Imagine my horror recently, to realize—an hour before a party—that I'd forgotten cupcakes! Served me right for spending hours taping strips of blue and green tissue paper to my walls to create an underwater world. (Then many more hours rearranging the tissue paper because it felt more Atlantic City than Atlantis!) Wish I'd had a set of Ticings to spruce up the boring cupcakes I was forced to buy. Ticings are thin sheets of edible icing printed with cute, contemporary designs using food-grade inks. Their pretty designs—everything from peonies to circus animals—are the perfect and easy (just peel and press) fix for dull cakes, brownies, cupcakes, and party planners!

You can't go wrong with cupcakes; they're perfect for birthdays, weddings, hump days, Mondays, sad days, happy days—oh, and they're good on Tuesdays and Thursdays, too. Love the idea of sending cupcakes to a friend, but I don't have the skills not to eat them on the way to the post office, never mind actually pack them right. Hence I'm thrilled to find that Oregon-based Saint Cupcakes will ship customizable cupcake kits anywhere for me. I choose the quantity (3, 6 or 12), cupcake varieties, icings, and sprinkles, and they'll pack it up in a pretty kit complete with icing wand and decorating tips, and pop it in the post. Sweet gift!

I'm a bit of a martyr in the kitchen; there's always an alarm going off, a call out for "more bloody butter!", and a near-death experience. I sometimes wish I could be a bit more of a Martha in the kitchen—making no mess, and chatting easily while I whip together pretty and perfect confections. This adorable little cupcake platter would make a sweet gift and truly celebrate the effort (and near loss of life) that goes into my cupcakes. I'd use mine to celebrate every triumph in the kitchen—toast included.