The mini-cupcakes can now be packaged! These boxes hold a dozen (I realize only 9 are in the picture - that was just a poor photography angle on my part). Each cupcake is in its own space so the frosting and cupcakes won't stick to each other. This box is also deep enough that a second dozen can be stacked on top of the first if you wish to order 2-dozen mini cupcakes!
The cupcakes in the box are the ones described below (each with its own close-up)

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Chocolate Candy-cane Cupcakes

with Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting

Topped with crushed candy cane pieces


Chocolate cupcake with pecans and chocolate chips

with Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting

Topped with a chocolate chip

Mini cupcakes for the Show Tune Showcase

As promised, here are some pictures of the mini cupcakes I made for the Show Tune Showcase last weekend. We started with 31.5 dozen (377) on Friday and came home with 226. To that, I added ~13 dozen (158 more) for Saturday. Saturday night, I returned with 136 cupcakes. That night, I made another 10.75 dozen (129) and while we didn't quite get through all of them, the cast and crew took home a few each and I didn't have to bring home any! That's a total of about 55.5 dozen cupcakes over three days!

Cookies & Cream (each had 1/2 a mini-oreo on the bottom)

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Lemon Cream (by far, the most popular)

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Pretty in Pink

(aka Strawberry, with Strawberry frosting - all made with fresh strawberries!)

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Pumpkin Pie with Pumpkin Frosting (my favorite)

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"Cup o' Joe" - Coffee cupcake with mocha-like topping

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A couple of "en-masse" photos:

Show Tunes Showcase to benefit the March of Dimes

I am currently working on oh, approximately 40 dozen mini cupcakes... They will be a donation to the Show Tunes Showcase, a fundraiser for the March of Dimes. See below for show and ticket information. Currently, anticipated cupcake flavors include Cookies and Cream, Pumpkin "pie", Pretty in Pink (strawberry), Cup O' Joe (coffee), and either a Lemon Cream or Rootbeer Float. At least, that's the plan... I'll update with the final list, and pictures when they're all done! Please attend if you can!

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This weekend (Nov. 07 - 09), there will be a Show Tunes Showcase at the Las Cruces Community Theater. Headlining the showcase will be Janet Mazdra. Also appearing include Megan McQueen, Kat Hicks, Dave Edwards, Bob Divens and Josh Shakra. Tickets are $10 per person (including a light supper and mini-cupcakes! during intermission), with 100% of proceeds going to the March of Dimes.

Show times:
7:30 pm - Friday, Nov. 07 and Saturday, Nov. 08
2:00 pm - Sunday, Nov. 09

This show is part of Janet's efforts in raising money for the Southern New Mexico March of Dimes' 2nd annual High Heels for High Hopes campaign, which will culminate with a gala dinner and silent auction on Thursday, November 20 at Hotel Encanto (705 S. Telshor Blvd.)

Anticipated program:
5:30 pm - Reception and silent auction
6:30 pm - Fashion show (including Mazdra)
7:30 pm - Dinner and the evening's program

Tickets for the gala are $60 each. Tables are $600 (10 people). Platform sponsorships are $1,000.

Cards... part 1

Part 3 of the business description... Cards!
(my photography skills are slowly improving... as seen in the topmost photo)

Thank-you card (Oct. 2008)

Thinking of You

Two baby card designs. Yes, the one on the right is a "Clear" Card.

Anniversary card

The winner of the 2007 World Card-making day contest sponsored by Paper Crafts magazine. This was one of the 2 christmas card designs sent out to all our friends in 2007. Now, to work on this year's...

Cupcakes!

Last week, we got "Boo-ed" - it's like a ding-dong-ditch, or secret Santa, or whatever you prefer to call it during October. But we didn't get booed once, rather twice - in the same day. So we had 4 families to "Boo" ourselves. That meant treats - lots of treats... so on Sunday afternoon, we made some cupcakes. The ones pictured here are "Rootbeer Float" cupcakes (we made 4 dozen!).

(close-ups)

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Then yesterday, I felt like trying out another recipe, so I made these Black Bottom mini-cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream frosting and Raspberry drizzle.

Rose candies

These were lollipops I made for a sweet-16 party.

I believe there were 30 of each kind of rose (check out the trays, below). Each candy was individually made and packaged (including the tying of the ribbon to showcase the event).

The photos were taken by the birthday girl's mother.

I forgot to take pictures before delivering them.

Kactus Kapers cakes

Every fall, the ladies golf association at Picacho Hills Country Club host a 2-day member-guest tournament called "Kactus Kapers". This was my first year with the LGA, and was asked to make the cake for 120 ladies for the Tuesday night dinner. It was a hit!

"Kactus Kake" specs:

15" x 22" single-layer sheet cake

A combination of a "peaches and cream" and a "mandarin oranges" cake recipes.

Whipped frosting

The prickly pear cactus design on top are additional cake pieces (not frosting as a lot of bakeries will do!) individually shaped, frosted and colored.

The prickly pears are fresh strawberries.

As a second cake (just in case the sheet cake wasn't enough to feed 120!), I made the golf bag cake (Left). We didn't need it... I think the kitchen staff enjoyed it though.

Birthday cakes

For my friend's kids birthdays this year...

(March 2008) Maryn turned 6 and was asked to be suprised with her cake, so I made her a butterfly cake. This was a 2-layer, 9-inch round pan cut, positioned and shaped to form a butterfly. The cake itself was a strawberry poke cake.

(April 2008) Brett turned 4 and wanted a "Cars" birthday cake... This cake has 2 parts. A marble sheet cake on the bottom, and a Lightning McQueen cake on top. It fed 9 adults and 8 or 10 kids, I think.

(May 2008) Then, Alyssa (who turned 13) also said to suprise her. Her 9"x13" sheet cake was a peaches and cream cake, topped off with additional peaches in a flower/butterfly (you decide) design.

(Oct. 2008) Brynna (9) is really into High School Musical, and her birthday happened to fall during the same month as the opening of HSM3. The cake didn't turn out very well in the picture. The 9"x13" cake was a double-chocolate chip cake, and has a red/white checker pattern as the background, and then the text was hand-written and filled with yellow sprinkles.

- She also had a "friend" party, where she wanted to do "crafty" activities. This included cake decorating, and I was called in to help. The 4 girls decorated cake halves (6" round) to look like purses. The above picture was the sampler to give them an idea.

(Jan. 2008) A (different) friend asked if I would make a cake for her friend, Dinny's suprise party. This was a 13"x18" 2-layer sheet cake (to serve approx. 40) with whipped topping and fruit in the middle layer. The fruit included mandarin oranges, peaches, pineapple, pear, kiwi and strawberries.

Church-themed cakes

1) Relief Society (2 images) - I made this cake for a prop for a friend's talk for a stake Relief Society dinner. The cake is a 2-layer (9" round) yellow cake with mandarin oranges.

2) Young Women - The logo on the cake is that of the Young Women organization (a torch with the silhouette of a girl's face). The motto states "Stand for Truth and Righteousness". This cake was made for a Young Women in Excellence night.

4th of July, 2008 cake

Made for a neighborhood 4th of July party. At this time, I can't remember what kind of cake it was, but it was topped with strawberries and blueberries to represent the stripes and stars. It was probably a 11"x15" 2-layer sheet cake with strawberry slices between the two layers.