Living Magazine

INGREDIENTS

CAKE LAYERS

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

2 cups chopped ripe bananas (about 6 bananas)

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

vegetable shortening - for pans

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup salted butter or margarine, softened

2 (16oz) pkg. powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

ADDITIONAL/OPTIONAL

12- 24 pecan halves, toasted - for decorating top of cake

1/2 - 3/4 cups chopped pecans, toasted - for decorating sides of cake

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the cake layers: Preheat oven to 350ºF.

    Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring

     just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans.

2. Divide batter evenly among 3 well-greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

3. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. 

    Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely, 

    about 1 hour.

4. Prepare the cream cheese frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on 

    medium-low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high,

    and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Assemble cake: Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter; spread top with 1 cup of frosting. Top with

    second layer, and spread with 1 cup frosting. top with third layer, and spread remaining frosting over 

    top and sides of cake. Optional decorating: Arrange pecan halves on top of cake. For a more "fancy"

    finish, gently press chopped pecans around the sides of frosted cake using your hand.

Tip: For cupcakes, bake for 18-20 minutes. Once frosted, roll edges in chopped pecans. 

(Thought you might also enjoy this step-by-step video for Southern Living Hummingbird Cake I found while typing up this blog post). 

Enjoy my sweet friends!!
I hope you'll try it and report back.

PS - Let me know if you'd like a cute printable Hummingbird Cake Recipe Card. I'm not really sure if you all prefer just reading the recipe right off the blog or if you love the free recipe cards I've created and shared before? Or maybe you want both? I'd love your feedback.

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL

THREE THINGS...

1. I prefer my cream cheese frosting to be a tad tangier than this version but it's still delicious. (And until I find the recipe I want to share with you this one will have to do). Ha! And by all means, if you already have a fave cream cheese frosting recipe...use it!!

2. Clara and I didn't realize I only had a bag of pecan halves instead of the whole pecans we needed to to decorate the top of the cake. So, we did what any good OCD baker would do and we painstakingly took time to try to match up pecan halves to make them look whole. I think we did a dang good job. I can hardly tell when I look closely at the photos. Ha!!

3. These photos turned out surprisingly well despite the immense pressure I was under to "hurry up". Clara was trying to head back home and she was behind schedule so with each push of the shutter button on my camera and every rearranged shot of the cake I made in an attempt to capture the perfect image,  I could feel her hot eye balls glaring at me while she stood impatiently nearby waiting to drive off with the cake.  Some things never change - she's never been very patient when it came to me + my photo-taking. I still love her though. And besides, this cake wouldn't have happened this weekend without her. Thanks Clara!! *wink*

RECIPE | The Best Chocolate Cake Birthday Cake Ever

My Ella Pie turned eight years old on November 14th and this is what's left of the cake she requested.
And although right now we are all busy focusing on our Thanksgiving pies for tomorrow, (myself included), sharing this chocolate cake recipe with you RIGHT NOW just could not wait any longer. It's really THAT good. Besides that, I promised everyone on Facebook and Instagram that I'd post the recipe this week...so there! *wink*

If you've been following along my blog for awhile, you know it's a family tradition to allow the person celebrating a birthday to choose their birthday dinner and birthday dessert - usually homemade by mom. Clara typically chooses cheesecake, Ema has chosen a fresh fruit cake for the last five years and Ella has been known to pick ice cream cakes - not homemade.

As you can see...no one ever really chooses a traditional cake - myself included.
So I was really surprised this year when Ella said you wanted a "chocolate cake with blue frosting and a dolphin on top".

The only photo I love of the cake is the mangled cake in the first photo because it was taken 5 days post-party as I was eating the last remaining MOIST bits of it alone in the house one afternoon with gorgeous natural light pouring in from the kitchen window. All of these other cake photos were taken at night because as those of you who saw my Instagram stories know...I finished the cake just barely shy of Ella walking in the door from gymnastics at 6:30 on the night of her birthday.*phew*

Regardless of the funky lighting...I just LOVE how it turned out.
I used Sweetapolita sprinkles , (a mix of New Jersey Shore + A Cherry on Top),  for me to add some fun to the sides and top of the cake. I then used my Cricut Explore Air 2 to create the glittered dolphin and waves cake topper! (also shown on my Instastories)

I'm not a huge fan of cake...even though I love cupcakes.
I've only baked a few "cake" cakes in my life so I'm certainly no expert but I am familiar with lining the pans, greasing the pans, dusting the pans and frosting a layer cake.

As my wheels started turning to figure out which chocolate cake recipe to go with, I remembered my friend, Allison, had recently made a chocolate cake for her daughter's birthday and raved about the recipe she used from someone at church.

I went with it and BAM! It's a winner!!
It's moist for DAYS...and it's oh so chocolatey!!
Which is why I'm sure it's original name is "Too Much Chocolate Cake".
The original recipe called for this to be a bundt cake but I turned it into a 3 layer 6" inch cake with buttercream frosting. I swapped out the regular chocolate chips for miniatures and I've renamed it "The Best Chocolate Birthday Cake EVER"!

I've even created cute recipe cards for you to download and print if you'd like because I love it that much!

DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE CARDS NOW

Do you love it?
Ella loved it...

Told you she'd just got home from gymnastics practice!
She's still in her leotard.

Anyway...the Sweetapolita sprinkles really make it extra adorable.
AND...if you aren't a cake baker or decorator...the sprinkles let you skip all those fancy piping details. BONUS!!

This cake is SO easy...especially if you do the bundt-cake version.
You could totally make this to surprise your family at Thanksgiving.

Hope you'll try it you guys!
You will NOT be disappointed.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!!
I am so grateful for your love and support and the stories you guys share with me.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so genuine and real.
The world could use more YOU in it!!

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I should clarify that Ella loved the way her birthday cake LOOKED on the night of her birthday because she never even ate any of her birthday cake that night. *gasp* She'd had a fever for three days previously and was okay...but not 100% percent and just didn't want any cake. I was SO disappointed my little birthday girl wasn't even eating her own requested special chocolate cake with blue frosting and dolphins on top birthday cake.

P.S. I still have her American Girl Doll themed birthday party details to share with you too.
But let's kick back and enjoy the Thanksgiving holidays for right now my friends.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a little girl named Ella who's home with me today...waiting to do something fun together. *wink*

FREE | Let's Bake + Eat Cake Art Print :: The Cake Blog

Here's this month's FREE printable I designed for The Cake Blog!
Not only can you print it out but it's also available as digital wall paper for your digital devices!!

Soooo cute, right?
Click here to download them all for FREE on The Cake Blog!

There are so many cute cakes I'm excited about that have been posted on The Cake Blog lately.
I'm sharing my faves just in case you have missed them:
Flamingo Cake
Hello Summer Watermelon Cake
Confetti Throwing Cake #1
Confetti Throwing Cake #2
Orange Creamsicle Cake 

xoxo,
Jessica

KEEPiNG iT REAL
The digital design of the "Let's Bake + Eat Cake" was a last minute change from a really cute chalkboard version  I had originally created. I'll be sharing that one on the blog soon for all of you chalkboard lovers!!

STYLING | Baby Love Baby Shower :: Shutterfly

I love party styling - but you already knew that.

What you may not know is that what I REALLY love about party styling is being able to use the decorative things from a celebration for something post-party.

Baby Showers are especially fun because if you are smart…you can transition the party decor right into the baby's nursery! It allows you to "shower" the mother-to-be with the gift of hosting a baby shower for her, in addition to supplying her with some super cute things for the baby's nursery.

I'm so excited today because I'm going to show you some fun ideas on how to do that using some super adorable Shutterfly products.

Using 1 Wall Decal,  3 Photo Cubes,  2 Sets of Glass Magnets,  2 Journals,  1 Table Runner, 1 - 16x16 Photo Gallery Pillow and 3 - 5x7 Curved Glass Prints I was able to create a Dessert/Sign-In table AND have fun things to use in the baby's nursery afterwards.

The inspiration for this heart-themed baby shower came from Shutterfly's Baby Love (Girl) Baby Shower Invitation. I fell in love with the fun color scheme and whimsical vibe of the imperfect hearts. 

I set out to create a really simple "Desserts" and "Sign-In" table combo by splitting the serving area in half… one side for displaying a few sweet treats and the other side for holding pens and a cute keepsake book for guests to sign in and jot down a message/wish for the baby.

I used this custom table runner I designed as the foundation for the dessert and sign-in table. 

I think it turned out so adorable!!

The 5x7 Curved Glass Prints were used for serving some cute iced sugar cookies on one side of the table and for holding pens on the other side of the table. After the shower, the curved glass prints can be used in the nursery to hold pacifiers, small toys, hair accessories or they can be stood upright for a cute display. 

The Glass Magnets were used to hold my signage onto the metal stand centered on the table. I am SO in love with these oversized magnets. You could also use the magnets as cute party favors by slipping one into a glassine bag and sealing the bag with a hand-cut paper heart.

I hand-cut colorful paper hearts and attached them to wooden skewers using a hot glue gun and then inserted them into the white coconut cream cake. I love how the varying heights of this homemade cake topper added instant height to an otherwise small cake and helped balance out the table.

I used the same technique for the mini cupcakes - using toothpicks instead.

The heart pillow was adorable on the table along with the photo cubes, journals, and table runner.
You could use the pillow at the shower to clearly mark where the mommy-to-be should be sitting.
The pillow can then be added to the nursery chair/rocker for comfort and a splash of cute décor.

THE BACKDROP!!! The heart backdrop was created using a multi-heart Wall Decal I designed. It was seriously the easiest backdrop I've ever put up - just peel and stick it to the wall. They come off easily without damaging the wall/paint and you can reuse them. Then…after the shower, the hearts can be added to the nursery walls!! LOVE this idea soooo much!!

Hand-cut paper hearts were made to create a garland which I added to the front of the dresser to tie everything together. I think it all turned out so super cute and it was really simple to pull together.

Present both journals to the mother-to-be at the end of the shower. One of them as the keepsake guest book with the baby wishes from all of the guests. The other to encourage the new mom to journal all about baby's first year.

Shutterfly has some amazing products.

They were so fun to use to create this Baby Love baby shower and I was super impressed with the quality of the products as well.

I can't wait to come up with some other fun things using Shutterfly products!

I hope you've been inspired!

HOW TO RECREATE THESE SHUTTERFLY PRODUCTS

1. Download my designs

2. Go to the Shutterfly website

3. Search the specific product you are looking to create

4. Click "get photos" and upload my designs from your computer.

5. Add image(s) to product template, preview and order.

KEEPING IT REAL

Can you guess what lucky girl is going to now have these things as part of her room decor?

See…I was even thinking ahead when I picked which baby shower design to use! *wink*

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. PEN N' PAPER FLOWERS HAS RECEIVED COMPENSATION AND/OR PRODUCTS FROM SHUTTERFLY IN EXCHANGE FOR SHARING, BUT FRIENDS…AS ALWAYS...ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN!

CAKE | Healthiest Cake on the Planet

It's "Fresh Fruit Cake" time around here again! Yep! Ema asked for her favorite birthday cake for the THIRD year in a row. She actually asked to help make it instead of letting me surprise her with it. She gushes about how much she loves this cake every year and this birthday was no different.

We still used a watermelon as the base and much of the same fruits but we did add tangerines and pomegranates (one of Ema's favorites) this year. I think it's the prettiest cake yet. We're getting pretty good at this, don't you think?

It's seriously the best cake ever (unless you absolutely don't like fruit), because this cake can be eaten by anyone. There are no added preservatives. People with food sensitivies or allergies are good to go. Family members who are watching their weight will be relieved there isn't a big ole tempting sugar-laden cake staring back at them. Parents who are tired of feeding their kids refined sugar or are avoiding HFCS will love you. And those health fanatics avoiding sugar, wheat, gluten or dairy just may choose this for their own birthday cake…you watch!

All you need is some fresh fruit, toothpicks and an imagination and you've got yourself the healthiest cake on the planet.

If you are thinking it's going to be difficult to slice with all of those hidden toothpicks - it's actually surprisingly easy. Just use a long sharp knife and cut it just as you would a traditional birthday cake…in slices. When you serve the slices the toothpicks should be removed prior to eating - especially before you serve it to young children.

Now…I have seen some people slather their fresh fruit cakes with cool whip so the watermelon is hidden underneath and it resembles an iced cake. However, Ema's whole goal in her original request for fresh fruit as a birthday dessert is to keep things healthy - why ruin a perfectly healthy cake?

See the step-by-step process from THIS POST on how to create a Fresh Fruit Cake.

FRUIT WE USED:
Watermelon (base)
Pineapple
Blackberries
Blueberries
Strawberries
Tangerines
Raspberries
Pomegranate Seeds

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Making a fresh fruit cake is NOT cheap.
But you could do a mini-sized version by selecting a smaller watermelon as the base and only adding a few different fruits.

Now…I'm off to dig my toes in the sand at the beach with all three of my girls!
Looks like it's going to be the only halfway sunny day this entire week so I'm planning on making the most of it!

Pssst…Ema has already taken (and passed) the test to be given her Learners Permit so we'll be heading up there on Friday for her to have her photo taken and to make things official! (I can't believe she is 15). Craziness!

PARTY PEEK | Ella's Rainbow Unicorn Party- the Cake

Cake and Photo Credit: Sherri at The Pastry Studio

I shared this sneak peek of Ella's birthday cake on Instagram and Facebook yesterday.
I'm working on finishing up the photos and will be posting the rest of the details from Ella's Rainbow Unicorn Party soon!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
As much as I love taking my own photos it's busy holiday times like these I'd love to hand off this responsibility to someone else and just wait for the finished photos to be emailed to me! Ha!!

PROMISE ME | Vintage Baking - Texas Sheet Cake

This is all that's left of the from-scratch, homemade Texas Sheet Cake I made on Labor Day!

Never having made a Texas Sheet Cake before - this recipe did NOT disappoint.
I whipped it up Monday morning to bring to a BBQ some friends invited us too that afternoon.

It's not one of those cakes where you get to lose yourself in the complexity of the process.
It's actually super easy to make and my greatest pleasure came from using my favorite ingredients - which are the highest quality and unfortunately the most expensive.  I picked up the very best chocolate, vanilla, and flour I could find while J was working - because if it would've been left up to him...it would've been generic-brand everything and mama doesn't like baking or even cooking that way).  My mom taught me when I was younger that using the best ingredients makes a difference and it really does! I've had to make a lot of compromises living with someone who, for one, is budget-minded (not one of my strengths) and two, who doesn't truly appreciate the finer things in life - when it comes to ""frou-frou" baking and healthy cooking. He's completely content with cream of chicken soup crockpot meals, homestyle casseroles, a can of spaghettios and cheesecake swirl brownies from a box. And who isn't? But I prefer fresh ingredients, nothing from a can or box and if I could have my own chickens for beautiful farm fresh eggs I would SO do it. The chickens of course, would need to be one or all of the following breeds: Cuckoo Maran, Mottled Cochin or Porcelain since I'm told they lay the prettiest most glamorous eggs - although there's nothing glamorous  or sanitary about having stinky chicken pens in your backyard - but those gorgeous, fresh eggs would be so worth it). Ha!! Anyway...when the budget allows (or when I can sneak it into the cart) I make sure I'm working with only the best.

Although there was some debate at the barbecue over whether it was a "cake" vs. a pan of brownies...
there was no denying this cake was definitely a crowd-pleaser! What's not to love about a moist cake with an incredible chocolate from-scratch cake frosting topped off with some toasted pecans? Is it obvious I'm lobbying for "It's a cake" votes?) *wink*


I managed to make sure I still had a few pieces to bring home with me since the only other picture I had was this one I posted on MY INSTAGRAM FEED as I was getting ready to put it in the oven:

Ella helped me bake it and I was fascinated by the fact that you are supposed to pour on warm frosting immediately after the cake came out of the oven! Trust me...I hesitated...and even started to panic a little thinking the technique seemed so wrong...but it turned out SO right.

I was SO excited to try out this recipe from the Vintage Cakes book I purchased awhile back.
I bought it specifically to help me reach one of my "Promise Me" Goals to try out some Vintage Baking recipes.

Looking forward to sampling the other recipes inside the gorgeous book!
Here are some of the others I'm eyeing right now...
The Pink Cake - thinking I'll do this one for my birthday
Goober Cake - just because it's got peanut butter in it and looks amazing!
Italian Cream Cake - my stepdad is Italian and his birthday is at the end of the month - PERFECT!
Boston Cream Pie-lets - just because they are mini and who doesn't love Boston Cream pie?
Grammy Cake - sounds like it's going to be delicious and I get to use my pretty fluted cake pan.
Old Vermont Burnt Sugar Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting - yes, please! 

If you appreciate vintage recipes and beautiful cakes, you should totally pick up this book.
The gorgeous cover alone is reason enough to have it displayed in your kitchen! *wink*

Promise Me peeps...
How are you doing on your journey?
I've been able to cross off 5 things on my list with 18 more things to finish and only 5 months left to get busy - it's time to get busy!! You know the holidays are going to be crazy so don't let the next few months sneak by and then cram everything in come January! PLAN IT! We can do this. We are worth it!! Get your promises on your calendars. Incorporate your goals into your every day routine if you can. Plan ahead. That's what's going to get you to where you want to be!!

Looking forward to announcing the Monthly Surprise Winner for August!!
Stay tuned!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
J has come a long way with his "palate"...he, himself, admits it quite often.
In turn, I've come a long way with recognizing the importance of a budget! *wink*
So, on paper...it's a win-win.

GOOD THiNGS | Best Ever {Fresh} FRUiT Cake

For most people…

"Fruit Cake" typically warrants wrinkled noses and groans during the Christmas/Winter Holidays at it's very mention.

Thankfully...this isn't the season for "fruit cake"! 

And... as you can see from the image below...

there's no need for wrinkled noses and groans because...

what I'm sharing with you today isn't your traditional "Fruit" Cake…

Fresh "Fruit Cake"

Made completely of fresh fruit...

this cake is sure to turn heads while still tending carefully to the heart health of those we love.

Click the "Read More" link below to get the rest of the details on the most delicious and nutritious fruit cake ever!

BEHiND the SCENES | Amazing Cake + Crafting + Surprises

Hello friends.
I was without internet all weekend due to some construction in our neighborhood *frown*
So I was busy all day yesterday trying to catch up on orders, etc.

Still playing catch-up today...
and wanted to share with you a few things that have been going on behind the scenes...

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

It was J's birthday weekend...

so along with a wonderful dinner with friends Friday night...

I also made him his requested "Birthday Dinner" on Sunday with family - Lasagna

and his requested "Birthday Dessert"...German Chocolate Cake.

I'm not a huge fan of German Chocolate cake...

However, it's not MY birthday, so it doesn't really matter.

With this being one of J's favorite cakes...

I knew it had to impress.

I did a quick search online for "The Best German Chocolate Cake"...

and stumbled upon David Lebovitz's recipe spotted on Annie's Eats.

Wow.

It is amazing.

I cannot begin to tell you how fabulously delicious this cake turned out to be.

In. LOVE with the chocolate ganache-like frosting. That was my favorite part. YUM!!

Because the cake wasn't ready until after dinner Sunday night...

I didn't photograph the cake in it's entirety.

I don't like taking photos at night...indoors...using harsh light.

After everyone devoured it...

I barely had a nice wedge to photograph the next day.

So be sure to check out Annie's Eats beautiful full image of her cake.

Caution: Baking this cake is not for the faint-of-heart. Be sure to read the "minor issues" portion of 

Annie's post to avoid some pitfalls - especially in regards to the frosting. I decided to make the frosting first

so it could be chilling the entire time I was making/cooling the cake. It was perfect by the time I was ready to frost.

However, it warms quickly so I was racing against the clock to get it completely frosted before it started drooping.

Keep refrigerated.

SURPRISE BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR J

Oversized print I had made of his favorite Grandmother, standing with J's grandfather.

This is gigantic and has great impact! I LOVE it! We'll be framing it out and adding more of these!!

MASON JAR LID RINGS

You won't believe what I've been doing with these!! 

WOODEN BLOCKS AND WOOD PIECES

A couple of fun crafting projects I've been working and re-working...

ANTIQUE SILVER COASTERS

Part of another fun project I'll be revealing soon...

I hope I've caught your interest!

There's even MORE fun to share with you:

Tonight's Holiday Pinterest Party Theme: Cookie Exchange Party Ideas

Click on the link above for details as well as to see the ADORABLE snowman cookies I want to recreate!!

AND...

A fun Holiday Surprise you won't want to miss tomorrow!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I should really invest in a mounted flash...
I mean I can't continue to schedule events based on lighting conditions...
just so I can get great photos...
can I?

DiSCOVER | Easy Roller (for Cake Pops)

Cake Pops are not a new thing.
Essentially cake + frosting mixed together, rolled into balls, stuck on a lollipop stick, dipped in chocolate and decorated as you wish.

BEACH BALL CAKE POPS via Bakerella

Unless you've been under a rock...
you have seen them. (and most likely eaten a couple too).

The original "Queen of Cake Pops", Angie Dudley, of Bakerella
has managed to captivate the world with her cute and creative cake-balls-on-a-stick.
She's built a loyal fan base, (me being part of it), who are always anticipating Angie's next blog post...
which we know will undoubtedly feature a brand-new, creative cake pop or baking idea.

Although Angie does not sell her edible creations...
She has published a book filled with tips, tricks and recipes...

CAKE POPS - the book

and has recently announced the release of a brand new toy line coming out next month via Toys R Us
CAKE POPS SET just for kids...

Because Cake Pops are so fun to eat...
as well as versatile in flavor and decor...
They have infiltrated just about every party and event...
and have even "popped" up in the unlikeliest of places like Starbucks.

Cake Pop companies have been "popping" up all over to accommodate the huge public demand...
A demand by customers who want to incorporate customized Cake Pops into their celebrations.
With that said, I decided to conduct a Facebook poll last week.
I inquired from my fans the names of Cake Pop companies/designers/creators they love working with.

While I'm putting the finishing touches on the post for you...
which will essentially be a handy directory for you to reference at any time...
I wanted to share with you an amazing Cake Pop making tool.

The "Easy Roller" created by Heavenly Cake Pops

You MUST watch this video...it works like magic...

And if you thought THAT was amazing...

check out this video that magically transforms your dough into

CUPCAKE-SHAPED CAKE POPS! *gasp*

Crazy-amazing...right?

Although I've watched the video several times...

I'm just as mesmerized each time I see the results.

You are a genius Heavenly Cake Pops!!

I adore you all and hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!

xoxo

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Remember that picnic I was going to have this weekend?

Yeah...

The picnic I was so excited about?

My family pretty much decided they'd rather hang out at the house...

and eat in the comfort of our home. *grumbling*

I still made the potato salad I was originally going to package up into individual servings...

and I still made ONE chicken sandwich (for myself) that I was going to wrap up really cute for everyone.

Although I was disappointed with their disinterest...

how dare they foil my plans like that

I was still glad to have been able to spend quality time with them. *wink*

Celebrate | Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Aside from the homemade cards and gifts that I LOVE receiving as a mom...
I've been compiling some Mother's Day Gift Ideas...
These are all things I myself would LOVE to receive...

Some of the ideas are very simple...
Some are a little bit expensive...
and some are "a lot - a - bit" expensive.
BUT...
perhaps you'll be inspired if you've been stuck on what you want to be giving...
or what you'd like to hint around to "getting"...*wink*

Let me know if any of these things are on YOUR wishlist...

SOMETHING SIMPLE

Recipe Bookmarks...

via Anthropologie

SOMETHING WORTH COLLECTING
Artists I adore...
(left: Janet Hill Studio Art • right: Willow Tree by Susan Lordi)

SOMETHING SATISFYING
Breakfast in bed or a Mother's Day Brunch...
(All photos via Martha Stewart: left photo, middle photo, right photo)

SOMETHING CRAFTY
Keep me creating...
left: Silhouette Cameo • right: Personalized Embosser and Self-Inking Stamp Set

SOMETHING SWEET
A fabulous dessert...
(left: Brio Tuscan Grille's Cheesecake  • right: Chocolate Chip Cookie Icebox Cake via Martha Stewart)

SOMETHING SASSY
Stylish Camera Bags
(left: Jo's Totes • right: Kelly Moore Bags)

SOMETHING SENSIBLE
Gift Cards
(HomeGoods, Williams-Sonoma, Anthropologie and the Apple Store)

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Hey J...
I posted this especially for you!
Hope the suggestions help take the guess work out of what to do for me on Sunday.
Breakfast in bed would be perfect...I love you!
(Now let's keep our fingers crossed that he actually reads this BEFORE Mother's Day) *wink*