Cute Overload, Like Whoa

No words, just preciousness.

Now, go back to your life feeling inadequate.

The $66 Million Dollar Cupcake

Here at CupcakesOMG!, I've never been one to suggest that cupcakes are a "fad". In fact, I tackled this very topic last year. But after watching this particular video about cupcake-juggernaut Crumbs' plans to go public, I can't help but admit I'm a little worried about them.

I KNOW the media's job is to make mountains out of...crumbs (I was a journalism major, after all), but this reporter really started to drive the point home when he brought up the doom and gloom subject of Krispy Kreme.

Long before cupcakes were my pastry-of-choice, I was pretty into doughnuts. I was thrilled when Krispy Kreme opened up shop in my neighborhood in junior high. It was one of the few things my pre-teen-self didn't mind doing and risk being see with my Dad! Fast forward a few years, and Krispy Kreme's all over the country were suffering the same fate: bankruptcy. It's such an ugly word to describe such a beautiful thing, but just as Crumbs' owner suggests, the franchises were their downfall.

Luckily, it appears as though the owners of Crumbs have really evaluated the failures of their baked good counterparts, so I'm really hoping they do well. And NOT just because I'm sick of Georgetown Cupcake getting all the attention. Besides, I need to start investing, and frankly, I can't think of a more appropriate stock for myself!! Well, unless "pretty" is a stock I can purchase...

Elfin Shoes: Stylish and Charitable

In my head, I'm a towering 5'10", like Cindy Crawford. I'm also as thin, rich, and beautiful as her. Oh wait, that's in life, too.

Truth is, I'm a shrimpy 5'4", so I tend to prefer my footwear be tall enough to compensate for my genetics. Even on the weekends, I'll throw on my Jeffrey Campbell Tick wedges, cus ya know, they're my comfortable heels. But on a walk around DC last weekend with Kyle, wearing my Ralph Lauren brown riding boots, I realized I didn't have a closed-toe flat shoe that I felt accurately represented my style. You have my full permission to smack me straight across the face if you ever see me wearing a sneaker and not coming from or going to a gym. FULL.PERMISSION.

With sneakers out of the running (ha HA, pun intended), I realized this would be a hard shoe to fill ("how DOES she do it?"). Like some message from the heavens though, I stumbled upon Neiman Marcus' TOMS shoe collection. 

Pause for an editorial interlude: TOMS shoes are the UGG of slip on flats. They're not all that attractive, but they're comfortable, trendy with young, pretty girls everywhere, and spell their name in all caps. What's also cool about TOMS is that for every pair you buy, they give a pair to a child in need, and with most pairs under $50, they're affordable too. That said, you know I would never be satisfied with a plain canvas shoe.

Fast forward to my online shopping escapade and I'm now the proud owner of these bad boys:

Okay, sure, they're a little elfin looking, but just look at that sparkle??!! I'm like a bird: I get distracted by shiny things, and in this case, I'm distracted enough from the Genie in a Bottle feel that these will make for a perfectly suitable pair of comfortable AND stylish walking shoes.

And to think, some child in need will get a pair of shoes because I bought mine. That makes my soul sparkle.

Fascinating Fascinators

While I'm not generally interested in anything Royal, Kate Middleton is really doing her damnedest to BRING IT. It's getting hard to ignore, especially when she starts rocking one of fashion's long-forgotten accessories, the fascinator.

Oh sure, Damon Wayons tried to bring it back in the early '90s, but for some reason his portrayal of a gay film critic for In Living Color's "Men on Film" just didn't do the trick:

{This is a Thanksgiving fascinator, obvi}

But now that the fascinator has finally gotten a little validity from Kate and even fashion daredevil SJP, they're popping up in all shapes, sizes and prices! Most of the really good, unique ones are still in the UK, but no doubt we'll see a lot of knock-offs showing up in the likes of Forever21 over the next few months. And that's how you'll know to stop wearing them.

These are the ones that have caught my eye:

{It'd be fair to say I have a thing for feathers}

1. Mayfair Sapphire Fascinator, £85

2. Mae Feather Fascinator, £75

3. Philip Treacy Warhol mouths Fascinator

4. Lucie Fascinator, £99.00

5. Etsy, Ring Leader Top Hat, $249

ShoesOMG!

In an effort to prove to you that indeed, this blog will start encompassing non-cupcake things, let's talk about footwear, shall we? This is a tricky time of year because you want your feet to stay warm, but you also want to look good (at least, you should want to). I've compiled a few shoes I'm currently obsessed with. Whether they'll keep you warm isn't my problem, but they are great for the transition from winter to spring.

If shoes could be snorted, I'd probably have leather bits on my nostrils right this moment. Here's why:

1. Iris Van Herpen X United Nude, $1,295.95: Only 100 of these made, the crab claw shape means noone else will have them, but at the price of a month's rent, you could be the woman who literally lived in a shoe.

2. Sam Edelman Nivan T-Strap Platform, $98: I'm a HUGE fan of Sam Edelman becuase not only are his shoes adorable and unique, but they're actually really comfortable. "A 5-inch heel, comfortable? Shenanningans!" you say, but it's true! And with just a teeny peep toe and a metallic pewter shade, these are a great shoe to transition from winter to spring.

3. J.Crew Paulina ankle-tie Ballet flats, $188: I rarely wear flats, it's true, but after seeing Black Swan, I'm determined to turn my spring wardrobe into a prima ballerina's dream come true. These will help me do so.

4. The Haus of Price Multi-Gem Shoe, $250: Does this or does this not just make you smile? 'Nuff said.

5. Jeffrey Campbell Lita Multi-Glitter, $159.95: I'm pretty sure his initials are JC for a reason--he IS a God. Again, I bet this shoe is comfortable because of the high platform. A higher platform displaces the height of the heel. It's practically like walking on a cloud when you think of it that way. A cloud made of glitter.

O. is Me, Too!

I love cupcakes. Really, I do. But lately, I've been cultivating other interests. 

The face of someone who really loves cupcakes

"WHAT? She has OTHER interests?? How DARE she?", you say? Look, I'm as outraged as you! It was pretty easy being exclusively obsessed with cupcakes for the last few years. And of course, "things I'm interested in" are almost entirely dictated by how much effort I have to put into them, but I just can't help it. There's so much more I want to share with you, like pictures of me wearing cute clothes, pictures of me teaching you how to do make-up, pictures of me making non-cupcake things, and much, much more (pictures of me)!

What I'm trying to say is, CupcakesOMG! is growing up. While I'll still keep you updated on all things cupcake, I'll also share the other things in life that make me say "OMG!" But I know I couldn't possibly refocus my blog without a redesign to further iterate the point.

Cue Meg Owen of O. is Me. Meg was a friend of mine in junior high. To say we were both highly active in our drama department would be an understatement. Thanks to modern-day stalking devices, Meg and I have reconnected. She started her blog about a year ago as a way to document her wedding for folks who couldn't make it. But like so many blogs (ahem), the theme evolved into her musings about everything from teaching drama at her old high school to her cat, Dexter.  

Image via O. is Me

Sometimes, she even writes about cupcakes!

Meg's blog is realllllllllllll cute, so I reached out to her to inquire about the design, and wouldn't ya know it? SHE did the design herself. Seeing as she would have two weeks off for the holidays (perks of being a teacher), she said she would happily redesign my blog!

There's something y'all should know about me: if you offer me something, be it a bite of your sandwich, an invite to your party, a blog redesign, I WILL take you up on it. And I won't feel bad about it either. Luckily, Meg was more than happy to do it--or so she said. The whole process was pretty quick and done mostly over e-mail. Meg came up with a basis for the header and I suggested gold sequins (obvi). I realize this probably isn't an ongoing hobby of Meg's, but the truth is, she did a fantastic job and was really quick!! If I were her, I'd start a side business doing this. I would also charge an exorbitant amount to do it, but hey, that's me. 

So there you have it: CupcakesOMG! is growing up, and thanks to the help of an old friend, I get to be as superficial as ever. Thanks, Meg!

In Case You Needed It, More Proof Cupcakes Aren't Going Anywhere

Magnolia Bakery is famous.

Sure, they sell pies, fruit crisps, cookies, lemon bars, and banana pudding, but it's their cupcakes that put them on the map. Actually, it's Sex and the City that put them on map.





They've long been the front runner in all things cupcake, but ever since the likes of Sprinkles (blech!), Crumbs (yum!), and Georgetown Cupcake (repr'sent) hit the streets, they've kinda fallen behind. Sprinkles and Crumbs have expanded stores nationwide, all three have active Facebook and Twitter communities, and they've been shipping across the country for a while now.

But could all that change next spring?? The Wall Street Journal reports that Magnolia Bakery is set to open a 10-year lease on a 5,200 square foot Harlem production facility, designed specifically for shipping out the (debatable) good stuff to folks everywhere from Washington, D.C. to Washington state.




Image via WSJ.com
Too bad they're not as delicious as they are pretty...

Honestly, I don't think this is necessary. I mean, kudos to Magnolia for finally catching on to the modern era of cupcakes, but the truth is, any city worth its salt (or sugar) probably has a cupcakery or two by now. What's more, they're probably BETTER than Magnolia, not to mention the exorbitant shipping costs required to get your cupcakes out in BFE, Arkansas.

Nevertheless, I'm glad to see this happen, as I think it holds water in the whole "cupcakes are a passing fad" debate. See?!?! It's like I tol' ya...they're not!!!!!!!

More Stuff Baked in a Cupcake

I've written about it before, but dear God it's worth another mention. Bake It In a Cake just got 'cray 'cray and featured a funfetti cake ball baked into a chocolate cupcake:

Image via Bake it in a Cake and The Cereal Baker

Racist Cupcakes Foreshadow the Rise of the KakeKakeKake

Last week, boxed-cake-mix-maker Duncan Hines was forced to pull its latest marketing gimmick from the airwaves after a public outcry labeling Duncan Hines as "racist."

Entitled "Hip Hop Cupcakes", the commercial features unfrosted (presumably preservative-laden Duncan Hines) vanilla cupcakes, seemingly coming to life as a headless actress drizzles even more preservative-laden chocolate sauce atop the cupcakes, who then sprout cartoon eyes and lips, and begin to "sing" probably the best hip-hop music I've ever heard in my life.

Let's get one thing straight: I hate racists and racism. Other things I hate: Glee hiatuses, red peppers, and buying shoes at full price only to see them go on sale the next day.

Now that I've solidified my politically correctness, let's get real here--the hip-hop that Duncan Hines speaks of sounds more like the musical ramblings of a 14-year-old who just tinkered around with Garage Band for the first time. I try not to listen to any music that doesn't sound like it'd be the color pink, but I'm still pretty sure hip-hop is owned by the likes of Jay-Z and CB4. I mean, honestly, this "rap" isn't even half as edgy as the kind of songs performed on "The Sing Off".

And yet somehow, people are PISSED!!! It's reminiscent to a large population of people with way too much time on their hands and not enough real problems to worry about of the actual racist practice of black face. Add in the idea of 'hip-hop' and clearly you have a whole new clan of racism forming--the KakeKakeKake.

Look, the real problem here is two-fold: Duncan Hines is horseshit and their ad team is clearly a group of third-graders who have a thing for Chipmunk voices and cartoons. I guess when you think of it like that, it's actually quite a sophisticated ad campaign.