CSN Stores Review

By now you have probably heard about CSN Stores. This online retailer has just about anything you could want or need.

I love shopping with CSN Stores. One of my favorite things about them is how quickly they process their orders. I placed an order and had my items delivered within a week, which is perfect for the holiday season! CSN Stores have the best packaging, too. Every package comes delivered securely packed, so your purchases are safe on the inside. I am always impressed when a package arrives and is so expertly packed to make sure that the product arrives as it is intended.

My latest order from CSN Stores was on two OXO food storage products. Here is the OXO Top Container. It holds 9.3 cups and is the perfect size for carrying Christmas cookies or candy to a holiday party. This is one of the many products that has guaranteed delivery by December 24th!

Here is my FAVORITE product from OXO. It is the OXO Pop Container Square, holding 5.5 quarts! I have always had a problem with my cereal going stale. Let's be honest, folding the bag over and clipping it closed isn't the best method around! So now I store my cereal in this Pop Container and my cereal stays fresh.

CSN Stores has a great variety of OXO products, and many of them are guaranteed delivery by December 24th. Some of them even have free shipping (who doesn't love free shipping?!). So head on over to CSN Stores and check out their amazing selection of gifts (for yourself or someone special!).






Disclaimer: I was provided with a $35 gift code for CSN Stores in exchange for this review. These words are my own, I was not compensated by CSN Stores or OXO for this review.

CSN Stores Upcoming Review

The wonderful people at CSN Stores are at it again!  Soon I will be reviewing a product from CSN Stores' numerous selections.  You can find almost anything you need, from bar tables and stools to the perfect Christmas gift.  I can spend hours looking at their selection of products, there are so many to choose from!

I am so excited for holiday baking to begin, and I can't wait to share my review of CSN Stores with all of my readers.  Have a great week!

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.

MSC: Triple Citrus Cupcakes

For the month of August, Marthe from Culinary Delights chose the Triple Citrus Cupcakes from the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. I saw Martha make these on her TV show quite some time ago and I remember being shocked at the amount of butter in these bad boys. But hey, at least you are getting some vitamin C! :)

These were very simple to make. I used key limes instead of regular limes, and they turned out great. I liked the fresh taste of these cupcakes, but I could definitely taste the egg in them. I halved the recipe, and even with the recipe halved, it still required 4 and a half eggs!

Alex and I went over to his grandparents' house today, and these cupcakes were perfect. Alex's grandfather is a big fan of anything orange flavored.

The book recommended that these cupcakes be served the day they are topped with the glaze, and that is most certainly the case. Overall these were a good pick, especially in comparison to my failures from the last couple of months. Check back next month...we are making the Cookies and Cream cupcakes. These sound amazing!

MSC: Citrus Cupcakes Coming Soon

I haven't had an opportunity to make these yet due to my big cupcake project yesterday. More posts coming soon!

MSC: Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

For the month of July, Lauryn from Bella Baker chose the Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes from page 108 of the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book.

Ugh, another failure for me this month.  I was so excited to make these cupcakes because I had never attempted any kind of flourless cake before.  I didn't have any trouble making these, and the ingredient list was fairly simple.  My cupcakes even looked exactly like the picture in the book.

I must admit, I've never had flourless cake before. But this cake turned out really soggy and overly moist (and not in a good way). I was looking forward to taking these to share with my new co-workers, but there was no way I was going to make my first cupcake "impression" with these things.

I've come so close to quitting this challenge because honestly, the cupcakes so far haven't been so great, with the exception of the Pumpkin cupcakes. But, I've committed to this challenge and I'm going to keep going, dang it! :) I'm sure most of the failure is on my part, but I've got to keep going so I can be a better baker.

Next month, Marthe from Culinary Delights has chosen the Triple Citrus cupcakes. I have wanted to make these cupcakes since I saw them featured on the Martha Stewart TV show, so hopefully they will be a success!

Be sure to check out all of my other baking buddies' posts. You can view our list of bakers at our Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Club website.

Label Daddy WINNER!

Sorry for the delay on drawing the winner of my Label Daddy Return Address Labels.  My husband and I have been super busy planning our one year anniversary celebration of our aquarium shop, Reef Remedies.

Drum roll please......

The winner is:

bigdisneyfan

Congratulations bigdisneyfan! I will be sending you an email shortly.  I hope you enjoy your Label Daddy Return Address Labels as much as I love mine!

Coming Soon: CSN Stores Review

Coming soon to Cinema Cupcakes, a second product review from CSN Stores.

CSN Stores has anything and everything you could possibly need, from furniture to a bathroom sink.  So check back soon to read my review!

Label Daddy Review and Giveaway!

Have you heard of Label Daddy?  Label Daddy was founded by two high school friends destined to be business partners.  They created Label Daddy shortly after becoming fathers and seeing the need for a quality product for keeping their children's items organized and labeled properly.

I was recently given the opportunity to give the Label Daddy Return Address Labels a test drive.  I got to choose what color, font, and icon to use on my return address labels.  You can chose from fifteen different colors, six different fonts, and 46 differnt icons!  I had to go with the cupcake icon, since I love cupcakes (obviously!)

Beneath the name is where your address will be, I just edited mine out for privacy purposes.

These are very high quality and durable labels.  I chose to put one on one of my many cupcake carriers.  I am always loaning it out to friends and family, or leaving it at someone's house after a get-together. 

My favorite cupcake carrier, it holds 36 cupcakes!

I washed my cupcake carrier shortly after placing the Label Daddy address label on it.  It withstood the hot soapy water without coming loose.  I plan on putting the Label Daddy address labels on all of my cupcake carriers (yes, I have multiple carriers!)  I think these labels would also work wonderfully on lunch boxes, water bottles, portable electronics, and storage containers. 

Now for the giveaway!

Label Daddy has offered my readers a chance to win one set of their Return Address Labels.  Here is how to enter:

1. Visit Label Daddy's website and leave me a comment telling me what other product you like.

2. For an extra entry, "Like" Label Daddy on Facebook and leave me a comment letting me know you did so.

3. For another entry, follow Label Daddy on Twitter.  Then leave me a comment letting me know you did so.

That means a possibility of three entries to win a set of these amazing Return Address Labels.

The giveaway will end on June 28th at Midnight CST.  I will select a winner using random.org.  Good luck!

MSC: Strawberry Cupcakes....FAIL

This month for our Martha Stewart Cupcake Challenge, Sherry from Sherry Starts Cooking chose the Strawberry Cupcakes on page 146 of the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book.  I love strawberries, so I was excited to make these.

Hmmm...I'm not even going to share a picture on this one.  The cake was just mildy strawberry-ish, and my darn Strawberry Meringue Buttercream was liquid, I never could get it to set up.  I know I probably did something wrong to cause this.  I don't think my heart was in this recipe.   I wanted it to be good, but somehow I failed.  I think the relationship between me and meringue is just not meant to be!  Oh well, there is always the Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes next month!

MSC: Tres Leches Cupcakes

For the month of May, our Martha Stewart Cupcakes Challenge group baked Tres Leches Cupcakes.  This recipe was selected by Lisa of Smiley's Sweets and Creations.  The Tres Leches recipe can be found on page 48 of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. 

I found the overall process of making these cupcakes to be fairly simple.  I halved the recipe and still ended up with 15 cupcakes.  The book says the full recipe will make 20 cupcakes.  The book recommended baking the cupcakes in paper lined foil wrappers.  I didn't have any on hand, so I baked the cupcakes in silicone liners.  And I'm so glad I did because they neeeded the extra support once the tres leches mixture was added. 

I LOVED making my own whipped cream.  I had never tried it before.  I thought it turned out fluffy and mildly sweet.   My friend Craig really enjoyed the whipped cream.....

I really liked the flavor of these cupcakes!  I will definitely make them again.  Check back on the 15th of this month when our Challenge Group will be making Strawberry Cupcakes!

Bridal Shower Cupcakes and no Martha Stewart Challenge...yet.

To my fellow Martha Stewart Challenge Bakers:  I'm going to be a little late on my Tres Leches post.  Saturdays at our store are super busy and I just didn't have the time.  I do plan on making them, though!

Last week I made these cupcakes for a Bridal Shower that a friend was hosting.  The hostess requested Champagne Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream frosting and Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting.  The super cute liners were from Bake It Pretty. Being a cooking enthusiast,  I absolutely love Bake It Pretty, and I would spend my entire tax return there if I could!

A Personal and Difficult Time

Hello fellow bloggers and readers!  I've been noticably absent from my blogging lately, and it is for a few different reasons.  I haven't really been doing too much baking lately, and I think part of that is because I went through a lay off about two weeks ago.  My beloved job as a graphics operator for a local television studio was taken from me. 

Now, I consider myself someone lucky in the job department.  I've never had a job that I've absolutely hated.  I've done fast food, worked in a music store (I LOVED that one!), waited tables, dealt with angry (oh so angry!) people with parking tickets, been a pyrotechnician, answered 911 calls, and most recently worked in television production.  But this last one was so special to me because not only was the work enjoyable, but the people I worked with were absolutely amazing.  We were like a little family, a little dysfunctional, but still a family.  :)

So now I'm on the hunt for a new job.  I've always been a coupon clipper, but now I am even more so.  When I was planning out wedding, I would spend so much time online trying to find wedding coupons.  There are so many blogs and websites out there that tell you exactly how to save a lot of money, even make money on some things.  I'm now stepping up my coupon clipping, and I think it will help a lot while I try to find my new direction in my career life.

Everything happens for a reason, right?

Cheesecake Brownies a la Martha Stewart

I've blogged before about the amazing group of women that I scrapbook with.  Our group on Meetup.com is called Oh Crop!  We were having a weekend retreat a couple of weekends ago, but I couldn't make it.  So I made these brownies by Martha Stewart to drop off for the girls. 

Alex and I also managed to be productive in our garden this weekend, we pruned our little garden area.  Our japanese maple is blooming beautifully.  I found this great article about how to Beautify Your Garden, give it a read if you get a chance.

Oh, and for more info on Martha Stewart's books, here are some Borders Coupons.  Also, I hope to be doing some reviews of some really awesome products that I have won in giveaways lately.

MSC: Jumbo Cupcakes

This month for our Martha Stewart's Cupcakes challenge, Jess from Cookbook Habit chose the Jumbo Cupcakes on page 133.  And since this little guy was having a birthday, I decided to make them for him.

He is a big fan of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and I had some awesome Mickey Mouse sprinkles that I couldn't wait to decorate his cupcakes with.  I was super excited to make the Marshmallow Fluff filling, and I wasn't disappointed...it was so yummy.  I thought the cupcakes, however, were a little dry.  But it seems like a lot of the recipes that we have baked in this challenge have been dry.  I didn't want to leave the tops of the cupcakes without a nice mound of frosting, so I made my go-to buttercream frosting.  This made the cupcakes super rich.  The best part of the cupcakes were the filling.

Here are a few shots of the party we threw for Ryan in the park by my parent's house.

My brother Jeff and nephew Ryan.  Look at him eyeing that cupcake!

My amazing Mom with my nephew Owen

Easter Cupcakes 2010

Last year for Easter I made cookies and cupcakes. This year however, I was not so ambitious. I had some adorable decorations that I couldn't wait to use, like these made by Wilton.  I used Martha Stewart's Carrot Cupcake recipe from her Cupcakes book. This recipe is fabulous, and I love making them because they are so moist and have such a great flavor.

Alex and I went over to his grandparent's house for the day, and had a nice relaxing time.  I love lazy Sunday's with family.  I hope everyone had an amazing Easter with loved ones.