I just heard about two fun crafty contests going on, regarding two of my favorite things: cupcakes and design.

First, Cupcake Bakeshop is partnering with Vanilla-Garlic for a Cupcake Round-up contest. You have ten days to make your most creative cupcakes, post photos on flickr or your own blog, and send links in. All the details are here, but hurry, the deadline is January 26.

I would love to enter — but our oven is broken! Maybe I can collaborate with someone though… I do love to make cupcakes. My favorite recipe is the Chocolate Cupcake from Everyday Food #6, which I made (back in the glory days of a functional oven) for my last two Portland birthday parties. I adore this one — it’s basic and easy, but so delicious and very customizable. I gave the recipe to our caterer and she made 225 minis [half vanilla, just omit the cocoa powder and substitute extra vanilla and a little lemon] for our wedding reception! Everyone loved them.

Don’t miss the amazing recipes in Chockylit’s archives, too… two that caught my eye recently were the papaya-coconut cupcakes with ginger-lime cream cheese icing and Himalayan goji berry chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate ganache and Himalayan pink salt. Yeah — I definitely need to get the oven fixed!

Meanwhile, the fabulous whip-up is turning 1! To celebrate their first anniversary, there’s a contest to design a brand-new button and banner for the site. Prizes for the winner and runner-up include some great design books from Princeton Architectural Press. Here are all the details, and you have six weeks to create your design: entries must be e-mailed by March 1.

Good luck!

p.s. Thank you so much for the sweet e-mails and comments after my post yesterday. I appreciate them more than I can say. I’m thrilled that people have been ordering my earrings for peace to support UFPJ, too — thank you. They are all going out first thing in the morning.