Delightful Birthdays

In every flavor, filling, and frosting.

Say I Do To Poppy Cakes

With whimsy and wonder or elegance and grace.

Celebrate New Family Members

For girls and boys of every age.

Reminisce About Your Childhood

With familiar friends.

Punch Up the Party

It's not just about the commercials anymore.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Thomas and Friends

If you were ever a kid, know some kids, babysit kids, walk past kids on the street, then there is no doubt in my mind that you know who Thomas the Tank Engine is.  Both of my cousins who are now 21 and 17, my brother who is 17, and even now my little cousin age 4 loved/loves Thomas and Percy and Sir Topham Hatt.  They had the videos, the railroads, the trains, the backpacks and pretty much anything that was manufactured with that cheeky little engine's face on it.


The really incredible thing to think about is that Thomas first appeared in story books in 1946!  Reverend Wilbert Awdry originally created the tank engines as wooden toys for his son Christopher.  From there he wove elaborate stories at bed time staring the wooden toys.  Awdry's wife encouraged him to write the stories and thus The Railway Series was born.  It wasn't until 1976 that rights to the stories were secured for television and did not debut in Britain until September 1984!  What makes Thomas and his friends so endearing, so lasting, something every generation wants to keep watching?  If you figure it out, let me know!


Thomas' round face naturally lends itself wonderfully to cupcakes and what better way to beat out William's third birthday Sesame Street cupcakes?

We made simple chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting tinted in different colors.  Railroad tracks were fashioned out of fondant and the tanks were painted Nilla Wafers.

Not to brag or anything, but I'd say the cupcakes were a hit!




Happy 4th birthday William!

PS - Now taking suggestions for the big number 5 birthday for William in November...after all, how do you beat George, Sesame Street and Thomas?!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Pay It Forward

Earlier this week I was coming out of a Starbucks drive-thru and attempting to take a left hand turn onto a busy street with no stop light.  I groaned inwardly as my hopes of actually making it to work on time became slimmer and slimmer.  I waited maybe a minute before a semi-truck came barreling down the busy street and stopped to let me go.  Not only did she stop, but she checked her mirrors and waved me on when there weren't any other cars coming in the other lane.

I chose to go through the drive-thru that day because I didn't have the extra two or three minutes to park the car, get out, go wait in line, order, make small talk with the barista, grab a sleeve for my hot cup, unlock the car, get in, start the car again and drive.  


Our "fast food" mentality has conditioned us to expect what we want, when we want it and separated us from the everyday human interactions that keep us grounded.  The truck driver that took a moment to let me turn maybe didn't think twice about it, but it put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.  

The smile I had on my face going into the office definitely gave the work day a sunny tint and kept my spirits up.  I wanted to pass along that feeling to someone else, and what better way than to bake the happiness right into a cupcake?

My friend Ansley has been living abroad in Spain and returned home for a few short weeks before moving to the east coast for law school.  When she emailed me to ask if I could make some cupcakes, of course I said yes!  It was a sunny summer day in Seattle and happened to coincide with Seafair weekend (which means lots of boats, the Blue Angels, Hydroplane races and generally lots of chaos).  For a yummy treat to top off a good old fashioned BBQ, I opted for fresh strawberry cake, whipped buttercream and more fresh strawberries on top!



Putting a smile on someone else's face (even a stranger) is something that is well worth taking a second of your time.  And if everyone took the time to pay it forward? Well there would be less road rage, more kindness, less stress, and more happiness all around.