Backyard Tic Tac Toe with Painted Stones is the newest addition to our yard. I love making something new to add to the yard once the weather changes for the better. Simple additions that blend in with the existing landscaping are my favorite. Painting regular yard features is a simple staple. Backyard tic tac toe with painted stones is super simple and super cute. This outdoor twist on the timeless game is so cute. Kids playing outside is one of…
Do you have a mini Harry Potter fan in your household? Are you one yourself? This house is full of fans young and old(er). When our oldest started to become a superfan it was one of the highlights of my life. As her birthday approached I knew it had to be Harry Potter themed. Thing was though, it’s not like it was when I was growing up with Harry Potter merch everywhere. Granted, it is still everywhere, but for the…
The best Christmas gift for kids isn’t difficult to figure out, though most of us overlook it. Put down the Black Friday ads for this one. Yes, really. If you don’t want to take my word for it, just ask Cornell University’s Dr. Gilovich who studied and found money spent on an experience leaves longer lasting happiness than buying things. Sure we all remember that amazing thing we received that one year, but if you think about it now, is…
Easy Emoji Cupcakes! Not sure what it is, but faces always seem difficult to achieve in cake decorating. Knowing that, I was always totally intimidated by making emoji cupcakes. Seriously. These simple emotional circles seemed to be a challenge I just steered clear of. Well, thanks to a cupcake class I took, Wilton replaced my fear : / with enthusiasm : D . Insert big grinning emoji here. Now it’s your turn to see how I made these Easy Emoji…
Hoppy Easter everyone! Ok, so it is way past Easter. Still, these are super adorable and it is always a good time for a new cupcake idea, right? I learned how to do these bunny cottontail cupcakes when I took a class at Michaels. Looking at them seemed more complicated than it turned out to be. Always a pleasant surprise! Bunny Cottontail Cupcakes don’t have to be reserved for Easter. Any springtime event or for any bunny lover’s birthday would…
If you’ve surfed around my blog at all you probably saw the Homemade Hopscotch I made for the kiddos last summer. Each year when the weather warms up and we have all thawed from the blizzardy winter we like to create a new toy or activity to get the kids outside. Two years ago we bought them swings, last year was the homemade hopscotch. Both simple and affordable and fun! This year we were a little more stuck on what…
Color swirl cupcakes! I always marveled at the technique that must be used on cakes and cupcakes to reach a multi-toned look. It always looked amazing, but not like something I would ever have the skill (or patience) to pull off. Color swirl cupcakes were just not going to be produced by me, until Wilton’s new ColorSwirl 3-Color Coupler came out. The method to swirl frosting colors before this invention was an intricate balance of smooshing the frosting into opposing…
This summer I was honored to be asked by a friend to make Hulk Smash Birthday Cupcakes and a Smash Cake for her little one’s birthday. Cakes for kids are some of my favorite kinds to create. She gave me a few guidelines and I ran with it. Hulk Smash Cupcakes for a small crowd, and a Hulk Smash-Smash Cake for the birthday boy himself. Never having done a superhero birthday before, but being swept up in the hype of…
This is THE BEST FROSTING EVER!!! Seriously. There are a lot of recipes out there that claim to be “the best ever.” Nothing is more perfect than this hybrid of fresh whipped cream/cream cheese frosting. It is light, creamy, cool, smooth, flavorful, not too sweet, and perhaps best of all, it pairs well with every cake I’ve ever tried it on. It also colors extremely well too. My whipped cream/cream cheese frosting is what I’ve been covering cupcakes with for…
Rainbow Dust metallic food paint tips and tricks is nothing I ever thought I’d be writing about. Metallic food paint is a new dimension to cake decorating I just discovered. I found it as a side note when watching some baking videos on youtube. A small piece of fondant was being painted as an accent to a much larger design with bronze Rainbow Dust metallic food paint. It caught my attention as my husband’s orders for Volkswagen Cupcakes had been…