Ever since I found this recipe, I can’t stop thinking about whipping up a batch of Cuckoo Coconut Cupcakes. I think I see a few of these and some piña coladas in my future — my immediate future. Stay out of the hot sun and have a great weekend!

Are you using Google Chrome, Google’s official web browser? If so, have you noticed the little cupcake in the upper lefthand corner? Even Google is jumping on the cupcake bandwagon!

I recently took my kids to the zoo, and I wish I’d found this Flickr photo first, as it inspired me to create the perfect take-along treat. It also inspired me as an easy decorating idea that I can do in a jiffy.

You are invited to the second annual Cupcake Camp Santa Barbara tomorrow from 1 to 4 at the Fess Parker Double Tree Resort, 633 E. Cabrillo Blvd. in Santa Barbara.

Ten dollars will buy you four tickets that you can trade for cupcake samples from several area bakeries. Proceeds from the camp will benefit Cupcakes for Cancer. Parking is free.

The camp will also feature an amateur competition, a cake auction, a fashion show, and a cupcake eating contest.

For more information, call 805-448-7336.

I just found this apron at DiscoveryStore.com for  $29.95!

They also have a kid’s tee-shirt, a woman’s tee-shirt, and a travel mug!

I just found this t-shirt at our local Tractor Supply.

It was too sweet to pass up!

Okay, I admit it — I’m kind of a hippie, and I’m kind of raising a hippie daughter, which is why I am so inspired by these “tie-dyed” (air-brushed) cupcakes from Simply Sweets!

In case you’re in the neighborhood, the first ever “Cupcake Throwdown and Artist Cakewalk” is happening TODAY from 3 to 6 p.m. at Antenna Gallery, 3161 Burgundy St., in New Orleans!

Artists and bakers will compete to produce the most creative confections in a range of categories, followed by a benefit cakewalk. Art and cupcakes. What could be better? Free cupcakes for kids in costumes! All proceeds benefit the nonprofit programs of Antenna/Press Street. Admission to the event is free.

I was so excited to discover this cupcake kit that I couldn’t seem to come up with blog post title of reasonable length. I cannot wait to play with this kit, and make my own cute little yummy cupcake-cheeseburgers. The kit, available from Cupcake Crafts, contains all you need to decorate like a professional: papers, icing tubes, tips, spice drops, taffy, sesame seeds, sprinkles, toothpicks, and pastry bag. And of course, you get comprehensive instructions! The kit comes in two sizes and if you opt for the “Full Meal Deal” option, you get cake mixes too!

Quick! Somebody invite me to a baby shower! I need to buy these for someone!

Only $7.99 on Amazon,  these little slip-ons are available in sizes up to 18 months. Sigh. Maybe I should just have another baby.

Justine Brancato and Tori Winters, two education majors from The College of New Jersey and Boston University, respectively, are heading to Kenya to volunteer in a rural school. Tori’s godmother Grace Ouma and husband Henry founded the Alego Community Development Project in 1986. The Oumas will host the young women.

Alego’s mission is to “establish long-term and sustainable community development projects in Alego, Kenya and surrounding areas in education, social and economic development, health and wellness and to empower residents to utilize local resources available to them to their fullest potential.”

Justine and Tori are using their own money to pay for the trip. They also want to raise money to help the school. Enter the cupcakes. Baker’s Treat of Flemington, NJ is donating the ingredients for a special cupcake fundraiser. Tori hopes their efforts can restore the nursery school breakfast program, which currently is only offered to orphans because of a lack of funding.

You can help by purchasing a special cupcake decorated by Justine at Baker’s Treat at 42 Route 12, Flemington. The jumbo cupcakes, in several flavors, cost $5 each. Call 908-782-9449 for more information.

Bizarre Cupcake News of the Week:

New York City toddler loses teddy bear. Mom puts signs up around the neighborhood, offering a reward of baked goods for Mr. Bear’s rescue. A few days later, Mom finds a picture hanging next to one of her signs. It’s a picture of Mr. Bear, blindfolded. The ransom note demands $10,000 in gluten-free and peanut-free cupcakes. Yes, New Yorkers have a sense of humor, but I hope this doesn’t start a trend. It could give cupcakes a bad rap.

So my daughter is about to have a birthday, and she’s getting this! (Shh… don’t tell!)

Newly released in May, the Princess Cupcakes kit includes cute cupcake liners and reusable crown wrappers, a book featuring recipes (including one for “Pink Velvet”), and decorating tips. It was only $16 at Barnes & Noble, and I know she’s going to love it. (Okay, so I’m a little excited as well!)

I was treated to a truly chocolate experience yesterday: the Cheesecake Factory’s Chocolate Blackout Cupcake! The cake was moist and sweet, but the frosting … seriously, there is something special in that frosting. It was so rich! When you try one, I recommend pacing yourself!

Still wondering what to bake on the third Sunday in June? Here are some ideas from Simply Sweets from Scottsdale, Arizona!

For those of you who’ve never tried blue moon ice cream, I can’t think of a better way to be introduced than via a red velvet cupcake. Visit Taste of Home for instructions to make these delicious all-American treats! Happy Memorial Day!

I just found this mouthwatering idea on the very cool blog, Three Different Directions. It’s french toast that tastes like, and looks like, a cupcake! Visit Three Different Directions for recipes and instructions on how to make this scrumptious breakfast!

 These Marilyn Monroe Cupcakes from Jo’s Cakes just make me smile.

Check out this great rocketship cake with star cupcakes from Keira’s Cakes.

I think NASA would be proud!

Oh my gosh, these are so cool! Edible Butterflies! Turn a simple cupcake elegant!

So while I was wandering around Sanford, Maine, in search of All Things Cupcake, I found the coolest pottery studio ever! Get Fired Up is a family-friendly, do-it-yourself pottery studio. First, you choose from a wide variety of pottery pieces, which can cost as little as $3. Then, for a fee of only $5, you get a cool table, clean tools, paints, expert advice, and the firing of your artwork. Then, you return to find your piece on display and you can pick it up! It’s so impressive. My daughter and I have a date to return and make ourselves some clay cupcakes! I’m planning on making myself a nice chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting, but her’s will no doubt be purple.

Guess what I’m doing right now. Yep. I’m eating a piña colada cupcake from the Cupcake Fetish Bakery in Sanford, Maine for breakfast.

Hello. My name is Robin and I have a cupcake fetish.

I have just found my new favorite cupcakery. Owners Amy and Jen were so gracious and enthusiastic, it was like stepping into a cupcake dream. And because we purchased a dozen rock star cupcakes, the dream is still going strong. My friends and I sampled and shared the cupcakes and argued over which ones were the best. My votes were for the pink lemonade or the red velvet revolver, but other folks were raving about the “car bomb” — chocolate stout cake with a ganache center, topped with Bailey’s buttercream frosting and a maple whiskey drizzle. This cupcake was long gone before I could get my fork into it, but those who were fortunate enough to get a bite were raving about it for hours. My husband was particularly taken by the “MegaDough,” a vanilla cupcake with eggless cookie dough filling, topped with vanilla bean buttercream frosting and a cute little chocolate chip cookie. But none of the cupcakes disappointed anyone, so if you live in New England, you must make a trip to Sanford. If you don’t live in New England, you should move there. These cupcakes are that good. Plus, winters aren’t as bad as people say.

Pink Lemonade

I just read this blog post, “Shopping with Peanut,” at one of my favorite blogs, There’s Just One Mommy. It just warmed my heart so much that I had to pass it on to you. I’m a sucker for little girls and cupcakes, what can I say?