HALLOWEEN CONTEST ICON

I would love it if someone out there in blogland would post my Halloween contest icon on their site - we need to make this a little more interesting. Thanks in advance. Don't forget to sign up for the polka-dot and rick rack swap at Red Geranium Cottage. That picture is adorable!

S.W.A.K.

CUPCAKE GOODNESS

I received my cupcake goodies from my swap partner, Sharon, at Red Geranium Cottage. It was like taking out at all the goodies in my stocking on Christmas morning. What fun! Look at everything I received:

Inside the box were cupcake wrappers, pick, tins, non-pareils, mini heart-shaped silicone baking cups, a really clever measuring spoon, cupcake take-out box, stickers, bath fizzy, cupcake card with polka-dot handkerchief inside (I do love those polka dots!), 500 Cupcakes book (love, love love), a cake tester with a little cupcake on top (it's sticking out of the book), and also a cupcake wristlet that Sharon made (adorable!). Also,

Is this cute or what? It can hold photos or recipe cards. Wait, something's missing! Oh, there it is. Somebody, whose name is Frannie, took this out of the box when I wasn't looking.

This is an adorable little quilt that Sharon made. I hope you don't mind Sharon, but please feel honored because next to this little crib is another bed:

And upon that bed sits Frannie's favorite doll, Lauren, along with the doll quilt my grandmother made when I was a little girl.

And one more thing Sharon, I'm honored that I was picked in the contest, but just reading your blog and seeing your photos is prize enough. Keep 'em coming!

Next post, contest (giveaway) details, stay tuned.

S.W.A.K.

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.