Get Ready for a Fall Linky Party!

There are SO many things I love about fall. The leaves are changing colors and falling to the ground, pumpkins are starting to speckle my neighborhood, the Halloween candy is on the shelves and in my pantry...And right now I'm super excited to announce that a few of my blog friends and I are going to be hosting a 

"Happy Fall, Y'all" Linky Party on October 1st! 

Link up with your favorite fall foods, decorations, crafts, or anything that you want to share! When you link up with Cupcake Diaries your link will automatically be shared with these blogs. If you're looking for a way to share your great ideas as well as get a few more, please join us!!

Other hosts include:

Elizabeth from Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box

Meg from Henning Love

Whitney from Harvest Home

We're excited to see what everyone comes up with! Please join us on Monday!

In the meantime, here's a treat I posted last year. Perfect for the Linky Party!

Witch Hat Cookies

Trick-or-Chex Treat

I love sweets. There's no beating around the bush with that one. And now that the holidays are nearing, all I want to do is make treats. But to be sure that I don't over do it on the treat making I have to make sure I have a reason to make them. Apparently "because I feel like it" isn't a good enough reason if I'm going to be making goodies every other day (or so my husband says). This last weekend I was able to spend the weekend with my siblings, parents, and my little nephews. It was so wonderful and we had a blast! (Minus the part where Mom had to go to the ER, but that's an entirely different story!)

The week before we were all given food assignments for different meals. I talked to my twin sister, mom, and sister-in-law from Idaho on speaker phone and we planned what we were going to eat. I love talking about food. Mom said for everyone to bring their assignments AS WELL AS TREATS AND SNACKS TO SHARE. Yes!!!! I was so excited to have a reason to bake and make all kinds of things. I offered to provide the dessert for Friday night (which was delicious Carmelitas) and then my mind went racing on about what I should make for the rest of the weekend. I thought about this delicious Chex cereal treat I love to eat at Christmas time and thought it would be so fun to come up with something similar for Halloween. On Friday morning I woke up and started having some serious fun in the kitchen coming up with this Trick-or-Chex Treat! And I wasn't at all surprised when it ended up being one of the favorite treats that weekend. This is such a fun treat to have during Halloween! I love the fun colors. And it tastes AWESOME! You can't go wrong with M&M's and candy corn!

Trick-or-Chex Treat

• 1/2 c. karo syrup
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 stick of butter 
• 1/2 box Corn Chex cereal
• 1/4 box Golden Grahams cereal
• 1/2 c. shredded coconut
• 1 c. plain or peanut M&M's, Fall or Halloween colors
• 1 c. candy corn

 Combine the karo syrup, sugar, and butter in a sauce pan. 

Bring it to a boil and let it boil for 2 minutes. 

 Combine both cereals in a large bowl. 

After allowing the sugar combination to boil for 2 minutes, pour it over the cereal and stir together.

Then pour the coconut, M&M's and candy corn into the bowl and stir them in. Let's be honest, I threw in another half cup of M&M's. You can add more of these goodies if you'd like, but keep in mind you don't want to add too much extra or they won't stick to the syrupy, cerealy goodness.

 Spread the treat over a greased cookie sheet to dry. This is also the part where it gets picked at like crazy because it's so finger-lickin' good!

Once it isn't sticky anymore, put the treat in a bowl to serve. If you don't plan on eating it right away, keep it covered with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out.
(And good luck not eating it right away!)


Linking up at:

eighteen25

American Tacos

Growing up my mom was a pro at making kid-friendly dinners. She had quite the list of ideas for dinners that made everybody happy. One of my favorite meals growing up was American Tacos. I loved the idea of building my own dinner all by myself, plus the added bonus of it tasting amazing. I make these for my little family and they're a big hit. Thanks, Mom!

I spent the weekend with my family in Idaho at my grandparents' cabin and we had these for dinner the first night. I loved eating this with my family, just like when we were kids! Awesome weekend.


American Tacos
(This is a list of the ingredients used for American Tacos. Depending on how many you're feeding will determine how much of each you need. For my husband and toddler, we buy one of each item. And don't feel limited to just these ingredients! You can add all kinds of toppings to these tacos.)

• Fritos corn chips (My mom likes hers with Nacho Cheese Doritos, too.)
• canned or homemade chili, prepared and hot
• cheddar cheese, grated
• salsa
• fresh tomato, diced
• lettuce, shredded
• ketchup

Place a pile of Fritos right in the middle of a plate. Then pour chili right over top of the chips. Top with a little grated cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, and salsa. Some of my family also likes to squirt some ketchup on top. And that's it! So yummy and so easy.

And don't forget to enter the Simply Wrappers giveaway!! Who wouldn't want free and super cute cupcake wrappers for all the holidays coming up? 

Simply Wrappers GIVEAWAY!

One of my favorite hobbies is baking cupcakes. I love it when there's a party and I've been asked to bring a dessert because I get the chance to make a really fun cupcake. In February I discovered my love for cupcake wrappers when I made cupcakes for my twin sister's baby shower.

Cupcake wrappers (not to be confused with cupcake liners) are so fun and a great and easy way to liven up a cupcake. Sometimes I get into a funk and have no idea how I want to decorate the cupcakes I'm making (as was the case when I planned to make cupcakes for my twin's baby shower). Thank goodness for cupcake wrappers! I picked out a super cute wrapper design and ordered them, baked the cupcakes, frosted them, then wrapped the wrappers around them for a stylish look and easy finish. And I've never gotten so many compliments on a cupcake than I did those baby shower cupcakes!

The girls from Simply Wrappers are giving away a dozen cupcake wrappers to one lucky Cupcake Diaries reader! I am in love with this site and all the amazing cupcake wrapper options.

Halloween is coming up and I'm especially excited about their Halloween line. Here are a few of my favorite wrappers for Halloween: 

This orange wrapper with white polka dots is the perfect wrapper for a fall cupcake. This image shows how the wrappers work. Bake your cupcakes in liners, frost them, then hook up the wrapper and drop the cupcakes down in each one, or wrap the wrapper around the cupcake. I love it!!

I also love these textured purple wrappers for a Halloween party. Purple is such a fun pop of color for Halloween! I'm so happy it is such a popular Halloween color.

 And this "Trick-or-Treat" wrapper is just way too perfect for a Halloween party. I love the mystical design of the spider webs. I've just decided right here and now that I need  these for my own Halloween party!

Want to see more Halloween wrappers? Click here!

Just because Halloween is coming up doesn't mean you have to use your prize to choose Halloween wrappers. You have your choice of ANY wrapper design at Simply Wrappers! Isn't that great? Whether you're throwing a bridal shower, looking for something glittery for a birthday party, or looking for the perfect Christmas cupcake wrapper, Simply Wrappers has it all! 

Click here to head over to the Simply Wrappers site to start searching for your perfect cupcake wrapper.

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win a dozen cupcake wrappers from Simply Wrappers! 

Not familiar with Rafflecopter? Don't worry, it's super easy and pretty much the best way to enter giveaways these days. Click "Enter to Win" on the widget and all of the ways you can enter will pop up. Click on each one and follow the instructions for extra entries! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rolo Cookies

A few years ago I was at a party at my aunt and uncle's house. I don't remember what we were celebrating, but it had to be something important because they had both sides of their family there. I want to say it was a missionary farewell party for one of their sons...? Anyway, soon after lunch it was time to go scope out the dessert table and choose a treat or two. I was carefully scanning the table when I set my eyes on a beautiful chocolate cookie. I picked up a napkin and selected one of these cookies, expecting to bite into a cakey chocolate cookie. And indeed I did, except there was also a lovely little surprise inside: a Rolo candy. The smooth caramel was such a shock, I didn't expect it at all. And I was in love. I wanted to eat every last one of those cookies. I ended up getting the recipe from the person who made them, and I'm pretty sure I lost it before I even left that house because I don't remember coming home with it. Tear!

Recently we celebrated my baby's blessing day at my parents' house and had some dessert afterward. I had a few people bring a different cookie to share, including myself. I decided to make Rolo Cookies and go on the hunt for the perfect recipe. And this, my friends, is what I believe to be the perfect Rolo Cookie recipe. They taste just like the ones I remember eating a few years ago. After the blessing, I was watching people take their first bite into the cookies I made and anxiously awaited their facial expressions when they realized there was a Rolo inside. It was a lot of fun, I have to say! Their faces looked like what I'm pretty sure mine looked like a few years ago. It was wonderful. And now I want you to be able to experience that same joy when you bite into these cookies! The dough gets wrapped right around the Rolo for an ooey gooey center that tastes like heaven. You're going to love these cookies!

These cookies didn't last long and I forgot to take an "after" picture. The recipe comes from Two Peas & Their Pod, as well as the image above! 

Rolo Cookies
Two Peas & Their Pod 
makes 3 dozen cookies

• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 c. cocoa
• 1 c. butter, at room temperature
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• bag of Rolo candies, unwrapped
• sugar (for rolling the dough balls in)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat and set aside.

 In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.

With a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream butters and sugars together until smooth. Add in eggs one at a time then add the vanilla extract. Mix until blended. (Do you see that lovely beverage in the background? Vanilla Diet Pepsi on tap. It was a good day, my friends.)

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and blend well.

Take a spoonful of cookie dough and wrap it around one Rolo. Make sure the Rolo is completely covered with the dough. Roll each dough ball in sugar and place on the cookie sheet. Continue until you run out of cookie dough.

Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes, depending on your oven. Remove from the oven and let them sit on the cookie sheet for a couple minutes. Move to a cooling rack and cool completely. 

Indeed.

** FYI - When I made these I ended up adding a whole extra cup of flour. One mistake I did make was that I forgot to get my butter set out at room temperature and I ended up putting it in the microwave. I may have kept it in there for too long and it got too liquidy. But the dough was pretty sticky and not the cookie dough texture it needed to be. The cookies still tasted good after I added the flour though. I'm not sure if the butter was the issue or not, but this was what I ended up doing!

Green Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

My sweet Grandma O. turned 82 this year. This lady amazes me and I love her so much! We celebrated her birthday with a party/family reunion at my aunt Lisa's house and it was so much fun. We had family from Idaho, Utah, Virginia, and New Jersey present and it was really great catching up with one another. My cousin Jessica, twin sister Amber, and I are all besties in this family. We've been close since we were kids and it's awesome. Jessica had twins in February and those two couldn't be more different from each other. Her girl has blonde hair with blue eyes, and her boy has dark hair and dark eyes. Just like my twin sister and I! I'm the light one, she's the dark one. Amongst the three of us we have five kids. It's so fun!

my cousin Jessica and my twin Amber

Jessica and I

(Why we didn't just get a picture of the three of us together I cannot say. Because I have no idea.)

I love these girls and my dad's family! When it came down to the food, I was in charge of bringing a green salad. It was an easy decision when it came to figuring out what I was going to bring. My mother-in-law makes this Green Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing and it is my favorite green salad EVER. There is so much flavor and texture to it. I made a double batch of this salad for the party and the whole thing got eaten. Throughout the party I received multiple comments about how good this salad is. I wasn't at all surprised! This is seriously my favorite green salad, or "adult" salad, as my sister-in-law, Erika, would put it. And for some reason I thought I'd posted this recipe months ago! I can't believe that I'm just now doing it!


Green Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

• 1 bag Romaine lettuce
• 2/3 c. craisins
• 1/2 c. cashews
• 2 diced red apples
• 3/4 c. shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 can mandarin oranges, drained (optional)
• 1/2 bottle Brianna's poppy seed salad dressing (Or your favorite poppy seed dressing-this one is my favorite!)

Mix everything together in a mixing bowl. Half the bottle of dressing is the max you'll want to use before the salad gets too saturated so just eyeball that part. Add a little dressing, mix it together, and decide how coated you want it. You want it saturated but not so saturated that the salad is soggy when you serve it.

And that's all you need to do! You'll want to make this right before you serve it or it will get yucky too fast. And if you're traveling before you make it like I did, bring the ingredients and mix them together when you get there. It was almost an hour drive to my aunt's house so I brought the prepped ingredients in a cooler.

And the Artistry By McKenzie G Winner Is...

#41 Ashley Holst

Congratulations, Ashley! An e-mail has been sent to you.

Thanks again to all who entered the Blogiversary Week giveaways! There will be another giveaway coming up the last week of September so stay tuned!

Blogiversary Giveaway Week Winners!

Pillowtalkk winner:

#18 Terri French

SewTamz winner:

#72 Amber M.

Libby Lane Press winner:

#69 Kaitlin Boles

Artistry By McKenzie G winner:

#42 Linda Ward Gruber

Blowfish Shoes winner:

 #186 Amy Carter Hallows

Congratulations to the winners! You have all been contacted via e-mail.

And thank you to all of you for entering!! What a fun blogiversary week. 

Thanks for being such faithful followers of Cupcake Diaries and being so supportive. I wouldn't be here doing this without all of you. 

There are plenty more giveaways to come over the next few months! The fun is only beginning.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

It was Cookie Fest 2012 with all the cookies I had to make for different events last week! Our nephew was baptized on September 1st and his parents had a bbq afterward to celebrate his big day. It's always fun gathering with so many family members and friends, enjoying great food and even better company. His mom asked me to bring a dessert to share so I decided to try out these Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies. I brought them on a big cookie sheet and placed about a dozen on plate to bring outside onto the food table. I set the plate down, started dishing up a plate of food for my two year old and I, and by the time I got to the dessert end of the table the cookies were gone. I hurried and set my plate down with my husband then ran back inside to fill the cookie plate back up. By the time I got back to the table and set the cookies down, the crowd began to form. Kids and adults alike were reaching for the plate, stacking cookies on top of cookies and thanking me for bringing these delicious little buggers. It's always a good feeling when people enjoy what you make, especially when they let you know! Needless to say, the rest of the cookies didn't last much longer on the cookie sheet inside.


Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
Six Sisters' Stuff
makes 3 dozen cookies

• 1 milk chocolate cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• mini marshmallows
• 1 can whipped chocolate frosting OR the frosting listed below

 Frosting

• 1 stick margarine, softened
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1-2 tsp. vanilla (depending on your taste)
• 3 tsp. cocoa
• 2-3 c. powdered sugar

Combine cake mix, eggs, and oil in a mixing bowl.

Roll the dough into 1-1 1/2" balls and place on a greased cookie sheet (or on a stone cookie sheet without greasing it). Bake at 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes.

When the cookies come out of the oven, place about 6 or 7 mini marshmallows on top of each one. Then put the cookies back in the oven for 2 more minutes. The marshmallows will kind of puff up like this.

Remove the cookies and place on a cooling rack to cool. Once they are cooled completely, frost the tops. I had every intention of using the homemade frosting recipe above but time was just not letting me do it. Instead I had my husband run to the store and get me a can of whipped chocolate frosting. It was delicious on the cookies and made my life a whole lot easier! Either frosting is a good choice.



I am linked up here:

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

It's a new week and new recipes are about to pop the seams of this blog. We had some serious family time over the last week with both our families and did all kinds of cooking and baking. It was so fun! Now I'm back and ready to share all of the yummy recipes with you. So brace yourselves! It's about to get good.

And don't forget to enter the giveaways that are still open! 

Don't miss your chance to win a great prize!

Day 1: Pillow Talkk Accent Pillow Giveaway (Closed)

Day 2: SewTamz Photography Accessories Giveaway (Ends tonight at midnight EST)

Day 3: Libby Lane Press Printable Invitation and Thank You Card Giveaway (Ends Tuesday night, Sept 11th, at midnight EST)

Day 4: Artistry By McKenzie G Accessories Giveaway (Ends Wednesday night, Sept 12th, at midnight EST)

Day 5: Blowfish Shoes Giveaway (Ends Thursday night, Sept 13th, at midnight EST)

One of my favorite things to eat at Applebees is Chicken Tortilla Soup. It doesn't matter what time of year it is, I love a good bowl of that stuff with a half sandwich. I recently went on the hunt for a yummy Chicken Tortilla Soup I can make at home and was thrilled to find a recipe not only for this type of soup, but a crock pot recipe. Oh happy day! A good meal with half the mess and work.

Fall is quickly approaching and soup is one of my favorite things to eat on a fall evening. Enjoy taking a break from preparing a huge meal and give this one a try in your crock pot! It's so good and will be perfect to make again all fall long.

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Disney Family

serves 4-6

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chillies, drained (hot or mild, depending on your heat preference.)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes, including juice
• 1/2 - 1 c. chicken broth
• 1 tsp. cumin
• salt and pepper
• corn tortilla chip strips (can be found at most grocery stores) OR 4 corn tortillas, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 c. shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 avocado, diced (optional) -  Tip: Toss with lime juice to prevent browning!

Place the chicken in the crock pot. In a separate bowl, combine chillies, garlic, onion, tomatoes, 1/2 c. chicken broth, and cumin. Mix together and pour over chicken. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 1/2 - 6 hours. (I prefer cooking on low so the chicken is more tender.)

When done cooking, shred the chicken with two forks. Give the broth a taste test and add more chicken broth if you think it needs it. Just before serving, throw in the tortilla strips and cilantro right before serving. Stir together.

Serve in soup bowls and top with shredded cheese, avocado, and squeeze of lime.

Thank You!!

This week was so fun celebrating Cupcake Diaries' second blogiversary!! Thank you so much for being part of it and helping make it what it was. I'm excited about these giveaways and would like to thank the vendors for taking part this year. I appreciate each and every one of you for your generosity and I'm excited to work with you more in the future.

Here are the links again to each giveaway! Good luck and thanks for entering!

 

Day 1: Pillowtalkk accent pillow Giveaway (ends Monday, September 10th)

Day 2: SewTamz photography accessories Giveaway (ends Tuesday, September 11th)

Day 3: Libby Lane printable invitation Giveaway (ends Wednesday, September 12th)

Day 4: Artistry By McKenzie G accessories Giveaway (ends Thursday, September 13th)

Day 5: Blowfish Shoes Giveaway (ends Friday, September 14th)

{Blogiversary Week} Day 5: Blowfish Shoes GIVEAWAY!

Another Blogiversary Week is coming to a close! Aren't there some great prizes up for grabs this year? Be sure to enter to win if you haven't already! Here are each of the links:

Day 1: Pillowtalkk accent pillow Giveaway

Day 2: SewTamz photography accessories Giveaway

Day 3: Libby Lane Press printable invitation Giveaway

Day 4: Artistry By McKenzie G accessories Giveaway

The fifth and final giveaway for this year's Blogiversary Week happens to be another one of my very favorite things: Blowfish Shoes. Not only do I love shoes in general, but I LOVE Blowfish Shoes and I'm so thrilled to have them be part of the celebration this year! Talk about a fun and trendy style of shoes. I love the look and the feel of my Rabbits. They're so unique and I get compliments on them all the time. You can tell by looking at these shoes that Blowfish believes personal style is just another form of self-expression. There's something unexpected in every style of Blowfish Shoes and they effortlessly bring so much to any outfit.

So who wants to win a pair of Blowfish Shoes?

The winner of today's giveaway will receive ANY pair they choose from Blowfish Shoes. I am once again jealous of whoever wins this giveaway! Whoever wins this is going to have a blast shopping for their very own pair of Blowfish Shoes.

 

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win your choice of shoes from Blowfish Shoes!

Not familiar with Rafflecopter? Don't worry, it's super easy and pretty much the best way to enter giveaways these days. Click "Enter to Win" on the widget and all of the ways you can enter will pop up. Click on each one and follow the instructions for extra entries! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Blogiversary Week} Day 4: Artistry By McKenzie G GIVEAWAY!

Today is the official 2-year blogiversary of Cupcake Diaries!! I have had a blast with this blog over the last two years and I'm so excited to keep it going. Thank you so much to all of you for joining me here and sharing my love for the kitchen. I wouldn't be here without you so I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

This week of giveaways has been so much fun! I hope you've been entering to win all of the awesome goodies up for grabs! Follow the links to enter if you haven't already:

Day 1: Pillowtalkk Giveaway
Day 2: SewTamz Giveaway
Day 3: Libby Lane Press Giveaway

McKenzie is a woman of many talents! She is the owner of today's featured shop and giveaway source, Artistry By McKenzie G, as well as the writer for her blog, Girl Loves Glam. McKenzie has loved creating new things since she was a little girl. She started Artistry By McKenzie G as a way to make a little extra money by selling accessories at local farmer's markets. That started evolving into an online shop, and now she is clearing out all her accessories and focusing on home decor. That means all of her accessories are on an amazing sale! She started blogging about her creative adventures and has totally fallen in love with the blogging world. Recently she was featured on a popular Salt Lake City television program called Studio 5. You can view her super fun segment here.

 

One Cupcake Diaries reader is going to win $20 to spend at McKenzie's shop, Artistry By McKenzie G. She has such a fun style and oodles of fun things in her shop! Here are a couple of examples:

 

 

Those binky staches just make me smile! And don't even get me started on that fabulous hair piece. This girl is so talented! And as a side note, McKenzie happens to be my husband's cousin. So I get to say I'm related to this wonder woman!

 

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win $20 in shop credit from Artistry By McKenzie G! 

Not familiar with Rafflecopter? Don't worry, it's super easy and pretty much the best way to enter giveaways these days. Click "Enter to Win" on the widget and all of the ways you can enter will pop up. Click on each one and follow the instructions for extra entries! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Blogiversary Week} Day 3: Libby Lane Press GIVEAWAY!

Oh, how I am loving this year's Blogiversary Week! You're all making the celebration so much fun! I hope you've had a chance to enter the two giveaways so far. If not, here are the links: Day 1 Giveaway and Day 2 Giveaway

My twin sister and I LOVE throwing parties! The holidays and our birthday coming up have made us especially excited to start planning another bash. This week has been quite the party celebrating two years of Cupcake Diaries! It seemed only appropriate to include one of my favorite Etsy shops for printable invitations in the week of giveaways.

Every time I look at the invitations from Libby Lane Press it sends me over the moon. Just browsing through Nicolle's selection of invitations makes me want to find some excuse to throw a party! She has so many different kinds of party invitations, it's just wonderful. Not only will you find something for a party you're planning to throw, but just looking through her invitations can give you inspiration on a party theme. And by doing that you've already found your invitation! Perfect!

A lucky Cupcake Diaries reader will win a printable invitation and coordinating thank you note from Libby Lane Press. I'm super jealous of the person who wins this! Nicolle's design is just way too cute and hard to come by. There are few styles I am totally impressed by and hers is one of them. Seriously some of the cutest invitations out there. See for yourself and browse her shop! This prize comes just in time for some serious holiday partying.

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win a printable invitation and coordinating thank you note!

Not familiar with Rafflecopter? Don't worry, it's super easy and pretty much the best way to enter giveaways these days. Click "Enter to Win" on the widget and all of the ways you can enter will pop up. Click on each one and follow the instructions for extra entries! Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Blogiversary Week} Day 2: SewTamz GIVEAWAY!

 

Let's keep this blogiversary celebration going with another giveaway! And don't forget to enter the Day 1 giveaway for a chance to win an accent pillow from pillowtalkk!

 

Another one of my favorite things is photography. I love my camera and I use it on a daily basis. I recently came across SewTamz and fell in love with Tammy's shop. She has some of the cutest photography accessories out there! I especially fell in love with her camera straps and covers. My husband wanted to get me a present after having our baby and all I wanted was one of Tammy's camera strap covers. And I love it! I love not only how it looks, but it fits so comfortably. It makes my camera look like an accessory around my neck. I love it so much and get compliments on it all the time.

 

 

For today's giveaway, one of you will receive $25 to spend at SewTamz. Such an awesome prize! Not in to photography? This would make a great gift for the photographer in your life!

 

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win $25 to SewTamz!

 

Not familiar with Rafflecopter? Don't worry, it's super easy and pretty much the best way to enter giveaways these days. Click "Enter to Win" on the widget and all of the ways you can enter will pop up. Click on each one and follow the instructions for extra entries! Good luck!

 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Football Lovers Heart Buffalo Wild Wings

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Buffalo Wild Wings for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

My husband and I really like watching college football. He's especially excited to watch BYU! Every now and then we like to make a party out of game night. We make all kinds of party food and enjoy the game as a family in the comfort of our home. But sometimes it's nice to go out and enjoy those games. And Buffalo Wild Wings is a great place for us to do that!

Buffalo Wild Wings is a great place to go and watch the game because not only is Dad happy watching the game, but Mom doesn't have to cook and my toddler gets to eat out and have something yummy and fun to eat. The menu is great. We are big fans of wings in general, but the wings over at Buffalo Wild Wings are some of the best I've ever had. Even my two year old likes them and he's super picky! It's a very fun and comfortable place to take the family for a fun night.

Protect the football. Get to B-Dubs

Buffalo Wild Wings would also make a great gathering place for friends to all go and have a night out together. The atmosphere is inviting and fun, and the place just screams for good times to be had. The football lovers in your family will be perfectly content watching their favorite games on one of the many big-screen tv’s. Bring the kiddos and let them watch the game too, while munching on some of their favorite foods.

I can't wait to take my family out to Buffalo Wild Wings this football season!

{Blogiversary Week} Day 1: Pillowtalkk GIVEAWAY!

Let the party begin! I'm so excited for yet another Blogiversary Week here at Cupcake Diaries! The last two years have been a blast and I look forward to the future of this blog. For the giveaways this year, I wanted to feature some of my very favorite shops out there. I'm so excited that these ladies are taking part in this year's Blogiversary Week! I'm so excited to feature their shops. You're going to love what they have to offer! Let's get this party started!

Day 1 of giveaways for Blogiversary Week comes from pillowtalkk.

Pillowtalkk is one of my favorite places to go when I'm on the hunt for a new accent pillow. Kristin is super talented and has some of the cutest designs for accent pillows out there. I love how much a cute accent pillow can add to make a room pop. Check out her shop and tell me you're not in love with these pillows. I guarantee you'll find something you like in this shop!

Today, Kristin is giving one lucky Cupcake Diaries reader a Heather Gray Curley Q accent pillow:

I love this pillow!! Whoever wins it is very lucky and will most likely shed a tear when they set it in its place at home. Or you can give it to your mom, grandma, friend, etc. as a gift!

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win this pillow!

Not familiar with Rafflecopter? Don't worry, it's super easy and pretty much the best way to enter giveaways these days. Click "Enter to Win" on the widget and all of the ways you can enter will pop up. Click on each one and follow the instructions for extra entries! Good luck!

This giveaway ends at 12:01 am on September 11, 2012.

a Rafflecopter giveaway