October {2012} in a glimpse...

Wow, it feels as though October was such a long month!!  For me and my family anyway.  So many hospital visits for us this month for different family members, including our very own son Jubs.  It surely has been a month full of trials for us and a test of faith, but I'm glad we're staying positive through each experience.  Praise Jesus for giving us all the strength we needed {and still need} to get us through such a challenging month {and another challenging month ahead}.  We know that there are plenty more stormy days ahead but our daily focus is on the 'present' - let God sort out our tomorrow.

Of course, we also had a lot of fun and happy times this month with our cakes and cupcakes!!  The main event for the month was Pinkalicious October, and I am very proud to say that together with your help we've managed to raise $269.67 {which I will round up to $270} for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation!!  Thank you sooo sooo much for all your support!!  You're all legends!!

Now, let's take a quick look at what we got up to this October shall we?  Enjoy x

Princeton's 1st birthday cake

Lauriana's 5th Wonder Woman themed birthday cake & cupcake

JJ's 2nd birthday cupcakes

Pinkalicous October

20th Wedding Anniversary

Our spontaneous family trip and all the rest of it...

My brother's marathon fundraiser to fight against heart disease

My hubby and other family members running at the Adidas Auckland Marathon 2012

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!

xo,
Jackie

P.S. I will be announcing the Pinkalicious October winners on facebook today, and will update it on the events tab here, so if you bought cupcakes this month, be sure to see if you're our winner!!!

Run baby run baby run baby run baby run...

That's me singing to the tune of Sheryl Crow!  No, I'm not exactly that old, but growing up I listened to a variety of music and she was one of them.

Today I'd like to acknowledge my man for doing an awesome job at last weekend's Adidas Auckland Marathon.  Even though his knees gave way during his run {from an old injury}, he pressed on with an incredible amount of pain to cross the finish line, not so much for himself, but for his Dad who at the same time was undergoing an open heart surgery.  Babe, what you did took a lot of courage, and I admire and commend you for that!  You and Dad made it to the finish line and I am so grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ for both your accomplishments that day!!  Though very tough, you both didn't give up and made it to the end!!

My brother Eric and brother-in-law Stanley also ran the full marathon and did so well.  And representing the gals in the family, my sissy-in-law Kat ran the quarter!!  While my niece Chanel and the Summerland Primary cheerleading team won 1st place at the International World Cheerleading Competition that same day.  All deserve this special acknowledgement for a job well done!!  You're all amazing and inspiring!!

Here are some pics we snapped up on the day!  Enjoy xo

Such an awesome day for me and my family!!  Love yaz all!!

Have a great day!!

xo,
Jackie

Heart-to-heart!

Totally non-cake/DIY-related, but worthy of sharing!!  My brother Eric is running at this weekend's Adidas Auckland Marathon to help raise funds for the Heart Foundation, and he needs your support!!  Both our parents have had open heart surgeries {one double and one triple bypass} and we know how scary this is.  Thankfully, by the grace of God, both our parents had successful surgeries and are now living very well.  It was a tough time for all of us though, and of course, even tougher for our parents.  The healing process took time, and yes, it was a struggle both physically and emotionally, but with the love and support they each received from all their family and friends, as well as the healing grace of God, it was a journey worth going through.  They are a living testament to the wonderful works of God, and the amazing work the Heart Foundation has done here in NZ.

The following link will take you to my brother's fundraising page, and there you can make a donation of any amount and that amount will go to the Heart Foundation so they can continue their vital work in research, cardiac rehabilitation, education programmes and resources.  Click here to show your support: http://www.heartracer.org.nz/JohnEricBook/.

{Source}

Thank you all for your love and support!!  May you all be blessed abundantly!!

xo,

Jackie

Last week...

...was like a lolly scramble.  You know the one that you have at kids birthday parties where you get some good ones and some yucky ones?  Well, last week we had some good days, but we also had some yucky ones.

Starting with the yucky days - It was tough having my big boy spend the first half of the second week of his school holidays in hospital.  Not really on anyone's to-do list in the holidays, huh?!  But we are grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ that he was well looked after and completely healed!  It was the best feeling having him home and back to his happy healthy funny self again.  His little brothers surely missed him!!  

Then moving onto the good days - We finally bought a rug for our living room!  It's been on our list-of-things to buy for a while, but me being me, I had to wait for a good deal.  And this baby was!!  I managed to score it for half price!  I'm not gonna get into the details, but I scored it for less than it was advertised for.    It's on the 'wild' side, but we all love it!  Especially my boys! 

Now moving onto even better days - I baked lots and lots of Pinkalicious cupcakes for Pinkalicious October to raise as much funds as I can for the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation.  It was a great success that I've had to extend this event til the end of the month!!  So much love and support in my community which is amazing to see!  My boys didn't mind  showing their support by eating the left overs! LOL 

Now we arrive at Sunday and it's the best day of our week - My family and I decided to go for a long drive.  We didn't have a plan.  We just drove and drove until we reached Whangarei and thought "wow, we're pretty far from home eh?" lol.  It was a great day just chillaxing with the four most important men in my life!  Although we didn't make it back in time for our indoor netball semi-finals {a little miscommunication between the husband & wife here, haha}, it was a wonderful day!

Here are some highlights, courtesy of Instagram.  Enjoy xo 

 Have a safe and happy long weekend guys!!  See you back here on Tuesday for more cakin' and creatin'!!

xo,

Jackie

Two decades of love...

This week my Aunty Faye and Uncle Ruben celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary!!  How awesome is that?  Twenty!!  That's double the time my hubby and I have been married!!  As a gift, I decided to make them their favourite - a classic red velvet cake.  If I had to choose a cake that represented true love, this baby is IT!!  :-)

ENJOY!!

Here my hubby and I set up their cake and a few photos from over the years to highlight their love story...oh and the faux rose petals to add a bit of romance in the mix...lol.

And here are the love birds xo

Here's a close up of this lovely cake...xoxox

My cousins made them an awesomely cool anniversary card!!  There's this one part I absolutely love and had to share!!  You'll laugh if you know it :-)

 Well, hope you are having an awesome day!!  And that you are celebrating your love with your other half every single day, because life's too short not to.

Have a lovely Thursday!!

xo,

Jackie

Pinkalicious October!!

First and foremost, I would like to thank each and every one of you for supporting the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation by purchasing Pinkalicious cupcakes from me this past weekend!!  Your love and generosity is very much appreciated!!  As you know, for each box of cupcakes you purchased, one-third of that will be going straight to the foundation.  From just that one weekend, we managed to raise $200!!  That is awesome guys!!  You guys rock!!

Now, due to popular demand, Pinkalicious October has now been extended til the end of October!  But wait, there's more!! {LOL}  All supporters {so those who buy Pinkalicious cupcakes} go in the draw to win one half-dozen box of yummy cupcakes - and there will be TWO WINNERS announced at the end of the month!  How cool is that?  Now, all you have to do is decide what flavour{s} you want to delight yourselves in, then tell me so I can make it happen!!  Your box{es} of Pinkalicious cupcakes will be helping the lives of many NZ women out there, including those dear to you.

For all details, visit the event on facebook, or click here to take you there!!

This past weekend flew by in an instagram!!  Here are some highlights...enjoy xo

And here are the top 3 flavours ordered for Pinkalicious October {so far}...

Hope you enjoyed today's cupcake feature!!  Remember, you now have until the end of October to place an order for Pinkalicious cupcakes that will help the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation!!  Go on, make an order and make a difference!

xo,

Jackie

Become Breast Aware!!

As you all know, this month is all about us gals/ladies/women and becoming more aware about breast cancer.  Pinkalicious October is an event I started in order to help raise funds for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation and to create an awareness in our community.  I would like to encourage you to show your support by purchasing Pinkalicious cupcakes from me!  One third of all money collected will go to the NZBCF so that they can continue to help our beloved Mothers, sisters, aunties, grandmothers, bestfriend, colleagues...and everyone else!!

Today is the last day to place an order, so please contact me A.S.A.P. so you don't miss out!  Simply click here and it will take you straight to the events page on facebook.

Thank you for your love and support!!  Together we can make a difference, one pinkalicious cupcake at a time!

xo,
Jackie

Happy 2nd birthday JJ!!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of making some fun cupcakes for my friends' son, JJ.  He turned TWO!!  I can't believe it!!  I can still remember his first birthday, when I made him a MONKEY cake :-)  One year doesn't even seem that long ago.  JJ is such a big boy now, with gorgeous blonde curls.  I can see a heart-throb in the making, hehe.

His Mum Lisa requested for some cupcakes for this year's celebration with their close family.  So, I whipped up 25 chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting, topped with lotsa fun sprinkles!!  Enjoy!!

Hope you enjoyed today's cupcake feature!!  Have a wonderful Wednesday!!  And remember today is the last day you can place an order for PINKALICIOUS OCTOBER!!  So, get in quick!!  Click here to make an order and support Breast Cancer Awareness Month!!

xo,
Jackie

Happy 5th Birthday Lauriana!!

I am sooo excited to share today's cake feature with you!!  I made this cake in the weekend for a special girl named Lauriana {a.k.a. Lolly}!  She is such a sweetie pie and I can't believe she turned FIVE!!  I can still remember the fairy cake I made for her last year...and now, she's a WONDER WOMAN!! :-D

Like I hinted on facebook in the weekend, I made a superhero girl cake!  I was beyond excited when I found out that this was what the Princess Lolly chose for her cake this year, because I have only ever made superhero boy cakes!!  I put a lot of thought into this cake {well, just like all my cakes, but this one even more}, starting by googling images of wonder woman herself.  I actually didn't google any cakes, as I wanted to create my own design.  After doodling on a piece of paper, I finally found a design I liked and was looking forward to creating.  I wanted to incorporate as much WONDER WOMAN as I possibly could, including all the important elements {head piece, WWsymbol on her top, shorts, etc}.  So without further ado, here it is...enjoy!!

The following photos were taken using my Samsung SII phone {my Canon is a little under the weather at the mo and wasn't able to produce good quality photos :-(}...

Front

Back

Lauriana's very own WW cupcake xo

And here's a progress shot of the cake!!

Hope you enjoyed today's cake feature!!  Have an awesome day!!

xo,
Jackie

P.S.  Don't forget to place your orders for this week's PINKALICIOUS OCTOBER fundraiser for the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation!!  Buy half a dozen or one dozen and one-third will go towards the NZBCF!!  Come on guys, let's help the women we love by buying these yummy cupcakes!!  For more info, click on the events tab on the home page or visit the event on facebook.  xo

Princeton turns ONE!!

Last weekend I had such a fun time making a cake fit for a Prince!  Pauline contacted me a few weeks back wanting a cake for her godson.  She wanted his name with a gold crown.  She was pretty specific about what she wanted: such as what font to use, what colour the font should be, not to use black, and how she wanted the crown to be placed on the cake.  However, I love the fact that she left me with some design control, too: such as what colour the rest of the cake should be and what design to do around the cake.

When I think of a Prince {or any royal member} I think of quilting for some reason.  I really wanted to try this technique for the first time, and this was the perfect cake to do it on.  I couldn't wait to get started!!

So, here it is!!  PRiNCETON's first birthday cake!!  Enjoy!!

I hope you enjoyed today's cake feature!!  Can't wait to share with you the cake I'll be making for this weekend!!  Here's a hint: she's a super hero!!

Have an awesome day!!

xo,
Jackie


Here's part of a message I got from Pauline after the party:
"...thank you so much, the cake was beautiful. It looked beautiful and tasted beautiful!"

I'm glad you liked it!!  Thank you for choosing me {again} to be part of such a special occasion!!  xo

September 2012 in a glimpse...

I know, it's a late post...but here it is anyway...

Wow!!  It's only October & it feels like Christmas is just around the corner with all the Christmas trees and decorations on sale everywhere!!  It's getting me super exciteddd!!  Hehehe.  But, I do like how I have time to prepare because Christmas is my family's favourite time of year!!  It's a time where we all gather to laugh and chat, eat yummy food, dress up, decorate, play games, exchange hugs and gifts, and all that good stuff!!  And of course, celebrate the birth of Jesus!!  But, let's not get too carried away just yet...after all, it is only October.  For the mean time, let's take a glimpse at September and what fun we got up to!!

Father's Day 2012

Jordyn's 21st birthday

Seth Isaac's 1st birthday

DIY Mime shirt

Max's 30th birthday {gluten free}

JR's birthday cupcakes

Sophia's baptism cake and cupcakes

And something for this Breast Cancer Awareness Month...

Pinkalicious October

Thanks for hanging out with me during September!!  Hope you had as much fun as I did!!  I can feel October's just gonna be as good, if not better!!  Stay tuned!!

xo,

Jackie