Yes, I had a Giant Sparkly Cupcake Party....

Everyone at least once in their life should host something as fabulous as a Giant Sparkly Cupcake Party. ♥ I did last week, and it was wonderful.

(This is me and my giant sparkly cupcake, photo courtesy of my talented friend Angela from Angel Cakes). 

I made a cupcake vow to my hometown of Waupaca, and to all my cupcake friends......When I reached 1000 "likes" on the Amanda Cupcake Facebook page, I would return the love by baking and swirling a giant sparkly cupcake like magic.  

♥

I invited everyone in town and from afar to eat my giant cupcake magic with me.

And if you dare...you could wear a tutu with me while eating a cupcake at the same time.  I mean..I spill frosting and edible glitter on my tutu often!  I wonder what my designer Mir Tutu thinks of that?

 

The journey to becoming a giant sparkly cupcake isn't always predictable. (This is what my colorful cake batter looked like in the pan before baking). 

..This is the unpredictable proof, at 350 degrees.  My colorful cake batter turned into a very beautiful kaleidoscope while baking. (Hint: Curiosity is a good thing! I would have never discovered such a beautiful sight if I wasn't curious enough to peek inside the oven 10 minutes after my giant cupcake started baking!)

♥

I am glad I didn't eat my giant sparkly cupcake alone.

So many of my friends showed up, 

and they are all wonderful characters:

A Tu - Tu Designer.

A Chef.

Two Cupcake Superstars.

Some Young Aspiring Superstars.

My Artist Boyfriend. (the one who made this amazing drawing of me).

An Adorable Birthday Girl and Her Daddy.

My Friend from the Waupaca Middle School Dance Team (remember Chocolate Peanut Butter Love?)

My blonde bombshell of a friend. (there's always a blonde bombshell).

My past high school teacher who gives the best cupcake hugs.

 My Make-Up Artist Friend Kate Unger who gave make-overs all night.

Nicki Minaj as the soundtrack.

Eeek! Look at the adorable mini cupcake cake pops Angel Cakes made just for me!  They look just like my giant cupcake, except in mini giant cupcake size! 

 

♥ Angel Cakes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am still squealing with joy.  Just look at the box! You put so much ♥ into this wonderful gift.

Or what about this Ranch Bacon Cupcake that tasted just like a dream Subway sandwich,  masterminded by my Master Chef friend Lonnie and her talented tutu designer sister Miranda?

Lonnie and Miranda call them Dainty Dinners. ♥

Who says cupcakes can't be savory instead of sweet?

.....and of course..one giant sparkly cupcake.

 ♥

I tried to top the giant cupcake with a whole crazy mixture of everything I've piled high on cupcakes in the last year:

Love.

Sparkles.

Gems.(edible ones like glitterized peanut butter cups).

Disco Cherries.

Life.

Color.

Sparkling Oreo Cookies. 

I even made the cupcake liner out of chocolate candy melts. 

And the cutting of the cake.. was just a sweet & beautiful disaster. 

It was so ginormously spectactular, we cut the cupcake with a cleaver.

It's a rare, but alluring surprise when something is just as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside!

An even bigger sparkly giant cupcake party:

Will happen when I reach 1999 likes on Facebook.

That means more cupcake love for the world to share.

♥

Mark your calendar. 

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.♥