Cupcake Bouquet

You know what I realized? This past weekend (well, Friday through Saturday) was the very first time I've been home alone since I had our son.

As in home alone without either the husband or child in the house.

It was really weird, and I thought I'd get more sleep, but the sleep really didn't come until the wee hours on the morning. You'd think I'd conk out at 9pm and wake up well into the morning, but my body's sleeping schedule has been in Mom-mode for 2 straight years. There's no way it was going to break the streak.

Thankfully, my beautiful sister rescued the evening with some Mexican food (guacamole is truly the way to my heart), a craft for her baby's nursery, and some Nintendo with my little brother and his wife. I have the best siblings anyone could ever ask for.

Also, this past week, a clever friend of mine posted this idea on my Facebook page - and I immediately thought:

challenge accepted.

And what a fun way to celebrate Mother's Day, eh? 

With a bouquet of cupcakes, it was sure to be a special one. 

This is how it went down:

Cupcake Bouquet

Ingredients:

12 cupcakes, made and cooled

1 batch of frosting (preferably frosting that will harden quickly)

pearls/sprinkles

piping supplies

1/2 package of green tissue paper (dollar store)

scissors 

bucket/pail (found my coral one at the dollar store)

styrofoam ball (walmart)

toothpicks

Method:

1. Make your cupcakes and frosting. Pipe cupcakes to look like roses using Wilton's 1M tip. Add sprinkles. Put cupcakes in freezer to harden for an hour or two. 

2. While they're in the freezer, cut green tissue paper to look like grass (I just did a zig-zag pattern). 

3. Place styrofoam ball in pail. If you're going to be transporting the bouquet, maybe glue the ball down. I wanted my Mom to be able to use the pail after, so I didn't glue it (worked just fine). 

4. Placing the toothpicks at an upward angle, stick 2 toothpicks into the styrofoam ball on the bottom row. Carefully place cupcake (facing out) onto ball. Repeat, keeping cupcakes close together (but leaving reasonable space for "leaves/grass"), and minding the frosting (wouldn't want to smudge it, now do we?). Start the second row (inner row) and repeat until styrofoam ball is covered. 

5. Roll up tissue paper rows of "leaves/grass" and carefully stuff between cupcakes. 

6. Keep cold, and enjoy!