Angry Birds

Who doesn't like to play Angry Birds? My husband and I are obsessed with this game and we get so mad if we can't beat the pigs and then they smile at you at the end of that level. All you want to do is get the poor birds' eggs back to them from those mean ole pigs. These cupcakes are very tedious and will take some time to make but the outcome is something to be proud of.

I first started by looking at a few pictures of the Angry Birds to get an idea of the details in their faces and for the pigs as well. I made up my own layout of how I wanted to set them up. I then began to mix the fondant to get the colors I needed for the birds and pigs. I decided to make 4 different birds so I needed white, blue, red and yellow fondant for them, and then for the pigs you make green fondant. Also the size of the character is completely up to you. Your fondant will go farther if you make the character a little smaller. I also mixed brown and a lighter blue for the pigs' structures.

Next I simply looked at a picture and began making the pigs. They will definitely be the easiest because every one is pretty much the exact same. I put a crown on the biggest one and you can add a hard hat on some and mustaches on others as well. Once again, make this your own because I know you can do it! Once I was finished with the pigs I began working on the structure. I started with the TNT box that I wanted a pig to sit on and then moved to the small block towers and then platforms for the other pigs to sit on. I also had a drawn out layout of how I wanted the structure of the pigs to look and followed it. It will help as you go along.

Now come the birds. With each bird I looked at  a cartoon picture and just followed it as much as I could. I will be honest and say that the yellow triangle bird was probably the most difficult to make. I had to redo his body a few times to get the right size compared to the others. You would be surprised how easy it is to follow the pictures when working on the birds' faces. They do have a lot of details but I know you can do it. Just take your time and take a break if you start to get frustrated. I then iced the cupcakes with green icing to make it look like grass and then put the fondant birds and pigs into place according to how I drew out the structure. I tried to put all the pigs as close together as I could and then I set up the birds on the opposite side as them. If you haven't noticed I also put the eggs behind the pigs because that's the whole point of the game.

I really hope you try these cupcakes. I promise that you can do even a better job than me and your friends will love them! Also don't forget to add your on flair to it and make it your own!

The Love Shake

This is one of my all time favorite cupcakes. Every time I see a picture of it, it puts a smile on my face. I call it The Love Shake. It's extremely simply but so much fun! It reminds me of the B52's Love Shack song which I absolutely love. It's a song that will get stuck in your head all day, but I don't mind singing it! I even try to hit the high parts in the song when no one is around ;)

First, I decided to use a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting. I put the frosting in a baggy with an 846 icing tip that will give it that whipped cream look on top of a milkshake. I then added a few sprinkles to add some color and make it pop a little. Next I cut 3 1/2 inches off the tip of a straw and put it into the cupcake at an angle. Last but not least, I added the final touch which is the cherry. You want to be careful because they can hold a lot of juice when you get it out of the jar so I let mine sit on a paper towel and dried it off a little so the juice wouldn't get all in the icing.

Like I said this cupcake is extremely simple and wouldn't take long at all to make, but your friends and guests will definitely be talking about it afterwards! I hope you try it and don't forget to add your own little touch to it!

Autism Speaks

April is Autism Speaks month and I was given the idea by someone to make puzzle pieces for Autism Speaks month. I think it's a great cause and was so glad to be a part of it. I know many families that have children with autism and I can't even imagine what they go through so it's nice to know they can have a place to gather information and support through some hard times. After I looked up Autism Speaks I found out that 1 in every 110 kids and 1 in 70 boys has autism and I was completely shocked. That's a huge percent. So these cupcakes are for Autism Speaks and I hope I did it justice!

First I started out by picking what colors I wanted for the puzzle pieces. I wanted a lot of colors and something fun. I picked Blue, Green, Yellow and Red. I then mixed each color with some fondant until I got the exact colors I wanted. I printed out a puzzle piece to be my template. I cut it out and then began cutting out my puzzle pieces out of each color fondant. I cut out 12 puzzle pieces for all the letters in Autism Speaks. Once I was finished cutting out the puzzle pieces I then began icing the cupcakes very simply. I then placed the puzzles pieces on the cupcakes. One puzzle piece on each of the 12 cupcakes. I then piped thin icing of the letters of Autism Speaks, one letter on each puzzle piece.

These cupcakes were a great way to raise awareness for a great organization!