Covered in Chocolate and a Miracle Or Two..

My friend Caroline Cakewise (so jealous of her name btw!) at Sparkles & Crumbs blog inspired this little passage. She is my friend over in England who posts delicious blogs that fill my spirit with joy.
Click here to read her blog passage that thus inspired my blog below. :) You might just get addicted and need your fix on a regular basis:
Sparkles & Crumbs

I have always enjoyed taking photos of multiple, brightly colored things. Especially yummy things.
I was in the Party City store not that long ago, and to my delight there was an entire row of HAPPY CHEERFUL COLORFUL and BRIGHT candy! 

One of the employees asked me what I was doing as I snapped away on my "sweet" random photo shoot.
♥  Hopefully my story inspired her to look at candy as so much more than just.....sugar.

This was me that day.



Cake Pops I created inspired by the Lemonheads.
"When Life Gives you Lemons, make Cake Pops."



My bright red cherry chocolate cake pop inspired by the joy of candy.



How many licks does it take to get to the center?

Obviously not very many. :)
♥ my sweet friend Jeremy.

Golden Amanda Cupcake Cake Pops.

Who can take a sunrise,

Sprinkle it with dew?

Cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two

The candyman, the candyman can,

The candyman can 'cause he mixes it with love

and makes the world taste good



Who can take a rainbow,

Wrap it in a sigh?

Soak it in the sun and make the strawberry lemon pie

The candyman? The candyman can

The candyman can 'cause he mixes it with love

and makes the world taste good



The Candyman makes

everything he bakes

Satisfying and delicious.

Talk about your childhood wishes.

You can even eat the dishes!



Who can take tomorrow,

Dip it in a dream?

Separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream,

The candyman? The Candyman can, the candyman can

The candyman can 'cause he mixes it with love

and makes the world taste good

And the world tastes good

'cause the candyman thinks it should

 
 
My philosophy in one cutesy little song.
I think if I had a cupcake mobile it would play this.
Except I would have to be the female version of the candyman.
And I would definitely be prettier than the candyman.
Wearing a dress that looks like a cupcake.
Bright happy lipstick on my lips.
Delicious deliveries to be made.
To make the world smile.









Kaleidoscope Cupcakes ♥

Remember when you were a kid, and you looked inside of a kaleidoscope and wondered how in the world you could see something so amazing just by looking inside of a tunnel?

The thing I most hear from my cupcake friends is how something I created brings them back to their childhood.  This is good.  One of my biggest goals in my life is to stay in touch with my youth, and never lose it. I think that the authentic "me" is the curious, fearless little girl.



And the little *Amanda* comes alive in my latest creation, the cupcake kaleidoscope.



A Cupcake in a Jar.
Actually two cupcakes stacked on top of eachother.
Layered with Frosting.
And Sprinkles Galore.
You can see all the delicious fun from the *outside* and wonder... how does all that goodness get inside the jar so beautifully?

Remember the wooden spoons you used to eat ice cream with when you were a child?

This is the salted caramel cupcake kaleidoscope.

A gooey layer of delish caramel as you scoop your way to the bottom.

 It is really pretty .. and yummy.. on the way. ♥

Kaleidoscopes are all about colorful surprises.

The Pomegranate Margarita Cupcake Kaleidoscope.

Surprise♥

The best thing about the cupcake kaleidoscopes..is that I can mail them. ♥

And like anything else I create, they are tailored to the person I am sending them to.

I don't think there has ever been a kaleidoscope you could eat before.

That's how you know life is good, when the day comes that you can gaze at the beauty of a kaleidoscope..

and then eat it.

I have to say a little something something about the photographer who helped me with the cupcake kaleidoscope photos. Dan Woolf Photography (click on his name to check him out).

I traded him around 40 cupcakes for cupcake photography and we had an evening of fun cupcake photography. Bartering is the best. I am a believer. He got to eat a piece of heaven, and I ended up with amazing photos.

One of my favorite quotes from his daughter that evening: (about my salted caramel cupcake)

"You can tell I like it, because look how much I ate!" (The cupcake was pretty much crumbs on the counter at that point!)

 



Share your dreams, and they will come true.

I've always been a really big advocate of writing down my goals & dreams.
And I've *always* promoted the sharing of dreams.
If you share your dreams, you are automatically handed a responsibility to make them happen.
Then they become real.

Dreams can change, or unexpected things can happen.
But that is what gives life color and meaning.

I didn't really have a "final" plan for this cupcake. ♥
So did it turn out how I expected?
Not really. But it was a very much loved cupcake.
Loved by me and the family who ate it.

I have created cupcakes since I was 16 years old.
I remember the first cake I made for my brother.
It was a fun mess.

But I was experimenting.....and sharing my dreams with my brother.
And we partied with Toastman, Pokey, Gumby and friends.
The cake was like a dream to my brother.
And he was one of the first people who told me that one of the favorite things I ever made for anyone was my cakes.

He gave me the confidence to keep creating....making mistakes..practicing..
I don't think I've ever told him this before.

Most of the time my cakes looked really cute, but didn't taste very good.
(They were overly sweet).

I just knew that cake was this "medium" for me to create the most amazing form of art.
The kind of art that can make you laugh.
But also the kind of art that can warm your stomach, body, and soul. ♥

I remember when I came up with my first real "beauty" that tasted delicious as well.
The first success of a birthday cake I made for my mom.

She still tells me this is the favorite cake I have made her.
And this was made about 10 years ago. ♥



So you see.. you don't need to always follow the rules.
Follow your own pattern, be proud of who you are, and find comfort in your soft skin.
Nothing works better for *you* than being..well..*you*

I've had people giggle at me because I do things "differently."
I've dropped things.
Made messes that were difficult to clean up.
Felt a little more like "I Love Lucy" than Martha Stewart (which I still do to this day!)

But it all seems to work and come together beautifully.

I think after years of sharing my dreams, I've found one that really fits me.
If I can finally piece together everything I love in life on top of ..or as a surprise in the middle or on the bottom of a cupcake, I know there are millions of people who can find that one thing that makes them special too.

A handwritten "love" letter I received from a new friend this week.
We met through a cupcake delivery.
This shows what can happen if you share your dreams.♥