This is a rather long how-to, so I am going to try to keep my long winded-ness to a minimum.  We'll see how that goes =)

This is another project I got to check off of my to-do list.  Last year, I had big plans to make these for my kiddo's Easter party...I didn't quite make it, but this is going to be my year!  Aren't they cute?

I tried to think of a cute catchy name, but I couldn't, so maybe y'all can help me out with that one 


You really need to start this project a day or three ahead of time.  It's a three-step process.  Baking the cookie toppers, decorating them, and then constructing the cupcakes.  It may seem a little drawn out, but your kids will thank you!

To begin, cut and bake your cookies.  I used a Wilton bunny face cutter that I got from an Easter kit that Walmart carried last year.  If you don't have that one, don't panic.  You can cut the ears off of any rabbit face cutter you have around.


After they cooled {the next day in my house}I used very stiff royal icing to "glue" a bamboo fork to the cookie.  You can skip this step by baking the stick into the cookie, but for whatever reason I decided to do it this way...EITHER works, just go with what strikes you that day =)

PS-I get those cool little bamboo forks at World Market.  If you cannot find them, toothpicks work, OR if you are feeling industrious, cut popsicle sticks in half and use those.

These probably need to dry overnight also if you have the time
 When this is done, it's time to decorate the cookie toppers.  It's pretty simple.  You only need two colors, white and pink.  I used a #3 tip, outlined the cookie, filled it with white flood icing, and then added the ear middles using the wet-on-wet technique.  When that dried, I outlined it again in white using a #2 tip {the last step isn't shown, but you can see it on the final cookie}
Once again, let the cookies dry overnight, and the next day you will be ready to construct.

In the middle of all this, I happened to notice that the bamboo forks were a little longer than I wanted them to be.  This was VERY easy to fix. 

I happen to have an awesome weapon tool that I bought for making those cookie cutters I never got around to making.

Have any of you ever heard of tin snips?  If not, this is what they look like.  I think the only reason Bern-Dogg allowed me to get them is because he figured they'd end up in his tool box eventually anyway, BUT he was not so lucky.

 I love these things! The are basically SUPER SCISSORS! They allow me to easily cut things that I am usually to weak too cut on my own. So, in other words, he's never getting them back!

A little FYI while I am thinking about it...These make cutting those popsicle sticks that I mentioned before MUCH easier...

Anyway, moving right along... For this project, I wanted to make a cute little cupcake wrapper with a fluffy little bunny tail.  This is what they looked like. 

For more on these, hop {no pun intended} on over to my friend Mique's blog, Thirty Handmade Days, for a {cute cupcake wrapper template, printables AND instructions =)}

Once you get that all figured out, gather your supplies. You will need: wrapped cupcakes and a corresponding number of toppers, a pastry bag filled with white frosting and your desired tip, which I skipped this time, black sugar pearls {4mm}, pink candy beads, {8mm} and tweezers.


 Frost your cupcake into a peak, and press your toppers down into the icing.


Then, using the candy accents, add your bunny face.  Do this last because if you don't the face will become distorted when you add the toppers, right, Beth? ;)
 And there you have it, cute little bunnies with a fluffy little pom pom tail!  I also made another version using a plain cupcake liner.  It works perfectly as well!
 These little guys are time consuming, but it's not so bad for a once-a-year, special Easter treat.  They are so cute I can't help but SMILE.  I made him green so he'd look like a bunny sitting in the grass!


However, if you don't have two or three days to spare, Mique has just the thing for you.  The PAPER version.  Click on the photo below, or the link above to get yours!


I hope these will make it onto your Easter list this year.  They will be the hit of your party, and it's a fun project to do with your kids.  They can definitely help with mixing, cutting printables, and constructing the wrappers and cupcakes {just keep them away from the tin snips if you like all of their little fingers}

What fun memories!

Happy Easter baking everyone!




Everyone knows these guys! I made my first set last year and since then I have had many people ask me where I found a Peeps cutter.  Truth is, it was just a lucky Hobby Lobby find.  The cutter I used to make the cookies below was one of a set of minis they carried last year. 

One thing I never really liked about it, however, is the fact that it was so small.  So, this year I went on the hunt for another readily available cutter that could be used to make Peeps cookies.


Hobby Lobby to the rescue again!  This is what I found. {since they were on sale, I paid $1.40 for the set}


Of course I bought two...one, to bend, and a second to keep on-hand just in case I break the other.

I always remove the awful "grip" that comes on these. 
As far as I am concerned, Hobby Lobby can just skip that part.  It does't compare to the Wilton version.  But than again, that's probably how they can get away with letting them out the door for a dollar-forty!

After that, I squeezed it together just a tiny bit, until it looked right to me.


Then to make a Peep cookie, I followed these steps:


Then, after giving them 5-10 minutes to set, I applied sanding sugar.

After another 30 minutes or so, I added dark chocolate brown facial features.

I used a #2 tip and icing that was somewhere between piping and flood.  I wanted to get an "authentic" look.

By the way, when sanding your cookies, always do it over waxed paper.  Then it's this simple to put the leftover back in its container.

Pretty darn close, and very budget friendly, right?


Big Peeps put me in the mood to make little Peeps. Cupcake topper Peeps to be specific.

Before I teased everyone with a cutter that they could not find, I went on the hunt for something similar.  This is what I found.

I used an icing tip to help show the size of the cutters.  This year's is definitely smaller, but it will work.

I baked a batch of cupcakes, which now works way better for me since I discovered {Tidy Mom's recipe}, which you should definitely check out!


I made two different sets.  One on bamboo forks, which I buy at World Market, and some plain mini-Peeps.

I think I prefer the plain cookie this time...


Oh yes, and just in case someone likes to make things difficult, not reffering to anyone I know *ahem, me*, there is not a special double cutter to make a double Peep. {Yes, I actually asked someone this}  Simply bake two together.

I had to trim them a tiny bit, but it worked perfectly!

At the end of the day I was left with these cuties.


Of course, if you are not near a Hobby Lobby, or if this is a little too much work for you, Copper Gifts carries a {Bunny Bun Cutter} in both small and large sizes, which is PERFECT for this.

But... for seasonal and rarely used cutters, adapting an inexpensive one works for me =)

I hope it will work for you too!


Tip Junkie handmade projects





Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday!  If you have children or grandchildren, chances are you're VERY familiar with his books.

They are a pretty big deal in my house.  We own all of them, and doubles of some, so there was no shortage of inspiration on my end!

To celebrate what would have been Dr. Seuss's 107th birthday, I made cookies.  I let the kids pick some of their favorites...

Green Eggs and Ham was the winner, hands down.


I love these little cupcake toppers...these were so easy to make!


It's no secret that I am not much of a cake baker, but thanks to TidyMom's good timing I found a recipe that is perfect for me.  The cool thing about this particular recipe is that it makes a little sturdier batter that's easy to scoop into the liners.  Usually, I make a drippy mess, but not with this recipe. 

Go check out TidyMom's  "doctored up cake mix cake".  It's perfect for cupcakes and she even has an icing recipe if you need it. 

And the best part was, Bern-Dogg and the kids thought I was a hero!  My little family WAS so thrilled to have something besides cookies to snack on!


For the cookies I used a re-shaped mini-dog bone cutter *I LOVE DOG BONE CUTTERS* and a wonky flower fondant cutter.

I like to use bamboo forks for cookie toppers because they are taller and sturdier than toothpicks.

I roll my cookies a little thicker for this {between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch}, insert the fork, and bake.

And if you don't feel like making cookie toppers, my pal Mique at 30 Handmade Days designed this adorable cupcake flag.  Just click on the image to get yours!  They are quick, easy, and look great!


My kids and I picked a few more favorite Seuss characters to go with the green eggs and ham. Mine were the hats.


Evan liked them all, so we narrowed it down to a few recognizable characters, making sure not to forget the elephant {Horton} for Belle.

I also made ISH for my brother, Bryce.  It's a long story, but he knows why =)


And of course, Caleb picked the fishies...


Here's the whole Seuss family.  Funny, they look a little like us =)



Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss!