I made cupcakes just so I could take pictures of them.

What a glorious profession it must be to bake cupcakes. I have been wanting to make cupcakes so that I could decorate them and then take pictures of them. Last weekend, I bought a cupcake decorating kit at Hobby Lobby and today I finally busted it out.

It was SUPER fun and it reminded me of when Annie's mom let me do some of her wedding cake decorating or at least just play around with the icing tips. Actually, my technique is pretty sad so for the photos I ended up just "erasing" my icing design with a butter knife before applying the seriously awesome sprinkles. I wanted blue ones and Harvey wanted pink ones so I did both. I squealed the whole time and I got to use my Kitchenaid mixer AND my cutie cake plate.

Shop indie.

If you're extra-girlie like me, it's all about the cutenesses. This is a so-fun indie craft website with the BEST stuff FO-SHO. Go to Shana Logic for good times.

Congratulations, Populus deltoides!

Earlier this week, the much under appreciated cottonwood tree was nominated and simultaneously named winner of the prestigious 2008 Tree of the Year Award. Populus deltoides prefers riverside habitats and if unchecked, may grow to impressive heights. Melissa Madison, inventor and judge of the Tree of the Year Award, commented that the deeply grooved bark was the persuasive factor in choosing this gentle giant as our keystone tree. Stay tuned for up close and personal interviews with the illustrious award recipient.