Happy Birthday dear I Heart Cupcakes...

So today is I Heart Cupcake's birthday. Three years ago today I started this blog, my first post being about some about some cupcakes Manny had bought me for Valentines from Lola's.

So if this was my blogs wedding anniversary traditional 3rd wedding anniversary gifts have a theme of leather, or if you're going contemporary, crystal. Someone once bought me a crystal decanter - why I'm not sure - can you decant Baileys or Jagermeister I asked. And meh to leather.  Instead I went for this....

Meet Cupcake - my brand new shiny baby pink KitchenAid!!!!!!!!!! Yep that's right after years of touching them in John Lewis to the point of nearly being asked to leave I finally have one to call my very own.

I can't really put into words how excited I am about my new baby but I can't stop touching her and smiling! I was like a kid let loose in the candy store today when we went to Chiswick to buy her. Everyone in the shop was super excited too when they saw her - she brings love to wherever she goes! As you can maybe tell,  I am chuffed to bits. My  grandparents bought me Cupcake as a late Christmas present, which makes it even more special as my grandmother is one of the main reasons I love baking so much. She taught me to make fairy cakes, butterfly cakes, millionaires shortbread and my favourite rude Scotch pancakes (they used to make me giggle) on her griddle which to this day I still call her girdle. I have yet to try a millionaires shortbread that beats my grans. Her great kitchen abilities have passed through our family, my lovely Auntie Kate, RIP, was a fantastic baker and we used to often spend holidays in the kitchen rustling up empire biscuits, tiffin and my favourite of hers - strawberry cream tarts! My mother is also an amazing baker, and cook. She works in a bakery in Scotland, but the stuff they sell doesn't even compare to my her home baked goods - her cakes were legendary with my friends when I was at school and even after I moved to London my best friend Julie used to pop in on the way home to collect some cakes from my mums goodie tin!

Cupcake will be christened tomorrow - I already have some fancy pants ingredients to make some fabulous cupcakes for her debut so look out for the blog post about them!

As it's my blog's birthday and I'm feeling so incredibly happy I have decided to do a bit of a giveaway. I have received a couple of silicone giant cupcake molds and if you leave a comment below before Friday 18th Feb you will be entered into a prize draw to win one. If you don't have a blog and you comment please leave a contact email so I can get in touch if you win.

The giveaway is available to UK readers only I'm afraid, but I promise to do a worldwide giveaway soon!

Thanks to everyone who continues to read and comment on my blog after all this time - and to email me as well! I've met some lovely people through my writing I Heart Cupcakes and have had some wonderful cupcakes in the three years -and my baking, and especially my piping, has come on leaps and bounds!

Now I'm off to look at my KitchenAid some more! And maybe stroke it!

Giveaway now closed - Winner chosen on Random.org was Abbie - congratulations!