lampwork cupcake beads by keiara

These beautiful lampwork beads are by Keiara, an artist in the UK. I love the little sprinkle details. She has several other beautiful pieces on her site. I found these while searching for cupcake jewelry and discovered a whole world of mini handmade cupcakes. The polymer clay ones really inspired me and are a better medium for me to start with instead of glass. Since my paper mache project hasn't completely dried yet I'm going to pick up a few blocks of Sculpy clay and see what I can come up with. I love trying all these different mediums but still having a theme to stick to. It gives me more focus I think and definitely makes it fun.

cupcake baby hat by artology

Awwww. How absolutely adorable is this baby and her little cupcake hat? A seller on Etsy makes them in several styles. All just deliciously sweet. I wouldn't mind one for me! I think it would make a perfect night cap. Visit Artology on Etsy.

fuzzy felted cupcakes

I haven't tried to felt wool yet. The process still indimidates me somewhat but when I see really great pieces of felted wool, like flowers, caps and even bags, I think it might be something I'll try one day. These felted wool cupcakes are too sweet! I can see a bunch of pillow cupcakes like these on a little (or big) girl's bed. I found these earlier on the Crafster website. Here's the tutorial.

apple tart cake

It's been over 13 years since I needed a baby bag and none of the ones I had ever looked like this. I love this bag by Petunia Picklebottom (how adorable is that name?). Made with Italian cut velvet, this framed style bag is from their line called 'Cake'. They run about $349 so not exactly cheap. I wish they made regular bags in the same style for 'veteran' mommies. I'd love to add this to my carpet bag collection. This green one is called 'Apple Tart Cake'. They also have Red Velvet, Chocolate Decadence and Gooseberry. Yummy!

winter blooms

This was last night's experiment. I wanted to try making rolled roses but didn't want to start with the really nice fabrics right away. Since it's still wet and cold outside I was really drawn to the brightly colored fleece at Joann's. They were also 40% off. The first one I tried was too loose and floppy, kinda like a head of lettuce. So I rolled them tighter and played with each one. I got better as I went along. I threw a few of them on my winter gear for the impromtu shoot. Note to self: Put serger on my wish list.

chocolate fix

This one really is named Chocolate Fix. Very rich, almost dense with creamy buttercream frosting and chocolate shavings. Perfect with a cuppa tea (with milk). My son and I shared this one after lunch. He's on a short day schedule all week for finals. Thank you Cupcake Craving.

pretty jewels

I picked up the new issue of Country Living yesterday and found this page on fabic flower necklaces. I especially love the third one down. I know these are really popular right now and a quick look on Etsy confirmed how popular. I've always wanted to do fabric flowers. I made some for the back of my wedding dress (16 years ago!) but haven't really done anything serious since. I found a few great tutorials online last night which gave me an idea for a project. Perfect since it looks like the paper mache might take a while. So I think I'll hit the thrift shop today and hunt around for possible materials.

ppm project part2

What I learned from this project: January is not the best time to try pulp paper mache. It's been raining here for nearly 2 weeks and I think there's too much moisture in the air. These are still pretty moist. The only one that is nearly dry is the bottom half of the large cupcake because it's hollow. I painted it just to see what it would look like. So I'll let them dry out and see what happens at the end of the week. My son suggested making 'Hagrid's rock cakes' with the mini ones. I think that's not a bad idea.

pulp paper mache project

It turns out I didn't need as much newspaper as I thought. Once I decided what I wanted to make I only used about 3/4 of yesterday's paper. I cut it into strips then into smaller pieces. The instructions I found online said to either soak the paper overnight or use boiling water and soak for a few hours. After 2-3 hours I squeezed the water out and had pulp. I added salt to keep mold from growing then I mixed in the craft glue. Next I filled a mini muffin tray with the pulp making sure to really push the mix in. I added more to shape the top. You can either leave it out to dry which takes longer, or put it in the oven for 2 hours (@ 200) to speed up drying. Now I wait and see how they turn out.

hello world

"When you look at a cupcake, you've got to smile."

---Ann Bryn

I see cupcakes everywhere. Ever since I found this quote by Ann Bryn, author of Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor. I've been searching for creative inspiration all winter. Online. Offline. Nothing really hit me until I came across a cupcake on marthastewart.com. It really did make me smile which led to a search for quotes about cupcakes. There it was. Then came the idea to use these sweet little things as a theme for my projects. So that's what I'll blog about.

And of course I'll blog about real cupcakes too. There just happens to be a yummy gourmet cupcake store 1/2 a mile from me. Too close and too dangerous so I've been avoiding it all summer. But resistance is futile. I walked in the other day 'just to see' and there it was sitting under glass calling to me. The last one. Golden and lemony with sunny frosted peaks and swirls. Sigh. So much for the 2 baby miles I walked that morning. First bite. Tart and sweet. Like a brisk walk on a crisp spring day. Second bite. Yummy lemon custard filling! Ok I'll only eat half and save the other half for my son. Fifth bite. I did save him the last quarter, stuffed into the miniature paper cup I got for water. Bad bad mommy.

Today is Day #1 for my cupcake project. I should clarify that I mean a paper mache one, not a baked one. That means gathering supplies (i.e. lots of newspapers). Since we stopped getting the paper I'll have to see where I can grab a bunch. So I'm off now. Maybe I'll pick up the rest of that cupcake for my son. Maybe he'll share with me!