The Secret Lives of Cupcakes: Portraits by Jenny Cupcake

Art History 101. Somewhere between Fat Lady Representing Fertility and A Five Year Old Could Have Done this, you dozed off and missed the entire unit on Boring Portraits of Pasty Aristocrats.

Finally, Cakespy has sleuthed some art you'll actually appreciate: the paintings of Jennifer Kessler. Going by the professional name Jenny Cupcake (we love her already!), this Georgia-based, SCAD-trained artist paints detailed, color-saturated cupcakes dressed in their party best. But don't be fooled by the lighthearted subject matter; these are not simply still lives, but rather portraits of cupcakes. The fluidity and movement in her brush strokes creates a certain moodiness and air of mystery to the work, and begs the viewer to wonder: what came before? what comes next? and serves as a poignant reminder at how so many moments in life are fleeting. Of course, there's no denying the sexual tension in some of her work either; check out the clever and cheeky "Lady" series.

Paintings start in the $1000 range (varies depending on size); but don't despair if it's still many days 'til payday; she also has giclee (that's "Gee-lee") prints available for $200. Interested in purchasing or inquiring about a custom piece? Visit jennycupcake.com for more information!

Fake Bakin': My Pink Boutique

A.A. Milne (as Winnie the Pooh) said that "...although eating honey was a very special thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called."

But how could you possibly hold on to that moment when a plate of petits fours is placed in front of you?

It's scientifically impossible, unless they're faux cakes by My Pink Boutique. Delightful but not delicious, these cakes are rendered by hand out of entirely non-edible materials, and will add a shabby-chic bit of sophistication to any room in the house. Personally, we want them in our kitchen, our living room...maybe even the bedroom. Available in a variety of pastels that would make Marie Antoinette drool, you can buy these confections (starting at just $4.99 per petit four) at mypinkboutique.com.

Cruisin': Cake Cruise Leaves Soon!

It's easy to let cruise ships blend into the background in Seattle--they're always coming and going at the Pike Place Market. And why stop and take note? Without realizing it, you've dismissed them as bunch of overweight or down on their luck tourists going to Alaska.

Well, here's one cruise that will stop you in your tracks: Cake Cruise 2007, which lasts from September 2-9 and tours the Alaskan Coast. But even more important than the geography is the theme of the cruise, which is Cake. Including classes, demonstrations and keynote speakers Nicholas Lodge (sugarcrafter extraordinaire) and Collette Peters (of Collette's Cakes fame).

Act now and you might still get a spot: visit here.

Too short of notice? We feel your pain. Check out preliminary details for the next Cake Cruise as well as Cake Camp at cakecruise.com.

Cupcake Courier

Picture this: you've just made a beautiful batch of cupcakes for so-and-so's bridal shower / birthday party / post-rehab brunch, and your soon-to-be-single BF has stopped short at a yellow (that's amber in Canada) light and your A for Awesome cupcakes have just been demoted to E for Effort.

We feel your pain.

Luckily, the cupcake courier is here to save the day! Made out of translucent plastic, the three modular trays are stackable with sturdy latches on the bottom and a handle on the top for easy transportation of up to 36 of your sweet treats.

It just might help things with your sweetie, too.

Buy it here.

Thank you to Cake Gumshoe Allison for the tip!

Kimberella Cupcakes

Kimberella Cupcakes: A Haiku

Sweet sunshine lemon
Lemon cupcake mixed with cream
Citrus butter dream

It's true; Kimberella's cupcakes bring out the poet in us. Trained as a gourmet chef, you may recognize Kimberly as the proprietress of the Seattle-based catering/personal chef service Herban Palate. Kimberella Cupcakes is her newest venture, and we'll be carefully tracking the progress (a web site is in the works). Her current offerings include flavors like the Sweet Sunshine (see haiku and image above), a citrus-buttercream confection; the Cocoa Cabana, a chocolate cupcake with banana buttercream rolled in flakes of coconut; and the Mint to Be Together, a milk chocolate cupcake with peppermint buttercream. Minimums are quite low, and her rates are affordable--$25 a dozen for full sized cupcakes, or just $12 a dozen for mini cupcakes. Email her at kimberly@herbanpalate.com for more information on ordering, or to request a custom flavor!