DIY Wednesday - Cupcake Bouquet

This weeks do it yourself project comes to us compliments of Chris@ Celebrations at Home Blog, and Reynolds. These Cupcake Bouquets are a twist on the traditional cupcake tower. What a great project for the swanky hostess!

Using simple pink pastel baking cups, you can make a cupcake bouquet that is beautiful enough to serve at a wedding or shower. With a few simple ingredients and objects easily found at a craft store, you could delight 48-52 guests. You can make the piped rosebuds we've featured or do something simpler with smooth icing. And, consider a grooms "cake" using chocolate or red velvet cupcakes! 48-52 cupcakes baked in pink pastel baking cups2 containers (16 ounces each) of white frosting1 sturdy glass vase (at least 16 inches around at the top) 1 piece tissue paper (your choice of color)1 8" Styrofoam ball (purchase at your local craft store)1 glue gun and glue sticks1 piece wire ribbon, long enough to tie a bow around vase24-28 wooden Popsicle sticks, broken in half1 small paring knife

1. Bake and Frost Cupcakes using the technique and decorations of your choice
Rosebuds
Smooth Frosting & Decorations
Use tip #125 and hold decorating bag at a 90 degree angle with the wide end of the tip touching the center of the cupcake
Turn the cupcake counter clockwise, continuing to swirl and pipe frosting out of the bag.
You will need to layer the petals, just like real roses.
Green Leaves (purchased)
To get the smoothest frosting, use a hot knife or spreader. Keep a bowl of very hot water nearby your workspace and simply dip the knife in and dry it before you pick up your frosting.
Use your imagination when it comes to decorations. We used crystallized sprinkles and edible glitter.

2. Let frosting stand and harden about 1 hour before arranging into bouquet.

3. SOFTLY CRUMBLE tissue paper into a vase. More paper produces a more vibrant color. For a hint of color, use a small single sheet.

4. SECURE Styrofoam ball onto the top of the vase using glue gun and glue sticks. You should only need to put glue onto the vase and then center the Styrofoam ball. When you're done, the ball will easily pop off the vase so you can reuse the vase.

5. TIE A BOW with wire ribbon near the top of your vase.

6. STARTING at the bottom of the Styrofoam ball, insert one (1) half Popsicle stick angled 45 degrees down to hold a cupcake along the lowest layer.(Optional) Depending upon how precise you want to be with your cupcake placement, you may want to consider making a quide for positioning your cupcakes by placing a cupcake on the base of the ball.Using a pencil, trace the bottom of the cupcake on the Styrofoam ball. Repeat with the same cupcake until you have a traced pattern for the whole bouquet.

7. Using a pairing knife, MAKE a thin slit into the bottom of the decorated cupcake.

8. SLIDE decorated cupcake onto the halved Popsicle stick.

9. REPEAT these steps, one row at a time working from the bottom of the ball to the top. Placing cupcakes as close together as you can get them.

10. Finished Cupcake Bouquet

Reynolds.com has directions with pictures that make this project a snap.