Friday, June 29, 2012

DIY Cupcake Wrapper Bunting Tutorial

My daughter's 1st birthday is just around the corner and I'm so excited.  A few days ago I posted this photo on Instagram.  I found this lovely garland idea from my blog friend Coco Cake Cupcakes and she saw the inspiration from a blog called Petunia.  I thought I'd put together my first DIY tutorial with this Cupcake Wrapper Bunting (or garland if you prefer).
This project is perfect for those dud cupcake wrappers.  You know the ones... the expensive, bright and pretty designs that end up fading when you bake cupcakes.  I was lucky to find these colorful wrappers at the Dollar Store which were in packages of 60.  I was suspicious of the good deal even though I bought them for this project... and true enough, they faded when I baked cupcakes.

Estimated Total Project Time:  1.5 hours
What you will need: 
  • Your color inspiration:  Mine is this Winnie the Pooh picture which is the theme of the dessert table
  • Kitchen string/twine, scissors and measuring tape
  • Large needle
  • Cupcake Wrappers:  Approx. 40 per feet of garland you want to make.  I made 12 feet which was a total of 480 wrappers.
Step 1:  Get your Cupcake Wrappers ready.  Cut the length (plus a little extra) of the garland you need.  Tie a knot in one end and thread the needle on the other side.
Step 2: Make your first foot of the garland.  Start randomly sewing through the center of the cupcake wrappers.  Put them forward, backward, large, small and open some of them up all while trying to match your color inspiration.  Once you have done about 40 wrappers, you have a foot.
Step 3:  Tie a knot after each foot.  This will help so that they don't separate in weird spaces when you hang them up and so that you can always add to the garland if you want to make it longer.
Step 4:  Keep sewing until you are done.  It does get easier after the first foot.  Similar to dealing out cards, sort your cupcake wrappers.  I found it easy to keep them in piles of 20 and keeping in mind the color inspiration.   Then I sewed 2 piles together and tied a knot after each foot.
I made 12 feet which ended up being 480 cupcake wrappers.  Since I purchased the cupcake wrappers at the dollar store, this project cost less than $10.  I hope you enjoyed this DIY - have a great weekend!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

4th Birthday Cake: Thomas & Friends Cake

Actually, Thomas the Train is not on this cake... we have Diesel 10, Gordon, James and Henry which is the little boys favorites - all handmade out of sugarpaste.  The top tier of the cake was chocolate sour cream cake and the bottom tier was vanilla butter cake.
I have been lucky enough to design Reed's cakes for many years.  On his 1st birthday, it was his favorite stuffed animal.  On his 2nd birthday, it was and Elmo cake - see 2nd design . On his 3rd birthday, I actually wasn't available as it was too close to my baby due date and I wasn't taking any cake orders.  I wonder what he will be interested in when he turns 5! 

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Sea Creature Cupcakes

A quick post today to start off your weekend... cute little sea creature cupcakes!  Which one is your favorite?  I can't decide between the octopus or crab.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Star Trek Cake n' Cupcakes

One of my very popular blog posts is the Starship Enterprise surprise grooms cake. These cakes and cupcakes are for all the Star Trek fans out there:  Live Long and Prosper!

The cake was for a 40th birthday celebration and the flavor was neopolitan - one of my favorites!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Bob the Builder Cupcakes

Hope you are enjoying your weekend and Happy Father's Day!  I thought these Bob the Builder cupcakes would be appropriate for your handyman husband, Dad or Grandpa.
 Or maybe he isn't so handy, but that's okay too - Happy Father's Day!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Crocodile Cake

You don't want to meet up with one of these... unless of course it is cake!  I created this fun crocodile cake for a little boys birthday party which was being held at at reptile zoo near Toronto, Reptilia.  How great is that?
I was asked to make a crocodile with the colors from the party graphics and make it more realistic, than cartoony.  I selected the wonderful blue with some green accents and tried to match it with the gecko in the design.
I was so happy with how it turned out.  When I finished the cake, I emailed some photos over to my little nephew since I was telling him about it the day before.  This is what he said.  :-)
"WOW -- I'm a little scared of it- but not too much.  I wish I could eat that when it has a candle on it."   Maseo, Age 4

Friday, June 8, 2012

Lego Cake n' Cupcakes

I had an order for a dozen Lego cupcakes for a boys birthday party.  I just happen to have some extra cake and a little extra times, so I thought I would surprise them with a matching cake!
How fun is that!  I love that I can do that extra little thing for my clients.  I always ensure that I never overbook myself and really take my time with quoting prices in order to estimate the true time it takes.  This allows me to handle any bumps along the road and also to do something extra for my clients.  
I love when I have a chance to over-deliver!  And this is something that I will be talking about as I am a featured speaker at the Do What You Love Telesymposium hosted by Dreamsmith.

It would be great if you could join this live phone-in event.  There are 9 speakers in total, 1 featured every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 12pm EDT from June 12 - 28.  I love how Dreamsmith says "The things that light you up are the things you need to be doing" - That is so true for both your professional and personal life!

I hope you will join the free speaker series, I will be featured on Thursday, June 21st.  Details here.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Roger Vivier Purse & Shoe Cake

I had a lot of fun selecting the design for this surprise 50th birthday cake.  I was told that the birthday girl loved the designer Roger Vivier and to use some spring colors.

There was so many wonderful designs to choose from.  I ended up selecting the New Bauletto Metro purse for the wonderful color and also a good cake shape.
I also chose the Pink Cut-out Flat Ballet Shoes because I had never made flat shoes before, only high heels.  As it turns out, the birthday girl has 5 pairs of his flats!  :-)

Friday, June 1, 2012

I love what I do!

The other day I posted this photo on Instagram: one of my cake clients left this thank-you card and gift in my mailbox - what a sweet surprise!  I sure love what I do!
On the same note, in a few short weeks, I will be a featured speaker at the Do What You Love Telesymposium.   This free event is hosted by Dreamsmith whose motto is to Live Big, Be Happy and Change the World.

It would be great if you could join this live phone-in event.  There are 9 speakers in total, 1 featured every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 12pm EDT from June 12 - 28.  I love how Dreamsmith says "The things that light you up are the things you need to be doing" - That is so true for both your professional and personal life!

I hope you will join the free speaker series, I will be featured on Thursday, June 21st.  Details here.