Cupcake Pix Tutorial

I get bored. I have to keep my hands moving. When I was planning my wedding I had scraps and scraps of paper left over from the invites and save the dates and etc etc that I made. I didn't like the idea of throwing the scraps away. I'm frugal like that! I had some drink stir sticks left over from a different project. So, together with the scraps I made some pretty fancy pix for my cupcakes. I also make them to stick in sandwiches and pie when I am home alone and want to feel like I'm celebrating something.

Here's what I used: A paper trimmer, scissors, hot glue gun, drink stir sticks and 8x11 scrapbook paper or any paper that you have that you can cut into strips..... (To get the lace trimmed flags I used a Martha Stewart paper edger that I found on clearance at Micheals craft store)

First, Cut your paper into strips using your paper trimmer. They don't have to be the same width. I like to mix it up a bit. Skinny, fat etc.

The stir sticks I used were longer than I wanted my pix to be. So, I cut them shorter while my hot glue gun was heating up. You can also use toothpicks but I happened to have the stir sticks left over from something else, waste not, want not!

Now that you have your sticks cut and your glue gun is hot, take your strips of paper and cut them into sections. I make sure not to make a crease in my paper.

Once you have your pieces cut, put a little got glue on the center of your strips like soo....

 While the glue is nice and sticky take your stick and place it in the glue before it loses its gooeyness. Now twist your stick a little to coat it with the hot glue all over the tip and fold your paper so it closes over the tip like a book closing on a book mark (Make sense?)........

When you're all done with that step the easy part begins. I did this while I sat on the couch, watching Trueblood. Use your scissors to cut a "V" shape in your flag. Or use your paper edger to make a fancy edge.

If you want to dress them up and personalize them you could always add a glittery initial sticker to the flag! I kept mine plain. I wouldn't recommend that you use glitter on the flags! There's a chance that the glitter will fall into your icing or drink if you're using them as drink markers. And I am sure it wouldn't taste good!

 I'm sorry I didn't make cupcakes to stick these beauties in! I really wish Iwould've now that I think about it! I've wanted orange cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting for a while now!  

Cupcake Pix

 I am sharing these photos with you because a friend of mine needed ideas for cupcake decorations for an upcoming party she is throwing for a co-worker! I love cupcake pix! These pix in particular were super easy and who doesn't like easy when it comes to DIY?  In a few days I will be posting the Tutorial so you can make your own!

My favorite Tool.

Recently a friend of mine announced that her and her husband had split up and that they were filing for divorce. She's struggling with the idea and asked for some advice. You know, because I am the voice of reason........really? She asked me how I got through it myself. I had to think about it for a while since this is a volatile time in a woman's life. You have to be careful of what you say! I don't want to tell her about the things I did in the attempt to achieve peace and tranquility.....mostly it could get you arrested and honestly.....it didn't help me! It made me laugh.....but over all it did not work at all. But there is one thing I did to help distract me from the things that I wanted to do........

So, if I had to pass on a "TOOL" to help a woman get through a tough time it would most definitely be a book!

Not just any book.

I cannot wait! Eeek!

When I was at the beginning of my not-so-pretty break up, a friend of mine (who I think was pretty tired of seeing me cry and listening to my drama) gave me a stack of books that she thought I would enjoy. This came at the perfect time since my boys were set to spend their first weekend at their dads new place.

I seriously needed a distraction. Otherwise I was going to do something stupid.....like call my ex every 20 minutes to make sure his new girlfriend wasn't cooking for the boys or trying to make them call her Mom! Ewww! I popped a bag of popcorn, cut up an apple, opened up a fresh jar of Nutella and plopped down on the couch with my stack of books. As I sorted through them I realized that it was a series of books. And you guessed it, all by the wonderful Janet Evonovich! "One for the Money" obviously is book #1! So, I began to read. I had never heard of the series and didn't bother to read the back of the book to find out what the jest of the book would be. An hour into my veg session and I was hooked! I instantly fell in love with the characters! It was just the distraction I needed. ( And probably saved me from getting myself arrested...I'm not perfect)

I realize that a book cannot make you completely forget about your worries. But, as I've said a million times,  reading can be a sweet escape from it for a short period of time. Books can give you hope. A good story can inspire you and make you laugh. And a story can also make you cry. This series has never made me cry! That is why I think it's the perfect tool to get you through that tough time in your life!

I'd like to take this time to thank Janet Evonovich for creating such a fantastic series. (The Stephanie Plum series.) I truly believe it helped me get through my divorce. I love how Stephanie is stumbling through her own life after a divorce, granted she hits a lot of speed bumps along the way, blowing up cars and etc. But that's what makes it so great! She is far from perfect but perfectly great at the same time. Does that make sense? Anyway, don't wait for the movie! Get the book and be prepared to laugh!

See it. Want it. Make it.

I am an Etsy.com fan! I have an Etsy shop where I have a handful of things listed for sale. Necklaces and cupcake pix mostly. The few things that I do have for sale do not represent a fraction of the things that I make. I'm the friend that you call when you see something you like and decide that you have to have it for your wedding, birthday party, grad party, bridal shower....well, you get the idea. I make things, crafty things. Things to decorate your space during a party or celebration. I make invitations and party favors. I don't know how I became that friend, the one you call when you need something done (not the assassin friend. NOT that kind of need something done!) But, I get it done.

This week I'm working on cupcake pix or cupcake toppers. Cupcakes are a big thing right now. You can get these fancy decorative stands to display them on or cool wrappers! The possibilities are endless. People love them. Cupcake pix are like the fancy wheels you put on a car! They make any piece of crap look cool! I've made cupcake pix for many occasion. A divorce party! A few birthday parties! Baby Showers! Graduation Parties! Weddings! Going away parties. Blah blah blah! They are really easy to make and honestly if you're limited on time it's still one of those projects that you can do! Seriously! All, you need to make a simple cupcake topper is: Toothpicks, scrapbook paper, a computer, scissors, hot glue gun and a glue stick. I would avoid using glitter.....I know this from experience. It does not taste good on lemon cupcakes!

But if you want to get super fancy you can add rhinestones or ribbon etc. Like I said endless possibilities! I made minnie mouse pix for my daughters 2nd birthday. They were the first ones I ever made. I was browsing Etsy for ideas for her party, ran across the theme and decided hey I can do that! So I did! Don't be afraid to try things. You'd be surprised at how empowering it is to tackle a project and come out victorious. Even if you don't make the best cupcake topper in the universe, YOU made it! That makes it special and if you turn it into a family project then that's even more special! So, the next time you see something crafty and you think you need it. MAKE IT! Or find a friend who can! :)