Cupcake Party!

My middle child wanted a cupcake themed party for her recent birthday. Aha! Another theme! So much fun!

I found cupcake necklaces and wooden cupcake cut-out for $1.00 each at Joann's. Then, I purchased baker's hats from Michael's and the girls colored and otherwise decorated the hats. I found a GREAT website/blog called http://www.bakerella.blogspot.com/. She even has a book recently published all based on her baking genius. We made cupcake bites (chocolate poured into candy molds, cake balls pressed into the chocolate and then the tops dipped into colored candy melts). Then, we made cupcake pops - cakeballs on lollipop sticks dipped in chocolate to look like mini cupcakes. We took regular cupcakes and turned those into milkshakes (strawberry cupcakes, ganache, icing to look like whipped cream, gumball to look like a cherry and two mini-straws). Really, what's the fun in making a cupcake look like a cupcake? Finally, we decorated plain cupcakes however we wanted. Using our baker hats and dress-up clothes, we strutted our best cupcakes down the runway in a cupcake fashion show.

Instead of a cake, the birthday girl wanted a cake made out of cupcakes. So, I came up with this. It was a hit!

In the morning, we had muffins and quiche cups to round out the cupcake theme. A great time, indeed! But also so glad it is over!

Capadia Design Challenge

Diane over at Capadia Designs, http://www.capadiadesign.com/2011/05/some-inspiration-and-challenge.html, was hosting a challenge this week based on a take out box from a restaurant. I rotated the image on the box as my design layout for this page.

There wasn't much to journal about, the pictures say it all. So, I used the Rub A Dub nursery rhyme as a springboard to say something fun about these three cousins: Rub a dub, dub. Three cousins in a tub. And who do you think they be? The diva, the shaker, the cupcake baker, Turn 'em out knaves all three!

I used vellum for two of the medium sized circles and mulberry paper for the base behind one. It was fun to revisit these types of papers. They used to be popular about 8 years ago. I still had some in my stash - I used to think they were gold and saved even the tiniest scraps. The little dots running horizontal on each picture were self-adhesive glitter dots. I used buttons on the top L circle and braided, self-adhesive rope in lime green across the middle of the page.

One more page done in getting caught up with the Hailey album. Sigh.

Mother's Day

I have had a terrific Mother's Day. After church, my husband surprised me by renting a pontoon boat on the lake less than a mile from our house. The whole family had a fabulous time eating the picnic lunch he packed, kicking our feet in the still-frigid waters and stretching out for some sun worshipping.

He also got me the Robotz Cricut cartridge and time this afternoon to play with the new cartridge. It has not only a bazillion of the cutest robots, it has a font with a shadow. This whole layout was done with the single cartridge. Although the pictures were four years old, it was fun to revisit them and finally get them scrapped. I wanted to prove that these little robotz weren't just for boy layouts and boy birthday cards!

I am about five years behind on my scrapbook for my oldest daughter, so I have committed to getting her caught up before our Bahama cruise this summer. Maybe I'm CRAZY for thinking I can get it done??? (Comments RE: my level of craziness WILL BE edited for content!) But maybe if I could sprout an extra set of hands like this robot, it wouldn't be out of reach! (get it?)

Have a great Mother's Day!