Each year I let my girls help me design their birthday invitations. Let me tell you I have gotten some really good color combos out of them! This year Emma picked pink for her color. Well, at first she picked every color in the rainbow and wanted each kid to get an invitation made with their favorite color, but I reeled her in by limiting her to her own favorite color.

I ordered the “Crazy For Cupcakes” stamp set special for her birthday this year after I learned this really cool technique from Donna Centamore a while back to make puffy frosting or snow. I thought this technique would be perfect for Emma because she loves to eat the frosting off cupcakes! She really got a kick out of the puffy frosting!

How about a tutorial?

Supplies:

• Crazy for Cupcakes Stamp Set (#111618)
• Hugs and Wishes Stamp Set (#109383)
• Chocolate Chip Card Stock (#102128)
• Pink Pirouette Card Stock (#111351)
• Whisper White Card Stock (#100730)
• StazOn Ink Pad Jet Black (#101406)
• Pink Pirouette Classic Stamp Pad (#111838)
• Close to Cocoa Classic Stamp Pad(#10139), re-inker(#102444), or Marker (#100072)
• Creamy Caramel Classic Stamp Pad(#103220), re-inker(#101478), or Marker (#100078)
• Going Gray Classic Stamp Pad (#103274), re-inker(#102521), or Marker (only in neutral pack #109126)
• Real Red Stampin’ Write Marker (#100052)
• Aqapainter (#103954)
• Pink Pirouette re-inker (#111843)
• Heat Tool (#100005)
• Salt and All-Purpose Flour

Gather your supplies and Pre cut your card stock pieces as follows:

• Pink Pirouette (5.5″x8.5″)
• Whisper White (5″x3.75″) and (2.75″ x 4″)
• Chocolate Chip (3″ x 4.25″)

Step 1: Random stamp balloons all over card front using Pink Pirouette Classic Ink.

Step 2: Using StazOn, stamp images on Whisper White Card Stock (2.75″ x 4″). I used Timber Brown StazOn, which has been retired from our catalog. the StazOn resists bleeding when you watercolor the cupcake bottoms. You can also use Basic Brown Classic Ink or Jet Black StazOn for the cupcakes and Chocolate Chip Classic for greeting.

Step 3: Stamp invitation information onto whisper white insert (5″ x 3.75″) using Chocolate Chip Classic Ink.

You can barely see it in the picture, but I also stamped a large cupcake in the center with Pink Pirouette Classic Ink. This will look like a watermark behind your writing.

I used my Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write marker to write in the rest of the information.

Step 4: Now for the fun part! Take a small container and add equal parts of All Purpose Flour and Salt. I used a Sponge Dauber to measure. Mix well.

Add a few drops of water and mix to the consistency a little thicker than school glue. Add 3 drops of Pink Pirouette Classic Ink to this mixture.

Step 5: Color each cherry with a Real Red Stampin’ Write Marker. Color the stand with Going Grey, and the bottoms of each cupcake were watercolored using an aqua painter, Creamy Caramel, and Close to Cocoa Classic Ink.

When watercoloring, I very quickly and lightly colored each bottom with creamy caramel starting at the top left hand corner and working to the right. You want white spots here and there so don’ worry about that. Then do the same with Close to Cocoa Classic Ink to add a shadow. You can see the detail in the next picture.

Step 6: Using a small spatula or screwdriver, carefully place the salt and flour mixture on each cupcake. You only need a little frosting on each cupcake, just make sure you push it from the center out to the stamped outline.

Using a heat tool dry the backside of the card stock until the mixture turns from shiny to matte finish. Then use the heat tool on the front of the card stock and heat each cupcake until the frosting puffs up.

Step 7: Assemble your card, and don’t forget to use your personalized name stamp on the back of your card so the receiver knows it was handmade by you!

I hope you have fun playing around with this technique. I suggest using some of those card stock scraps that you have lying around to play with this. If you add too much mixture It might not dry in the middle. If you add too much water the puffy accents might crush because they are too delicate.

Come back for more tutorials soon!

Happy Stamping!