You know you’re dedicated when you cut out individual N’sync and Notorious B.I.G. action figures to use as cupcake toppers for a 90’s party…
But seriously, these are awesome.
Like any cupcake flag, after you slice them out very carefully, don’t want to lose a Backstreet Boy, tape them onto toothpicks, and you are good to go.
In case you’re wondering, the cupcakes are Irish Creme, and were epic & delicious.
Boozy cupcakes + 90’s cupcake flags? #Winning.
So I still have a fascination with this whole “measuring” feature on my paper cutter. If I could go back to the days when I measured with a ruler and cut with an exact-o knife…I wouldn’t.
A few weeks ago I whipped up this set of thank-you cards. I already had the ‘thank you’ part printed out since I used them for my niece’s birthday party, and I hoard save things to “use them later.”
The blue paper was left over from my ombre Tiffany card project, and the dashed line cardstock I already had in-house.
A little slicing, a little glue stick action, and it’s thank you card game time.
I really like how these cards coordinate as a set.
Oh, and I still have more of the ‘thank you’ pieces to use up, so I’m sure you will see another variation of these on CP soon.
And who knows? Maybe I’ll even bake some cupcakes again soon, once I get this whole “work life balance” thing to stop being such a myth. Green velvet for St. Patrick’s Day anyone?
So I love cake. Like, literally love cake.
And Tiffany’s. And cake plates. And any sort of project that involves hot glue.
Saving the world, one hot glue gun burn at a time? I like to think so.
When my bff was in town this weekend, we whipped up this DIY tiffany blue cake stand.
The base is a candle holder, and the top is a dinner plate. I was a “maxinista” (#shamerattle) and procured both of these items for less than $10.
Add a little hot glue, and you have a cake stand.
Seriously, I could give the chick who made the ‘redneck wine glasses’ a run for her money with these.
#Love.
Now, all I need is some cake.
So I finally figured out that my paper cutter has this amazing feature, where it measures paper right as you cut.
That Martha Stewart, she thinks of everything.
And don’t judge, I would have figured this out sooner if I had actually read the directions…
Anyways, this is a vast improvement over measuring everything with a ruler.
So slicing and dicing custom cards is now pretty quick. Which is good when you’re getting ready for girls night out breakfast at tiffany’s birthday dinner and still haven’t started the cards…
But these went quick. I started off with 4 different shades of Tiffany blue for an ombre effect, in 12 x 12 paper.
Trim these down to fit in A6 envelopes.
Then a quick run through the printer to customize.
And done.
(For reals, I need to learn how to do letterpress to uplevel the wow here.)
I even got these sweet transparent envelopes to make sending the cards super fun.
But seriously? This whole “distance to the blade” feature is changing my life.
We all know that I sort of, well, enjoy kraft paper. A lot.
Here’s the roundup of my holiday projects that involved kraft paper. And yes, I know it is well over a month since Christmas passed, but considering that I just took down my tree last weekend…it’s still holiday time here.
You can use it to make table runners, like this.
I really love this idea. Plus, you can do fun things like handwritten place settings or scrawl the menu out. (I did not do those things because it was only Christmas Eve and I needed to keep my over-the-top-ness to a minimum. Which was hard.)
Kraft paper also makes great invitations. Like the one for my Christmas Eve Spectacular.
(Yes, I send out invites to Christmas Eve dinner…hence the reason I had to keep the table runner simple.)
Or, you can use it to make Christmas cards.
This one was for my boss. She reads a lot of romance novels, which we jokingly refer to as “The Cowboy and the Princess.”
And it’s a great way to wrap presents. Plus, yarn is an easy upgrade from your basic ribbon.
Alright, I’m back to krafting. I mean, crafting.
So a while back (and by ‘while’ I mean in September, #shamerattles), a friend came to visit and we got into some serious Cricut action.
The result?
These super-sweet window leaf cupcake flags. Perfect for fall. Displayed on carrot cake and my-favorite-ever-cream cheese frosting.
Just cut out all the shapes, assemble with glue, and then attach the finished flags to toothpicks.
I like to use glue sticks for this type of work, hence the magazine laid out for scrap paper / workplace protector. I’ve tried rubber cement and liquid glue, but I remain a big fan of my first-grade glue stick method.
And seriously, get a Cricut. It’s awesome.
Because when you give a girl a Cricut, she’ll probably do a lot of crafts…like a lot a lot.
So I’m back…after an intense three weeks, I finally have some time to get back to CP. But that’s a story for another day.
One of my (many) obsessions lately is cupcake flags. They really just give cupcakes a little something extra…as in extra fabulous.
And cupcake flags are an easy DIY. You need toothpicks, glue or tape, and whatever you want to use as the flag part.
These metallic stars were picked up at Michael’s.
You glue the toothpick to one star, add more glue, and top with a second star.
Normally, I make my flags one-sided, but I was crafting with my BFF, who can be a bit of a craft dictator perfectionist. Which is okay, because then I do the extra steps that I normally skip out of laziness to be efficient.
After we were finished the cupcake flags, it was time for place cards. And we needed place cards to avoid sitting next to anyone weird at family birthday celebration dinner. Which is also another story for another day.
Not having folded tent cards handy, we used flat cards instead. Just glue on a star, and you’re done. We ended up writing the names on with a silver Sharpie, but had we pre-recognized the need for weird family member avoidance, they would have gotten printed pre-stars.
More posts on my variety of cupcake flags to follow…
Nothing says “Christmas” like glitter putting up the tree and setting up the nativity scene.
Well, that and the trifecta of epic Christmas albums (Mariah, Bieber, N’Sync. Duh.).
But seriously. The holidays are one of the only times where it’s socially acceptable to use glitter as an adult.
If you’re looking for a quick, easy, festive holiday DIY with glitter (who isn’t?), then pull out a few mason jars and make glittery candles.
It’s sort of like snowflakes, in a jar.
Just make a glue wash (glue + water) and brush the inside of the mason jars. I used regular ol’ Elmer’s glue, and adding the water helps it brush on easier.
Add glitter of your choice (I like silver) to the inside of the jars, and roll/spin the jar around until the glitter coats the sides.
Let dry, and….done. Simply add a tea light, and you’re good to go.
I brushed the glue almost all the way up to the top, but you could do it at various levels for the mismatched-yet-chic look.
These take about five minutes to make, and definitely give the house a festive look, even when they aren’t lit.
Seriously, iloveglitter.
Yes, I did purchase something called an ‘inkadinkado.’ Shame rattle. Don’t judge, I used a coupon.
I’m going to put this in my hall of fame for best inexpensive craft purchase ever. Sure, I’ve got a Cricut, but who needs a fancy die cutter when I got this entire stamping system for a mere $8? Plus the cost of ink. Coupons folks, coupons.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE.
Inkadinkado Stamping Gear can only be described as “pretty sweet.” Even my brother in law, who generally scoffs at things like envelope liners and all things cakerypapery, said it was cool.
So what exactly is Inkadinkado Stamping Gear? It’s stamping made simple.
The starter kit has four stamp patterns, a stamp block, and a wheel. It was $14.99 at Jo-Ann Fabrics, but there’s always coupons (duh) so you can get it much cheaper.
The idea is, you stamp around the wheel, to make these crazy patterns. The wheel has every other notch marked, so it’s easy to make patterns.
You can stamp in every notch, or every other.
I used this to decorate the envelopes for my niece’s birthday party invites.
Not going to lie, I can’t wait until people receive them in the mail. The patterns made the envelopes super fancy-looking and really gave them something extra. If only they were pink and scented…
This was my first stamping project, and the Stamping Gear made it really easy. I’m excited to get some of the other stamps to try out, and a second stamp block, so I don’t have to switch out stamps to mix patterns. There’s also an oval and circle wheel, for making larger patterns.
Overall, I’m really happy with Stamping Gear. Most impulse purchases don’t turn out this well!
He did the mash…the monster mash!
Brings back memories of my first grade tap dance recital and green dyed leotards with matching tights…
But these monsters are much cooler.
They have glitter. And bats. Cool.
I finally got back into using my Cricut after a long hiatus, and I remember why I love it so much. It’s fast, easy, and you can make really unique stuff.
The die cut for these is on the Cricut “Wild Card” cartridge (appropriate name, right?) and I sliced them with the Cricut set to 3.5 inches. The bats are from the same Cricut cartridge and are at 2.5 inches.
For the background, I used pre-cut cardstock from one of the mat stack books. It’s easier more efficient than cutting from scratch. These cards are from a 4.5 x 6.5 inch mat stack.
I’m also back into making envelope liners.
Envelope liners are an easy DIY. I sacrificed an envelope to make an initial stencil, which is slightly narrower and shorter than the actual envelope. For the liner, I recommend using lightweight paper, not cardstock, as its easier to crease and doesn’t require extra postage. Glue in and you are set.
While I highly doubt anyone notices envelope liners…I like to think they give the cards something extra.
Card + envelope liner.
Ready to do the monster mash yet?
Clearly, I’m just a bit excited for Halloween.
Oh, and I have to dress up at my work…so if anyone has office appropriate Halloween costume ideas, please send them my way!
cakerypapery 