So, IKEA is interesting

when it comes to buying things for restaurants.
I wrote down a ton of different chairs and plates and tables
well, only one table because that's the only one they have.
But I am just completely distraught.
The debt continues to loom higher in the future - I cannot find a decent table, a 30" ROUND LOW BISTRO TABLE FOR HEAVENS SAKE, for less than like $140.
and I need at least four of them.
Add in the chairs, which seem to be coming to about $40 a piece
and you have oh, let's see, four chairs per table, call it five tables
RIGHT twenty chairs at least
meaning ohhh cool $800 for chairs. right.


I am attempting not to hyperventilate.
trying not to give up hope
because there has to be some fabulous discount restaurant seating establishment that can tell me how to do this the right way and not breaking my entire budget on freaking seating!
i'm already huffing and puffing on these ovens that have yet to catch my eye with a price or function.
that's aggravating in itself.

As you can see, I did find some awesome plates that go with my colors for the shop... which is highly exciting.

but I guess I'm just getting distracted. Distraught. Discouraged.
Not willing to believe that every other place is going to have ridiculously priced tables and chairs and have me blow my loan on seating alone.
Hell, it's starting to look like bean bag chairs and some end tables.

there's never been a cuter time to bake cupcakes

thanks to my obsessive web surfing and finding pictures of great cupcakes and cakes, i am now obsessed with the idea of making tfc cupcakes, minies, and cupacakes go out the door in style. how freakin adorable are they with polka dots??!


and i don't know about you - but this would be amazing for bridal showers, baby showers, and really anything slighty flower oriented. i see lots of really adorable set ups with flower cups. that, and it's another one of those 'could go anywhere' ideas. i am now frantically planning how to hold a garden party just to use them. a great idea for an entire line of infused flavors too - i'm not looking to become magnolia or anything of the sort, but i think a lavender essence lemon cupcake would go just perfectly in one of these little guys.
game on.


okay and these i just want to have sitting around my room and mostly in my personal space at all times. they are like small canvases that i would almost feel bad dripping batter on the edge of one of them. how amazing would a little boston cream pie be in one of those? now that would be awesome. hmm.


many thanks to Bake it Pretty
, my new favorite etsy site..
check out the above as well as a ton of other adorable and "can't-pass-up" baking supplies :)

as for cupcake recipes - im not completely sold on the ones i have so far. the carrot cake recipe i have, while very moist and delicious, is not exactly the best rising cake i've made.
any recommendations for recipes? i might have to ransack the BH&G Baking book - all of their recipes are absolutely supposed to work, which is a cool thing. although, it requires at times reading the recipe eighty times to make sure you don't miss a "wait four days until you bake this" note. sigh.
there just aren't any baking cookbooks that throw themselves out to me to make me want to throw down $25 for 50 glossy pages. any recommendations for the best baking book you own / have had the pleasure of baking something from?
any and all suggestions would be appreciated.