Cupcake Accessorize for a Good Cause

What better way to help a good cause than doing it in the name of Cupcakes!! From now until April 26th, Maki Taniguchi, an art student on Etsy, will donate 100% of her sales to relief efforts in Japan.

When I came across Maki's shop on Etsy, I totally fell in love with the intricacies of the cupcake designs and the ability for customization. With nearly 95% of materials coming from Japan, Maki wanted to give back to organizations in Japan such as International Save the Children Alliance, GlobalGiving, and Global Animal non-profits.

"I think donating my proceeds to people in need is the least I can do... for the country that my parents come from."

What I love about Maki's shop is that you can pick everything from toppings to muffin cup colors! Maki took a moment to share the process of whipping up her creations -

"I use resin clay, paper clay, and silicone from Japan that is specifically formulated for decorating purposes. I order whatever molds and hardware from a supplier who buys everything from Japan. Molds are utilized to achieve consistency in quality and look of the product as far as little things like the cupcake bottoms and mini donuts go. But all the whipped toppings, ice cream swirls, ice creams scoops and whatnot are piped and hand-sculpted by me, much like a real baker.... Custom orders are my favorite. People come up with whatever flavor and topping combo they wish and i do it. It keeps me on my toes!"

I'm hungry just reading about this, and little did I know that this style of decoration is quite popular in Japan. Now, that's something I could get on board with! I would bejewel everything with cupcake insignia!

"There is a huge subculture comprised of women, young and old, who make their own decorations. They decorate anything from their nails to compacts and picture frames. But the most popular item to decorate and personalize is the cell phone. this phenomenon is called "decoden" which is short for "decorated denwa" or decorated phone in Japanese. Swarovski crystals, fake flowers, silk bows, mini teddy bears and, of course, mini fake desserts are among the most popular types of decoration. So what I do is merely a spin-off of what's been popular overseas."

Like what you see above? Each image is linked to Maki's shop, which can also be found by clicking here.

Cupcakin' It Up for a Good Cause

Nothing brings people together like red velvet, funfetti, candy hearts, and sprinkles! Cupcakin' It Up and friends at Hall & Partners visited a PATH shelter to decorate cupcakes with kids and families.

We came armed with 200+ cupcakes (baked by many volunteers from the Hall & Partners office). Flavors included funfetti, vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, and strawberry. Good thing our helpers were so artistically equipped to help!

Check out some of the creations below! They even taught this cupcaketeer a thing or two -

First up, is the collection of our finest creations! The pink plates really made them pop.


Toppings included M&M's, cinnamon red hots, candy hearts, marshmallow hearts, and sprinkles of every color.

My personal favorite is the one on the right - unorthodox in its green, my helper added only green candy hearts and sprinkled circles throughout to add some pink and purple as well.

I also love the way she made a cupcake flower out of M&M's!

Next is an explosion of sprinkles, M&M's, and gummy heart candies on top of pink and chocolate icing. I love the way this executes - it's so festive!


Check out this icing innovation to the right!

I never realized that this texture could be accomplished so easily. My helper told me to spread the icing thinly and then take the knife and gently tease out little tufts on top.

If you unearth some cake in the process? My helper says, "no problem! Just smooth it back and start again."

Sprinkle some colored sugar or sprinkles on top for added color and texture!

This fun evening activity is easy to replicate with local in-need children in your community. I suggest having your group of volunteers each back 1-2 batches of cupcakes. Then check CVS for best candy prices (I bought my gummies, cinnamon candies, marshmallows, and heart candies there). Icing can be purchased for a dollar at Ralphs around this holiday. Even my Red Velvet cake mix was a dollar! It's a minimal price for making someone's day - and spreading the cupcake love!