The Battle of the Cupcakes!!

Its been an insane summer so far and its almost to an end.  I'm going to miss the girls being home all day.  Ainsley will begin her first year as a kindergartner.  Lord please bless her teacher. 

Today I competed in a cupcake contest.  For those who arent aware, I am the Cupcake Lady around here.  I love to bake. A friend told me about the Vanderburgh County Fair having a Battle of the Cupcakes...this was like discovering chocolate for the first time, that happy did it make me. 

So after much discussion we decided to go with the apple pie cupcakes I love.  Its a vanilla and apple sauce flavored cupcake, cored with apple pie filling inside, and topped with a buttercream icing, and a caramel drizzle.  Yeah its awesome lol. 

Then came the display.  Now I wanted this to look awesome..but I did not and could not spend a fortune on these cupcakes and their display.  In my time of need I went to the wise and all knowing Jane.  My neighbor, Jane-Jane as my girls call her.  Her home is a testament that with several years, an eye for what will work, and yard sale and Good Will shopping your home can be beautiful.  I love going into her house, every trip theres something different to see than the last time I was there. 

I had aleady decided that with the apple pie cupcakes I wanted a country look, and I wanted a shelf, like a curio shelf open backed and was going to buy one and maybe some boxes to stagger and have cupcakes on them...well that wasnt working so I went to Jane and came home with.....see the great Washboard shelf?  That's Janes and the shadow box that I soooo want to steal? That is Janes.

My display at the Battle.

The cupcake holders, are small jelly mason jars, not sure on the size that I e600 to candle holders from Good Will ages ago and have used for everything from penny holders, hair do dad holders to potpouri holders.  The cupcake stand I made 2 hours before the competition.  Nothing like waiting till the last minute.  I used a small jelly jar/mason jar upside down, glued a cake board to it..then glued a Ball Canning jar to it, and inserted some Gerber red daisies from Walmart.  I then glued a slightly smaller cake board on top and another smaller jar on top and filled with daisys....now I will turn you where I screwed up.  Glue the Gingham ribbon on around your cake stand...before gluing the boards to the jars..otherwise its like wrestling a wet angry chicken...moves around everywhere.  I put a gingham fabric piece I already had here down on the table first, and added some left over ribbon to sit on top....not a very expensive display but it worked great! 

The judges lovooeedddd my cupcakes.  And they loved my display :)  I received First Place in the individual division.  I so wished Hadley, my 10 year old could have competed but unfortunately she was at camp this week and couldnt be there.  It was a lot of fun, we had 1 hour to decorate our cupcakes and set up our display.  I managed it with minutes to spare!  And thankfully my husband took care of the girls while I did the cupcakes..for the most part.  Ainsley stood at the table a long time eating my cupcake centers as I cored the cupcakes lol.  She took advantage of unlimited cake! 

It was a great time and I hope I get to do another one some time....and I met a lot of really nice people there too.  Except for the one, but then there's always one? lol.