2011: A Year in Review - Top Blog Posts

I started the year strong, with lots of blog posts, but I had a huge lull from May to November. Despite that, there were some posts that stood out as the most visited. Here they are again, in case you missed them!

5. Chocolate Chip Irish Creme Cupcakes: These are some of the best cupcakes I have ever tasted!

4. Tuesday Tutorial: Cupcake Tower: I have now made several of these and they are a lot of fun!

3. Soccer Party Printables: Taking a queue from TomKat Studios, I designed my own soccer cupcake toppers and posted them as a free download!

2. Mickey Mouse Birthday Party: I made a cupcake tower, homemade cupcakes and lot of other Mickey shaped goodies!


1. Recipe Review: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes from Recipe Girl: I didn't even have time to take pictures of my final product, but this post was a big hit! The pancakes were an even bigger hit. My family went nuts over them!

Well, that about does it for my top 5 blog posts of 2011. Here's to an even better 2012!

Tuesday Tutorial: Cupcake Tower

I have so many projects that I want to write tutorials for, and I've yet to put a single one on my blog- until now. I'm going to start a new series called Tuesday Tutorials.  Sometimes the tutorials will be my own, and sometimes I will spotlight one of my favorite online tutorials with my feedback from the project. Today's tutorial was inspired by a few I've seen online, but I added a few of my own twists. So here goes...my first online tutorial!

DIY Cupcake Tower

Supplies needed

Supplies:

3 cake rounds ( or 3 different size cardboard circles)
6 spools (I found mine in a pack at JoAnn Fabrics in the wood section, but you could use empty thread spools)

Spray paint

Themed wrapping paper, cardstock or scapbook paper (to cover the circles)

Spray adhesive

Ribbon

Hot glue and glue gun

Gorilla Glue (optional)
Styrofoam ring

Instructions:

1. Spray paint your spools to match your cupcake tower theme.

Cutting the paper

The bottom tier

2.  Spray your biggest cake round (I use 12" rounds for the bottom since most scrapbook paper comes in a 12x12 sheet)  with adhesive and put it face down on the backside of your themed paper. Cut around the circle with a craft knife on a cutting mat.

3. Repeat Step 2 for the next 2 cake rounds. When you're done you'll have something like this. Don't worry if the edges aren't perfect because you'll be hiding them with ribbon. If you want to seal the tops with mod podge, now would be the time to do it.

All 3 Tiers covered

4. Glue your styrofoam circle to the bottom of your biggest tier. This will allow the ribbon to hang from the tier. 

Bottom Tier with styrofoam base

5. Use a hot glue gun to glue the ribbon to the edge of each of your now covered cake rounds, making sure the line up the edge of the ribbon with the top of the cake round.

6. When your spools are dry, glue 3 spools on top of each other to form the supports for the tiers. You'll have 2 stacks of 3. I use gorilla glue for this because it holds so well. You can probably use your glue gun if you don't have any gorilla glue. 


7. When the glue is dry, glue the tiers together with the spools in between. I usually flip the top 2 tiers over and mark the center with a pen. Glue the stack of spools to the center of each tier and then to the top of the tier below it. When you're done you'll have a completed cupcake tower! 

3 Tier Cupcake Tower

Note: This cupcake stand is made for cupcakes that will have piped icing and toppers on them like the picture below. If you won't be using cupcake toppers, you could probably get away with 2 spools between the tiers and one smaller tier on top. The same would be true if you were making this for mini cupcakes. You can find printable cupcake toppers to go with this soccer cupcake tower here.

Mickey Mouse Cupcake Tower

You can see more of the Mickey Mouse Birthday Party here. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know. If you make one, I'd love to see it!

 I've linked this post to Sugar Bee Crafts Take-a-Look Tuesday. Hop on over and see what everyone else has been making too!

Top 10 Projects from Online Tutorials

In the last few years I have really gotten into sewing, baking and blogging. I owe almost everything that I know about these subjects to my fellow bloggers! I have used so many tutorials, ideas and recipes from free online sources that I thought it would be fitting to share some of them, and give the original bloggers some credit!

Tinkerbell Crayon Roll

1. Crayon Rolls from Skip To My Lou: I got the basic measurements and techniques from her tutorial, and have made several of my own version for friends, family and neighbors. They make great gifts, and come in very handy at restaurants and when travelling!

2. Zippered Pencil Pouch from Annie Get Your Gun: I used this tutorial to make a pencil pouch for my middle child. Never did get around to making one for my oldest!

3. Fabric Covered Art Journal, From Little Big Girl Studio: I forgot the extra elastic to hold it together, which was a huge mistake, but it's still functional. I also can't find the right size paper for the inside, but that's a whole different story!

4. Blueberry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting from Naturally Ella: I friggin' LOVE these cupcakes. I use the vanilla cupcake recipe as my go-to cupcake. It makes 12 cupcakes which is perfect. Most recipes make 20 or more. This was my first attempt at filling cupcakes and it was so easy after following the tutorial.

5. Basic Tote Bag from Colorfool Creates: I have made a bunch of these, with all different types of fabric. I can't seem to find a picture of one of mine though!

6. Fabric basket from Pink Penguin: I love this tutorial. It is easily adjusted for different sizes, and you can make them with any combination of fabrics. I have one on my kitchen counter that holds my earrings and other things I leave laying around!

7. Fabric Wallet from Confessions of a Fabricoholic. I made this wallet on a whim, and I absolutely love it! I was so excited when I figured out the zippered pocket! I use this wallet everyday!

8. Fabric Key Chains from The Idea Room. I've made a few of these, but I haven't mastered the last step quite yet. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong!

9. Shallow Basket from Coats and Clark. I made several of these, but my favorite is the one I made with Christmas fabric that hold cocktail napkins!

10. Mini Maple Pancake Muffins from Bakerella: Bakerella is known best for her cake pops, but the one time I tried to make them I failed miserably. I had a lot more success with these!!!

Thank you to my fellow bloggers for all their hard work in putting together these posts! I have a few tutorials in the works, but haven't found the time to properly put them together yet!