Birthday Cupcakes

It's been mostly quiet here...which might have something to do with the tremendous amounts of shoveling necessary over the past few days.  With the promise of more shoveling next week (it is winter, after all), I plan to spend this weekend enjoying the great indoors and all its warm wonders--heat, blankets, hot chocolate, homemade soup, fresh baked bread...

And stamping!  I'm very excited to use some of my yet-untouched treats from the Occasions Mini, and today's card continues the new product exploration of the past few weeks.  As you know, I love Stampin' Up!'s punches, and today's card just reinforces my ardor.  The new Build-a-Cupcake punch creates everything you need for an adorable paper cupcake, right down the cherry, candle, and sprinkles (not seen here).  There's also a coordinating stamp set, so you can dress your cupcake up right and add plenty of birthday cheer.

For this card, I went simple and used some of the things I already owned, like the stamp set Fabulous Phrases, my trusty Big Shot, and the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder.  I started with a base of Crumb Cake, and ran that through the Big Shot with the Framed Tulips folder to create a lovely edge.  To make that stand out a bit more, I sponged it with Chocolate Chip ink.

On to the fun part--my cupcakes!  I started with the Build a Cupcake punch, and punched all of its pieces in Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, and Bashful Blue.  Then I got out the Red Glimmer paper so that I could punch out two cherries, and a tiny scrap of Daffodil Delight to punch the candle flame.  I assembled the cupcakes on my card, and used dimensionals to pop the frosting up for a little 3D action.

My finishing touch is the sentiment, which is inked in Chocolate Chip and comes from the individual, mix and match words of Fabulous Phrases.  Since the end of January is a popular time for birthdays, this card is already in the mail.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Fabulous Phrases
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Pink Pirouette, Daffodil Delight, Red Glimmer
Extras: Build a Cupcake punch, Big Shot, Framed Tulips embossing folder