If it weren’t for Betty Crocker, my family would starve, so I was pretty excited to discover The Big Book of Cupcakes! This soon-to-be-classic cookbook offers 175 cupcakes, most of which are simple reciples using common ingredients. Many of the recipes can be done using cake mixes and store-bought frosting, and of course, they can all be made from scratch for all you ambitious bakers out there! There’s also a chapter dedicated to kids’ parties. Here’s a sample tease for you, the Chocolate Moose Cupcake:

I am a huge fan of grasshopper iced coffee, so I’m pretty sure I’d also love these mint-chocolate flavored treats.  Especially with Andes mints crumbled on top.  Yum!

I just spotted these adorable cupcake pj’s in the little girl’s section of our local Walmart!

Do you have a little princess in your life that loves to dress like a girly girl? 

Are bows, flowers, sequins and jewels a part of your day to day life? 

Well, then this week’s giveaway is for you!  Posh Little Tutus makes the cutest tutus and girly accessories I have ever seen.  My little cupcake has this tutu (with a matching bow!) and it is the envy of all her playdates!  It is so well made and the colors are amazing. 

Posh Little Tutus also sells unique headbands, shoes, clips and dresses.  Your little one will be posh from head to toe! Check out a few adorable cupcake items for their shop. 

This week Posh Little Tutus are giving away a $25 gift certificate to their shop.  To enter this giveaway, visit their site then come back to ATC and tell us your favorite Posh item.  One winner will be chosen on Monday September 5.  Thanks Posh Little Tutus!

Follow them on Facebook too!

It happens every year, most people have just barely finished their back to school shopping and stores already have their Halloween merchandise out.  That is how I found out about these $10.00 Halloween decorative cupcakes that my mom spotted at her local TJMaxx/Homegoods and shared with me via text .  While it seems early to be buying Halloween decorations (it’s not even fall yet), I will admit that I am ready for some pumpkin cupcakes!

Did you know that August is National Peach Month?  Go celebrate by picking yourself some fresh peaches and trying out a new cupcake recipe.  (You better hurry, though, because you’re almost out of time!)  This recipe was patterned after the peach cobbler cupcake at Chattanooga Cupcakes in Tennessee.  The batter and frosting contain hints of cinnamon, and of course, peaches.

I went to a gorgeous wedding the other day and was treated to gorgeous homemade cupcakes. Check them out!

I love my little coin purse that I have, it has saved me many times when I was just a bit short at the coffee shop for cash. But if I had had this cupcake coin purse, the baristas would have thought it was so cool that they would have given me my coffee and bagel for free!

Cupcake Yummy Pocket from Perpetual Kid

Who out  there is getting ready for Irene?! I know I am — got my flash light, got my candles & plenty of reading material! Well the folks at Carolina Cupcakery were getting ready a little bit differently.

They came up with the Hurricane Cupcake Kit about 3 years ago and they decided to bring it back for a Irene’s arrival.

Who else is preparing for Irene?!

I recently sent a friend a package and included these cupcake shaped paper clips.  I bought the pack of 30 paper clips, which includes 15 of each shade of pink, from paper source for $5.95

Cupcakes plus cookies are the perfect pair in this cupcake recipe for cookie cupcakes with raspberry fluff frosting.  Ez Pudewa from Creature Comforts adapted from the September issue of Everyday Food Magazine so that they were gluten free.  I have yet to try baking cookies into cupcakes but since I love both cupcakes and cookies I will be adding these to my to-bake list!  The gluten-free version of this recipe can be found in the Creature Comfort’s blog post while the original version is on the Martha Stewart website.

These cupcakes look beautiful, simple, and eye-catching!  Any batter and frosting will work, and you can decorate with a variety of candies.  Some suggestions: smarties, jelly beans, peanut m&ms, plain m&ms, skittles, and fondant-filled ropes.

Did you know today, Thursday August 25th, is National Banana Split Day?  Join in the celebration and make one of these Banana Split Cupcake recipes from Tastespotting!

Just in case any of you awesome teachers (thank you) out there are looking for a few cupcakes to relieve some of that classroom stress, here are some cupcake bulletin board borders for you! I found them at Dollar Tree!

Over the past 1o months I have lost just about 25 pounds with the help of Weight Watchers and the help of this amazing recipe site — Skinny Taste. If knew me in person you would know how much of a sweet tooth I have and how much I love to bake. Which, while ‘dieting’ is hard to deal with. But with the help of the aforementioned  website I have been able to get through the rough times where my sweet tooth would not back off.

Gina has great ‘skinny’ recipes for just about anything under the sun. Including, yep you guessed it, CUPCAKES. Gina is a lifesaver!

One of the many amazing recipes I made was Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes. Even though they are ‘skinny’ they hit the spot. Gina + Sweet Tooth = Sweet Weight Lost!

This year kids can really go back to school in cupcake style!  On a recent trip to the mall I noticed Gap Kids has tons of cupcake items.  There website only offers this grey longs sleeved cupcake graphic T for $26.99.  The stores have a few more cupcake itmes like a short sleeved Tshirt that reads “let them eat cupcakes.”

Attention all men: Looking for a sweet way to pop the big question?  If your girlfriend has a sweet tooth, then here’s an idea that you might like, and one that could easily be done at home with some practice (since you want your cupcake to impress).

Dreamcakes in Homewood, Alabama has recently come out with the proposal cupcake.  Customers can choose from any of the bakery’s 100 flavors, and the employees will write the big question on top of the cake, along with two faux rings (unless, of course, you’d like to put the real ring on top).

If you’re planning a party anytime soon, be sure to swing by Dollar Tree for some inexpensive cupcake party possibilities! Everything’s a dollar!

While reading one of my favorite blogs, Paper Crave, I noticed a post about a recipe book complied by over 50 bloggers.  All proceeds from the cook book, titled Recipes to Help, go to The American Red Cross.  Cupcake recipes included in the book are a recipe for chocolate cupcakes with nutella, almond butter, and vanilla cream cheese frosting by Good Life (eats) and derby cupcakes from The Polka Dot Chair.  The book is available in print or as a e-book, each are $10.00.

This is such a cute idea, and Wilton.com gives you the instructions you need to make it doable. So gear up for one more round of summertime cupcakes!

Before you take a bite of these cheeseburger cupcakes, you should know that they are sweet and not salty (wouldn’t want your taste buds to get too much of a shock).  Check out the ingredients:

• Coconut shavings and green food coloring (lettuce)
• Yellow cake mix (buns)
• Chocolate cake mix (meat)
• Yellow frosting (cheese slice)
• Red frosting (ketchup)
• Sesame seeds (sesame seeds)

It’s hard to believe that fall, and Labor Day, are almost here again, but you can soften the blow with a cupcake. Georgetown Cupcake will be offering the Labor Day cupcake in several flavors, including red velvet. (Need I say more?) It might be the best investment you’ll make this year!

These plates and bowls come in beautiful pastel colors, and the bowls are shaped like cupcake liners.  I think these would be fabulous for a nice brunch or a wedding shower, and it sure beats getting out your fancy china, because these are dishwasher safe, which will save you a bunch of time for clean-up.

I’m impressed by these  creative and upcycled DIY Party Animal Candles.  Jenny from Hank + Hunt posted the full instructions The Sweetest Occasion.   She used gold spray paint to give the candle holders a uniformed appearance.  I think they make perfect cupcake toppers for a child’s birthday party, maybe one that’s circus themed?

Are you busy back to school shopping for the little cupcake lover in your life?  Have you been looking for a cupcake backpack to send your child back to school in cupcake style?  Stephen Joseph has tons of fun cupcake products including two different cupcake backpacks.  Both bags cost $26.99 but one is quilted while the other, named the go-go bag, is vinyl with appliqued designs.  Be sure to check out the other cupcake items on the website including lunch boxes, stainless steel water bottles, there’s even a nap mat.