RED GERANIUM COTTAGE CUPCAKE SWAP - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Sharon, over at Red Geranium Cottage, has finally received my package of goodies for the cupcake swap, so I think it's safe to reveal what I sent to her. I wanted to give her a cupcake party in a box, and she received the following: Funfetti cake mix, Funfetti frosting (I wanted to send her the pink one, but I could only find vanilla, so I had to settle for that), pink cupcake wrappers with pink polka dots (can't send out something without some polka dots involved somewhere now can I?), a small Martha Stewart cupcake take-out box (in case Sharon wants to give a few of those cupcakes to her neighbors), four adorable little cupcake candles to light up her party, a cupcake banner, and, last, but not least, a cupcake hat (you can't have a party without a party hat now, can you?), and I knew Sharon would be brave enough to wear it, at least once! She didn't disappoint me either. Take a peek at Sharon's blog and see how fab she looks in it!

Cupcake P-A-R-T-Y Banner

This is made from a 4-ply paper for the backing which I traced a whole cupcake pattern on.to Next, I cut out various papers with stripes to resemble cupcake wrappers. Polka-dotted (there's those pesky polka-dots again) and glittered papers were used to look like frosting with non-pareils and sugar coating. Of course, you can't have a cupcake without a cherry on top - those were made with red foil holographic paper. The frosting part of the cupcake was also outlined with silver glitter just to add a little extra sparkle. Letters were printed off the computer and backed with a crepe paper streamer that I gathered up on the sewing machine. I used spray adhesive to attach the papers and then weighted it down with heavy books for a couple of hours to make sure it was going to hold. It's a good idea to put a sheet of waxed paper between the paper and books to make sure they don't stick together. When it was all done I put paper tabs on the back and strung a ribbon through. It can easily be folded flat for easy storage. I do love to make banners, and it this was a lot of fun!

Cupcake Hat

Now on to the hat! Believe it or not, I purchased just about everything I used to make the hat at Walmart. This included an 8" round kraft box, lots and lots of pins with white tops on them, paper in various shades of pink, a Martha Stewart hydrangea punch (I also use her glitter because it's really good and comes in lots of nice colors), and an 8" half styrofoam ball for the frosting. The cupcake wrapper, lining, foam cushion, and ribbon were out of my stash. The cherry on top is made from a styrofoam ball, painted red, glittered and attached with a piece of floral wire. The wrapper is made from several strips of paper that I accordian folded. I'd tell you exactly how to make this hat, but I'm afraid I would bore you to death, so if you really want to know, just ask. I've made lots of hats and crowns, each one different, but all are great fun to create. Just let your imagination go wild!

S.W.A.K.

GRAND REVIVAL FABRIC STASH

Here's my stash of Grand Revival fabrics designed by Tanya Whelan. The three on the right are my most recent acquisitions. I'm supposed to make a purse out of those three (the Amy Butler Frenchy Bag), but I always have a hard time cutting into fabric that I love so much. Help!

S.W.A.K.

PRINCESS AND THE TEA

Frannie and I love going to tea houses. This is our fourth tea room this year. We recently visited Teaberry's. A lovely tea room in a beautiful victorian house.

Frannie brought her favorite "Just Like You" American Girl doll, Lauren, along with her. Teaberry's has high chairs and tea sets just the right size for your favorite doll.

Frannie ordered the "Princess Tea". It is perfect for young ladies under the age of 10. It came with her very favorite cucumber sandwiches, a scone with whipped cream and strawberry preserves, yummy bite-sized desserts, and her very own pot of lemonade.

I ordered the Duchess' Delight which was equally delicious. I was served a pot of tea, lima bean and corn chowder (yummy!), an assortment of tea sandwiches, a scrumptuous lemon scone with lemon curd and clotted cream (the best lemon scone I have ever tasted), and a lovely assortment of petite pastries.

So far, we have also visited the T-Party Tea Room in Darien, CT (which is no longer), The Drawing Room in Cos Cob, CT, and The Enchanted Teapot in Norwalk, CT. If you're in the Norwalk area, stop in at The Enchanted Teapot. It is an ecclectic tea room owned by two sisters. They serve a lovely tea at very reasonable prices. Worth the trip. I've been there four times in the last several months.

The Enchanted Teapot

If you know of any nice tea rooms, please share them with me. I'm always searching for another one to visit.

S.W.A.K.

BEAD KNITTED CHANGE PURSE

I LOVE making bead knitted purses. I have an addiction to it. I love the feel of it and I love all the colors beads come in. You can get silver or copper-lined beads, transparent, opaque, rainbow, metallic, high-luster pearl, etc. My favorite beads are the ones that really sparkle! People are always amazed when they see me working on a project like this. I tell them they can do it too. If you can do a simple knit stitch, increase and decrease, you can make a beautiful bead knitted purse. The most difficult part is adjusting to the very thin needles, size 0000, and transferring the beads to the size 8 thread. The purse here is made with size 11, silver-lined seed beads. It is sewn into a silver colored frame with a kiss-lock closure. How about that? Frannie's shoes match the purse. She loves sparkly things too!

S.W.A.K.

HAVE PILLOW - WILL TRAVEL

These travel-sized pillows are perfect to take along on a trip, whether it be by plane (your own personal pillow), train or in the car. They are also great for when you want to lounge in your favorite chair and need just a little something for behind your neck or the small of your back. They're quick and easy to make. Perfect for gifts. Use some of those novelty fabrics you love!

S.W.A.K.

ROUND AND ROUND SHE GOES

The perfect summer evening for a ride on the merry-go-round at Festival Italiano 2008 in Westport, CT.

S.W.A.K.

MORE SHOES

These flip flops are very easy to make. Trace a flip flip onto a piece of poster board. Using this as your pattern, trace onto a decorative paper and glue onto the poster board base (I used a spray glue). Stack a couple of books on top to dry and keep it flat. I always place a sheet of waxed paper between the books and the glued object. Next, glue two pieces of decorative paper together (back-to-back) and cut out a v-shape - this is the thong part of the flip flop. After the base is dry, cut a slit on each side of the flip flop and insert ends of the v-shape. Glue or tape down ends on the bottom side. Next, use a brad to hold the thong and base of the shoe together. Voila! You're done. I used these as thank you gifts for teachers at the end of the school year. Inside, the card read, "Have A Cool Summer" and it was included with a gift certificate for ice cream. They all loved it!

S.W.A.K.