Thursday, March 31, 2011

Because everyone deserves a Cupcake on their Birthday

This week over at One Powerful Hour Sarah has set the theme of "Birthday Wishes." Sarah's birthday is quickly approaching and I thought it an atrocity that she make her own birthday card and cupcakes (see her sample) so I made some for her.

The card took 1 hour and the fabric cupcake took another. So yes, this took 2 hours but I'm looking at it as 2 separate projects, yes I'm cheating, it's allowed! The card is a soft french blue that I kaleidoscope embossed circles all over (hard to see I know). Then I aged some decorative paper to frame the corners. The Words "Happy Birthday" are stamped on transparency film that is placed on top of the card base.

I've included this mini tutorial on how I created the cupcake.

You will need the following supplies: cardboard (or other heavy stiff paper), scissors, batting, two coordinating fabrics, stitch witchery (this is a name brand, any two sided iron on will work) and an iron.
Step 1: Create a template of what you would like to make, copy it twice. This step takes the longest because getting your image/template right is key. If you are interested in the cupcake I have created please let me know, I can post or e-mail it to you.


Step 2: Cut out the template pieces. With mine I wanted the cupcake top to hang over the base so my base piece is slightly larger than my original drawing, so that it can tuck under the cupcake top. Step 3: Cut your batting, fabric and stitch witchery slightly larger than your template.
Step 4: Layer from bottom to top your stitch witchery, cardboard, batting and fabric. You will note that in this step if you are not a beginner you can save some of your stitch witchery because you really only need it around the edges. But for ease cutting it the same size helps at first.


Step 5: With a hot iron (as hot a setting as your fabric will allow) begin pulling the fabric around to the back and tacking it down by ironing it, holding it in some places. Please be careful not to burn yourself, your fingers will be close to the iron and also keep the iron away from the uncovered stitch witchery, it is hard to clean off an iron, but possible.


Step 6: Work all the way around your template until you have the fabric all tacked down. You will want to flip the template over to make sure you are getting the desired look on the front.


Here are my finished pieces. Note that I used much less batting on the base and that I worked my batting to give the top of the cupcake a realistic shape.


Here is the top view. To finish off and get the look of the finished cupcake I took a brown fabric marker and shadowed the top portion of the cupcake before adding glitter and rhinestones. I also brushed the base with some fabric ink to age it a bit, but only did that to make it match the card.


Hope you enjoy! And if you have any questions or need clarification please let me know.





Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Tea Cup Tuesday

A few months ago I stumbled onto Terri Gordon's blog and fell in love with her Tea Cup Tuesday posts. It is a weekly post hosted by Terri (different from the one mentioned above) and Martha. I believe the origin of the posts is Artful Affirmations and if not then it is a blog worthy of your perusal, such lovely things.

At the time I only owned one tea cup - given to my husband and me by a friend of ours before she moved away - so i didn 't fell right joining when it would only be one time.

Last week in my Marie Antoinette Mail Art group a wonderful swap came up, tea cups! Of course I joined and then went searching the web to see where the best places to buy were. I found this tea cup on etsy and couldn't help myself, I had to have it.


I know nothing about the value of a tea cup and very little about manufacturers. What I do know is that I love the shape and the colors of this one and that is what is important to me. After all beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Quite a bit of the gold is rubbed off and the only thing stamped on the bottom is "manufactured in Germany" which is very hard to make out. But like I said, I love it and am planning on using it instead of letting it collect dust. Now my only delima is Darjeeling or earl grey :)



Thanks for the wonderful weekly bit o tea, looking forward to participating again. I'm hoping that this is the start of a beautiful addiction.

I'm off to check out some of the other wonderful tea cups.