I remember my very first tweet to college friend Xander:

And I remember having dinner with my good friend Amy, who said to me, “You know what? It might be a good idea to see what this whole social media thing is about.”

Well, Xander and Amy, we owe you. Because without you, we never would have found such a fantastic, vibrant community like the Chicago social media one.

And now we’re celebrating a YEAR (!) of interacting with you all at one of the coolest new lounge spots in all of Chicago, and we’d love to throw a big party with lots of free cupcakes and foil and have you all come.

So will you please come celebrate with us? We promise we’ll bring the cupcakes if you bring your pretty faces. And guess what? Be one of the first 100 to register, and we’ll even have a little gift waiting just for you.

Details and registration here.

See you next Wednesday, lovelies!

-Mari

Your man could be our first ever mancake.

The Details:

Here’s what you win:

• A cupcake named after your man to appear on our permanent menu

• A feature on our home page and our blog

• 2 dozen of our favorite cupcakes

How to enter:

Tweet us @FoiledCupcakes using the #mancake hashtag. Tell us in 140 characters or less why the man in your life deserves to be this year’s mancake. Done.

We’ll pick our favorite and announce a winner by Tuesday, June 22nd. Which means you’ll need to have your tweets in by Father’s Day (Sunday, June 20th).

Okay! Happy Mancake-ing!

The legal stuff resides here.

Guest post today by @phampants, our worst travel tweet winner. (He gets a Dozen of our Favorites! Yeah!)

—–

When the awesome @brandonzeman RT’d @foiledcupcakes‘ Worst Travel Tweet challenge, I asked myself, “What story should I pick from?”

When I backpacked Europe alone last summer, I had quite the adventure. The adventure also included many mishaps. From sleeping in the Brussels train station in 40 degree weather with bums to having my 4gb flash card go corrupt on me and losing 3 days worth of pictures in Rome. Let’s not also forget that I was only allowed to live 18 days on a TINY duffel bag containing all of my belongings that weighed no more than 22 lbs. Don’t believe me? Here’s photo evidence (sans a 6 pound laptop):

Yeah, it was an interesting trip. Just as interesting as learning how to drive stick while driving on the other side of the road while in Ireland. Oh wait! That’s right, I couldn’t drive because I lost my wallet (one of three) containing my driver’s license, student ID & my debit card on the morning of Day 3 of my trip in the Dublin airport. How did I lose it? It was in my jacket pocket which also contained my umbrella. Apparently, the umbrella looked like a huge knife in the X-Ray machine, so when they took it out to check, the wallet fell out. Sadly, I did not noticed until I was in the middle of the Brussels train station 2 hours later.

So what did I do? Being the seasoned & experienced traveler that I am, I had wallet #1 and #3 handy. Those two wallets contained 350 Euros, 60 British pounds and a credit card. Now before you go all, “Oh he cheated, he had a credit card,” remember this: Europe is a CASH continent. Finding a place that takes credit card is like trying to a hot dog place in Chicago that puts ketchup on your hot dog. It wasn’t easy, but I did survived 15 days with 350 Euros & 60 GBPs.

Want to read more about my trip & the day I lost my debit card? Read more here.
Want to know how you can survive cleverly when traveling and losing your debit card? Read more here.

—–

Congratulations, @phampants – your story touched the hearts of millions. Well, at least of the people who voted for you. And thanks to all who participated!

My flight was delayed on my way back from #SESNY. And I was bored. So I decided to give out a free dozen cupcakes to the person with the worst travel story.

Problem is, we got, like, 40 kajillion responses. I did my best to narrow them down, but now I’m too stressed/entertained/indecisive to pick a winner. So I’m delegating that decision out to you.

Please vote for your favorite (just submit a comment with A, B, C, or D) and that person will win FREE CUPCAKES, delivered to their Chicagoland office next week.

We’ll keep voting open through Tuesday, 3/30/10 until 12:00 noon, Central time.

A – @ShannaQuinn:

My suitcase was damaged. I had personal items strung out on the claim conveyor belt which I had to scoop up as they went by.

B – @jfhoff:

seeing two shoving matches break out as people boarded the 7:06 am train from Naperville to Chicago. Relax, people!

C – @debbieupper:

Not airplane-related, but once got barricaded into a state park in India, held up for moolah. #CUPCAKES

D – @Phampants:

worse was when i lost my debit card while backpacking europe. i had to survive 15 days w/ 350 euros & 60 pounds

Get voting! The one with the most votes wins!

The fine print resides here.

[By the way, I almost picked this one:

@antrants: SYD to LAX, pilot had to re-route half way, crashed, got lost on an island, had to time travel with some dude to get back.

But come on. That's so been done before. ]

What’s this Chicago Soup thing all about and how did Foiled Cupcakes get involved? Read about it here.

It’s been almost a week since Chicago Soup and Teen Living Programs celebrated their $100K social media win from Chase bank and we’re still reeling in the craziness of it all. So much food and so many congratulations! What a great effort and campaign.

See pictures on Chicago Soup’s Facebook page. And please become a fan while you’re at it. Because then you’ll be the first to know about ways you can make an impact in your local community without much money, effort, or time.

On a personal note, thankyouthankyouthankyou to the following individuals who have donated their time, talents, and efforts to making Chicago Soup a reality (I’m estimating that over 500 hours have been donated to Chicago Soup):

Geoff – my new bao friend who has a bunch of fancy titles at Wow Bao/LEYE and apparently every single connection in the world

Nia – the easiest person ever to work with on a project and high-up gal at Teen Living Programs

Christine – the loveliest PR person I’ve ever had the pleasure of collaborating with at JP Morgan Chase Bank

Patrick – brilliant designer, project managing fiend and co-founder of C2 Creative Consulting

Derek – community strategist, new Canadian, and co-founder of Foodtree

Tim – video guy who can whip together great pieces and founder of Beyond the Pedway

It was great collaborating with such a talented team to make this all come together so nicely. So thank you from the very bottom of our mixing bowl.

I just took a look at our Twitter page and had no idea we were over 5,000 followers. Wow!

So in honor of each of the 5,014 followers we have on Twitter (to whom we owe every piece of our growth and success), I’m going to do the unthinkable:

I’m going to run.

One meter for every one of you. 5,014 meters. A 5K + an additional 14 meters to the water fountain.

If you know me at all, you know I’d rather sing karaoke in front of thousands, kiss a snake, eat stinky cheese, talk to a complete stranger, or listen to country than run. Even like 10 feet. I hate running.

But thanks to everyone who’s supported us to this point, and faithful runners who inspire me like Chanthana, Kate, Jacqueline, Sue, Tim, Carla, Paige, and Heather, I’m dedicating my first real 5k to all of you who have been the true backbone of our business for the past eight months.

And from the bottom of our mixing bowls, we at the Foiled Cupcakes team all thank you.

Now I just need to find a race. Any suggestions?

- Mari

P.S. A special thanks to Fleet Feet for getting me all set up with new shoes for my first run. (How did they know that I’d do pretty much anything to have an excuse to buy new shoes?)

This past summer, we hosted a cupcake photo shoot to capture still shots of our cupcakes in all their glory. And while this served a functional purpose (getting pictures of our cupcakes on the website), it also served a social purpose: getting together with 20 of our favorite Twitter friends and sharing the shiny happy goodness.

Thanks to all of our cupcake models for being so flexible and fabulous and fun! F(cubed). And VERY special thanks to Chris Vaughn for photographing our cupcakes and models! He is fabulous to work with, so nice, so genuine, so lovely. THANK YOU, CHRIS!

In no particular order, we present the remainder of our 20 cupcake models (see the first batch here):

Iris Chen

Everybody Loves Chocolate | Student at DePaul University | Chicago, IL

What song does the cupcake you’re modeling with remind you of? Why?
‘Everybody Wants You’ by Josh Kelley because everybody wants a scrumptious cupcake

Why we like Iris:
Because she’s so ridiculously bad at comebacks, it’s endearing.

Meka Asonye

Bananarama | Recruiter for the Cleveland Indians | Cleveland, OH

If you could gift Foiled Cupcakes to any celebrity, who would it be? Why?
President Obama. Foiled Cupcakes brings happiness to all that experience them. In the moment you are eating them, all troubles of the world melt away. Obama could use this stress relief.

Why we like Meka:
He works in baseball. Enough said.

Jessica Braun

Choc Full of Cherries | Chicago, IL

Now that you’re a bona fide cupcake model, what are you going to do with your career?
Hopefully move on to NY Fashion Week or serve as a guest judge on America’s Next Top Model. So Fierce.

Why we like Jessica:
Because she tweets things that are relateable. Like seeing a cute boy on a city bus.

Melissa Karlin

Southern Belle | Special Event Sales expert | Evanston, IL

Now that you’re a bona fide cupcake model, what are you going to do with your career?
Eat cupcakes for world peace. And encourage the world to adopt them as currency – that would be magic!

Why we like Melissa:
She likes to go out and dance. She likes to have fun. And she is cute as a button. Seriously.

Sarah McClain

Plain Jane | Morningstar, Inc. | Chicago, IL

What song does the cupcake you’re modeling with remind you of? Why?
‘Don’t Stop Believing’ by Journey. At first, the Plain Jane is a little “plain” on the outside but once you get to know her, all your expectations about what it means to be “plain” and “simple” are out the window. Don’t Stop Believing!

Why we like Sarah:
Sarah’s always on the go and she knows Chicago’s the best city in America.

Kelly Vonebers

Strawberry Short Cupcake| Upshot | Forest Park, IL

Now that you’re a bona fide cupcake model, what are you going to do with your career?
Figure out a way to take my new found cupcake modeling talent and spin it into a full time job. I mean, next step is supermodel stuff, right?! (we say, duh!) Somehow, someway … cupcake modeling will eventually pay my mortgage!

Why we like Kelly:
Because she wants cupcake modeling to pay her mortgage.

Paula Harris

Lime is the New Black | Groove Parlor TV | Chicago, IL

If you could gift Foiled Cupcakes to any celebrity, who would it be? Why?
Jody Watley – 80s pop star. she LOVES red velvet cupcakes and she should try Foiled Cupcakes’ Southern Belle.

Why we like Paula:
Paula has been one of our most ardent supporters since day one. And we absolutely appreciate her for that!

Ryan Zimmerman

Give Me S’Mores | Personal Trainer at Lifetime Fitness in Warrenville | Aurora, IL

Now that you’re a bona fide cupcake model, what are you going to do with your career?
Maybe Sara Lee needs someone to model pies!!

Why we like Ryan:
Ryan barters personal training sessions for cupcakes. It evens out.

Shona Williams

Chai Maintenance  | Event Planner at Kamileon Events | Chicago, IL

What song does the cupcake you’re modeling for remind you of? Why?
It reminds me of ‘Material Girl’ by Madonna, for a Chai Maintenance cupcake!

Why we like Shona:
She’s a detail-oriented gal who loves to have fun. And she plans amazing events!

And a big thanks to Stephanie Perrin for editing these photos.

I’m literally floored. In just a matter of 30 minutes and a handful of tweets, we were able to collectively donate $500 to the Red Cross Haiti relief effort today. Thank you to the following individuals who donated (and will be receiving 2 Dozen of our Favorites cupcakes as a result):

@mattchevy
@tommychoi
@johnpneedham
@mojoguzzi
@CityGirl912
And a special thank you to @rickmurray for thinking of, donating to, and participating in this fantastic idea.

By the way, even if you didn’t get free cupcakes out of donating, it’s still always a good thing to do.

I’m always amazed at what a group of totally unrelated people can do together to make a difference. You guys all freaking rock. I’m so verklempt.

- Mari

This morning, I tweeted that I felt like giving away cupcakes. Got a variety of responses. “Give me free cupcakes!” “I’ll take ‘em!” “Drop them off to my house!”

But this DM from Rick Murray was hands down a win-win:

D foiledcupcakes: I’ll buy a dozen cupcakes for the next five people to donate $100 to Haitian relief via the Red Cross. (email proof req’d)

My response:

D rickmurray: wow! i’ll throw in an additional dozen. so 2 dozen cupcakes to the next 5 people who donate $100 to haitian relief via red cross?

So there you have it. Donate $100 to the Haitian relief effort through the Red Cross. You’ll get 2 dozen cupcakes. Simple. Easy. Fun.

Forward your confirmation to info@foiledcupcakes.com. We’ll touch base with you to work out all the details. You’ll get two free ”Dozen of our Favorites” (an assortment that we pick, but you’ll love!) delivered anytime, anywhere within our delivery region, in the next two weeks.

Use them for office meetings, parties at home, gifts, whatever. Just donate!

Don’t forget, you can also text “Haiti” to 90999 and donate that way if you’re not into cupcakes.

By the way, #rickrocks. Thank you, thank you, Rick Murray!

- Mari

A few months ago, we hosted a cupcake photo shoot to capture still shots of our cupcakes in all of their glory. And while this served a functional purpose (getting pictures of our cupcakes on the website), it also served a social purpose: getting together with 20 of our favorite Twitter friends and sharing the shiny happy goodness.

Part of the deal was that we’d feed them appetizers and cupcakes, and in exchange, they’d hold a cupcake and we’d get to brag about them. So here’s where we get to brag about them.

Thanks to all of our cupcake models for being so flexible and fabulous and fun! F(cubed). And VERY special thanks to Chris Vaughn for photographing our cupcakes and models! He is fabulous to work with, so nice, so genuine, so lovely. THANK YOU, CHRIS!

In no particular order, we present ten of our twenty cupcake models:

Tim McDonald

The Aloha | Owner, Zoom Real Estate | Vernon Hills, IL

If you could gift Foiled cupcakes to any celebrity, who would it be? Why?
I would gift to Matthew McConaughey so Lori could get to meet him when I delivered them.

Why we like Tim:
Not only did he take the train in from the north burbs to start his cupcake modeling career, but he also takes cupcakes back to his girlfriend on the same train. That’s LUV.

Erin Dorr

Minted | Managing Editor, Imagination Publishing | Chicago, IL

Now that you’re a bona fide cupcake model, what are you going to do with your career?
Pursue cupcake modeling full time… IN SPACE. (accompanied by an awesome drawing of a space shuttle.)

Why we like Erin:
She dances like a maven. Seriously.

Chidinma Asonye

The Cinnful Apple | Associate, Prospect Partners, LLC | Chicago, IL

What song does the cupcake you’re modeling remind you of?
“Oops, I Did it Again!” by Britney Spears. It’s delicious in a naughty way!

Why we like Chidinma:
She has amazing fashion sense. So much so we asked her to be our first guest blogger. Stay tuned.

Steve McClellan

Partners in Crime | University of Chicago, Freedman Lab | Chicago, IL

If you could gift Foiled Cupcakes to any celebrity, who would it be?
Sometimes, when I stare deep into Steve Buscemi’s eyes, I feel like he could really use some cupcakes. Ditto Conor Oberst.

Why we like Steve:
He’s ruggedly handsome. And he loves his mom.

Scott Bishop

Lemonade Stand | Founder, Flash Filler | Chicago, IL and St. Louis, MO

What song does the cupcake you’re modeling remind you of?
“Friends Forever” from Zack Attack. Because SBTB helped shape me as a man so everything reminds me of Friends Forever…

Why we like Scott:
His goal is to be the next Fabio. But with better hair. And he’s almost as funny as Conan and Kimmel combined.

Lauren Reiff

The Pom Pom | Marketing Gal, Upshot | Chicago, IL

First impressions of Foiled Cupcakes, please?
Incredible. I could eat them ALL DAY. And night.

Why we like Lauren:
She’s the first girl who posed with her cupcake in a pensive way. We like that our cupcakes inspire deep thoughts.

Dave Van de Walle

PB No J | Owner, Area 224 | Evanston, IL

First impressions of Foiled Cupcakes, please?
Allow me to call in sick for the next week while I reminisce.

Why we like Dave:
He wants to form a cupcake modeling union. “Cupcake Models of the World UNITE!”

Barbara Maldonado

Pinkalicious So Delicious | Business Development Manager, Marketing Resources, Inc. | Oak Park, IL

Now that you’re a bona fide cupcake model, what are you going to do with your career?
Use it to get me on the Bachelorette. I need a date!

Why we like Barbara:
She’s sassy and she’s got a big mouth. As in she tells a lot of people about us. XO!

Gregg Jaffe

Ooey Gooey | Owner, Big Teeth Productions, Inc. | Chicago, IL

Now that you’re a bona fide cupcake model, what are you going to do with your career?
“I’d like to help out the needy people in, like, such as, the Iraq, and the Minnesota, like…”

Why we like Gregg:
Gregg’s other half is awesome. We like Gregg. We love Elise.

Brandon Zeman

Caffeine Fix | Internet Marketing Coordinator, Lakeshore Branding | Chicago, IL

The first time your taste buds experienced Foiled Cupcakes?
It was about as good as what it’ll be like when the Cubs win the World Series.

Why we like Brandon:
Brandon is a manly man. He’s manly enough that he’s going to let cupcakes into his Man’s club.

10 more to come. Stay tuned!

And big special thanks to Stephanie Perrin for editing these photos.