DIY Cupcake Cup (or 'Have Cupcake, Will Travel')

I love cupcakes. I do. They are perfectly portioned little bits of goodness that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They are a great option for kid's parties - they come in their own packaging, are the right size for little hands, and kids love them, well for the most part; Little P still isn't keen on them.

But there's always been one thing that's bugged me about cupcakes - how do you travel with an individual cupcake? 

Think about it. You’ve been to a party, the host offers you a ‘to-go cupcake’ and then you have to work out how to get said cupcake home in one piece.

You can't really drive with one as you kind of need both hands for that (safety first people). You could put it in your lap, but you will more than likely wind up with frosting on your pants (not a good look). Put it on the seat beside you, and well disaster is bound to strike. You could put it in the cup holder, but then there’s the whole ‘how do you get it out without creating a mess’ situation.

What a pickle.

Never fear though, I have the answer (compliments of some very smart fellow bloggers).

It’s really simple actually – use a 9 ounce plastic cup. Yup, that’s it (as demonstrated by Russell and Billie)

Russell has the new and improved 'cupcake in a cup'
while Billie goes 'old school'

Russell stays clean using the 'cupcake cup' and a fork;
as for Billie, well, you can see what's going on there

Now, you could of course, just have cups on hand at the party and just let people know that if they want to take one home, by all means use the cup for ‘safe traveling’, but you know me, I can’t leave well enough alone. I had to go and Washi it up.

All you need for this simple little project is Washi tape, plastic cups (which you can pick up at any grocery store, craft store or party supply place – I get mine from Target when they are on sale), a little creative inspiration and of course the cupcakes.

Just take a cup; slap some Washi tape on it, and TA-DAH!!! One very quick and easy way to enable people to travel with cupcakes (and cheaper than those individual cupcake boxes you can get).

Take one cupcake, take a cup and add some Washi tape to it,
and there you have it - Cupcake Cup to go!

If you want to step it up a notch, decorate a disposable fork with some paint, or a little Washi and add it to the cup. 

For a little extra 'wow' decorate a fork as well

You could also have them prepped and ready to go, with a little plastic wrap over the top (to prevent spillage – nothing worse than a dropped cupcake), or you could use a paper doily, some tulle (getting visions of a ballerina themed party), or just a funky napkin to cover it with. Tie it  off with some baker’s twine, or throw a colored rubber band around it and you are good to go.

Options are really only limited by what you have on hand and your imagination.

Cute huh?

So till next time, keep calm and eat cupcakes!!

K

(no cupcakes where harmed in the making of this post - plenty were eaten, but none were harmed)

Birthdays, Burgers and Bloggers at Johnny Rockets LV

One of the very cool things that come with being a blogger is getting invited to some pretty awesome events that I might not have otherwise had the chance to go to. And being part of a wonderful group of local bloggers means that I not only get to go to these kinds of events but I also actually get to meet and hang out with the people that I talk to almost daily online, but very rarely get the chance to meet in person.

When the invite came asking us to come out and celebrate Johnny Rockets 27th birthday (and honestly, they had me at the mention of free food) I was kind of giddy. When the first one opened on the Sunshine Coast back in the 90's, it was kind of a go-to for me and my group of friends (partly for the food, but mostly for the entertainment). I was so totally down for this event.

The first thing I noticed when I got there (it was at the location in the Flamingo Hotel and Casino) was that there was a person ‘painting’ with ketchup. That’s right people; she is a ‘ketchup artist’. And the girl had serious skills.

 

Who says ketchup is just a condiment?

That and the large walking shake that was handing out samples of, well, shakes.

 

We got to try a few of their burgers (see free food!), sample the shakes, watch and partake in the group dancing – and yes, I did dance as well, got the Johnny Rockets button to prove it – and get a grill lesson (although I was so pre-occupied in talking with some of my fellow bloggers that I totally missed out on that one). Once we had a chance to eat, drink and get merry, the President and CEO of Johnny Rockets, John Fuller along with the President of the International Division, Steve Devine took time out of their busy schedules to talk with us about the company, some of the history and what we can look forward to in the coming months and years at all their locations.

See, learning new stuff can be fun (and filling!).

And I even scored one of the ‘ultimate tweeter’ prizes – me, an ‘ultimate tweeter’!! I’ve had a Twitter account for well over three years and only really started using it in the last six months, so to get that title was kind of cool (yes, I know, I’m geeky) – and the swag didn’t hurt either. And I’m guessing that now that I have an apron I might have to actually cook stuff (*sigh*, price of fame I guess).

They even had cake
(granted it was shaped like a burger and fries, but still, CAKE!)

All in all it was a fun night. And I’m totally looking forward to the next one.

Happy Birthday Johnny Rockets (and thanks for the free food, the fun and of course the swag).

Till next time,

K

(I was in no way compensated for this post - unless you count the food - I just had a great time and wanted to share it with you).

Awesomeness

It's one thing to know and accept that you, are in fact, quite awesome. It's quite another to realize that the people you have chosen to surround yourself with are also, indeed, pretty awesome themselves.

Yes, dear readers, I'm talking about you. You, who, without fully knowing what you were getting yourself into, jumped off that ledge with me, and have remained by my side since the beginning.

You, who, so selflessly give over your stories for me to share. You, with your children of many different ages and stages who empathize with me, support me and give me a virtual shoulder to lean on. 

You wonderful people, with your suggestions and ideas, who share your inner most thoughts and feelings with me.

This blog, would be nothing without you (okay, maybe not nothing, because I would still be doing this even if nobody read it - consider it a form of therapy). 

I thank those of you that I have never met. You wonderful people in Russia and Germany (that's right folks, I've gone GLOBAL!!!). Those of you in Korea, Ireland and New Zealand. My readers in Malaysia, and of course in the US, Australia and UK. I thank you. Deeply and sincerely.

It means so much to me that you have joined me on this ride, and I hope to have you stay with me for as long as I do this blog - in whatever form it may take.

You. Are. All. AWESOME!!

Completely and undoubtably awesome. Undeniably and most unapologetically AWESOME. 

You people rock and I am so blessed to have you in my life.

Okay. Just read over that, and I think it's time for me to put the wine away. 

It's true though - I'm totally awesome.

And so are you.

(from Pinterest - where else?)

K

Little red cookbook, little red cookbook....

Ah Eddie Izzard, how I heart thee. 


(Just in case you aren't familiar with Eddie's comedic repartee, in his show 'Dressed to Kill' he chants 'little red cookbook, little red cookbook'. It's part of a skit about 'cake or death'. I thought that maybe it was a reference to a movie or something, so I Googled it and found out that the "Little Red Cookbook" does actually exist and that it was published by The People's Republic of China and it contains famous quotations from speeches made by Chairman Mao Zedong. So, there you go. Little bit of random trivia for you. Now on with the show.) 


Ever since my post on FB about the little red notebook that I take practically everywhere with me, people have been commenting on it. You know, just the usual stuff, "Ooooo, there's the red notebook", "You writing about me now?", and occasionally "Oh, look out, she's got her red notebook!! Run for the hills!". A little over dramatic if I say so, but it's nice to know that people actually do pay attention to what I write.


My only problem now is, that I occasionally have people ask me why I haven't included them or their kids in my blog. For the most part I know they are joking, but there have been occasions when they have gotten a touch irate that I haven't written about them. And it baffles me somewhat. I mean, it's not like a) it's a huge thing or b) that it's getting the same amount of 'air time' as say '50 Shades of Grey', but for some people, it's almost offensive that I haven't written about them.


And I don't have the heart to tell these people that they really aren't that interesting (kidding), but I can only post so much at any one time. I usually have anywhere from three to five posts ready to upload, and if I was honest with myself, I could probably have a lot more ready, but I simply don't want to spend all day on the computer. And seriously, if I posted more than one or two a day, would you read them? Nah. Gotta keep you lot coming back for more.


But for now, you can rest assured, that if you see me madly scribbling in my little red notebook, there's a pretty good chance it's NOT about you (I said pretty good, but I'm not guaranteeing that).


So till next time, keep on chanting, and who knows, maybe I will write about you..... someday.


K


And just because I really can't leave well enough alone, here's 'Cake or Death'.

Even the best laid plans go astray...

Here I am, officially in 'blog-land' and for once in my life, I can't think of a thing to say. 


Maybe it's the early hour (haven't had my coffee yet), maybe it's the Cheerio's that keep getting thrown at me by my darling daughter or could it possibly be that I'm just not that interesting?


Nah, it's definitely the lack of coffee.


My thoughts on doing this blog were to a) give me something 'grown-up' to do now that I am a SAHM ('stay at home mom' for those of you who aren't familiar with the abbreviation - I know I wasn't till I became one), b) to quiet the voices of my Mother and Brother who kept asking me 'how come you aren't doing a blog'? and c) I thought my insights might make for somewhat interesting reading for someone out there.


But now that I'm here, I am totally stumped. I Googled 'first blog post' to just get an idea of what people write for the first time, and have discovered that it's kind of like the first time you have sex - everyone's experience is different; some where incredibly brief, others seemed to go on forever and not really achieve anything, but most just left me wondering why I had even bothered - so absolutely no help whatsoever. *sigh*


So, till I get into the proverbial swing of things, I'll leave you with a little 'mommy-ism'.


Mommy-ism #77: once you become a parent, things rarely go as planned. Quiet dinners, moments alone, peaceful reflection (um, what's that?), even quick trips to the store, all seem to go out the window once you enter the mystical realm of parenthood. 
But hey, that's okay, because even though you might not be able to enjoy dinner with some friends over a nice bottle of wine, having a tea party with your little one and 20 of her closest furry friends is kind of fun too. So while the best laid plans may continue to go astray, enjoy the ride, because you know it will be over all too soon.