Cupcake Place Mat from Kohl’s $4.79 each

I love walking through the stores this time of year because so many stores pair cupcakes and hearts in their Valentine’s decor items. So far I have spotted cuppies in the Valentine’s sections at Walmart, Target, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, Christmas Tree Shop and Kohl’s.  So a big thank you to all the stores who join cupcakes and hearts this holiday season.  You make it so much more special for the cupcake obsessed.  All Things Cupcake appreciates you!

I always try to make mail and packages look as visually appealing as possible.  I have a large collection of washi tape, stickers, and stamps that I use to decorate.  As soon as I saw on Lindsay Letter’s website the cupcake stamp I knew I would have to add the stamp to my collection!  I love simple, yet detailed cupcake stamp that costs $25.00 and would be packaging some Valentine’s Day cupcakes!

Okay, I know we are going a little old school here, but Firefly fans will immediately recognize this clever recreation of the great Jayne Cobb’s famous hat. This “Cobb hat cupcake” was created by Savoureux Cupcakery. And of course, the great Jayne Cobb is aptly portrayed by the great Adam Baldwin.

I don’t know why I’ve never thought of this, but I love it. These white chocolate shavings make a positively elegant cupcake garnish! This photo is courtesy of foodie photographer Esther Fox. And just in case you’ve never played with chocolate shavings before, it is super easy! Just use your vegetable peeler. Then, the next time you go to peel carrots, you’ll have an irresistible cupcake craving!

Good heavens, would you look at these things? Talk about sumptuous! These chocolate covered cherry cupcakes were created by Cupcake Anarchy, the Milwaukee cupcakery that likes to break all the rules. (They also offer beer & bacon cupcakes and honey whiskey cupcakes.)

If you are anything like me, you love to try new recipes but worry that recipes found are the internet may not be high quality.   Never fear, All Recipes is here! Check out this recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes. It has 4 1/2 stars out of 5 and has been review by 870 bakers! I love reading the reviews and seeing how some people modify the recipes for dietary concerns and taste preferences. Sounds like a good one to try out this weekend!

This cupcake makes me smile. I’ve seen rainbows on top of cupcakes before. But this is the first time I can remember seeing a rainbow in a cupcake. This pic was taken by Jonathan Syer, who loves to photograph cupcakes! (Who doesn’t?)

Now’s the time to start thinking about what you will be getting your Valentine for Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day is just over three weeks away and you need time for anything purchased online to be shipped!  I think this Cara Accessories Cupcake Smartphone Charm would make a great gift.  It’s available on Nordstrom’s website for $18.00.

This Valentine cupcake plush and rope dog toy is the perfect Valentine’s Day present for a little dog!  It’s only $3.99 on the Petco website and if your dog loves playing Tug-o-war like mine does I’m sure he or she will be happy with this toy!

Why do I have children? So that I can endlessly dress them up in cupcake attire, of course! This is my daughter’s newest gift from The Children’s Place. Alas, they did not come in my size.

It snowed last night in North Carolina! Sadly it didn’t stick but I still managed to get a delay from it!  Thinking about the snow has me longing for a real snow day where the bare trees end up looking like these let it snow cupcakes created by Not Your Momma’s Cookie.  She used melted chocolate and a tree template to create the trees.  White chocolate and sparkling sugar were added to create the snowy effect.  She says she entered the cupcakes in a creative holiday recipe contest, I hope she won!

It’s Girl Scout Cookie season again.  I think Girl Scout cookies are pretty great (although I was a Girl Scout myself, so my opinion is slightly biased), and I can’t imagine that one could go wrong with a Girl Scout Cookie Cupcake.  These Samoa Cupcakes look SO delicious, and Samoas just-so-happen to be my hands-down favorite Girl Scout cookie.  If I knew a Girl Scout, I would definitely have to buy a box (or two or three) just to make this recipe!

For a few years now I have been reading The Little Red House’s blog but I somehow didn’t realize these Almond Cupcakes with Chocolate Coconut Buttercream were from her blog when I repinned the cupcakes on Pinterest.  I  have been trying to eat more almonds since the fall when I learned some of the latest research about almonds which help keep you full longer and keep blood sugars steady hours after consuming them.  Almond cupcakes would count as eating almonds, right?  Even if they don’t count, I still think these cupcakes sound and look great based on The Little Red House’s picture shown above.

Impressed? So was I. Now this is cupcake art! And McGreevy Cakes of Akron, New York has provided a video tutorial to help you create these artistic wonders yourself! Check it out:

Sometimes I wish I was still a little kid so I could have all of the great cupcake items that are available now.  I love this cupcake pillow sham on the Company Kids’s website!  It’s big, bright, and perfect for any little girl’s room.  It’s also on sale for $14.99 and there are tons of other cupcake items on the website, like cupcake lamps and robes!

I love the bright colors of these Williams-Sonoma Cupcake boxes.  The set of four, which includes one box in each color, is only $14.95.  Each box holds six cupcakes and the colors of the boxes are sure to brighten any dark winter day!

This time of year is when everyone is on a healthy kick, my local whole foods is crowded with those looking to eat healthy.  My local gym is crowded with those looking to be physically fit.  With that in mind I’m sure a lot of people are avoiding cupcakes right now.  But what if you chose a “healthy cupcakes”?  I spotted these Beet & Kale Chocolate Cupcakes on The Realistic Nutritionist’s blog.

A little side note, I’m really excited to have found this blog, it means there are other nutritionists and dietitians who love cupcakes as much as I do.  Continuing with the cupcakes, the realistic nutritionist claims that these cupcakes are a dream come true because they have vegetables in them but do not taste like vegetables!  There are only 191 calories per serving and low in fat, so all of the resolutioners out there can enjoy a little “healthy” cupcake.

Check out the new cupcake pj’s I just scored for my daughter at K-mart. She wasn’t nearly as excited as I was, but it’s my excitement that counts, right?

We all know that the New Year is often a time of setting new goals, oftentimes related to our weight and/or health, but that doesn’t mean that you have to give up cupcakes altogether.  Why not take your favorite cupcake recipes and tweak them a bit to make them a tad healthier?  Take a look at Betty Crocker’s Healthified Chocolate Frosted Cupcakes recipe.   With low or no-fat ingredients and the omission of egg yolks, it has 67% less fat than the original recipe and 46% fewer calories.

As soon as the holidays end and New Years hits, it seems like it’s time to start thinking about the next holiday, which is my personal favorite, Valentine’s Day!  I have already started keeping an eye out for great cupcake items and spotted these cupcake cards on Pottery Barn Kids’s website.  The set of 20 cards cost $12.00.

I’ve been using Wilton Color Mist spray on food coloring for a while now. They make decorating easy and everyone thinks I’m a magician. But now they have pearl Color Mist, and this one is hard to beat! It gives the frosting a shimmering look, just perfect for the princess parties in your future! And as a bonus, it made my hand look a little like the tin man.

Usually cupcakes are girly but in this cake this cupcake tea towel is a criminal! The $22.00 tea towel from Down That Little Lane features a cupcake with a moustache and an eye patch.

Gotta love this new Bath Tea and Cupcake Set  bath toys sold online at Target.com.  Even us big kids can have fun playing in a bubble bath with this set! And who says you can only play with them in the bath?  For only $9.99, this would be a sweet little gift for a little loved one for Valentine’s Day.

You slave all day to make the perfect chocolate cupcakes, and then when they come out of the oven, your white wrappers have turned to an unappetizing shade of brown. Or worse, you spend a bunch of money on Elmo cupcake wrappers for your kid’s birthday party, but when they come out of the oven, you can’t see Elmo. All you can see is the color of the cupcake. Because of these tragedies, I’ve been using foil cupcake wrappers for any cupcakes that will leave the house. And I’ve just discovered a pretty snazzy version of foil wrappers–Wilton Color Cups. There are many cool patterns to choose from, and they work! The wrappers come out of the oven just as pretty as they went in. I tested them out!