Sweet Tatty Teddy Revamp

I have been busy collecting bits and pieces to make up a couple of diaper cakes in a week's time (will post finished pictures when I do them).

Two of the gals in our office are leaving to go on maternity leave and soon to have babies, one in October and one in November.  We plan to go for a meal together to say goodbye and are giving them diaper cakes as baby gifts.  I found a really neat one by an English gal called the 'two minute nappy cake' that uses a Roses or Celebrations sweet tin (google it).  The idea is you fill the tin and use it as a base.  It takes less diapers but you can add a whole bunch more useful stuff too.

Anyhow one of the things I wanted was to add a toy to the top of the cake and especially wanted one of those oh so cute blankie type teddies.

To say I was SHOCKED at how expensive some of them were was an understatement!!!  Even though we have a healthy collection, we're splitting it two ways plus paying for a cake to be made so I had to get the cost down somehow.  Here's what I came up with.

 

I purchased a couple of 'tatty teddies' at a local charity shop - cost £1.50 for one and £1.49 for the other.  So far so good.  These teddies were lovingly handwashed in a tub of soapy water and then bagged and popped into my washing machine for a light rinse and spin.  They they were hung up in the airing cupboard for a couple of days and lovingly brushed and fluffed back to life.

 

Next up I unpicked a brand new (bargain at only £3.99!)  'oh so soft & lush' velour baby blanket and cut new smaller squares which I stitched together and turned right sides out.  I was very careful NOT to press the seams as I notice most of the store bought versions didn't have neat pressed seams.  Then all I had to do was tuck a corner of the little blankie square up next to teddy's face and gather his arms around it as though he were snuggling it.  I simply stitched it in place!

 

These two teddies will sit on top of each diaper cake as the top layer and the little blankie will be draped down over the front.  Not bad when you consider that I spent a total of £6.98 total which works out to just £3.49 per teddy!  My time and effort was minimal and since these teddies are found all over the place (and I picked up another one today for £1.50) and I have a bit of white velour left over I will easily get at least one more done and get even better value for money.

 

My new acquisition is in the washing machine as i type - poor thing! LOL.

 

Hugs

 

Suezie

Strawberry Cupcakes

Okay so you've seen my daughter's efforts.  I thought I'd share my latest efforts of baking.  I get way less time these days it seems to do anything - crafting, stamping, baking and preserving.  I don't know where this year has gone already but if it wasn't for a few special occasions I wouldn't even do what little I've done this year.

 

I was asked to contribute a couple dozen cakes for a celebration at church.  A wonderful couple got married recently and then went off to France to honeymoon.  Now they're back they had a blessing service so that we could all celebrate with them and they chose to have an 'afternoon tea' which really was delightful - just like a grown up tea party. 

 

My daughter is always borrowing my piping bags, tips and kitchen gadgets so for a chage I borrowed her cake whole maker thingy (can't remember what it was called) that I bought her one year just for fun.  It's a fab way to put a bit of cream inside your cupcakes.  When Charlie is around I usually pop the cake bits into a container and give them to him to nibble on.

 

I piped - in this case buttercream icing - but on another occasion I think I'd use sweetened, whipped double cream for a 'strawberries & cream' cupcake into swirls on top and then washed and dried fresh strawberries to add to the top of each cake.  They really couldn't have been much simpler.

 

So vanilla sponge cupcakes filled with homemade strawberry jam, topped with vanilla buttercream and a luscious fresh strawberry on top and there you have it.  They were very sweet I have to say which is why I'd use slightly sweetened cream next time but they were oh so delicious too!

 

Enjoy!

 

Suezie

Over the Rainbow

I just wanted to quickly share something my youngest daughter made last week.  I think a colleague was having a birthday or something and she offered to make a cake.  The theme was rainbows and fluffy white clouds.  Here's what she came up with.

 

How cool is this over the rainbow cake?  And how clever is she?  Clearly the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree huh?  LOL!  I left her baking in the kitchen when I went off to bed and the next morning when I came down to get ready to go to work this is what she'd done!

 

She spent a great deal of time in town trying to buy all sorts of bits to make the cake extra special and fun even down to the pot of gold.  I can only imagine how long it must've taken her to colour up all the different frostings etc. 

 

And as if that wasn't enough she carried on creating with leftover cake mix until she had a whole stack of mini over the rainbow cupcakes.

 

I came down to a note that said 'mum, dad, please help yourselves to the cupcakes and take them to work'  So I did!  The rainbow fizzy candy strips went down a treat.

 

Will be back with a few of my own bits of creativity.

 

Hugs

 

Suezie