Cupid Missed

This weekend 4 of my girlfriends and I are traveling to Charlotte to visit one of our best friends! We are using this opportunity to go on our 4th Annual "Cupid Missed" Anti-Valentines Day bar crawl. Remember I described it last year? But we didn't technically go on that crawl, so this year is our 4th go-round. (And no, I didn't break up with the boyf, but I can't miss out on all the fun with the girls!!!) Here is our shirt design this year:

And how about this for next year?

Found: Tiny Prints

valentines day cards

Send these adorable cards to your sweetheart this Valentines Day:

 Found: Etsy

And once again, Tiny Prints has the cutest cards/invitations!!

almost valentines day

Well it's almost Valentine's Day, and I have been slacking on the heart/love posts. So here are lots of cute things I have saved up: 

Found (top left, clockwise): Bella Eats, Must Have Cute, Raspberry Tart, Odelay, Ritzy Bee, My Baking Addiction, Hello Naomi

Valentines Day Collage

Desktop background for the upcoming holiday! I think I made this 2 years ago, but I still love it!!

[right click, set as desktop background, center with purple or blue behind it!]

these lollies really pop

How adorable are these valentines?! I kind of wish I was still in elementary school so I could give them out to ALL my friends! Maybe next year.... 

s'more lovin'

So since the boyf wasn't here for V-day, I had a baking date with my friend Faith. We made delicious s'more cupcakes and heart-shaped cakes! 

How awesome does the icing look? Piping marshmallow fluff makes cupcakes look amazing and it's super easy! You better believe all my cupcakes will look like this from now on. So it's basically a french vanilla cupcake with graham crackers mixed in. A Hershey's kiss for the middle, and marshmallow fluff frosting! I'm so proud of myself, I love them!!

S'more Cupcakes

Found: here

Cupcakes:
1 package French vanilla cake mix
2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups water
3 egg whites
24 milk chocolate candy kisses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs, water and egg whites. Beat for 2 minutes at high speed of an electric mixer.
Divide batter evenly among paper lined cups, filling about 2/3 full. Place a chocolate kiss in each cupcake, pressing in lightly. (I pushed mine all the way to the bottom and they stuck to the paper wrapping, so keep them in the middle?) Spoon 1 teaspoon graham cracker crumbs onto each cupcake. (optional, I didn't want it to mess up my frosting)
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 18 to 25 minutes

Frosting:
2 sticks of butter, room temperature (I forgot, but def is important)
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. tub of marshmallow fluff

Cream the butter (I love my Kitchenaid*, thanks Ang!) on high until it's light and fluffy. Add the confectioner's sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until fluffy each time. Beat in the vanilla until incorporated. Then dump in the fluff and mix it up until its all creamy. Transfer to pastry bag and pipe onto cupcake! (You can also use a ziploc), but the boyf got me piping bags and tips for Christmas, so I finally used them!! Top with more graham cracker crumbs and a piece of Hershey's chocolate.

*I was a little worried since I used the butter straight out of the fridge that it wouldn't ever get creamy enough to pipe. I had just about given up, and was going to ice them regularly. But the next second, it was like magic, the mixer completely changed the icing into this creamy, light, fluffy icing!!! I'm in love.

While I made the s'mores, Faith made super cute cakes with her heart-shaped pans! She was a great Valentine!

I packed up the cupcakes in their little home (my awesome carrier I got for Christmas from the best mom ever), and took them to work! They were a huge hit and hopefully they will stay fresh until the boyf gets home tonight! 

be mine

So the boyf just left for Colorado (more on that to come), so we won't be spending Valentine's Day together. But that's ok. I don't need anything fancy/special. I feel so lucky everyday just to be with him.

total eclipse of the heart

cupid missed- 4th annual

So the past 3 years, my best girlfriends and I have gone on a Cupid Missed bar crawl for Valentine's Day. We made T-shirts with different designs every year. The first year (before I joined in on the fun, and apparently before digital cameras) was a cupid crossed out, the second year was candy hearts that said "Be Mine, I'm Yours... NOT", and last year just a plain cute design that said Cupid Missed. We had a bar crawl today but it had a different theme for a friend's birthday. And surprisingly, a lot of us have boyf's this year. But we'll always remember our awesome tradition. 

xoxo

l o v e

lovey dovey

Pretty in pink

wear your heart on your sweets

groundhog day

I feel like Tuesdays are hands down the hardest days to get out of bed. This would be a great start to the morning. Oh, and today Punxatawny Phil saw his shadow. 6 more weeks of winter...

And apparently we are in for more snow tonight! 

February

is here people. The month of love. If you haven't brightened up your desktop yet, what are you waiting for?

heart day

With Valentines Day about a month away, I'm going to be ahead of the game and post my collage from last year! Actually, if I was really ahead of the game, I would make a new one this year. But we'll see if that happens. In the meantime, enjoy!!

[click to enlarge, then set as desktop background!]