Friday, February 11, 2011

Don't Eat These Cupcakes

new valentines decorations

Happy Valentine's Day!


Valentine decorations are kind of cheap and cheesy.  I like to put a little something out each holiday, but I'm not flipped over the glittery foam hearts that we find half-chipped at all our favorite craft stores.  The way I see it, if they can't last long enough to find themselves in one piece for the purchaser, why should I put two bucks on the counter so that I can bring them home to my lively young bunch of busy fingers?


I've seen pictures of adorable cupcakes such as these.  Many of them are much more intricate than mine, posted above.  I can tell you that I have made mine out of scrap wool bits.  I've even stuffed the frosting with drier lint!  I used whatever beads I already had on hand.  I stitched around each section twice, with double thread.  These are pretty tough little pastries.  So, kids, Happy Valentines!  Mommies, these are cheaper, less waste, and more fun.


Assuming that my reader is already familiar with the felting process used with this wool (if not, just ask me in the comment section - its easy and fun!), I made sure to use the ribbed cuff from a sweater for the "paper".  To stuff the inside of this portion, I just rolled more wool and tucked it inside.




cutting the cake



getting stuffed



For the little cake, I had to guess twice.  I'll tell ya, It's bigger than ya think.  Cut out a nice big circle.  I found it easiest to tack it on four even sides first, then stitch snugly around leaving a space for stuffing.  You'll need to use a blind stitch, but wool is much more forgiving than cotton.  You can see in my photo that I've used drier lint from a load of reds.  In this case a white poly fill might show through the dark wool, especially if it is a looser knit.  Some of you might remember Grandma's handwork stuffed in this manner.


Next is the frosting.  You can be creative here.  With this one I've used the seem from a white blazer.  I stitched it on like it was whipped cream, all fancy-like.  Last, and very much not least, I fashioned a cherry to fix atop my little sweet.  Et voilà!


good enough to eat

4 comments:

  1. Those are cute! My favorite is the one with the cherry on top!

    ReplyDelete
  2. They're fun to make, almost as fun as eating a real one. :) You can get so creative with color, beads, etc.

    ReplyDelete

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As long as I'm on this journey, rambling through life's exhilarating highs and trudging heavily amongst it's incapacitating lows, I might as well share whatever may be gleaned from my little bits of wisdom and my many missteps. No room for judgment from this broken mama. I'm writing from my heart: raw, open, messy, but saved. And I'm still thanking God!