Steve and Judy's Surprise Wedding Cake

Last month my father-in-law got married, and I made this wedding cake for the occasion.  It was a simple, but delicious, white chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting.  I used my basic cake recipe, and the frosting techniques found here.  Since I didn't cover this cake with fondant, after I frosted each tier, I wet the spatula to smooth the frosting.  I used a medium round tip to make the pearl border at the bottom of each tier.

The flowers are colored fondant.  To make these, roll out the fondant to about 1/8 inch thick, then cut with a flower shaped cutter.  Place the flowers on a sponge and press in the middle of the flower with a small dowel (I used the back of a small paint brush) to give the flowers dimension.  Let the flowers dry overnight.  Use a small dot of frosting to glue each flower to the cake.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you...there's something else you might want to know about this cake.  Just one part of the surprise.  Are you ready?  Can you guess what the secret is???

It's only 6 inches tall!  Steve and Judy got married in Estes Park without a reception, so Adam and I brought them this cake as a surprise.  I had so much fun making this tiny cake.  I used a 6 inch pan, a 4 inch pan, and a 2 inch pan.  Seriously, how cute is this cake?

So the question is...could you tell?

Zipper Rose

I've really enjoyed seeing all the ways zippers have become an accessory.  You may have noticed that I like love flowers.  I whipped up these two roses and now I can't stop thinking about all the different ways I would like to use them: on a headband, on a purse, as a hair clip, as a brooch, etc.

Supplies/Materials

• 30 inch upholstery zipper (you can buy a 72" zipper and make two)
• Scissors
• Low-melt hot glue gun

Directions

1. Cut the ends off the zipper and remove the moving part (I don't know what that is called)
2. Begin by squeezing a small strip of glue on one end, and rolling the zipper two times.

3. Create petals by folding the zipper into a point and gluing petal in place.  Form petals continuously in a triangular pattern around the center.

4. I used two different zippers.  The darker zipper is only 1/2 inch wide, and the lighter zipper is 5/8 inch wide.  The extra 1/8 inch made it much easier to form the petals without the fabric coming loose or having gaps.

Daniel had some questions about glue, so here are the backs of each flowers.  I bumped up the contrast a little to help you see the lines.  I hope this helps!

Felt Roses Headband

I have had so many comments on both the fabric flowers headband, and the felt roses, that I thought I just had to write a tutorial showing how to make a headband with the felt roses.  While I do think this one turned out cute, I think in the future, I would change the angle of the roses, and maybe only use three of them.

Supplies/Materials

• About 2 feet 1/2 inch wide braided elastic
• Enough felt for 3-5 small felt roses (see my tutorial for felt roses)
• Sewing supplies
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks

Directions

1. This first thing you need to do, is measure your head.  You can do this with a measuring tape, or just wrap the elastic around your head like a headband (be sure not to stretch it).
2. Subtract 1 inch from that measurement, and cut your elastic.  (Mine measured at 21 inches, so I cut my elastic at 20 inches)
3. Sew your ends together leaving a .5 inch seam allowance.  Open your edges out, and use a zigzag seam to sew the edges flat.  When they are flat, trim any excess elastic.

4. Your headband is ready to adorn!
5. Cut the center circle for each of your felt roses, and form the centers.

6. Cut the outer circle for each rose, and begin sewing one petal from each rose to the headband.

7. Glue the center of each rose to the outer petals, one petal at a time, ending with the petal attached to the headband.

8. You are almost finished.  Squeeze a strip of glue along the inside of the headband.

9. Once the glue cools, it should be ready to wear.  The strip of glue, and the stretch of the elastic should help it to stay on your cute head!

Felt Roses

Flowers and felt—two of my favorite things.  I have been looking at lots of tutorials for making felt flowers, and trying lots of techniques, but I never really loved the way my flowers came out.  Often the flowers seemed really closed, or just didn’t really look like a rose to me (rose is the shape I was trying to replicate).  I stopped to think about how I wanted to create my rose so it looked just how I wanted it to look.  Here is what I came up with.
Supplies

• Felt
• Scissors
• Low-melt glue gun
• glue sticks

Directions

1. Plug in your glue gun.
2. Cut the felt into graduated circles.  I cut one 3 inch circle, one 3.5 inch circle, and one 4 inch circle (measurements do not have to be exact).

3. Cut from the edge to almost the center of one circle.  Move about 1/3 around the edge and repeat.  Make one more cut between the first two.  you should now have roughly 3 even petals attached to a very small center (these do NOT have to be exact).  Repeat for all three circles.

4. Use your scissors to round the sharp corners.

5. Begin with the smallest circle.  Spread glue on the bottom half of one petal.  Roll it into the center of your rose.

6. Put a line of glue on the bottom edges of another petal.  Glue the petal around the center covering the edges with the new petal.



I forgot to take a picture before the 2nd petal, so this is the third.


7. Put a line of glue on the bottom edges of your last petal.  Overlap the edges of the last petal you glued on, and glue in place.

8. Glue the next circle around the first by gluing the bottom edge of each petal to your rose.

9. Repeat with your last circle.

10. Look at how pretty your rose is.  Take a picture.  Make more!

For the small red roses, I used only two circles, one 2 inch circle, and one 2.5 inch circle.

Jessie's Fabric Flowers Head Band

My sister does not share my love of crafts.  Throughout our lives, when we've said, "let's craft," what we really meant was "why don't I [Malory] craft, while you [Brooke] keep me company."  When Brooke came home on Thanksgiving and showed me the headband she made, I knew this was a craft for everyone.  She shared with me that her boyfriend's sister, Jessie, taught her how to make these simple and cute headbands.  You can make them yourself, but it is much easier with a friend.  They are so easy to make, you will want to make a variety of colors and styles to complement your wardrobe, and give as gifts.

Materials/Supplies

• 1 stretch headband (I like the ones with non-stick backing)
• Felt (only enough for 3 small circles)
• Fabric (3 colors, each needs one small circle and one strip about 22"x2")
• Scissors
• Iron & board
• Low-melt glue gun

Directions

1. Plug in the glue gun to begin heating
2. Cut your fabric into three strips that are about 22"x2" (they do not have to be exact)
3. Cut a circle out of each color of fabric--the circle should be about 1.75" in diameter
4. Cut 3 circles of felt about 1.5" in diameter

5. Using the iron, fold each strip of fabric into thirds "hot dog" style--right side out

6. Begin twisting the end of one fabric strip
7. At this point, you will want to grab your friend if you brought one (one person can coil, and one person can glue)
8. Coil the end of fabric and glue down to the center of one fabric circle--right side down

9. Continue to twist and coil--glue as you go

10. If you coil all the way to the edge of the fabric circle and you still have more strip left, make sure the fabric circle is covered, then cut the rest of the strip and glue end down

11. If you coil all of the strip, and you have not covered the entire fabric circle, trim the circle smaller
12. Repeat with each color of fabric
13. You should now have 3 complete fabric flowers
14. Put a strip of glue on the back of one flower (center the strip, and make it only as wide as the felt circles)

15. Glue the headband to the flower (make sure you put the outside of the headband into the glue)

16. Smear glue all over one of the felt circles

17. Glue the circle to the back of the flower sandwiching the headband between the felt and flower

18. Repeat for each flower placing the flowers close together (the felt backs should touch one another, and the flowers should overlap slightly--when you wear the headband, it will stretch and flatten)

19. Make more!