Sunday, August 24, 2014

Back To School Giveaway



Rules: Contest is open from August 17, 2014 at 11:59PM PST to August 29, 2014 at 11:59 PM PST. The winner will be chosen randomly through the Giveaway Tools form. Giveaway is open worldwide to all participants 18 years of age and older. Void where prohibited by law. Winner must comply with all laws in their Country. Winner will be asked a skill test question upon claiming prize. The winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize. Should they not claim their prize within this time, another winner will be selected. Please ensure that the email cupcakewithcharacter [at] gmail [dot] com is on your "safe list" !
Disclosure: This is an independent blogger giveaway. It is in no way associated with PayPal, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Etsy, or any other social media network. This giveaway is in no way associated with Apple, Inc and Target  or any of its products. Cupcake With Character and participating sponsors are not compensated to promote any Apple or Target products. Sponsors contribute to the prize, taxes, shipping, fees, forms of paid promotion, the time and effort it takes to prepare, launch and promote giveaway. This is not a lottery.  Should you have any questions, please contact Shauna at Cupcake with Character via email at cupcakewithcharacter [at] gmail [dot] com.
Winner outside USA can opt for Paypal cash in USD. Fees will apply. 

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Iced Coffee


Homemade iced coffee! Perfect and refreshing for summer.

Place 6 cups water in coffee pot. Add 15-18 scoops (about 1/2 tablespoon each). This ratio will brew coffee at double the strength.

Place hot coffee in a glass or plastic pitcher. Fill to the top with ice. Allow to cool in fridge. Add milk/cream and/or sugar until desired taste is reached.

I really enjoy adding low-fat milk and vanilla syrup (torani). Perfect for a hot summer day!


Follow Cupcake With Character's board C*H*E*E*R*S on Pinterest.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

The Heist: Police Birthday Party


This adorable police inspired birthday party is a huge hit in my family! We are a family of law enforcement and my son loves seeing his dad in a police car! This party would be absolutely perfect for my son Evan's 4th birthday. Check out all the details.

Favorite Details:
  • Police & Bad Guy Cake Pops
  • Police T-Shirt
  • Donuts
  • Backdrop

Stephanie of Spaceships & Laser Beams planned this party for her son, Sam. Here is what she had to say:

When it comes to our boys’ birthday parties, we moms want our guys to be thrilled, their guests to be wowed…and it’s always nice if the other parents think your decorations are awesome, too! There’s an extra pressure on moms like me who work in the party industry, but I am determined to remain true to the idea that stylish boy birthday parties can happen while remaining within a tight budget. Today I’m sharing Sam’s Cops and Robbers themed 4th birthday party. Of course I’ve used our Cops & Robbers printable collection. I’ve incorporated fun cake and cupcakes, cool favors and an invitation to you to come see our dessert table {you are going to be amazed by the cake pops}.



Aren’t the mini-money bags great? They are cake pops from Samantha at Evie and Mallow and when I saw them it was a spur of the moment decision to add them to the cake. She actually did all the cake pops for the party. Samantha always does an excellent job; her artistry is amazing!  Styrofoam blocks hold the cake pops erect and are camouflaged by color-coordinated jelly beans in clear glass containers.


For the dessert table, I opted to set everything up on my antique wood buffet. I really like the way the wood tones complement the colors in the Cops and Robbers Collection.  I think a table backdrop is a great way to pull all of the theme elements together and establish the color scheme. For the backdrop, I enlarged the decorative paper and thank you card (cropped) from our printable collection using vistaprint.com. I just adhered it to the wall using green painter’s tape — so removal is super easy and I don’t have to worry about my walls. The poster now hangs in Sam’s playroom.


I like to pull guests into the party atmosphere as soon as they arrive, so this crime scene body marker points the way, with a grin. No blood in sight!


The take-home favor was a police kit that included an ID badge, flashlight, magnifying glass, memo pad (personalized with a 2” decal), aviator sunglasses, moustache and a mini lock and key set. Boys also received a police car while girls received evidence, aka costume jewelry.


I didn’t have a ton of activities because the kids are still very young but I did want to start to introduce some games. One of the activities the kids played was a variation of the classic horseshoe game, “toss the handcuffs”. The board was easy to make with wooden dowels and a partial sheet of plywood.  The center red post was the bull’s eye and worth the most points. The kids had fun with it.


Before going home, each guest was awarded with an official looking “Certificate of Completion” for “strength in body, wisdom in mind and courage in character”. Then they received a policeman’s visor hat and were invited to adopt a police dog companion by choosing whatever canine they bonded with.  Medallions reminded “Don’t forget your loot!”



Atop the cake, which was red velvet, were polymer figures of the policeman and the robber — they were captured perfectly right down to the 5 o’clock shadow!  The top tier of the cake references the boys in blue and the bottom layer, of course, the robbers. They’re almost exact replicas of the food labels from the collection.




Visit Spaceships & Laser Beams to find out where you can get all these cool police party ideas and supplies!

Follow Cupcake With Character's board Cupcake Wrappers on Pinterest.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

The Original Rice Krispie Treat Recipe


Are you wondering why my rice krispie treats look a little "off" in color....? Funny story...

I was at Target with my kids today and we saw the colorful star marshmallows. I thought, how cool would it be to use those in rice krispie treats! Totally didn't think the whole plan through. We got home and I started to make the treats. I melted the butter and added the bag of "patriotic" star marshmallows. And as I am sitting there, I am realizing all the colors are melting and turning into a lovely, gray.

Ha ha. So moral of the story....Mommy brain. I am just not as smart as I used to be, lol. Why waste a yummy recipe. I introduce my yummy but a little funky, rice krispie treats!


Kellogg's Original Treat Recipe

3 tablespoons butter
1 packaged jet-puffed marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal

Melt butter in large sauce pan. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Low heat and careful not to burn. Pour melted mixture over a large bowl with 6 cups rice cereal. Mix until all cereal is coated. Place mixture in a 9x13" baking dish, lined with greased parchment paper. TIP: Give the mixture a minute to cool. This will make it so the rice krispies do not stick to your spoon while spreading in the pan. They will become less sticky and more flexible. Press into baking dish. Allow to cool. Use fun cookie cutters and cut out your favorite shapes.

These are great treats and easy to make.

PRINT RECIPE


Visit Cupcake With Character's profile on Pinterest.