Ordinary Cupcakes with a Custom Look

Anchor Cupcakes: Not So "Vanilla"

Grab a Quick Cupcake Kit from Target... or DIY Them

Why is it that every event seems to fall on the same weekend in the spring (e.g., dress rehearsals, parade, wedding, dance recital)? With so much going on, I didn't have time to make a birthday cake for B3's party yesterday. But I knew it was coming, so when I saw these cupcake kits at Target a few weeks ago, I scooped up two of them ($4.99/each). Each kit came with 12 of the red cardstock liners, 24 paper liners (which I didn't use), and 12 anchor toothpicks.

Knowing I'd be in no state to make my own (although that would have saved even more $$), I ordered plain white cupcakes from the grocery store at about $0.65/each. Popped them into the custom red liners, stuck the anchor toothpicks on top, and we had custom cupcakes. Altogether, with the anchor/liner kits, these guys still cost us less than a dollar a piece.

I would have loved to have baked my own cupcakes and decorated them myself, and I'm sure I could have done it less expensively than this, but in this case, I just didn't have the time (and honestly, mine wouldn't have looked as good). I still wanted to do something special for my little guy, and this ended up being the perfect fix for me. So in my effort to avoid adding even more stress to a stressful weekend, I certainly chose the "easy way out," but I love knowing that when I need a convenient, easy, QUICK solution like this, I have that option.

These would also make easy Memorial Day or Fourth of July treats!

And there you have it: the quickest custom cupcakes in the world :)

As an aside, if you're planning everything ahead of time, there are lots of cute cupcake toppers on Etsy!

My Favorite Deal of the Week

I will not buy any paper products (e.g., paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, diapers) at full price. They don't expire, so I just buy in bulk when they're on sale. This week I think I got an extra great deal. Target has Up & Up paper towels ($9.99) and toilet paper ($11.99) on sale. If you buy two of them, you get a $5 Target gift card (there are also other products in the offer-diapers and laundry detergent among them). I'm running low on these two products, so I bought two of each, and earned $10 Target credit in return! For me, that translates into an easy $10 savings off my grocery bill next week!

*this is my first post using the Blogger app, so I'm curious of how it will format on a real computer screen... It doesn't seem to let me choose where I can place the photos.

DIY Upcycled Baby Boy Knit Pants

Baby Boy Pants Upcycled From Long-Sleeved Tee Shirt

Any parent of a baby knows how fast they go through clothes that first year. It's unbelievable how it seems like one day, there is an entire drawer packed with clothes that don't fit anymore. Well, that's where I am with B3 right now. But here's the problem: I'm not a newbie parent anymore, and I REFUSE to pay $10+ for a pair of baby pants that will only be used (and abused) for a matter of months!

I'd been admiring a lot of upcycling projects on Pinterest, so I decided to attempt some baby boy pants from the fabric of an alternate garment. I couldn't find anything sufficient in my closet, so I perused the clearance rack at Target, and, voila! I found a women's XXXL shirt in the 70% off section! Armed and ready to create, I came home and promptly began my project for B3. And I proceeded with such fervor, that I neglected to take a single photo during the process! I was too excited... I'm doing to try to replicate and most some soon.

This shirt provided SOOO much fabric, I didn't know where to begin. And then it struck me: the SLEEVES! The cuffs would be perfect for his legs, thus eliminating any hemming (and very little sewing) for me! Anyway, to gauge his size, I used a pair of his current pants folded in half lengthwise and lined it up on top of the sleeves (that was my guide for cutting out the fabric). I did that twice--only two cuts! Then I lined up and pinned the raw edges to make the rise of the pants. Got out my sewing machine and zipped through that... and then added the elastic at the waist. So easy! And there is still plenty of fabric left over for at least two more pairs. And that funky seam design in the original shirt ended up looking really cool down his pant legs!

I'll definitely be attempting this lady-sleeves-into-baby-pants project again, and next time I'll be sure to take more pics during the process. 















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