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.

Cupcakes are Forever!

In honor of my cupcake buddy (BeadUp) moving 1,627 miles away (yup, I googled!), I have decided to drown my buddy blues by Cupcakin It Up again. Ok, well nothing here at Cupcakin It Up is ever blue... its more like a sad grayish-pink! But the saddest pink you've ever seen!!

Before Bead Up left, we exchanged what true sweet freaks do... friendship cupcake plates!... and cupcake sugar holders... and cupcake aprons. haha Oh, fellow crafters, you don't judge us! I mean what is more friendship forever than CUPCAKE PLATES?! We discovered this sweet find at our favorite haunt - a Ross/Marshalls plaza in suburbia next to our local Michael's Crafts store. It was meant to be! Although I typically find the manic clothing free-for-all at Ross a little overwhelming, I have found true joy in the Home section at the back of the store. We all know how much I adore Michael's, but Ross sells some of the same stuff for HALF the price. It's amazing - frames, vases, fake trees, you name it!

Now this adorable apron was a BeadUp find at ikea of all places! Who knew the Scandinavians loved cupcakes as much as the sugar high Americans do?! Now I won't get every shirt I bake in dirty! I'm definitely one of those cooks who come out of a baking session with pink sparkles and sprinkles in places where sprinkles should never be! Get your mind out of the gutter - I mean my toes and on my new white shirt!

The apron looks adorable. Great work, Bead Up! I look forward to our new adventures in the Kansas City Ross when I drive the 1 day and 2 hours Google Maps claims it will take me to get there - expresso by IV, here I come!

Cupcakes + Cosemetics = Happy Lips!

Lip balm is a necessity in life. Doesn't it deserve to look cute too?! Well Aunt Franni on Etsy has the answer! You know how I feel about cute cupcake accessories, and when Christyn from Bead Up! showed me this one, I could hardly resist. In the name of chapped lips, after all! It's a cupcake themed, chapstick holder - your chapstick will never be lost again!

And naturally, I found matching cupcake-flavored lip balm to go with it from Givin Me Lip. Might as well Cupcake It Up!

There is another seller whose lip balm I enjoyed immensely, and that was from Kupcake Naturals. I wanted to give them a personal shout out since I tried their natural lip balm product myself recently, which they personalized the name "Vanilla Cupcake." Adorable and yummy! In fact, it's hard not to eat it... I'll try to hold back.

Anyways! I'll be back with a new one tomorrow - maybe with and actual cupcake feature this time. I guess I've got a real shopping itch this week! But one can never have too many cupcake accessories!

Have a sweeeeet day!

Cupcake Couture

So you really love cupcakes. Like a lot. Ok, and you also have an incredibly successful business in which you fan yourself with $100 bills at night... and don't freak out when you find a quarter on the street (like me! quarters so useful!). Well, I've figured out what you can spend your money on - feel free to thank me for my awesome idea by either a.) throwin' some cupcake tasting money my way b.) buying me a matching one (haha!!).

Some of the more cutesy high end brands like Juicy Couture sell the love of cupcakes for $42 a pop (pink and silver one, above to the left) at Nordstrom's or Sak's Fifth Avenue. Sears can also provide diamond-encrusted, 10K gold (white and yellow, left) for a mere $130 or a 14K gold for $250 (multicolored, left) - WOA money bags!! That's a lot of money to be throwing around for a pricey charm that looks a lot like a clowns head. But to each her own!

What?! You don't have money just lying around, begging to be spent?? Shocking ;-) Don't dispair! I found some even BETTER alternatives from etsy sellers! That are more up my alley, as if I fan myself with anything, it's monopoly money!!

Check them out the designs that rival the brand names!
(Click on the seller name to link to the product!)


Sold by A Fine Distraction


Sold by Monica E. Jewelry


Sold by Chic Baby Rose


Sold by Denise Annette


Sold by E. Ria Design


Sold by EsseM Design


Sold by Pinups and Pastries

There are 75+ pages on Etsy for cupcake necklaces - it is AWESOME! I made it through 30 of them - so if I missed a necklace you think is particularly adorable, just post the link in the comments, and I'll do a part duo of Etsy cupcake necklaces!