Common Folks for Fabulous Folks

If you like to visit stores that just make you feel good the moment you walk up to them....you have to visit Common Folks. They are in Bellevue near Crossroads Mall. They have something for everyone; jewelry, home decor, gifts, chocolate, and even Bella Cupcake Couture wrappers.

It is a chic shop who even offer coffee and tea in wonderful glass cups as you enjoy leisurely walking around their store looking at all the fabulous finds. They are frequently changing their displays and it has a very European feel to it.

If you don't live in the area, but are dying to sneak a peek, stay tuned as they are working on an online site.

Fabulous Fun Finds

Have you heard of this blog-- Fabulous Fun Finds? It is true to its name; they have a mix of all sorts of little treasures. Each week they highlight a product they've tested and provide their review to their blog followers.

This week, Bella Cupcake Couture has been reviewed by Heather and her son. Check out the story of how they made cupcakes, wrapped them with Bella Cupcake Couture and delivered to his great-grandma for her 90th birthday. Also while you are there, you can enter to win two dozen cupcake wrappers. Check it out here

New in Belltown: Yellow Leaf Cupcake Shop

The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company opened for business in Seattle today (May 15, 2009)

To celebrate, I invited several friends down for a cupcake tasting. However when we got there (1pm), unfortunately they had already ran out of cupcakes. The owner, Mike Hein (absolute sweetie) was standing outside apologizing to all those who tried to open the locked door. He wasn't going to have new cupcakes for another half hour.

Luckily since we had been exchanging emails, he invited us to come in for a cup of French Press coffee and some of their unique teas. While we enjoyed our tasty beverages, we admired how cool, clean and urban the place was. It was a very unique style from the other cupcake shops in the Seattle area which typically have brighter colors. They are also very focused on being eco-friendly so almost everything is recyclable.

Unfortunately the half hour turned in to an extra hour and a half wait. So while waiting we chatted and noticed they had these great comment postcards you could fill out and they would send them to whomever you addressed it to. So I sent one to Mom!

However as soon as they were ready, the tasting began. We tried Tomato Soup, Coconut, Vanilla, Black Forest and Lemon Drop.

Tomato Soup
It had a surprisingly good flavor. Most of us however didn't really taste the main ingredient; tomato soup. It seem to taste more like a pumpkin cake. The frosting was very light and creamy. It may even be a bit more tasty with a cream cheese frosting. The part that got the most attention was the chocolate covered rice krispy treat sprinkles on top. Sooo tasty. Check out CakeSpy's recent article about this cupcake and its background.

Coconut
One of the smaller cupcakes but with a big flavor. It wasn't overpowering it had a very delicate coconut taste. A few people who didn't like coconut just took off a bit of the the topping and really enjoyed its light flavor.

Vanilla
We loved this one (and not only because Tony let me frost it myself). They had just come out of the oven so the top of the cupcake had a bit of a crunchy crust. I actually thought it may have a cream of tartar in it because it was almost like a crunchy snickerdoodle top; however it did not. The frosting was very light and creamy as well.

Black Forest
This was a smaller cake but had a really nice cake flavor. It was very moist and almost tasted like eating one of the chocolate lava cakes. The berry topping was good but was very light that we didn't taste a lot of it. We all wished there had been a little more.

Lemon
Saving the best for last. We all agreed this was our favorite. The lemon cake and frosting was very light (and I wouldn't even mind a bit more tart if they wanted). Our favorite parts was the fresh lemon curd and crushed lemon drops dusted over the top. Again these were fresh out of the oven and delightful.

Added bonus
That evening I also took four more to an event. We additionally tried the Chocolate and the Almond. Chocolate had an amazing frosting but the cake was a bit dry yet still flavorful. The Almond was a big hit (for those who liked almond). The flavor of the frosting and cake really complimented themselves. My two favorites of the day was the Lemon and Almond with Vanilla as a close third.

In conclusion, both the owners were super sweet men and we were happy to spend a couple hours with them. I'm eager to try there Rootbeer cupcake next time. And I appreciated my gal pals joining me to check them out. Thank you Candice of Fashion Ethic, Melody of CRAVE, Renee of It's Eventful for sharing your time and opinions of Yellow Leaf Cupcakes.

"The world is a better place with cupcakes!"
- Michael Hein (owner, The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co.)

Butterfly Tea for Childhaven

Childhaven is having their 11th Annual 2009 Butterfly Tea & Fashion Show this weekend. This is a magical and memorable event for children of all ages! Parents and children will enjoy a delightful high tea in the newly renovated historic Arctic Club Hotel in downtown Seattle. The afternoon will include exciting entertainment as well as a fashion show hosted by Georgia Blu and Sweetie!

Bella Cupcake Couture will be one of the favors for this special cause event. More photos will be posted after the event. Here is the link to event details.

How do you eat your cupcake?

CakeSpy is having a special contest where you share how you eat your cupcake?

How do you eat yours?
Do you eat it with a knife and fork, pinkies out?

Do you tear it in half and discard the bottom so as to increase the frosting-to-cake ratio?

Do you invert it, sandwich-style, to keep your fingers free of frosting?

Do you eat yours with a spoon, served in a dish of milk?

...Or do you just dig in?

Can't wait to read your responses! Visit the CakeSpy site to enter your response. A winner will be chosen at random shortly after the cake poll closes at noon (12 p.m. PST) on Friday, May 15.

Fun with Fleur-de-lis

If you love fleur-de-lis, you'll LOVE this site. It has so many fabulous and elegant entertaining pieces; all with fleur-de-lis. I found lots of great gift ideas.

Getting married? Then you can even create a wedding registry through their site.

Personally, I love how perfect our LuLu damask cupcake wrapper designs look among them.

Calling all Fashionistas

Fashionistas can thank the Italian Catherine de Medici who in 1533 brought high heels into vogue for women. The legend goes that the young Florentine, bride to-be was nervous about her debut entry into the French courts. She needed to dazzle and shine. She needed the right shoes.

She wore heels made in Florence for her wedding, and as a result, Italian high heels became the norm for ladies of the Duke's court in France.

Boy, have high heels come a long way!