CSN Stores $35 Gift Certificate WINNER!

Congratulations to Norma! She is going to get a set of Dansk steak knives with her $35 gift certificate to CSNstores.com. 

Thank you so much to everyone who entered. I'm so glad to have you all as readers!  Be sure to visit CSNstores.com for all of your shopping needs.

MSC: Snickerdoodle Cupcakes and a CSN Stores Giveaway!

This month for our Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Club, Katie from Katiecakes chose the Snickerdoodle Cupcakes on page 138 of the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book.  I have been looking forward to making these cupcakes because I LOVE the Martha Stewart Snickerdoodle Cookies recipe found in her Cookies book.

One thing I really liked about these cupcakes is that you can make them with ingredients you probably have already in your pantry.  I halved the recipe, and ended up with 11 cupcakes.  I also baked them for less time than the book stated, about 16 minutes. 

I decided to use my "go-to" buttercream frosting recipe, simply because me and boiled frostings don't get along very well.  I thought these turned out wonderfully. They had an amazing cinnamon flavor, and went perfectly with a glass of milk. I will definitely be making these again.

And now for the giveaway!  CSNstores.com would like to give one of my readers a $35 gift certificate to any of their 200+ stores.

CSNstores.com is a baker's paradise.  There are so many kitchen items to choose from.  If you win, you may have a hard time deciding what to choose!  Here is how to enter, there are many different chances for you to win:

1. Leave me a comment on this blog letting me know what you would spend your $35 from CSNstores.com.

2. Follow my blog and leave me a comment letting me know that you now follow me.

3. Follow me on Twitter then leave me a comment with your user name.

4. Follow CSNstores on Twitter then leave me a comment with your user name.

So there are four different ways to enter.  Entries for the giveaway will be accepted through Thursday, October 21st at Midnight (CST).  Good luck!

CSN Stores Upcoming Giveaway!

I am so excited to be participating in another giveaway with the awesome people at CSN Stores!

On October 15th, I will be giving away a $35 gift certificate to CSN Stores. If you haven't checked out CSN Stores yet, you should! CSN Stores has so many different items. I think a bookcase headboard would be perfect for my nephew's expanding book collection.

Be sure to check back on October 15th for the giveaway post and our Martha Stewart Cupcakes Challenge group results for Snickerdoodle Cupcakes!

MSC: Cookies and Cream

For this month's Martha Stewart Cupcake Challenge, Nina from Nina's Cupcakes chose the Cookies and Cream 'cupcakes' from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. I made these last year with my best friend Jordan, and I thought they were wonderful then. When I made these Sunday night, I had the same result. These were amazing.

This picture doesn't make them look like much, but they were so yummy!

These weren't actually cupcakes, but little mini Oreo cheesecakes. And considering how lackluster the last few challenge months have been, these were a nice change. They were a big hit, especially with my co-workers!

Couples Shower Cupcakes

One of my oldest friends, Cyle, is getting married in November and I am so excited for him. His bride, Julie, is so much fun to be around and I'm so excited for her to join our group. Last weekend, Julie's sister Lindsey hosted a Couples Shower for the bride and groom. Of course I wanted to make the cupcakes!

My Mom recently gave me a new Cricut Cake and I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to try it out. I made Margarita Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese frosting. Then I made a couple dozen of these cupcake toppers:

The "c" is for Caplinger, the bride's new last name.

Here is the happy couple with their cupcakes:

Practicing for their big day!

On a side note, here are their gifts that I decorated with my regular Cricut:

The shower was a huge success!

1st Anniversary Celebration at our Aquarium Shop

Last month, our store Reef Remedies, had it's first anniversary. Alex and I opened the shop on July 1st, 2009. Time flies and things have gone really well for us. I decided to have a celebration for us and as a thank you to our awesome customers.

Our refreshment table. We had pink lemonade, iced tea, nachos (Alex's pick!), cookies, and cupcakes.

I made these cupcake wrappers using my Cricut machine. There is a new cartridge out that has over 50 different wrappers. I love it!

My Mom and I made goody bags for the kids. We have quite a few little kids that come in to our shop, especially on Saturdays. I love how they get so excited looking at all the fish tanks.

The celebration was a huge success. So many of our friends and family stopped by to see us, and I was full of joy on that day. Owning our own business is definitely a challenge, but I wouldn't give it up for anything. :)

CSN Stores Review: A Great Experience!

I recently had the pleasure of doing a second review for CSN Stores. By now you have probably heard of CSN Stores, they literally have everything from cookware to a new bathroom sink.

I tried out the Le Creuset Stoneware baking dish and I LOVED it. I already own a big Dutch oven from Le Creuset, so I wanted to try out some of their other products.

I had a question about the ordering process, so I called customer service on a Saturday afternoon. The gentleman that I spoke with was incredibly polite and answered all of my questions. I was impressed that their customer service was available on the weekend, most companies don't offer that kind of service.

My order arrived quickly and packed very well. CSN Stores does a great job of insuring that your purchase arrives in its intended condition. They also use recyclable materials, which is good for the environment, too.

I decided to make roast potatoes in my new baking dish, and they turned out great. This baking dish was the perfect size for our household, since I usually only cook for two.

I also loved the fact that this bakeware cleaned up SO easily. Thank you CSN Stores for the awesome customer service and great products!

Disclaimer: These words are my own. I was not compensated by CSN Stores for this review. I was provided with the bakeware seen above.