The truth is, I’m a sucker for all things crafty and messy and fun. As much as I love writing, crafts are an outlet for when I need a break, or when I need a fresh boost of creativity. Today I’m going to share with you the latest craze in my house: Faux Cupcake Ornaments!
Over the holidays, my family and I wanted to do something fun that would tie in with my debut novel, DON’T CALL ME CUPCAKE. We searched various YouTube videos, Pinterest boards, and craft books until we came up with the fabulous idea of making faux cupcake ornaments. Please note that even though we made this craft during the holidays, this is a fun activity that can be done any time of year. Also, these faux cupcakes don’t have to be made into ornaments. My teenage daughter has one without an ornament hook. She keeps it on her desk as a sweet decoration!
Supply List
Cupcake baking tray
Cupcake liners
Wire for hooks (if you want to make ornaments)
Inexpensive acrylic craft paint for faux frosting colors
Disposable paper cups
Disposable spoons for mixing
Frosting tips and piping bags
Expandable foam sealant
Lightweight spackle
To start, you’re going to need to head to your local craft store and hardware store. The two main “ingredients” in this faux cupcake recipe are expandable foam sealant, and lightweight spackle (see photo #1). These brands are just suggestions, but feel free to use whichever brand you prefer, or whatever you might have in your garage. Just keep in mind that the spackle needs to be lightweight, so your faux cupcake ornaments don’t end up being too heavy.
Next you will need a baking tray for cupcakes and some paper cupcake liners. After placing the liners in your cupcake pan (exactly as you would if you were going to pour in real cupcake batter), cut cardboard circles and place them in the bottom of each cupcake liner. This will keep the bottom of your ornament nice and flat as your cupcakes “bake” overnight.
When your liners are prepared, you can twist some wire into loops for ornament hooks and place them in the center of each liner. Next, spray the expandable foam sealant into each cupcake liner. Keep in mind that this foam sealant will expand, so you do not need to fill your cupcake liners all the way to the top. After this, set your cupcakes aside overnight in a dry, ventilated place. We let ours dry in the garage. When you retrieve them the next day, they should be completely dry and ready for frosting. Don’t worry if they aren’t smooth because your frosting will cover it up (see photo # 2).
The frosting is the fun part! You simply spoon spackle into paper cups, add a few drops of acrylic craft paint of your choice, and mix with a disposable spoon until your “frosting” is the color you want. Then spoon it into a piping bag and frost away! When you’re done frosting your cupcakes, you can add faux candy sprinkles, faux cherries, faux chocolate sauce, etc. The possibilities are endless! (see photos # 3 and #4). Enjoy!
(Please remember to keep all these craft supplies separate from items you use for actual baking. THESE ARE NOT EDIBLE. They are for decoration only!)
There’s a very special kind of sweetness to life on Pine Cove Island . . .
Most families have a favorite recipe or two, handed down through generations. The Holloway women are a little different. Emma Holloway, like her grandmother before her, bakes wishes into her delicious cupcakes, granting the recipient comfort, sweet dreams, or any number of good things. It’s a strange gift, but it brings only happiness. Until gorgeous, smooth-talking newcomer Hunter Kane strolls into her shop, Fairy Cakes—and Emma makes the mistake of selling him not one, but three Sweet Success cupcakes.
Hunter, it turns out, is opening a fancy new restaurant and bakery right on the waterfront—Emma’s competition. To make matters worse, the town committee has decided to split the upcoming summer festival contract between the two, forcing Emma to work with her nemesis. But she can’t afford to split her profits. The solution: create a recipe that will make Hunter leave town permanently.
The Holloway charms are powerful. But there are other kinds of magic in the world—like red-hot first kisses, secret glances, and the feeling that comes with falling truly, madly, inconveniently in love . . .
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