Teacup cupcake

I collect odd bits of china – the only real criteria being at least a touch of gold.  How about using the teacups to serve your cupcakes?  It’s one idea for creating an inviting scene to share cupcakes with your adult girlfriends, while evoking those wonderful scenes from our childhood of playing at tea time.

If you’re looking for china to set a table out of Victoria Magazine, you won’t want to miss the CNY Regional Market on Sunday mornings during the summer.  Syracuse was home to Syracuse China from 1871-2009, and I’ve purchased pieces of their bone china for as little as $1/plate.  And Rochester’s Public Market offers Sunday morning fleas with nice china too, if you’re there early.  I’ve left with Lenox and even Limoges for less than $10/each.

Though a little bit more than paper or plastic, if you’re serving a cupcake work of art, why not complete your artistic presentation?

You may not want to travel outside the United States this summer if your menu plans include cupcakes. According to the Food Museum On-Line Exhibit, “No other language has a word that means exactly the same as the English ‘cake.’” And, allow me to refine that sugar one bit sweeter: no other language has a word that means exactly the same as the American ‘cupcake.’

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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.

I am a fan of art that is simple and somewhat minimalist which is why I love this print by UUPP.  The 8X10” print which reads “Live, Love, and Bake Cupcakes,” a play on the traditional “live, love, laugh” slogan, is available in 3 colors combinations and costs $18.00.  Like many Etsy sellers, UUPP is willing to create a custom variation to match your color scheme.  I feel that this print would look perfect in a little girl’s room or a cupcake bakers kitchen.  Be sure to look around UUPP’s Etsy page as there are more fun cupcake prints available!

I am so excited that one of my favorite artists, Stephanie Fizer Coleman has finally created an image with cupcakes!  She has a great blog where she will post new images and projects, occasional free downloads, tutorials, and lately doodles.  This owl juggling cupcakes image started out as the doodle to the right and was transformed into a greeting card and a print.  The 5×7 inch print is available for purchase from her Etsy shop for $10.00.

I really like this Anatomy of a Cupcake image by Sarah and Allen.  The duo created it for their friend’s birthday and are now selling the 23”x15” print for $50.00.  I came across the image via Black*Eiffel but be sure to look at Things, Allen Hemberger’s website.  That’s where the print was originally posted and there’s a fun 40 second video of them preparing for the photo shoot!

When I think of Wisconsin I think of cheese, not cupcakes but John Holcomb, the artist behind the United Plates print series seems to think differently.  For each state Holcomb has created a print that represents that states’ shape.  The state lines of Wisconsin, according to Holcomb seem to make up the same shape as an Oreo cupcake.  While Wisconsin might be the only cupcake, there is a plate for each state and they are available for purchase with varying sizes ranging in prices from $30-100.

It is a pleasure for me to introduce ATC readers to Cristina Del Sol, an award-winning Canadian mixed media and experimental visual artist with a soft spot for cupcakes.

Cristina is a unique artist, who paints as a way of exploring and experimenting. Her art serves as a journal of her life’s journey. For Cristina, art is a form of meditation, one that connects her to herself, the world around her, and the people who see her work. Cristina believes in, advocates for, and shares the healing power of art.

While her finished product is always captivating, it is her process that leaves me in awe. Her cupcake paintings are so much more than paintings – they are three-dimensional creations, using a variety of material ranging from cardboard to copper. She builds the base and the toppings of her art cupcakes much like the real ones, sometimes even piping the “frosting.” I wish I could watch her work!

Learn more about Cristina at her website: Cristina Del Sol. You can also view (and shop for) her art, much of it “cupcake-inspired,” at her Etsy shop: Cristina’s Fine Art Store or her blog: Cristina’s Daily Paintings.

While searching the keyword “cupcake” on Etsy today I came upon this awesome laptop decoration.  You can choose the color and have it personalized with your name.  It is $14 from Beepart.  They have several other cupcake items in their shop so click on this link to find them!

A few months ago there was a Food & Wine issue that featured an piece on Will Cottons.  Will Cotton is a New York based painter known for creating landscapes inspired by sweets.  Most recently he is known for having painted fellow cupcake lover, Katy Perry which appeared on the December 2010 cover of ARTnews. What caught my eye in the Food & Wine article was Cotton Candy Hannah, 2009 which is shown above.  The description reads:

Pink cotton candy clouds are the backdrop for many of Will Cotton’s portraits. The model in this oil painting is wearing a cupcake tiara that Cotton created for workers at his NYC pop-up bakery.

A cupcake tiara as part of the employee uniform! The Will Cotton Bakery was part of Partners & Spade and I would have loved to work there if it meant getting to wear a cupcake tiara! Below is an image of the employees wearing their uniform.

I came across this image a while back and realized I never shared it.  I just love this image is by Photojennix Photography!  I think the robot, Danbo, made out of boxes is super cute.  And I love that he is looking up at at leaning tower of mini cupcakes..

‘Cake me’ is a new project for the ultra talented Kiara Black a German photographer who specialises in taking amazing photos of women.  With this series she has decided to take her cake, and instead of eat it, design with it!  Currently there are only two photos in this collection, this stunning image below is the second one, the first is cookie sweet, but you will have to check out either Kiara’s Flickr page or her website to see that one!

I just want to know how you get them to sit so perfectly without getting blue frosting on your hair… ha!

Andri is a photographer and while in New York the other day she came across this graffiti.  Well we have everything else ‘cupcake’ so why not a sassy cupcake cowgirl!

Cowgirl Cupcakes on East 10th Street have gone with a cool street frontage with this design, and on a frosty evening, it is no wonder that the bright colors caught Andi’s eye!

Check out more of Andri’s photography here.

I am thinking this would look really smart in my cupcake-loving kitchen. This cupcake painting is 13-inches tall x 11-inches wide. The happy cupcake is painted on canvas and can be purchased, framed and ready for hanging, from Amazon for $39.

Or both?

Oh, Brother by Bob Weber Jr. and Jay Stephens explore the difficulty of life with cupcakes!  You can see more of their delightful comics on their website!

I am always envious of people who can pull off nail art.  I came across this tutorial for cupcake nail art and wish i had the patience and talent to attempt these super cute nails!  Simply Rins provides instructions and tips on how to create these and many more nails that are truly a work of art.

I love this cupcake print by Sandra Juto!  The print measures 8.26″ x 11.7” is available directly from her site for $19.00.  The best part is that it even ships worldwide!

This Cupcake Girl print which, features an astronaut baker serving cupcakes, is by Elsie Flannigan.  It is approximately 8X10 inches and is available from Red Velvet Art’s shop for $18.00.

Over at Bake and Destroy you will find a lot of action at the moment as the cupcake apron competition draws to a close.  The competition set was to design what you would like to see in an apron.  The images are a collection of ideas and other pictures to create a story board of inspiration for the apron itself.

There are now six finalists, nautical, peacock, bad spice, bones, cherry rockabilly and lucha libra.  Here we feature the Peacock design by Lisa Chen, but you can see all the designs here.  To vote simply leave a comment and given there are prizes for voters too, why not!?

For me, I can’t decide!!!  I love the Nautical design and the Cherry Rockabilly!

Voting closes on the 12th November.

Just last week I shared an image of a monster with a cupcake for a brain.  This week it’s an owl that is thinking about cupcakes.  My best friend shared this image with me and I love that it is titled “It’s Etsy”.  This image is by Laurel Varian and is an antlered, mustachioed owl, perched on a piece of bacon and thinking of a cupcake.  It really does combine all things Etsy!

Vol.25 created this downloadable freebie for Build Your Own Cupcakes.  There are a total of 10 pages to print which include, a cover page, the recipe, 8 different cupcakes, 8 different liners, 8 different frostings, 11 different cupcake toppers, and a sheet of name tags for your little baker(s).  Jessica, creator of this fun template, suggests printing your cupcakes on sticker paper which is a great idea!

I’m pretty sure everyone that reads this blog has cupcakes on the brain, at least that’s what I thought when I saw this image.  Dr. Morvund is being held by a monster who’s brain has been mistakenly replaced with a cupcake.

If you are after a new pair of super soft and comfortable shoes that are as unique and individual as you are then these are the shoes for you!

Not only are these Cupcake High Top Keds fun and funky, but you can make all the adjustments you want to personalize them before you buy them.  Here you will see that I have selected red lace for mine!

You can also change the lining color, upper binding color, toe cap design, eyelet color, tongue binding color and stitching colors!  There is also an option to choose between black and white upper and lower midsoles and the toe bumper.  All of which means you can have really cool cupcake shoes that are unique and funky.

Best part though is the price, they are only $65 from Zazzle (this link takes you to their WIDE variety of cupcake shoes! There are heaps to choose from!).

The thing I love about art is there is no right and wrong, anything and everything can be explored and the emotions it provokes in a viewer are as unique and individual about the art itself.  Even the cupcake is becoming quite a feature in paintings and drawings, for example who doesn’t know about the very popular CakeSpy who has a huge following of fans.

It seems that Cupcake stores and Bakeries are starting to catch on, adding an ever changing kaleidoscope of color to otherwise plain walls.  In addition, it gives patrons something to look at while they wait, and lets face it, if you have waited in a 15 minute queue for your cupcake you deserve a bit of eye candy along with your cupcake!

Above we feature the talented Jonathan Arras who is an artist who has created a number of colorful pieces of art which he is currently showing at Common Ground Cupcakes for the next month.  Some of his art features cupcakes such as the image above titled ‘Two Animals in Search of A Cupcake” but all are bright and colorful and perfect for a cupcake store.  His art is on sale in the store which is located in Renton WA or you can see his work on his website, Spirals In Love.

What do you think?  Do you want to see more art in cupcake stores, or is the cupcake counter your only focus?

Flowers In May, a design and stationary company was launched in 2007 by Massachusetts based graphic designer Emily Dumas.  In the “about” section of her website it mentions that she enjoys baking cupcakes which explains two of her prints.  One print, titled The Best Things In Life Are Sweet, is an 11×13 print of all things sweet, including cupcakes! Another print which shows Dumas’s passion for baking is named, Today I Feel Like Baking, and a little cupcake can be found hidden amongst the baking necessities. Prices for prints range from $15 to $25 and look around her website to view the other products she offers.