I can't seem to host a gathering without baking cupcakes. So after my Halloween efforts I started up my Kitchenaid again and whipped up some Melbourne Cup themed cupcakes.

My original idea was to recreate the race using cupcakes and horsie cupcake toppers. I had grand plans of 24 cupcakes with cupcake toppers showing the colours of each horse and jockey in the race. I even wanted to make a finishing post and fence out of fondant. Of course, ultimately I didn't have time for these pipe dreams.

I ended up making 15 chocolate cupcakes. I iced these with green butter cream using my special "grass" tip. I made cupcakes toppers by meshing horse clipart and jockeys from the form guide. I only had time to do two different jockeys. I went with Red Cadeaux and Niwot cause their silks were pretty.

So not the fantabulous idea that I originally had but in the end not totally unfortunate looking. And they were taaaaaaaasty. That's all that matters really.

I didn't want to miss out on the Melbourne Cup fun this year so I hosted a little gathering at our house for my Mothers' Group. We got into the spirit of things and even hosted a sweep. You got 3 horses for the bargain price of $2. Evie and I pulled the favourite Americain out of the hat but we all know that was no help. Andrea and Zoe won the day and took home the loot (a whopping ten bucks!)

Because it was Halloween the day before Cup day, we decided to make it a Halloween celebration too. Of course the mums didn't dress up. We dressed the bubbas up! We had Jasper as a jockey, Jake as a chicken, Zoe as Tigger and Eddy as a cow. Poor bubbas. I made a tutu for Evie but I don't have a photo of it. She was a little bit cranky that day. I'm sure it wasn't tutu related crankiness.

I just know that when Evie is old enough to object she'll refuse to let me dress her up. I've got to make the most of it before she learns to talk.