Guest Post: Become a cake superstar with the star tip {+ a linky and giveaway!}

Yay! You guys are in for a treat, today we have the lovely Erin, who is a fabulous cake decorator! With how popular cake decorating is these days, I'm sure you'll really like what she has for you. And the best part? It's REAL cake decorating, this is the kind of stuff that *I* can do (world's worst cake decorator) and you can do. Perfect. (I mean she does totally awesome things that I couldn't even dream of doing, but today is very "real.")

This guest post is a long time in the making (between weird schedules, my blogging hiatus, cake orders and email malfunctions) so enjoy!

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In today’s world of DIY chic and popular cake shows, it’s easy to want to add pizzazz to everyday baking.  Bring DIY flair to the kitchen with one easy-to-use tool:  The star tip. 

The star tip is my go-to tool for quick, easy, and impressive cake design.  As a college student who also decorates cakes, this little baby helps me keep up classy cake design for my clients while still leaving time to study.  The charmingly home-made flair that it can add to cupcakes is quick and easy, and can be morphed to any occasion.  This is why I’ve chosen the star tip to share with you this fall.  Let’s give it a try!

First, fit a disposable icing bag with a star tip.  They come in all shapes and sizes, varying on the number of points and size of the centers.  The bigger the tip, the fewer stars it will take to cover a surface, so choose a tip that fits well in your design and in the amount of time you want to spend on icing.  Use a coupler if you plan on using multiple colors with the same tip. 

Once the bag is fitted with a tip, fold the top third of the bag down and fill with icing.  This keeps the top of the bag (and your hands) clean.  I like to use Wilton’s buttercream icing (recipe: http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Buttercream-Icing).  It holds its shape really nicely, takes few ingredients, and tastes just as delicious on graham crackers as it does on cake.

Squish the frosting to the bottom of the bag, just before it gets to the middle of the tip.  Twist the top of the bag and hold it firmly in the crevasse between your thumb and pointer finger.  Monitor how tightly you hold this:  letting up on the pressure can cause icing to sneak out of the top of the bag and all over your hands, counter, and cake, but holding it with a death-grip will give you a cramp.  Find a happy medium in pressure that works for you.  Close your hand around the icing. 

Hold tip perpendicular to the surface which you’ll be icing.  Note that this does not always mean perpendicular to the table.  At the edge of a cupcake, for example, perpendicular to the cake can be closer to 45 degrees to the table.  Gently squeeze the bag with your middle, ring, and pinky fingers until the icing makes contact with the cake and spreads to a star.  Stop squeezing.  Lift tip straight away from the star, and voilà!  You have a star!

Repeat those steps to make stars to cover the entire surface of the cake.  It might help to say to yourself, “Point, squeeze, stop, lift; point, squeeze, stop, lift” as you go.  The most common cause of awkward-looking stars while using the star tip is forgetting to stop squeezing before pulling the tip away.  If you can master this, you’ll be a pro in no time! 

Using these steps, you can do all sorts of things like shaped character cakes, tiered cakes, and impressive cupcakes.  But that’s not all!  The star tip can do borders and whimsical swirls of icing.  Get creative! 

It’s easy to add flair to your starred creation.  Simply add any decoration you can imagine!  Many can be easily found in local grocery and craft stores: candies, sprinkles, flower petals, sugar flowers, even non-edible toys or photos or party picks (be sure to let your guests know that these are not to be eaten).  Just like that, you can turn a simple “Thanks for the cupcake” into a “You did this yourself?”

To upgrade the flavor of your cakes without hours and a dozen ingredients, I suggest trying {The Cake Mix Doctor Returns by Anne Byrn}.  It’s a great cookbook that contains tips to tweak boxed cake mixes into deliciously moist cake with an incredible from-scratch taste.

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Amazing that those are all done with the same kind of tip!! Doesn't it make you feel like you could decorate anything? Care to see some of her other work?

Dude. A giant BOW on a cake. Love it!!

And those sugar flowers!! Oh Erin, I need another cake crash course. 

Oh yeah, remember how I mentioned a giveaway/linky? Since Erin is so incredibly generous, she is offering to send one of YOU some hand piped sugar violets. 

You could add these in a luscious bouquet atop a simple white cake. You could plop these on top of your newly star tip frosted cupcakes! You could do so many things with these. 

So, how can you get your hands on them?

Easy, tell us about your favorite cake. Tell us all about that extra special birthday cake your mom made for you when you were six. Or your gorgeously decorated wedding cake you smashed into your hubby's face. How about that cake you made for your own daughter that she smeared all in her hair? Maybe your a cake decorator and you are really proud of your work. Whatever it is, we want to hear about it. 

Write it up and link it up! Bonus points if you can find a picture. If you can't link up, no problem! Leave a comment with your story or email me at kittycatsandairplanes{at}gmail{dot}com

Contest will run through next Saturday, the 29th at midnight. Erin and I will deliberate and choose a winner to be announced on Sunday. 

As for me?

This was a pretty good cake. :) 

Guest Post: How to make your own scrapbook embellishments from CreationsbyJune

Our last (but CERTAINLY not least!) guest poster is June from {CreationsbyJune} June is one talented chick, you need to see some of her paper bag albums! And check out her latest Craigslist find...I am sooo incredibly jealous of the deal she scored! She's here to teach you how to make your own scrapbook embellishments. If you're anything like me, saving a few bucks on pretty things sounds like my kind of day!

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Hello!  My name is June and I have a love for things that are shiny and sparkly and soft and fun!  You will find me over at CreationsbyJune I do a little of this and that, but try to stick with just scrapbooking and sewing and maybe some furniture refinishing.  I tend to get in over my head with some of my supplies, but also just hate to spend a ton of money on supplies.

Have you noticed how much the prices have increased on scrapbook embellishments?  I have came up with a few ideas to help decrease the cost and still get exactly what you want, without a lot of effort!

I really like the look of metal, but again the price thing. I have found a way to get the metal tag look on a budget.

 Here is where the clay comes in.. I used black clay.  The usual price is around $2.79, but I always wait to get the 40% coupon before I buy clay.  It is really important to follow the instructions.  You need to knead the clay for about 10 minutes or so and then it becomes a lot easier to handle.
While working the clay, I go ahead and pre-heat the oven 

 I roll it out on my counter and get out my stamps.....  I have acrylic, but that is just my choice, any type will work

 Once I have stamped the image on the clay, I use a knife to cut around the image.  I try to get it in the shape I want at that point, but if you don't, you can still  cut the shape even after you bake the clay.
I always do several at a time, so I can just have the embellishments on hand.  With this type of clay, the directions indicate to bake at 275 degrees for 15 minutes, but some clays are different

 The other thing I do, is bake on parchment paper.  It just makes it easier to handle, but it is not an absolute necessity.  Once the baking is done and the shapes are cooled off then the fun begins.  Like I said, I like the look of metals, so I go to my set of metallic inks..

 I just smear it all over the clay shape....

They look beautiful, don't they?  I just use a rag and  and rub the ink into the clay, think of it like you are shining or burnishing.  You can add more ink, or just a minimal amount, depends on what look you are going for.  If you notice the edges are not smooth or in the shape you want, you can go ahead and use scissors to cut in the shape you want.   Are your ready to see the final product?

 Hard to tell it is clay now!  You can even add a hole and use as charms for jewelry or a whole variety of things.  I used 2 packages of clay, total cost of about $3.50 and ended up with 20 different embellishments... not  bad deal and they are all ones that I would use, so no more buying a package of embellishments for the 2 or three you like and the others going to waste!

On to easy peasy idea number 2......  I use stickers and love the dimensional ones, but again with the cost..... I had found this Halloween paper and loved it and thought the bottles would be pretty cool individually.  So I took some liquid glass and filled in the shapes...

 I just cut the bottles out and used them individually for my Halloween books..

 Are you ready for the last idea for uniquness for your scrapbooks?  What if you have a favorite shirt or wedding dress or baby clothes or... you get the idea...  How can you put that in your scrapbook?  Take a photo and add it?  Well, when I was in Hawaii last year I picked up some fabric and loved it and thought it would make some great scrapbook paper..

 I did the easiest thing EVER!  I copied it on acid free paper....

 And now I have totally unique paper!  Think of that for like wedding or baby albums.  How cool would it be to have a photo of the bride and groom matted on paper that is made from the same material as the dress.  Or a photo of the baby matted on paper that is the baby blanket that great grandma had made for grandma?  Just a lot of different thing you can do.  I got mine printed at the local scrap book store and it only cost about a dollar for one.

So now you have three different ideas for unique scrapbook embellishments that will not break the bank!

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Sheer brilliance!! Photocopying fabric? Genius! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks for posting June!

Guest Post: How to tie a bow on a card from I Hold All the Cards

Today we have my real life friend and freshman year college roommate guest posting! Brielle blogs over at {I Hold All the Cards} What a clever name right? I've already talked about her {here} but if you are new to KC&A you might not have seen her! Brielle makes AMAZING handmade cards, she's really got a knack for it! And I have owned five of them, so I know it's legit. They are awesome. She's here to teach you how to tie bows on cards, the pretty way!

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As requested I am posting a tutorial so you can tie the bows you've seen on my cards. There are several different ways to tie bows. I like the two that I am showing you the best. They are easy to do. I've taken step by step pictures...which wasn't easy by the way. I had to tie the bow with one hand and hold the camera in the other.

Helpful hint...Use ribbon that is the same on both sides. If there is a print on one side it is a little trickier to get the print facing the way you want it.

Ok Lets get started. I'll start with the method that saves the most ribbon.

Both of these cards use this method.

Notice how the ribbon is tucked between the embossed paper and the card base.

The ribbon can not be seen on the inside of the card. Even if that white piece of paper wasn't on the inside you still wouldn't be able to see the ribbon. Got it?

When I tie my bows I tie it with the ribbon still on the spool. I don't cut a piece off. It wastes less ribbon and it is easier then trying to guess how much you will need for your project.

I use this glue stick to tie my ribbon around. You can use a regular glue stick or pretty much anything else that that a similar shape.

Confused? You are just tying a double knot.

Pull the glue stick out.

This is what it will look like.

Cut it off from the rest of the spool of ribbon.

Use scissors to cut the center of the loop at an angel.

See?

This is what it will look like

Sometimes I pull it tighter or adjust it a little. Just tug on the short part of the ribbon.

Use double sided tape to stick it to the cardstock.

wrap the extra ribbon around the back and glue the cardstock to your card base.

Voila!

You can see it doesn't show on the inside of the card.

Now you know how it is done. If you have any questions leave me a comment. I will be posting my other bow tying method tomorrow. (Amie comment, I'm late posting this, so it's actually over there right now!)

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See what I mean? Thanks Brielle! Don't forget to head over to {I Hold All the Cards} and leave her some love. :)