Cupcake Bath Bomb Tutorial

I made these yummy looking (but not yummy tasting) cupcakes for birthday party goodie bags. They were so easy and fun to make. Best of all, you should be able to find everything you need at the grocery store and at the craft store.

Here's what you need:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup citric acid (usually found in the bulk section of stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods)
2 1/2 tablespoons grape seed oil (I used this, but any nut oil will work)
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon borax (found in the laundry aisle)
1 teaspoon fragrance oil for soaps
8-10 drops of soap coloring
Witch Hazel (put in a spray bottle)
Silicone cupcake liners

Here's how you make the cupcakes:
1. In a bowl, stir together the baking soda, citric acid and cornstarch.
2. In a small bowl, combine the grape seed oil, water, soap fragrance, soap coloring and borax. Mix together well.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and blend together well. The mixture should feel like wet sand. If it's too dry, spray lightly with witch hazel (using too much can cause the mixture to foam, so don't apply witch hazel liberally)
4. Pack the mixture tightly into a silicone cupcake liner and place upside down on a lined cookie sheet.
5. Wait about 10 minutes and then remove the cupcake liner
6. Leave the bath bomb to dry overnight.

Frosting Instructions

3 tablespoons meringue powder (found in the baking section of craft stores)
6 tablespoons water
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon of soap fragrance oil
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon soap coloring
Sprinkles (optional)
Plastic cake decorating bag and cake decorating tip (or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off)

Here's how to make the frosting:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the meringue powder, powdered sugar, cream of tartar, soap fragrance oil, soap coloring, and water using a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

2. Put the mixture into the cake decorating bag (or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, and pipe the frosting onto the base as you would a real cupcake.

3. Add sprinkles if desired.

4. Let dry overnight, or until frosting hardens.

5. Package and enjoy!

Tips:
-go lightly with the witch hazel. Sometimes you won't need to use it at all
-to make round bath bombs, use the top recipe (don't make the frosting), and pack the mixture into round, plastic Christmas ornaments (found in craft stores)
-to make shaped bath bombs, use the top recipe (no frosting), and pack the mixture into candy or soap molds
-to give as a gift, put them into little cellophane treat bags, add a tag and tie with a ribbon
-these may look and smell yummy, but they are not edible!

To use: Toss into the tub and enjoy!

This is what happens when you give a Moron a driver's license

Said moron? Yup, that would be me. My friends are all laughing at me, so I figured I might as well let my cyber friends join in on the laughs!

Yesterday, Hubby gets home and the girls are asleep. I've got a couple of errands to run (sans kids - wheee!), so out the door I go. I get into the car, turn it on, put it in reverse and my car beeps at me. It then tells me that the right rear passenger door is ajar. Check. Megan got into the car earlier, so that makes sense. (Pay attention now, because this is the part where it gets tricky, apparently) I put the car in park and get out, leaving the door open because I'm getting right back in. I make it all the way to the back of the car and am almost rounding the corner on the passenger side when I think $^%&*^!!! the car is moving! (remember that bit about putting the car in park? Apparently, you really have to do that step!). So, I put both hands on the car to use my super-hero strength to stop it. I don't have super-hero strength. I'm thinking it's because I lack the proper attire; the strength must all be in the cape. Note to self: Get cape. Now my brain starts clicking, so I start to run towards my open door (cue Chariots of Fire soundtrack). As I round the corner on the drivers side I thinking "the door!", "the ditch!" (we've got a ditch somewhat close to our garage). And, then it happens. In slow motion as I'm yelling "NNNNOOOOOO!". My car picks up speed. And then CCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH! Finally, I get in the car and stop it before it actually makes it into the ditch. And, then (and only then), I put the car in park.

So, time to survey the damage. One garage door track - Check. Wooden frame around garage door ripped off - check. Deep gouges in my stucco (so deep you can see the chicken wire underneath) - check. Potted plant - check. Drivers side door - check.

Hubby hears the crash and comes running out thinking I had driven through the garage door. Wrongo, bucko. Garage door was firmly up. HA!

RIP drivers side door. I shall miss you.

So, now, the drivers side door isn't gone, per say. It's merely bent so far forward it's almost flush with my fender. Hubby walks over to the car, pulls on the door and says "Hmmm. I don't think I can fix this". Alrightly then, Captain Obvious!

So, now I'm thinking I can just rock the 3 door SUV look. All Joker like from Batman. One side normal. One side screwed up. 'Cuz except for the door (and a teeny tiny part of the front fender), all's good. Hubby doesn't go for it.

So, he bends the door back around to the normal position (girls must need the capes; boys apparently don't) and the door won't close. In fact, it doesn't even get close to closing. So, he gets out a ratchet strap and uses that to tie the door closed. He then has to get in the passenger side, go over the console to get to the drivers side so he can take it to the body shop. On the way there, he gets stopped by a police officer. Apparently, there's a law on the books that says your door can't stick out farther than your wheel well. Huh.

I am so never going to live this one down!

I'm Officially Kreativ!

Thank you, Jennifer for awarding me this! Jennifer is a friend from MOMS Club whom I adore, but don't get to see very often anymore (I was hoping I'd run into her at the Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony last week to no avail) . You can visit Jen at http://yearofobsessiveliving.blogspot.com/. I've seen several blogs that have received this award, so I'm super excited to be included in this group!

So, here's what you have to do when you get the Kreativ Blogger award:

1. Copy the award to your site.
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.
4. Link to those sites on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.

Here are my nominees for the Kreativ Blogger Award:

• The Personalized Touch. She's always got fun projects. I swear she's going to be the reason I buy an embroidery machine! http://personalizedtouch.blogspot.com
• The Empty Envelope. I love looking at her photographs! http://www.theemptyenvelope.blogspot.com/
• The Smith Girls' Spot. If you are a scrapbooker, this is a great place for inspiration! http://thesmithgirlsspot.blogspot.com/
• The Polka Dot Pixie. She has great tutorials for the cutest little figures. I SO want to make one! http://thepolkadotpixie.blogspot.com/
• Princess Laserton. She makes the most amazing felt and button flowers! http://www.princesslasertron.com/
• Sweet Paper Treats. Cute, cute, cute paper crafts! http://sweetpapertreats.wordpress.com/
• Make it and Love it. The cutest things and tons of tutorials for them! http://makeitandloveit.blogspot.com/

So, there they are. Seven of my favorite creative blogs. Enjoy!

Megan's New Favorite Blanket

A couple of months ago I posted about the quilt that I had made for Taylor to replace the lovie she'd left at a hotel. While I was making hers, I came across this fabric that just screamed Megan to me, so I made her one, too. See, ladybugs were on the bag that they gave me at the hospital just after I had Megan, so I always associate ladybugs with her. Plus, the blue and the red were just too cute and cheerful!

I cut out a large heart to stitch on the front with a big letter "M" made out of Minky, so she'll always know how much I love Megan! The front is all cotton quilt fabric, the back is red Minky fabric that is so soft and cuddly!

Cupcakes, Cupcakes and more cupcakes!

This is my last cupcake post today, I promise! I'll save the bath bombs for tomorrow. These are the super cute cupcake hair bows I made for the little girls who came to Megan's birthday party.

To start, I cut a piece of felt into a rough cupcake shape. I hot glued a piece of brown grosgrain ribbon to the bottom for the cup. For the frosting, I used one long, continous piece of ribbon. I made a loop and secured it with hot glue. Then I'd twist it a bit, make another loop and glue that one down. I just continued on that fashion until the top was covered.

To finish it off, I added a small red button with hot glue for the cherry. Too cute!

Cupcake Party Goodie Bag Goodies!

The cute cupcake bag was part of the favor, but it wouldn't have been as fun if it went home empty. So, I filled it with more cupcake goodness! A jar of sprinkles, a cupcake bath bomb, a cupcake hair bow for the girls (more on these to come), and a lollipop filled the bags.

Cupcake Party Goodie Bags

I'm knee deep in cupcakes here! These are the bags I made to hold the party favors for Megan's birthday party. I made them in several different colors (light pink, dark pink, fuchsia, green, blue, orange and purple) so that everyone could pick their favorite colors. They are made out of felt and have rhinestone sprinkles and a button cherry on top. I'll post again soon with the goodies that are going into these yummy bags.

I've got them listed in my Etsty store, too!

Cupcake Invitations

Megan just turned 3! I picked the theme this year, but I'm pretty sure this is the last time I'll get to do that. I'm sure she'll have definate opinions from here on out. So, for my final birthday theme I picked cupcakes. Why cupcakes, you ask? Honestly, I'm not really sure! They're cute and oh, so yummy, so that is reason enough, I suppose!

I'm one of "those" moms who makes pretty much everything - from invitations to decorations. Yes, I could buy them, but what's the fun in that? So, with cupcakes on my mind I headed to the scrapbook store.

I picked out brown cardstock to make the bottom of the cupcake. It's actually a pocket, that the pink part slides into. Pink cardstock makes up the cake part of the cupcake, and pink polka dot paper is the frosting.

Using plain white paper, I made my patterns - one for the cup, one for the cake, one for the frosting. Then, I traced them onto the colored papers and began cutting. This part takes quite awhile, but it's a good thing to do when you are watching TV and don't want to be interrupted (Honey - can you get that? I'm making invitations!)

Once everything is cut out, I print the party details on the body of the invitation. To do this I get the text the way I want it and in a shape that will work with the shape of my invitation. Then, I print the text on white paper. Once I've got that and I'm sure the text is what I want, then I put some re-positional adhesive on the white paper, line up the colored paper and press it down. Then, I just load the white paper (with the invitation stuck on top of it) back in my printer and print as usual. Works like a charm!

I added a pink tulle bow and some rhinestone sprinkles and the cute little cupcakes were done!

I admit it - I'm lame

If you look at my last post (the Tinkerbell necklace) you'll see that it's been almost exactly one month since I've posted anything to this blog.

I've been in birthday land, getting ready for Megan's party, but that's no excuse. But, the good news is that I've got lots of new crafty goodness to share!