Editors' Note: May!

We can't believe it is already MAY! Wasn't it just April 1st.....seriously, time flies! We have beyond major things happening at cupcakeMAG in the next few months & can't wait to share them with all of you! We are thrilled to continue to watch our readership grow! 

Here is our table of contents for this month:

- Exclusive Interview with Kim of The TomKat Studio (and a giveaway!)

- FABulous Featured Bloggers! We can't wait to share with you some of our favorite bloggers & sites - Centsational Girl, Poppies at Play, Birthday Girl, Evolution of Style, With Style & Grace.... and more! We loving showing off some our favorite spots on the web and of course, the leading ladies behind them! 

- As you know we LOVE supporting the HANDmade community and will be showcasing many FABulous Etsy designers in the next weeks! A few our....Tiny Giraffe Shop, Eight Baby Legs, It's Written on the Wall, Eisley Rae and oh-my-word, the list goes on....so many amazing Etsy designers we are dying to share! 

- As for celeb interviews, we looking forward to sharing our chats with Gretchen Rossi, Ramona Singer, Tiffani Amber Thiessen and more with all of you since we didn't get to in May! We had to wait on a few things but they will be going live this month! 

- Make sure you enter our giveaways ending Friday from Banner Boutique, Mandolin Goose & Marlee & Noah. They are all just FABulous & you won't want to miss them! 

Sad to say, cupcakeMAG has made some staff changes as we moved into our new office this month. Make sure you are following the official cupcakeMAG team on Twitter: @cupcakeMAG_Kim, @cupcakeMAG_Tiff, and @cupcakeMAG_LA. 

Make sure you "LIKE" us on Facebook too! 

Interested in advertising on cupcakeMAG & being a Sponsor? We have 2 spaces left at the super discounted price! Get details: cupcakemag@gmail.com. It isn't just an ad space - weekly Facebook & Twitter mentions along with a post to introduce you to cupcakeMAG readers! 

We are gearing up for our big reveal of our new re-launched site as we say goodbye to blogger! Make sure you sign up for our updates in the top right corner so we will still be in touch when we make the change! We don't want to say bye to all of YOU! We are excited to expand cupcakeMAG in many ways! 

We will be officially launching cupcakeMAG home which will showcase DIY projects, before/after make-overs, must-haves for your home and more! We also will be showcasing our favorite  {Sweet Shoppes} on the new site as well! In the past few months we have worked with so many {sweet} ladies who have sent us cookies, cupcakes, and all things sweet -- we just had to have a place to show them off! Our new site will do just that as we share our faves with you! We have TONS to look forward too! 


As always, thanks for your support and dedicated LOVE for cupcakeMAG. 

Cheers to warm weather, cute shoes and MAY! 

Hello LOVE Month -- Editors' Note - A little bit extra personal?

The month of LOVE! Oh sweet LOVE. We cherish this month as we hold our loved ones closer for Valentines Day. I especially love this month because of all the pink that fills the stores!

cupcakeMAG will be sharing with you one super fab 1st birthday for my little darling, Kennadi. We can't wait to share the event as soo many have worked so hard to make it possible. We thank you -- you know who you are! 

As always we have some must-read celeb interviews and this is the month our team takes on Mercedes- Benz Fall 2011 Fashion Week in New York City. We will have all the on-site designer interviews, designer reveals, beautiful collections and fab fashions! NYFW also makes it a crazy busy month for us but keeps us going! We can't wait to bring you all the up-to-date daily runway shows, designer interviews and on-site celeb chats!

We also have amazing giveaways and featured bloggers to share this month including an exclusive interview and giveaway with the ladies behind Layla Grayce and so much more! It is going to just be a FABulous month. 

Now - onto the more personal topic for the month. About this time last year I was getting ready to give birth to my third beautiful little girl Kennadi Audrey Monroe (yes, named after Jacqueline, Audrey and Marilyn) - almost a month and half early. Yes, I had her at 35 weeks. Weighing 4lbs 12oz when we left the hospital we were beyond blessed to spend no time in the NICU and leave with our baby girl.

Kennadi, only a few days old. 

Kennadi's Birth Announcement Photo

However, when I got home it hit me how precious and dainty Kennadi really was. I don't know if it was the anxiety of having a preemie and taking care of such a tiny little one or if I was just overwhelmed by the fact that she was so little. I went into serious post partum panic. I don't know if it was quite depression but I remember reaching out briefly on Twitter because I was having such an out of body experience of panic and it was awful, so so awful.

I thank ONE person for truly taking a second to read my tweet and saving me. Yes, saving me. She made me realize I wasn't crazy and things would be normal again shortly. So who is this so FABulous little lady I call my "Post Partum Angel" - she is known as @LaStylistMom on Twitter.

Bethany showed me that there was light at the end of the tunnel. She also taught me that many people go through this and suggested Brooke Shields amazing book "Down Came the Rain". This was a person who tweeted me. A person I had never spoke to before. That second when I got her tweet and her number I called her. She dropped everything to help me and she did. I felt so much better just talking about it. And to do this day, I am so blessed to have had someone like her to just tweet into my life. She will always be a special friend in my life. 

You would think that after having a miracle baby and going through a rough pregnancy I would be beaming with joy but the week or so after deliver was the roughest time of my life. And let me tell you, I was very thankful for my little cocktail of happy pills to get me through those teary nights.

I know this may be a little personal to share but I wanted to put it out there for my readers to see that I am too, human.  I hope I don't loose any of you. We are all human right? I wanted you all to know that it is okay to seek help. Help is good and sometimes what you have to do to make it through another day. Whether it is post-partum or just the stressers of every day life - seeking help and learning on a supportive friend during that difficult time made everything so much better. 

It is a New Year so keep it real my cupcakes and seek help if you need it - it is okay and will make you a better person. That is my February memo to all of you. And remember, I am always an email away! As always, thanks for all your love and support. Lots of love! 

Editors' Note: Hello 2011

Happy New Year to all my FABulous cupcakes! 

As we set into the New Year we are thrilled about so many things! In the next few months we will be working with the fab Zee Studios. We will no longer be a blog - we have wayyy tooo many things to talk about and will now be a full site. All the same great content with an even better, beyond major make-over! We can't wait to debut it! cupcakeMAG and cupcakeMAG for Littles will all be in the same place. It is a HUGE transition for cupakeMAG but we have grown beyond a blog and need a better place to show-off our FABulous photo shoots, features, celeb interviews, and all the great stuff we have to talk about. It is going to be a great year! 

Here are some of the stand outs this month for what you have to look forward to in January: 

• Our exclusive interviews with Kate Landers, Kim of The TomKat Studio, Kelly from WH Hostess and Bridgett of Perideau Designs along with featured blogs that we just LOVE. 
• Celeb interviews for the month include Melania Trump, Ramona Singer, Kourtney Kardashian, and more! 
• A handful of new Etsy shops we just can't live without! We have some great designers to show off!
• We are working on an amazing event all month long! We will be showing off a FABulous and exciting birthday post for my daughter, Kennadi Audrey Monroe's 1st birthday in February. We are working a TON of FAB ladies from invitations by WH Hostess to desserts, decorations and more! We can't wait to show off all the FAB shops and Etsy designers who are making this photo shoot and feature just perfect! Stay tuned. Promise, it will be beyond amazing! 
• And as always, all of our great reviews, up-to-date fashion finds, weekly beauty faves and more!

As you can see - we are pretty busy here at cupcakeMAG and we can't wait to venture into a new year with all of you! So, tell us, what do you want to see on cupcakeMAG? What are we missing? What do you want more of? Who do you want us to chat with? Let us know! We would love to hear from YOU! Our readers are the reason we work so hard everyday so please, tell us what we are missing! 

Now - onto New Years Resolutions! Did you make one? I try not to as I don't want to let myself down. Instead, I make of list of thinks I want to accomplish before the next year. Yes, very similar to a resolution but instead a list of goals to make happen. This way I don't feel so much pressure. So tell us, What is your New Years Resolution and how do you MAKE IT HAPPEN? That is what this year is all about! Follow your heart, make it happen and live your life! This is the year to get it done. Don't forget to sit back and smell the roses sometimes too! 

Cheers to a New Year! 

PS - My New Years wish is for all of our FABulous readers to please leave us comments under our posts! Let us know what you love, what you don't and anything else you are thinking! Give us a reason to write! One comment goes a long way. Don't just comment on giveaways, show us LOVE everyday! Lots of love my friends this New Year! 

cupcakeMAG: home edition - editors' pick! - plus a giveaway!

My New Years Resolution this year is to do one thing: learn how to sew. Yes, that is right! Watch out Martha Stewart! I am just dying to sew something up for my Littles! Well, I have come across my perfect accessory to make this happen. The Singer Esteem II. 

Isn't she pretty? I know. 

Well, I had to give it a try and just fell in love. When you sit down in front of a sewing machine for the first time it can be so overwhelming. What are these millions of little buttons and knobs for? Well this machine is simple to use, a very basic machine that does everything you need. In fact, it helped me start my resolution a little bit early! After watching the instuctional DVD included I was ready to start sewing! With little experience in the sewing machine world - I knew it was a match. 

Why was it love at first sight? The features. It is all about the features. The automatic needle threader is just a must and makes sewing a pleasure. Adjustable stitch length & width, 23 built-in stictch patters and hundreds of stictch fuctions helps us leave behind days of frustraton caused by limited stich patterns and difficult threading in the other machines we reviewed. The machine isn't overhwhelming to the beginning sewer and gives you just the right amount of convenient features. And of course it was hand picked as my favorite, oh and Martha Stewart too! 

What else does it offer? 

Fully Automatic 1-step Buttonhole
Class 15 Bobbin
Free Arm with Accessory Storage 
Heavy Duty Metal Frame for Skip-free Sewing
25 Year Limited Warranty

And for price of only $132 on target.com! Curently on sale for $94!

Well, guess what? Happy Holidays to you because we are giving away one! Even if you already sew or if you just getting starting this is the perfect machine for the crafty! Read on to see just how to win!

Note: We usually don't post on the weekend but I was so excited to personally share this with you & wanted to give you an extra day to try and win it! You can thank me later......

Tell us why you can't wait to win the Singer Self Esteem II! This comment is mandatory. You also must be a follower of cupcakeMAG and cupcakeMAG for Littles. The more you comment, the better change you have to win! Leave a seperate comment below letting us know you have done the following. 

1.) Follow cupcakeMAG on Twitter

2.) Follow Singer on Twitter

3.) "Like" us on Facebook! 

4.) "Like" Singer on Facebook! 

5.) Subscribe to our updates --- just sign up with your email in the top right corner above. 

6.) Tweet about this giveaway and include @cupcakemag -- you must tweet, not just follow. Also, make sure you tell us YOUR twitter name. 

7.) Tweet about this giveaway and include @SingerCo - you must tweet, not just follow. 

The winner will be selected by random.org on Friday., December 10th after 11pm. Please make sure you live us your email in one of the comments as well!

Details: Giveaway winner to be chosen on the date above. You will have 24 hours to respond if you are the chosen winner. Another winner will be chosen if you do not respond within this time period. Open to US. The opinions expressed in this review/feature are strictly cupcakeMAG opinions & we were not paid to show our love. However, we were given the Singer Esteem II for review purposes. 

It's November: Editors' Note!

"Give a girl the right shoes, 
and she can conquer the world." 

— Marilyn Monroe

This month it is my month to conquer the world. Ahhhhhh, November. 

Why do I love you? Let me count the ways. 


It is my birthday month. I hope to get some serious shout-outs on the 21st.
It is Thanksgiving -- we have a lot to be thankful for, 
especially all of my cupcakes! 
First thing -- thankful for Black Friday this month! 
It is one month closer to Christmas - my beyond favorite time of year! 
I have 26 days to go until we go Christmas tree cutting. 
I get to shop, shop, shop - for all those I love! 

What can you expect on cupcakeMAG this month? Holiday Gift Guides galore, a special cupcake post and full coverage our first annual cupcakeMAG retreat! We also are working with some FABulous companies & can't wait to share them all with you along with some amazing Etsy designers & bloggers we LOVE. And of course -- we will let you in on just what to wear to those holiday parties! 

We can't leave out those FABulous cupcakeMAG supporters too! We will be sharing our interview with Denise Richards, Kendra Wilkinson, Aubrey O'Day and so many more! So, please stay tuned as we here at cupcakeMAG conquer the world! Oh and always remember.......