Twas the sickness before Christmas

I am still alive! I got a small little stomach bug last week that I just can't seem to shake, but it certainly shook up my whole routine. I haven't posted on here, I haven't been to the gym, I haven't kept up with the house chores, and I haven't done my Christmas shopping.

Don't worry I haven plenty to post. I just need to sit down and work on it. Here is what have to share with you in the next week :

• cupcake apron
• Cookie Swap
• My Christmas mantle
• Strawberry White Chocolate chip cookies
•  Ornament Scrapbook
• a giveaway
• reindeer candy wrappers

Check back later today!

We have a winner

The winner of the two scottie dog paintings

 according to Random.org is.......

meg @ Raising Genius Fish

Congrats to Meg. An thank you to those that entered. 

Blog search

I have been looking for a really great blog that I came across a few nights ago and apparently did not follow or bookmark. So I have been  googling everything I can think of that I saw on said blog. I have yet to find it again, but have come across some really great blogs...such as

Review: Maybelline lots of Lashes Mascara and Baby Lips Lip Balm

This is my first product review as a  bzzagent. I received these samples (full size products.. for free in exchange for my review) of Maybelline Lots of Lashes Mascara and Baby Lips lip balm.

I was definitely sold on them as soon as I used them. 

Let start with the mascara. 

 At first I didn't think I would like the mascara, I already have thick eyelashes and don't use allot of mascara. One or two swipes at most. When I first opened it, I was rather disappointed that it was very hard to remove the original green top, but I love the new brush. Notice how it is tapered at the end. It's called The Great Little Grabber. I really don't like that name, it sounds painful. But the brush is great. It got the lashes at the corner of my eye and I also used the end to get my bottom lashes without getting mascara on my skin. oh come on you know it has happened to you. I didn't like that it wasn't waterproof. It's "washable". However, I have been using it for a couple weeks now and I have not had an issue with it running, even after I did at the gym. It is available in three shades and will cost you about $6.40. I think that is a pretty fair price.

Now on to the baby Lips lip balm

I used to only use lip balm when I had chapped lips or in the summer (I am prone to sun poisoning on my lips). I now use Baby Lips lip balm everyday instead of lipstick. My lips are always soft now. I love that it doesn't have the weird lip balm sent/ taste. I love the smell too. My favorite is Quenched, which is one of the clear varieties. The other clear variety is peppermint. It is also available in 4 tinted varieties ( Cherry Me, Pink Punch, Grape Vine and Peach kiss). It has a SPF of 20. You can pick one up at most retailers for about $3.99.


For more information and some fun activities, check out Maybelline New York's Facebook page

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Turkey day. I made Thanksgiving dinner for the first time this year. I loved do it and I think it went well. My bonus mom (my mother in law ...we don't like the in law thing) works for  Weight Watchers, so I decided on a healthy appetizer.

I got this idea from Family Fun. It was very simple and so cute. The body is a melon that i cut on the bottom so that it was flat and would not roll. The head is a pear upside down secured with half of a wooden skewer. Raisins for eyes , yellow pepper for the beak and red pepper for the ....um whats that thing called? all secured with tooth picks. The feathers are an assortment of cheese cubes and grapes.

Plus it made a great center piece for the table. If you want to make your own fruit and cheese animal, experiment and have fun! The turkey design could easily be made into a peacock, or let your creativity flow and come up with your own. It makes a great diet-friendly appetizer or even light dessert, especially when paired with the Sensa Weight loss System.
























Disclaimer: Sensa is a paid sponsor of Cupcake Daydreamer. 

Don't forget to enter my Etsy giveaway

1st Giveaway

Yay! I just recently opened my Etsy shop and in celebration I will be hosting a give away of these lovely doggy paintings.

They are both painted by my mom on an 8x10 canvas. One lucky winner will get both the black and the white Scottie dog paintings. Both paintings have a red plaid background.

You may remember seeing the black Scottie on this table

Here is how you can win:

• Mandatory entry: Follow Cupcake Daydreamer on GFC and comment telling me you did.

Extra entries:

• Like Cupcake Daydreamer on Facebook and leave a comment here telling me you did.

• Visit my Etsy shop and leave a comment telling me your favorite painting.

• Tell some one how thankful you are for them today and leave a comment telling me you did. 

The winner will be chosen at random by Random.org. You have until 12:00 am EST on Wednesday November 30th to enter. Good Luck!

Guest posting today

Good morning all!

Today I am guest posting about my family cookie swap over at Making Our Life Matter.


Come check it out and be sure to leave Jen some comment love!

Weekend plans

TGIF! yay Friday!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Here are some of mine:

• Clean the house! 
• Craft fairs on Saturday
• Teach Sunday School Sunday morning
• Prepare Thanksgiving menu and grocery list (I am cooking Thanksgiving Dinner for the first time, and I am supper excited)
• Plan projects for the week. 
• Rest!

Hope you all have a fabulous Weekend!

Baby Shower Gift

Yesterday was suppose to be my sewing day but since I didn't get anything done. I need to show you an old project.

This is a Baby shower gift I made for a coworker back in April. My inspiration came from somewhat simple. I love these bins! Can you tell?
I used my Cricut to label the bin with the baby's name.

Inside I placed 5 outfits.

I just love those little skirts. I also bought 3 pairs of pants. There were 5 complete outfits. I rolled them up and wrapped them all with a matching headband.

Now I really wish I had a baby to dress up.


I didn't even have to wrap this gift. It looked great as it was!

I will be linking up here:

50th Birthday Survival Kit

I know I promised to show you yesterday's craft, but the Christmas tree pins are taking long than expect to make. Plus we did a little reworking of the original idea. Instead I decided to show you the 50th birthday survival kit I made for my brother-in-law.

I got the idea from LEIA LEGWEAK'S HANDMADE CRAFTS. I wanted to give him stuff he would use and still be funny.  This is my kit.

I got a storage container at Walmart for $4. I printed the labels that read "50th Birthday Survival Kit" on sticker paper.

The items inside all had labels that were also printed on sticker paper. You can get the list Here.

·       Duct tape- instant face lift

·       Red tablets- to encourage hair regrowth

·       Needle nose pliers- for getting rid of nose hairs

·       Glue- hold everything together

·       First aid kit- for when you fall down

·       Rubber bands- to get your flexibility back

·       Little blue pills- for increased sex drive

·       Memory mints – for those senior moments

·       WD40- to lubricate your joints

·       Magnifying glass- for when you lose your eye sight

·       Starburst- for a burst of energy

·       Notebook- to write things down before you forget

I got most of my items at the dollar store and the rest, I got at Walmart. This was a fairly cheap and fun gift. 

I will be linking up here:

Painted Tables

It has been crazy around here. I have been working lots of late nights last week. Which is awesome! Woohoo need the money for craft supplies. I also don't have working internet at my house, which means I need to post from Red Maple Cottage.

Today I want to share with you some painted tables. These are all mom painted. I don't have before picture because mom starts painting as soon as she has her hands on the piece of furniture. I don't have time to get there with my camera.

This moose one, and the next two lodge themed tables were painted on  ordinary folding t.v. tray tables that were purchased at Good Will for $3.

 This one is my favorite.

Mom likes the bear one the best.

Ok maybe I like this one the best. The Scottie dog was painted on an old end table we found at a thrift store for $6. I think it is perfect for Christmas time with the plaid background, but its too cute, I wouldn't want to put anything on it.


Today is craft day! Mom and I are making Christmas tree pins out of felt. Check back tomorrow to see our creations. I am linking up here:

Storage Bin Hunt link up

Sorry I have been MIA the past few days. It has been rather crazy around here. You see the Hubs and I are trying to find storage bins to go on a bookshelf that we are in the process of clearing off.

The Hubs took the picture with his phone and I said we are in the process of clearing it off. We decide we want to fill it with the same bins we have in our pantry. 

I bought them last year at the Christmas Tree Store. They are 9x9x8inches, non-woven collapsible bins. We figured we need about 38 of them. 

WE CAN'T FIND THEM ANYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!

We have looked in over 10 stores in the past 3 days and online..Nothing! It doesn't help that the Hubs want it to be exactly this, same color and all. 

Now I need to get creative. If I can't find what I want I need to make it right?  I need your help. I need something that is not expensive, fits those dimensions, and cannot be clear.  The winner will be featured on my blog. 

Please grab my button if you link up. You can find it on  the grab my button page. Thank you!

Weekend Projects

Happy Friday! What plans do you have for this weekend?

The Hubs has to work all day Sat, so no spending time with him til Sunday. Here is my list of stuff to do this weekend.

• Clean - this place is a mess from the 4 days without power.
• Recover pillows in living room. 
• Craft fairs- I know some craft fairs were scheduled for this Sat but some places still don't have power, so I don't know if this will happen. 
• Grocery shopping- I had to throw out alot of food thanks to the power outage.
• Teach Sunday School at church Sunday.
• Think of something to make for  this: 

Over at Ladybird Ln Nov is dedicated to turkeys! Her husband is a Turkey farmer! I think that is so cool.
She is hosting a link party later with all things turkey. I am thinking an apron for turkey day, cupcakes, or pillows.






Hope everyone else has a great weekend!

Thomas the Train Cake

Good Morning everyone! I am soo happy to be posting from my house!!! We have power and Internet, yay!

Today I need to go order cakes for my brother in law and nephew from the bakery that did our wedding cake. I won a gift certificate for $150 worth of cake for picking the name of their new mascot...Sweets the penguin. :)
Since brother in law turns 50 and nephew turns 21 and they are having a combined birthday party, I thought I would donate the prize to them. What am I going to do with $150 worth of cake?

It figures that I, cupcake/ cake baker wannabe, would win something like this. I swear when I typed sweets on the post on Facebook I had no idea it was a contest. Go figure.

But since I got cake on the brain, I wanna show you one of my first cakes that I made back in Feb.

This Thomas the train cake was made for my nephew, Charlie, for his 2nd birthday. Not bad for my first frosting job.
To make this cake I baked 3 cakes. 1 sheet cake 15x11 and 2 round 8 inch cakes. I mixed up some blue frosting using vanilla can frosting and Wilton icing colors. I frosted the whole sheet cake blue. I used one round cake for the face and frosted it gray. I made the gray frosting with vanilla frosting and a small amount of Wilton black icing color. I cut out the smoke stack from the other round cake.

Smoke stack was frosted gray. To get the face, I printed out a picture of Thomas the Train to fit my cake on   thin paper. I then took wax paper, turned my printed paper over so that it was upside down, put the wax paper over it and traced the outline of his face with black icing. There might be an easier way to do this, but I am new at this, bear with me. I laid the wax paper over my round cake until I had my outline, and then I filled it in after removing the wax paper. 

Charlie is 2 1/2 now. He still talks about the cake and that auntie Lexi made it for him. 

I will be linking up here

Red Maple Cottage Kitchen

Yay! for power. We got our power back this morning!!!! I was sooo excited, but unfortunately the internet is still down. :(

So, I am back at Red Maple Cottage to check in with you all. How is every one? I hope everyone is having a sparkling day!!

Today, let's take a tour of the kitchen at RMC. It is right off the living room. come on'.

There are so many mom painted pieces in here. This is were I learned to cook. I have been cooking since I was 8 years old. I love trying new recipes. I started baking (from scratch) at age 10. Enough about me, back to the kitchen. Lets talk about that island.

It's really a dresser! Yup, mom made it. Take ordinary dresser, paint it white. Buy multi-layered plywood at Home Depot (measured to fit dresser and hang about 3/4 of a foot off the back.) Screw plywood to dresser. Paint plywood black for base coat. Sponge on browns and beige colors until desired marble look.

Finish it off with a bar top finish ( available at Home Depot or most paint stores).









Add hooks for potholders.

And a magazine rack for cook books. I know you noticed the stools in last picture.

These were plain wooden stools. Mom painted them. Aren't they pretty?

She used the same marble technique on the beverage bar.

The microwave cart is different though.

She painted a rooster on the side and tiled the top.

These are the same tiles as the back splash.

The Garbage can on the right, was on outdoor garbage. Picasso the puggle used to get into the garbage and knock it over. He can't knock this wooden one over.

So she painted it red with a topiary tree. I am really surprised the isn't a rooster on this, but there is on the bread box.

If you couldn't tell, mom likes roosters, and sunflowers, and red maple trees.

This is the hand painted border mom did on one wall of her kitchen. Near the window that looks out over the red maples.

This window used to look out at the red maple trees. I say used to because the storm split both of them. :(
So let's just close the shudders and not look at the damage.

Yes, she painted these too.

That the kitchen at RMC. Thank you for stopping by. You can head out the back door, near the beverage bar.

What? You expected a plain wooden door?

One thing mom taught me : if you can jazz it up, go for it!